A Time for Hope

Tip O’Neill, that jovial Irishman from Boston who served effectively for years as speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, is noted for having coined the aphorism, “All politics is local.”

The cross above my writing desk
holds the eternal promise of Easter.

For your consideration, I offer this variation from another realm:  “All religious belief is local – not simply geographically, but more so in one’s heart.”

No better expression of this have I witnessed than that which is evident in the spiritual events of this past week. 

For people of the Judeo-Christian tradition, it was an occasion to remember, to reflect upon, and to celebrate one of the holiest periods on the Jewish and Christian calendars.

Those of the Jewish faith commemorate the days of Passover (Pesach), a time to observe the deliverance of the Jewish people from the bondage of slavery in Egypt. 

For Christians throughout the world, this sacred time brings back the memory of a man who died at the command of a Roman prefect by one of the most ignominious and brutal manners of execution – crucifixion – a death so slow and painful, that it was reserved exclusively for non-Romans.

Yet, that was not the end – hardly:  this Sunday, Christians celebrate Easter, the day when Scripture records the resurrection of Jesus.  His teachings live in the hearts of almost a billion and a half people all over the globe.

Heralding spring, a solitary crocus pushes
itself up on the front lawn. (Bergeron Image)

Saturday evening, while at an Easter Vigil at St. Bernard of Clairvaux Catholic Church in Bridgewater, I was struck by how closely the Jewish and Christian traditions are irrevocably bound.

During this two-and-a-half-hour-long liturgy, there were nine readings from the Bible: 

What is notable about this is that six of those originate from the Hebrew Scriptures (Genesis, Exodus, Isaiah and Ezekiel); two from the New Testament (Paul and Luke); and one from the Apocrypha (Baruch).  In between each of those readings a Psalm was interspersed.

I hope you don’t think that this is a Bible lesson.  It is not.  However, I present it as undeniable evidence that the Jewish and Christian traditions are interwoven in a way that is truly admirable.

As I have claimed to those who know me well, there could have been no Christianity without a Jewish faith before it. 

Every single Scriptural mention in the New Testament by Jesus or his Apostles is a reference originating form one of the three parts contained in the Hebrew Bible – the Torah, the Prophets, or the Writings.

Thanks for reading.  Have a good week.