Easter Day, 2014, Bridgewater, NJ

This morning in time zones throughout the globe, the sun rose over a planet in which there is no significant space that the name of Jesus has not been heard.

This man, born as a Jew, who lived and taught as a Jew, who died as a Jew, and who was crucified under the Roman Empire as a common criminal by a means so barbarous, that Roman law reserved that form of slow, gruesome death solely for non-citizens of the Empire.

By all accounts, by any manner of sociopolitical analysis, that should have been the end of it.  As the French say, C’èst fini:  It’s over.  Good riddance.

  

He was just another rabble-rouser from that unmanageable Roman colony – only one among hundreds of others who dared to cause turmoil in Palestine of the first century – nailed to a cross, now gone and forgotten.

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.

Time for a Break

This is, as it should be, a time to pull back for at least a few days to gain perspective before the upcoming April 20th election.

Recent fiscal issues emanating from Trenton have had – as all of you who read this blog and other sources know – a dramatic and startling impact upon the Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education and have shaken the school employees’ union, the BREA.

There will be plenty of time in the days preceding the school election to take another look at the data, the impact upon laid-off employees, the bust-up of the entire custodial staff in the Bridgewater-Raritan schools, and the impact on the tax bills of Bridgewater and Raritan citizens.

It’s time to pause, to celebrate Easter, and to wish all Christians and non-Christians good will and good fortune.

Thanks for reading and remember to stay engaged.

Note:  Photo depicts Lynne Hurley and Arvind Mathur conferring before last Wednesday's meeting of the Bridgewater-Raritan School Board

A Time for Spiritual Reflection, Sadness and Joyous Celebration

Yesterday was Palm Sunday, the first day marking the commemoration of Holy Week which culminates at Easter for Christians throughout the world. Similarly, tonight at sundown is the first day of Passover for those within the Jewish tradition.

This week is among the most sacred periods for both of these ancient traditions. When, during this time of religious observance, Jesus walked into Jerusalem, he was doing it as a Jew entering the city to celebrate the feast of Passover – he was preparing to celebrate the same feast that Jews worldwide celebrate today.

How strange it is that there was a time when these two traditions became so badly at odds, with some in one blaming the other. But both have survived and prospered despite all odds, with their celebrations, their ethical systems and their religious observances intact.

There is a great communality of heart within Judaism and Christianity. The latter owes its very existence to the former. And the former has shown has shown a resolve for survival that, even to this day, will not be denied.

Happy Passover to all Jews of this community. And, in anticipation of next Sunday, Happy Easter to all Christians.

You Can Set Your Watch by It!

Almost every year, before one of the major Christian celebrations, some author or research organization comes out with a story or discovery that’s supposed to shock Christianity to its core, minimize it, or put it in a bad light. Again!

The release of such information is maddeningly timed to hit the press and media about a week before a Christian commemoration such as Easter, obviously timed to have the maximum bang-for-the buck for publishers and promoters.

The most recent example is the large red-on-black lettering on the cover of Newsweek’s latest issue, starkly proclaiming, The Decline and Fall of Christian America. In its May, 2006 issue, the National Geographic released research results of an ancient scroll entitled, The Gospel of Judas. The findings were supposed to turn Christianity on its head – I’m still waiting.

Perhaps the most notorious and monetarily successful work of its type in recent times was the book, The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown. I read it thoroughly, did extensive research on its claims, wrote a paper on it, and delivered that to a standing-room audience debunking Brown’s pathetic research.

Even President Obama got into the act when, in his recent visit to Turkey, he downplayed the cultural impact of people of faith in the founding of this nation when he said that America is merely “. . . a group of citizens bound by common ideals and values.” That so, Mr. President?

If I sound ornery about this, it’s because I am. I’d like to think – unrealistic, I know – that some of us, could we please, just celebrate a religious fête without the annoyance of a know-it-all telling us what we should believe about our belief.

Meanwhile, Happy Easter to all my fellow Christians, and Happy Passover to all my brothers and sisters of the Jewish faith, without whom our Sacred Writings would be incomplete.