EDITORIAL:A time to reflect on religion’s place in our lives

The Easter and Passover holidays remind us of the importance religion plays in our lives. Easter is the holiest day of the year for Christians since it represents for them that Christ is the messiah. Passover is one of the most important Jewish holidays, and it largely celebrates the Jewish exodus from the tyranny of slavery.

Even those of us who are lazy about attending religious services make the time to get dressed up and attend Easter Sunday Mass or a Passover Seder.

And you can be sure that at this time of the year there are always touching stories of goodwill like the Orange Coast Middle College High School students who delivered Easter baskets to breast cancer survivors.

But this year we noticed some heated rhetoric too, when the Catholic Diocese of Orange County encouraged Roman Catholics to fast for immigration reform during Lent, the season of fasting leading up to Easter. Some Catholics resented the church taking a stand on the hot-button issue, particularly a position contrary to their own.

You may not like some of the political positions religious leaders take, but they have as much right to express themselves as anyone else.

Indeed, the number of those who attend churches or synagogues is higher now in our country’s history than ever before.

So it seems only right that something we hold so dear ought to play a big part in our discussions and debates on the controversial issues of the day.

Why wouldn’t we look to the priest or the rabbi or the imam to counsel and advise us on issues like immigration, abortion and capital punishment?

We certainly believe that is a proper role for the clergy.

We encourage you to take time today to reflect on the renewal of faith and hope that Easter represents, and the importance of freedom that is celebrated with Passover.

As always, we hope your Easter and Passover celebrations are blessed ones.