Moderation and a Pythagorean Dribble Glass

Today's second reading reminded me of Harold Camping's high-profile End Times predictions, a few years back:

"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)

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.

It's been a few years since Harold Camping became momentarily famous for yet another failed 'Bible prophecy.'

This post is not about the Last Judgment — but I'd better clear the air about my take on apocalyptic predictions.

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

That's why, the next time an 'End Times Bible prophecy' hits national news, I may write about it — but I won't believe it.

Our Lord didn't know the timetable — so I won't assume that someone who follows, consciously or not, the traditions of Monatus, Hippolytus of Rome, and Edward Irving does. That doesn't make sense. Not to me.

My guess is that we've got a long wait ahead of us.

"Wait" isn't the right word. Just before leaving, our Lord gave us standing orders. For anyone else, we'd have given up long ago. But Jesus is — unique — and that's another topic. Topics.

A False Alarm, and Points for Originality

Hyppolytus of Rome is Saint Hippolytus of Rome now. The last I heard, his feast day's in August.

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

A messy death doesn't guarantee Sainthood, many Saints died of natural causes, and that's another bunch of topics. (February 14, 2010)

'End of the world' false alarms aren't unique to Christianity. Wikipedia lists apocalyptic predictions from the last two-dozen-plus centuries. I'll grant that most items listed are by Christians.

I give Emanuel Swedenborg points for originality. He suggested, in 1758, that the Last Judgment had occurred in the previous year. (February 28, 2014)

This post was going to be about something, and it wasn't wannabe prophets. Let's see: 1 Corinthians 7:29-31; "the world in its present form is passing away." Right.

Pythagorean Cups: The Thinking Person's Dribble Glass

I've read that Hero of Alexandria used Pythagorean cups in his robotic systems. That's probably a reference to Heron's fountain, Heron is another version of Hero's name, and I am not going to wander off-topic again. Not for another paragraph or two, anyway.

Pythagoras of Samos didn't invent the Pythagorean theorem, but he's the first chap to show why it works - - -

Let's try this again. It's one of those days.

A Pythagorean cup is a thinking person's dribble glass, sort of.

It looks like the result of a cup and bundt pan committing crimes against nature. The cup's central column is hollow, with a little pipe inside, and a hole near its base.

The cup works fine, as long as you don't fill it past the top of that inside pipe. If you do, Pascal's principle of communicating vessels kicks in, and you've got the cup's contents pouring out the bottom.

Pascal's principle of c. v. is also called Pascal's law, which is not to be confused with Pascal's rule about binomial coefficients. Blaise Pascal didn't draft Pascal's law the way Robert A. Taft and Fred A. Hartley, Jr., sponsored the Taft-Hartley Act: and that's yet more topics. (January 2, 2015)

The cup, pan, and ladle in the photo are in Ashikaga District in the Tochigi Prefecture, but it's not there any more. 足利郡, that is. I'm pretty sure the cup's still there.

Anyway, it's a learning tool. Empty, it's tilted. Pour a little water into it, it goes upright. Pour in more, and it tilts again.

That, finally, gets me to the point of this post. Moderation is a good idea.

Love, Money, and Not Going Crazy

Money isn't the root of all evil. It's love of money that gets us in trouble:

"For the love of money is the root of all evils, and some people in their desire for it have strayed from the faith and have pierced themselves with many pains."
(1 Timothy 6:10)

---

"Let your life be free from love of money but be content with what you have, for he has said, 'I will never forsake you or abandon you.'"
(Hebrews 13:5)

---

Some Saints have been poor as the proverbial churchmouse. Others, like Louis IX of France and Sir Thomas More, were anything but.

A trait they share with Francis of Assisi is that they had their priorities straight: God first, everything else second. (Luke 10:27; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2083)

It's like humility: the idea isn't going crazy in one direction or another, but having a firm grip on reality. (September 1, 2013)

Speaking of St. Francis of Assisi, he took vows of poverty: but that's not what he focused on:

"Saint Francis of Assisi's concern with poverty was secondary in his life and stemmed from his utter reliance on and love for God, a priest familiar with the saint said.

" 'The usual image of Francis and poverty is skewed...poverty is important, but it is secondary to something else for Francis, which is absolute dependence on God,' Dominican priest Father Augustine Thompson told CNA March 21.

"While many associate the 13th century saint with poverty, he wrote little about it and when he did, he was pointing to the humility of the Incarnation and the death of Christ...."
"St. Francis' poverty often misunderstood, priest explains," Carl Bunderson, Catholic News Agency (March 24, 2013)

"Pleasant Valley Sunday" and Psalms 49:6-8

Gerry Goffin and Carole King were in their '20s when they wrote "Pleasant Valley Sunday." I was in my teens at the time, still in high school, and trying to make sense out of a none-too-steady world.

Many folks around my age realized that there was, or should be, more to life than buying stuff we didn't need, to impress people we didn't like, with money we didn't have.

That upset some of our elders, particularly when songs like this caught on:

"...Creature comfort goals
They only numb my soul and make it hard for me to see
My thoughts all seem to stray, to places far away
I need a change of scenery..."
("Pleasant Valley Sunday," written by by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, performed by The Monkees in 1967; via A-Z Lyrics)

Again, the problem isn't money. It's loving the stuff.

Then there's this snarky bit from the Bible:

"Why should I fear in evil days, when my wicked pursuers ring me round,

"Those who trust in their wealth and boast of their abundant riches?

"⁴ One cannot redeem oneself, pay to God a ransom."
(Psalms 49:6-8)

It's okay for Catholics to be rich or poor, healthy or sick, sharp as a tack or dull as dishwater. Wait — that's not quite right. Never mind. The point is that what matters is what we do with what we've got. (November 16, 2014)

Detachment from riches doesn't mean being poverty-stricken. It's not depending on wealth for happiness. (Catechism, 2544-2547)

The idea is living in moderation. (Catechism, 2264, 2405, 2496, 2522)

I suppose moderation could be carried to extremes, too — or used as an excuse for sloth: which doesn't mean being lazy, quite. (August 10, 2014)

Ecclesiastes, Kansas, and Beyond

I like rock 'n' roll: also bluegrass; jazz; and Bach, J. S. and P. D. Q. — and I am not going to wander off on another tangent. Some rock is about as profound as a rain puddle, some isn't. (August 26, 2012)

"...There's a feeling I get when I look to the west,
And my spirit is crying for leaving.
In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees,
And the voices of those who stand looking...."
"Stairway to Heaven" (1971)
Led Zeppelin, via www.sing365.com

---

"...All my dreams, pass before my eyes, a curiosity
Dust in the wind, all they are is dust in the wind...

"...Don't hang on, nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky
It slips away, all your money won't another minute buy..."
"Dust in the Wind" (1977)
Kansas, via www.sing365.com

---

I'd be astounded if those songs are remembered in, say, the 44th century. But I'm confident that this will:

"³ What profit has man from all the labor which he toils at under the sun?

"One generation passes and another comes, but the world forever stays.

"The sun rises and the sun goes down; then it presses on to the place where it rises.

"Blowing now toward the south, then toward the north, the wind turns again and again, resuming its rounds.

"All rivers go to the sea, yet never does the sea become full. To the place where they go, the rivers keep on going."
(Ecclesiastes 1:3-7)

---

"¹³ "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal.

"But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal.

"For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be. "
(Matthew 6:19-21)

I could quibble about "the world forever stays" in Ecclesiastes, but that'd be applying 21st-century standards to prose poetry from more than two millennia back: and I've been over that before. (February 26, 2012)

Anyway, verses like Isaiah 38:12 and 2 Corinthians 4:18 talk about life and the universe; what doesn't last, and what does.

There's wisdom in enjoying the beauties and pleasures of this world: in moderation.

There's also wisdom in remembering that this universe won't last forever: and that, for good or ill, we will. (November 2, 2014)

More about taking the long view:

• Living in balance
  
  • "Talents, and the Best News Ever"
    (November 16, 2014)
    Particularly
    • Doing Something
    • "Faith Without Works is Dead"
  • "Life, Death, and Hope"
    (November 2, 2014)
    Particularly
    • Memento Mori
    • Carpe Diem
    • Planning Ahead
  • "Humility: Accepting Reality"
    (August 10, 2014)
    Particularly
    • Self-Esteem Run Amok
    • A Balanced View
  • "Getting a Grip About Poverty, Wealth, and Amos"
    (July 28, 2013)
    Particularly
    • Rich, Poor, and Saintly
  • "Humble, Yes: Delusional, No"
    (September 1, 2013)
    Particularly
    • Beggars, Choosers, and Me
    • Detachment from Riches
• The big picture
  
  • "Advent: Another Year of the Long Watch"
    (November 30, 2014)
  • "Victory and Standing Orders"
    (November 23, 2014)
    Particularly
    • Ragnarok - - -
    • - - - and Mutant Squirrels
    • On Standby Alert: Two Millennia and Counting
  • "Joy and Standing Orders"
    (October 5, 2014)
    Particularly
    • Move Out!
  • Caesar, Civilization, Dealing With Change — and Building a Better World"
    (August 31, 2014)
    Particularly
    • Fear, Flappers, and Europe Flambé
    • It's the End of Civilization as We Know It: And About Time!
  • "The Eighth Day: Two Millennia and Counting"
    (April 20, 2014)

King Josiah, Consequences, and Love

(From John Martin, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.)

By some standards, this isn't a particularly "Christian" blog. I don't rant about the unending fires of Hell, or dwell on cheerful thoughts like this:

"...The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you...."
(Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God," Jonathan Edwards (1741))

That's because it's not 1741 any more, and I'm Catholic. I've talked about the Great Awakening, Jonathan Edwards, and Mark Twain, before. (December 1, 2013)

As a Christian, I agree with Simon Peter:

"Simon Peter answered him, 'Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

"We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.' "
(John 6:68-69)

Authority and Consequences

I became a Catholic after learning who holds the authority my Lord gave Peter. (September 13, 2014)

As a Catholic, I have to believe that God wants each of us to seek, know, and love Him with all our strength. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1-3)

That's why God sent my Lord to live as one of us, be tortured, executed, and then stop being dead. (Catechism, 484-486, 638)

I also must believe that God creates a good and ordered universe: and didn't make a horrible mistake when creating us. Humanity, and each of us, is basically good — but since our beginning, we have lived with the consequences of our first parent's willful disobedience. (Catechism, 289-299, 388-409)

Baptism isn't so much a matter of washing a dirty soul, as restoring life to a spiritually dead one. (Catechism, 1213-1274)

Since two of our six children died before getting baptized, I'm particularly interested in the "baptism of desire." That, and the "baptism of blood," are — another topic. (Catechism, 1257-1261)

Joy and Elizabeth weren't baptized because they died before birth. My wife and I were preoccupied each time, and I've been over that before. (May 3, 2010)

"And He Found it Very Good"

"God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good. Evening came, and morning followed - the sixth day."
(Genesis 1:31)

That's after Genesis outlines God's creation of everything: "the heavens and the earth," and humanity. (Genesis 1:1-31)

Genesis?! I'm a Christian — and a Catholic — so I take the Bible very seriously. It's 'in the rules.' (Catechism, 101-133)

But I don't consult Sacred Scripture when my computer is on the fritz, and I understand that scientific discoveries are an invitation to "even greater admiration." (Catechism, 283)

Truth cannot threaten an informed faith, and poetry isn't science. (September 21, 2014; July 18, 2014; September 21, 2014; October 13, 2013)

Like everyone else living today, I'm called to seek God: but wounded by sin. I need help. That's where my Lord comes in. (Catechism, 763-766, 771, 1949)

I can decide to seek God and act as if following God's will matters: or not. But I can't work or pray my way into heaven. (James 2:26; Catechism, 1704, 1730, 1815, 1987-2016)

Sin — deciding to act against reason, truth, and a right conscience — is real. It is an offense against God, and a very bad idea. It's not that I could hurt the Almighty. The problem with sin, deliberately turning away from God, is that it can result in my being permanently separated from my Lord: in Hell. (Catechism, 1033-1037)

God doesn't send anyone into Hell: but nobody's dragged, kicking and screaming, into Heaven.

As long as I'm alive, I can decide that my offense was wrong: and ask God to forgive me. (Catechism, 1849, 1851, 1861)

God forgives sins. It's a fairly straightforward process: but there's more than just saying 'I'm sorry.'

After that, I have work to do: fixing, as far as I can, the damage done to myself, to others, and to my relationship with God. (Catechism, 1422-1470)

Acting against reason, truth, and a right conscience, has consequences. It's not that God 'gets even' with folks who sin. Ethical principles are woven into this creation. When we act against those principles, we get hurt. (Catechism, 1472, 1950-1960)

"...Our Written Obligations"

King Josiah lived about 2,650 years back. He "pleased the LORD and conducted himself unswervingly just as his ancestor David had done." (2 Kings 22:2)

Judah's two preceding kings, Manasseh and Amon, had other priorities. Manasseh "...immolated his son by fire. He practiced soothsaying and divination, and reintroduced the consulting of ghosts and spirits...." (2 Kings 21:6)

Amon's reign was more of the same. By the time Josiah became king, Judah was a mess. Among other things, the temple in Jerusalem was in bad shape.

Josiah ordered a massive repair and restoration project, which uncovered a long-ignored document:

"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.

Briefly, there was no avoiding penalties for offenses committed by the two preceding kings. That's just the way things work. But since Josiah reacted as he had, God delayed the consequences.

Love and Forgiveness

" 'But to the king of Judah who sent you to consult the LORD, give this response: "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: As for the threats you have heard,

"because you were heartsick and have humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard my threats that this place and its inhabitants would become a desolation and a curse; because you tore your garments and wept before me; I in turn have listened, says the LORD.

"I will therefore gather you to your ancestors; you shall go to your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the evil I will bring upon this place." ' This they reported to the king."
(2 Kings 22:18-20)

King Josiah's efforts at restoring terms of the covenant seem harsh by today's standards. We've learned quite a bit in the last 26 centuries: and still have much left to learn. (October 26, 2014)

Josiah was buried "in his own grave" in Jerusalem, after falling in battle at Megiddo. (2 Kings 23:29-30)

That isn't going "in peace" by today's standards: but I'm quite willing to see Josiah's life and death as a fulfillment of God's promise. As I said earlier, forgiveness is real: but so are consequences.

Judah's next king returned to the low standards set by Manasseh and Amon.

Several centuries later my Lord came into this world: not to condemn the world, but to save it. (John 3:17)

God loves sinners: and wants us to stop sinning. The 'punishments' we experience as the result of our actions are a consequence of our ignoring ethical realities — and opportunities for us to learn charity and detachment. (Romans 5:8; Catechism, 226, 1424, 1472-1473, 2544)

Bottom line, God doesn't have anger management issues:

• " 'Those Who are Just Must be Kind' "
  (July 20, 2014)
• "Vengeance, Anger, and Looking Ahead"
  (July 13, 2014)
  Particularly
  • Anger, Sin, and Getting a Grip
• "God, Jesus, and Me: Personal?!"
  (January 5, 2014)
• "Looking Forward to Heaven"
  (August 25, 2013)
  Particularly
  • Revelation and Responsibility
  • Finding God's Kingdom
• "The Man Who Wouldn't Stay Dead"
  (March 11, 2012)

Humble, Yes: Delusional, No

I'm supposed to be humble, which isn't the same as being delusional. Not according to the Catholic Church, anyway.

Avoiding Inordinate Ambition or Pride

"HUMILITY: The virtue by which a Christian acknowledges that God is the author of all good. Humility avoids inordinate ambition or pride, and provides the foundation for turning to God in prayer (2559). Voluntary humility can be described as 'poverty of spirit' (2546)."
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, Glossary)

An important word there is "inordinate ambition." We're not supposed to have no ambition at all, or go out of our way to become poor. Some Saints were poor: but some, like Louis IX of France and Sir Thomas More, were anything but. It isn't being poor, or rich, that makes Saints. (July 28, 2013)

It's their heroic virtue, living in fidelity to God's grace, that makes Saints special. (Catechism, 826)

Working With What I've Got

There's a tendency in my native culture to see "humility" as a sort of make-believe: denying that our strengths are real. That's crazy.

If I tried being that sort of "humble," I'd pretend that I can't write, or apologize profusely for being such a lousy writer. That seems like a waste of time, and would probably be annoying.

I've got something close to the gift called "the expression of knowledge" in 1 Corinthians 12:7-10. That isn't bragging. The package I was born with includes an intense interest in language, with a knack for reading and writing.

I didn't have anything to do with that, any more than I'm responsible for the color of my eyes. My contribution to the mix was deciding, as a child, that I wanted to write: and following through on that decision by working at developing my skills.

Beggars, Choosers, and Me

As far as I can tell, being humble is acknowledging that God is large and in charge. God doesn't owe me anything.

As St. Augustine said, "Man is a beggar before God."

Applying the beggars can't be choosers principle, I think accepting what I get from God also makes sense. For whatever reason, I was born a cripple, with freakishly enhanced language abilities. On the whole, I'm content with what I have: and hope that I'm making good use of these gifts.

Beggars can't be choosers, but we can ask for good things. What I get is up to God, and that's okay with me. What's important is having "a humble and contrite heart." (Catechism, 2559)

"Poor in Spirit," Not "Despondent"

Matthew's Beatitudes start with the familiar "poor in spirit" promise.

"³ 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, ⁴ for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
(Matthew 5:3)

So, what does "poor in spirit" mean?

I've heard "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee" sung as if it's a dirge. Some folks seem to think Matthew 5:3 says "blessed are the despondent...." Others seem convinced that poverty, by itself, is a virtue; that the physical world is evil; and that's another topic. Topics. (June 3, 2012; May 7, 2012)

If being poor in the financial sense is needed for virtue, folks like St. Louis and St. Thomas More are hard to explain.

I think being "poor in spirit" has more to do with attitude than how much someone has in the bank.

Detachment from Riches

Having few worldly resources may give us more opportunities for realizing that we're dependent on God, but anyone can choose that sort of awareness. The trick isn't being poor: it's being detached from wealth.

"Jesus enjoins his disciples to prefer him to everything and everyone, and bids them 'renounce all that [they have]' for his sake and that of the Gospel.³³⁵ Shortly before his passion he gave them the example of the poor widow of Jerusalem who, out of her poverty, gave all that she had to live on.³³⁶ The precept of detachment from riches is obligatory for entrance into the Kingdom of heaven."

---

" 'Blessed are the poor in spirit.'³³⁷ The Beatitudes reveal an order of happiness and grace, of beauty and peace. Jesus celebrates the joy of the poor, to whom the Kingdom already belongs:³³⁸

"The Word speaks of voluntary humility as 'poverty in spirit'; the Apostle gives an example of God's poverty when he says: 'For your sakes he became poor.'³³⁹"

(Catechism, 2544, 2546 [emphasis mine])

The summary of that section says it pretty well:

"Detachment from riches is necessary for entering the Kingdom of heaven. 'Blessed are the poor in spirit.' "
(Catechism, 2556)

Apparently being poor is okay, being rich is okay: but being attached to wealth is a bad idea. So, I think, is flaunting wealth. That seems to be one of the points of this morning's first reading:

"² My son, conduct your affairs with humility, and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts.

"Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find favor with God.

"What is too sublime for you, seek not, into things beyond your strength search not.

"The mind of a sage appreciates proverbs, and an attentive ear is the wise man's joy.

"⁴ Water quenches a flaming fire, and alms atone for sins."
(Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29)

(From Zentralbibliothek Zürich, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.)
" 'Alle Weissheit ist bey Gott dem Herrn...' ("All wisdom comes from the LORD....")
(Sirach, first chapter, German translation), anonymous artist 1654."

Related posts:

• Humility
  • "Pride, Walking by Faith, and Fathers"
    (June 17, 2012)
  • "First Sunday in Lent; God is Reclaiming His Broken Creation"
    (February 26, 2012)
  • " 'Dust in the Wind' and Getting a Grip"
    (February 26, 2012)
    Particularly
    • "To Dust You Shall Return:" Humility and Salvation
  • "Having Good Judgment isn't Being Judgmental"
    (October 12, 2011)
  • "Pride, It's Not Just a Group of Lions"
    (November 7, 2010)
• Wealth and wisdom
  • "Hope, Joy, and 'More Despondent Than Thou?' "
    (January 8, 2012)
  • "Getting a Grip About Poverty, Wealth, and Amos"
    (July 28, 2013)
  • "Battling Sin, Living in Hope"
    (July 25, 2012)
  • "Malignant Virtue and the Monkees"
    (April 13, 2013)
  • " 'The Scandal of Glaring Inequalities' "
    (February 27, 2012)