PRESIDENT'S CORNER: April 13, 2017

Holy Holy Holy! This is a big weekend for both Jews and Christians as Passover winds down and Easter makes its way from Good Friday to the return of light on Sunday.  Passover comes about a month after Purim, which is one of the sources of the birth of western theater because of its emphasis on telling the dramatic story of Queen Esther saving the Jewish people from the veil Haman who, basically, wanted to exterminate the Jewish people of Persia! A holiday for feasting and gladness is established by Mordecai and Esther to be celebrated by gift giving, and, in time, the playing of Purim Spiel (plays) to mock, make fun of and generally make merry.

Passover is perhaps the most important festival of the year because it commemorates the founding of the Jewish nation as they are released from slavery in Egypt and led through the wilderness to the Promised Land by Moses. Lots of preparation is needed leading up to Passover: cleaning, sorting, making everything kosher and purified. A Haggadah, kind of a script for prayers, songs, recitations, and the like, is often a treasured family book used at this time. Passover is a reminder of suffering, the journey out of slavery into light and the ultimate triumph of a people

Easter is, of course, the BIG holy day for Christians because of their belief that Jesus Christ was crucified by the Romans and then overcame death itself in the resurrection. For the disciples, finding the tomb empty and their lord risen was the ultimate “Aha!” moment when something happened that was strong enough to infuse them with the power and spirit to go forward and found the Christian church.  Christian Bible scholars argue about what actually happened and whether the Bible is actual history or symbol and metaphor, but I think it’s safe to say that whatever happened to the Followers of the Way (for that is what they called themselves), it changed the world.

So, whichever faith tradition you call home, may you find blessing, love, peace and light to take you forward on your own journey.

Spring Term: Following these holy days, our spring term at OLLI will commence on Monday, April 17. If you haven’t registered for classes, you may do so either by dropping by our office or getting on our website and doing it right there.  It is very easy—even I could do it! 

Have a wonderful and/or blessed weekend and we’ll see you next week!

Jim Held, President