Los Angeles
Orderliness
9-1-1 & 9/11
Mid-September
Autumnal Equinox
Paul at Athens
Cats

Los Angeles
07/09/02

The city of Nagoya, Japan, where my wife and I lived for many years, has established special relationships with three “sister cities” in three different countries: Sidney, in Australia, Mexico City, in Mexico and Los Angeles in the United States of America. Since the number of Spanish-speaking residents in the U. S. A. has been rapidly increasing over the past few years, the meaning of “Los Angeles” is now recognized by many citizens. It simply means “The Angels,” but it is a shortened form of the Spanish name of the town that was officially founded on September 4, 1781, by the Spanish governor of the Mexican province of California. The full name of that town was “El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora de los Angeles de Porciuncula” (“The town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels of Porciuncula”). “Porciuncula,” the name of a Franciscan Chapel in Italy, was the name given to a nearby river and fertile valley by Spanish explorers, and “Our Lady the Queen of the Angels” refers to Mary, the mother of Jesus. In 1821, Mexico gained independence from Spain and in 1846, following the Mexican War, California became part of the United States of America. Various kinds of birthday celebrations are held in Los Angeles on the 4th day of September to commemorate its founding. Los Angeles has become the second-largest urban area in this country and one of the nation’s busiest ports. It may be difficult to find many “angels” in that city these days, but that depends on the meaning given to that word. Although true holly is not native to the area, some kinds of “angels” may be found in the area of the city called Hollywood, the center of the country’s motion picture industry, (1087)

Orderliness
07/09/07

The 14th chapter of the New Testament book of I Corinthians ends with these words: “Let all things be done decently and in order.” It is obvious to anyone who has traveled to other countries that the interpretation of “decently and in order” varies according to the cultural tradition of the particular area. Take the order of names, for example. In the United States of America, it is customary for a person’s given name to precede the family name, but in Japan, the order is reversed. When Americans’ names appear in periodicals or books in Japan, the American name-order is usually maintained, but when Japanese names are included in English articles in the U. S. A., they are usually changed to the American order. Also, the order in which addresses are written is different. In Japan, it is customary to write the larger area first and then narrow the area down to the particular place: country-state(province/prefecture)-county-city(town/village)-street-number. In the U. S. A., the order is reversed. The order of numbers in dates is also different. In my tradition, the order is month-day-year, but in Japan, the traditional order is year-month-day. A recent article in our Florida newspaper noted the birth of a “lucky baby” that was born at 12:34 p.m. on May 6, 2007. Why was she considered lucky? In the first place, her birth date was 5/6/7. Furthermore, when the time of her birth is added to the beginning of her birth date, the result is 1234567. She weighed 8 pounds, 7 ounces and her mother jokingly noted that if she had weighed 2 more ounces and if her weight were added to the previous number, the result would be 123456789. In the Apostle Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians, however, he was urging them to be orderly in their worship services. (1088)

9-1-1 & 9/11
07/09/11

Although the numbers in these two terms are the same and in the same order, how they are pronounced communicates very different meanings. In the U.S.A., the number “nine-one-one” is a telephone number that is called in an emergency to request the immediate dispatch of police, firefighters or an ambulance. Before the use of automatic dial phones, emergency calls were made by telephone operators who passed the word on to the appropriate offices. Even after the introduction of dial phones, operators were called to make the calls when the telephone numbers of police stations, fire departments or hospitals were not immediately available, but the benefit of having a certain number to call in case of an emergency was recognized. In 1968, the Federal Communications Commission, after consulting with AT&T, chose 9-1-1, the highest and lowest numbers on a telephone dial, as the number to be used nationwide for reporting emergencies. To promote this universal emergency telephone number, President Reagan proclaimed the 11th day of September in 1987 as 9-1-1 Emergency Telephone Number Day. On that special day, which was also called “9/11 day,” activities were led by firefighters and the police. Now, however, “nine-eleven” is commonly used to refer to the terrorist attack on the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D. C. on September 11, 2001, in which over 3000 people were killed. Since that time, activities to remind people of the 9-1-1 Telephone Emergency Number were dropped in favor of remembrance of the victims of the attacks, so on this 9/11, I hope you have no need to call 9-1-1. (1089)

Mid-September
07/09/15

We have reached the middle of the ninth month of the year, according to the Gregorian calendar. This period has special meanings to people of various cultures and religions. In Japan, the 3rd Monday of this month is a national holiday called Keirō no Hi, “Respect for the Aged Day.” On that day, elderly people are wished a long life and are thanked for their contributions to society. In the United States of America, the first Sunday after Labor Day (which is the first Monday of September) is observed as Grandparents’ Day, established by a presidential proclamation in 1979, but It is not yet as well known as Mothers’ Day on the second Sunday of May and Fathers’ Day on the third Sunday of June. On September 17, 1787, the Constitution of the United States was signed in Philadelphia. Previously called Constitution Day, September 17th is now known as Citizenship Day and is proclaimed as such by the president annually. This year, for both Jews and Muslims, who make use of lunar calendars, a “new year” begins this week. According to the Jewish calendar, Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, began on September 12, which is the first day of the Hebrew month of Tishri. It is the first of 10 Penitential Days which end with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. During this period, meditation, self-examination and repentance are emphasized. For Muslims, a new year began on September 13. During this holy month of Ramadan, which continues until October 12, pious Muslims will fast from dawn till dusk as they sacrifice food and other pleasures while concentrating on the Quran, faith and family. Irrespective of our cultural or religious traditions, all of us have much to be thankful for and should spend time in meditation, self-reflection and considering the needs of others. (1090)

Autumnal Equinox
07/09/19

“Equinox” is derived from Latin words meaning, “equal night.” There are two days in the year when day and night are equal in length. In the Northern Hemisphere, these days, which occur in March and September, mark the climatic beginning of spring and autumn. The numerous oscillations and wobbling motions that the earth undergoes cause the date of the equinox to vary slightly each year but this is the time when autumn, or fall, begins. I recently taught a Bible Class in this retirement community centered on chapter 14 of the New Testament book of Acts. In that passage, we can read an abbreviated form of the Apostle Paul’s message to the people of Lystra, who thought he was a god who appeared in human form. He told them that he was merely a human being, but he spoke about the living God, who has shown kindness by giving rain from heaven, crops in their seasons, plenty of food and fills people’s hearts with joy. It is at this time of year when these divine blessings are especially recognized. In Japan, the equinox is the central day of a 7-day period called higan, meaning “other shore” in contrast to shigan, meaning “this shore.” During this 7-day period, special services are held at homes and cemeteries to honor deceased relatives who have left “this shore” for the “other shore.” Flowers may be offered at the family grave and vegetables, fruits, noodles and other non-animal kinds of food may be offered at the family altar before which a Buddhist priest recites a sutra. Although such customs are often called “ancestor worship,” there is a question about the true meaning of “worship,” which the Bible teaches should be offered only to the one true and living God. (1091)

Paul at Athens
07/09/23

The city of Athens, the present capital of Greece, was founded about 3600 years ago. This ancient city, which became the artistic, philosophic and religious capital of the world, has many artistic and historic sites that attract many visitors. When the Apostle Paul visited that city in the middle of the first century of our present era, however, as recorded in the 17th chapter of the New Testament book of Acts, he was most deeply impressed with the many idols he saw there. After speaking to and reasoning with people in both synagogues and the marketplace, he was invited to deliver a public address at the Areopagus, the natural limestone rock ridge, where the Areopagus, the supreme court of the area, met. He began with a compliment (or reproach), noting that Athenians were very “religious” (or “superstitious,” the Greek word can have either meaning). He noted the inscription he had seen on an altar: “To An Unknown God.” Obviously, the religious or superstitious people did not want to offend any god, even one they did not know, so they dedicated an altar to an “unknown god.” Paul then explained about the God they did not yet know, whom he had come to introduce. In his explanation about this spiritual Creator of the world and all that is in it, the “Lord of heaven,” who is the creator and ruler of all nations, who does not need a material temple or any other manmade offerings, he quoted from well-known Greek poets rather than from the Jewish Old Testament. There is much for people in Japan and those of us in the rest of the world to think about and meditate on as we read this account. (1092)

Cats
07/09/27

In our retirement community, there are many trees and lawns between houses and along the streets. Some residents go out for a walk every day and enjoy both the exercise and the beautiful scenery. Those residents who have pet dogs regularly take it out for a walk also. In fact, I have seen a lady walking with her cat on a leash, but this is unusual, for cats are not usually on leashes. A couple of cats may be seen in our yard frequently. Both of them are black and white. To some people, black cats may symbolize bad luck and they are associated with witches. There are a number of words or expressions in English that are related to cats. A “catfish” is a freshwater fish whose facial features resemble that of a cat, especially its “whiskers.” A “catbird” is a North American songbird, one of whose calls resembles the mewing of a cat. A “catnap” is a short nap and a “catcall” is a harsh or shrill call or whistle expressing disapproval or derision. The proverb that “a cat has nine lives” is an old saying that may be based on the tenacious life of a cat which is careful and hardy and after a fall, generally lands upon its feet without injury, the foot and toes being well-padded. The expression “let the cat out of the bag,” meaning to disclose what had been a secret, comes from a trick that is said to have been played often on newcomers to country fairs in England. The trickster tried to sell a bag (or “poke”) in which there was a cat, but in which he said there was a pig (“a pig in a poke”) to a “greenhorn” or “bumpkin.” If the sack (or poke) was opened, the cat would be “let out of the bag” and the true situation would be recognized. (1093)