by Reverend Sir Knight Donald Craig Kerr
Easter and Passover are the stories of hope. Alexander Pope once said more than 200 years ago, "Hope springs eternal within the human heart." Without hope there is no reason to expect tomorrow to be any better than today. The resurrection of the Lord of life and the exodus to the Promised Land offer the supreme evidence for believing there is an evolution that pulls us forward.
A long time ago Dr. Endicott Peabody was headmaster of Groton School, and he would say to his students in chapel, reminding them of the strains and stresses with which they would be confronted, "But, remember, trend is always upward." Someone, listening to those words, later became President of the United States. So, when President Roosevelt addressed the nation after the fateful attack at Pearl Harbor, he said, "Remember, the trend is always upward." That is what these Holy Days mean.
To wake up out of our doleful, un-cheery attitudes to feel the refreshing glow of hope and confidence is what Easter and Passover are telling us. Too often we feel caught in a world of opposites - resentment versus forgiveness, jealousy versus love, charity versus selfishness, injustice versus kindness. We don't like these tensions. We need a rebirth of spirit to show us how yesterday's worries can become the opening vista of new beginnings.
Out of the cold and dark and bleak winter emerges something living, wonderful, and beautiful. That is the joy of springtime. It is our Easter hope and Passover promise. Arise, then, and salute the happy morn! May it bring a blessed Easter and memorable Passover to all.
The Reverend Sir Knight Donald C. Kerr, a member of Beauseant Commandery No. 8, Baltimore, MD, is Pastor-emeritus of the Roland Park Presbyterian Church in Baltimore. He resides at 700 John Ringling Boulevard, Apt. E202, Sarasota, FL 34236-1586