“New” Names (10/03/5)

One of the important responsibilities of parents is to choose appropriate names for their children. Depending on the country, culture and language involved, there are different ways this is done, including different details to be considered. The same holds true for the naming of places or states. The two continents in the Western hemisphere have been given the name “America” derived from that of the Italian navigator, Amerigo Vespucci, who used the term “New World” for that land. Certainly, from the viewpoint of the European explorers, it was a “new world,” as is also manifested in the names of various locations in North America. Do you know the location and pronunciation of the Canadian province named “Newfoundland?” Certain regions of what are now included in what is called the “United States of America,” were named “New Spain,” “New France” and “New Netherland,” but it is only “New England” that has maintained its “New” name. There are six states included in that region. How many can you name? One of them begins with “New.” There are two other states adjoining New England whose names begin with “New” and one more in the southwest. Can you name them? Of the fifty states in the U. S. A., there are ten that have two words in their names, five of which include directions—such as North, South or West. How many of them can you name? Whether naming children or states, it is interesting to consider how names are chosen and the viewpoints or faith that is reflected in them. The Bible contains many stories regarding the names of people or places and ends with a vision of “a new heaven and a new earth” (Revelation 21), which all “renewed people” should strive to magnify. (1287)

Lent (10/03/9)

“Lent,” spelled l-e-n-t, is the past tense of “lend,” which means to loan or to permit the use of something temporarily. Recently, when I did not have a textbook for the “Dialog Class” we attend on Sunday mornings, a friend “lent” his book to me. Japanese students of English find it difficult to distinguish the pronunciations of “r” and “l.” My friend lent me his book. He did not rent it. When spelled with a capital L, “Lent” signifies this present period preceding Easter in the church calendar. As is the case with Christmas, which celebrates the birth of Jesus on December 25, there is a period of preparation for Easter, which celebrates his resurrection. The preparation time for Christmas, which includes 4 Sundays, is called “Advent,” the Latin word meaning “arrive;” the 40 weekdays preceding Easter is called “Lent,” derived from the old English word for “Spring.” For Christians, it is a season of fasting and penitence as the events related to Jesus’ arrest, condemnation and crucifixion are also remembered. There are a number of stories in the Bible that include the number 40: the number of years the children of Israel spent in the desert (Deuteronomy 8:2), the number of days Moses spent on Mt. Sinai (Deuteronomy 9:9), that Jonah preached to the Ninevites (Jonah 3:4) and that Jesus fasted in the desert (Matthew 4:2). This year, Easter, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, the Christ, the most important Christian festival, will be observed on April 4 so Lent began on February 17. (1288)

Calendar Changes (10/03/13)

Some calendars made in the U. S. A. include this notice on Sunday, March 14: “Daylight Saving Time Starts.” Most people living in this country will turn their clocks ahead one hour and keep them like that until November 7, when the notice, “Daylight Saving Time Ends,” appears. In this way, we will take advantage of an extra hour of daylight during that time. As I thought about the time to begin and end “daylight saving time,” I realized that such decisions may be considered arbitrary. And as I considered all the people preparing their income tax documents to meet the deadline for filing federal income tax returns on April 15, I realized that that date also was an arbitrary decision. Although I am unsure of a possible relationship, some companies and organizations now recognize April to March as their “fiscal year” even as educational institutions in the U. S. A. recognize the “school year” as beginning in September. In Japan, the “school year” begins in April, which in my thinking is more natural or logical because that is the time when nature is also beginning, and it seems more logical to begin a new school year in spring rather than in fall. Even the decision about when to begin a new year using our present calendars seems to have been arbitrary. The earliest Roman calendar consisted of ten lunar months, beginning with March. Later, two new months, January and February, were added to the end of the year. March continued to be the first month of the year until 153 B.C., when those two months were transferred to the first of the year and the Roman state decreed that the new year would begin with January. Even now, the first syllables of the English names of the last four months (September, October, November, December) are related to the Latin words for 7, 8, 9 and 10. (1289)

St. Patrick (10/03/17)

In the small calendar/notebook in which my daily schedule is written and which I try to remember to take with me wherever I go, there are 27 holidays listed, 4 of which include the names of men whose lives and activities made changes in world history. The one whose life and ministry are celebrated on March 17th is related to the color green, the country of Ireland and a three-leafed plant called a shamrock. The Englishman, who was probably born in the year 385 and was enslaved as a youth by pagan Irish marauders, later, as the result of a life-changing experience, developed a fervent faith and became a very effective missionary throughout the island of Ireland, is now known as St. Patrick. After approximately 30 years of very successful missionary activity, he was recognized as the Father and Founder of the Church in Ireland. Ireland is known as the “emerald isle” because of the brilliant green grass resulting from heavy rains. Along with the green color, the shamrock is also considered symbolic of St. Patrick because he had referred to it as a symbol of the Trinity. All men and women who have been designated “saints” in the Roman Catholic Church are given a feast day in which they are to be remembered. Since St. Patrick died on March 17, 461, March 17 is designated as his feast day. As has been noted previously in these messages, the Greek word translated “saint” in the New Testament connotes all the disciples of Christ (Romans 1:7; I Corinthians 1:2; II Corinthians 1:2; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:2) and not simply those chosen by church officials to be revered as such. (1290)

Vernal Equinox (10/03/22)

The large calendar hanging on the wall over my desk was sent to me from Japan. It has many beautiful colored pictures of various temples and shrines in Japan and every date has a couple of Chinese characters beside it to indicate whether that is a lucky or unlucky day. Holidays are colored red and the first day of every week, which is Sunday, is red, but the week beginning with March 21 is exceptional because its first two dates, Sunday and Monday, are both colored red. An explanation for this, also written in red, is next to these two dates. March 21 is both a Sunday and a Japanese holiday called shunbun no hi (vernal equinox day), so Monday, March 22, is a furikae kyujitsu (a transferred holiday). In Japan, where nature and natural changes are traditionally more highly respected than in the West, the two days in the year when the sun crosses the celestial equator, thus marking the beginning of the spring and autumn seasons, are holidays. From the day of the vernal equinox (derived from Latin words meaning “equal night”) when the length of day and night are approximately equal, the daylight hours gradually increase. During this seasonal change, Japanese Buddhism emphasizes the division between the present life and the future life following death, when people cross the dividing line to “the yonder shore” (higan) of the western paradise. During this week of higan, the graves of departed ancestors are visited and Buddhist priests are called to chant sutras before the Buddhist altar in the home as the living family remembers those family members who have passed away and considers the contrast between this shore and the “yonder shore” of the river which runs between them. (1291)

Palms (10/03/26)

One of the attractive features of the Penney Retirement Community where my wife and I are now living is its beautiful, natural setting. Pine trees, oak trees and magnolias may be seen along the streets and avenues in the residential areas, but the boulevard leading to the church at the center of the community is lined with palm trees: two lines of about 30 trees each. Some palm trees bear fruit such as dates or coconuts, but the palm trees in our community bear only palms, which my dictionary defines as “a leaf or frond of a palm tree, carried as an emblem of victory, success, or joy.” This year, Easter, the day that Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, the Christ, falls on April 4. The Sunday before Easter (March 28 this year), is the beginning of “Holy Week,” called “Palm Sunday” in commemoration of Jesus’ entry into the city of Jerusalem, where he was treated cruelly and crucified, which seemed to be the tragic failure of a presumed messiah. Following his resurrection, however, it was recalled that when he had entered Jerusalem a few days earlier, people had waved palms to signify their support and adulation. Although all four Gospels record Jesus’ “Triumphal Entry” into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-16; Luke 19:28-49; John 12:12-16), it is only in John that the branches people cut from the trees and waved or placed on the road were identified as palms. In our lives also, there are times when following our failures, we may recall earlier positive and encouraging words or actions of others. (1292)

French Horn (10/03/30)

During the 48 years my wife and I lived and worked in Japan, there were times when we were able to return to America with our children for a visit. Looking back over the years, I recognize that there was only one time that my wife returned by herself. That was following her father’s death and she felt the need to be with her mother. Also, there was only one time when I returned to America by myself. It was in response to the request of my nephew and his bride-to-be to officiate at their coming wedding ceremony. That was over 13 years ago and that couple and their three children came to visit us on Palm Sunday this year. Their older daughter, who is now in 4th grade, has begun playing the French horn in her school’s band—the only French horn player in that band. It so happened that on Palm Sunday evening a Commemorative Concert was held in the church that featured an outstanding French horn player in the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra. Our grandniece was very interested in hearing both his playing and his explanation regarding the “brass wind instrument with a circular shape, tapering from a narrow mouthpiece to a flaring bell at the other end and producing a mellow tone.” “When valves were invented, generally, the French made smaller horns with piston valves and the Germans made larger horns with rotary valves. It is the German horn that is erroneously referred to in the English language (and more commonly in the United States and Canada) as the French horn. There is not a clear consensus on the reason or reasons for this nomenclature, and, as there are conflicting proposals, more research is necessary.” Other words beginning with “French” that do not refer to the country of France include “French fries” and “French dressing.” (1293)