prophetia

To everyone celebrating Christmas today, Happy Christmas!

One of the cool (and maybe difficult) things about being an adult around Christmastime is that you don't feel the same magical anticipation that you did as a child. I remember that Christmas for my young self was a constant joy filled with unchanging traditions, familiar anticipation, and a reliable source of magic.  As you grow up, each Christmas becomes more distinct. You amend some traditions, anticipation gives way to long shopping lists and party preparations, and you have to find magic in different things each year.  

I sat in church a few weeks ago, thinking about what Christmas was really about. Like, I know it's about the birth of Christ, and by association his life and mission of salvation. I've been taught that since before I was born. But we celebrate the suffering and resurrection of Christ at Easter, too. I wondered if Christmas is really a repetition of that (I mean, it's a pretty big deal so celebrating it twice is probably fine), or if there's something unique about Christmas by virtue of observing His birth.

Among the many special things that people celebrate specifically at Christmas and because of the Christmas story, I found a new insight that I hadn't really focused on before.  A lot of the traditional Christmas story focuses on various people receiving prophecy.  Mary is visited by an angel to inform her of her calling to be the mother of Christ. Joseph receives heavenly witness and direction concerning his roles in the upcoming events. Wise men from distant lands knew of signs that would accompany the birth of a new King. And as the foretold events unfolded, angels appeared to shepherds, delivering the news and telling them where to go and how to recognize the Christ child.

In the Book of Mormon, people inhabiting the American continents during the time of Christ's birth looked forward to signs of his birth, as they had been prophesied by ministers in those lands. The signs came as witness that Christ had come into the world, and in earnest that the other prophesies concerning the Savior would likewise be fulfilled.

Christ's birth is an event that was originally celebrated as the fulfilling of God's promises and prophecies.  And His birth came as a touchstone sign that the other prophecies were indeed true--that God would send a Savior to overcome death and hell, and that Christ would accomplish the divine task of mercy and salvation. This had not yet happened, yet the faith that it would come to pass is what made that Christmas night a special celebration for those who gathered in the stable-temple.

So this year, I celebrated Christmas as the pivot point of prophecy, and as our ability to rely on God to fulfill His promises. It was a new insight to me, and to the role that prophecy and faith plays in my own life and holiday observance. And it brought a new sparkle to Christmas for me.

lenten

Well, my fellow inhabitants of the world, today is Ash Wednesday, which also marks the beginning of the season of fasting known as Lent.
What does this mean?  Well, I intend to find out.

I am not a member of the Catholic faith.  I was not raised around many catholics, and so most of what I learned about the catholic church and their beliefs came through the history books. And history books generally don't offer a pleasant view of religion, mostly because the events involving religion that made history too often did so because that religion was being exercised poorly.

That being said, if you are catholic or are well-versed in catholicism, and you see something here that has not been represented correctly, please let me know.  My intent here is to present the good that I see in this religious practice even though it is not of my own religion.

The concept of Lent has fascinated me over the past few days and and such, I did some research.  Lent is generally known as a 40-day period of fasting, prayer, and penitence.  It begins on Ash Wednesday and concludes on Maundy Thursday (the Thursday immediately before Easter).  This period is actually longer than the prescribed 40-day fast and there is some discrepancy on how exactly to count out the days, but the fast represents the 40 days that Jesus Christ spent fasting in the wilderness immediately following His baptism and before appearing on the Mount of Transfiguration.  The bible scholar will note other significant instances involving 40-day or 40-year periods of time.

I believe the purposes of Lent--namely fasting, prayer, and penitence--do not have to be limited to religiously-observant catholics or even christians.  Anyone stands to receive personal improvement by following them.  To put them in a less religious light, they might be called sacrifice, meditation, and self-improvement.  Call it what you may, but I hold that the process and outcomes of observing Lent can be beneficial to anyone.

Fasting generally denotes abstaining from food and water for a period of time (as Christ did in the wilderness) but for mortal people who are not the literal Son of God, a 40-day food fast is not advised.  (Fasting from food involves many personal and health considerations that should be taken into account.) Instead, Lent is generally observed by the act of giving something up or making a sacrifice.  There are many levels of sacrifice to choose from, and popular choices go from giving up sweets and meat to giving up being angry or rude.  The purpose of fasting or sacrifice is to give up something valuable in exchange for something else, which is most often an intangible reward. Frequently, the reward of the sacrifice is found to be more valuable than the original sacrifice made.

The act of fasting or sacrifice is also intended to have a lasting change on the individual.  Many fasts, particularly those from food, end after a period of time and things return to the way they were previously--the person now released from their fast eats and carries on with their lives.  Many religions prescribe regular fasts from food for various amounts of time.  Because participants of the fast return to their normal food-eating routine after the fast, the purpose and effects of such a fast must be something other than physical.  This is where the other elements of Lent--prayer and penitence--come in.  As the body undergoes a more intense period of self-control where the mind and heart deny it of physical sustenance for a time, it opens up opportunities to focus more on the spiritual and mental and less on the physical.

Deeper changes happen as prayer and meditation provide channels for introspection, peace, relaxation, and a deeper connection with a whole (be that god, nature, or humanity) to come into one's life.  These connections influence fasting and sacrifice by giving inspiration and meaning to the fast, as well as a greater willpower and sense of ability to achieve the goals of the fast or to make it through the intended sacrifice. It can also help people become more aware of benefits of their fast or sacrifice that they may not have noticed previously.

Penitence is generally defined as the act of showing sorrow or regret for sins or trespasses, and in the Catholic faith this involves the confession of sins to a priest.  To me, penitence is the first step to becoming a better version of yourself.  Once you have recognized that you've made a mistake or can improve in some way, it logically follows that you should put forth an effort to change that.  One of the greatest parts of this human experience is the fact that we can change ourselves.

In 2015, Pope Francis II gave his address for Lent and proposed that people give up indifference, in turn becoming more aware of and caring for those around them.  This is one of my favorite views of sacrifice, where rather than seeing the process as a denial or limitation, it is seen as an additional focus or improvement that one undertakes.  It is still a sacrifice--of our time, our selfish thoughts, our comfort--but it becomes much more purposeful end enriching.  In addition to the spiritual aspects of fasting, such a sacrifice to improve oneself has a lasting effect on one's way of life. Indeed, 40 days is certainly enough time to build a new habit.

I would like to encourage everyone to make a sacrifice or change in their lives to become closer to what they envision the best version of themselves to be.  During Lent is a great opportunity to do so, but the most important thing is to do it when you're ready, rather than when the world expects you to.  I am observing Lent myself for the first time and, although I have fasted in various ways before, I am excited to see what I learn from the experience.

I will digress from the previous practices regarding the titles of the posts in two ways: first, by using a word that is not Latin, and second, by commenting directly on its meaning.  "Lent" is an abbreviation of the Middle English word "lenten", which was originally used to denote springtime.  I appreciate this because as the weather warms up it is clear to see that springtime is a season of rebirth and fresh starts.  Lenten sacrifice provides us just that.

pulchrae

So, in case you somehow didn't notice, the 4th of July happened last week.  For my fellow Americans, Happy Independence Day!  For any international readers, this is still important.  Don't stop reading!

There have been a lot of changes going on in the world lately as well as in the United States: changes in government, in policy, in economy, in society... the world is a thoroughly dynamic place, and we've already discussed this to some extent here.  Some of the changes have happened overnight, others have come in subtle shifts that can only be seen over decades or even centuries.  I sometimes wonder if the Founding Fathers had any idea what this country would look like today.  It was, after all, an "experiment in democracy."

In anticipation of the 4th of July, I read the words of a patriotic hymn, America the Beautiful, and they really touched me.  I will include them here for your reference:

O beautiful, for spacious skies, 

For amber waves of grain,

For purple mountain majesties

Above the fruited plain!

America! America! God shed His grace on thee,

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet,

Whose stern impassion’d stress

A thoroughfare for freedom beat

Across the wilderness!

America! America! God mend thine ev’ry flaw,

Confirm thy soul in self-control,

Thy liberty in law!

O beautiful for heroes proved 

In liberating strife,

Who more than self their country loved,

And mercy more than life!

America! America! May God thy gold refine

Till all success be nobleness,

And ev’ry gain divine!

O Beautiful for patriot dream

That sees beyond the years

Thine alabaster cities gleam,

Undimmed by human tears!

America! America! God shed His grace on thee,

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea!

Please stop to appreciate those lyrics.  Take the time to look up any of the words you don't know, so you can fully appreciate their meaning.  We'll wait.

Ready?

Oh, I could probably write tomes here; I have so many thoughts about this song.  
My initial reaction was one of disappointment and remorse; the greatness that was in America--as a beacon of freedom, a place where struggle leads to success, where brotherhood abounds-- is no longer there.  The boundless potential of this land seemed to be cut off because of how things have changed.  From riots and poverty running rampant through streets once "paved with gold", to conspiracies and lies and a general distrust of the government, to pollution and carelessness littering the alabaster cities and destroying the fruited planes...There is a lot to be wanted here.

Luckily I got pulled out of my bitterness after a few days, once the Fourth actually rolled around.  Despite all of the problems and plagues in this country, I saw that people are generally doing their best to live the American Dream--to work and establish their own position in life, to serve their neighbors and wipe others' tears away.  I drove through the majestic mountains, paid respect to the sacrifices of soldiers, veterans, those defending our freedoms by deeds and by words.  We're certainly not where Katharine Lee Bates envisioned when she wrote the lyrics to America the Beautiful, but that doesn't mean that we're not on our way.

For all I know, America never has reached that Beautified state described in the poem.  Maybe it's just me, that I tend to idealize the founding fathers and their generation.  I forget that the Union struggled so hard to even envision unity in its infancy.  I revere Abraham Lincoln, and think "if only we still had the values of that day..." while looking over the immense crises that the country faced at that time.  I think of the "greatest generation" and wonder why, in only a few short generations, things seem to have fallen apart in society.  But I must remember that the greatest generation only earned that title after being proven by a childhood during the Great Depression, only to grow up and fight in the Second World War.  Certainly these ideals were hard to see at those times, too.

I've come to realize just how much of a vision America the Beautiful is--a vision of what is to come in the future.  Generations of Americans, after coming from other parts of the world and so many different circumstances, have fought for that dream.  Millions of people have given their lives in exchange for getting one step closer.  The dream isn't lost if we're still working towards it.

I believe that this nation and this land have certain promises and rights associated with them.  Be it through divine providence, the grace of freedom, or the plain and simple opportunity and legacy of hard work, this is an incredible place.  But with those rights comes responsibility.  In order for this to continue being the Land of Promise that it is, it requires the best out of each of us.  In order to uphold the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, we must treat life responsibly, cherish freedom, and work hard to magnify the happiness we have and share it with others.

I honestly think that this nation is still in its infancy, and that it has yet to grow and achieve its full potential--even taking into account all the many advances that have been made so far.  But reaching that potential is a dream that belongs solely to us, the American citizens. And it is our responsibility to make it happen.

liberatio [liberation]

Okay.  Welcome back to the blog.  

In case you were wondering, the homework load of an engineer has been having a direct impact on my ability to post mega-frequently here.

But I'm trying to, you know...get my second post up for the year. XP

Anyway, this post is happening, not because I am caught up on my homework, but because it is important.

Happy Birthday, Liberation!

I'm sure we're all aware to some degree of the horrors and treachery that happened during the Holocaust.  But that is not what this day is about.

This is a celebration of liberation.

A reminder that no matter what, suffering will end.  It may be in this life, it may be in the next.  But God will deliver His people, and as we are all his children, we all have better days ahead.

Good triumphs over bad.  The will to survive is stronger than we can imagine.  We are much more resilient than we realize, and those torturous trials that we undergo often lead to valuable experiences that illuminate our lives and the lives of many others. 

One perfect example is Leon Leyson.  I recently read his memoir, The Boy on the Wooden Box, which artfully depicts his experiences as a young Jewish boy who lived through the Holocaust.  I highly recommend it. 

 

One of the greatest victories of Leyson was his ability to heal enough to share his experiences with others, to inspire and lift hundreds of thousands of people in his community.  Although one may never truly recover from such experiences (and he notes several such experiences that haunted him to his death), Leyson is able to overcome it all and build a wonderful, influential life as a teacher, a husband, a father, and a grandfather.  His propensity to make good come despite a terrible past is a great triumph over the evils and faults of the world, and his liberation from the could-be crippling events of his childhood is a stark message of hope arising from the ashes of so many other lives destroyed.

Never lose hope that liberation will come, many times over.