April 2: “Pascua Florida Day”
Salvation Army Founder’s Day
Pan American Day
Ice Cream Socials/Income Tax
Kingdom of God
Maryland
Different Kinds of Jeans/(Genes)

April 2: “Pascua Florida Day”
08/04/02

According to the calendar used in most American homes, we are now at the beginning of a new month, the month of April. This name is probably derived from a Latin word meaning “to open.” It is the time of year when the buds of trees and flowers blossom, or open, and, in Japan, it is the beginning of a new school year. The name of the state in which I am now living is “Florida,” a Spanish word for “flowery.” When the Spanish adventurer and explorer, Ponce de Leon, first disembarked on this part of the North American continent in 1513, the first European known to have done so, he called it “Pascua Florida” (“flowery festival”) for he was impressed with the flowers he saw there and it was the season of the Christian festival of Easter and the Jewish festival of Passover. He thought it was another island, which he tried to circumnavigate, but found it impossible to do so. Although the exact date of his arrival in Florida is not certain, “in 1953, the Florida legislature designated April 2 Florida State Day, to be known as Pascua Florida Day.” “When April 2 falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the governor may proclaim either the preceding Friday or the subsequent Monday as State Day.” “The legislature also empowered the governor to proclaim March 27 through April 2 as Pascua Florida Week.” “On April 2 and during Pascua Florida Week, schoolchildren and adults are urged to observe the period with commemorative exercises and special programs.” (The above information and quotations are from The American Book of Days, published in 1978. However, even though I made many calls to government offices [including that of a member of the Florida legislature] and historical societies in this area, I have found no one who has heard of “Pascua Florida” or of April 2 as a State Day.)(1136)

Salvation Army Founder’s Day
08/04/07

The Salvation Army is a “Protestant denomination and international nonsectarian Christian organization for evangelical and philanthropic work.” It was begun in England in 1865 as the East London Revival Society by William Booth, with his wife, Catherine. Designated the Salvation Army in 1878, “it was organized along military lines and sought to minister to physical as well as spiritual needs.” The Salvation Army celebrates Founder’s Day on April 10th, the birthday of its founder, William Booth, who was born in Nottingham, England on that day in 1829. Booth’s father, who was not a very successful builder, desiring a secure and financially rewarding future for his son, apprenticed him to a pawnbroker to learn what was a lucrative profession in 19th century England. His experience as a pawnbroker made clear to him the human misery and economic suffering of many people. When he was about 15 years old, he experienced a religious conversion in a Wesleyan Methodist chapel, which influenced him to dedicate himself as a minister with a deep concern for not only the spiritual state of men and women but for their physical, and economic condition as well. He became an independent evangelist. In 1858, he married Catherine Mumford, the daughter of a carriage builder and lay preacher, whose strong convictions and personal experiences, provided great support for Booth’s activities. This strong-minded woman who championed women’s rights fit in well with Booth’s emphases. The ministry of the Salvation Army included the provision of clothing, food and medical help when needed. The Salvation Army became known as “the purveyors of ‘soup, soap and salvation.’” (1137)

Pan American Day
08/04/11

The most common meaning of “pan” is “a shallow, wide, open container, usually of metal and without a lid, used for cooking,” but in a number of words beginning with “pan,” it signifies “all.” Thus “pantheism” is the “belief that God is everything and everything is God.” In the term “Pan American,” it refers to all countries of North, Central and South America. When I was in college, I was an active member of the Pan American Club, which included students from a number of different countries in this Western Hemisphere. In many countries on these continents, April 14th is observed as Pan American Day; it was on that day in 1890 that the Organization of American States (OAS) was formed at the First International Conference of American States, which met in Washington, D.C. to preserve hemispheric peace and cooperation. In the U.S.A., Pan American Day has been observed since 1931, when President Herbert Hoover issued a proclamation that the flag be displayed on all government buildings on April 14 and schools, civic associations and the general public were invited to observe the day with appropriate ceremonies. Now, the headquarters of this Pan American Union is located in one of the attractive buildings in Washington, D.C., made of marble and called the House of the Americas. There, flags of member nations are displayed and in the building’s Permanent Council Chamber, simultaneous translation in the four official OAS languages (Spanish, English, Portuguese, French) is offered. Although Canada has never been a participating member of this Pan American Union, in 1974, it became an OAS observer. It would be wonderful if, in the future, we could celebrate a “Pan World Day.” (1138)

Ice Cream Socials/Income Tax
08/04/15

Kingdom of God
08/04/20

In the Christian retirement community in Florida where my wife and I live (http://www.penneyretirementcommunity.org), a worship service is held every Sunday morning at the nondenominational church, located in the center of the community. Before that service, Church School classes are held in three different locations. Two of them (one for women and one for men) study certain Bible passages under the guidance of a teacher, but the third one is for those who are interested in carrying on a dialogue with others, who may agree or disagree with them on the subject under discussion. My wife and I attend the Dialogue Class, where we are presently using a book entitled God and Empire, in which the author, John Dominic Crossan (“the foremost historical Jesus scholar of our time”) makes clear the basic difference between empires established by military or economic power (as the Roman, Japan or American “empires” were/are) and the ideal state based on nonviolent justice. I will be leading this class on April 27, when we discuss the second half of the chapter entitled “Jesus and the Kingdom of God” (called the “Kingdom of heaven” in the Gospel of Matthew). The word “kingdom” in this case does not refer to a certain territory, but to the “reign” of a king. (It is interesting to note that even though Japan is no longer an “empire,” its monarch is still called “emperor” in English.) The emphasis of this author is that the “Kingdom of God” that Jesus proclaimed is not a future hope but a present reality, based on nonviolent, peaceful justice and love, which Jesus’ true followers affirm and experience now. (1140)

Maryland
08/04/24

There are three commonly used English words that are pronounced the same, beginning with “m”, ending with “y,” with the pronunciation of “air” in the middle. Can you identify and spell them correctly? One of them is a female name, one is a verb and one is an adjective, but all three of them are spelled differently. In many Western countries, “Mary” is one of the most popular names for girls. It was the name of the mother of Jesus and of five other women noted in the New Testament. “Mary” is the Greek form of the Hebrew name “Miriam,” but its original meaning is not certain. “Marry” is the verb that denotes the joining together of a man and woman as husband and wife in an official ceremony. A marriage ceremony should be a “merry” occasion, marked by enjoyment and delight and “Merry Christmas” is the traditional greeting during the holiday season. The name of one of the eastern states in the United States of America is “Maryland.” I don't know if it is a “merry land” or not, but it was named after Henrietta Maria, queen of Charles I of England and like most of the other original 13 states, it is a small state, but it gave up part of its territory to create the District of Columbia. The name of its capital city, Annapolis, is a combination of the name of the English Princess, Anne, and the Greek word for “city.” Two hundred and twenty years ago, on April 28, 1788, Maryland officially became the seventh state to ratify the proposed U. S. Constitution. During the Civil War, Maryland was a slave state but remained in the Union, so Marylanders fought on both sides and many families were divided. (1141)

Different Kinds of Jeans/(Genes)
08/04/29

In modern American English, there are a number of different ways to spell names or words that are pronounced jeen. Looking through the Resident Directory of this retirement community, I find the names of nine women, whose names are pronounced that way, derived from the male name, John. Seven of them are spelled J-e-a-n and two of them J-e-a-n-n-e. Fifteen other women had names, spelled and pronounced differently, that were derived from this name: J-a-n-e, J-o-a-n, J-o-a-n-n, J-u-n-e and J-a-n. And there is one man here whose name is pronounced the same as Jean, but is spelled G-e-n-e, a shortened form of Eugene, which is derived from a Greek word meaning “well-born.” The definition of “jean” in my American Heritage Dictionary is “A heavy, strong, twilled cotton, used in making uniforms and work clothes,” and “jeans” are “Clothes, especially pants, made of jean.” Sometimes, residents here, including me, wear jeans even when we are not “working.” A common noun with the same pronunciation is spelled g-e-n-e, and in our community, there is a Gene Society. The dictionary definition of “gene” is too difficult to understand, but it is a unit in our hereditary system and members of the Gene Society are interested in learning more of their genealogical history. Various ways are suggested for members to investigate many different aspects of their personal history: from where did their ancestors come? why did they come? with whom? under what conditions? what were their religious/professional preferences, etc? All of us have different genes that make us special, but regardless of our name, personality, skin color, culture and beliefs, we are all of the same human family. (1142)