Making The Rough Places Plain: A Political Carol

 a reflection from the archives of The Saturday Morning Post

January 20, 2018

The Ghosts of Politicians Past, Present, and Yet to Come

The US Constitution provides for the dates on which newly elected federal legislators take an oath and begin their work in their respective office of government. The 20th Amendment, adopted on January 23, 1932, set the date of January 3 for members of Congress, and January 20 for the President and Vice-President. 

Politics has always been at odds with Christian discipleship. Most likely it’s because the human will is at odds with the divine will, and has been since…well, forever. The history of the kings of Israel and Judah reveal that there’s a baseline sense of spirituality and morality that many struggled to reach and others tried to redefine.

Indeed, the earliest verses in the Bible deal with just that. Adam and Eve’s overwhelming desire for knowledge and the power that is associated with it becomes oppressive and tyrannical. Cain murders his brother Abel in jealousy over his perception of God’s pleasure with their sacrifices. Things become so evil in God’s sight that he floods the known world; sparing Noah, his family, and all the animals he can cram into the ark. Not too many generations later, Sodom and Gomorrah are set ablaze because somehow, wanton abandonment of God somehow seems worse than before the Flood. Even the two greatest of Israel's kings, David and Solomon, succumbed to the pitfalls often associated with privileged power. Jesus was utterly rejected and abandoned by the very people he had come to show the depth and power of divine truth and love. 

In the 88 years since the passage of the 20th Amendment, the people of the United States saw their nation reach a sense of maturity. Its borders stretched across a continent and beyond. It took upon itself the burden of recovery from the Great Depression, fought to assist Europe and defend the principles of freedom during World War II. We seemed to be invincible, and began acting like we knew it.

Then we saw the consequences. Vietnam. Afghanistan, first as an ally and then as an adversary. Most, if not all of the Middle East…and in a big way not to protect people’s lives, but the crude oil sitting beneath the land, needed to maintain our automobiles and machinery.

An article I read written eight years ago placed blame for the state of the nation on about 570 people: the 535 members of Congress, the nine Supreme Court justices, the President and Vice President and their inner circle of advisers (the Cabinet). These are our elected representatives and their appointees. They have redefined when life begins and what constitutes the structure of the family. They have gone back and forth on issues ranging from how and what we teach our children to stewardship of our natural resources and the ecology. And we, as a nation, let them.

None of this seems to fit with Saint Paul’s declaration that as Christians we belong to Christ and our lives are not our own, but his. There are several lines of morality that have been crossed and more are challenged every day. Did we not understand lessons from history, biblical as well as recent? And in the struggles that deeply define a nation divided we are becoming less civil and dignified, and increasingly vulgar and obscene.

Ash Wednesday is less than a month away. We should start now to understand our role in making intolerance the practice of the land while preaching a false sense of tolerance. We should prepare ourselves for a repentance steeped in humility, that we might return to God with hearts truly longing for him…some for the first time. Otherwise, we will be haunted by the ghosts of the politics we embrace for generations to come. 

The Saturday Morning Post: The President Won't Read the Writing on the Wall, So Maybe I Should Stop Writing It

 January 16, 2021

Good Morning, God and All...

And maybe I should leave it at that. After all, it seems that good morning is the best thing that can be said lately. Even that simple greeting does not appear to last long amid the distraction of the day's headlines.

I am torn; at a loss, wondering if there is any resiliency and decency left in my country. And while I know that by God's grace these still exist, I have trouble seeing it. This, with the loss of family over the last few years, and the restrictions brought on by age and the coronavirus pandemic, leaves me - and I'm sure many of you - alone and depressed, to the point where it's easy to think God has abandoned us, even though He has not.

Okay, the title is more than a little self-promoting. I've been writing personal reflections for the better part of two decades. I've had the opportunity to reread some of them, and I'm still satisfied with them. Has it made any difference, though? Would the world be better or worse if I had not written them? Would I promote God or myself if I posted these things where anybody could read them? Or would I get caught up in the current culture and get shut down simply because I don't believe the same way many others do?

Our Lord Jesus Christ (he's not just mine, but is there for everyone) chose his inner circle; his twelve apostles (his Cabinet, if you will) without qualification or experience. One day he stands up in the Temple as Nazareth's native son and, reading from Isaiah, declares that he has been anointed with the Spirit of God to proclaim freedom, liberation, and healing; bringing a time of God's favor. And to make absolutely clear, he says that he fulfills that ancient passage that very day in their very presence. Do you remember what happened next? He's run out of town, nearly being tossed off a cliff. But his time of total fulfillment not having yet come, he continues in his mission and purpose.

Over the course of many weeks, I would prepare each week's Post by compiling the historical data - the almanac - first. Rarely would I write the reflection first. I would wait and see if anything from the almanac, or the upcoming Sunday readings, would inspire me. Right now they do not. What it does now is show me, while the messages are still timely and will always be because they're of God speaking to me, how much farther we have drifted away from them, even as I've tried to share them.

I have all but given up. For all the typing I do on the computer, I never took a typing or keyboarding course in school. I don't have to hunt and peck, and I can use both hands. As I grow older, though, the sensation in those hands make the typing effort more difficult, the errors a bit more frequent, the patience strained, and the temptation to abandon the whole thing, greater. But I cannot. I still have the ability to reach out to people about the one thing that matters; our life in eternity with Christ. 

Maybe now isn't the time to remember the "good old days", if indeed any of them were more important than the here and now; or to speak of a future fraught with deeper gloom or peril that we're not prepared to endure. Maybe it's not in anyone's best interests to fill your head with factoids and figures that, along with the requisite cash, get you that fresh cup of coffee or ice cold beverage; and try to slip a few inspirational points past you while doing so.

For now and the foreseeable future, the Message needs to stand on its own merit and not as filling in some sort of trivial sandwich. If you join me in this endeavor, I will pray that, by the grace of God, you will not be disappointed.

Until we meet again, may God be with you - and may God have mercy on us all...

+the Phoenix

The Saturday Morning Post: The Party’s Over

 January 9, 2021

 

Good Morning, God and All! I absolutely must stop pulling these “all-night” sessions…

 

By The Numbers:

It’s the ninth day of the year, with 356 days remaining.

Days ‘til Inauguration Day: 11

 

Start Your Day With A Song:

The Party's Over (1966) Willie Nelson

 

Saint Adrian of Canterbury, Pray For Us!

Adrian, also spelled Hadrian (born before 637, died 710), was a North African scholar in Anglo-Saxon England and the abbot of Saint Peter's and Saint Paul's in Canterbury. He was a noted teacher and commentator of the Bible.[1] Adrian was born between 630 and 637. According to Bede, he was a Berber native of North Africa, and abbot of a monastery near Naples, called Monasterium Niridanum (perhaps a mistake for Nisidanum, as being situated on the island of Nisida).

He was twice offered the vacant archbishopric of Canterbury, by Pope Vitalian, but modestly declined the appointment. He first recommended that it should be given to Andrew, a monk belonging to a neighbouring monastery, who also declined on the plea of advanced years. Then, when the offer was again made to Adrian, he introduced to the pontiff his friend Theodore of Tarsus, who then chanced to be at Rome, and who consented to undertake the charge. Vitalian, however, stipulated that Adrian should accompany the new archbishop to Britain. He gave as his reasons that Adrian, having twice before made a journey into Gaul, knew the road and the mode of traveling.

The two set out from Rome on 27 May 668, and proceeding by sea to Marseille, crossed the country to Arles, where they remained with John, the archbishop, till they got passports from Ebroin, who ruled that part of Gaul as Mayor of the Palace, for the minor king Clotaire III. Having then made their way together to the north of France, they parted company, and went severally to reside for the winter, Theodore with Agilbert, bishop of Paris, Adrian first with Emmon, bishop of Sens, and afterwards with Faro, bishop of Meaux. Theodore, being sent for in the following spring by King Ecgberht of Kent, was allowed to take his departure, and he reached England at the end of May 669; but Adrian was detained by order of Ebroin, who is said to have suspected him of being an emissary of the Greek emperor sent to stir up troubles against the kingdom of the Franks.

At length, however, the tyrant became convinced that there was no ground for this notion, and Adrian was permitted to proceed to England, where, immediately on his arrival, he was made abbot of the monastery of Saints Peter and Paul (afterwards called Saint Augustine's) at Canterbury, an appointment which was in conformity with instructions given by the pope to Theodore. Such is the account given in the Ecclesiastical History (iv. 1.). Adrian was known to be a man learned in the Bible, as well as in Greek and Latin, and an excellent administrator. Under his direction the abbey came to have substantial, far-reaching influence.

Adrian, long surviving his friend the archbishop, is said to have lived for 39 years after he came to England, continuing till his death to preside over the monastery at Canterbury. He died in 709 and was buried in his monastery. He came to regarded as a saint and his relics were re-deposited in the new monastery on 9 January 1091, which is now his feast day. (Source: Wikipedia)

 

It’s REALLY Over (the Message):

Last Wednesday was the traditional date of the celebration of Epiphany, the revelation of Jesus’ divinity to humanity, the emergence of the Light of the world.

But America plunged further into darkness; and it was no surprise.

I was at no loss for words for a reflection for the week's Post. Especially after Wednesday. The problem is, there is not one good thing that I can write. Not one. The Good News is tossed aside like fast food wrappers. And no matter how hard I try, I can't exonerate the POTUS nor separate him from the storming of the Capitol building. I cannot be objective about it.

I have suggested in past musings (if not having said so directly) that the US of A has this nasty tendency to reveal a callous disregard for law. Not just man-made law and authority; God's commandments and the entire scope of unwritten moral law. Think about it.

While there is always hope, it is fleeting; and without God, it is empty. Hearts can be changed, but only if we focus on that and not on some unfounded charges by someone who cannot accept losing.

Whatever might happen between now and January 20 notwithstanding, on that day Donald Trump is essentially a man without a country. Many lawsuits await him the moment he becomes a private citizen, and any support he might have enjoyed goes out the door at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with him.

But We the People are not innocent bystanders in all of this. Unless we look to God for repentance, inspiration. and the resolve to be merciful and just and determined in our actions, things will be no better, no matter which political party is governing the nation.

Memorable Moments:

681 – Twelfth Council of Toledo: King Erwig of the Visigoths initiates a council in which he implements diverse measures against the Jews in Spain.

1349 – The Jewish population of Basel, believed by the residents to be the cause of the ongoing Black Death, is rounded up and incinerated.

1431 – The trial of Joan of Arc begins in Rouen.

1787 – The nationally-known image of the Black Nazarene in the Philippines was transferred from what is now Rizal Park to its present shrine in the minor basilica of Quiapo Church. This is annually commemorated through its Traslación (solemn transfer) in the streets of Manila and is attended by millions of devotees.

1788 – Connecticut becomes the fifth state to ratify the United States Constitution.

1861 – American Civil War: "Star of the West" incident occurs near Charleston, South Carolina.

1861 – Mississippi becomes the second state to secede from the Union before the outbreak of the American Civil War.

1914 – The Phi Beta Sigma fraternity is founded by African-American students at Howard University in Washington D.C., United States.

1918 – Battle of Bear Valley: The last battle of the American Indian Wars.

2007 – Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduces the original iPhone at a Macworld keynote in San Francisco.

2015 – The perpetrators of the Charlie Hebdo shooting in Paris two days earlier are both killed after a hostage situation; a second hostage situation, related to the Charlie Hebdo shooting, occurs at a Jewish market in Vincennes.

 

Happy Birthday!!!

1554 – Pope Gregory XV (d. 1623)

1859 – Carrie Chapman Catt, American activist, founded the League of Women Voters and International Alliance of Women (d. 1947)

1870 – Joseph Strauss, American engineer, co-designed the Golden Gate Bridge (d. 1938)

1902 – Josemaría Escrivá, Spanish priest and saint, founded Opus Dei (d. 1975)

1913 – Richard Nixon, American commander, lawyer, and politician, 37th President of the United States (d. 1994)

1934 – Bart Starr, American football player and coach (d. 2019)

1935 – Bob Denver, American actor (d. 2005)

1935 – Dick Enberg, American sportscaster (d. 2017)

1941 – Joan Baez, American singer-songwriter, guitarist and activist

1944 – Jimmy Page, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer

1948 – Bill Cowsill, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2006)

1951 – Crystal Gayle, American singer-songwriter and producer

1967 – Dave Matthews, South African-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor

1973 – Sean Paul, Jamaican rapper, singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, and actor

 

We Remember:

710 – Adrian of Canterbury, abbot and scholar

1987 – Arthur Lake, American actor (b. 1905)

1997 – Jesse White, American actor (b. 1917)

…ALL victims of the COVID-19 pandemic to date

…ALL victims of violence anywhere in the world, and especially in our nation

 

Parting Words:

So we wait in silent treason until reason is restored…and we await the season of the Word of the Lord…we await the season of the Word of the Lord.

We wait…we wait for the Word of…the…Lord…

--Leonard Bernstein (1918-90), from “Mass” (1971)

 

Until we meet again, may God be with you - and may God have mercy on us all…

+the Phoenix

The Saturday Morning Post: “And A Little Child Shall Lead Them”

 January 2, 2021

 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, God and All! All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God (Psalm 98:3).

By The Numbers:

Day 2 of the year means there are 364 days remaining in the year and 357 until Christmas. Odd, some folks have decided to decorate early!

Day of the current Christmas season being observed: 9

Number of total days in the current Christmas season: 17

Days ‘til the next potential dramatic chapter in The Tale of the Lame-Duck POTUS: 4

Days ‘til Inauguration Day: 18

 

Start Your Day With A Song:

God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen/We Three Kings as performed by Barenaked Ladies & Sarah McLachlan (2008)

 

Saint Basil the Great, Pray For Us!

Basil of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great (c. 330 – January 1 or 2, 379), was the bishop of Caesarea Mazaca in Cappadocia, Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). He was an influential theologian who supported the Nicene Creed and opposed the heresies of the early Christian church, fighting against both Arianism and the followers of Apollinaris of Laodicea. His ability to balance his theological convictions with his political connections made Basil a powerful advocate for the Nicene position.

In addition to his work as a theologian, Basil was known for his care of the poor and underprivileged. Basil established guidelines for monastic life which focus on community life, liturgical prayer, and manual labor. Together with Pachomius, he is remembered as a father of communal monasticism in Eastern Christianity. He is considered a saint by the traditions of both Eastern and Western Christianity.

Basil, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Gregory of Nyssa are collectively referred to as the Cappadocian Fathers. The Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches have given him, together with Gregory of Nazianzus and John Chrysostom, the title of Great Hierarch. He is recognized as a Doctor of the Church in the Roman Catholic Church. He is sometimes referred to by the epithet "revealer of heavenly mysteries". (Source: Wikipedia)

 

Looking at 2020 with 20/20 (the Message):

Happy New Year!

Should it be so? I mean, don’t we start this year at the point we were standing a couple of days ago? Is there something truly exciting about flipping a page in the calendar, or changing the date to “2021”? Was there a feeling of great joy seeing the year welcomed with the crystal balloon dropped in New York’s Times Square - and the streets empty? We still have in our day no prince, prophet or leader (see Daniel 3:38 ff); or if we have, we aren’t listening to them.

We only move forward by moving, forward. Our situation generally does not improve unless we acknowledge the grace of God and the ability to live in the manner He calls us to live.

In my archive five years ago I shared the following Guest Message. It seems even more appropriate now.

[We've reached the end of another year;] a year that has been filled with deprivation. God filled the year with suffering, renunciation, sadness of every kind; and spiritually, with dryness, with the destitution of the manger, without the loving joys that make the divine dawning in us so radiant. But God taught me a stronger, deeper love, stripped of conscious happiness, and I offer the year that is over and the one [just begun] with a grateful heart. I accept in advance all that God wants of me, or through me, or for me; joy or sorrow, health or illness, poverty or riches, and life or death, according to what will be for the greatest good of others...

It is a source of pain and difficult sacrifice to have to divide one's life so much and always to give each one less than he or she expects. This sometimes leads others to feel not enough is being done for them, and they perhaps experience some sadness or regret, which becomes painful to [the one] who is the involuntary cause of it. And then one's self-love dislikes the loss of esteem and appreciation as well as the feeling of being not up to the task. That perhaps is the hidden fruit of this trial: a little useful humiliation, less dangerous than empathy and admiration, interior pain that does not elicit any praise. To fulfill my obligations generously; to give each one my energy, time, affection, a warm and hospitable welcome, even at the price of sacrifice...To offer God my incapacity, and joyfully to endure being misunderstood a little, or rather, to endure being truly misunderstood with my weakness, my laziness, my many imperfections. Without this drop of bitterness, the tenderness of this affection surrounding me might make me slide into laziness and complacency.

My God, I accept my dissipated life, so often not what I want - this sometimes fatiguing mixture of activities, tedious acquaintances [or the lack of either or both], and cares. Help me to fulfill all the obligations of life and yet preserve my spiritual life. Let the warmth of my hospitality, the serenity of my bearing, the friendliness of my words always hide from everyone any physical suffering and my spiritual efforts and sacrifices. Teach me to be all things to all people, to be more strict with myself.

 --Elisabeth Leseur (d.1914)

(Elisabeth was a French married laywoman whose cause for canonization as a saint of the Catholic Church is underway. I found much of what she wrote here over a century ago quite relevant to my present life. Her writing was included in the December 2015 issue of Magnificat. As we dutifully and ceremonially turn to a new calendar, may we pray that we may take prayerful discernment and action to move a little closer to be all God wants of us; as disciples, parents, citizens; to maintain a high moral standard and try, beyond nearly impossible odds, to be all things to all people.)

 

The Memorable(!?!?) Moments of 2020:

January 1 – The Australian bushfires of 2019, or "Black Summer", that have killed as many as 500 million animals so far continues into the new year as the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) are deployed to New South Wales to assist mass evacuation efforts.

January 3 – 2019–20 Persian Gulf crisis: A U.S. drone strike at Baghdad International Airport kills Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi paramilitary leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

January 16 – The impeachment trial of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, begins in the U.S. Senate.

January 30 – COVID-19 pandemic: The World Health Organization (WHO) declares the outbreak of the disease as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, the sixth time that this measure has been invoked since 2009.

February 5 - The President of the United States, Donald Trump, is acquitted by the Senate on both Article I (48 yea 52 nay) and Article II (47 yea 53 nay) of Impeachment.

February 11 – COVID-19 pandemic: The World Health Organization (WHO) names the disease COVID-19.

February 27 – 2020 stock market crash: The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) plunges by 1,190.95 points, or 4.4%, to close at 25,766.64, its largest one-day point decline at the time. This follows several days of large falls, marking the worst week for the index since 2008, triggered by fears of the spreading COVID-19.

March 8 – COVID-19 pandemic: Italy places 16 million people in quarantine, more than a quarter of its population, in a bid to stop the spread of COVID-19. A day later, the quarantine is expanded to cover the entire country.

March 9 – International share prices fall sharply in response to a Russo-Saudi oil price war and the impact of COVID-19. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) plunges more than 2,000 points, the largest fall in its history up to that point. Oil prices also plunge by as much as 30% in early trading, the biggest fall since 1991.

March 11 – COVID-19 pandemic: The World Health Organization declares the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic.

March 12 – Global stock markets crash due to continued concerns over COVID-19 and the U.S. travel ban on the Schengen Area. The DJIA goes into free fall, closing at over −2,300 points, the worst losses for the index since 1987.

March 13 – COVID-19 pandemic: The government of Nepal announces that Mount Everest will be closed to climbers and the public for the rest of the season due to concerns from the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia.

March 16 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average falls by 2,997.10, the single largest point drop in history and the second-largest percentage drop ever at 12.93%, an even greater crash than Black Monday (1929). This follows the U.S. Federal Reserve announcing that it will cut its target interest rate to 0–0.25%.

March 24 - India goes into lockdown to contain COVID-19. The total number of people in the world facing some form of pandemic-related movement restriction now exceeds 2.6 billion, a third of the global population.

March 24 - The International Olympic Committee and Japan suspend the 2020 Summer Olympics until 2021. On March 30, the Summer Olympics are rescheduled from July 23 to August 8, 2021.

March 26 - Global COVID-19 cases reach 500,000, with nearly 23,000 deaths confirmed. The US surpasses China and Italy in total number of known COVID-19 cases, with at least 81,321 cases and more than 1,000 deaths.

March 30 – 2020 Russia–Saudi Arabia oil price war: The price of Brent Crude falls 9% to $23 per barrel, the lowest level since November 2002.

April 2 – COVID-19 pandemic: The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 1 million worldwide.

April 5 - YouTube says it will remove videos promoting a conspiracy theory linking 5G to COVID-19, while "borderline content" will be removed from search results. The decision comes after four more mobile phone masts are set on fire, and broadband engineers have received threats, in several UK cities.

April 10 - The death toll from COVID-19 exceeds 100,000 globally, a ten-fold increase from March 20.

April 12 - Pope Francis livestreams the Urbi et Orbi blessing for Easter; it is the second blessing in a month, with the first taking place on March 27 during a special prayer service for the end of the pandemic.

April 14 - U.S. president Donald Trump announces that the U.S. will suspend funding towards the World Health Organization (WHO) pending an investigation of its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and its relationship with China.

April 15 - The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 2 million worldwide.

April 20 - Oil prices reach a record low, with West Texas Intermediate falling into negative values.

April 23 - Facebook removes "pseudoscience" and "conspiracy theory" as options for targeted ads as criticism mounts against social media for its role in spreading misinformation about COVID-19.

April 27 - COVID-19 pandemic: The number of confirmed cases passes 3 million worldwide, while the number of confirmed cases in the U.S. passes 1 million.

May 1 – COVID-19 pandemic: The total number of recovered COVID-19 patients reaches 1 million worldwide, according to data from The Johns Hopkins University.

May 6 - New evidence indicates that an Algerian-born French fishmonger, who had not traveled to China and did not have contact with any Chinese nationals, was treated for pneumonia from an unknown source on December 27, 2019, now identified as COVID-19.

May 21 - The U.S. announces it will withdraw from the Open Skies Treaty within six months, alleging continuous violations by Russia.

May 21 - COVID-19 pandemic: The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 5 million worldwide, with 106,000 new cases recorded over the past 24 hours, the highest single-day figure so far.

May 26 - Protests caused by the killing of George Floyd break out across hundreds of cities in the U.S.[143] and around the world. These are followed by further protests and rallies on June 6 against racism and police brutality around the world.

May 27 - COVID-19 pandemic: The U.S. death toll passes 100,000 – more Americans than were killed in the Vietnam War and Korean War combined, and approaching that of the First World War, where 116,000 Americans died in combat. The total number of cases continues to rise, although the rate is slowing.

May 31 – COVID-19 pandemic: The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 6 million worldwide.

June 2 – A US$5 billion class action lawsuit is filed against Alphabet Inc. and Google, alleging the company violates users' right to privacy by tracking them in Chrome's incognito mode.

June 7 – COVID-19 pandemic: The global death toll from COVID-19 exceeds 400,000.

June 8 – COVID-19 pandemic: The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 7 million worldwide.

June 9 – COVID-19 pandemic: A Harvard University study suggests that COVID-19 may have been spreading in China as early as August 2019, based on hospital car park usage and web search trends.

June 28 - The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 10 million worldwide, while the global death toll from COVID-19 exceeds 500,000. The U.S. continues to report the highest number of any country as it reaches 2.5 million, a quarter of all cases globally.

July 18 – COVID-19 pandemic: The worldwide death toll from COVID-19 exceeds 600,000.

July 22 – COVID-19 pandemic: The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 15 million worldwide.

August 10 – COVID-19 pandemic: The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 20 million worldwide.

August 22 – COVID-19 pandemic: The worldwide death toll from COVID-19 exceeds 800,000.

August 26 – Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos becomes the first person in history to have a net worth exceeding US$200 billion, according to Forbes.

August 27 – Hurricane Laura makes landfall in Lake Charles, Louisiana with winds of 150 mph, making it the strongest hurricane to ever strike the state in terms of wind speed, tied with the 1856 Last Island Hurricane.

August 28 – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the longest-serving prime minister in the history of Japan, announces his resignation from office, citing ill health.

August 30 – COVID-19 pandemic: The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 25 million worldwide. India continues to record the highest daily increase of cases.

September 4 - Pope Benedict XVI becomes the longest-lived pope at 93 years, four months, and 16 days, surpassing Pope Leo XIII, who died in 1903.

September 17 - The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 30 million worldwide.

September 29 - The worldwide death toll from COVID-19 exceeds one million.

October 19 – COVID-19 pandemic: The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 40 million worldwide.

November 3 – November 7 - 2020 United States presidential election: Joe Biden is elected as the 46th President of the United States, after remaining vote counts (November 7) come in from key states delayed by an influx of mail-in ballots caused by the pandemic, defeating the incumbent President Donald Trump.

November 4 – The United States formally exits the Paris Agreement on climate change.

November 8 – COVID-19 pandemic: The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 50 million worldwide.

November 22 – The United States withdraws from the Treaty on Open Skies.

December 4 - The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 65 million worldwide, with the global death toll exceeding 1.5 million. Figures reflect that, in the last week, over 10,000 people worldwide have died on average every day, with one death every nine seconds. According to the World Health Organization, COVID-19 had caused more deaths in 2020 than tuberculosis in 2019, as well as four times the number of deaths than malaria.

December 15 – The International Criminal Court accuses the Philippines of crimes against humanity in its war on drugs.

December 16 – The United States formally designates Switzerland and Vietnam as being currency manipulators.

December 21 - A great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn (aka the “Christmas Star”) occurs, with the two planets separated in the sky by 0.1 degrees. This is the closest conjunction between the two planets since 1623.

December 27 – COVID-19 pandemic: The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 80 million worldwide.

 

Happy Birthday!!!

1873 – Thérèse of Lisieux, French nun and saint (d. 1897)

1940 – Jim Bakker, American televangelist

1942 – Dennis Hastert, American educator and politician, 59th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives

1947 – Jack Hanna, American zoologist and author

 

We Remember:

1904 – James Longstreet, American general and diplomat (b. 1821)

1974 – Tex Ritter, American actor (b. 1905)

1990 – Alan Hale Jr., American film and television actor (b. 1921)

2019 – Daryl Dragon, American musician (b. 1942)

2019 – Bob Einstein, American actor and comedian (b. 1942)

2019 – Gene Okerlund, American wrestling announcer (b. 1942)

 

Parting Words:

May the Lord bless you, and hold you and yours in the palm of His hand! May His face shine upon you and be gracious unto you! May He show His countenance upon you and grant you peace in this new year…and always!

Until we meet again, God is with us - may God have mercy on us and bless us all…

+the Phoenix