Guild of Health

Archive for January, 2009

The cross is a sacred emblem of the Christian faith. It has a deep and sacred meaning for the Christian world. It is a symbol of redemption, signifying Christ’s death on the cross for man’s sins.

The cross was rarely seen during the first three centuries of Christianity. Descriptions of the cross are found in Christian writings from the early 2nd century on. The cross first became prominent in Christianity during the 3rd Century.

The cross is often shown in different shapes, sizes and styles. It may be used in personal jewelry or on top of church buildings. Crosses are a prominent feature in Christian cemeteries, either carved on gravestones or as sculptures. The cross has been used daily since before Christ. It has been used in performing sacred acts of the Church such as the sacrament. Crosses were put up to mark the graves of heroes, kings and bishops during the Middle Ages. They were often set up in market places. In some ceremonies, members of the clergy and worshipers trace the shape of a cross with a hand or certain fingers. A cross on a staff is carried in processions. Churches and cathedrals were often built with the floor plan in the shape of a Latin cross.

Various Christian groups have adopted different styles of crosses. The Latin cross is supposed to be the kind of cross on which Jesus died. It has a long upright pole and crosspiece fastened to it near the top. The Greek cross, or The Cross of Saint George, has four arms of the same length. This cross is also used with the cross of Saint Andrew to form the British Union Jack. In this flag, the Cross of Saint George stands for England, and the Cross of Saint Andrew stands for Scotland. The Maltese cross has eight sharp points. It was the emblem of a certain order of knights of the Middle Ages.

For the first 300 years after the death of Christ, Christians, fearing persecution by the hostile Roman government, rarely displayed the cross in public. During the early middle Ages, Christian artists made crosses as symbols of the Christian belief in the Resurrection of Christ. Many of these portrayed Christ wearing priestly clothes and a royal crown. Later the sufferings of Jesus were emphasized in crucifixes. A crucifix is a cross with an image of the dying Christ.

The crucifixion of Jesus caused Christians to regard the cross with reverence. Since apostolic times the cross has had a prominent place in Christianity. Early Christians prayed with their arms extended to represent Christ on the cross and the use of the sign of the cross can be traced back to the 3rd century. The earliest references to the use of the crucifix were made by writers of the 6th century.

Cross Information

The Latin cross is supposed to be the kind on which Jesus died. It has a long upright pole and a crosspiece fastened to it near the top. It has a shorter horizontal bar intersecting a longer vertical bar above the mid point.

The Greek cross has four arms of the same length. Another name for the Greek cross is the Cross of Saint George.

The Maltese cross has eight sharp points. It was used by a certain order of knights of the Middle Ages as their emblem.

Several flags have crosses, including all the nations of Scandinavia, whose crosses are known as Scandinavian crosses and many nations in the Southern Hemisphere, which incorporate the Southern Cross. The Flag of Switzerland since the 17th century has displayed an equilateral cross in a square, the Red Cross emblem was based on the Swiss flag. The flag of Georgia displays four Jerusalem crosses on the background of St George cross.

The Crux, or Southern Cross, is a cross shaped constellation in the Southern Hemisphere.

The tallest cross, which stands 500 feet tall, is part of Francisco Franco’s monumental “Valley of the Fallen”, in Spain.

STONEHAM, MASSACHUSETTS…

Supporting the blood supply is a community-wide responsibility. That’s why DirectBuy is teaming up with the American Red Cross to host a blood drive on Wednesday, July 22, 2009.

The American Red Cross blood bus will be at DirectBuy of Boston North’s 100A Fallon Road location in Stoneham between the hours of 2pm and 8 pm. Walk-ins are welcome. However, due to limited space in the Donor Center, the Red Cross encourages donors to make an appointment by calling 1-800-GIVE-LIFE or logging on to www.givelife.org.

As an added incentive for donors to make an appointment in advance, all presenting donors will receive a coupon for a free carton of Friendly’s Ice Cream. A scheduled appointment is required to receive the coupon.

“A safe and sufficient blood supply must be on the shelves when patients need it most, and the only source of blood is a generous blood donor,” says Donna M. Morrissey, Director of Public Relations and Corporate Affairs, American Red Cross – Northeast Division. “The American Red Cross is appreciative of DirectBuy for its support of our life-saving mission.”

The need for blood is constant. Every day, the Northeast Division must collect 2,000 units of blood just to meet the basic needs of patients across New England. The difference a donor can make in the life of a patient is something that cannot be overstated.

Blood can be used for patients undergoing many surgical procedures, organ transplants, trauma and chemotherapy. For some patients, such as the victim of an automobile accident, the need for blood is sudden. For others, ongoing transfusions are needed to sustain lifesaving medical treatment.

“As a member of the Stoneham business community, we’re happy to host this blood drive,” said Carl Krawczyk, managing partner of DirectBuy of Boston North.  “We urge our members and residents of the greater Stoneham area to come out and donate. Your donation could save up to three lives.”

Charitable endeavors are nothing new for DirectBuy. DirectBuy locations across Canada and the United States are active contributors to many local non-profits and charities, including the Boys & Girls Clubs, Salvation Army, YMCAs, Homes for Our Troops and Children’s Hospitals.

Since 1971, DirectBuy has helped consumers enjoy enormous savings on home furnishings, home improvement items, entertainment and outdoor products, and accessories, by providing an avenue to purchase directly from the manufacturer. Conveniently located at 100A Fallon Road in Stoneham, Massachusetts, just north of the City of Boston, DirectBuy offers members a comfortable setting, where they finally have the financial control of buying direct.

For more information on a DirectBuy membership, you can call 781-279-4433 or visit http://www.directbuycares.com.

About the American Red Cross

The American Red Cross has been a primary supplier of lifesaving blood products in the United States for more than 50 years. The American Red Cross Blood Services — Northeast Division supplies a wide range of blood components, plasma derivatives, and transfusion services to over 200 hospitals and other medical facilities throughout Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Connecticut. It serves the blood needs of more than 9 million residents and many thousand more who travel to New England for care at many of the nation’s top medical centers.

*In the state of Maine and Massachusetts, persons who are 16 years of age are eligible to donate blood with parental consent.

About DirectBuy

For more than 38 years, DirectBuy has been showing thousands of consumers unparalleled ways to save as they shop for virtually everything for in and around their homes – from furniture, carpet and flooring, and custom window treatments, to kitchen and bath cabinets and fixtures, appliances and much, much more.  DirectBuy enables members to purchase products from several hundred manufacturers at more than 160 showrooms across North America.  To learn more about DirectBuy, visit www.directbuy.com or www.directbuycares.com.

One of the most interesting topics in American history is the history that never happened. The stories we learned in school, often read in history books or just heard so many times that we came to know as fact but in reality never happened. Here are a few of my favorites.

Myth #1: In April of 1775, Paul Revere rode through the streets from Boston to Lexington yelling “The British Are Coming”. 

First of all, it’s not likely Paul Revere ever yelled out the words “The British Are Coming” because the areas he rode through often had British army patrols and besides most of the colonials of the time considered themselves British. The purpose of the ride was to warn John Hancock and Samuel Adams who where in Lexington at the time. He did inform others along the way but not by yelling in the streets. 

Also, Paul Revere was not the only rider to make the trip. William Dawes and Samuel Prescott also made the ride and in fact Prescott was the only one of the three to make it to Concord (the location of their weapons stores where they thought the British army was ultimately headed). Revere was caught and detained by a British patrol and was left horseless to walk back to Lexington. Revere was barely even known until Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote his famous poem in 1863. The poem was never meant to be a “history lesson” but it’s what most Americans remember. 

Interesting Myth #2: Betsy Ross invented the first American flag 

The legend is that General George Washington visited Betsy Ross at her shop in Philadelphia in June of 1776 where they discussed various flag designs and settled on seven red and white stripes and thirteen stars arranged in a circle. While it has has been verified that Washington was in Philadelphia in June of 1776 there is no mention of this in his diary. 

It is known that on New Year’s Day of 1776, Washington flew a flag over his camp near Boston consisting of thirteen red and white stripes along with two crosses (familiar British Symbols). The earliest documentation of a flag consisting of thirteen red and white stripes and thirteen stars on a blue field was in a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777. 

It wasn’t until 1870 – almost 100 years after the fact – that the legend began when it was told by Betsy Ross’s grandson William J. Canby. Supposedly, she had told him this story in 1836. While it is possible that Betsy Ross sewed the flag, there is no evidence to support the claim that she designed it. 

Interesting Myth #3: When George Washington was a young boy, he chopped down his fathers cherry tree and when confronted by his father, he replied with something like “I cannot tell a lie, father, you know I cannot tell a lie! I did cut it with my little hatchet.” 

In fact there is no evidence that this ever happened. The story was originally told by (Pastor) Mason Weems who also told many other uncorroborated stories about George Washington in a book called “Life of George Washington; with Curious Anecdotes, Equally Honorable to Himself, and Exemplary to His Young Countrymen”. 

Why would Weems have told these stories? Well, in addition to being a Pastor, Weems was an author and knew these stories would be popular and would sell. He was right about that. After the first printing, it went through at least 82 known editions forever cementing the cherry tree story in legend.

If you enjoyed this article, check out the Interesting History website