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We Do Not Know the Day or Time

One of the salient features of life is death. That is, very few of us can avoid it. There have been a few exceptions, such as Jesus Christ (although He did die before He rose again), possibly Enoch in the Old Testament (see Genesis 5:24) and, as many believe, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Jesus’ mother. And there are more like Jesus, who died, and were raised up again. But unlike Jesus, they had to die a second time. Among those are Lazarus (John 11:17-44), Tabitha (also known as Dorcas; Acts 9:36-42), and the widow’s son at Nain (Luke 7:11-15).

[See also the paragraphs added below on 5/17/2023.]

Recently the reality of death was again brought home to me with two incidents.

While driving to church one week, we saw green ribbons along part of the way, tied to telephone poles and tree trunks. Later that week we learned that there would be a motorcade along that route, so we needed to leave church right away after the Mass to get out of their way and/or not be stuck in the parking lot. We did leave right away, and as we traveled part of the route, we saw many adults and children standing along the way with signs indicating their love and appreciation for the deceased person. I was deeply moved, to tears, and wondered what kind of person would inspire this.

Of course, these days, when you want to know something, you often look it up on the Internet. So I learned that the deceased was a 50-year-old man who had been a school administrator, and much loved by those he had served, because he found ways to show how much he cared for each student, such as learning each student’s name. He had died of a pulmonary embolism, suddenly.

The other incident also happened indirectly through church. There was a white-haired dad, and his daughter (who looked about 50 years old), that we’d see at least once a week at church, mostly in the warmer months, because they would migrate to Florida for the winter. As spring began, I wondered that I hadn’t seen them return. Finally, one day I spotted the dad and greeted him after Mass. I said, “How is your daughter?” He looked sadly at me and said, “She passed away [on New Year’s Eve]. I haven’t felt able to come here for a while.” Of course, I said I was very sorry and I would pray for him. I didn’t say much more, because he didn’t look ready to continue talking.

Later I learned, from another person he had talked to, that his daughter had been (inexplicably?) losing weight. Nevertheless, she got on a airplane to visit her son. Apparently, she got through the plane flight, and after deplaning had a heart attack and died.

So, we never know when death can come. These were both relatively young people. Are we ready to meet our Maker? Have we made our peace with Him and those on earth from whom we need to ask forgiveness or whom we need to forgive?

“Keep awake, therefore, for you do not know what day your Lord is coming” (Matthew 24:42). “But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come.” (Mark 13:32-33). Although these verses are apparently speaking of Jesus’ second coming, or the end of the world, they can equally apply to our own individual lives.

(Added 5/17/2023) To clarify a few things (I am not an expert, so these are mostly my ideas, understandings, or interpretations):

Regarding Enoch, mentioned in the first paragraph above and in Genesis 5:24, see also Hebrews 11:5 — “By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death …”

Elijah apparently also went straight to heaven without dying. See 2 Kings 2:11-13: “… And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven … and [Elisha] saw [Elijah] no more.”

As far as Mary, Jesus’ mother, is concerned, here is a quote from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 974: “… when the course of her life was completed, she was taken up body and soul into the glory of heaven …” My husband says this could just mean that she immediately went to heaven after dying, or some interpret it as her not dying. I’ll have to research that more.

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The Snare of Riches

‘And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.”‘ (Luke 19:23)

We are sorely mistaken if we think that riches will bring us happiness. Material goods, to a point, are certainly a blessing. It is good to have nutritious food, clothes to keep you comfortable in any weather, and shelter from that same weather. Beyond that, I’m proposing here that unearned and/or unshared wealth can be a real hindrance to happiness, if it takes the place of our relationship to God.

Certainly a high position in society does not guarantee healthy or moral behavior, not to mention that all your foibles and flaws will be mercilessly criticized by the public. There are some crazy stories, going back some generations, from my own family background, that cause one to ponder.

Here are a few, half heard, half remembered (and thus probably half accurate), from my background: One relative with a high position in the (non-U.S.) government, contracted syphilis and went mad. He was in the military and presumably, while married, contracted the illness from someone other than his wife. Another VERY wealthy relative gambled away 26 houses. Still another, to impress a woman he was wooing, bought out an entire theater performance so that the two could be the only people in the theater. They did get married, but later divorced, partly due to his infidelity. The same man ran for government and promised the voters that he would provide a copious feast if he won. He won.

We have all seen unhappy rich people in the news, with broken marriages and families, and disordered lives.

If you happen to be blessed with wealth, however you obtained it, remember that all your riches, and anything you possess, ultimately comes from God. (Of course, dishonest wealth is not in God’s plan.)

There were several rich men in the Bible who were righteous. Being rich doesn’t have to be evil in itself. For example, Abraham was quite wealthy and a person of great faith. Again, recall the story of Job, who lost all his riches and most of his relatives, but did not curse God. Ultimately, God restored everything to him, and more. There were rich Christians in the New Testament who shared their wealth. The point being, that their wealth was not where they derived their value, but they derived it from Christ.

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The Two Most Important Days

A sentence (or variations thereof) often attributed to the American author Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) is “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” However, according to an entry in QuoteInvestigator.com, nobody quite knows who first said it.

An intriguing version of the quote is, “Our times call not for diction but for action. It has been said that the two most important days of a man’s life are the day on which he was born and the day on which he discovers why he was born. This is why we were born: To love the Lord our God with all our heart and soul and mind and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves.” [Sermon by Minister Ernest T. Campbell, delivered on January 25, 1970 in New York City.] Note that Mr. Campbell states, “It has been said…,” so he apparently didn’t know the source of the saying, either.

The Quote Investigator entry goes on to note other variations by quite a few authors or speakers, including a later variation by Mr. Campbell.

Though I’m not commenting on every thought or belief of Mr. Campbell, I like his original continuation of the quote as to why we were born: “To love the Lord our God with all our heart and soul and mind and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves.” Though the Quote Investigator considers the quote to be by “Anonymous,” who knows? Perhaps Mark Twain did say it after all.

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Thoughts on Independence Day, 2022

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people chosen as his inheritance.” (Psalm 33:12)

“So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36)

“…for what has been achieved we give you thanks, for the work that still remains we ask your help…” (from an Independence Day prayer)

For blood that’s been shed,
For many prayers said,
For all the tears cried,
Lord, be by our side.

Forgive all that’s wrong;
Lord, help us be strong.
Celebrate what’s good;
Increase brotherhood.

We give You our past;
Only heaven will last.
Go forward again,
Let all divisions mend.

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God and Time

The Bible is a fascinating book. It gives us glimpses of God, if only from the limited human understanding of its authors, who were inspired by the Holy Spirit. So I’m going to take it as a given that the Bible does not lie, but again, the Holy Spirit worked through human instruments in the writing.

If we agree that God: knows all, never changes, has no beginning nor end, and has no deceit in Him, can we attempt to have any inkling of how God relates to time?

I’m including here some ideas that my husband gave me, as we had a good discussion on this theme.

So, God created time; however, He is outside of time. We as humans don’t have a clue how that works, but there it is! Here are some Bible quotes relating to time:

Luke 18:7-8: ‘and will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”’ Comment: What does “quickly” mean for God? So often, don’t we ask God, “How long, O Lord?”

2 Peter 3:8-9: “But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day.  The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance.” Comment: Ah, here is a clue, perhaps obvious; God has a different concept of time than we do.

Revelation 22:7: ‘“See, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”’ Revelation 22:20: ‘The one who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” Comment: What is “soon” for God? Bible verses can have many layers of meaning. Certain scholars say that Revelation was written before the siege of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.; the verse could refer to God’s judgment coming that year. Or it may refer to Jesus Second Coming, or to both.

But I gained a powerful insight in discussing all this with my husband. So often I have felt desolate, even somewhat abandoned by God, because “nothing seems to be happening,” or the changes I would desire (often in myself) don’t seem to be coming to fruition. But, hopefully looking at things more from God’s point of view, HE REALLY DOES CARE; He is just doing things in His own timing. What a comfort to know God’s care. Let me always remember that He has a good plan, with the best timing.

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Thank You, Everyone!

Ohio Report: January 26, 2022

Here in southwest Ohio, it was 7 degrees Fahrenheit this morning at 7:20 a.m.  No wind to speak of, clear skies, and no ice on the roads, so it could be a lot worse.  No snow today, except little piles left over from January 17th.

I’m sure people from Siberia, Alaska, Canada, the northernmost states of the U.S., and other places will be laughing at me for thinking 7 degrees is unusual, but it is for this coastal California girl!  Maybe a few times at Lake Tahoe, I’ve experienced 7 degrees.

If you have cold weather, never take for granted (if you have them) a home, a furnace, electricity, warm clothes, and food to sustain you.  I once watched a documentary in which they did an experiment with three couples or families, perhaps around the 1990s or later.  The challenge was to see if they could survive a winter without all the modern conveniences.  I think they had a cabin already; not sure.  At any rate, they had to grow and preserve enough food, and collect enough firewood to survive winter.  All three families failed.  They didn’t preserve enough food nor collect enough firewood.  They had to go back to their regular life before finishing the challenge.

The goats at my son’s in-laws are doing well in their indoor winter pen. They have a milk house heater for when it’s freezing or below.  These are Nigerian dwarf goats, so they aren’t as hardy as, say, Scottish goats.  They eat grain, leaves, and hay, and seem to really enjoy having people visit and pet them, not to mention the food provided.

We are fine here because of hundreds, if not thousands, of people:  those who made our warm clothes; those who grow, deliver, and sell food; those who make and sell and maintain furnaces and refrigerators; those who build facilities for and maintain and deliver gas and electricity; those who collect our garbage once a week; those who deliver mail and packages to us; those who sustain us spiritually and/or in friendship and love, those who helped us have health and the ability to work to pay for bills – the list could go on and on.  Thank you, everyone!

Update: December 23, 2022

It was NEGATIVE 7 degrees Fahrenheit this morning. 7 degrees is balmy!

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Faults

Do not be too discouraged about your faults, even those that come up repeatedly. Of course, strive to overcome them, but don’t be depressed by them. Instead, let them lead you to humility and dependence on God’s grace.

“I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)

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Renewing Our Mind

As a girl, I often heard the song, “Accentuate the Positive.” You can listen to many versions of it on YouTube, including those by Bing Crosby with the Andrew Sisters, Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, and Paul McCartney.

While there can be a danger of being too Pollyannaish (unrealistically optimistic), there is a lot to be said for focusing on positive things. St. Paul wrote, “Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about theses things” (Philippians 4:8). He also wrote, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). “Renewing our minds” can be seen as turning our thoughts to what is good, holy, and productive, and if you’re a believer, focusing on God.

There are many articles to be read on “negativity bias,” the tendency of humans to give more attention to negative than to positive things. How else would news outlets survive? We can be almost ghoulish in our fascination with the negative.

An illustration in my own life would be my lifelong tendency to take offense, to take things personally, or to assume the negative intent of someone. I’ve had to battle this my whole life. It’s a serious internal battle, requiring much prayer and refocusing.

Just the other day, a person in my life did not react in a way I had been hoping. An insidious little devil in me started ruminating on why the person “didn’t like me,” “didn’t trust me,” and on and on. Then, thankfully, another thought came to me, “Hey, wait a minute — earlier in the conversation, they smiled and said something positive. Why don’t I remember that, instead of the other stuff?” From training my mind over the years to reframe incidents and refocus my thinking, I was, by the grace of God, able to get over this incident relatively quickly. The “training” has included Bible study and help from a therapist.

In Isaiah 42:3, it says “a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.” This was fulfilled by Jesus (see Matthew 12:9-21). We are all broken in many respects; perhaps some are more broken than others. Thankfully, Jesus is willing to work with us.

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What’s in a Name?

This is long, but if it will save anyone some trouble, it will be worth it…

For people who may be applying for a driver’s license in the future, especially “real id,” a.k.a. “compliant,” be sure your identification documents are in sync, that is, the first and last names match EXACTLY. Also, if you’ll use your passport as an identifying document, obviously it must be up to date. Passport renewal can take weeks.

On 11/9/2021, I got approved for a driver’s license, after three tries. I don’t know if it would have been a problem if I had not moved to a new state. On my first attempt to change to my new state’s license after moving, I brought in a certified copy of my birth certificate, a certified copy of my marriage license, my Social Security card, my former state’s driver’s license, and two proofs of my new address, like utility bills.

My dear parents, may they rest in peace, gave me four middle names besides my first name (at the time, Clara). One of my middle names was Katalin, and over the years people started calling me Cathy, a derivation of Katalin. So, though my birth certificate and my marriage license have Clara as my first name, and four middle names, all my other documents, including my Social Security card and my former state’s driver’s license, had Cathy as my first name. So, because, of the difference in first names, my application for a D.L. was rejected. I cannot remember how I got a driver’s license and SS card with the name Cathy and not Clara (I’m 66.).

My husband thought and thought, then said, “Forget the birth certificate, use your passport, which has your name as Cathy.” That’s how he had gotten his new D.L.

I applied for renewal of my passport, which had expired. I paid extra for expediting the passport renewal. Some weeks later, I received a valid updated passport with the name Cathy.

Soon after, I returned to the licensing bureau, using my passport as an identifying document instead of my birth certificate. Things were going well until they checked my passport number. The clerk said, “It doesn’t match up.” Turns out that it takes three to six weeks, or more, for new passport numbers to be downloaded into the license bureau’s database. So, no go, again. The clerk recommended that I “come back in three weeks”.

I was tempted to give up, but I then emailed the state capital licensing bureau. They confirmed that it takes three to six weeks for new passport numbers to be downloaded.

After waiting four weeks, I tried and succeeded in having the D.L. application approved, using the passport! What a relief! I was so amazed, I left my checkbook at the bureau and had to return to get it, thanks to an honest person who turned it in.

During this ordeal, I briefly contacted two lawyers (no fees paid) who weren’t a big help. One option was to have my name changed in court. But you must reside in my state for a year before you can legally change your name.

Other cases I’ve heard of: 1) a woman whose only name differences were Catie versus Katie. 2) A person whose name difference was Julie versus Julianna. That lady got results by writing to her U. S. Senator. 3) A woman who had either “Grace Mary” or “Mary Grace” (I have changed her names) on different documents.

So, if you’re planning to get a D.L., you may want to work on getting all your identifying documents to agree on the version of your name, or use a passport that is synchronized, if your birth certificate is not.

I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t had a passport!

If anyone has had a similar experience, or advice on hindsight, please share.

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Real Heroes

So many people go about quietly doing their jobs and fulfilling their family and/or civic duties. Some of their work may be dangerous, or sometimes achingly boring or mundane. They may never be famous. They may never be rich. There is nothing glamorous about them. Yet they are real heroes.

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