An Easter Freedom Message

My friend Emil sent this Easter message to his friends. He links the Easter message with the Jewish Passover and the flight to freedom.

How did Easter begin?
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Well, remember that Jesus (Yeshua bar Joseph) was a Jew, and the first Christians were Jewish. That is very important to keep in mind if we are to properly understand the meaning and celebration of Easter.

Just as Jesus is the central figure for Christians, so Moses is the central figure for the Jews. The greatest event in the history of the Hebrew nation, was when Moses freed them from slavery in Egypt. They called this celebration “Passover” meaning they passed over the Red Sea from slavery to freedom in the “Promised Land”.

When Jesus came along, he spoke of a new kind of freedom, a spiritual freedom from slavery to things of this world. He called this new Promised Land the “Kingdom of Heaven”. The Jews looked upon God with fear and trembling. It was forbidden to even speak the name of God. Jesus turned that idea upside down. He said we should call God by the loving name “Abba”, which means ‘dad”. Instead of observing Ten Commandments, as the High Priests taught, Jesus said there is only one commandment, love of God and love of neighbor.
 
On the Sabbath, after the reading of the Torah, anyone was allowed to comment on the reading. This is what Jesus often did. But his interpretation of the scripture was so different from what the Priests and Scribes said. No wonder that the Jewish priests felt threatened by the teaching of Jesus.

In addition, the Romans didn’t like to hear of another kind of kingdom. So, they looked upon Jesus as a dangerous agitator.

As it turned out, the Priests and Romans collaborated and got rid of Jesus by crucifixion.

Jesus knew ahead of time that he was in danger. So, at the Passover, like a good Jew, he celebrated the meal with his closest friends. And he tried to prepare them for when he would no longer be with them. 

In the Passover meal one guest would read the Haggadah, which told the story of the escape from Egypt, and then explained the meaning of the foods. On the table are three Matzos. This unleavened bread reminds them how, on the night they escaped, they ate in haste so there was no time to let the bread rise. It also reminded them how God fed them in the desert with manna. The salad had bitter herbs, in memory of the bitter slavery in Egypt. Wine was served, because it symbolized their freedom and liberation.

At the Last Supper, Jesus gave these foods a new symbolism. As he broke the bread he said “This is my Body, broken for you”. The disciples probably did not realize that he was talking about how his body would be broken by torture before he died. When he took up the cup of wine, he again predicted his death, saying, “This is my blood which will be poured out for you”. Again, the disciples must have been puzzled, why is Jesus talking about dying when they are celebrating their freedom from slavery?
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Can there be any doubt that after Jesus was crucified, the disciples and the early Christians would clearly remember the last day and the last supper with Jesus? Now it was clear to them what Jesus meant when he said “Do this in remembrance of me”.

Of course, now you can see the connection between the Catholic Mass and the Passover supper, and, for example, why we use unleavened bread and wine.

This is a beautiful story, right?
It also has a powerful meaning.

Passover and Easter are about freedom, about starting a new life. Who are seeking freedom today? Refugees come to mind. Men, women and children forced to leave their home and country. That’s hard.

Here is a sad Polish folk song from the southern mountain region that goes like this:

Góralu czy ci nie żal
Odchodzić od stroñ ojczystych?
Skwierkowych lasów i hal,
I tych potoków przejżystych.
Góralu czy ci nie żal?
Góralu wróć się do hal.

Góral na te góry spojziera
I lzy rękawem ociera.
Te gory opuścić trzeba
Dla chleba, Panie, dla chleba.
Góralu czy ci nie żal?
Góralu wróć się do hal.

Translation:
Mountain dweller, are you not sad
To leave the land of your fathers?
The spruce forests and valleys,
And the crystal running streams?
Mountain dweller, are you not sad?
These mountains are calling you back.
The mountaineer gazes at the mountains,
And wipes the tears with his sleeve.
I have to depart from these mountains,
It’s for bread, O Lord, it’s for bread!
Mountain dweller, are you not sad?
These mountains are calling you back.

My mom and dad are Górale. I guess I am too. That song must be how my mom and dad felt when they left Poland. I visited their village in 1958. My Góral heart broke when I had to leave. I couldn’t hold back my tears.

Today’s refugees, men. women and children face real starvation. For bread! O Lord, for bread! It must break their hearts to leave home and country. This Easter, the feast of freedom, may they eat bread and drink wine in a new country, just like my mom and dad did. If it wasn’t for them emigrating, I wouldn’t be here to write this letter.

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