Happy Easter!

Today in Masonic History is Easter.

Today Christians around the world celebrate the resurrection of Christ and the promise of eternal life ever after. It is also a reminder the last supper was in fact a Passover Seder. The combination of these two events remind us of the bonds between Christianity and Judaism.

If you are a member of a lodge like mine, you have members of multiple faiths in your lodge. At any given time we have had three holy books on our altar, the Holy Bible, the Torah and the Koran. For me this is a reminder we as Masons are all traveling a parallel path, regardless of our individual beliefs, we search for the same thing, the immortality of the soul and life eternal.

Just recently we had our annual Maundy Memorial Service in our Scottish Rite Valley. For those who have not been able to attend one of the services, it is an annual service done around Easter. It commemorates the passing of our masonic brothers over the previous year. In the service a candle is extinguished as the brothers name is called, symbolizing the end of his mortal cycle. At the end of the service the brothers name is called again and his candle is lit as a symbol of our hope that the brother has traveled along the path of Revelation and that his soul has found immortality.

During the service there is no mention of the brothers religious belief. The ceremony itself speaks of the Passover Seder and of the Story of the Cross is recited, not for the sake of dogma, for the reminder that we all hope to one day, after a good and upright life, receive our eternal reward. That the path to immortality is achieved by following the new commandment that Christ put forth, "that we love one another".

Regardless of your religion, it is my sincere hope and prayer that you and yours will one day travel along the path of Revelation as well. It is my hope that as you travel through life, regardless of the religion you may practice, in your heart that you remember that when we "love on another" we are taking that one step closer to the divine and to life eternal and immortal.

Happy Easter, no matter how you celebrate or spend this day!

This article provided by Brother Eric C. Steele.