It's hard not to get caught up in the events of the past week. In many ways it reminds me of the fall of the Berlin Wall, in the sense that things are moving so quickly that it's difficult to keep track of things and understand their meaning. It's also similar to he events of 1989 in that the unrest in Egypt is a part of a wider movement that began in Tunisia and seems to be picking up in Yemen. Where it will stop no one can guess. The big difference, of course, is that the fall of the Eastern Block came about through the efforts of a democratic movement resulting in the fall of dictatorships and the rise of free nations. What will happen in the Middle East is far from certain. Iran, all those years ago, deposed a dictator but replaced him with a repressive theocracy. We may all agree that Hosni Mubarak is no friend of liberty, but is his immediate ouster the best course for Egypt and the wider Middle East, and for the world at large?
The Church generally does not support revolutionary movements, for the reason that they are usually violent, bloody and leave the country in question worse than before. There are also other reasons that have to do with the Church's traditional views on earthly authority and its origins in Heaven. But more recent pronouncements on the subject have tended to focus on humanitarian concerns. This does not mean that the Church opposes changes in government and civil structures. It's all in the way that it comes about. It is well known that Pope John Paul II worked behind the scenes, as well as in front of the crowds, for the fall of communism in Europe. But what he was advocating was change from within, done in a peaceful, just manner. Of course that "change from within" also included the personal conversion of the individuals who make up the body politic. He opposed the revolutionary movements in Latin America because they were violent, with some even using the Gospel to advocate violence. He knew that all the communist rebels were going to do was replace one oppressive regime with another.
I hope this is not the case in Egypt, but my hope is not strong.
I've begun to read a short work on the book of Revelation, and while it is timely to the topics of today, I'll wait before moving my reflections of world events into that direction.
On A Lighter Note: A Strange Coincidence
It was pointed out to me that since we are in the year 2011 there will be a lot of fun with dates and playing with numbers, like January 1 could be written 1/1/11 and in November we'll have 11/1/11 as well as the granddaddy of them all 11/11/11. Not that I'm into numerology and such things, try this little trick at home:
Take the last two digits of the year you were born and add it to the age you will turn during this calender year, and see what it comes out to. It should come out to the same number for anyone born in the last century.
New Jersey's School Holidays
The New Jersey Department of Education just released a list of over a hundred and twenty religious holidays that a student could be excused from school for. It represents a "minimum list" of holidays, and individual schools boards can add to it as they see fit. All the major religions are there and even some not so major; even Wicca (are you a good witch or a bad witch?). But clearly we have a problem. Catholic feasts like the Immaculate Conception are lumped together under a generic "Christian" label. Even the Orthodox get a separate mention for the Dormition of the Theotokos, which corresponds to the Assumption. I mean, why should the Baptists get a day off for a holiday they don't even believe in? (Nothing against Baptists, I love them dearly) Why should they ride on our coattails? I mean, you don't see us taking Reformation Day off, do you? The ACLU is going to hear about this! (OK, maybe not.)
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