April Birthdays
National Flags
Greenland
Last Supper Tableau
Crucifixion and Resurrection
Easter Sunrise Service
Oklahoma
Green(ery) Day

April Birthdays
06/04/01

            April, the name of the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian calendar, probably is derived from a Latin word meaning “to open.”  It is the time of year when the buds of trees and flowers blossom, or open.  In Japan, it is the beginning of a new school year.  In Europe and America, the first day of April is recognized as April Fools’ Day, when practical jokes are played on relatives and friends.  My father’s birthday was on April 2nd and he was thankful he was not born a day earlier.  A man who was one of my childhood friends, however, who became the husband of my younger sister and the mayor of my hometown, was born on the first day of April, so every year, his birthday is celebrated on April Fools’ Day.  Others who have birthdays this month include four men who served as president of the United States. Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd president, wrote the Declaration of Independence, beginning with these words: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” James Monroe, the 5th president, issued the “Monroe Doctrine,” which opposed the influence of European countries in the affairs of the Western hemisphere.  James Buchanan, the 15th president’s ineffective attempts to mediate the conflict between slaveholders and abolitionists paved the way for the election of Abraham Lincoln.  Ulysses Grant, the 18th president, was an effective general of the Union forces during the Civil War and followed the successor of Abraham Lincoln to the White House.   (951)   

        The first national flag for the United States of America was approved by the Continental Congress in 1777.  It consisted of 13 alternate red and white horizontal stripes and a blue rectangle with 13 white stars in a circle in the upper corner symbolizing the 13 original colonies.  Following the admission of two more states, two additional stripes and stars were added, but on April 4, 1818, after five more states had joined the Union, President James Monroe signed a congressional bill providing that the flag be redesigned.  As a result, the number of stripes were reduced to the original 13 and the number of stars were increased to 20.  Since then, another star was added for every new state.  The last year the flag was changed was 1959, when Alaska and Hawaii became states.  The 49 stars were arranged in 7 rows of 7 stars each, with alternate rows indented, and the present flag has 5 rows of 6 stars each and 4 rows of 5 stars each, for a total of 50 stars.  The national flag of Japan (or “Nippon,” meaning “origin of the sun”) consists of a red disc in the center of a white background.  The diameter of the disc should equal three-fifths of the vertical measurement of the flag.  This symbol of the sun was originally adopted by the Tokugawa government in 1854 to be used on flags for Japan’s ships, to distinguish them from foreign ships, but it was not until August 1999 that this flag was officially designated as the national flag of Japan in the National Flag and Anthem Law that also designated “Kimigayo” (“your [long] life”) as the national anthem.  It is well for citizens to consider the meaning of their national flags and anthems.  (952)     

Greenland
06/04/08

        Looking at a world map, it is interesting to imagine the reasons for the names given to certain units we see there.  For example, a number of different colors are found in names of bodies of water, including the Black Sea, the Yellow Sea and the Red Sea.  Can you imagine why?  The Red Sea evidently was so named because of the reddish algae that appear in it at certain times of the year and I presume that there is a connection between the color of the water and the names of the other seas also.  I do not know the reasons for the names of countries that end in “land,” such as Ireland, England, Finland, Netherlands, Switzerland, Poland, Thailand and New Zealand,  but there is an obvious reason for the name of the island in the North Atlantic Ocean called Iceland.  In the case of the world’s largest island, called Greenland, however, this is not so.  Located north of Canada and, geologically, a part of North America, on most of the island called Greenland (over 2,600 kilometers long and about 1,300 kilometers wide), there is very little greenery to be seen.  Over 80 percent of the island is covered by an icecap, which in some places is over 4,000 meters thick.  The estimated population of Greenland is 57,000, which gives it a density of less than one person per square mile, compared to 80 persons in the U. S. A. and 870 persons in Japan.  This island, a territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, was discovered around 982 by a Norseman named Eric the Red and the reason he named it “Greenland” was in order to make it seem attractive to potential settlers. Today also, there are reasons why certain names are chosen for people, places or products and we should consider the reasons for the names or nicknames we are called.  (953)

Last Supper Tableau
06/04/11

            For people who eat their main meal, or “dinner,” at noontime, the light evening meal is called “supper.”  If we “dine’ at noontime, we “sup” in the evening.  Since we do not know the future, we cannot predict when we will partake of our “last supper,” but when this term is written with capital letters, it denotes the last supper that Jesus ate with his disciples.  In the Christian Church calendar, this week before Easter, beginning with “Palm Sunday,” is called “Holy Week” and special events that occurred during that week in Jesus’ life are remembered.  On Thursday of Holy Week, our attention is focused on Jesus’ last supper with his twelve disciples (recorded in the Gospel according to Mark, chapter 14, verses 22-25).  The traditional name for this day is “Maundy Thursday.”  “Maundy” is derived from the Latin word for “commandment,” the first word of an antiphon previously sung on that day during the ritual of the washing of the feet, which Jesus commanded according to chapter 13 of the Gospel according to John.   It was at that “Last Supper” that Jesus took bread and wine, representing his body and blood, and shared them with his disciples.  This is the origin of the central ritual of the Christian Church, whether called Holy Communion, the Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist. The famous painting of this Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci is the basis of the tableau, which will be presented at the Maundy Thursday meeting at the church in this retirement community.  Some residents with beards were invited to participate and will be gowned in appropriate robes.  I will be seated next to Jesus, representing St. James.  (954)

Crucifixion and Resurrection
06/04/14

            Friday of this “Holy Week” is the day Christians commemorate the execution of Jesus ona cross, which has become a symbol of Christianity.  Then, on Easter Sunday, they celebrate his resurrection, the token of new life.  Because of the cruel and repulsive image of the cross, Christians at first hesitated to depict the suffering of Jesus on the cross.  The German poet, Johann Goethe, called “the dismal cross of Calvary, the most repulsive thing under the sun.”  And D. T. Suzuki, a prominent Zen Buddhist wrote: “Whenever I see a crucified figure of Christ, I cannot help thinking of the gap that lies deep between Christianity and Buddhism.” These quotations come from the book, On Being a Christian, by a Roman Catholic theologian, Hans Kung.  “To no one—not to Jew, Greek or Roman—would it have occurred to link a positive, religious meaning with this outlaw’s gibbet.  The cross of Jesus was bound to strike an educated Greek as barbaric folly, a Roman citizen as sheer disgrace and a devout Jew as God’s curse.  And it is this infamous stake which now appears in a completely different light.  What was inconceivable for anyone at that time is achieved by faith in the still living Crucified: the sign of disgrace appears as a sign of victory.  This disgraceful death of slaves and rebels can now be understood as a salvific death of redemption and liberation.”  “The offense, the sheer scandal, was turned into an amazing experience of salvation, the way of the cross into a possible way of life.” The significance of the cross followed by the resurrection is the basic element of the Christian faith.  (955)

Easter Sunrise Service
06/04/20

        In the springtime, as daylight hours lengthen in the northern hemisphere, there are a number of festive activities, or festivities, for people to enjoy.  The most important festival in the Christian Church is Easter, when the resurrection of Christ is celebrated.  In one sense, however, Christians celebrate Christ’s resurrection every week when they gather to worship on Sunday, for it was to remember his resurrection that the holy day of rest was changed from the seventh day in Jewish tradition to the first day for Christians. The concluding chapters of each of the four Gospels note that it was on “the first day of the week” that Jesus’ followers came to his tomb and found it empty. Over two hundred years later, a church council, following complicated deliberations related to the adjustment required to harmonize the Jewish lunar calendar and the Christian solar calendar, decided on the date to celebrate the resurrection. As a result, Easter is observed on the first Sunday following the full moon that occurs on or next after March 21.  This year, that day was April 16.  In many communities around the world, a sunrise service is held outdoors on Easter Sunday for members of all churches to attend.  It was “very early, just after sunrise” (Mark 16:2), “at dawn” (Matthew 28:1), that Jesus’ tomb was visited and sunrise symbolizes a new beginning, which is implied in the resurrection story.  While in Japan, our church was one of four churches in the area that gathered together on Easter Sunday in a public park at 6:30 a.m.  On the first day of this week, we attended the sunrise service in our retirement community that began at 7 o’clock. (956)

Oklahoma
06/04/24

        At the present time, one of the main issues highlighted in newspapers, on radio and television, and in the political arena in this country is related to  “immigration” and “immigrants.”  The focus is on the large number of Hispanics (speakers of Spanish or Portuguese) who have crossed the boundary with Mexico illegally and are now living and working in the U. S. A.  But if we honestly look back on American history, we must recognize that the problem of “immigration” is as old as the country itself and is related to the most shameful acts in our nation’s history.  It was our European ancestors who were the original “immigrants,” who mistreated the native people in this land and forced them to relocate.  Native American tribes in the southeast were forced to move to the “barren wilderness” west of the Mississippi River.  Part of this area became known as “Oklahoma,” from the Choctaw language, meaning “red people.”  In the harsh winter months of 1838-1839, some 17,000 Native Americans were forced to move about 1600 kilometers on foot to the Indian Territory now called Oklahoma.  About one-fourth of the Native Americans died on the way.  On April 22, 1889, the territory was opened up for “white” settlers and a frantic rush to gain land occurred.  Now, April 22nd is a legal holiday in the state of Oklahoma called Oklahoma Day and parades, speeches and numerous ceremonies are held in various parts of the state.  Oklahoma became the 46th state in 1907.  After that, only four states have entered the Union: New Mexico and Arizona in 1912 and Alaska and Hawaii in 1959.  As we look back on our history, whether national, cultural, religious or personal, we should learn from it and improve.   (957)

Green(ery) Day
06/04/28

        We have a number of different calendars in our house.  On most of them, Sunday, the first day of the week, is a red-letter day, a holiday when most schools, government offices and businesses are closed.  On some of our calendars, however, Saturday, April 29th, is a red-letter day, signifying a national holiday in Japan.  Although it is a red-letter day, it is called “Green Day,” or “Greenery Day.”  It was on that day in 1901 that the longest reigning emperor of Japan was born.  Following the death of his father in 1926,  Hirohito became emperor and reigned until his death in 1989.  While he was alive, his birthday was a national holiday, and the government decided to continue the holiday following his death.  It is now called “Midori no Hi” in keeping with Emperor Hirohito’s interest in greenery and emphasizing the preservation of Japan’s greenery.  In a previous message (#946), I noted a number of terms that begin with the word “green,” including “greenhouse,” “green thumb,” “green light,” “greenback” and “green-eyed.”  There are still other words beginning with “green,” including plants (“green bean,” “green dragon,” “green heart”), insects (“greenfly”), animals (“green snake,” “green monkey,” “green turtle”) and birds (“green finch”).  A “greenhorn,” however, is an inexperienced or immature person and “green tea” is the tea commonly served in Japan which my wife and I enjoyed and which we miss on social occasions in this country.  Considering the future of the world, it is advisable to preserve as much of the greenery as we are able.   (959)