This question was sent to the Angelus Press (magazine) October 1991, questions and answers and it was Fr. James Doran who gave the answers at the time.

Question: Many Catholics believe that the Jews are still God’s people (Romans 11:1) I always thought Catholics were now God’s people, could you please explain.
(J.S.Hawthorne, CA)

Answer: The passage that you make reference to is the following: “I say then: Hast God cast away His people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite of the seed of Abraham, of the Tribe of Benjamin. God hast not cast away His people, which he foreknew…Even so then at this present time also, there is a remnant saved according to the election of grace.”Saint Paul is dealing with the whole mystery of salvation which is much too vast to cover in this small column. But briefly, he is addressing a certain scorn among the Christians at Rome dealing with the Jews, after all it was the officials who played a key position in the condemnation of Our Lord. But this scorn became a contempt of the race as a whole, here St. Paul, calls them to task.The only reason for the existence of the Hebrew Nation was for the preparation of the coming of Christ, the Redeemer. When they fail to accept His arrival, and aggravated the infidelity through the horrible crime of Deicide, they betrayed their mission.  This is the state of Israel. They broke trust with God, Almighty. But from all this, the Apostle reminds the Catholics that this is not a reason for contempt. It was their infidelity which brought mercy to the Gentiles in an amazing way.  But that the gifts of God are without repentance. In the end these will return to their Lord.”I say then, have they [the Jews] so stumbled, that they should fall? God forbid. But by their offense salvation is come to the Gentiles, {the non-Jews}, that they may be emulous of them.  Now if the offense of them be the riches of the world, and the diminution of, the riches of the Gentiles, how much more the fullness of them?” (11:11-12).

The non-Jews are thus the “wild olive” grafted onto the root: The Hebrew Nation. St. Paul cautions any arrogance among those now in the Church with the following words: “For if God had not spared the natural branches, fear least perhaps, He also spared not thee.” (11:21).

This being the overall pictures of the mystery of salvation it still remains to be said that even if the nation of the Jews will, as a moral whole, convert before the end of the world, they still remain at this time in infidelity.  They are the children of wrath.

Abraham was justified for his faith, and therefore, all those who have the faith of Christ, the chosen offspring of Abraham, are the children of Abraham and thus the true Israel. “Know thee therefore, that they who are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.  And the scripture, for seeing, that God justifeth the Gentiles by faith, so unto Abraham before: ‘In thee shall all nations be blessed.’  Therefore, they that are of faith shall be blessed with the faithful Abraham.” (Gal. 3:7-9).

And:”For you are all the children of God by faith, in Christ Jesus…And if you be Christ’s, then you are the seed of Abraham, heir’s according to the promise.” (Gal. 3:29).

Therefore, any who possesses the true faith of Christ, being the seed of Abraham, regardless of nationality, are the true Israel as opposed to the Israel of the flesh. The Catholic (Universal) Church is the Israel of God flowering forth in the Precious Blood of His Divine Son and truly then the, “Chosen People.”