Editorial: A day of celebration and faith
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Today is a day of faith.
It is, in fact, about more than one faith.
For many, even most, in the United States, today is Easter Sunday. It is the most important holy day to Christians around the globe, celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus.
For the Jewish community, it falls squarely in the middle of Passover, the eight-day remembrance of liberation of the Hebrews from Egypt. It is a time to not only celebrate that freedom but also to honor and acknowledge the broken bonds of anyone who has left oppression.
Today is also squarely in the middle of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting and prayer. Participating in the 30-day observation is one of the Five Pillars of Islam.
The intersection of three of the most sacred holidays in the world’s largest religions is not something that happens every year. Maybe two of them do. Maybe not.
The way the Muslim lunar calendar overlaps the commonly used Gregorian solar calendar means there is a short window for them to coincide every 30 years or so. The three lined up last year. Before that, the last time was 1991. Easter and Passover synchronize more often — unsurprising, as Jesus was celebrating Passover at the Last Supper.
We should all take it as a time to honor the things we share.
While Christians, Jews and Muslims so often seem at odds, they share roots of belief and culture. More importantly, the people share humanity.
Today, wish your Christian friends a happy and blessed Easter. Give your Jewish friends a joyful and hearty “Chag Sameach!” Offer an Islamic friend a reverent and generous “Ramadan Mubarak.”
If there is room in the calendar for all three holidays at the same time, there is room in our hearts to wish each other well. Perhaps that might seem like a pipe dream sometimes, but it’s a dream worth having faith in — especially today.