Magyar Egyház, 2008 (87. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
2008-01-01 / 1. szám
10. oldal MAGYAR EGYHÁZ Easter Sunday this year will be March 23, 2008 Easter is always the first Sunday after the first full moon following the Spring Equinox (which is March 20). This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify Passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar. This year, Easter will fall on Sunday, March 23. Based on the above, Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22) but that is pretty rare. This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives...and only the most elderly of our population (95 years old or above) have ever seen it this early before. None of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier. The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you're 95 or older, you are the only ones that were around for that). The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So, no one alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year. Memorial day It is the VETERAN, not the preacher, who has given us freedom of religion. It is the VETERAN, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the VETERAN, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the VETERAN, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to assemble. It is the VETERAN, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial. It is the VETERAN, not ! the politician, who has given us the right to vote. It is the VETERAN, who salutes the Flag, It is the veteran, who serves under the Flag, The US Senate & House took 2 days off as they couldn't work because of the expected storm. On the ABC evening news, it was reported that night, because of the dangers from Hurricane Isabelle approaching Washington DC, the military members assigned the duty of guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier were given permission to suspend the assignment. They respectfully declined the offer, "No way, Sir!" Soaked to the skin, marching in the pelting rain of a tropical storm, they said that guarding the Tomb was not just an assignment, it was the highest honor that can be afforded to a serviceperson. The tomb has been patrolled continuously, 24/7, since 1930. We can be very proud of our young men and women in the service no matter where they serve. God Bless them. Jordan: The Birthplace of Christianity? “Jordan is the birthplace of Christianity and Christians should come and visit its Biblical sites.” According to ASSIST News Service, that’s the view of Munir Y. Nassar, the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities in Jordan. In an interview in Amman, he said, “We have in this country some of the most revered and some of the most important sites in the Christian religion. In fact, you can say that Jordan is where the Christian religion actually started — at the baptismal site [at Bethany Beyond the Jordan] where the Holy Spirit came down on Jesus when he was baptized by John The Baptist. This is where the ministry of Jesus began and it can he found on the east side of the Jordan River in Jordan. “Other than that, we have many more biblical sites if you want go over a much longer span of the history of Christianity and Judaism.” When asked, Nassar named some of the key Christian sites Christian pilgrims could visit: “We have Gadara in the north of the country where Jesus case out the demons out of the man and into the ‘Gadarene Swine.’ Then you have Mount Nebo where Moses is said to have seen the Promised Land. "We have more churches per square meter in Jordan old Byzantine churches than you have anywhere else in the world. In fact the oldest church in the world was uncovered in Aqaba about six or seven years ago. Wherever we dig, we come up with a Byzantine church. Whenever we dig we come up with some kind of a Christian pilgrimage site." To Kill an American You probably missed it in the rush of news few years ago, but there was actually a report that someone in Pakistan had published in a newspaper an offer of a reward to anyone who killed an American, any American. So an Australian dentist wrote the following to let everyone know what an American is,... so they would know when they found one. (Good on ya, mate!!!!) An American is English, or French, or Italian, Irish, German, Spanish, Polish, Russian or Greek. An American may also be Canadian, Mexican, African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Australian, Iranian, Asian, or Arab, or Pakistani, or Afghan. An American may also be a Cherokee, Osage, Blackfoot, Navaho, Apache, Seminole or one of the many other tribes known as native Americans. An American is Christian, or he could be Jewish, or Buddhist, or Muslim. In fact, there are more Muslims in America than in Afghanistan. The only difference is that in America they are free to worship as each of them chooses. An American is also free to believe in no religion. For that he will answer only to God, not to the government, or to armed thugs claiming to speak for the government and for God. An American lives in the most prosperous land in the history of the world. The root of that prosperity can be found in the Declaration of Independence, which recognizes the God given right of each person to the pursuit of happiness. An American is generous. Americans have helped out just about every other nation in the world in their time of need. When Afghanistan was overrun by the Soviet army 20 years ago, Americans came with arms and supplies to enable the people to win back their country! As of the morning of September 11, Americans had given more than any other nation to the poor in Afghanistan. Americans welcome the best, the best products, the best books, the best music, the best food, the best athletes. But they also welcome the least. The national symbol of America, The Statue of Liberty, welcomes your tired and your poor, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores, the homeless, tempest tossed. These in fact are the people who built America. Some of them were working in the Twin Towers the morning of September 11, 2001 earning a better life for their families. I've been told that the World Trade Center victims were from at least 30 other countries, cultures, and first languages, including those that aided and abetted the terrorists. So you can try to kill an American if you must. Hitler did. So did General Tojo. and Stalin, and Mao Tse-Tung. and every bloodthirsty tyrant in the history of the world. But. in doing so you would just be killing yourself. Because Americans are nol a particular people from a
