Taking the Bible Seriously

I take the Bible, Sacred Scripture, very seriously. As a Catholic I have to, and I'll get back to that.

I also pay attention to what some of the best minds of the last couple thousand years thought about this sort of thing:

"¹² I tell you, brothers, the time is running out. From now on, let those having wives act as not having them,

"those weeping as not weeping, those rejoicing as not rejoicing, those buying as not owning,

"those using the world as not using it fully. For the world in its present form is passing away."
(1 Corinthians 7:29-31)

- - - which is why I still think my youthful decision to stay out of the rat race was right. (December 13, 2015; May 3, 2015)

I don't, however, take what folks like Harold Camping say seriously.

More exactly, I take the effect they have seriously; but not the perennial End Times Bible Prophecies. I've talked about doomsday predictions, new and old; Saint Hippolytus of Rome; and getting a grip; before. (July 5, 2015; April 19, 2015; January 25, 2015)

About "... the world ... is passing away...." — I do not think the end of the world is at hand: not any more so than usual, at least.

Last Judgment and Getting a Grip

(From Wily Miller's Non Sequitur, June 14, 2011 and May 3, 2010, used w/o permission.)

I've discussed fizzled doomsday predictions and cartoon characters before. (April 19, 2015)

This post is not about this world's eventual end — but I'd better explain my view of apocalyptic predictions.

I'm a Christian, a Catholic, so I take the Last Judgment and Mark 13:32 seriously.

The universe we live in won't last forever. (August 14, 2015; June 14, 2015)

We don't know how long we have before this world ends. I'm okay with that: and quite willing to let God the Father handle the 'big picture' stuff. (Mark 13:32-33; Catechism, 675-682, 1021-1022, 1038-1041, 1042-1050)

We've been on standby alert for two millennia, and I've been over that before, too. (November 29, 2015; April 19, 2015)

My guess is that we've got a long wait ahead of us, and I'll get back to that, too.

But my tour of duty in this world will end a decade or so from now: maybe less. I'm hoping that it's decades, since I'm dealing with a disturbingly long rap sheet.

More of my take on life, death, and long-term planning:

• "Life, Death, and Love"
  (November 1, 2015)
• "Time, Decisions, and the Long View"
  (August 12, 2015)
• "Fire, Brimstone, and Lollipop Faith"
  (March 15, 2015)

Bottom line; I'll experience death and my particular judgment, and then I'll live forever — which is good news or bad news, depending on choices I make. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1021-1037)

"The Truths We Need"

Josiah ruled Israel around the time Ashurbanipal set up his library and the Zhou Dynasty went through kings Xiang, Qing, and Kuang. I've mentioned Ashurbanipal, his library, and Gilgamesh, before. (December 20, 2015; November 1, 2015)

Josiah "pleased the LORD and conducted himself unswervingly just as his ancestor David had done." (2 Kings 22:2)

But Josiah had inherited a mess made by Israel's two preceding kings.

Then a long-ignored document turned up during a massive repair and restoration project. Can't say that I blame the scribe Shaphan for starting his report with good news about recycling:

"When the king had heard the contents of the book of the law, he tore his garments

"and issued this command to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, son of Shaphan, Achbor, son of Micaiah, the scribe Shaphan, and the king’s servant Asaiah:

" 'Go, consult the LORD for me, for the people, for all Judah, about the stipulations of this book that has been found, for the anger of the LORD has been set furiously ablaze against us, because our fathers did not obey the stipulations of this book, nor fulfill our written obligations.' "
(2 Kings 22:11-13)

I tend to remember Josiah's words in my own dialect – something along the lines of "we had a written contract!" or "we had a deal!" — with God the Almighty — and violated the terms.

No wonder that King Josiah was upset. He understood the consequences: which is why he paid attention to what the prophetess Huldah said. (November 9, 2014)

I'm not a king of Israel or any other nation, Josiah lived some 2,650 years back, so why should I care about that bit from 2 Kings 22?

For starters, Josiah shows up again in Matthew 1:10, about two thirds of the way through our Lord's genealogy as recorded in Matthew.

He isn't, however in Luke 3:23-38's genealogy. That one traces our Lord's family back to "Adam, the son of God." (Luke 3:38)

I could kvetch about inconsistencies between the two lists, or decide that the Bible doesn't matter — since Matthew and Luke didn't have an American literalist's worldview.

Instead, I read the Old Testament in part because it's our Lord's family history; and the New Testament because it is another part of the story —

"...Know what the Bible is – and what it isn't. The Bible is the story of God's relationship with the people he has called to himself. It is not intended to be read as history text, a science book, or a political manifesto. In the Bible, God teaches us the truths that we need for the sake of our salvation...."
("Understanding the Bible," Mary Elizabeth Sperry, USCCB)

That's from "10 points for fruitful Scripture reading:"

1. Bible reading is for Catholics
2. Prayer is the beginning and the end
3. Get the whole story!
4. The Bible isn't a book. It's a library
5. Know what the Bible is – and what it isn't
6. The sum is greater than the parts
7. The Old relates to the New
8. You do not read alone
9. What is God saying to me?
10. Reading isn't enough
    (From "Understanding the Bible," Mary Elizabeth Sperry, USCCB)

I put links to "Understanding..." and other resources at the end of this post.¹

Love, Freedom, and God's Family

I keep saying this: God loves us, and wants to adopt us. All of us. (John 1:12-14, 3:17; Romans 8:14-17; Peter 1:3-4; Catechism, 1, 27-30, 52, 1825, 1996)

Whether or not we accept the invitation is up to each of us. We have free will. (Catechism, 1021-1037)

I keep saying this, too: I should love God, love my neighbors, see everybody as my neighbor, and treat others as I want to be treated. (Matthew 5:43-44, 7:12, 22:36-40, Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31 10:25-27, 29-37)

It's how our Lord acted; and as an adopted child, acting like part of the family makes sense — at least to me. (November 22, 2015)

It's simple, not easy, and that's another topic. (October 12, 2014; September 13, 2014)

Top Priority

My top priority is seeking, knowing, and loving God with all my strength: or should be. (Catechism, 1)

I can, using my senses and reason, notice the order and beauty surrounding us; and realize that God exists. That's a huge over-simplification. (Catechism, 31-35, 282-289)

The process would be a great deal easier if the first of us hadn't made a monumentally bad decision. (Catechism, 386-390, 396-412)

I've talked about our first parents, sin, and getting a grip, fairly often. Basically, God doesn't make junk, Adam and Eve aren't German, and we've been around for a very long time. (August 28, 2015; June 5, 2015; July 11, 2014)

Happily, God stayed in touch with us. About five millennia back, we began developing an information storage and retrieval technology you and I are using now: writing.

Pretty soon folks were using it to record business transactions, poems like the Epic of Gilgamesh, and the compilation of poems, census reports, and correspondence we call the Bible.

Sacred Scripture

By the time Confucius was starting his political career, the Pentateuch had been compiled. The book of Isaiah is a few centuries older. I've mentioned Isaiah, Micah, and the Assyrian menace, before. (December 20, 2015)

Pulu, a governor and general of Kalhu, said he was a son of Adad-nirari III. That may or may not be true, but by that time he'd killed the Assyrian royal family: so I suspect that nobody was eager to debate the point.

He changed his name to Tiglath-Pileser III, helped jump-start what we call the Neo-Assyrian Empire — which fell apart a few centuries later.

Like I keep saying, change happens. (December 20, 2015; August 31, 2014)

Where was I? Order and beauty, cunieform, Confucius, Kalhu — folks started calling it Nimrud recently — Isaiah, and Assyrians. Right.

Our Lord was born about two millennia back.

The Old Testament, 'the law and the prophets' tells the story of what happened up to that point. The New Testament tells us about our Lord, our work, and our goal. We're still discovering what it all means. (Catechism, 54-67)

The Bible, Sacred Scripture, is a vital part of my faith. (Catechism, 101-133)

"...The Church has always venerated the divine Scriptures just as she venerates the body of the Lord, since, especially in the sacred liturgy, she unceasingly receives and offers to the faithful the bread of life from the table both of God's word and of Christ's body....

"...The sacred synod also earnestly and especially urges all the Christian faithful, especially Religious, to learn by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures the 'excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ' (Phil. 3:8). 'For ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.'(5)..."
("Dei Verbum," Pope Blessed Paul VI (November 18, 1965))

"...So convinced indeed was Jerome that familiarity with the Bible was the royal road to the knowledge and love of Christ that he did not hesitate to say: 'Ignorance of the Bible means ignorance of Christ.'[121] And 'what other life can there be without knowledge of the Bible wherein Christ, the life of them that believe, is set before us?'[122]..."
("Spiritus Paraclitus," Benedict XV (September 15, 1915))

I'm expected to act as if what I know and believe matters, too, and that's yet another topic:

• "Love!"
  (January 31, 2016)
  Particularly
  • "...Love One Another"
  • Best - News - Ever
• "Defensive Architecture and Tobit"
  (January 17, 2016)
  Particularly
  • Places to Sleep
  • "Dignity of the Human Person"
• "Truth and the Big Picture"
  (November 22, 2015)
  Particularly
  • Truth and the Long Run
• "Hate People? Not an Option"
  (September 6, 2015)
  Particularly
  • Love: NO EXCEPTIONS
  • Faith, Works, and Bad Ideas
  • Sin and Forgiveness
• "Angst, Hope, and Building a Better World"
  (July 5, 2015)
  Particularly
  • Doomsday Predictions and Fashionable Melancholia
  • Love and Responsibilities
  • Looking Ahead

---

¹ About the Bible:

• Catechism of the Catholic Church, 101-133
• "Dei Verbum"
  Pope Blessed Paul VI (November 18, 1965)
• USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops)
  • "The Senses of Scripture"
    by Pauline A. Viviano, PhD; National Bible Week (2015)
    (From www.usccb.org/bible/national-bible-week/upload/viviano-senses-scripture.pdf (February 19, 2016))
  • Liturgy: Questions about the Scriptures used during Mass
    • Do we read from the Bible at Mass?
    • What's the difference between a Bible and a Lectionary?
    • How can anyone own the copyright on the Bible? Isn't it free to everyone?
    • How is the Lectionary arranged?
    • Is the New American Bible the only translation of Scriptures we can read from at Mass?
  • "Understanding the Bible"
    Mary Elizabeth Sperry
    (From From "usccb.org/bible/understanding-the-bible (March 20, 2014 ))

Advent: Looking Both Ways

It's been nearly a week since I've seen someone's announcement that the end of days are upon us.

False alarms are nothing new. It's been about 18 centuries since St. Hippolytus of Rome figured the Second Coming would happen in the year 500.

Swedenborg speculated, in 1758, that the Last Judgment happened in the previous year — I give him points for originality — and Harold Camping got it wrong twice. (January 25, 2015; April 19, 2015)

Me? I believe what our Lord said: including what's recorded in Mark 13:32-37, which ties in with today's Gospel reading, Luke 21:25-28, 34-36. That's about an advent that hasn't happened yet, and ends with pretty good advice:

" 'There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves.

"People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens ⁸ will be shaken.

"And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory...."

"...Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.' "
(Luke 21:25-27, 36)

The second petition in the Lord's prayer, "thy kingdom come," is mostly about our Lord's return: "Marana tha," "Come, Lord Jesus." (Catechism, 2817)

That doesn't mean we can just sit back, ask God to speed things along, and relax. We've been living in 'end times' ever since Pentecost, and we've got a whole lot of work left to do: working for justice and peace, getting ready for the kingdom of God. (Catechism, 2816-2821)

"Watch!" Plus Two Millennia, and Counting

This is the first Sunday after Black Friday, which used to be America's day to start overspending on Christmas gifts. Stores started opening Thanksgiving day a few years back, and that's another topic.

It's also the start of Advent: so how come the Gospel reading is about signs in the sky and the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory?

Advent is the season when we look back at our Lord's first arrival — and ahead, to the day the Son of Man returns. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 524)

Our Lord's return has been "imminent" for about two millennia now. Jesus said we should "be prepared," since we wouldn't know when that will be. (Matthew 24:44; Catechism, 673)

Apparently Jesus didn't, either:

" 'But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

"Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come.

"It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch.

"Watch, therefore; you do not know when the lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning.

"May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping.

"What I say to you, I say to all: "Watch!" ' "
(Mark 13:32-37)

Accepting that our Lord will return, and that the Son of Man's arrival will be an epic event, is not even close to assuming that someone knows more than Jesus did. (Catechism, 1038-1041)

I've wondered if 'end times' predictions enjoy lasting popularity because folks like drama — and get impatient. Two millennia is a long time, by our standards. On the other hand, we're still working on those orders outlined in Matthew 28:19-20.

Evangelization and eschatology are important. So is how I live. I'm expected to love God, love my neighbors, see everyone as my neighbor, and treat others as I'd like to be treated. (Matthew 5:43-44, 7:12, 22:36-40, Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31 10:25-27, 29-37; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1789)

It's simple, but not easy: and that's yet another topic.

Review and a Chesterton Quote

During Advent, we'll be reviewing events leading up to our Lord's first coming, putting Christmas in perspective. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 524)

That'll give me plenty of material for these posts. The next two Sunday Gospel readings focus on John the son of Zechariah, and the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception comes up December 8, for example.

I'll probably talk about "the true meaning of Christmas," too.

"Any one thinking of the Holy Child as born in December would mean by it exactly what we mean by it; that Christ is not merely a summer sun of the prosperous but a winter fire for the unfortunate."
("The New Jerusalem," G. K. Chesterton (1920) via BookRags)

And that's yet again another topic.

More:

• "Time, Decisions, and the Long View"
  (August 12, 2015)
  Particularly
  • Looking Ahead
• "It Started With the Magi"
  (January 4, 2015)
  Particularly
  • "Only the Beginning of a Great Procession"
  • "This Mission is Still Only Beginning"
• "Gideon, Gabriel, Mary, and Guts"
  (December 21, 2014)
  Particularly
  • Mary and 'Happy Days' America
  • Submissive? Maybe
• "Advent: Another Year of the Long Watch"
  (November 30, 2014)
  Particularly
  • Watching, Working
  • Advent: Remembering and Looking Forward
• "Victory and Standing Orders"
  (November 23, 2014)
  Particularly
  • Ragnarok - - -
  • - - - and Mutant Squirrels
  • On Standby Alert: Two Millennia and Counting
  • Sheep, Goats, and Me

Doomsday Du Jour — or — Doing My Job

Earth was not destroyed on June 13, 1857. The comet didn't even show up.

Mass starvation and various related catastrophes didn't happen in the 1970s and '80s, but the Ehrlichs' reprise of Malthusian assumptions is still popular in some circles.

Apocalyptic predictions aren't unique to Western civilization, or Christendom — which are not the same thing, and that's another topic — but I'll concentrate on the Christian variety today.

Hyppolytus of Rome said the Second Coming would happen in the year 500. He died a martyr more than two centuries shy of his spurious Parousia. Hyppolytus of Rome is Saint Hippolytus of Rome now.

Saints are canonized for their heroic virtue, not for being spot-on accurate: and preferring death to denying our Lord is a short, painful, way to display that virtue. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 828, 2473)

A messy death doesn't guarantee Sainthood, martyrdom still happens, many Saints died of natural causes, and that's yet another bunch of topics. (April 12, 2015; February 14, 2010)

Anyway, the year 500 rolled by. So did the years 1000 and 1033, which apparently saw some high-profile apocalyptic anticlimaxes.

The end of the first millennium wasn't entirely uneventful, though. One of our spectacularly unethical Popes was kicked out of the position twice, and sold the papacy once, between 1032 and 1048.

We've had a few other rough patches during the last two millennia: and that's yet again another topic. (September 14, 2014; February 15, 2012)

The last half of the 1300s and early 1400s was one of those bad times. The Great Pestilence or Great Plague sweeping Europe probably made the situation worse. Quite a few folks were in a panic, with some reason. We started calling it the Black Death a few centuries later. (April 4, 2014)

Fizzled Doomsdays

(Oakland Blog, via SFGate, used w/o permission)
(Judgment Day, 2011; wrong both times — May 21, 2011 and October 21, 2011.)

Every few years someone comes up with a new 'End Times' prediction: probably more often. That's just the ones I notice: and I suspect some are reruns of earlier, fizzled and forgotten, prognostications.

Some stand out, though.

Emanuel Swedenborg, one of the scientists who first developed the nebular hypotheses, made a remarkable claim during 1758. In "The Heavenly Doctrine," he said that Last Judgment had started — in 1757. (February 28, 2014)

I think Swedenborg gets points for originality imagination. Some folks may still believe he's right, since he placed doomsday's dawn in the 'spirit world.'

Harold Camping, now deceased, enjoyed fame in 2011 with a well-publicized 'End Times' marketing campaign that included billboards. I think — and hope, for his sake — he was sincere. He was also wrong. Both times. (June 14, 2011)

I'll concede that America's perennial 'Rapture' predictions, and the continuing willingness of some folks to believe them, has darkly funny sides.

In the comics, the scruffy man wearing a sack and carrying a 'The End is Nigh' sign is a stock character. So is the very-slightly-more-realistic rustic with a shaky grip on reality.

That's the comics. Real life isn't quite that simple.

Followers of this world's Campings aren't, or aren't all, uneducated yokels. For example, one of the folks who took Mr. Camping's 'Biblical' prediction seriously was a "former television producer:"

"...Follower Jeff Hopkins also spent a good deal of his own retirement savings on gas money to power his car so people would see its ominous lighted sign showcasing Camping's May 21 warning. As the appointed day drew nearer, Hopkins started making the 100-mile round trip from Long Island to New York City twice a day, spending at least $15 on gas each trip.

" 'I've been mocked and scoffed and cursed at and I've been through a lot with this lighted sign on top of my car,' said Hopkins, 52, a former television producer who lives in Great River, NY. 'I was doing what I've been instructed to do through the Bible, but now I've been stymied. It's like getting slapped in the face.'...
(Associated Press, via FoxNews.com)

I don't know what happened to Mr. Hopkins after that interview. I hope he didn't decide that all Christian leaders were like Mr. Camping.

A Willingness to Think

By the time I was out of high school, back in the '60s, I'd stopped wondering if the 'End Times' wannabe prophets were right, and started wondering how adults could believe them.

I still don't have a good answer to the second question. I suspect that a need for fear, highly selective memory, and at least a slight deficiency of analytic skills, may be involved.

My experience has been that having money or a diploma does not guarantee common sense.

That sort of wisdom comes from, among other things, a willingness to think about extravagant claims before 'really believing.'

No wonder I became a Catholic.

We're told that emotions are fine: they're part of being human. But we're also expected to think about what we say and do. (Catechism, 1762-1775)

Each of us is someone, not something: a person. We're able to reason, and decide how we act — and in these ways are like God. (Catechism, 357, 1700-1706)

Being able to reason is one thing. Using that ability is another: and so is using it wisely. I've talked about emotions, reason, and getting a grip, before. (March 1, 2015; October 5, 2014; December 8, 2013)

Doomsday Du Jour

There may be another 'End Times' prediction in progress: judging from what I've seen from my 'front porch' online: Brian Gill, on Google Plus.

I think folks who pass along portentous messages take them seriously. Some may think that the Last Judgment really is upon us — this time.

I've seen too many 'doomsdays' come and go to get particularly worked up over the latest one.

I see 'End Times Bible prophecies,' and their Catholic equivalents, as cultural and psychological phenomena.

On the other hand, I believe what our Lord said about His return.

I'm a Christian, a Catholic: so I must take Sacred Scripture seriously. (Catechism, 101-141)

That includes John 6:39-40 and Revelation 7:9-10.

A few decades back, while discussing the End Times Prophecy du jour, someone told me what Mark 13:32 'really' means. I'll get back to that.

Mark 13 starts with our Lord and one of the disciples leaving the temple area. The disciple was impressed by the architecture, Jesus said, "Do you see these great buildings? There will not be one stone left upon another that will not be thrown down." (Mark 13:2)

"² As he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple area, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately,

" 'Tell us, when will this happen, and what sign will there be when all these things are about to come to an end?' "
(Mark 13:3-4)

My Lord died a little later, stopped being dead, rallied the surviving Apostles, gave standing orders that we're still following, and left. (Mattnew 27-28; Mark 15-16; Luke 23-24; John 19-21; Acts 1)

It's the 'stopped being dead' part, I think, that really got the Apostle's attention: once they'd been convinced that Jesus really was alive. (April 5, 2015; October 5, 2014; March 11, 2012)

Our Lord will return, after "a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers." His return has been imminent ever since the Ascension. After Jesus returns, we'll finally see what's next. (Catechism, 673-679, 1001)

But all we know for sure about the timetable is that we're about two thousand years closer to that day than we were when our Lord left.

Right now it's Saturday afternoon, April 18, 2015. This post is scheduled to show up Sunday morning. If the world's end comes in the next several hours: you won't be reading this, and I'll be very surprised.

A Simple Message, and Mark 13:32-37

We've been on standby alert for two millennia so far: waiting for our Lord's return, making "disciples of all nations," and passing along ethical standards our Lord gave us. (Matthew 28:18-20)

The message is simple: God loves us, and wants to adopt us. (John 3:17; Catechism, 52, 1825)

We're expected to love God, love our neighbors, see everyone as our neighbor, and treat others as we'd like to be treated. (Matthew 5:43-44, 7:12, 22:36-40, Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31 10:25-27, 29-37; Catechism, 1789)

I'm about as sure as I can be that we're not expected to know more than our Lord did:

""But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

"Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come.

"It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch.

"Watch, therefore; you do not know when the lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning.

"May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping.

"What I say to you, I say to all: 'Watch!' "
(Mark 13:32-37)

My friend, some decades back, earnestly told me that Mark13:32 'really' means that we can't pin the Parousia down to a particular day — so far, so good.

But he was convinced that the self-styled prophets had Judgment Day pinned down to a particular week.

They were wrong. Again.

A Job to Do

I figure that either I'll still be alive when our Lord comes back: or, much more likely; that I'll die first, in which case I'll go through my particular judgment and whatever comes after that. (Catechism, 1021-1041)

Either way, I'll be at the Final Judgment. I really hope that I'll be with with the "sheep" at that point. (Matthew 25:33)

Meanwhile, I've got a job to do. The laity are in the Church's front line. We're expected to permeate "social, political, and economic realities with the demands of Christian doctrine and life." (Catechism, 899)

I've got my hands full: learning to seek, know, and love God, and doing my job as a Catholic layman. (Catechism, 1, 898-913)

I'm quite willing to let God the Father handle the big stuff.


(From NASA/ISS, used w/o permission.)

More of my take on life, death, and the long view:

• "Scrutinies, Options, and 'a Great Multitude' "
  (March 22, 2015)
  Particularly
  • The Great Commission, Two Millennia and Counting
  • Faith, Works, and Very Bad Ideas
• "Fire, Brimstone, and Lollipop Faith"
  (March 15, 2015)
  Particularly
  • Hellfire and Lollipops
  • Sin, Love, and Robots
  • Living the Truth
• "Moderation and a Pythagorean Dribble Glass"
  (January 25, 2015)
  Particularly
  • A False Alarm, and Points for Originality
  • Ecclesiastes, Kansas, and Beyond
• "Victory and Standing Orders"
  (November 23, 2014)
  Particularly
  • Ragnarok - - -
  • - - - and Mutant Squirrels
  • On Standby Alert: Two Millennia and Counting
• "Life, Death, and Hope"
  (November 2, 2014)
  Particularly
  • Planning Ahead

Victory and Standing Orders

(From John Martin, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.)
(Detail from John Martin's "The Last Judgement." (1853))

I've watched, and enjoyed, disaster movies like "Colossus: The Forbin Project" (1970) and "Deep Impact" (1998). It's been a few years since Harold Camping's high-profile predictions, and I'll get back to that.

Folks didn't have movies, disaster or otherwise, in the 19th century; but they did have paintings like John Martin's "The Last Judgment." Not everyone could afford original artwork, of course, but engravings and lithographs were making art available to an increasing fraction of the population: and that's another topic.

"2012" (2009) shares the epic scale of John Martin's paintings: and is 'Biblical' to the extent that it borrows names like Noah and Ark. I've discussed calendars, Chicken Little, and Y2K before. (December 21, 2012)

I like rip-roaring tales, when they're presented as fiction. Using a tale of terror and foreboding to convince folks that the world's end is imminent? That's something else.

Ragnarok - - -

These days, folks get their 'end times' stories from books and movies of the Left Behind variety, and the occasional chap like Harold Camping. (June 14, 2011)

'End of the world' predictions of one sort or another are nothing new. Some, like February's announcement of Ragnarok, aren't particularly serious. Others end in broken lives: and, occasionally, bodies:

• The People's Temple
  (San Francisco; Jonestown, Guyana; 1978)
• Order of the Solar Temple
  (Geneva, Cheiry, and Salvan, Switzerland; Morin Heights, and Saint-Casimir, Quebec; Vercors mountains of France; 1994-1997)
• Heaven's Gate
  (San Diego, Rancho Santa Fe, California; 1997)
• Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God
  (Rwashamaire, Kanungu District, Uganda; 2000)

Even non-lethal doomsday movements can hurt folks. Some of the damage is economic, since many believers sell what they have.

I think perennial 'end times prophecies' also encourage the notion that all 'religious' folks are obsessed with an imaginary cataclysm.

I'm Catholic, so I must believe that the Final Judgment is coming at the end of time. I also must accept what we're told about the event's timetable: we do not know. (Mark 13:32-37; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 675-682, 1040)

I can work with that.

For the sake of folks like Jim Jones, Marshall Applewhite, Luc Jouret, and Credonia Mwerinde, I hope that they sincerely believed their claims. Lying is an offense against truth, and a bad idea. Add suicide and murder to the mix, and it's a very serious situation. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2282, 2482-2487)

- - - and Mutant Squirrels

I think the recurring silliness of predicted apocalypses is related to conspiracy theories.

Both offer simple explanations for this world's endemic unpleasantness, and offer believers the perk of being in on secret knowledge that 'the masses' either don't have or won't believe.

On a lighter note, I offer this explanation for lost airline luggage and state lotteries. Mutant squirrels and corrupt pet store owners are plotting to enslave humanity in their nougat mines. And that's yet another topic.

On Standby Alert: Two Millennia and Counting

I'm a Christian, and a Catholic, so I take the Bible very seriously: including Mark 13:32-37.

My Lord didn't know when this creation will be wrapped up, but made it clear that we are on standby alert in the meantime. That was about two millennia back now, the orders haven't changed, and every few years someone pops up with another 'end times' prediction.

My guess is that the Final Judgment won't happen until the 8.2 kiloyear event, Y2K, and Y10K are seen as roughly contemporary. Given the scope of standing orders outlined at the end of Matthew, we'll probably need every millennium we get:

"¹¹ Then Jesus approached and said to them, 'All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

"Go, therefore, ¹² and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit,

"teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. ¹³ And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.' "
(Matthew 28:18-20)

The Basics: Simple, Not Easy

'Making disciples of all nations' doesn't mean hard-sell 'evangelization.' Each of us chooses to believe, or not believe; and the choice must be made freely. (Catechism, 1730, 1782)

The basics of what our Lord taught are simple, but not easy: love God, love our neighbors, see everyone as our neighbor, and treat others as we'd like to be treated. The Nicene Creed is a pretty good summary of my faith. (Matthew 5:43-44, 7:12, 22:36-40, Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31 10:25-27, 29-37; Catechism, 1789)

As I said last week, part of my job as a Christian is sharing the best news humanity's ever had: God love us, and wants to adopt each of us. (John 3:17; Catechism, 52, 1825)

I don't expect fast results. It was 19 centuries, for example, before a sizable fraction of folks in several countries decided that owning other people was wrong. Maybe after another 19 centuries, we'll have that many folks convinced that resolving conflicts without war is a good idea — and that's yet again another topic. (October 26, 2014; September 7, 2014)

Sheep, Goats, and Me

"¹⁴ 'When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations ¹⁵ will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats."
(Matthew 25:31-32)

I hope that I'll be with the 'sheep' at this creation's closing ceremony. For now, I'm 'working out my salvation,' as Philippians 2:12 puts it. (October 26, 2011)

Today's Gospel reading makes it clear that where I'm standing after the Last Judgment depends on what I've done — or not done — now. (Catechism, 1038-1039)

I won't have to wait until then to find out where I'm spending eternity, though. Each of us gets serious face time with our Lord when we die.

It's called the Particular Judgment, when we either accept or reject the grace of Jesus. It's not just 'believing.' It's faith and works: we're expected to act as if what we believe matters. (Catechism, 1021-1022, 1051, 1814-1816)

"In the evening of our life we shall be judged on love"
("The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross, Sayings of Light and Love," St. John of the Cross; via "Three Points in Time," Dani De George (2008) p. 21 / Google Books)

The good news, part of it, is that we're already in "the last hour," and have been for two thousand years. The war is over. We won. This world's renewal is in progress, and nothing can stop it. (Matthew 16:18; Mark 16:6; Catechism, 638, 670)

More about why I'm hopeful:

• "Life, Death, and Hope"
  (November 2, 2014)
• "Caesar, Civilization, Dealing With Change — and Building a Better World"
  (August 31, 2014)
  Particularly
  • The Code of Hammurabi, Plus 3,700 years: Looking at the Big Picture
• "Robin Williams, Suicide, and Hope"
  (August 17, 2014)
  Particularly
  • Getting a Grip About Health, Hair Shirts, and Hope
• "Following my Lord to the End of the Universe: And Beyond"
  (June 1, 2014)
• "Being Saved, the Narrow Gate, and All That"
  (October 26, 2011)

Life, Death, and Hope

I'm going to die.

That's what happens to humans.

Elijah's departure, described in 2 Kings 2:8-11, was a special case. So is Mary, and I talked about that yesterday. (November 1, 2014)

How we deal with awareness of life and death depends on culture and an individual's unique experiences and personality.

By the way — my diabetes, hypertension, and assorted other health issues, are pretty much under control: so my death is probably years, maybe decades, away. The clock's ticking, though.

Memento Mori

"Memento mori" — Latin for 'remember your death,' more or less — makes sense: if done with common sense. Recognition of impending doom can have a wonderfully focusing effect. (May 20, 2011)

However, I don't have a skull mounted on my desk: reminding me that my days are numbered. For one thing, I don't think that'd be consistent with respect for the dead. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2299-2300)

Carpe Diem

There's some wisdom in "carpe diem," too. The phrase, from a Latin poet's "Odes," isn't the oldest suggestion that enjoying the 'now' makes sense. The idea goes back at least as far as the "Epic of Gilgamesh" and Ecclesiastes 2:24.

The options aren't limited to morbid fascination with death or fleeing this fact of life by focusing on immediate pleasures.

God made and is making a good and beautiful world. (Genesis 1:1-2:9; Catechism, 31-32)

There is no problem with pleasure, enjoyed in moderation:

"³ There is nothing better for man than to eat and drink and provide himself with good things by his labors. Even this, I realized, is from the hand of God.

"For who can eat or drink apart from him? "
(Eccelsiastes 2:24-25)

Human nature being what it is, I'd better add this footnote:

"[24] Unrestrained indulgence is not advocated here, but legitimate pleasure and the cheerfulness it begets."
(Footnote 3, Eccelsiastes 2, New American Bible (November 11, 2002)

Planning Ahead

I will live forever.

That's good news or bad news, depending on what I do with the package I've been issued. I've discussed faith, works, and James 2:17-26 before. (October 5, 2011; August 27, 2011)

Right after I die, there's a final performance review: my particular judgment. (Catechism, 1021-1022)

I'm not looking forward to that, but it's unavoidable.

After the particular judgment, there's Heaven: or Hell. Purgatory is not a 'get out of Hell free' card. It's more like an ICU or emergency room for souls, and that's another topic. (Catechism, 1023-1037)

Bottom line, we get one life, one soul, and one chance at eternity. Hope is a virtue, despair is not an option, and hope lasts as long as we live. (Catechism, 366, 988-1014, 1021-1022, 1501, 1817-1821, 2091)

After that, there's this creation's closing ceremony — the Last Judgment — and we see what's next.

There's been a great deal of speculation about what Creation 2.0 will be like: some of it informed; some not so much.

I've indulged in that sort of guesswork: but I think this pretty well sums up what we know:

"I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, God's dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people ⁴ and God himself will always be with them (as their God).

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, (for) the old order has passed away.' "
(Revelation 21:3-4)

I'll see you there: I hope.

More of my take on long-term planning:

• "Time, Decisions, and a Sense of Scale"
  (September 28, 2013)
• "Life, Death, and a Sore Wrist"
  (April 21, 2013)
• "The Man Who Wouldn't Stay Dead"
  (March 11, 2012)
• "An Eternal Life I can Live With"
  (August 27, 2011)
• "Last Judgment: Attendance Mandatory"
  (May 21, 2011)

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17: Death and Life

(From Valentyn Ogirenko, via Reuters, used w/o permission.)
"People light candles at the Dutch embassy for victims of Malaysia Airlines MH17, which crashed in eastern Ukraine, in Kiev July 17, 2014"
(Reuters))

Nearly three hundred people died in Ukrainian airspace last Thursday. They were in an airliner on its way from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

Nearly two thirds of the passengers of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 were Dutch. They included folks on their way to a conference and families traveling. Some were "important," others not, by societal standards.

News services have been focusing on those among the dead who were most likely to be of interest to their viewers and readers. That's understandable.

Five days after this tragedy, we still don't know exactly why a Boeing 777-2H6ER fell out of the sky. Since it was in airspace over a war zone, it's very likely that the airliner was shot down.

One of the few positive aspects of this incident is that nobody, as far as I know, has claimed credit for these deaths. There's the usual finger-pointing, of course, but that's also understandable.

Apparently several bodies are still missing. Again, that's understandable: perhaps for the grimly practical reason that wreckage and bodies are spread over a sizable stretch of the Ukraine; because the missing bodies contained evidence that the folks who hold that particular terrain don't like — again, we don't know.

I'll explain why I'm not ranting about these deaths being the fault of folks I don't like toward the end of this post. First, and no pressure: I suggest that praying for those who died on flight MH17, and everyone connected with the incident, couldn't hurt.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH17: Last Week's List of Crew and Passengers

The last I heard, folks sometimes board airliners at the last minute: or miss their flight. These lists, released by Malaysia Airlines last week, may or may not be spot-on accurate. Either way, like I said, prayer couldn't hurt.

Crew:

Captain: Wan Amran Bin Wan Hussin (male, 50 years old)
Captain: Eugene Choo Jin Leong (male, 45 years old)
Vice-captain: Ahmad Hakimi Bin Hanapi (male, 29 years old)
Vice-captain: Muhamad Firdaus Bin Abdul Rahim (male, 27 years old)
Mohd Ghafar Bin Abu Bakar (male, 54 years old)
Dora Shamila Binti Kassim (female, 47 years old)
Azrina Binti Yakob (female, 41 years old)
Lee Hui Pin (female, 42 years old)
Mastura Binti Mustafa (female, 40 years old)
Chong Yee Pheng (female, 40 years old)
Shaikh Mohd Noor Bin Mahmood (male, 44 years old)
Sanjid Singh Sandhu (male, 41 years old)
Hamfazlin Sham Binti Mohamed Arifin (female, 42 years old)
Nur Shazana Binti Mohamed Salleh (female, 31 years old)
Angeline Premila Rajandaran (female, 30 years old)
(Source: News.com.au (July 19, 2014))

Passengers:

1 ALDER/JOHNMR UNITED KINGDOM M
2 ALLEN/CHRISTOPHERMR NETHERLANDS M
3 ALLEN/IANMSTR NETHERLANDS M
4 ALLEN/JOHNMR UNITED KINGDOM M
5 ALLEN/JULIANMR NETHERLANDS M
6 ANDERSON/STEPHEN LESLIE MR UNITED KINGDOM M
7 ANGHEL/ANDRE MR CANADA M
8 ANTHONYSAMY/MABEL MS MALAYSIA F
9 AVNON/ITHAMARMR NETHERLANDS M
10 AYLEY/ROBERTMR UNITED KINGDOM M
11 BAAY/JOYCEMRS NETHERLANDS F
12 BAKER/THERESA MRS AUSTRALIA F
13 BAKER/WAYNE MR AUSTRALIA M
14 BAKKER/WILLEMMR NETHERLANDS M
15 BATS/ROWENMR NETHERLANDS M
16 BELL/EMMA MISS AUSTRALIA F
17 BINDA/NATASHJA MRS NETHERLANDS F
18 BINTAMBI/MUHAMMAD AFRUZ MR MALAYSIA M
19 BINTAMBI/MUHAMMAD AFZAL MR MALAYSIA M
20 BINTITAMBI/MARSHA AZMEENA MS MALAYSIA F
21 BORGSTEEDE/HELEN MS NETHERLANDS F
22 BRAS/CATHARINAMRS NETHERLANDS F
23 BROGHAMMER/WILHELMINALOUISEMRS GERMAN F
24 BROUWER/THERESE MRS NETHERLANDS F
25 BROUWERS/ELISABETHMRS NETHERLANDS F
26 CAMFFERMAN/ANTON MR NETHERLANDS M
27 CHARDOME/BENOITMR BELGIUM M
28 CLANCY/CAROLMRS AUSTRALIA F
29 CLANCY/MICHAELMR AUSTRALIA M
30 CROLLA/REGISMR NETHERLANDS M
31 CUIJPERS/EDITHMRS NETHERLANDS F
32 DALSTRA/AUKEMR NETHERLANDS M
33 DALZIEL/CAMERON MR UNITED KINGDOM M
34 DANG/MINHCHAUMRS NETHERLANDS F
35 DANG/QUOCDUYMR NETHERLANDS M
36 DAVISON/FRANCESCAMRS AUSTRALIA F
37 DAVISON/LIAMMR AUSTRALIA M
38 DEBORST/ELSEMIEKMRS NETHERLANDS F
39 DEBRUIN/BARBARAMARIAMRS NETHERLANDS F
40 DEHAAN/JOHANNAMRS NETHERLANDS F
41 DEJONG/ANNETJEMRS NETHERLANDS F
42 DEKUIJER/PIM WILHELM MR NETHERLANDS M
43 DELEEUW/SASKIA MRS NETHERLANDS F
44 DERDEN/LILIANEMS AUSTRALIA F
45 DERIDDER/ESTHERMRS NETHERLANDS F
46 DEROO/JOOPALBERTMR NETHERLANDS M
47 DESADELEER/CHRISTIENE MRS NETHERLANDS F
48 DESCHUTTER/MARIAADRIANAMRS NETHERLANDS F
49 DEVOS/MAARTEN MR NETHERLANDS M
50 DEVRIES/AAFKEMRS NETHERLANDS F
51 DEWA/SHALIZA ZAINI MS MALAYSIA F
52 DEWAAL/ESTHER MRS NETHERLANDS F
53 DJODIKROMO/DONNY TOEKIRAN MR NETHERLANDS M
54 DYCZYNSKI/FATIMA MISS GERMAN F
55 ENGELS/LISANNE LAURA MISS NETHERLANDS F
56 ERNST/TAMARA MS NETHERLANDS F
57 ESSERS/EMMAMRS NETHERLANDS F
58 ESSERS/PETERMR NETHERLANDS M
59 ESSERS/VALENTIJNMR NETHERLANDS M
60 FAN/SHUN PO MR NETHERLANDS M
61 FOO/MING LEE MR MALAYSIA M
62 FREDRIKSZ/BRYCEMR NETHERLANDS M
63 GAZALEE/ARIZA BINTI MS MALAYSIA F
64 GIANOTTEN/ANGELIQUEMRS NETHERLANDS F
65 GOES/KAELAMAYAJAY MSTR MALAYSIA M
66 GOES/PAUL MR NETHERLANDS M
67 GRIPPELING/MARCO MR NETHERLANDS M
68 GROOTSCHOLTEN/WILHELMUS MR NETHERLANDS M
69 GUARD/JILLHELENMRS AUSTRALIA F
70 GUARD/ROGERWATSONDR AUSTRALIA M
71 GUNAWAN/DARRYL MR PHILIPPINES M
72 GUNAWAN/HADIONO MR INDONESIA M
73 GUNAWAN/IRENE MRS PHILIPPINES F
74 GUNAWAN/SHERRYL MS PHILIPPINES F
75 HAKSE/ANNEMIEKEMRS NETHERLANDS F
76 HALLY/DAVY JOSEPH GERARDUS MA NETHERLANDS M
77 HALLY/MEGAN NETHERLANDS F
78 HASTINI/YULI MRS INDONESIA F
79 HEEMSKERK/GEERTRUIDA MRS NETHERLANDS F
80 HEERKENS/LIDWINAMRS NETHERLANDS F
81 HEMELRIJK/ROBINMR NETHERLANDS M
82 HENDRY/MR INDONESIA M
83 HIJMANS/SUSAN MRS NETHERLANDS F
84 HOARE/ANDREWMR UNITED KINGDOM M
85 HOARE/FRISOMR NETHERLANDS M
86 HOARE/JASPERMR NETHERLANDS M
87 HOONAKKER/KATHARINAMRS NETHERLANDS F
88 HORDER/HOWARD MR AUSTRALIA M
89 HORDER/SUSAN MRS AUSTRALIA F
90 HORNIKX/ASTRID MRS NETHERLANDS F
91 HUIJBERS/PIETER JAN WILLEM NETHERLANDS M
92 HUIZEN/ARNOUD MR NETHERLANDS M
93 HUIZEN/YELENA/CLARICE MSTR INDONESIA F
94 HUNTJENS/MARIAMRS NETHERLANDS F
95 IOPPA/OLGA MRS GERMAN F
96 JANSSEN/CORNELIA MRS NETHERLANDS F
97 JESURUN/KEVIN MR NETHERLANDS M
98 JHINKOE/RISHI MR NETHERLANDS M
99 JIEE/TAMBI BIN MR MALAYSIA M
100 JRETNAM/SUBASHNI MRS MALAYSIA F
101 KAMSMA/MATTHEUSMR NETHERLANDS M
102 KAMSMA/QIUMSTR NETHERLANDS M
103 KAPPEN/YVONNE MRS NETHERLANDS F
104 KARDIA/VICKILINE KURNIATI MRS INDONESIA F
105 KARNAILSINGH/KARAMJITSINGHMR MALAYSIA M
106 KEIJZER/KARLIJNMRS NETHERLANDS F
107 KOOIJMANS/BARRYMR NETHERLANDS M
108 KOOIJMANS/ISAMISS NETHERLANDS F
109 KOOIJMANS/MIRAMRS NETHERLANDS F
110 KOTTE/OSCAR MR NETHERLANDS M
111 KOTTE/REMCO MR NETHERLANDS M
112 KROON/HENDRIKROKUSMR NETHERLANDS M
113 LAHAYE/JOHANNESMR NETHERLANDS M
114 LAHENDA/GERDA LELIANA MS INDONESIA F
115 LAMBREGTS/HUBERTUS MR NETHERLANDS M
116 LANGE/JOSEPH MR NETHERLANDS M
117 LAUSCHET/GABRIELEMS GERMAN F
118 LEE/JIANHANBENJAMIN MSTR MALAYSIA M
119 LEE/KIAH YEEN MS MALAYSIA F
120 LEE/MONA CHENG SIM MRS AUSTRALIA F
121 LEE/WHY KEONG MR AUSTRALIA M
122 LIEW/YAU CHEE MR MALAYSIA M
123 LOH/YANHWA MRS NETHERLANDS F
124 MAAS/HENRICUSMR NETHERLANDS M
125 MAHADY/EDELMRS AUSTRALIA F
126 MAHLER/EMIEL MR NETHERLANDS M
127 MARCKELBACH/LISA MRS NETHERLANDS F
128 MARTENS/ELIZABETHMRS NETHERLANDS F
129 MARTENS/SANDRAMRS NETHERLANDS F
130 MASLIN/EVIE COCO ANNE MISS AUSTRALIA F
131 MASLIN/MO ROBERT ANDERSON MR AUSTRALIA M
132 MASLIN/OTIS SAMUEL FREDERICK MSTR AUSTRALIA M
133 MASTENBROEK/TINA PAULINE MRS NETHERLANDS F
134 MAYNE/RICHARDMR UNITED KINGDOM M
135 MDSALIM/MOHDALIBIN MR MALAYSIA M
136 MEIJER/INGRID MRS NETHERLANDS F
137 MEIJER/SASCHAMRS NETHERLANDS F
138 MENKE/GERARDUS MR NETHERLANDS M
139 MENKE/MARY MRS NEW ZEALAND F
140 MEULEMAN/HANNAH SOPHIA NETHERLANDS F
141 MISRAN/ANELENE ROSTIJEM MS NETHERLANDS F
142 MOORS/AUGUSTINUSMR NETHERLANDS M
143 MULA/MELINGANAK MALAYSIA M
144 NELISSEN/JOHANNAMRS NETHERLANDS F
145 NG/LYETIELISABETH MS MALAYSIA F
146 NG/QINGZHENGMR MALAYSIA M
147 NG/SHIING MRS MALAYSIA F
148 NGUYEN/NGOCMINHMRS NETHERLANDS F
149 NIEBURG/TIMMR NETHERLANDS M
150 NIEVEEN/DAFNEMRS NETHERLANDS F
151 NIEWOLD/TALLANDERFRANCISCUS MR NETHERLANDS M
152 NOOR/RAHIMMAH MRS MALAYSIA F
153 NOREILDE/JANMR BELGIUM M
154 NOREILDE/STEVENMR BELGIUM M
155 NORRIS/NICOLL CHARLES ANDERSON MR AUSTRALIA M
156 NUESINK/JOLETTEMRS NETHERLANDS F
157 OBRIEN/JACKSAMUEL MR AUSTRALIA M
158 OEHLERS/DAISYMRS NETHERLANDS F
159 ORESHKIN/VICTORMR AUSTRALIA M
160 OTTOCHIAN/JULIANMSTR NETHERLANDS M
161 OTTOCHIAN/SERGIOMR NETHERLANDS M
162 PALM/LUBBERTAMRS NETHERLANDS F
163 PANDUWINATA/MIGUEL G MSTR NETHERLANDS M
164 PANDUWINATA/SHAKA T MR NETHERLANDS M
165 PARLAN/HASNI HARDI BIN MR MALAYSIA M
166 PAULISSEN/JOHNNY MR NETHERLANDS M
167 PAULISSEN/MARTIN MR NETHERLANDS M
168 PAULISSEN/SRI MISS NETHERLANDS F
169 PIJNENBURG/SJORS ADRIANUS MR NETHERLANDS M
170 PLOEG/ALEXMR NETHERLANDS M
171 PLOEG/ROBERTMR NETHERLANDS M
172 POCOCK/BENJAMINMR UNITED KINGDOM M
173 PUNJABI/KAUSHALYA JAIRAMDAS DATIN MALAYSIA F
174 RAAP/HIELKJE MS NETHERLANDS F
175 RENKERS/JEROENMR NETHERLANDS M
176 RENKERS/TIMMR NETHERLANDS M
177 RISAH/DAISY MRS NETHERLANDS F
178 RIZK/ALBERT MR AUSTRALIA M
179 RIZK/MAREE MRS AUSTRALIA F
180 RUIJTER/CATHARINAMRS NETHERLANDS F
181 RYDER/ARJEN MR AUSTRALIA M
182 RYDER/YVONNE MRS AUSTRALIA F
183 SCHANSMAN/QUINNMR NETHERLANDS M
184 SCHILDER/CORNELIS MR NETHERLANDS M
185 SCHUYESMANS/RIK MR BELGIUM M
186 SIDELIK/HELENAMS AUSTRALIA F
187 SITIAMIRAH/BINTIPARAWIRA MRS MALAYSIA F
188 SIVAGNANAM/MATTHEW EZEKIAL MASTER MALAYSIA M
189 SIVAGNANAM/PAUL RAJASINGAM MR MALAYSIA M
190 SLOK/GARYMR NETHERLANDS M
191 SMALLENBURG/CARLIJN MRS NETHERLANDS F
192 SMALLENBURG/CHARLES MR NETHERLANDS M
193 SMALLENBURG/WERTHER MSTR NETHERLANDS M
194 SMOLDERS/MARIA MRS NETHERLANDS F
195 SOETJIPTO/JANE M ADI MRS INDONESIA F
196 SOUREN/PETERMR NETHERLANDS M
197 SPECKEN/REINMARMR NETHERLANDS M
198 STUIVER/CORNELIA MRS NETHERLANDS F
199 SUJANA/WAYANMR INDONESIA M
200 SUPARTINI/MRS INDONESIA F
201 SWEENEY/LIAMMR UNITED KINGDOM M
202 TAMBI/MUHAMMAD AFIF BIN MR MALAYSIA M
203 TAMTELAHITU/CHARLESELIZADAVIDMR NETHERLANDS M
204 TAN/SIEW POH MDM MALAYSIA F
205 TEOH/ELAINE MISS MALAYSIA F
206 THEISTIASIH/YODRICUNDA MRS INDONESIA F
207 THOMAS/GLENNRAYMONDMR UNITED KINGDOM M
208 TIERNAN/MARY MS AUSTRALIA F
209 TIMMERS/GERARDUSMR NETHERLANDS M
210 TOL/CORNELIA MRS NETHERLANDS F
211 TOURNIER/HENDRIKJANMR NETHERLANDS M
212 TRUGG/LIV MISS NETHERLANDS F
213 TRUGG/REMCO MR NETHERLANDS M
214 TRUGG/TESS MISS NETHERLANDS F
215 UIJTERLINDE/THAMSANQA MR NETHERLANDS M
216 VANDEKRAATS/LORENZOMR NETHERLANDS M
217 VANDEKRAATS/ROBERTJANMR NETHERLANDS M
218 VANDEMORTEL/JEROENMR NETHERLANDS M
219 VANDEMORTEL/MILIAMISS NETHERLANDS F
220 VANDENHENDE/JOHANNES RUDOLFUS MR NETHERLANDS M
221 VANDENHENDE/MARGAUX LARISSA MSTR NETHERLANDS F
222 VANDENHENDE/MARNIX REDUAN MR NETHERLANDS M
223 VANDENHENDE/PIERS ADNAN MR NETHERLANDS M
224 VANDENSCHOOR/CHRISTINA ANNA ELISA MS NETHERLANDS F
225 VANDERGRAAFF/LAURENSMR NETHERLANDS M
226 VANDERLEIJ/JENNIFERMRS NETHERLANDS F
227 VANDERLINDE/MARKMR NETHERLANDS M
228 VANDERLINDE/MERELMRS NETHERLANDS F
229 VANDERLINDE/ROBERTMR NETHERLANDS M
230 VANDERMEER/BENTE MISS NETHERLANDS F
231 VANDERMEER/FLEUR MISS NETHERLANDS F
232 VANDERMEER/SOPHIE MRS NETHERLANDS F
233 VANDERPOEL/ERICUS MR NETHERLANDS M
234 VANDERSANDE/PAULUS MR NETHERLANDS M
235 VANDERSANDE/STEVEN MR NETHERLANDS M
236 VANDERSANDE/TESSA MRS NETHERLANDS F
237 VANDERSAR/INGE MRS NETHERLANDS F
238 VANDERSTEEN/JANMR NETHERLANDS M
239 VANDERWEIDE/FRANK MR NETHERLANDS M
240 VANDOORN/APRILMRS NETHERLANDS F
241 VANDOORN/CAROLINEMRS NETHERLANDS F
242 VANDUIJN/GIJSBERT MR NETHERLANDS M
243 VANELDIJK/PETRONELLAMRS NETHERLANDS F
244 VANGEENE/RENE MR NETHERLANDS M
245 VANHEIJNINGEN/ERIK PETER MR NETHERLANDS M
246 VANHEIJNINGEN/ZEGER LEONARD MR NETHERLANDS M
247 VANKEULEN/ALLARDMR NETHERLANDS M
248 VANKEULEN/JEROENMR NETHERLANDS M
249 VANKEULEN/ROBERTMR NETHERLANDS M
250 VANLANGEVELD/PETRAMRS NETHERLANDS F
251 VANLUIK/KLAAS WILLEM MR NETHERLANDS M
252 VANMENS/LUCIEPAULAMARIAMS NETHERLANDS F
253 VANMUIJLWIJK/ADINDA LARASATI PUTRI MS NETHERLANDS F
254 VANMUIJLWIJK/EMILE MR NETHERLANDS M
255 VANNIELEN/STEFAN F W MR NETHERLANDS M
256 VANTONGEREN/JACQUELINE MRS NETHERLANDS F
257 VANVELDHUIZEN/ANTHONIUS MR NETHERLANDS M
258 VANVELDHUIZEN/PIJKE MSTR NETHERLANDS M
259 VANVELDHUIZEN/QUINT MSTR NETHERLANDS M
260 VANVREESWIJK/HUUBMR NETHERLANDS M
261 VANWIGGEN/WINNEKEMRS NETHERLANDS F
262 VANZIJTVELD/FREDERIQUEMRS NETHERLANDS F
263 VANZIJTVELD/ROBERTJANMR NETHERLANDS M
264 VERHAEGH/KIM ELISA PETRONELLA NETHERLANDS F
265 VERMEULEN/MARIEMRS NETHERLANDS F
266 VLEESENBEEK/ERIKMR NETHERLANDS M
267 VOORHAM/CORNELIAMRS NETHERLANDS F
268 VORSSELMAN/WOUTER MR NETHERLANDS M
269 VRANCKX/ELINE MRS NETHERLANDS F
270 WAGEMANS/HENDRIK MR NETHERLANDS M
271 WALS/AMELMRS NETHERLANDS F
272 WALS/BRETTMR NETHERLANDS M
273 WALS/JEROENMR NETHERLANDS M
274 WALS/JINTEMRS NETHERLANDS F
275 WALS/SOLENNMISS NETHERLANDS F
276 WELS/LEONARDUS MR NETHERLANDS M
277 WELS/SEM MSTR NETHERLANDS M
278 WESTERVELD/INEKEMRS NETHERLANDS F
279 WIARTINI/KETUT MRS INDONESIA F
280 WITTEVEEN/MARITMRS NETHERLANDS F
281 WITTEVEEN/WILLEMMR NETHERLANDS M
282 YURIANI/NINIK MRS INDONESIA F
283 ZANTKUIJL/DESIREEMRS NETHERLANDS F
(Source: Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai, Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai, on Scribbed (July 19, 2014))

Getting a Grip About Death

It's possible to be morbidly fascinated by death. On the other hand, knowledge that I'm going to die eventually has a way of putting life into perspective.

As a Catholic, I take the Last Judgment seriously. It's a sort of closing ceremony for this creation: and something I couldn't miss, even if I wanted to. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1038-1041)

That's not the same as taking 'end times Bible prophecies' seriously, and I've been over that before. (February 25, 2014; June 14, 2011)

I believe that human life is sacred; murder is wrong; and we have a duty to preserve our own lives, and the lives of others, within reason. (Catechism, 2258, 2261, 2263-2267)

That's not as simple as feeling that I should be either a full-bore pacifist, or jump on a 'death to them all' bandwagon. Life is not that simple. (November 10, 2013)

I am personally responsible for my actions, and will go through a sort of performance review right after I die.

I can't 'work my way into Heaven.' I rely on my Lord for salvation: but decisions I make and actions I take make a difference. And that's another topic. (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10; Hebrews 9:27; Catechism, 1021-1022), 1730-1742, 1987-2016)

Related posts:

• Death
  • "Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17: This Time it's Over Land"
    Another War-on-Terror Blog (July 18, 2014)
    Particularly
    • People, 'Important' and Otherwise
  • "Death at Los Angeles International Airport, Prayer, and Getting a Grip"
    (November 3, 2013)
  • "Paul Ciancia, Gerardo Hernandez, Justice: and the Big Picture"
    (November 10, 2013)
  • "Praying for Peace in Syria"
    (September 6, 2013)
  • "Bombs at the Marathon: Death, Anger, and Love"
    (April 19, 2013)
• Life
  • "Strangers and Standing Orders"
    (July 6, 2014)
  • "Called to Serve the Lord"
    (March 30, 2014)
  • "December 15, 201Holiday Specials, Luke 10:37, and Making a Difference"
    (December 15, 2013)
  • " 'Love Thy Neighbor:' Putting Faith Into Practice"
    (February 5, 2012)
  • "Holy Willie Syndrome"
    (January 4, 2012)