Last Monday night - April 14th, 2014 - began the 8 days of Passover. And today - Sunday, April 20th, 2014 - is Easter. This is a week of celebration for nearly 14 million Jews and more than 2 billion Christians around the world.
This is a week when Jews from America to Israel...and in countries spanning the globe...commemorate the emancipation of the Israelites from the unbearable horrors and slavery...to the Pharaoh...in ancient Egypt. If you have read the Old Testament of The Bible...then you will recall that God sent Moses to the Pharaoh with a message to "Let my people go." But despite numerous warnings...Pharaoh refused to obey God's command...and so the Lord brought forth 10 devastating plagues...the last of which was the killing of all firstborn Egyptians. While doing so, God spared the Children of Israel... and "pased over" the homes of the Hebrews - hence the name of today's holiday of Passover. Therefore, this week...Jews everywhere... honor the Exodus from Egypt - the freedom that our ancestors gained...and we began Passover - as we do each year - with a Seder...a Jewish ritual feast.
Last Friday - April 18th, 2014 - was Good Friday...a religious holiday that is observed by Christians...to memorialize the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It is the Friday before Easter Sunday...and part of Holy Week...which began the Sunday before...known as Palm Sunday - the start of the last week of Lent, which is a 40-day period of fasting, prayer and penance.
Easter is much more than traditional customs such as parades, stuffed toy bunnies and hunting decoratively colored eggs. Easter is a festival and holiday that celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead...and it is described in the New Testament of The Bible as happening three days after Christ's crucifixion on a Roman cross. Like the Passover Seder for Jews... Easter Mass is very, very special to Christians. And at both...we pray for peace...and freedom for all.
We are living today in a world that, quite frankly, is a scary place. The planet Earth is one big haunted house. Americans, especially...never know who is going to materialize from the shadows of darkness...and point a gun in our face. In 2014...we always need to be on our guard...and fully aware at all times...as we need to watch out for that unknown, disgruntled individual... who may enter our workplace...with a machine gun in hand...spraying bullets in to the air...and randomly killing dozens of innocent people.
Each day of our lives is blanketed with the mystery...of whether a bomb is going to explode...while we are walking down the street...or while we are cheering and rooting the friendly competition at a sporting event.
School children are no longer living - as I did - in an age when the worst thing the average kid needed to worry about while sitting in his or her classroom...was the neighborhood bully... not a deranged, murderous madman...shooting to death...our friends and teachers.
During this week...we need to think in a positive light...that our hopes and dreams will come true...and that each of us can find happiness and success. It is important - especially this week - that we believe that God will protect us...and no matter how much bad - how much evil - has troubled the lives of all Americans...we need to feel deep in our hearts...that goodness will prevail.
I - as many others - question and wonder...if we pray...why are our prayers not always answered? No matter how much we pray...and no matter how much we ask God to make our lives better...to give us the happiness we long for...the financial success we strive to attain...the best of health so we can live pain-free, illness-free, stress-free for 100 years or more...that there's safety, security and peace around the world...and that nobody is hurt or harmed by any means...our prayers are not always answered as we so desire.
But hopefully...yes, hopefully...each of us will discover...whether through religion or some other form of guidance - spiritual or otherwise - that we will survive through the trials and tribulations...and the perilous journeys of our human adventure...called life.
Oh I understand...and know first-hand...that with the many problems... that we Americans suffer from - be them the pains and agonies of poor health...the financial woes of our day to day existence...or any hardship that is troublesome in any way...not to mention the cruelty to others by some - I've got to believe that "the good guys" will win in the end.
This is a time - during Passover and Easter - that we need to find the love inside us...the love inside our hearts...and to share that love with the people we care about. And that we hope and pray...that those who maybe don't usually think this way - will follow us in that same direction.
Throughout this Holy Week of both Passover and Easter...we need to ask ourselves what Passover and Easter really mean. Both holidays...of both faiths...are holidays of freedom. They are victories of good winning over bad...and life winning over death. And with all the problems...and troubles... and difficulties that we Americans - in the year 2014 - have to endure...and overcome...we need to also realize...that we are still blessed...with many privileges...and many freedoms...that others in the world are unable to enjoy. We sometimes forget that...and - at this time of year - we...as Jews...as Christians...and others who practice any other faith...or no religion at all... need to look at ourselves...as if each of us...had personally followed Moses out of Egypt. And hopefully...the freedoms of all Jews...of all Christians...and of all Americans who believe...or don't believe...in God...or any supreme being...will live on forever.
And that's The Controversy for today.
I'm Gary B. Duglin.
"We'll talk again."
The Controversy is a publication of GBD Productions. Founder and Editor-In-Chief of The Controversy is Gary B. Duglin.
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