Armodoxy

Christianity is More than One

2026-05-17T18:52:53.506-07:00

Armodoxy for Today: Greater than One

On the fortieth day following Easter, Scripture tells us that Jesus ascended to heaven. On that day, he commissioned the Disciples to Go and make disciples of all nations. In sending them, the Disciples become Apostles. The title describes one who is sent. But these disciples lacked the tools to do the work.

Ten days later, on the fiftieth day after Easter, Scripture continues the Christian story with the coming of the Holy Spirit and the reception of the graces of the Holy Spirit, providing the necessary tools to do the work. The day, which is called Pentecost, to denote the 50th day, in Armenian Church tradition is called Hokegasust, which literally means, the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Both the Ascension and Pentecost point to the importance of Church – the Community – for Christ, in delivering the message. Though it’s romantical to speak of having a faith in Jesus, in reality, there is no such thing as one Christian. A Christian finds expression and meaning in community. This is the Church.

The Church is built on the foundation of a proclamation that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Jesus says, it is this foundation that “is on rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16)

This week we will be looking at that Church through the lens of Armenian Orthodoxy. This will be a novel look including a forgotten palm-Sunday, what happens when Jesus' time has come, love and hate of self and a special parable about light and the lantern. A very special week, from Ascension to another Palm Sunday to the Pentecost.

Today, we pray, Lord Jesus, You are not a solitary light, but the flame that kindles many. You dwell not in one heart alone, but in the communion of all who love You and exercise that LOVE. In every tongue that prays, in every hand that serves, in every heart that forgives, You are made visible. Teach us to see Your face in the faces of those we do not yet understand. Let our differences become the colors of one living tapestry — woven by Your Spirit, held together by Your grace. May Your Church, in all its forms and voices, be the place where heaven touches earth, where the Word becomes flesh again in the fellowship of Your people. For in community, You are manifest; in love, You are revealed; in unity, You are glorified. Amen.

Dawn of Humanity

2025-10-06T13:30:00.000-07:00

Listen at: https://suziesunshine.net/epostle/armodoxyfortoday-4/A4T802.mp3

Armodoxy for Today: Dawn of Humanity

Cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead, who had studied various and many societies throughout the world, taught and advocated for cultural relativism, as a means by which we as people can better understand one another. With all the differences marked by cultures and society, the main ingredient for humanity is a basic one.

The story is told that one of Margaret Mead’s students asked her what she considered to be the first sign of civilization. The student expected the anthropologist to point to clay pots, tools for hunting or various societal or religious artifacts. Instead, Mead pointed to a healed femur found in an archeological site, dating back 15,000 years. This was the first evidence of civilization, she claimed.

A femur is the longest bone in the body, linking hip to knee. Take away some of the benefits of modern medicine and it takes about six weeks of rest for a fractured femur to heal. This particular bone had been broken and had healed. Mead explained that in the animal kingdom, if you break your leg, you die. You cannot run from danger, you cannot drink or hunt for food. In fact, if you were wounded in this manner, you became food for other animals. If you were to stand still for your bone to heal, you’d definitely be the main course on some other animal’s dinner menu. Another animal… that’s right. The question being asked was what separates us – humanity – from other animals? Why was this healed bone the key to understanding when we moved from animal to caring people?

A broken femur that has healed, explained Mead, is evidence that another person took time to stay with the injured person, bound the wound, carried the person to safety and tended to them through recovery. A healed femur indicates that someone has helped a fellow human, rather than abandoning them to save their own life.

“Helping someone else through difficulty is where civilization starts,” explained Margaret Mead.

Armodoxy has roots in untouched Christianity. Christ instructs us, “When you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed.” You see, Christ’s invitation is an invitation to humanity.

Let us pray a prayer from St. Ephrem (4^th Century)

I gaze upon You, Christ my Lord, and open my heart before You through fervent prayer, O Son of God, for humbling Yourself before Your creatures and taking on the role of a servant. You possess such love for humankind that we may attain divine wisdom. Have mercy on me, O benevolent God.

Starting Point: Simplicity

2025-10-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: https://suziesunshine.net/epostle/armodoxyfortoday-4/A4T801.mp3

Armodoxy for Today: Simplicity

Jesus Tweeted. That’s not meant to be funny, neither is it meant to shock you, nor to make Jesus contemporary. God forbid. Jesus and his message are always contemporary and therefore, relevant to us.

Rather, “Jesus tweeted,” is merely to use a contemporary term to describe a very effective means by which Jesus communicated with us. His messages were concise, simple and to the point.

“Unless a grain of wheat die, it remains a single seed,” is a Tweet. (John 12:24)

“My family are those who hear the word of God and do it.” Another Tweet. (Math 12:50)

“Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you,” and “Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you,” are two more examples. (Matt. 7:12, Matt. 5:44)

When the platform “X” first came out, it was known as Twitter, and the messages were called and still are called Tweets. At the beginning, users were limited to 140 characters to articulate an idea, a thought or a message. It was a true challenge to the user to simplify a message. We’re invited to do the same with our Faith, to find God’s voice in the simplest expression. The petal of a flower, the smile of a child or the touch of a friend in need, are starting points in Armodoxy.

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me… for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 19:14)

Let us pray the first and simplest prayer that a Christian must know: Lord, have mercy on me. Amen.

The Pope's Delicate Balance

2025-04-25T21:24:00.000-07:00

Armodoxy for Today: Delicate Balance

A big problem in the Church is reconciling the disparity between the lowly figure of the leader of
our Faith, namely Jesus, and the large amount of wealth that can accumulate in the church coffers. I remember early in my ministry hearing about a protestant congregation in Walnut Creek that had a multi million dollar annual budget, yet they started each year and ended each year with only $2,000 in the bank. I remember thinking that that was truly a model of a Church, in other words, they spent what they took in, on ministry. Still, the idea of a dynamic ministry implies that it is changing and invites novel and innovative ideas to fulfill its mission. With the dreams, comes the need for funding. Hence, the plight of non-profits, whether church or secular organization, is defined by donations from people who believe in the cause.

The model of Church operations is conducive to the accumulation of finances, as donors and contributors set endowments and trusts to take care of the needs of the church for years (or centuries) to come. In the case of the Church, as the Body of Christ, the words of Jesus, not to worry about material wealth, that God takes care of the birds and flowers, and how much more he will take care of us, cannot go unnoticed. And so, a delicate balance must be met twixt what is necessary to function and spending what has been provided. And those in leadership positions within the Church struggle to find that balance and make sure they don’t fall.

And so, it was truly refreshing when Pope Francis, of Blessed Memory, became the head of a two-thousand year old Roman Catholic Church, opted to travel the path of humility and live a modest lifestyle as was his custom from his days as the Prelate of Argentina.

They say a picture is worth 1,000 words. One such picture was taken when Pope Francis washed the feet of prisoners on Holy Thursday, in strict observance of Jesus’ command to follow the Divine example from the night of the Last Supper (see John 13). But the picture captured something more, when the Pope bent over and kissed the feet of the convicts.

The Pope goes by titles such as Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Jesus Christ, Successor of the Prince of the Apostles, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Roman Province, Sovereign of the Vatican City State, Servant of the Servants of God, and His Holiness. That kiss spoke volumes about the person and his understanding of wealth and his responsibility as head of the Church.

His humility is, arguably, his greatest legacy.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for replenishing Your Holy Church with the servants who lead by example. Accept the offerings of all, and in the offering of humility by Pope Francis, may I find an example to live for others with my life. Amen.

The Last Requiem

2025-04-24T00:30:00.000-07:00

Armodoxy for Today: The Last Requiem

On April 19, 2015 I conducted the last requiem service for the Martyrs of the Armenian Genocide. That year was the 100^th anniversary of a program of systematic annihilation of the Armenian population in the Ottoman Empire. The Armenian Church announced that on April 24, 2015, it would canonize the martyrs of the Genocide as saints of the Church. The April 24 date has always been used as a marker for the Genocide remembrance for it was on that date in 1915 that the Armenian leadership was rounded up, killed or deported in Constantinople, what is referred to as Istanbul today.

Designating the martyrs as saints was long over due by the 100^th anniversary. Martyrdom implied that their life was given for higher principles, in this case for Christ and nation. But even more, the shift to sainthood was a change in mind-set for the Armenian nation. As saints, the martyrs are classified as “victorious in Christ” and therefore, not victims.

“If anyone desires to come after Me,” says Jesus, “Let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 16)

Requiems, a tradition misleadingly referred to as hokehankist in the Armenian Church, are not conducted for saints. They have been crowned by Christ!

On that Sunday, in 2015, I had the distinct honor of celebrating the Divine Liturgy at the St. Leon Armenian Cathedral of the Western Diocese. It was the western most Armenian Church and the delayed timing of the day, had me reciting the Martyrs of the Armenian Genocide in the requiem prayer for the very last time ever. Having grown up with Genocide survivors (my grandparents) this was a most sacred moment in history.

In the days that followed the conversation would shift in a manner that only Christ can change. Christ, the one who took the words of condemnation “Take and eat” in the Garden, and madse those same words “Take and eat” into words of salvation, was now leading the Armenian nation to victory. The mind-set had been altered.

Let us pray, Lord, our God, You are with us in every transition and change. Open our hearts to the great change from victim to victor, which You demonstrated with Your glorious Resurrection. Help me to accept the change and welcome the newness of that victory. Amen.

Cover Photo: Luna & Gregory Beylerian

Meaty is good: Pope Francis

2025-04-23T00:00:00.000-07:00

Armodoxy for Today: Meaty is okay with me

“Hope” is the name of Pope Francis’ autobiography. This past Lent I decided to read the book as part of
my Easter time ritual of accenting spirituality in my life. It took me a while to get through the book, not because it was long or because it was boring. Actually, it was just the opposite. I found the book to be anything but boring and as I read through the 300 pages, I would not have minded if it went longer. The book was meaty. You know what meaty is, right? The fat has been trimmed off and every bite is nutritious. You want to savor the flavor, so you take your time getting through it.

Pope Francis life was meaty. He was a simple man, but the fat had been trimmed off to the point that each bite was nutritious. You were in no rush to end the meal.

Four days before he was elected Pope, Archbishop Bergoglio wrote, Thinking about the next pope: a man who from the contemplation and adoration of Jesus Christ, helps the Church to go out from herself to the existential peripheries, that helps her to be the fruitful mother who gains life from “the sweet and comforting joy of evangelizing.” (p.187, Rome March 9, 2013)

When you read something as meat as this, you can’t just swallow it. You have to chew it, figure out the different tastes, contemplate and apply to your own circumstances. Meaty is a good thing. Pope Francis gave us much to think about through his humble life which he lived modestly. He was grounded and centered in the Gospel. It was what he believed, the way he lived and died. He gave us all much to ponder and much to absorb. We were nurtured by his words and actions.

Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the life of your servant His Holiness Pope Francis. May we keep his memory alive in our hearts by allowing his example to nurture our spirits in your Love. In all things we glorify You along with the Son and Holy Spirit, now and always. Amen.

Another Brother, Pope Francis

2025-04-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

Armodoxy for Today: Another Brother, Pope Francis

Listen at Armodoxy for Today at https://epostle.net/the-bridge-and-the-air-conditioned-car

Monday morning I woke up to the news of Pope Francis’ passing. Thoughts of him at Sunday’s Easter Mass quickly came to my mind. I heard about the Vatican Easter service on my car radio. I was on a long-drive home from the Coachella Valley, where I had celebrated the Easter Liturgy at the St. Garabed Armenian Church.

News of the Vatican service kept me focused on the day’s message of resurrection. The news item was clear that the Pope attended the Easter Mass though the celebrant was one of the Cardinals, the Pope’s representative. The Pope was struggling with health issues and even though his doctors recommended that he get plenty of rest, he did not want to (could not) stay away from the Easter Mass.

Following the service, from his wheelchair, he offered his Easter message. True and consistent to himself and his vows as a priest, he remembered the poor and the marginalized. For my ears, his call for peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan was a call that only someone with true commitment and compassion for the cause of peace would dare to reiterate as often as he did.

And now, this morning I was hit by the reality that this voice for peace and compassion had gone silent.

He went out of this life the way he lived it, as an Apostle of Jesus Christ, proclaiming the Resurrection. Neil Young has a line that I especially appreciate, “It’s better to burn out than it is to rust.” The Pope voice would never have rusted.

Back in 2016, Pope Francis visited Armenia in what was billed as “Pilgrimage to the First Christian Nation.” There was a small graphic-patch that was used as an icon on all the broadcasts, a drawing depicting the back of Pope Francis’ and Catholicos Karekin II’s heads. I’ve included it as the cover of today’s message. At the time, on my podcast I referred to their meeting as two brothers reuniting. St. Peter and St. Thaddeus, both lived and breathed with our Lord Jesus Christ. They both were witnesses to the Resurrection. Both of them carried the message of Resurrection to new lands, Peter to Rome and Thaddeus to Armenia. Two thousand years later, their successors, the Bishop of Rome and the Bishop of Ararat, had embraced as brothers.

Pope Francis’ legacy is a great one. He touched people on many levels as he did the soul of this priest. We will continue with more reflections in the days to come. Today, we join our voice with the millions throughout the world in praying for his soul but also praying for the echo of his voice in our world.

O Christ, Son of God, forbearing and compassionate, have mercy upon the soul of Your servant Francis. Be mindful of him on the great day of the coming of Your Kingdom. Number and glorify him in the company of your saints at Your right hand. For you are Lord and Creator of all, judge of the living and the dead. To you is befitting glory and honor. Amen

Saints

2022-10-31T15:07:00.003-07:00

From the Daily Messages at Epostle.net (October 31, 2022)

Audio can be heard at https://epostle.net/saints

Saints

Saints are perhaps one of the most misunderstood elements of the Church. Saints are not God. We don’t worship saints. Saints are human, people, just like you and me. Just like us, they have free will. They have doubts, in fact, some have had doubts about God as well as about matters of Faith.

Jesus says, “Courage, the victory is mine. I have overcome the world.” The saints are those who took Jesus for his word, took on the challenges of the world with courage and overcame their condition and therefore, share in the victory with Christ.

In the Armenian Church, the feast of All Saints is celebrated in on a Saturday in November. In the West, All Saints is a fixed feast, that is, it is celebrated on the first day of November. The night before All Saints Day, is appropriately called All Saints Eve, or Hallows Eve, sloppily transformed into Halloween. In the Armenian Church the tradition of the evening before the feast is called Nakhadonak.

Saints have passed on from their physical life, and, as scripture refers to it, they have fallen asleep in Christ. People have tried to grapple with the notion of an end to a physical existence and have pondered about the possibilities of ghosts, hence the connection with some of the popular customs that emphasize death and spooky manifestations of the afterlife surrounding Halloween. Coupled with the huge profit motive in selling costumes, masks, movies, stories of horror, etc., the original intention and connection with saints is forgotten.

Saints give us examples of living. If you or I try (or dare) to compare our lives with Jesus Christ we are doomed for failure because Jesus is perfect. We will always fall short of perfection. But in looking at the saints, we have a model. They are human and therefore they live with frailties and imperfections; however, in their lives they were able to rise from the human condition, and for us today, they give us a model and an example for living.

From St. Nersess’ prayer, (#7), Beholder of all, I have sinned against You, in thought, word or deed. Blot out the handwriting of my offenses and write my name in the book of Life. Amen.

Creating a picnic, diocese and life

2022-05-05T22:24:00.008-07:00

by Fr. Vazken Movsesian (presented to the Western Diocese 95th Annual Assembly, 6v22)

Matthew 28... Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men...

Christos haryav ee Merelots

I often think, if we came face-to-face with the Risen Lord would it be enough to say Christ has risen! Wouldn’t we be in shock? In awe? Someone who we watched crucified, beaten, executed, placed in a tomb – and NOW coming back to life? Escaping unspeakable assaults on their body, basically overcoming the odds and surviving crucifixion, Jesus now standing in front of us alive? I’d say we’d be in shock, in fear, and definitely in awe!

Recently Mr. Derick Ghookasian, Diocesan Council Chairman, found a picture taken in 1927. At the bottom of the print, in Armenian handwritten script, the descriptor reads, Դաշտահանդէս Լոս Անճելոսի Հայ Առաքելական Սուրբ Խաչ Եկեղեցւոյ “Picnic of the Los Angeles Armenian Apostolic Holy Cross Church.” He had the photograph reproduced on canvas, as an art piece and Mr. Ghoogasian presented it to our Primate, Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, to be a permanent addition to the historical archives, celebrating the growth of the Western Diocese.

I first encountered this picture in Archbishop Hovnan’s office. The picture is overwhelming in its size and inviting in its historical significance and its silent message. As I looked closely at the faces and stance of the people in the photograph, emotions stirred in me. In the snap of a camera shutter, a message was sent through 95 years of time, to us, the children and the decedents of the founders of the Armenian Church’s Western Diocese. 1927 was the year that our Diocese was established and this small glimpse of the past reveals the faces of the generation that laid the foundation for what we enjoy today, as the largest and most active diocese outside of Yerevan. Of course, it didn’t escape me that the date of the picture is the 4th of July, 1927 and here is where the story of the picnic unfolds.

On that Monday afternoon in 1927, this group of immigrants assembled under the banner of their church, with their parish priest, Fr. Adom Melikian (seated in the center), celebrated Independence Day in their newly adopted country, the United States of America. Fr. Adom was ordained here in Los Angeles in 1917 – 10 years before this picture was taken and before there was a church in the area. He was ordained at a Methodist Episcopal Church by the venerable Bishop Papken Gulleserian, who later became a catholicos of our Church.

I looked at the faces in this picture, one-by-one, wondering if I’d spot an ancestor of someone I knew, but the bigger surprise for me is what I didn’t find.

Hope and resilience are the two messages that come to us through the corridors of time, because where there is hope there is no fear. That is what is missing from this picture. That fear, that helplessness, the tragic feeling of defeat is what is missing from this picture. Here, we find a group of people displaced from their historic homeland, having found refuge on the other side of planet – in the city of the Angels, Los Angeles – exactly 12 time zones from where they began. They had survived the evilest and most heinous crimes in modern history, the Armenian Genocide, which had officially ended in 1923. Not even a half-a-decade later they had gathered at a park with their parish priest, in what William Saroyan would later write, “Go ahead, destroy Armenia. See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again.”

1927 – this group assembled in a gesture of joy for life. They weren’t supposed to be here. They weren’t supposed to be alive. But there they are, sharing the joy of life.

We have been warned not to judge a book by its cover, but I can’t help doing exactly that.

Outward appearances speak volumes about this generation. Here is a glance through a time-machine of sorts. We’re looking at the generation of the Genocide – the survivors. These are the survivors – they watched their parents tortured, executed, and die, or their parents were sent off, marched through the deserts, and these people considered themselves “lucky” enough to have marched with their parents, through starvation, malaria, dysentery and somehow found a means of escaping unspeakable assaults on their body, basically overcoming the odds and surviving crucifixion.

And now look – look at what you don’t see. You don’t find long faces, nor gloomy expressions of hopelessness. Their wounds were certainly still open, not even scabbed, yet there is not a hint of discomfort in their expressions. Each face in the picture is a portrait of dignity, of strength and of faith! There are no tattered clothes nor any connection to the physical atrocities they endured only a few years back.

The picture begs the question, would these survivors of Genocide recognize, or at the very least understand, their grand children and great-grand children who now assemble on city streets, for their annual April 24th protest, with flags draped around their bodies and cars? Would they understand the elaborate luxury of the second homes, designer jewelry, or foreign cars with home-size mortgages? Would they understand their grandkids and great grandkids caught up in materialist pursuits while proclaiming inequality and injustice? We look at the picture today and recognize our ancestors; the big question is, would they recognize us?

This was the generation that survived the Genocide. This was the generation I refer to as “The God generation.” If we believe that God took nothing and created something, this was the generation that had their homes, families and lives destroyed. They had nothing and they created something, namely, the life that we live as Armenians in America. This was the generation that saw evil face-to-face and didn’t give up. They created where there was nothing, they hoped where there was none and they had faith, even when there was no reason to have faith.

In 1927, it was this generation that laid the cornerstone of the Western Diocese. Armenians were finding refuge in America. They were basking in the comforts and reality that they were, for the first time in nearly a millennium, far and protected from barbarism and massacres. After all, they understood they had landed in Los Angeles, the city of the Angels, and they were thankful that angels were watching over them. Realizing that everything was gone, they wanted to set up their new home, and they constructed the Armenian Church as the centerpiece of that home. It was in this church that they connected with “khorhourt khorin” – the Mystery that was the great and had guided them to these shores. It was in this church that they began stitching the tattered pieces of their lives back together. They played together, discussed, strategized together, learned English language, cooked their food, worked, sewed, and traded responsibilities of child rearing with one another. The Church was not their second home, it was their primary, and therefore priority home because herein they would not despair. The Church had preached and lived the message of Jesus Christ, and in 1927 the Church was, in fact, the RESURRECTED LORD! These people, with their lives and their children were Christos Haryav ee Merelots! They weren’t supposed to be there, but they were and they were celebrating.

The beautiful quote attributed to William Saroyan, by now, is known not to be a verbatim expression of the author, but the sentiment expressed is never in question: resilience in the mystical faith of the Armenian people that ensures their continuity despite the hardships. I love the flow of those unbridled words coming from Saroyan, they capture the truth of our people. But, with all due respect to the Pulitzer Prize winning novelist, I note an omission in his words that is discovered in this picnic photo. Saroyan challenges the world to try to destroy Armenia only to find them redefining themselves as a new Armenia. In his excitement to express this phenomenon, he has omitted the place where Armenians will meet to “laugh, sing and pray again.” After the 1915 Genocide, with the nation in ruins, the church was the only place where we could live the RESURRECTED REALITY, where the Vanetsi could meet up with the Kharbertsi, where the M’shetsi could find the Sassountsi, or the Tomarzatsi could sit with the Palutsi to rediscover and redesign themselves.

America was moving out West, and Armenians aimed at the horizon reached for the sunset. The Californian Diocese was established that year with five active parishes, four in the fertile California Central Valley and one in Southern California. In order of their consecration: Holy Trinity, Fresno (1900), St. Gregory the Illuminator, Fowler (1910), St. Mary, Yettem (1911), Holy Cross, Los Angeles (1923) and Sts. Sahag-Mesrob, Reedley (1924). It was fitting that the Los Angeles parish chose to consecrate their church in the name of Holy Cross – it was the symbol of their suffering and now their victory. It was located in downtown Los Angeles and served the needs of the community for a few decades until the ugly head of politics raised itself, causing two parishes, namely Holy Trinity and Holy Cross, to split from Diocesan, and therefore Holy Etchmiadzin’s, jurisdiction. St. James, Los Angeles became the successor of Holy Cross.

The generation from 1927, this “God generation” – the ones who built up life from nothingness, are calling us to find the place where we all come together. The Armenian Church is old and new, it is tough and resilient, it is strong yet tender to care for its children.

Today, as we assemble, at this beautiful edifice – the St. Leon Ghevontyants Cathedral, and the Diocesan Complex, coming from all the different parishes, representing the thousands that find expression of Christian faith, as we think of all of our accomplishment, let us truly be in shock and in awe – that we were not supposed to be here, but we are! Let us be thankful for the Leadership of the Primate and embrace his invitation to be “rooted in the past, grounded in the present and committed to the future.”

The 4th of July Picnic of 1927 is an invitation for all of us to gaze into those faces that are looking back at us through time. There we will see no blank expressions, rather each and every one of them express hope and faith, while demonstrating dignity, strength, and victory against the odds. In other words, the faces are that of the Church – the one established by Jesus Christ – as the place where the miracle of God is an everyday reality, the only place where the reality of Resurrection can legitimately be proclaimed.

DerVaz:The People's Priest

2022-02-02T21:50:00.002-08:00

A new publication, "The Armenian America" features a story on Fr. Vazken and In His Shoes.

From building with water protectors at Standing Rock and for Artsakh relief, to his almost twenty year old Annual MLK Jr. Retreat and organizing weekends with the homeless & incarcerated, Fr. Vazken Movsesian for decades has been making impact with everyday work. A joyful read of our beloved community force. It truly gave me the refuel I needed after a hard month. Hope it does for you too.
-Sophia Armen (The Armenian America)

Read here: Armenianamerica.org/news/dervazkenthepeoplespriest

Reflecting on a Life of Humility: The Dekmejians

2021-12-23T21:22:00.002-08:00

Reflecting on the Life of Humility: Deacon Hrair & Anoush Dekmejians

by Fr. Vazken Movsesian

Deacon Hrair Dekmejian has given 80+ years of service to the Armenian Church. Along with his wife Anoush (nee Hagopian), they have been an anchor for faith for deacons, priests, bishops and most importantly, for the hundreds of people they have infected with their love for Christ through the Armenian Apostolic Church.

I have had the good fortune of knowing the Dekmejian family for the past 25 years, since assuming the pastorate of the St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Church in Pasadena in 1996, where they served at the altar and in the choir. We continued to serve together as we established the St. Peter Armenian Church Youth Ministries Center in Glendale in 2003.

As a professor of Political Science at the University of Southern California, Dr. Dekmejian possessed a keen understanding of geopolitics. He was always called on by the media to give his analysis of world events. But his love for the Church has always been first and foremost on his list of priorities. I will never forget when the second War in Iraq was announced. We were in the Lenten season and holding Lenten evening vigil. When I dismissed the congregation that night, we stepped outside the church building to a flood of lights and cameras! A large CNN truck with antennas hoisted was humming with reporters and technicians scrambling to find Dr. Dekmejian. Like a seasoned pro, Dr. Dekmejian approached the reporters and proceeded to offer his commentary with analysis about the Iraqi war. I turned to his wife Anoush looking for some answers as to why the church grounds had been converted to this ad hoc studio. She said, “When CNN called for an interview, Hrair told them he was going to church that evening. If they wanted an interview it would have to be after services.” And so it was. That evening the world received analysis from this humble deacon on the steps of the St. Peter Armenian Church in Glendale.

During this quarter-of-a-century that I have enjoyed working with Dn. Hrair and Anoush Dekmejian, I have been in the unique position of observing humility in service. Here is a man who deserves the highest accolades and honors in his field, yet his humility is always the hallmark of his service. While at USC, he opened the doors for me to serve as Chaplain for the Armenian Student Association (1997-2010). The chaplaincy program became the grounds on which we established the Youth Ministries Center in Glendale. Together we shared in a very special mission to the Armenian Youth, bringing together thousands of young people and families, in what Dr. Dekmejian himself identified as “ground zero… a place that Armenian organizations have ignored and forgotten, where education, identity and prayer have to come together.” With the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan, we were able to articulate and chart a course for youth to become active in issues of social justice and human welfare. It was there, at and through the Youth Ministries Center that the In His Shoes organization was born and became a voice for the suffering.

In the 25 years we have worked together and through the countless opportunities that we have had to contemplate, talk, discuss and act on our actions, Dr. Dekmejian has placed his highest priority on the sense of service, one which he defined through the Armenian Church. His knowledge of the sharagans, sacred hymns and prayers of the Armenian Church are second to none. Only once – that’s right – only once did he miss church services, and that was because he was delayed that Sunday morning after breakfast with the King of Bahrain. He sat with kings, presidents, and ministers, yet for him his greatest service has always been his service through the diaconate of the Armenian Church.

The Armenian Church here in America has a unique life. Established in the late 19th century, the Church has been at the center for community life since the great exile of people following the first massacres in the 1890s and ultimately after the Genocide of 1915. Building the communities and helping to bring normalcy to lives devastated by barbarism and traumatized by the horrendous acts of Genocide became the life-long mission of church members, endowed by wisdom and dedication. While many will recognize the names of the “heavy-weights” of the Armenian Church during the 20th Century – from Archbishops Nersoyan, Manoogian, Khatchadourian, Ghazarian to Catholicoi – the Dekmejians knew them personally and were intricately involved in the mission of offering faith, hope and love through the divine institution of the Church along with these giants of the Armenian Church.

Hrair Dekmejian began his journey in the church as an altar boy in Allepo, Syria in what was identified as the “Aintabtzi” church. In 1950 he came to the United States and began serving at the St. James Armenian Church in Los Angeles, alongside Bishop Mampre Kalfayan and Father Asoghig Ghazarian (later the archbishop of Iraq). In 1951 he was ordained a deacon by Bishop Hrant Khatchadourian. He attended Yale Divinity School. In 1954, Hrair married Anoush and they were blessed with three boys: Gregory, Armen and Haig.

In 1955 Hrair volunteered in the US Army, in intelligence at SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe) in Fountainbleu, France. During those years, he continued to serve at the Armenian Church, this time in Parish France, never missing a Sunday service.

Returning to the United States in 1957, he became a full-time student at the University of Connecticut, conducting deacon services and training choirs at churches on the East Coast, wherever life called the young family. Archbishop Khoren (later Catholicos of Cilicia) granted Hrair the title of Arch-deacon (Avak-sargavac). His service marks are left at St. Gregory, Massachusetts, St. Stephen, Watertown, St. Vartanants, New Jersey, and St. Gregory, NYC, where he often led services, and taught English to the newly arrived clergy, becoming a living-translator for the new and budding Armenian communities. In 1960 he received an MA from Boston University and in 1964 he received his PhD. From Columbia.

While in New York, at the St. Gregory Armenian Church in Binghamton, he served with Fr. Mesrob Semerdjian, Fr. Yeghiseh Kizirian (later archbishop of London), Fr. Arshen Ashjian, Archbishop Tiran Nersoyan (longtime family friend with Aintabtsi roots), and life-long friend, Fr. Karekin Kasparian. He shared his love for music, in particular the Armenian sharagans with Fr. Oshagan Minassian and with Bishop Torkom Manoogian (later the Patriarch of Jerusalem). He became a mentor to two budding priests, Fr. Kevork Arakelian and Fr. Daniel Findikian, (now the bishop of the Eastern Diocese) and has kept a very strong relationship with both and their families to this day.

In 1986 he moved to the Los Angeles to assume the position of the Chairman of the Political Science Department at USC. As mentioned, in 1997 he invited me to be the Chaplain of the Armenian Student Association of USC. We charted new grounds together, as for the first time ever, Armenian Students had an official meeting spot and presence within the religious groups on campus. In 2001 we held a Conference at USC dedicated to the 1700th anniversary of Christianity. In 2005 he hosted His Holiness Karekin II on campus where he shared his analysis of the Armenian Church and charted a course for Armenian Church and youth in Western society.

At USC his Genocide and Terrorism classes were among the most popular on campus, with standing room only in the lecture hall. He’d invite me once a year to talk and lead discussions with students about identity. It was through his efforts that the Institute of Armenian Studies at USC was founded and established.

During their time at the St. Peter Armenian Church and Youth Ministries Center, both Dn. Hrair and Anoush were inviting to all. His form of leadership was very basic but effective. For instance, as choir leader he suggested not to order choir robes so that the choir is not separated from the congregation. With this simple suggestion, one of the most striking features of Sunday morning worship at the church was that everyone sang the Divine Liturgy from beginning to end, hence fortifying the sense of community by including everyone in the corporate worship of the Church.

In 2016, we both left St. Peter Armenian Church and even in his retirement he has not tired from attending our weekly Bible Studies and offering and sharing his knowledge and love for the Armenian Church.

On this occasion, as one more voice in the congregation, I salute Deacon Hrair and Anoush Dekmejian for their unwavering support and love for the Armenian Church. They have successfully taken Christ’s commission to spread the Gospel, understanding that as God humbled Himself for our salvation, it is in that humility that love flourishes. We pray for their health and strength so that they may continue to inspire us all.

Celebrating Gabriel & Katie Jay Stauring

2021-12-17T14:39:00.001-08:00

Gabriel & Katie Jay: A Celebration of Life

Gabriel & Katie Jay in Armenia (2021)

Gabriel and Katie Jay Stauring were activists for peace. They worked with refugees of mass atrocities such as the Genocide in Darfur. Together they established iAct to provide humanitarian action to aid, empower and extend hope to those affected by mass atrocities. Last Summer (August 2021) they went to Armenia to work with refugees of the War in Artsakh. They were interviewed on Western Diocesan Television program “Center of Attention” https://youtu.be/BKs47NLYopU

On November 23, 2021 they tragically lost their lives in a traffic accident in Los Angeles. A Celebration of Life was held on December 11 with family and friends in attendance. Below are his opening remarks at the Celebration of Life gathering:

Good afternoon and welcome to this Celebration of Life: Gabriel and Katie Jay Scott Stauring, two lives and two souls that brought love to people, passion to life, and peace to a hurting world. There’s was a life that stood out in the world as a bright beacon of hope. It is in that spirit – in their spirit - that I light this candle, because they would be the first to tell you that “it is so much better to light this candle than to curse the darkness.”

Please join me in prayer:

Lord God, Author of Love and Passion, accept this offering today made by the family and friends of Gabriel and Katie Jay, as an offering of thanksgiving for two lives that touched us and the lives of so many. We stand here today to remember, to share, to cry, to laugh, and to celebrate two lives that were cut short but, the fullness and quality of their lives along with their capacity to heal a hurting world, have become inspiration for and to us all. May we find solace in their stories, in the way LOVE became the predominant motivator of their compassion for the hurting people of the World. Amen.

I am a priest of the Armenian Orthodox Church, yet the greater qualifier for officiating this service is that I was and am a friend of both Gabriel and Katie Jay. I am honored to be officiating this service with Trudy Goodman. Together we will share our stories, and the stories of those who were close to Gabriel and Katie Jay. Over the last few weeks so many of you have shared on social media, what these two meant to you. Today, is a continuation of that sharing, a sharing that will go on for years to come by the thousands who have been completely changed by their lives.

I’d like to tell you that meeting Gabriel was by chance, but by now I realize it wasn’t. There was something greater at work. This past summer, before Gabriel & Katie-Jay left for Armenia and we discussed exactly that. We sat around a table reminiscing about the road to our meeting. You see, I am the grandchild of Genocide survivors, the first Genocide of the 20th century. In 2003, we began the In His Shoes movement, with the simple premise that those who have suffered evil have a unique responsibility to take action against injustice to others. Our actions are based on Christ’s principles of love, compassion and repaying evil with good.

Well, you can understand what a lonely place that was, unless you were lucky or blessed enough to meet Gabriel Stauring. Right around that same time he had had his ‘enough’ moment and knew that he could not stand by as the FIRST Genocide of the 21st century, that is, in Darfur, was unfolding.

He was putting the foundation to iAct, through Stop Genocide Now and I was doing the same with In His Shoes. Through the years we bounced ideas off of each other, realizing there had to be better ways of combatting evil. In very simple terms: while the world was telling us you fight fire with fire, we dared to believe that maybe it is time we use some water to put out the flames.

We were at the first Camp Darfur, and he was at every one of our In His Shoes activities. In 2008 we named him the Man of the Year, because he embodied everything that was in the “script.” He was living out the goodness. With Katie Jay, there was a sense of fulfillment and completeness. They became a team. I know that feeling as I’ve enjoyed that fulfillment with Susan. We would attend each other’s events, up until the last one we attended just a few months ago, right here in this auditorium, after their successful work in Armenia working with the refugees of the War.

We both shared an excitement for technology – which included some time-travel too! I remember the primitive tents at Camp Darfur, with modern tech driving them in the background. We organized the first transcontinental virtual meeting of refugees – about 8 years – at our church. Refugees of the Darfur Genocide meeting with the children of the refugees of the Armenian Genocide. Picture the sacredness of the church, in front of our altar area, monitors, a panel of computers and couplers held together by wires and Katie-Jay acting as a human-antenna. We were in Glendale while Gabriel in Chad, was hooking up cameras with genocide survivors from Darfur. AND the MIRACLE HAPPENED… The refugees there heard for the first time, the voices of their grandchildren, the children sitting in Glendale who told them “It’s going to get better, look at us!” And our children in Glendale, for the first time, were talking with their grandparents, who were thrown out of their homes because of their skin color, their religion and ethnic makeup.

This was a magical bridge that brought about human understanding, across generations and across continents. But to achieve this kind of magic, or miracle, requires sacrifice, one which both Gabriel and Katie Jay made over and over again. On this particular day, Gabriel was away from his family for one of the longer sprints of his 31 visits to the refugee camps. Both Katie-Jay’s mom and Gabriel’s mom had come to the church that day, because it was their chance to see and talk with Gabriel. Katie-Jay held their daughter Leila up to the camera. You could hear the longing in Gabriel’s voice as he looked on at his child and Leila seeing daddy on the big screen. There was a very tender moment afterwards where they all went to the candle area of our church to light a candle, a symbol of light in the darkness.

I have placed a cross here. In the Armenian Orthodox Church, the cross is a symbol of resurrection and victory, yes, but it is also a symbol of victory through LOVE. In the West we have the symbol of the heart, yet in our Eastern Orthodox tradition the symbol of Love is the Cross because it means sacrifice. What Gabriel & KTJ did was sacrifice – their comfort, the family, their talents, their life for something greater, namely peace.

I wish to share with you the words of Jesus Christ, which are often understood as a prediction for some future time. As I read this passage now, I ask that we all think of these two lives that we celebrate today. Think of the words of this passage as being fulfilled in the lives of Gabriel and Katie-Jay. It is from the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus says,

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

These words are not forecast or prediction, rather think of them as axioms. In Gabriel and Katie Jay we see fulfillment. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” Blessed are Gabriel and Katie Jay for they are children of God. They witnessed the power of light over darkness, the power of good over evil, the power love over hate.

When I was growing up, I thought the Armenian Genocide was so horrific that it was unique. Singular. Just as everyone else who comes of age, I started looking around and saw the horrors of the Holocaust, Ethiopia, Cambodia, and Rwanda. In this century, the list only began with Darfur, which tragically was not the end. These atrocities continue in the world. There are only the indicators that flash before our lives all the time that point to these horrors. Yesterday, a truck carrying 53 Central American migrants turned over, killing them. Truly a horror, but we need to look beyond and see the real atrocities that are being committed that drive people out of their home and countries.

Blessed are you Gabriel and Katie Jay for you are children of God. You cannot die. And the challenge is now ours.

We can give them all the tributes, memorials and celebrations that we can muster, but the greatest tribute will be to carry on the mission and vision for which they lived. And now, this holiday season, we have the reminder, that the same mission and vision was shared at the Birth of the Christ Child: Peace on Earth and good will toward one-another. That is a mission for us all. IAct is what they set up. It’s mission is to provide humanitarian action to aid, empower and extend hope to those affected by mass atrocities. Our first step to remembering and celebrating Gabriel and Katie Jay’s life and legacy is to adopt Peace as our goal: Peace on Earth and goodwill toward one another.

I thank the Stauring family for the honor to share these thoughts with you. May God rest their soul and grant comfort to all of you.

-Fr. Vazken Movsesian

The celebration of life is archived at
Part 1 https://www.facebook.com/iactivism/videos/1604312983236469
Part 2 https://www.facebook.com/iactivism/videos/275349494622372

Just before leaving for Armenia

A selfie at Gabriel's request. So happy that he asked!

Loving "as your own" - St. Joseph's Example

2021-10-28T13:01:00.001-07:00

Kiudkhatch – Discovery of the Holy Cross and St. Joseph

English translation of a sermon delivered at St. Leon Ghevondyants Armenian Cathedral, Burbank
24 October 2021

by Fr. Vazken Movsesian

Considering that today is the feast of the Discovery of the Holy Cross, Kiudkhatch I wish to speak to you about adoption. Earlier during our service, we heard the reading from the Apostle Paul regarding the Cross being our salvation. In other words, this instrument of torture in the Roman Empire, was adopted by the Christians to be a means to salvation. We Christians adopted the Cross and made the symbol of destruction and suffering, into a symbol of victory! This is one type of adoption – taking an idea and making it your own.

Of course, there is another type of adoption, one which is more common. This week, in the shadow of the Holy Cross, the Armenian Church commemorated a saint whose name we all know, but at the same time, we know very little about him. He is St. Joseph, the husband of St. Mary the Asdvadzadzin. Our Armenian Apostolic Church remembered St. Joseph this year on October 18 and if you open the calendar of the Church you would be surprised to learn that the Church ascribes the same title to Joseph as it has to Mary, that is, he is referred to as Joseph Asdvadzahayr, that is, the Father-of-God. Now, in the case of St. Mary, we accept this title because she gave birth to Christ, but we have difficulty with the title given to Joseph because from our earliest days in church or in Sunday School, we have learned that there was no biological tie between Joseph and Jesus.

Very little is written about Joseph in Holy Scriptures, but from that little we know that he was a devout and God-fearing man. We know he his strength not only by his physical prowess as a carpenter, but by his moral character. He was unwilling to discredit his wife. Being obedient to the messenger of God, even when all the facts gave him reason to doubt, he took on the responsibility of being the adoptive father of Jesus. In that act of compassion, Joseph did not allow Jesus to be referred to as “illegitimate,” or as an “orphan.” Nor did he allow Jesus to be treated as anything less than his own son.

We know that Joseph was with Jesus for at least the first 30 years of our Lord’s life. In the Gospel of Luke we read that at the start of our Lord’s ministry, when he entered the Temple and read from scriptures, the people questioned his authority by saying, “Is this not the son of Joseph the carpenter?” From this statement, it’s obvious that Jesus was accepted and regarded Joseph’s true son.

The act of adoption is an act of love and sacrifice. As parents, we love our own children, but to love another person’s child as your own reflects a very deep love. Joseph adopted Mary’s child, loved and cared for him as his own.

When we talk about the saints, whether Joseph or any of the other saints, it is easy to get caught up in the details of their lives rather than understand that a saint is like us, with all their frailties, problems and even doubts. However, they are able to rise from their difficulties and aspire to the godly, hence, giving us the inspiration and motivation to move from our difficulties. It is important to see in them the characteristics from which we can learn and by which we can pattern our lives.

I know many of you have come to church today not to receive a history lesson, but to look for strength to go through your difficulties and your challenges – physical, spiritual or relationships. We have all come to church to understand how to live our lives fully. In learning about Joseph we receive an example for living. We see true strength. We understand what it means to be obedient to God’s word. Joseph prayed, believing that “Thy Will be done” would take place when he, Joseph, agreed to take part in God’s will. In fact, his actions allowed God’s will to be done here on earth as it was in heaven.

As the adoptive father of Jesus, Joseph displayed courage and immense love for his wife and her child. Former president Barak Obama once said, “What makes you a man is not the ability to make a child, but the courage to raise one.” In fact, in this manner alone, we can understand why our Church Fathers referred to Joseph as the Father of God. Joseph teaches us the true virtues of parenthood – it is the courage to give, sacrifice and to love another human being as your own. He raised Jesus Christ from infancy to adulthood and gave him the necessary support in preparation for the Divine ministry and to ultimately rise to the Cross and conquer it.

If you look at our story as an Armenian people you will find that our Church has taken on this role as the adoptive parent. We refer to the Church as our mother or as our parent because the Church never allowed us to be regarded as illegitimate or as an orphan. Despite our worst days, the loneliness we endured and the abandonment we felt, the Church was with us. Only, the Church, has been with us, not political parties, nor organizations, but the Body of Christ.

When we are baptized, the priest delivers us from the water with the words, “Purchased by the Blood of Christ, from servitude to sin, accepted as an adopted child of the Heavenly Father…” That adoption is a statement of love. It means we are true children, with never a worry of being abandoned or forgotten.

During the centuries under Ottoman rule, the Church stood by us. At the Genocide, with limited resources, the church aided us. At the Battle of Sardarabad, the bells of Etchmiadzin were heard as a victorious chant. During the 70 years of communist occupation (1920-70), when the atheist regime told us there was no God, the Church was the only voice shouting that we have an intrinsic value as people because we are the children – the true children – of God. In fact, for many of us in the diaspora during the years of communism in Armenia, we saw the leadership of the church, particularly His Holiness Vazken I, as our father, as our parent. He personified the parenting aspect of the Church.

However for the last 30 years with the independence in Armenia, we feel a maturity, where we don’t need our parents, we don’t need their lessons and we don’t need to learn. We have become ungrateful to the parent that delivered us. Those of you who have children know that the most painful thing in life is to have your children go against you. When you know you have raised your children with love and they turn on you with indifference, it is the most painful of all feelings. And so you can imagine how our Church, which exercised the spirit of St. Joseph as our adoptive parent, feels. Nevertheless, as a true parent, we never give up hope.

Today, I stand before you to tell you that our Church is engaged in a battle to win the soul of our people. Our programs, particularly here within the Western Diocese, are here to elevate and educate our people to an understanding of themselves and their lives in this world today. We are here to teach, young and old about the rich Faith that we call Christianity. We teach, as St. Joseph did, that you never have to feel alone or abandoned. We value, as St. Joseph did, the importance and sanctity of the spiritual life - life in communion with God. We stand at an important juncture in the life of our people, where materialism has consumed us to the point that we have forgotten the true treasures that are valuable in our lives. Today our spending pattern at Costco and the type of hood ornament on our cars are the symbols of wealth, rather than the knowledge that we are joint heirs of Christ. Today, Sunday morning, the children of the first Christian nation are buying and selling merchandise at an outdoor bazaar (one of which which takes place on a street called Artsakh, in Glendale) forgoing the source of true wealth.

Like a good parent, we note these faults, to bring our focus back to the path that saves us. Our criticism is laced with hope because we love our children. Our programs and our teachings are produced with the courage to raise our children in that same love. I hope and pray that you will take advantage of this opportunity that is being delivered to you by our Diocese. There is never any shame (amot) in not knowing, only in not being willing to learn. Our Lord Jesus Christ came 2000 years ago and ushered in the Kingdom of God. One solitary life has changed the course of history. One life continues to be discussed and followed on the four corners of the globe. And His life, the life of the Son of Mary, the life of Jesus Christ, began with a commitment from a true man, who loved his wife so much, that he said yes to God and adopted his wife's son. He adopted and raised the One who adopted the Cross and gave us eternity. Today, this is what we celebrate.

Q&A: King of Glory

2021-09-27T22:16:00.002-07:00

Deacon's Q&A: Who is this King of glory, mighty in battle?

Matenadaran Ms.3833

by Fr. Vazken Movsesian

(Written for the WD Deacons' Chant, Autumn 2021)

Sunday after Sunday in the Armenian Church, we hear a question-and-answer session taking place during the Divine Liturgy. It’s the same Q&A session we have heard for centuries. In fact, it was heard loud and clear in churches last year, specifically on September 27, as Azeri’s began attacking and shelling Armenians in Artsakh.

The deacon, with the chalice in hands, approaches the priest and asks that the doors be opened for the “King of glory.” The priest asks, “Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle?” (Ո՞վ է սա թագաւոր փառաց, Տէր հզօր զօրութեամբ իւրով, Տէր կարող ի պատերազմի). The questioning continues and upon his second inquiry, the deacon announces, “He is the King of glory!” (Սա ինքն է թագաւոր փառաց) and hands-off the chalice for the priest to prepare the Holy Eucharist.

It was the Psalmist who first framed the dialogue on behalf of a hurting world (Psalm 24:8-10). And it has been heard and overheard from altar areas ever since, during times of trouble and persecution just as it was last year in the midst of the 44-day war. In churches where Armenian souls congregate, the scene is repeated.

Priest: Who is the King of glory… mighty in battle?

Deacon: He is the King of glory!

With a war that cost us thousands of lives and the loss of land, another question surfaced: Who is this King, so mighty in battle, that we lost the war? Perhaps not as audible as the chants of the deacon in church, but definitely in the solitude of the mind, many were haunted by the reality of this question. We have heard it, and hear it often. More so, the Q&A of Psalm 24 is an issue of relevance: What is the relevance of our church service and our Faith to the events taking place in the world today? What is the connection between our actions Sunday morning and our response to the tragedies that take place during the rest of the week? Ultimately, what does it mean to proclaim God as almighty – mighty in battle – in the face of horrific tragedies that we endure?

When Abp. Hovnan Derderian first organized the Deacons Council last year, he did so to celebrate a ministry which often gets forgotten amidst ritual. During ordination, deacons are vested with rights and responsibilities which go beyond the Sunday worship service. Through the Deacons Council our intention was, and is, to exploit those gifts of the Holy Spirit entrusted to the deacon. It was only a couple of months after we began holding Council meetings that the War broke out in Artsakh. Immediately, the Deacons Council began collecting funds for the war effort and following their calling, the deacons began holding nightly prayer sessions, many of which were streamed and shared with sisters and brothers in Christ throughout the world. Each of those prayer services were invitations to the faithful to look within, to share with those in need the gifts and talents with which God has blessed us. In Holy Scripture, time and time again, we find our Lord Jesus teaching by example. When a tragedy befalls another, he touches them with his love (cf. Luke 7:11f) and asks us to do the same (Matthew 22:39). This is a calling for deacons, priests, and everyone.

The ministry of the Deacon is defined by service and assistance (Acts 6). During the Divine Liturgy, the deacon is heard inviting people to worship. He beckons the congregation to stand in peace, to pray fervently, to listen in awe, to prepare themselves and to approach the Blessed Sacrament. Simply put, he calls everyone to celebrate the victory of Christ. His pronouncement “He is the King of glory!” is a response to the priest’s question and at the same time it is an invitation for us to engage in the Kingdom which is in our midst. “The kingdom of God does not come with observation,” says Christ our Lord, “Nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the Kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:20-21)

“The King of glory mighty in battle,” is the answer the Deacon proclaims to the priest and in-turn to all of us, every Sunday. Sure, Christian apologists, saints and fathers of the Church bring their message and connection to the Psalmist’s inquiry, but today deacons invite us to explore, engage and discover the King of glory for ourselves. Just as they invite us to stand, to listen and to participate, so too, today the invitation is to witness “the King of glory mighty in battle” who is here answering us, our sufferings, our dilemmas, and our wars. By accepting the invitation, we engage in the Kingdom of God. We accept a call to responsibility. Indeed, the Kingdom of God is within you!

Today, as we remember the beginning of the War in Artsakh and the horrific events that followed, let us listen even more fervently to the proclamation: He is the King of glory – a King who resides with us and within us. Herein, we understand ourselves as members of a Kingdom and therefore accept responsibility for our lives and the world around us. Our Divine Liturgy and hence, our Church is calling us to this higher understanding of our Christian Faith, as members of the Kingdom, to engage in the struggles and sufferings that are all around us, not with a question but with the solid answer: He is the King of glory, mighty in battle.

-27 September 2021

Not even one more: COVID & Ugly Death

2021-09-11T21:13:00.004-07:00

Fr. Maghakia Aramian of Blessed Memory
(1981-2021)
Arms outstretched over Sevan. The world was his.

Ugliness defined: Don’t give even one more…

Death is showing us its ugly head lately. Death is a natural process all bodies undergo. When the natural process is hindered, it is referred to as ugly death, and subsequently, there are different grades of ugliness.

Google-search “Natural Death” - When a death certificate says a person's death was “natural,” it is really ruling out the involvement of external causes. The person did not take their own life and they were not killed by somebody else or in an accident such as a car crash or drug overdose.

Today, as we commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 911 terrorist attack on America, its most fitting, appropriate and truly descriptive to say that the September 11, 2001 deaths were of the ugliest type.

Since last year COVID-19 has been the ugly suspect, and now we have another round of deaths. During January, February and March of this year, I was officiating, on the average of, four to five funerals a week. Some of the most bizarre scenes I have tragically recorded in my memory. On two occasions I officiated for a husband and wife, that is, the scene before me was of two caskets laying on the gravesite waiting for a final blessing. After the second one of these double-funerals I happen to mention the stress of the scene to one of my clergy brothers. He trumped my story by sharing that he was asked by a family to wait for the passing of their sister before burying their parents. The coronavirus was making this one a triple-funeral.

My aunt passed away earlier this year, not of COVID-19 but of conditions caused by the pandemic. She was taken to the hospital for emergency care and was forced to spend two days in the hallways because there was no room in the emergency ward. She died alone. Her only daughter was finally allowed admittance to stand by her mom and I, by virtue of being a priest and knowing the chaplain of the hospital, was given an opportunity to share a prayer before she expired. That surreal day, I remember walking through the hospital thinking of being stuck in a theater, watching a horrible-horror movie, and unable to get out. The rooms were filled, the dying were in the hallways and the ambulances outside were waiting in bumper-to-bumper configuration to deliver new patients. Death was all around and it was all very ugly.

Ugliness is not only a descriptor of the death-moment itself, but of what brings upon an untimely death. For instance, when death is being accelerated by unnatural causes, that’s ugly. There is a wave of misinformation going on around the world regarding safeguards against the COVID-19 virus, be those safeguards mere masking or vaccination. Misinformation starts with doubts, is fed by fear, and leads to irrational choices with horrid consequences. I’m always intrigued by people who have fallen into the trap of authoritarian commenting on things of which they have no knowledge. Early on in my ministry I found it confusing when I ran into people who having read the Bible had the nerve and audacity to speak on behalf of God and look down on others who did not see things as they had interpreted. It’s a simple formula that’s very appealing to many: read a book and have complete understanding of the Divine. I often wonder, if I were to go to the local library, check out a book on brake-repair, and then advertise my services, who in their right mind would trust their brakes, and therefore their lives, with me? It’s not even imaginable after the preliminary question: what are your qualifications to repair my brakes, or at the very least to diagnose my brakes?

Switch gears now, from cars and eternal life to viruses and the prevention of infection. What is your qualification to comment on this? The other type of ugliness, then, is pretending expertise, diagnosing and dishing out remedies. It’s akin to crawling under your car to fix your brakes based on the pictures I saw in the book.

At my age I can remember a time when we were plagued by polio and smallpox. I remember getting measles and the mumps as a child. People younger than me don’t remember these diseases and that’s the point. We now vaccinate against them. I remember lining up at elementary school (LAUSD) to take the Salk-vaccine. As a parent, I remember we couldn’t enroll our children in school until they were vaccinated. But in the case of COVID-19 there’s a fear that has been fueled by misinformation. Of course, America offers us freedoms, but your freedom cannot impose on the freedom of others. The proverbial paradigm is yelling “fire” in a crowded theater when there is no fire. It’s illegal, no matter how intensely you appeal to your constitutional right to free speech: you can’t yell “fire” in a crowded theater without facing legal consequences because you have jeopardized the welfare of everyone else.

We’re at a point where we’re seeing new deaths caused by new variants of the COVID-19 virus. Once again, we are being called in to officiate at funeral services. It’s an ugly reality and even uglier is that people would promote this ugliness. No one can force you to do what you don’t want to, but for God’s sake don’t impose your misinformation on others.

Closer to home, last month, we lost a high-spirited, energetic and dynamic young priest to the COVID-19 virus. Fr. Maghakia Amiryan was an exceptional priest. He was 40 years old. If you met him you know he would share his love for life, our church and our nation with you. Back in 2009, I met him when visiting Armenia with my son Varoujan. We spent several days together going to remote locations in the homeland. On one occasion, Fr. Maghakia took us right to the shore of the Arax River. It was forbidden for non-military people to be on the shore because the river divides Armenia from Turkey. It is a guarded by the military on both sides. Fr. Maghakia’s connection with one of the soldiers at the border got us to this choice spot. I was overcome with emotions, standing on the Arax which has been the focus of song and poem. I felt the frustration of looking at the fertile land across the river and knowing it was the home of the Armenian peoplle and it was inaccessible to us that day. Out of that frustration I picked up a stone

and hurled it across the river, as if to say, “Take that Turkey for imposing horrors on our people that have caused this separation in my homeland.” Fr. Maghakia, in a calm demeaner, asked me not to throw anything else in that direction. He said, “We have given them so much land, don’t add yet, even another stone.” He was loved where ever he went because he knew how to love and did love. He was currently the Dean of the Youth Centers of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. Children and young adults would flock to him, recognizing in him purity, goodness, and the mannerism that reflected the best of Christian character. Since the time we first met, whenever he’d visit the US, he’d come to our church for services. His loss was a great one for his family and friends, but mostly for the Armenian Church. This coming Monday, September 13, Fr. Maghakia would have turned 41 years old. He will forever remain 40. Yes, I can easily say, his was an ugly death.

Last year saw too many people die an ugly death. For Armenians, it was even uglier. One of the smallest populations on Earth, attacked by Azerbaijan and Turkey, over three thousand Armenians were killed during a 44 day war. To borrow from Fr. Maghakia’s exhortation, we’ve given more than enough, let’s not give even one more life. Exercise caution. Mask, vaccinate, and most importantly don’t participate in spreading ugliness.

Fr. Maghakia in center with Varoujan and me,
at Khorvirab 2009

On the shore of the Arax River.
Backdrop: Turkey seen "across the pond."

11 September 2021

The Next Step with Fr. Vazken on the 20th Anniversary (#692)

Shoghakat TV on Fr. Maghakia

Is She in the Box?

2021-08-10T16:23:00.007-07:00

Out of the mouths of babes....

“Is she still in the box?”

The question hit me unexpectedly, though I should have known it was coming. Four year-old Harper was sorting out some of the pieces from the life-to-death puzzle in front of her. We were at her great-grandmother’s funeral, and this piece of the puzzle wasn’t an easy fit. After all, just an hour earlier she had seen her great-grandmother’s body lying in the coffin at the church and now we had arrived at the gravesite and there was the same coffin, closed shut and waiting to be lowered into the ground. It called for an answer: “Is she still in the box?”

Of course, when you answer a question like this you want to be honest, but at the same time you realize that there’s a good chance that honesty can and may horrify a small child with thoughts of people being trapped in boxes and ultimately covered with earth. It’s a horrifying thought for anyone, child or not.

Earlier, at the church, I heard a very simple and eloquent conversation between Harper and her mother. The young voice proclaimed that great-grandma was “In Heaven, with Jesus.” I didn’t need to look any further for an answer, especially for an answer that was truthful and honest.

“Is she still in the box?”

“No. You tell me, where is she?”

“In Heaven with Jesus,” pronounced this child.

“That’s right. And if she’s in heaven with Jesus, then she is not in the box.”

It doesn’t get any simpler than this!

Several years ago, when my father passed away, my mother asked that the casket remain open in the church. My sisters and I were against the procedure for the simple reason that our dad had died unexpectedly at the age of 58. We wanted to remember him the way he was – the way we remembered him in life. But mom was in charge, and we respected her wish. The casket remained open in the sanctuary for a last look. When I entered the church that evening and saw my dad’s breathless body, I was hit with a revelation. I had officiated at so many funerals through the years and had stood before open caskets several times, but the reality of what I witnessed didn’t hit me until that evening. My dad wasn’t there! There was a body, but it wasn’t him. Dad was filled with life, this body had no life. Dad’s fingers danced on the fingerboard of his violin, these fingers were still. His smile, revealing a chipped tooth, was infectious and begged for us to join in the celebration of life. That spirit of celebration wasn’t here. No, this wasn’t him. This was the body which once held my dad. Dad was life and that life cannot end. He lives on, but not here.

And so, at the gravesite, with the casket waiting to be lowered, I answered Harper truthfully: No, she’s not in the box. In fact, it would have been a lie to tell her otherwise, that her lovely great-grandmother - the one she cared for, the one she laughed and played with – was in the box. No, not in the box. She lives on, but not here.

“Out of the mouths of babes,” Jesus tells us, comes praise. In this case, praise was found in such a profound statement, that it fit and filled the requirements of logic. A little child, the memory of her great-grandmother and the truth of eternity all came together. She’s not in the box, she’s in Heaven.

Matthew 21:16

Memories of Purity: Thoughts at a funeral

2021-07-03T16:57:00.004-07:00

Memories of Purity

Some thoughts and ties following a funeral...

by Fr. Vazken Movsesian

No matter how many or how often I have officiated at funerals, I cannot get used to the funerals of the young - those who leave us before their time. It’s been over 40 years that I’ve been officiating or serving at funerals.

The first time that I stood in front of a casket offering prayers, was for my friend Brad’s father. He died of cancer. Not yet ordained as a priest, I served as a deacon at that service. For many of us who were just coming of age, this funeral was a rude awakening to the limits on our existence and the finality that death brought to that existence. The funeral service was perhaps the most tamed portion of the entire death ordeal. In our collective memory is the death scene, the illness, the hospital machines and the crying and sadness that surrounded his passing.

Sadly, through the years, I’ve had to officiate at several of these young-death funerals which are in stark contrast to those who die of natural causes. Such are the funerals of those that have lived their lives to a ripe (by our standards) old age and have led a full (by our standards) life. Thanksgiving is as natural as the death which brought the end to their life. In thanksgiving we come to terms with death and are thankful for the quantity and quality of life the person spent with us. Sure, there is sadness in the passing of a loved one, but we reconcile with the loss by cherishing the full life they led.

The funerals at which thanksgiving is not the first word we utter, are of those who have died a tragic unnatural death. Children who overdose on drugs, accidents, suicides and sudden death to disease are in this category. I’ve stood with families as children were ripped from their embrace. I've even tried to console (if possible) the families of murder victims.

As tragic and devastating as unnatural death is, the deaths brought about by cancer, I place in a separate category. When someone dies of cancer, we, family and friends -- and I consider myself as both family and friend to them -- become witnesses, and therefore participants, in the dying process. We are involuntarily given a chance to watch the destruction of life, almost as if we are witnessing a gunshot video which has been slowed down so much so, that we watch the bullet enter, devastate, and finally kill the body over the course of months, sometimes years. Time has slowed down on that bullet so much that we have an opportunity to pray, to try to deflect and change the outcome of the shooting. Just like a sudden accident, a murder, or death by drugs, we know cancer can happen to anyone, no matter how much Vitamin D we ingest and regardless of whether or not we quit smoking 30 or 40 years ago, or never smoked at all. These types of death can happen to anyone. But unlike the rest, in the case of cancer we want to believe that we can divert the bullet because we have time to do so. And because we’re watching that bullet enter the body in slow-motion, we live with hope that the trajectory of the bullet will be off course. We pray for an alternate ending and when in the end cancer does physically take its victim, we are left with a multitude of thoughts and feelings to sift through.

The first time I had to deal with these cancer-generated thoughts was in my first parish in San Jose. I was a priest of only a few years and though I had stood with and eventually buried cancer victims on a few occasions, dealing with Aida was different. She was 25 years old when she succumbed to the disease. I visited her at her home, while stretched out on her living-room couch and enduring horrid pain. To this day, over 35 years later, I remember the expression on her face and the acceptance in her eyes as we prayed together. Her short life shared a lesson in hope and her death revealed the truth of the unfairness of life. At her funeral I remember talking about terms such as faith, hope and love, while feeling slighted by the terms of her life. I dealt with an anger that continues to this day as a part of my bag of emotions. I keep Aida in my heart every time that I have had to minister to someone fighting cancer and every time I have had to stand before the grave of one who has been victimized by this horrid disease. Aida was only eight years younger than me, and like a younger sister she has journeyed with me through my ministry. I personally keep her alive to help me, and therefore help others, as they come to terms with their mortality.

Aida’s family asked me if I’d help write the message on her gravestone. This is the message that outlasts your life. On Aida’s gravestone that dash between the year of her birth and year of her death was too small, so small that it angered me, and angers me when I hear people complain of being shortchanged in years after eight or nine decades of life. It is not ours to decide on how many years are enough. Even after 85 or 95 years, one more day is welcomed by most, lest they be suffering in intolerable pain. It is not ours to decide, but still, I am human and I was frustrated when I watched this young child lose her battle. There was nothing I could do to change the ending of this reality.

Several years back when I was dealing with cancer in my own life, one of my physicians, Dr. Mihran, expressed his participation in my healing process this way: Ours (doctors) is not to add days to life, but life to days. It was a profound statement, one which has its parallels in my profession in the healing of the spirit.

For Aida’s gravestone I chose one of the beatitudes given to us by Jesus Christ:

BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART, FOR THEY SHALL SEE GOD.
- Jesus (Matthew 5:8)

I could not think of anyone or anything that was more pure than Aida and the purity of her faith, as she dealt with this wretched disease. Yes, she was the pure one who would see God. I sent the scriptural passage to the gravestone engraver and a few months later the stone was placed on the earth where she lay.

One day, as I was visiting Aida’s grave, I found her mother sitting there, flowers in hand, to decorate the area around the stone. We greeted each other, but this day she was troubled about something different, I could tell. She was bothered by me and my actions, but I didn’t understand why. I asked what was troubling her and she confessed that she was disappointed with my choice of a Bible passage to serve as a statement about her sweet daughter. (And here I must clarify, that all of the conversations between us, including this one, were always in the Armenian language.) She asked, why does it say she is “poor”? Indeed, if you were to read the statement with the slightest accent and with a limited understanding of the English language you might well be insulted by a comment aimed at you or your loved one as being “poor in heart.” I quickly interpreted the passage and assured her that purity of heart was what I saw in this young child. She was relieved and we continued a conversation, sharing about the purity of this life that was lost too early, but still touching us in many ways.

Through the years I’ve had to stand in front of the caskets and graves of other cancer victims.

---

Yesterday, I officiated at the funeral of another cancer victim. The year is 2021, almost 40 years since that day I said goodbye to Aida. This past year, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, has been filled with too many goodbyes and too many funerals. But this time, the life that was lost, was that of a mother, a wife, a sister, and a friend named Vilma. I read her biography and found it all too familiar. She grew up in my childhood neighborhood in Hollywood, attended and graduated the same schools that I journeyed through about three years before she did, Thomas Starr King Jr. High and Marshall High School. Here was yet another younger sister of mine, plagued and now having succumbed to cancer.

There I was at the funeral, expressing myself about this miracle-of-miracles, one who would be remembered not because of her death but because of the goodness that she did and the love she shared in this world. And though my thoughts and the articulation of those thoughts have matured since the time of Aida’s funeral, my anger has not been tamed. I’m still incensed by the way cancer can take over and seem to have the final word in the lives of beautiful and young people. Sure, we can find millions and trillions of dollars to invest in weapons to destroy life and to blow up the world several times over, and yet cancer research is limited by the money it receives. But this discussion was not the one for today.

By the very nature of the ministry that I profess – a ministry which celebrates resurrection over crucifixion – I must explain that the final words never belong to cancer. The expressions of Vilma’s children communicated with words and actions, their mother's life story. Her husband's expressions told of a life that made his complete. And quickly, we understood the magnitude of the life that was leaving us. Vilma was born in Romania. She came to the United States as a young teenager. She made a huge mark in life, which was attested to by the number of people in attendance at the funeral. The presence of friends from all walks of life, coming together, missing her and shedding tears, is the expression of victory over death. Because in the end, it is not about the length of that line that connects your birth and death year that matters, it’s about the quality of that line. Was it full? Was it filled with love? Of course, when you see so many people reacting the way they did at this funeral, you know that quality is measured by being loved. She was loved because she loved others, first.

Following the service in the church, we went over to the gravesite where we committed this mother to Mother Earth. I reached into my bag of emotions and found the anger of witnessing the slow-motion bullet which did her in, but I knew at this time, we were to reconcile with a reality that was painful and there was no sense making it even more painful for those who stood by. Her casket was lowered into the grave; we filled the grave with earth and with the final benediction dismissed the assembled crowd. People headed to their cars and began to leave the cemetery. A guest at the funeral approached me and inquired about our service, the faith of the Armenian Church and the words I spoke. Not to disturb the remaining family and friends, we went a bit away from Vilma’s new grave to an area under a canopy set-up to block the hot sun, positioning ourselves on the grass so as not to step on any gravestones. We spoke of faith and Vilma. As we finished talking on that field of graves, it became our turn to return to our cars and head home. Just after shaking hands with this inquisitive seeker, the grave marker which stood between us caught my attention. On the stone, was the name, birth and death dates of someone who had passed years ago. Under his name was written:

BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART, FOR THEY SHALL SEE GOD.

(Matthew 5:8)

A pleasant reminder that cancer will never win. I’ll see to that because God has already seen to it.

vkm - 3 vii 2021

VC1: Not just a Greeting

2021-04-18T14:00:00.000-07:00

Voice of the Church Series - #1

By order of His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church, the “Voice of the Church” was established to bring a central message to the corporate worship life of the diocese. Fr. Vazken Movsesian was appointed to deliver these messages via a monthly sermon at the Srbots Ghevondyants, St. Leon Armenian Cathedral. Here is the English language translation of the sermon delivered on April 18, 2021.

Not just a greeting:

A Way of Life, a Mission for All

By Fr. Vazken Movsesian

Քրիստոս Յարեաւ ի Մեռելոց

Christ is Risen from the Dead!

A few weeks ago, we heard the message that has shaken humanity for the last two millennia. This was the first gospel, the Good News, which the disciples exclaimed to one another: Christ has risen!

Scripture tells us that following the Resurrection, one of the disciples, Thomas, was absent from a gathering where Jesus had appeared to his brothers. Thomas refused to believe the unbelievable. He doubted fiercely that Jesus could be alive. After all, Thomas was a witness to the betrayal, torture, crucifixion and burial of the Lord. Impossible! Anyone who was crucified and buried could not possibly be alive! He insisted that unless he could see and touch the Lord himself, he would not accept Jesus resurrected from the grave. Of course, when Thomas came face to face with the Risen Lord, no touching was necessary for him to make the complete confession: “My Lord and My God.” Christ replied to him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)

The disciples greeted one another with this good news, “Christ has risen.” Faithful to their apostolic commission, they ventured off into the world. Thaddeus, we know, came to Armenia and a few years later his brother in Christ, Bartholomew followed. From this group, Thomas took the Gospel all the way to India (about 52 CE), sharing the blessings of the Resurrection along the way and in India establishing the Church.

The Indian Orthodox Church is one of a handful of churches that are in communion with the Armenian Church. Along with the Ethiopian, the Coptic and Syriac Churches, we profess the faith of the universal Church as expressed the Councils of Nicaea, Constantinople and Ephesus.

In the early 1990s, while serving as the Parish Priest at the St. Andrew Armenian Church in Cupertino, California, I was approached by a group of Indian Orthodox asking if they could use our church sanctuary while their church was being built. With the permission of our Primate, they, the priest and congregation, would come to our church every Sunday for worship. When the building process on their church sanctuary was completed, their Catholicos (the chief bishop) traveled from India to dedicate and consecrate the building. I was invited to the ceremony.

At the new church building, I took a seat in the back, making sure not to interfere with the dedication proceedings. Suddenly, I was approached by one of the priests who asked me to come forward and meet the Catholicos. I was not expecting this honor and felt the anxiety of the moment. I greeted His Holiness and in respect I kissed his hand which donned his pontifical ring. They directed me to sit on a chair next to the Catholicos.

What happened next is something which I cannot and will never forget. It became a turning point for the direction of my ministry, and I hope, today, it will serve as a message and a direction for all of us within the Armenian Church.

In front of hundreds of parishioners gathered inside the new church, His Holiness took off his ring - the ring of authority - and handed it to me. Puzzled, I looked at him for an explanation. He then asked me to read the inscription inside the ring. To my surprise, it was written in Armenian! Engraved in Armenian letters, it said that it was a gift given to him by the then-Catholicos of All Armenians, His Holiness Vazken I (of blessed memory). Even more puzzled, I looked at him for an explanation.

The Indian Catholicos said he wore this ring given to him by his “brother-in-Christ” because it is a constant reminder of the plight of the Armenian people. He went on to explain that the Indian Orthodox had always enjoyed the respect of the maharajas, the royals and the elite in India. The Indian Orthodox church and its people had a place of honor in their country. “We have never known Christianity through suffering,” he confessed to all of us assembled in that church, “We have always celebrated our faith with joy.”

And then he continued by pointing to me and thereby to the Armenian Church, saying, “The Armenians, on the other hand, have never known Christianity without suffering!” And then, in a strong tone that only a father might invoke to stress the importance of what he was about to say, he leaned down from the altar area and exhorted his parishioners, “Learn from the Armenians. Theirs is a story of suffering, of sacrifice on the road to victory. They have struggled to maintain and live their faith. Theirs is the story of the Cross of Christ. And for this reason, I wear this ring, to never forget that the Cross of Christ is at the Center of our Faith.”

Those words struck me hard. He was saying something we only casually acknowledged, that it was an honor and a privilege to belong to the Armenian Church. This was no ordinary moment. It was the Apostolic Church exclaiming: Christ has risen! Imagine, 2000 years ago, two brothers leave Jerusalem, one went to Armenia and other to India. Imagine 2000 years later these two brothers find each other and they share the story of their travels and experiences over those 20 centuries. One of the brothers gifts a ring to the other brother, who wears that ring as a constant reminder that the Cross of Christ is at the center of our Christian faith and should not and cannot be avoided!

And today, the simple and humble gesture by His Holiness Vazken I is still talking to us. His voice is very clear. We, as an Armenian Church have a unique mission, yes, to our children, but also to the world. We are the witnesses of Christ-resurrected because we are the witnesses of Christ-crucified. Imagine that! Our suffering is not a reason to attract the pity by others, rather it is our compliance with the Divine Teaching, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24)

Because we have known suffering, we look at life in a very different manner. We do not reject suffering but embrace it on the path to resurrection, for in fact, there is no resurrection without a crucifixion. And we are the living example of that resurrected people.

When we – the Christian Church – speaks to the world about resurrection, who can understand that? Like Thomas who could not believe his Lord was alive, who among us, can comprehend a person dying and coming back to life? But when we, members of the Armenian Church, talk about crucifixion, then the entire world can understand. Because the cross has been a reality in our lives, and we have overcome it as a resurrected people.

On a personal scale, your health, your family relationships – with parents, with children, with spouses – financial difficulties, anger, disease, depression, loneliness are all crosses we bear. Our Lord Jesus, on the cross felt anguish, felt the loss of friends, loneliness, the loss of loved ones, betrayal and hatred. He gave us the power to overcome the cross, “In this world you face persecution, but courage, the victory is mine. I have conquered this world.” (John 16:33)

Our world today is in disarray. Death to the innocent and disorder all around are realities. We see shootings, we hear of disease, wars and the loss of children. Here in this country, we struggle with intolerance, racism, and hatred. Who, if not we Armenians, know the dangers of that intolerance which led to the ultimate example of racism, namely Genocide, in 1915 and continuing last year (and today) in Artsakh and Armenia? The US border is filled with young children, estranged from their parents, crying out for a safe haven, for a chance at freedom. Who, if not we Armenians, know the power of those cries for safety and freedom, after being terrorized for centuries under Ottoman rule? We understand the Cross and we also know the Resurrection. We have been homeless and hungry, but we know the streets were not where humans belong, we did not let hopelessness rule us. We know and have the language of pain. Today the pandemic has led to despair. Anxiety and depression are taking their toll. In that despair, a feeling of hopelessness leads to escape. Our faith points to the greater victory that we experience by looking at life, at family, at art, music and dance as expressions of the human spirit. Yes, we Armenians have known difficulties, but our Christ-centeredness makes us know that beyond crucifixion there is resurrection.

When we look up at the Cross of Christ, we see the ultimate terms of innocence and therefore injustice when we witness the Son of God, giving his life. The Cross looked like an end, but he conquered! He overcame the Cross with the ultimate power of goodness, namely Love – giving, sacrificing and caring for others. It is to that Cross that we are called to witness!

And so, when we greet one another: Christ is Risen, this is not merely a page from our past, it is the expression of the life we live. More than a greeting, it is our calling. It is our ministry. And we accomplish our ministry using the tools given to us by Jesus Christ himself: faith, hope and love. By living in love, we express faith and offer hope to a hurting world. Pronounce the message “Christ has risen” with your mouth, understand it through the witness of our Holy Church, and live it all the days of your life.

-18 April 2021

Sermon/Wish for the New Year: Courage

2020-12-28T14:47:00.006-08:00

Last sermon for 2020 and a Wish for the New Year: Courage

By Fr. Vazken Movsesian

Based on a sermon delivered on 27 December 2020 at St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Church in Pasadena, California on the Feast of St. Stephen. The video of the sermon in Armenian and English is shared below.

Courage is the topic of today’s sermon. It is timely on this last Sunday of the year as we look forward to the New Year. We have all heard the complaints about 2020 and the wish that it would hurry and go away. We want to banish the year into memory with the expectation that somehow and someway 2021 will be better than the past year plagued with pandemic, racial unrest, political chaos and for us as Armenians, war, which has crippled us physically, morally and spiritually. And while the start of the year 2021 might seem like a convenient place from which to measure time, we should know that viruses and feelings of intolerance don’t follow calendars. Change comes about when we work and actualize change. It takes courage, to accept the current conditions and opt to bring about change.

We are in the season of Advent – preparing for the Christmas message that Christ is born and revealed. Courage is required to fully accept and act upon that message, because that message was one which has and can change our world toward something better.

In talking about courage, we remember that yesterday our Church celebrated the feast of St. Stephen the first deacon and the first martyr of the Christian Church. Unfortunately, our people have turned into a people consumed by topic of martyrs and martyrdom (and tragically we are back at it in the aftermath of the War). It is unfortunate because we forget the reasons for the sacrifice in martyrdom, namely, we have lived life and lived it in a productive manner.

Rather than look at St. Stephen’s ministry, I’d like to focus on the descriptor “first” in his title. To be the first at anything requires courage. It requires going against the rules. It means you’re charting a new course. In our church we ascribe the title “Nakha” to those who were the first, for instance, St. Andrew is called the “Nakhagoch” or the “First-called” disciple of Christ (John 1:40). He was the brother of Peter the fisherman. You can only imagine the courage it took for him to tell his brother, “We have found the Lord…. Come let’s follow him…” Courage is found when you are committed to your beliefs, without wavering. Andrew put it out on the line – risking being mocked and even being on the receiving end of anger.

To be the first requires courage because you will be up against the strong current to maintain the status quo. Generally, people want change, but without a cost, that is, without discomfort. Courage is necessary to bring about change because you have to be strong in your commitment and you must be devoted to it completely, and full-heartedly. This is where your faith has to be strong, as Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. reminds us, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.” Certainly, St. Stephen was committed to his Faith, because he paid the ultimate price for his faith. You don’t give up your life for things that you don’t believe. Courage comes when you are committed to your faith, when you’re willing to take the first step in the dark knowing and trusting that the staircase is there. And it is with this commitment to our faith in God that we embark on the New Year and accept the message that Christ is born and revealed!

Today’s Gospel message came to us from the Gospel according to St. Luke, chapter 19. It’s a story that many of us have heard but perhaps not in the context of courage. It’s about a wealthy man who gives three of his servants a considerable amount of money for them to use while he tends to business in another land. (This is pre-pandemic time, when travel was allowed and Zoom meetings were not necessary to conduct business.) And when the man returned, he asked for an accounting from those three servants. The first had taken the money and multiplied it by 10 and was awarded rights over ten townships. The second had multiplied it fivefold and was awarded rights over five townships. But the third servant was so scared to use his money that he wrapped his money in a handkerchief and returned it to his employer. Now mind you, he had not squandered it, nor lost it, but he did not use it! He is referred to in the parable as a “wicked” servant. In the Armenian grabar (ancient and original translation) he is called “anhavad,” that is, “without faith.” Yes, we note the connection between wickedness and being without faith.

Now think of this parable in terms of where you are in life. You’re looking for change toward the good. God has given you so much more than money. He has vested you with life, with love, with compassion. How are you using gifts? Courageously? To be courageous means you have faith and invest toward the change that brightens your life and the lives of others. Jesus concludes the parable by saying that the little that the wicked servant had was taken from him and given to the other, to which the parable ends with this disturbing verbal exchange: “‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’ He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away. But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.’” (Luke 19:25-27)

It is disturbing on the face of it because we think in terms of material wealth and gain. No, this is not Jesus advocating for the capitalist dream of wealth accumulation. It’s a simple proclamation, that if you’re courageous enough to exercise your faith, you will find more faith.

My prayer for all of us is that we find the courage to live out our Faith, by sharing the goodness of life with others. During this period of Advent we prepare for the message of Christ is born and revealed. In fact, His Birth and Revelation is not about an event 2000 years ago, but about the possibilities as he’s born and revealed in our lives today, in a hurting world where courage to live, love and share is called for. May the New Year be filled with the expressions of our Faith and courage. May the blessings of the Christ Child push us to these expressions which make Christmas an event every day of our lives.

"Frog" photo credit: Creator: MaxPixel's contributors, Credit: https://www.maxpixels.net/photo-897441 Copyright by MaxPixel

Saints, Artsakh and the Power Within

2020-11-02T17:18:00.002-08:00

Sermon by Fr. Vazken Movsesian, 1 November 2020

St. Leon Armenian Cathedral, Burbank, California

English translation notes from the sermon

Ամենայն սրբովք զորս յիշատակեցաք ևս առաւելապէս, զՏէր աղաչեսցուք...

By all the saints whom we have commemorated, let us ask of the Lord… (from the Divine Liturgy of the Armenian Church)

Yesterday was All Saints Day in the Armenian Apostolic Church. Today is All Saints day in the West and in particular in the Roman Catholic Church, hence yesterday was the Eve of All Saints or All Hollow’s Day or Hollow’s eve, commonly referred to as Halloween.

Saints are perhaps the most misunderstood features of our church. Protestants criticize the intercession of the saints on several grounds, one of which being that the saints are dead people. We in the Armenian Church do not believe life ends at the grave, in fact, we believe that the soul is eternal. Just as we ask a friend or a family member to pray for us, we may also turn to the saints to pray for us, with the assurance that they live with us. This is why during the Liturgy we remember several saints, the Apostles, the Martyrs, the teachers and some of the saints we remember by name, for instance the Kings Abgar, Constantine, Tirtads or the Apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew, and of course the Holy Mother of God, the Asdvadzadzin. We ask that they pray with and for us.

By rejecting the saints, we miss a very real opportunity to connect with the Divine. As a Christian, I hold as my highest ideal Jesus Christ. When he says, “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt 5:48) it’s a standard that is very difficult, perhaps even impossible to achieve. We hold Jesus as the primary example of that perfection; however, we must remember that he is God. But the saints are people like you and me. Every one of them has a will, desires, wants, has dealt with envy, pride and all that define us as human. Every one of them has been challenged with the realities of everyday life and its hardships and have confronted that life with imperfections of the human selfhood. But, somehow, they have managed to rise above the situation. They have risen to a place of goodness that inspires us. This, then, is the power of the saints in our lives. They are people. They have faults. And with their faults they have overcome life’s challenges. In other words, they are realistic examples for us. Look at their lives, we know that we too can rise from our human nature and our situation. So how did they do it? By having Christ, the Christ-force, inside them and by tapping into that power.

I’d like to talk to you about the power especially today as we realize what we all have known and have now rediscovered: We Armenians are alone! The attack on Artsakh is not a border skirmish, it’s a backdoor entry by our enemy to finish what they attempted in 1915. They are ready to finish us off. This is the existential threat – the threat to end Armenia and the existence of Armenians. And when we look around us, we see ourselves alone on the world stage.

We have heard the story of Khirimian Hayrik in Berlin. In the mid 1800’s he went there to participate in a conference with other nations. He writes a poignant letter to the Armenian people, describing the meeting as nations huddled around a pot of heriseh (a porridge made with meat and grains, thick being its noted attribute). Khirimian writes that all the other nations came to the table with the clanging swords and dug deep into the heriseh with “iron ladles” and pulled out their portion. However, then the turn came to Khirimyan to pull out the portion for the Armenians, he had no swords or guns, but a letter in his hand. He called this the paper ladle, which easily flopped by the weight of the heriseh. He tells the Armenian people, when you return to Armenia arm yourself with weapons, weapons and more weapons. “People, understand above all else that you must put the hope of your freedom upon yourself, on your brains, the might of your fist… Man, for himself, must work for his deliverance.”

That Berlin story is over 150 years old. And here we are, once again in 2020, standing on the world stage with our hands stretched out asking for others to assist us. Why have we forgotten the words of Khirimian Hayrik? Even more important, why have we forgotten from where his strength came? And our Primate, Abp. Hovnan, expressed it so concisely the other day, “Armenia cannot stand with the crumbs given by foreigners.”

Khirimyan was a priest of the Armenian Church. He became Catholicos. He was so loved that they referred to him as hayrik, yet under all the titles and layers, he was a priest, a priest of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Just like, when we speak of the composer and musician Gomidas, we speak of his musical prowess or his genius, but we forget that first and foremost he was a priest of the Armenian Church, he was Fr. Gomidas, a priest of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

And today, in our world with all of our materialism and egocentric culture – with all the things we buy and sell – things that we claim to have “value,” we have forgotten, we have laid to one side, the strength that we have within us. We have forgotten that we were born of the font of baptism and drink from the fountain of immortality – connecting us to Jesus Christ. As the Apostle says, If God is with us, who can be against us? (Rm 8) When we think of Artsakh and the threat to Armenia and to our being, we look for strength, for assistance, and ultimately to be save? Why are we looking outside of ourselves? Why are we not looking within? Khirimian Hayrig, Gomidas Vartabed were the beginning of a long line of clergy – church leaders – from Mourapekian, Gevork Catholicos, Chorekjian and in our times the greats such as Vazken Vehapar, and in his shadow the bishops that we have today, from our Catholicos to our Primate who were his students. Against all the odds and with huge obstacles before them, they took us from the Yeghern of 1915 to Sardarabad, through the communist era, to the Karabaghian-sharzhum, to the independence of Armenia, with the Gospel message: Unless a grain of wheat falls and dies it remains a single seed, but by dying it produces a harvest. (Jn 12) All the time, they connected us to the power of Jesus Christ!

Jesus Christ was the first non-violent revolutionary. I am convinced that Tirdat the King, who was the king of Armenia in the 4th century, who had armies (plural!) under his command, who understood strength and diplomacy, who understand military strategy… I am convinced that Tirdat accepted Christianity because he saw it as power for victory and not for surrender. He saw the strength of Faith, based on the message of Jesus Christ, was about overcoming the evil with the power of love. He understood the power of resurrection over death!

This is the basic Faith that we have had throughout the centuries, that our Church has preached through its priests before we came to America and were filled with distorted understandings of religion that are tied with material wealth. This is the faith the Church preached whether Khirimian or Gomidas, Shnorhali or Datevatsi, or today in the trenches of Artsakh where our soldiers make the sign of the cross, are baptized and go into battle to defend the lives of their loved one.

This then is the power and the message of the Saints. It’s the connection with the Source of Life, connecting not with the manger in Bethlehem but with all of eternity – In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God and the Word was God! … He came to his own and his own did not accept him, but to those who believe he gave the power to be Sons of God.

Yes, WE are the children of God. We are the people of God. The SAINTS understood this. This is why and how they accomplished their miracles. This is how we have stood up and won against every enemy. …To those who believe he gave the power to be Children of God.

Israel is not a piece of land in the Middle East – it literally means “Triumphant with God!” the People of God! It isn’t enough that the Garden of Eden is in Armenia (Gen 2:10) and Noah’s Ark lands in Armenia (Gen 8:4), it isn’t enough that we were the First Christian Nation, but each of us who is baptized of the Holy Font of the Armenian Church, each of us who is born again from our Holy Mother, as we come out of the water of Baptism, and the confirmation of the Holy Miuron – the priest sings, “We are called the New Israel! In Christ and we are a portion and joint heirs of Christ! (Նոր Իսրայէլ կոչեցաք ի Քրիստոս, եղաք բաժին Տեառն և ժառանքակից Քրիստոսի)

What power!!! We are connected to the Revolution that Christ started! Do you understand now? Every story in which Jesus give the sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf and life to the dead, he caps with the words, “Do not be afraid.”

The Saints, are the connection to the Divine. They have been through this path. They have reached out of their humanity and have been able to tap into Divine because Jesus Christ has been at the center of their being and the expression of their being. With all due respect to our brothers and sisters who have come and created new denominations, that reject and find little to know value in the saints, they have kept you away from the source of life. They have kept you from the HOLY MIURON! From that life-energy that ties you with all the SAINTS. That ties you to Christ, who is there from the beginning, and lives in the saints, Asdvadzadzin, Thaddeus and Bartholomew, Hripsime and Gayane, Loosavorich and Tirtad, 40 Martyrs of Sebatia, Shoushan and Santoukh, Datevatzi, Naregatzi, Shnorhali, in the Holy Martyrs of the Genocide, and on the front line in Artsakh and in all of us! The New Israel.

Let’s not look elsewhere. Return to the Church that connects us to the power of Christ. The Church with its Miuron from the time of St. Gregory the Illuminator and spread on the forheads of the soldier on the front line in Artsakh. We are called to march with the saints. We are called to come to Armenia’s defense with the weapons that we have always had. You are the new TRIUMPHANT in God! Pack with you the weapons of thought, speech, writing, aid, business, and money. Jesus Christ ushered in the Revolution and we have been connected to it. Today is the day to realize that the invitation is there for you to answer. Christ is in each of us. If you write, write, If you cook, cook, if you sew, sew, if you pray, pray, if you are a doctor, heal, if you are a person, have compassion, share that compassion and just see how, you can tap into the Divine.

God bless you, the Armenian People, the Armenian nation and Armenia. Amen.

A Bishop's Anniversary through the Carpet

2020-06-18T14:57:00.000-07:00

The Carpet in the Church: Reflections on the 40th Anniversary of Srpazan’s priesthood

By Fr. Vazken Movsesian

My life has been a tapestry of rich and royal hue, an everlasting vision of the ever changing view

A wondrous woven magic in bits of blue and gold, a tapestry to feel and see, impossible to hold

-Carole King

Sitting in the chancel area of the church can be a lonely place, especially during a coronavirus epidemic. There are chairs, a clear view of the altar area, oriental rugs on the floor and opportunities to be still and meditate. It is here that you contemplate your world on the outside: hatred, disease, hunger, bigotry, wars and try to reconcile those pains with the concept of celebration – whether the Badarak or an Anniversary. This morning I had a chance to think of both.

Last Sunday was the Feast of Holy Etchmiadzin. Our Primate, Hovnan Srpazan was celebrating the Divine Liturgy at the St. Leon (Ghevondyants) Cathedral. It was a day for personal testimony as well. His Eminence was celebrating the 40^th anniversary of his ordination into the Sacred Priesthood and 30^th anniversary of consecration as a bishop of the church. During his sermon, Srpazan reflected and emotionally recalled the day when he knelt before the altar of Etchmiadzin and accepted the Call from God to serve the Church. The Venerable Catholicos of Blessed Memory, His Holiness Vazken I, consecrated the young deacon and bestowed upon him the holy order of priest of the Armenian Church.

As the sermon continued my eyes focused on the ornate oriental rug in front of me.

Forty years! So much has taken place during those 40 years. Following ordination the young Fr. Hovnan traveled to Europe and was educated at Oxford. He was appointed to Canada, rose to the rank of bishop, shaped the Canadian Diocese before accepting the call to the Western Diocese 17 years ago. He saw to completion the building and consecration of the St. Leon (Ghevondyants) Cathedral and the expansion of Diocesan ministries.

Forty years ago perhaps the carpet that was lying in front of me was just being created. Single threads of different colors were coming together. One ornate pattern was leading to the next. Each pattern represents a space in time and has a unique story. Each pattern is a testament to the will and determination of a rug weaver. A flower on one row connects to a swirl above it and to a shape below it. Each dyed thread compliments the colors around it so much so that it is obvious that one master weaver has put this tapestry together in harmony and joy. The stories of the weavers we do not know, much like the goodness that is spread by a priest following his call and living his ministry.

The Archbishop continued his reflection and recounted how during the forty years, his love and loyalty to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin was always at the center of his actions. It was a love for Etchmiadzin that he felt as a young seminarian arriving in Armenia (1976). It was at Etchmiadzin that he met, grew and learned in the shadow of the great patriarch Vazken I (Catholicos from 1955-1994). Those early feelings matured and kept him connected to the efforts to build the Armenian Church of the 21^st Century. From the youth rallies to the 1700^th Anniversary of Christianity in Armenia to the 100^th year of the Genocide and now the renovation of the Mother Cathedral, Srpazan has left an imprint on the life of the Armenian Church that is accented in its harmony and completeness. At each assignment the Love of Christ was expressed in the outpouring of goodness and assistance to the communities – to the people who were part of the hurting world. Only God knows the how many have seen the wonders, have been helped by the outreach programs and have been inspired to do likewise in this hurting world.

As Srpazan spoke that morning, so did the rug. Viewed up-close, you might imagine that each pattern on the rug is a creation of a person and a place in time. How can it connect so perfectly to the other patterns on the carpet? Viewed from afar, the rug is one complete carpet that tells a story of people, of determination, of focus, of beauty and intertwined expressions. It’s obvious that there is a common thread that the master weaver has used to bring all of the elements together to form one complete display of beauty.

Indeed, it was exactly 40 years ago – in 1980 – on the Feast of Holy Etchmiadzin that Hovnan Srpazan was ordained. On this feast we celebrate the descent of Christ as expressed in the word etch-miadzin in the vision of St. Gregory the Illuminator (303AD). Christ is the thread that runs through the life of the Church, the one constant in the life of the people and clergy, bringing it all together to form the tapestry of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

The Church, brought together and tied by Christ is beautiful and complete. It is the functioning Body of Christ in this world.

During the last 40 years, Hovnan Srpazan has served the Holy Armenian Church. Each of the events and experiences he has worked through have come together to present a beautiful tapestry of sacrifice and love. Look at it as a whole and you see Christ working through His Church, Holy Etchmiadzin, which is the complete vision as seen by the Illuminator then and the expression of beauty today. In this vision and expression we can find the etch-miadzin – Christ descending into a world that is hurting, that suffers from hatred, disease, hunger and pain. For those few minutes sitting in the chancel of the church, I had a chance to see bits and pieces of two lives, our Srpazan’s and the art piece woven into a carpet. While we can appeal to so many different means to tend to the wounds and pains of this world, it is the human heart that needs to be mended. The elements to do so are all there, they are the dyes, the threads, the life, the events, Etchmiadzin and Christ active in our life.

With warm wishes for health and strength to our Primate, we say “Asdvadz Oknagan Srpazan” – May God be your helper, Srpazan.

Pentecost: Language after Asphyxiation

2020-06-02T12:07:00.002-07:00

Pentecost: Language after Asphyxiation

by Fr. Vazken Movsesian

Excerpts delivered at St. James Los Angeles, California, 31 May 2020

This morning, I came to this church with a lot on my mind. As I was preparing for my message for today – a message about the Pentecost and our lives today – the events of last night unfolded. Just a few days ago George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis and people have taken to the streets in protest. Unfortunately, some saw the opportunity to loot businesses and burn buildings.

George Floyd makeshift memorial in Minneapolis

Cause of Death: Asphyxiation "I can't breathe."

Now, I should mention that I was born in Los Angeles. This city is home to me. I should also mention that throughout my life I have been an activist and taken to the streets on many occasions to protest the inequality or injustice that we have witnessed. But last night, the sounds of protest were diverted by the violence, the rioting and the looting. This morning to get to church I took those same streets that hours ago were trashed, torn and set on fire. This is my home that they are trashing. But I back up a bit and I see that it is in my home – in the United States of America – that racism still exists. It is here where we watched a man pinned down to the ground, begging for his life, saying, “I can’t breathe!” and left to die. And this morning, the world has taken notice.

Today is Pentecost. Exactly 50 days after Easter. In Armenian we have a better and more descriptive name for this feast, we call it hokegalust which literally means the coming of the spirit. We read in Scripture (Acts 2) that on this day Jesus’ Disciples were assembled and dealing with the uncertainty of the times. This was the group of Disciples who only a few weeks earlier had witnessed their friend captured and beaten. They heard his plea as he gasped for air during the last torturous moments of his life on a cross, while authorities – both local and state officials – looked on, some with pleasure. After his death they pulled him off of the cross, not before pronouncing the cause of death: Asphyxiation.

Just when the Disciples had lost all hope in goodness, they heard that Jesus had resurrected from the dead. On that Pentecost – just a few weeks after those horrendous events – they were assembled and waiting for a message from their Lord.

Yes, we know that in this world there are different manifestations of evil. There is hatred, there is prejudice, intolerance, bigotry, racism, and injustice. These were present, at the time of Christ as they are now.

On top of everything else, we are in the middle of a pandemic. Along with the virus, there is fear in the air. We have been confined to our homes with this fear in our heart for several months now, our life and lifestyles have been disrupted.

When we feel uncomfortable because we have had to stay indoors, it is important to remember that this is only novel for us. Throughout the world there are so many different types of lock-downs. Our brothers and sisters in Syria right now have been in fear of their lives for the last several years, triggering a massive refugee problem throughout the world. Many of our families coming from the Middle East today have had to stay indoors because of a revolution here or a civil war there. In other countries, if it’s not COVID-19, it’s malaria. If not malaria it’s typhoid. And the list goes on. It is tempting to say these are unusual times, but not so when you look back on the history of the world. During the Genocide years (1915-23) it was not only okay to kill Armenians but it was the law to kill them.

Our church service today, with only a priest and a deacon – no choir, no music, no people – may seem unusual but in fact, the early Christians all celebrated the Holy Eucharist in similar quarantined circumstance. Today we are distanced from the Divine Liturgy because of the COVID-19 virus, but the early centuries of Christianity witnessed the viral infection of hatred and intolerance toward people of the Christian faith. In our history as Armenians we have had to celebrate the Badarak in secret – hidden – because of the invaders, their prejudices, intolerance of our differences and ultimately because of hatred.

Celebrating the Badarak continually has been our salvation. Through it we have kept our focus on the most important truth of all: That is, life is much more than this physical existence and all the goods and things that fill up our space. Perhaps that is why it bothers me when I hear people complain about simple matters such as missing a basketball game or a gathering at a comedy club, claiming that they are "missing out on life." There are people who are missing out on life because of prisons imposed by dictators, unjust laws or economic conditions in their home lands. And, what is being made very clear this week is that there are people who are missing out on life and missing from life because of the color of their skin.

We Armenians were in the same situation not too long ago. During the Genocide people were exiled from their homes, hunted down and killed with no trial, no defense, just killed in cold blood. We as a nation yelled out “We can’t breathe” and the world just looked on with no response. In the United States of America, in the Fresno area after the Genocide, Armenians had to take the ‘ian’ off their names just so they could find work, make a living and support their families. And the examples are many, all the way up until today from the outskirts of Artsakh to the inner city of Glendale. We have seen prejudice. We have been on the receiving end of injustice. And tragically, the world looked on and did not care. And if we stay quiet at this moment, we are no different than anyone else. If by chance you think that by pressing on the little thumbs-up LIKE button on Facebook is a way of showing your concern, sorry, don’t fool yourself. It’s not only not enough it's just contributing to big data collected by the company.

No, if we’re going to do something let’s do it in a manner that is fitting of the title “First Christian Nation.” Today is Pentecost. It is a Christian Feast. It is the celebration of the coming of the Holy Spirit. This is the event that empowered the Disciples to become Apostles. They were students who had learned from Jesus and were now in charge of the taking the message to the four corners of the world. According to the Book of Acts, the Holy Spirit gave the Disciples the gift of language. Imagine that. Jesus wanted the world to hear his message. He didn’t send the Holy Spirit to empower these men with guns, weapons, political power, or a sword. Instead he gave them a tool by which they could spread the message of love, namely, language. In other words, he gave them the tool to communicate and share a message of hope with others.

I ask you… what is necessary in our world today? What’s the tool that we need on our streets today? We need to talk. We need to learn to communicate with one another. Not hate, not hit, not hurt, not tear-down, but communicate with one another. It has been said that communications is the glue that holds society together. It brings order to chaos. It’s the basic lesson our moms taught us when we were young: Don’t fight, talk it out. When did we lose sight of this basic lesson?

That’s what happened on Pentecost, on hokegalust, on the feast of the coming of the Holy Spirit, we received the one tool that can unite us. It is a language with which we can tell one another, I understand your pain. I am with you.

In Armenia there is a beautiful expression that the people use. It’s an expression which let’s the other person know that you empathize with them. Dzav’t tanem. It literally means, “Let me take your pain.” Let me understand your pain. Let me walk in your shoes so I know what its like to be you.

Today Armenians have a mission. We can stay in our small little corner or we can get on the world-stage and tell people that yes, we have been there. We have done that. Our entire history is one of overcoming the worst odds. We have survived prejudice and intolerance that have manifest themselves in the form of barbarism, imprisonment, massacres and even Genocide. We have flourished without military might, without weapons of war, without diplomatic strength. What we have had is faith. We have had the tool – the ability to articulate and communicate with the world on many levels and in many forms.

Back in 1965 the world-renowned cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead proposed to the United Nations and to the world that Armenian should be adopted as an international language. But as we all know, it didn’t make it. Politically we weren’t there. English is an international language today as are the Chinese and the Russian languages. Why? Not because they are any purer than Armenian but because politically, their host countries are at the forefront of international relations. If I heard Margaret Mead’s call I would immediately go out and learn this most incredible language. But I certainly would not stop there because the entire purpose of that language is to communicate. It is the means by which we can get things done and therefore I will adapt the tool that will help to bring about my work, namely, to bring about peace and harmony.

The Holy Spirit came and gave the Disciples the gift of language so that they could go out to the four corners of the world and spread the message of Love. To Thaddeus and Bartholomew was given the gift of speaking Armenian so they could take the Gospel to Armenia. And to each Disciple a different variety of that gift was given, and they took that gift – that tool – to spread the message of love. Thomas went all the way to India, Andrew to Scotland, Peter to Rome and so on.

Each of the Disciples went to a different part of the world, speaking a different language but preaching the same message: Love one another! Take care of one another! And whether it is a pandemic or the riots on the streets instigated by hatred and intolerance, there is only one message that needs to be spread: Love one another. The languages are different, but the message is the same. You can overcome anything including hatred with the gift God has given you. It is love. Not with more hatred but love.

I leave you with this message today on this Pentecost as we are watching our cities go up in flames and intolerance and hatred escalating: Counteract evil not with more hatred but with love. Let your love begin by understanding. Put your foot in the shoes of others. Then communicate a simple message of love and friendship. This is sharing the love of God.

We will now conclude today’s service with a requiem (hokehangist). I will be including the name of George Floyd in those for whom we offer prayers today. George Floyd is, of course, the man who is at the center of all the protests. In other words, what I’m doing now is adding the name of a man who was killed because of racism, who was not Armenian, whose skin color is different than ours. He will be remembered today in this Armenian Church in the city of Los Angeles in an Armenian prayer. It is not the end of our problems, but it is a start. Every first step is taken when we extend ourselves. It is a way of saying we have different languages but only one main message. We will not allow his death to be in vain if at the very least we can learn to talk, communicate, and share some understanding and love with one another.

Sasnashen

2020-05-17T13:13:00.001-07:00

INTRO TO THIS POST:

This is an archive for four articles which were written in 2018 and 2019 about Sasnashen, the USAirforce C-130 shoot down, and the challenges for the day. They were originally published on the Western Diocesan website and are presented here in chronological order.
- Fr. Vazken

14 September 2018 - REFLECTIONS ON THE US AIR FORCE C-130 60528 SHOOT DOWN OVER SASNASHEN, ARMENIA
25 July 2019 - DISCOVERING SASNASHEN VILLAGE, TOWN OF TALIN
3 October 2019 - OPENING SASNASHEN YOUTH CENTER
8 November 2019 - VETERANS DAY MESSAGE FROM SASNASHEN ARMENIA

REFLECTIONS ON THE US AIR FORCE C-130 60528 SHOOT DOWN OVER SASNASHEN, ARMENIA

Published - 14 September 2018

By Fr. Vazken Movsesian

(Photos courtesy of Pat Morrow)

“Kahanayk yev joghovort” are the first words of the requiem service of the Armenian Church. The words translate to “the priests and people” referring to a gathering of those who remember the dead in prayer. And there we were, the priest and people, in solemn remembrance of 17 men who perished 60 years ago to the day. I was singing the hymn but this gathering was not in any Armenian church. Far from one, we were standing in the middle of America in Bellevue, Nebraska, near the Offutt Air Force Base. The gathering? Sixty years ago, in the height of the Cold War, a United States Air Force C-130 was shot out of the sky by the Soviet Union. The plane crashed in the village of Nerkin Sasnashen, Armenia (about 60km Northwest of Yerevan).

It was interesting that I sang the hymn in Armenian and no one in the audience understood the language, yet everyone knew very well what was happening. We were connecting as people. We were uniting the remote village of Sasnashen with Bellevue. Armenia was uniting with Nebraska and all of this to attest that a group of men were united with eternity.

Like many Armenians, or many people in general, I had not heard of this shoot-down incident. We grew up in the Cold War fearing the worst, with duck-and-cover drills executed in our school hallways on a regular basis. But who knew that the Cold War was being played out with a shoot-down in Armenia? We should have known for in fact, this major international incident was the most publicized confrontation between the Soviet Union and the U.S. military during the Cold War!

On September 2, 1958, four Soviet MiG-17 pilots attacked and shot down an unarmed US reconnaissance aircraft after its crew inadvertently flew into Soviet airspace over Armenia. Seventeen United States Air Force airmen were killed in the crash at Sasnashen. The incident was covered up until the break up of the Soviet Union – and then some – when the remains of the C-130 60528 Crew were excavated from the crash site and interred on the 40^th anniversary of the shoot-down, with a headstone identifying the members of the Crew* at Arlington Cemetery in Virginia.

Fortunately, the details of the incident, the cover-up, the years of denial, the reconciling with the facts up to the present day have been meticulously documented by Larry Tart and have been published in his book, “The Price of Vigilance: Attacks on American Surveillance Flights” (2001 with Robert Keefe). The book and detailed information can be found at Mr. Tart’s website, www.LarryTart.com. He has also prepared a short briefing video (which was shown at the Bellevue gathering) where the main details of the incident are outlined: https://youtu.be/RDqjaKCln_4

One of the eye-witnesses to the event was a young man, Martin Kakosian, a college student on a field trip in 1958. Kakosian, a skilled sculptor, later collaborated with the villagers to create a memorial — a khatchkar— honoring an unknown American crew that had died unceremoniously at the edge of their village. In late August 1993, Sasnashen village commemorated the 35^th anniversary of the shoot-down during the unveiling of the khachkar.

Keynote

Mr. Tart, on behalf of the Prop Wash Gang, the organizers of this gathering, wrote to both the Eastern and Western Dioceses of the Armenian Church asking for a priest to offer the requiem prayer at this 60^th anniversary. Archbishop Hovnan Derderian assigned me to this event. As mentioned, the incident was news to me; however, not for long. I was engaged in the story from my first reading of the account. After a few conversations with Mr. Tart, the PWG asked me to offer the Keynote Address for the Commemoration.

This invitation was a true honor for me on many levels. As a priest I was there to offer the prayer and even to reflect, but it was a personal experience at the time of my father’s death over 25 years ago that connected me directly to the story that was unfolding before me. My father was a veteran of the Korean War. I remember vividly to this day the overwhelming emotions that surged in me when at his funeral military personnel presented the flag of the United States to my mother, and said, “On behalf of the President of the United States, the United States Army and a grateful Nation, please accept this flag as a symbol of our appreciation for your husband’s honorable and faithful service.” I remember being moved to tears when realizing that great men are defined by the sacrifice they make. People in service to others truly define greatness. In the church we speak of martyrdom as an expression of sacrifice. As a priest I share the Gospel of Christ, and His words, “Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (Jn 15:13) While Jesus refers to his own death in this passage, he also gives an opportunity for us to understand our service and sacrifice to others. It was the expression of that devotion and sacrifice that was moving the direction of the message I wanted to share.

Furthermore, as an Armenian, I wanted to also emphasize the diverse set of circumstance which have contributed to Armenian history and to the events of the shoot down. As history will attest, Armenia and Armenians are often caught in the middle of battles not by our choosing. The US Air Force plane took off from bases in Eastern Turkey, that is, occupied Armenia. The plane was shot down over Armenia, occupied by the Soviets. (And yes, the plane was shot down by a Mig-17, named after Migoyan.) In every way Armenians are the by-standers to this particular history; nevertheless, Armenian have a message to share that can lead to healing.

The day arrived and we met with people from throughout the United States. They had all come to commemorate, to remember, to re-connect with a story and with others who shared the same values and understanding of the sacrifice made by these 17 men.

The acting President of the Prop Wash Gang, Chief Lonnie Henderson, emceed the program. He had set up a “Missing Man Table” at the center of the banquet hall. The table was set on a white tablecloth, containing 17 red roses in vases and a place setting for one – one representing them all. A shaker of salt next to the setting was a bitter reminder of what had transpired. There, the names of the 17 men were written along with the poem “We See the Eagles Fly.”

Tom Giroir, offered the invocation and introduced me as an Armenian priest. In referencing to my background he pointed to our ministry of “In His Shoes,” that is, those who have suffered evil have a unique responsibility to take action against injustice to others. It was on this premise that I shared my thoughts for the evening with the group.

With a quick look at history, I spoke of the rich story of the Armenian people and the land. I spoke of the Armenian Genocide as an event but also as a spring-board to addressing the despicable reality of Genocide that continues to take place in our world. Most especially, I shared with the group the need to stay ever-vigilant in their resolve to remember the sacrifices of their fallen brothers. Vigilance and remembrance must have manifestations today in our actions to combat evil on all fronts.

After I offered the ancient requiem prayer of the Armenian Church and remembered all 17 of the fallen servicemen by name, Chief Lonnie honored me in a manner I will forever remember. On behalf of the Prop Wash Gang he presented a shadow box with an actual piece of the downed-plane. Here I would have a tangible reminder of the sacrifice made by these men and the ever-essential necessity to stay vigilant against injustice. He also gifted me Larry Tart’s book, “The Price of Vigilance” signed by the author. These are the treasures, coupled with the stories I heard, that I return to the Diocese to share with Armenian men and women of all ages.

I confessed that in all my travels to Armenia I have never been to Sasnashen. Now, I don’t think I can go back to Armenian without visiting Sasnashen. I hope to do so in October of this year. There, I promised the group, I will take the spirit and the energy that was brewing in this room on September 2, 2018. It was a powerful and moving spirit.

Finally, with the recitation of the poem, “We See the Eagles” the Commemoration on the 60^th Anniversary of the Shoot Down came to an end.

A plaque with the names of the 17 men and this poem was presented to me.

This evening we connected on a human level. We were there to honor sacrifice – the expression of love by these 17 men. We connected Bellevue Nebraska mystically to Sasnashen, Armenia. This evening we understood that the most fundamental of all human expressions – to extend ourselves to others, to love and share is essential. It is the legacy that has been left to us by the 17 men who were shot down giving themselves for something greater than themselves, for our country and ultimately for humanity. And we accept the challenge to perpetuate and share this legacy beyond this evening.

WE SEE THE EAGLES FLY

We see the eagles fly...

lookin’ north

toward the Caucasus Mountains

‘bout nine in the morning

Warm September day

Clear

No clouds

We see the eagles fly...

...effortlessly

riding the currents

Soaring above all

Majestic

Supreme

We see the eagles fly...

...and those eagles

look a lot like

The Prop Wash Gang

September 2, 1997

The 17 services men of US Air Force C-130 60528 who were shot down on September 2, 1958 in Sasnashen, Armenia were A2C Joel H. Fields, A2C Gerald H. Medeiros, A2C James E. Ferguson, Jr., A2C Gerald C. Maggiacomo, Capt Paul E. Duncan, SSgt Laroy Price, 1Lt John E. Simpson, TSgt Arthur L. Mello, A2C Robert H. Moore, Capt Edward J. Jeruss, MSgt George P. Petrochilos, A2C Clement O. Mankins, 1Lt Ricardo M. Villarreal, A1C Robert J. Oshinskie, Capt Rudy J. Swiestra, A2C Harold T. Kamps, A2C Archie T. Bourg, Jr.

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DISCOVERING… SASNASHEN VILLAGE IN THE TOWN OF TALIN, ARMENIA A PLACE FOR KIDS TO FEEL WELCOME, SHARE AND EXPLORE OPTIONS TO MAXIMIZE THEIR POTENTIAL

Published - 25 July 2019

By Fr. Vazken Movsesian

Main Photo Caption: At the Crash site monument: Fr. Vazken, Anna Galachyan (assisting Fr. Vazken), Yeretsgin Hripsime & Fr. Tade with one of their daughter's Tatev.

Last summer, our Diocesan Primate Archbishop Hovnan Derderian assigned me to an event at the Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. I was to deliver the keynote address at a gathering commemorating the 60^th Anniversary of the shoot-down of US Air Force C-130 #60528. The hosts and organizers of the event were members of the Prop Wash Gang. Before going any further… let’s get the obvious questions out of the way: Why a priest of the Armenian Church? … at a US Air Force base? …to hundreds of servicemen and their families? So first, let’s back up 60 years…

In 1958 – during the height of the Cold War – a United States Air Force C-130 flying a reconnaissance mission on the Turkish/Armenian border was shot down by the Soviets. The plane crashed in the village of Sasnashen, Armenia and lost its entire crew of 17 servicemen. The Soviets did not admit to the severity of the tragedy until after the fall of the USSR and by 1992 – some 34 years after the incident – the remains of all 17 men were returned to the United States for proper recognition and committal. Since that time commemorations have been taken place, including the placing of a khatchkar (cross stone) and a monument at the crash site with visits by U.S. military and government officials.

Now… on the evening of September 2, 2018, exactly 60 years to the date of the crash I stood before the servicemen and their families. I explained that in 1958 Armenia was completely occupied, that is, the place where the C-130 took-off (Van) was in Armenia occupied by the Turks and that where the plane crashed was occupied by the Soviets. After speaking about Armenian history and our faith as Christian, there in Nebraska, I offered the requiem hymn and prayer of the Armenian Church for the souls of the 17 victims of the shoot-down.

The group honored me by giving me a framed piece of the tail of the fallen plane. Then, spontaneously they took up a collection and asked that I use the money to benefit the children of Sasnashen. Here, I had to confess that I did not know where Sasnashen was but I also promised that from this point on I would not travel to Armenia without visiting the village which had brought us and tied us together 60 years after the tragedy.

On October 25, 2018, I made it to the village of Sasnanshen – about 65km out of Yerevan toward the Northwest border of Armenia. The closest town is Talin (about 10 kms away) with a population of about 4,000. Through our Armenian Church I connected with Fr. Tadé Tamazyan, the priest of the Talin and a number of villages that surround the Town, one of those villages being Sasnashen (population 750). My deacon Hrayr Nalbandian, drove us up to there and together with the priest we climbed a rocky road to the crash-site where a monument stands in this remote and obscure corner of the world. It is a tall standing memorial with a plaque written in both Armenian and English:

September 2, 1958

We must never forget that freedom is never really free. It is the most costly thing in the world.
Freedom is never paid in a lump sum. Installments come due in every generation.
All any of us can do is offer the generations that follow a chance for freedom.

There, under the open skies and the silence of the village we offered a prayer for the 17 fallen servicemen as well as a prayer for peace.

In Sasnashen, beyond the economic challenges of village life, there are few, if any, opportunities for young people to advance in education, or even to explore and exploit their potential. There are government schools but after school-hours and on weekends the children end up on the rural roads without supervision and/or guidance. Father Tadé has access to the schools and offers weekly classes to children in the village schools and is known and recognized youth. We decided to use the Prop Wash Gang funds to further opportunities for youth in the Sasnashen village by creating a Center for after school-hours, where young people can feel welcome, share and explore options to maximize their potential in life.

With the encouragement and blessing of Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, the Primate of the Western Diocese we quickly began work on organizing this program called “Sasnashen Youth Center.” The Catholicos of All Armenians, HH Kareken II gave a small house directly across the street from the Talin church with the understanding that it would be used as a gathering place for youth. The collected funds were used to bring the house up to standards for a meeting place. We repaired the plumbing, installed a kitchenette, lavatory and new windows. We have been monitoring the renovation process via pictures and videos sent to us by Fr. Tadé.

On July 18, 2019 I personally made a trip to the area to monitor progress and meet with Fr. Tadé and others to discuss the program. I also met with the head of the Aragatsotn Diocesan, Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan to assure a proper working relationship between all of our parties. He officially pronounced the name of this project as Sasnashen Youth Center and we are scheduled to open on September 29, 2019. It will be dedicated in the name of the servicemen who perished in the village in 1958. A framed piece of the plane will be presented to the Center at that time.

This is a place where young people can first and foremost feel welcome, safe and loved. It is a gathering place to study, to learn, or merely congregate after school. We furnished the room and provided computers with internet connections so that we can visit remotely. Fr. Tadé plans to bring speakers and mentors with specialties to direct and share time with the kids.

If successful, this can be a pilot project which can be replicated in villages for a low cost and can take advantage of local resources – personnel and physical spaces – which are often overlooked. In this case, those resources were found in the apartment/house which was vacant and unused because of its condition and a priest who has unique access and connection to the young people.

Opportunities to help others are God given. Our Church is the vehicle by which we do our work. I thank Archbishop Hovnan for giving me this opportunity to engage with brothers and sisters in Christ in the village of Sasnashen. From the grave tragedy of the 1958 shoot-down a new beginning and opportunity for education is extended to the children of that village. Before leaving the village we had an opportunity to pray together at the church in Talin. There, we also offered prayers for the repose of the souls of the servicemen as well as Deacon Hrayr Nalbandian, who shared in our first connection with the community.

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OPENING OF SASNASHEN YOUTH CENTER

Published - 3 October 2019

(Photo Caption: from Left to Right) Yn. Talin and Fr. Haroutiun Tachejian, Yn. Susan and Fr. Vazken Movsesian, Fr. Tadé and Yn. Hripsimé Takhmazian in front of the plaque with the names of the fallen service man and a framed piece of the plane which was shot down on September 2, 1958.

By Fr. Vazken Movsesian

On September 29, 2019, with the blessings of His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, we ventured off to the town of Talin for the opening of the Sasnashen Youth Center. This was the culmination of a year’s worth of planning and organization across the globe, with limited resources, difficult communications and the challenges of a cold winter that put our work on hold for several months. Nevertheless, the power of prayer, the joy of helping children and our commitment to the project made it a labor of love that was celebrated by a community in this remote part of Armenia.

I have been writing and speaking about the remarkable chain of events that brought about this project. Quickly, the story begins at the height of the Cold War, mid 20^th century and picks up when this Armenian priests makes a connection at the US Air Force base in Nebraska with members of the Prop Wash Gang. We shared the story of the US Air Force C-130 60528 shoot down, when in 1958, seventeen servicemen perished as their plane came down in Sasnashen, Armenia. For a refresher on the details, check out my blog from last year. https://armodoxy.blogspot.com/2018/09/reflections-on-sasnashen-shoot-down.html

Then came a proposal by the members of the Prop Wash Gang: Here’s an amount of money we have collected. Can you see to it that the kids in Sasnashen are helped in some way? I have to admit, when they asked me I had no idea where in Armenia to find Sasnashen. In fact, so obscure is this village of 700+ inhabitants that I could not find anyone, especially taxi drivers in Yerevan, who knew where to locate it either. Finally, thanks to Google maps and my deacon, Hrayr Nalbandian, we made it there. Sasnashen is about 10km outside of the town of Talin, which is about an hour’s drive out of Yerevan. Calling on an Armenian priest,* Fr. Tadé Takhmazian, who serves the population of Sasnashen and nine-other villages, I began to learn about the needs of the community, people and especially the youth. We decided to work on creating a youth center – a safe place for young people to feel belonging, learn, grow and mature in faith as productive members of the community.

*I cold-called Fr. Tadé from a number given to me by one of my clergy brothers who had met him only months early. Note: I don’t believe in coincidences or in chance. I believe in blessings, which I have defined as luck, without the element of chance. Fr. Tadé is a blessing.

We found a house in Talin owned by the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. The house was in need of major repair, but at least it was a space which would serve our purposes. Between Fr. Tadé, myself and a handful of local volunteers we cleaned, renovated, painted and bought furniture to make this house conducive for our youth-center purposes. In July, I went and oversaw the final touches. At the time I presented an update: http://www.wdacna.com/news/1632/Discovering…-Sasnashen-Village-in-the-Town-of-Talin,-Armenia-A-place-for-kids-to-feel-welcome,-share-and-explore-options-to-maximize-their-potential

And now… September 29, we held the opening of the Sasnashen Youth Center in Talin.

Along with a contingent from our Bible Study group in Glendale we made the journey, 12 time-zones away, to celebrate this new project. We joined the St. James pilgrimage organized by Fr. Haroutioun Tachejian, visiting many of the historic and spiritually significant sites in Armenia. Together, with the St. James group, about 25 of us from America attended this opening.

I was honored to celebrate the Divine Liturgy that morning at the Holy Asdvadzadzin church in Talin. It was the feast day of the Cross of Varak and so I offered an ookhdi badarak and so directed my sermon to the needs of the community and the crosses we all carry.

Following the service in church, Fr. Tadé led us to the newly renovated house and we officially dedicated and opened it as the Sasnashen Youth Center with a ribbon cutting ceremony. I offered the warmest greetings of His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian who has set the vision for our involvement in Armenia at this level. In turn Fr. Tadé thanked the local primate, His Grace Bishop Mkrtich Broshyan, for granting this opportunity for expansion.

For this occasion the Prop Wash Gang sent a shadow box which contains a piece of the wreckage of the C-130 that was shot-down by the Soviet Union. As part of the dedication, the shadow box and a plaque listing the names of the 17 servicemen who were killed on September 2, 1958 now adorns the wall of the Center as a permanent reminder of the tragedy.

We were honored to have with us Maksena Haroutiunyan, widow of the late internationally renown sculptor Martin Kakosian. As an 18 year-old young man, Martin Kakosian was an eye-witness to the shoot down. He was instrumental in the dedication of the original khatchkar which stood as a marker for the tragedy until later, when he designed and constructed the current monument which stands on a hill near the crash site in Sasnashen. Mrs. Haroutiunyan shared a stirring account of what had transpired, recollections that her husband had shared with her, and spoke of the need to never forget the tragedy that befell the servicemen on 1958. She brought pictures and was available to the attendees to discuss the circumstances of the shoot-down.

The one man who initially connected me with the shoot-down of the C-130 60528, the Prop Wash Gang and ultimately with Sasnashen is Larry Tart, author of “The Price of Vigilance” (2001) and “Freedom through Vigilance” (2010). I’ve never met him in person yet feel a kindred spirit in him. He signs his emails to me “In Brotherhood” and on this day that fraternal bond became very real and concrete. During the opening ceremony I know he was with us. I took advantage of the attentiveness of the group and gave some background to the people on the importance of Mr. Tart’s personal vigilance in this story.

With much excitement and joy we dedicated the house to the education and elucidation of the village children and youth. Fr. Tadé has a magnetic personality and has won the hearts of the children in the villages. Every week he visits the students in Sasnashen and nine other villages in the area. He shared his vision with us; the Center will be a place where children can learn, play, explore their options, and most importantly share and talk with other young people and mentors. We donated and installed computers in the Center to make e-chats possible between the kids there and young people in America. Fr. Tadé is in the process of organizing a line-up of mentors, educators, leaders, workers, businessmen and priests to come to the Center on a regular basis to work with the youth. His enthusiasm was contagious and inspired some of the guests to donate toward the goals of the Center.

Following the opening ceremony, the group travelled the 10km ride to Sasnashen, where we visited the crash-site and the monument. There, we offered a requiem prayer to the 17 servicemen and also remembered Martin Kakosian and Deacon Hrayr Nalbandian in our prayers. May God rest their souls.

We arranged with one of the with one of the local village families to host a lunch/celebration. Inside their house we truly celebrated with food, wine, song and dance. Today, from the midst of tragedy, a new chapter was being opened in the life of the village and in the life of young people wanting an opportunity for a better life. Many of the villagers suffer immense economic hardships. Education and building up self-worth are the cornerstones of this project.

The opening ceremony, with transportation and meal was sponsored by the In His Shoes ministry. If you would like to aid the young people of Sasnashen through the Center, you may make a one-time donation or sign up for a monthly pledge by visiting our website and pressing on the “Donate Button.” Funds earmarked for the Sasnashen Youth Center will be transferred entirely to the Center.

To learn more and to follow along on all of our outreach programs, sign up for the In His Shoes newsletter, and/or follow us on Instagram and Facebook for pictures and comments about the opening. The Center will soon launch its own FB page and can be followed there as well.

I take this opportunity to thank all those who made this day a reality: Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese, Larry Tart and the Prop Wash Gang of the US AirForce, Fr. Tadé & Yn. Hripsimé Takhmazian of Talin, members of our Bible Study group in Glendale and the In His Shoes Mission, with the Next Step listeners – for their donations and most importantly for their prayers. God bless you all. We look forward to the good works and achievements of the youth, with growth in a spirit of love.

Encountering Anew: Vazken I

2019-08-16T23:26:00.001-07:00

Encounter Anew: Vazken I

by Fr. Vazken Movsesian

When His Holiness Vazken the First was elected in 1955 to head the Armenian Apostolic Church, Armenia was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union. The Cold War was in full swing and the Iron Curtain was more than a convenient metaphor. It very definitely separated East from West. The notion of a Church – a sacred and established religious institution—surviving in a system which preached atheism sounded absurd to many. But there, in the shadow of Biblical Mt. Ararat and in the place where Jesus Christ descended to mark the spot where the first Christian Nation would build the first cathedral, the Armenian Church was overtly being driven by the power of the Holy Spirit. During the 39 years that followed, Catholicos Vazken led the Armenian Church with wisdom and divine grace against the internal and external threats that were beating on an already fragile church. In 1991, with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the proclamation of Armenian Independence, the first papers of citizenship, most deserving, were given to this Venerable Patriarch. He had overcome obstacles, met challenges, delivered the Church to the doorsteps of the new millennium and in so doing, managed to inspire generations of us.

During the years as Catholicos, to many of us living in the United States – as well as in most parts of the Diaspora - His Holiness Vazken I was the embodiment of the Armenian Church. Think not in terms of the 100+ years that have removed us from the atrocities of 1915, rather imagine a time when only a few decades separated us from those memories. It was common to attend an Armenian gathering and sit side-by-side with a survivor of the Genocide - to hear her story or see his pain. It was a time when a survivor from Van would share his story with another from Kharpert or Izmir, and yet another from Tomarza. Improbable as it may sounded – the ideas that survivors of a Genocide, pulled from the homeland by mass exiles and marches, would find themselves on the other side of the globe meeting and visiting with others who shared their plight – it was happening. And the most common place where these meetings took place were under the domes of the Armenian Churches which decorated the diaspora landscape.

His Holiness expressed himself about the Diaspora while Independence was only a dream and a hope, while Glasnost and Perestroika (remember those words?) were yet to enter the Western lexicon.

… In the future, the framework for a return to the Homeland may be established. And, in fact, it is likely that such programs for repatriation will be organized. As the Catholicos all Armenians, we will be the first to offer prayers and rejoice on the occasion. … The existence of the diaspora should not be a source of fear and despair. On the contrary, destiny has thrust upon us the diaspora – a challenge which we must confront with courage and honor, structuring our life on a firm and enduring foundation of today, tomorrow… the strongest, the safest and the most reliable foundation upon which the structure of the entire Diaspora can be built today is and always will be the Armenian Apostolic Church – our Mother Church. (Paris, 1979)

ACYO Central Council 1960, San Francisco

I have many memories of the great Pontiff as do many others. I was honored to be given his name as a crown upon my ordination. But my first encounter with His Holiness would not be remembered had it not been for a very special photograph. I was four years old and my parents were in ACYO when His Holiness made his first visit to the United States in 1960. The ACYO Central Council had an audience with His Holiness in San Francisco and I was there. A shutter clicked and I had my first memory. My parents framed and placed that picture prominently in our home. His Holiness was larger-than-life, and the photograph would fortify that largeness every time I looked at it. His kind face was contrasted by the long black robe he donned, overshadowing the four year old little boy next to him. This was the beginning of the 1960s. A few years later, this decades was to be defined by protests, distrust for government and institutions. Individual identity was being defined along ethnic lines, Civil Rights were being demanded for all, and that picture of Vazken the First was something I could point to and claim as ours.

In the Los Angeles area, as well as throughout the world, we were coming to terms with our living in the diaspora and the ugly reality which caused the diaspora phenomenon. We heard the stories of mass atrocities from our grandparents and collectively we demonstrated for justice. In Montebello, the Armenian Genocide Martyrs Memorial Monument was being planned. My father was on the building committee for this structure and as children we were there for all the milestones: groundbreaking, fundraisers and endless speeches. Then in 1968, the Monument was to open to the public. His Holiness Vazken I was there from Armenia. His presence, his charisma, his mannerism and his words said in a united voice for All Armenians: the Armenians have arrived. There is no hiding the truth! The Genocide will never be forgotten.

My dad gave me a small camera that day to photograph the scenes. He was busy with the organizing efforts involving thousands of Armenians and dignitaries who had come to pay respect to the past but also to celebrate the presence of the leader of the most ancient Christian tradition on Earth. To this day I remember that camera – a Mansfield using 127 film. I snapped away and with each click of the shutter I was building a library of memories that would serve as the platform for my future ministry. His Holiness had given the community a booster shot to stay vigilant in the quest for justice. But for this young boy, it was among my first major dose of the vaccination against apathy and indifference. Even going to school during those days was a pleasure because I didn’t have to search for current events: I was living through history.

By the early ‘70s I had felt the call to enter the priesthood. After completing my undergraduate work my studies continued at the Seminary of Holy Etchmiadzin. During that time, I took it all in. Travel to Armenia was limited. There was also a sense of isolation and loneliness being there. 1977 technology included a broken-down phone system in Armenia which made my reliance on the postal system the only hope of connecting with family and friends. A letter would take about a month to get to America and another month to get back, and of course, envelopes arrived opened, read and sometimes missing items such as the coveted powdered coffee sent to me by my mom.

With my sister, January 1978

But His Holiness was sensitive to my plight. Even as head of the worldwide Armenian Church, he was always available for a fatherly talk. He approved my bishop’s request to ordain me into the diaconate and even arranged for my sister to visit while I was on Winter break. During the school year he taught a class in psychology. I was blessed to sit in on those classes. Considering psychology was my undergraduate degree I was in awe of how current and relevant His Holiness’ lectures were, how he engaged students in the learning process and challenged us with his assignments.

Easter Week 1978

After returning from Etchmiadzin I continued my graduate studies at USC until the time came for my ordination. September 26, 1982 on the feast of the Holy Cross of Varak, I was ordained into the sacred priesthood by Archbishop Vatché Hovsepian and given the name Vazken. It turned out, said Archbishop Hovsepian, that it was exactly 27 years to the day that His Holiness Vazken I was ordained and out of respect to him he ordained the youngest priest with that name. In fact, the honor was to be mine; it was an honor of a lifetime to be named after a living hero of the Armenian Church and the Armenian people.

The 60’s and 70’s were times of change, of revolution and understanding ourselves as the agents of change. The music called us to activism and the atmosphere called us to reach out to one another to improve the world we had inherited and borrowing from our children. His Holiness Vazken the First was a mentor and a living example of an activist for justice. He was a revolutionary who understood the value of diplomacy and knew well how to exercise his options for the betterment of his people.

Blessing in San Francisco 1987

The last time I saw His Holiness was in 1987 when he made his third and final pontifical visit to the United States. By this time Susan and I had our first son Varoujan. He blessed us as a family. Coincidently we were once again in San Francisco for this blessing. Click. I keep that picture hanging in our home as a reminder and inspiration of what the Church must be and can be through its leadership.

If ever there is an overt display of the Holy Spirit guiding the Holy Church, it was during the pontificate of His Holiness Vazken the First. He led the Church during the Cold War. He was attacked by atheist ideologies from the outside. From the inside, party factions and the ugliness of divisiveness ate away at him. The church was being played as a pawn in a game but he met each challenge with love in his heart – love toward God and toward every one of his children in the Armenian nation. Without discrimination he cared about all of his children. As he ascended to the Apostolic Seat of St. Thaddeus and the Holy Throne of St. Gregory the Illuminator he kept firm to his Faith and his calling. He led with courage and valor. He articulated the primary goal of the Armenian Church “is to be the true messenger of the Gospel and to herald the Good News of Jesus Christ to the Armenian people.” He did not compromise himself nor his principles.

Twenty five years have passed since his passing. Today we invite you to Encounter Anew Vazken the First of Blessed Memory.

For Michael Collins, Andrew and dad

2019-07-17T10:08:00.001-07:00

July 17, 2019 – Yerevan.

Some people perform miracles. Others facilitate them. Both are necessary to make miracles.

Today is my dad’s birthday. He was born humbly in the Diaspora to parents who had escaped the Armenian Genocide. He had a desire to see Armenia and even articulated that it was where we belonged. But life, being what it is, kept him busy tending to the needs of our family.

The python hold on his namesake

In 1988, after the Armenian Earthquake, he applied for his passport. He was a pharmacist and physician by profession. It would have been his first time leaving the United States – the country which had given him home, opportunity, the country he had served with his life. But the calling to serve the needs of a hurting country and people were overwhelming. He knew he had to go. Sadly, with passport in hand, conditions did not allow him to travel and he passed away shortly thereafter.

My dad was a facilitator of miracles. He wasn’t the main show, but without him the show wouldn’t go on. He and my mom created a life out of nothing, a fairly huge miracle by all accounts considering the plan of Genocide precluded the survival of any – even one - Armenian. In my dad’s case the miracle wasn’t mere survival but thriving, with culture, art, song and dance. As a facilitator of dreams, he made it possible for so many others to enjoy the true miracles of life and happiness.

Facilitating a session of duduk play

Fifty years ago, three men launched from Earth to visit our closest celestial neighbor. We all remember Neil Armstrong this week, for his “small step” and his “giant leap” on the surface of the moon. We might even remember Buzz Aldrin, who followed and danced on the moon. But few will remember the third member of the team Michael Collins, who facilitated the lunar landing. He sat in the lunar orbiter, circling and waiting for just the right moment to insure the safe return home of his party of three. Michael Collins wasn’t the main show but without him there would be no moon-dance.

Throughout life we are inspired by stories, the trials, tribulations and accomplishments of men and women who have done seemingly impossible feats – performed miracles - and all the while we miss the opportunity to celebrate the unsung heroes who lifted the curtains for the performers, sewed the space suits for the astronauts or laid the foundation for the brilliance of thought.

Statue of Garegin Njdeh - inscription:
“God, Nation, Fatherland.
Live and work only for those things
that are worth dying for and dye
only for those things that
are worth living for.”

One of my heroes from scripture is the St. Andrew. He is known as the first-called disciple of Christ. He humbly followed and served God. In the narratives we read that he was the one who introduced the boy with the fish and loaves to Christ. Andrew: he wasn’t the main act, but without him there was no “feeding of the 5,000.” (John 6:1-15) Miracles don’t happen without facilitators.

So I sit here in Yerevan, Armenia – a country of miracles – across the statue of Garegin Njdeh and salute the unsung heroes in our lives. The ones who touch the moon without landing, the ones who can’t cook but feed thousands and the ones who plant the seeds for us to nurture and ensure their sprouting. Happy Birthday dad, you made it.

The sound of the rest note

The bow screeches the string

as we note the sharp descension from life’s song

Critical critic finds disharmony

twist noes, written and played

The bow screeches the string

downstroke,

All that is meant to be played is written

1971 - taking a leap
at Dorthy Chandler Pavilion
L.A.

We have disguised the song

It’s not the tune we want

Nor the one we’ve heard.

Day turns to night

Abundance must be paid for

Fiddler on the edge of traffic’s lane

Needs to provide us with song and dance

We set the beat and count the notes.

Skip the rest one

Whole or half

giving becomes obsession

as critic searches for consistence

finding no concert

Finale.

The bow glides on the string

Four strings sing as one

Paganini sleeps to a pure tone tune

We awake to a song

From beginning to end

it is our song.

-vk

Darkness: Living Without the Light

2019-06-19T16:59:00.002-07:00

Sunset at Lake Sevan - 2014

Sermon at the "Service of Darkness"
Holy Thursday, 18 April 2019, St. Leon Armenian Cathedral, Burbank, California
at the invitation of His Eminence Abp. Hovnan Derderian, Western Diocesan Primate

by Fr. Vazken Movsesian

From the Father of Light:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. … He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. (John 1)

This evening, through this “Order of Darkness” service we recount the Passion of our Lord. Tonight we read the Gospel narrative – from Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – of how our Lord was betrayed, denied, falsely tried, convicted, tortured, suffered and ultimate took his last breaths on the Cross. As we follow the Gospel accounts we confront ever type and manner of human emotion. In this story there is:

• Fear and doubt – In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus ask that this cup may pass away… what is inside that cup is overwhelming, hurtful and poisonous.

• Betrayal – Beginning with Judas’ kiss and continuing through the night until almost everyone deserted him - his friends, family, acquaintances, followers.

• Loss – Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’” (Matthew 26:31)

• Misunderstanding – I have been in your midst healing and preaching and yet you come as if I am a thief… You call me “King of the Jews” – those are your words not mine.

• Denial – Simon, the one that our Lord named “Peter, the Rock” was shaken. He was asked “Were you with him?” And his answer was, “I don’t know him!”

• Hurt – “Could you not stay awake with me?” Not only the physical pain from being whipped and tortured, but our Lord endured the spiritual pain, from a group of people he loved and cared for, who could not even stay awake with him during his hour of tribulation.

• Abandonment – The same people who, only four days ago, had lined the streets of Jerusalem singing “Hosanna” and ushered him into the Holy City, were now yelling, “Put him on the Cross! Crucify him!” Only Mary Magdelane, Mary His Mother and John continued with him to then stand at the foot of the Cross

• Mockery – Placing a robe on his back and a crown of thorns to mimic his kingship and covering his eyes and beating him saying, “Hey prophet! Tell us who hit you?”

• Loneliness – From the Cross we hear his voice, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”

• Injustice – What was his crime? Where was justice this evening? They could not find any crime and so they fabricated, made up, wove together their lies and came up with criminal charges!

Yet, against these horrors, against every human feeling and emotion, Jesus answers as only God can. He gave a Divine response to the human pain. He demonstrated:

• Love: “Greater love has no man than this… that he lay down his life for his friends.”

• Faith: He prays, “Not my will but Thy Will be done.”

• Forgiveness: Because “They do not know what they are doing.”

• And perhaps the most precious demonstration of Mercy: to the guilty, convicted and crucified felon, he promises “Today you will be with me in Paradise.”

There are no words to describe the events of this night. They are beyond the understanding of our human comprehension, therefore we refer to it as a mystery.

The great theologian and patriarch of our Church, St. Nersess Shnorhali (12th century) authored the sharagan “Aysor Anjar” which we sang this evening. Within this hymn we can only begin to come to terms with the enormity of the Passion of our Lord and the profoundness of the message therein. Here, Shnorhali juxtaposes the human expressions next to the Divine commentary. The Hands which had taken the earth and created man, were now being nailed to the cross by the same man He had created. The same face that the angels would protect with their wings was now being slapped and spat upon by His creation. The same One who gave the Law are now being convicted by a Lawless people. Shnorhali gives example after example of the cruelty imposed upon our Lord in terms that emphasize the enormity of this very special evening in history. It is in this context that we come to understand how great and awesome the Mystery the Passion of our Lord is. How horrendous and unspeakable is the betrayal of God, who comes to save the child He once created and now this child not only rejects Him, but beats Him, spits upon Him and tries to do away with any memory of Him. The creation did not want – rejected – its Creator! Everything came into being through Him but the world refused to accept Him! He was the Light of the world, but the world preferred to live in darkness!

Yes, we proclaim this in our Church: We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father, only-begotten, that is of the substance of the Father. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten and not made; of the selfsame nature of the Father, by whom all things came into being in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible… for us He [was betrayed, denied, tried and convicted] suffered and was crucified…

And what was his fault? What was the reason for his conviction and sentence to the Cross?

He loved! He spoke of love. He proclaimed love. He love us so much that he even gave his life for us!

And this evening, when we recount this story with prayers, sharagans and gospel readings, it may be easy – and perhaps tempting – to blame someone else for this injustice. Who is to blame for what happened to our Lord? Who is the betrayer? Judas? Who sentenced him to death on the Cross? The Jews? Pilate? The Romans? Who? This is the fundamental question for which the Armenian Apostolic Church gives us the Order of Darkness this evening! This evening we are in deep mediation about the Passion of our Lord and within our thoughts we find that there is no one else to blame but ourselves! We cannot look anywhere else but within. We are the ones who betray Christ, we reject the Light and therefore we are betrayed to darkness!

In this physical darkness we are brought to the realization of what life is without Christ! What is life without God! It is in this darkness that every type of evil takes place. It is in this darkness that the seven-deadly-sins take place: pride, envy, anger, sloth, covetousness, gluttony and lust. In this darkness the seven-deadly-sins take body and form and are manifest in the form of war, poverty, disease, dissolution of family, misunderstanding between people – spouses, parents, children. Today there is war, there is poverty and there is disease because the world has rejected the Light! We are in a world that has betrayed God and selected to live in darkness.

This darkness does not understand the time. It is there whenever people reject darkness. 2000 years ago it was in the darkness that Christ was crucified, 100 years ago in 1915 it was in this darkness that the Armenian people were nailed to our cross, in what Yeghishe Charents describes, “our blood soaked wounds” (արիւնաքամ վերքերը մեր). We know those wounds, because we have seen the Cross!

Yes, this story is out of the confines of time and history. What happened 2000 years ago, what happened in 1915, continues to happen today. Look around you. You see nothing. We are in the dark. We have been betrayed to live in a world where God is rejected, where Light – God – is not given a place. And because you cannot see anything in this darkness, just listen. Our ears are sharpened to hear our Lords words, “Where are you my mother?” We hear the voice the mother on the road to Der Zor as she buries her child in the unforgiving desert sand, calling “Where is my child?” And the voiceless cry of the child, “Where is my mother?”

Today, refugees from the Middle East, from Syria, from Africa, from Central or South America, are on the run to rid themselves of pain, suffering and torture are calling out, “Where is my God? Why have you forsaken me?” And we hear the question, “Where is my mother?”

We as the Armenian people ask this same question because for 70 years we were told there is no God. We were told that the darkness is the way of life. We looked for life in the darkness and did not find it. Darkness is life without Light – without God. And… that is where we find ourselves today: In a life that is driven by egotism, that is built on materialism and so filled with the evil of these menaces that there is no room for God! Our children ask, “Where are you my mother? Where are you my father?” They ask for our time and we have other pursuits which take us away from the most precious gifts of God: our children and our families. We have left the Middle East to get as far away as we can from bullets and death, and we come here only to enter the horrendous flow of accumulating material wealth, feeling good with the consumption of drugs and alcohol, and losing our children to these evils. We escaped the bullets in the Middle East only to die on the streets of Los Angeles in an overdoses, shooting or victims of the white massacre.

Jesus looks at us as he did to Peter. We are scared to answer the question, “Were you with him?” What will people think if they know I am a Christian? What will they say if they know that I go to church and pray? Like Peter, it is so much easier to say, “I don’t know him!” And so when we betray God we are betrayed to darkness.

Illness and Death take over. We misunderstand one another. Gossip sounds like truth. We believe in the tangible items that are here today and gone tomorrow. We lose faith. We give up our freedom and turn into slaves of darkness. And, because there is no light, we can’t find our way out. There’s no direction and therefore no hope.

(It is a custom for the congregation members to hold a piece of string throughout this evening and to tie knots as they listen to the gospel narrative.) Like the small pieces of string we hold in our hand, we sew knots and more knots to stay awake through the night with the Lord. Each one of those knots is the hurt, the pain and the humiliation of our Lord, and a reminder of our rejection of the Light of the World. We ourselves are knotted. Our lives are knotted. Those knots prevent us from the best we can be in this life. They tie us up so much so that we lose our freedom. We turn into slaves of darkness. We feel pain and can’t enjoy the life that God has given us.

But tonight, there is a message that comes to us from the darkness. It’s the Lord’s voice we hear, telling us that we are not alone. At the foot of the Cross, says the Evangelist St. John, there were a few women, including the Blessed Mother Mary and “the disciple whom he loved.” Jesus, from the Cross, unites the Asdvadzadzin with the disciple into the first Christian community, that is the Church! (John 19:27)

And so too, tonight, even in this darkness, we are safe. We have gathered and are praying in this truly sacred space. The Christian community – the Armenian Church – is at the foot of your cross. She stands with us during our greatest struggles. Like the Asdvadzadzin, who stood with her beloved son, during the worst of all times, the Church is at the foot of our crosses. She is there to comfort us and to help us during our pain and our suffering. She stood with the first Christian martyrs, she was with Vartan Mamigonian at the Battle of Avarayr. She walked with us through Der Zor. She stayed vigilant through the years of occupation by the Soviets. The Church does not abandon us! She waits for us to express ourselves, that we are the Children of God, that we have needs that can only be fed by the Church. We hear the voice of our Lord who says, stay awake, because the prince of this world has come.

And so, this evening, standing in the darkness in this church there is an opportunity presented to us for self-evaluation. We all are aware that this darkness is temporary. We know there is a victory before us. If the question is given to us like it was to Peter, were you with him? In a loud and bold voice we need to answer in the affirmative: Yes! I was next to Jesus Christ. I was standing with him!

Our Mother, the Holy Church, has instructed us with the message of the Cross. We know the power of the Cross because she has given us the good news of the Cross. Today the Mother Church bears witness to the true miracles that are all around us. Because, in fact, you – those of you congregated here tonight – are proof of the greatest of all miracles: Resurrection! Just 100 years ago if someone would have said that in the town of Burbank – exactly on the other side of the Earth from Armenia, that the Armenian people would be standing up from the ashes of Genocide, singing their holy Sharagans, reading the Gospel in their native language, celebrating their Holy Week in packed churches with their sacred liturgies, people would have said it would only be possible by a miracle of God.

And that’s exactly how we have gathered here this evening: by a miracle of God. Our Mother, the Holy Church stands with us during our crucifixion and is here to witness to our resurrection!

Two days ago, the world saw the images coming out of the Cathedral of Notre Dame. We witnessed the shining cross that was glowing in the midst of all that was burnt around it. This was a miracle. And it is the big miracle of us being here, and the little miracles of a cross shining with hope, that when put next to each other, combine to proclaim that God is with us!

Tonight I invite you to seek the miracle around us. Do not opt for nor let the darkness rule over you. Our Lord Jesus Christ says, “I am the Light of the World. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” Yes, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it… The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him.”

Actual Sermon as delivered on Holy Thursday

https://youtu.be/NsH5kYWYrh8

Free Speech, Really?

2019-04-04T18:00:00.000-07:00

It is common knowledge that freedom of speech has restrictions. You cannot yell “fire” in a crowded theater and claim “free speech.” In fact, the idea of falsely shouting “fire” in a crowded theater arose 100 years ago from the Supreme Court's 1919 decision in the case Schenck v. United States. The Court ruled unanimously that the First Amendment, though it protects freedom of expression, does not protect dangerous speech.

It is about that dangerous speech that I write. Bizarre and false allegations are not an exercise of free speech. they are merely sensationalized expressions to raise interest and profits. Much has been written and reported about the correlation between sensationalized news and big profits; unfortunately, this time it is coupled with dangerous speech.

In particular, recently along with several of my clergy brothers, I was featured on the pages on a tabloid called "USA Armenian Life" published by Appo Jabarian. My image and name were used to present me as a disgruntled member of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church. Really? No reporter visited, called or talked to me, nor to many of the other priests that were featured in the story. In fact, two of the pictured priests have long since died. Capturing my image and spreading hearsay, he has sensationalized false and rumored stories that somehow I, and other clergy, are left no alternative but to exercise our faith via his tabloid. There is no investigative journalism here, only the spreading of gossip in a defamatory manner. This is dangerous speech because it twists, turns and distorts. It mocks reality.

Let it be clear that the Armenian Church has its organization, its structure and its hierarchy. I choose - yes choose - to exercise my priesthood through those channels and not on the pages of a tabloid filled with such vile and revolting displays of false news. He has no business using my name nor image in an effort to increase his profits. The Net contains 30+ years of my blogs, videos and writings which I have dedicated to issues of Church growth and Faith. I have chosen to work through these issues inside of the Church and not outside of it.

Even more tragic is that via this tabloid the publisher is on a campaign to discredit clergy and church leaders. Under the guise of church reform he is hate mongering and playing off of the sensitive and volatile political climate we feel around us. The speech exercised therein is dangerous, manipulative and sensational, all to increase his personal profits with complete and total disregard for the welfare of the community.

The banner atop this tabloid reads, “Diaspora’s most widely acclaimed and circulated…” Acclaimed by who? Most widely circulated? How? By bulk mailing free copies to homes that have an “ian” or “yan” descriptors on their name? It’s obvious that this is a tactic to increase revenues for an ailing and sick print-industry. Instead of catching up with the times, the publisher is trying to keep the sinking ship floating by sensationalizing information.

The Armenian Church has its challenges. The Catholicos, the Primate and the priests roll-up their sleeves and work toward solutions to the best of their human capability. Those who can do, those who can't criticize.

Anne R. Movsesian

2018-12-04T21:58:00.000-08:00

Anne R. Movsesian

1933 – 2018

Eulogy spoken at my mother's funeral, 5 December 2018, St. Leon Armenian Cathedral, Burbank, California

If you have ever received a card or a letter from our mother, you have a sample of her beautiful script which was an outward expression of her inner beauty. If you ever spoke with her, your ears were filled with poetry that rhymed with the harmony of the world. And, if you ever were the object of her prayers, you received a blessing in your life that was from her connection to the Divine.

Mom, or “Mamajan” as she was affectionately referred to by family, was a woman of conviction and deep faith. She was a lady of dignity and class. She shared the blessings of life with others - with family, with friends and those in need. She shared her affections through her laugh, smile and hugs. She was good to a fault, if there was such a thing, and perhaps that’s why her name “Mamajan” became the name by which others – friends and acquaintances – would refer to her.

Mamajan was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts during the Great Depression, a fact that defined her life in many ways. More so, she was born to parents who were Genocide survivors. Gabriel and Nartuhi Vartanian survived the massacres in the village of Palu and arrived in the United States as orphans. They were married and worked hard to establish a new life, always grateful to America and the great country it is. Anna Rose was the second of three children born in the Vartanian home. She was the younger sister of Gill (Gabriel) and the older sister of Grace.

The family moved to Southern California in the late 1930s. While her parents were working double-shifts, Anne was left tending to household responsibilities at an early age. In the midst of the uncertainties of World War II her parents brought them up with Christian values and a love for the Armenian cultural heritage. They were early members of the St. James Armenian Church in Los Angeles. They sang in the choir and became members of the ACYO, where they established many of the friendships they carried through life.

Early on Anne began demonstrating her artistic talents in drawing, painting and poetry. She won competitions for her poetry, written in Armenian, and was featured on local radio. After graduating LA High, she continued her education at Los Angeles City College. She met her future husband Varougan, a young Armenian boy who shared many of the same interests. They sang in the the St. James choir. Varougan and Anne were engaged in 1952.

Our parents shared a love for Armenian culture, from the language to the music to the dance, they found joy in sharing that love with others. Soon they organized a dance-troop, dancing at functions and exhibitions. In 1955, on Varougan’s birthday that year, they were invited to dance at the opening of an amusement park by a young entrepreneur named Walt Disney. The rest is history: Varougan and Anne Movsesian presented Armenian dance at the opening of Disneyland!

The couple married that same year and laid the foundation to their family life. They were blessed with four children: Hovsep, Anush, Haig and Sona, and set up home at an old Victorian at 711 N. Hoover St, in Los Angeles. The house became a landmark for friends and family. There, whether you were an old acquaintance or newly met, you could be guaranteed a night of Armenian music, dance and some of Anne’s best Armenian dishes. It was a warm and magical house because of mom and dad’s willingness to share the gift of love with others.

During the 1960’s their love for Armenian dance was expanded with the introduction to dance instructor Jora Markarian and the formation of the Armenian Folkloric Dance Ensemble. They performed at some of the most exotic locations such as the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at the LA Music Center and George Mardikian’s Omar Khayam in San Francisco.

Anne taught Armenian language at the St. James Armenian Church in Los Angeles and was the superintendent of the school for 26 years. Even against our objections (having to lose our Saturday morning), mom and dad would put us in the car, all four of us with all the supplies, snacks and drinks and drive from Hollywood to St. James on Saturday mornings to learn Armenian. Of course the next day we’d repeat the same ritual to go to church, except on Sundays we would pack the car with two grandmas as well.

She found any opportunity to teach Armenian, to sing, dance, recite poetry. She was teaching children at the Diocesan camp during its first years of formation. However, she soon discovered an inadequacy in the teaching material and with the insistence of the then-Primate, Archbishop Torkom Manoogian, she wrote and illustrated the first Armenian-American Textbook for use in the Armenian Schools throughout America.

She raised her four children with strong Christian values. We each learned our prayers on her knees. In 1977 I went away to seminary in Armenia to study for the priesthood. After six-months of being separated by continents, Anne being a mama first-and-foremost, found a way to stay close-by. She approached the Primate of the Diocese at the time, Archbishop Vatché Hovsepian for a job as secretary. It didn’t take long before her talents were noticed and she became the Executive Secretary of the Western Diocese. More than anything else, her 26 years at the diocese gave her the chance to share her talents. Together with Abp. Vatché they drove the Diocese during some of its most difficult years. We are grateful for the friendship of His Eminence Abp. Vatché, who became a spiritual brother to her.

She took pride in the achievements of each of her children as they went through school and reached their life goals. Their joy became her joy as they married, had children and formed their own families. In 1990, mom and dad closed the doors on Hoover Street and opened a new chapter in La Crescenta. Unfortunately, dad succumbed to an early death the following year and mom lived the rest of her years learning many new skills of survival by expanding her horizons with new educational pursuits and opportunities.

Mamajan loved to travel and manifested her dream of visiting Armenia on a few different occasions including with her sister Grace, Europe with her mother and daughter Anush, and South America with Haig and Sona. She especially enjoyed the fellowship of and with her khunamis the Boranians and the Smiths. They shared many smiles, laughs and good times together around their children.

She was a prolific writer of letters. She corresponded on a personal level with church-greats such as the venerable Catholicos Vazken I and Archbishop Torkom Manoogian of Jerusalem. In August of this year, our Primate Archbishop Hovnan Derderian hosted an evening where mom presented one of her scrapbooks with her memoirs of His Holiness Vazken I to the public. We are grateful that Abp. Hovnan will be printing this book next year in a special tribute to the Catholicos.

In 2003 His Holiness Karekin II with a Pontifical Encyclical presented Diramayr Anna and her lifetime friend Prof. Hrair Dekmejian, the Nersess Shnorhali Medal Honor. In 2013, Abp. Hovnan Derderian gifted her a Khatchkar which is now a permanent marker here at the St. Leon Armenian Cathedral in recognition of her exceptional and dedicated service to the Armenian Church and the Western Diocese in particular. These were days that she cherished because they pointed to her purpose-filled life.

Over the last several years she was overjoyed with the marriage of her three oldest grandchildren, Nareg to Rosalind, Varoujan to Lauren and Ani to Eric and she was blessed with two great-grandchildren. She lived with the love and respect of her family and for the last six years resided with her daughter Anush and son-in-law Ned Avejic. She loved to be with people and didn’t pass up an opportunity to be in the company of friends, especially from church where she was everyone’s Diramayr. She spent her days writing letters and cards and in conversation with people she loved, mostly she had a very steady and intense prayer life which was her time to converse with her Maker.

Above all else, she was the head-cheerleader for every one of her grandchildren, showing up at games, plays, concerts and even from a distance made sure that they were covered by the “Mamajan-blessing.”

On the day Mamajan passed away when cousin Knar and Mike came over, Mike said to me, “Your mom is your biggest fan! You don’t have a greater fan than your mom!” I thought about that; It is so true! She was there everywhere I was, every step of the way. When I took my vows into the priesthood she graciously donned the name “Diramayr.” When I began editing the publication Window, she became the first subscriber. She was the first contributor to St. Andrew when we started building the church in Cupertino. When I moved to Pasadena she joined and became a member of St. Gregory and later of St. Peter Glendale when we started the church there. Recently she was a regular at our Monday evening Bible Study. And... the same is true for each of my siblings, our spouses and our children. She was our biggest fan! Each of us have felt her wind beneath our wings.

We prayed and played with Mamajan. She was fun-loving and we'd love having fun with her -especially her grandchildren. And so ... the the grandchildren, and to everyone else who has been touched by this beautiful lady, I this message today: Mamajan will always be with you. She will always be your head cheerleader. She will always be your biggest fan. She’s deep down inside of you wanting you to be the best you can be.

Eighty-five years! Her heart beat steady and strong for 85 years. That’s the miracle we celebrate today. She’s of, what I call, the God Generation: Children of the Genocide, brought up in the Depression – like God, having NOTHING they created something!

Her passing was as blessed as was her life. She left us with grace and dignity. All of us were around her on that last day; we shared and laughed together. We prayed with her and she communed with Christ through the Holy Eucharist. On November 28, while holding Anush and Susan’s hands she slowly slipped into her eternal rest. There was no resistance, only compliance to the prayer she had prayed so often, “Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.” She left this world with a firm belief in the words spoken by the angel: “He is not here! He has Risen!” We were blessed that her spiritual brother, Abp. Vatché came immediately and offered a prayer.

On the morning after Mamajan’s passing, my wife Susan woke up with this on her mind and I wish to share it with you, as she shared with us that morning. It points to what this incredible and blessed life has meant to us:

I went to sleep last night asking myself, what happened today? Not a dream, but something very dream-like. Not a nightmare because it was all too calming. Not scary or distressing because it was so the opposite of how we saw our mom the last few weeks. It wasn’t anger or fear because it felt too peaceful. I will miss our spoiled, sometimes demanding, always grateful/gracious and most certainly loving, classy and caring mama. I woke up not wondering what happened yesterday, but knowing I witnessed God’s handy work so graciously in play. I woke with a heart filled with gratitude for our mom’s life, how we each shared in it and for His Love. I know what happened yesterday! Mom returned to her (and our) Maker, the one who lent her to us for those many life-filled years. God is good. Faith is comforting. Love is all powerful. Praise completes... May our dear mom Rest in Peace. So thankful for each of you and for her life and her love. Hope you all slept well.

Mamajan is survived by…

Her sister Grace Balayan, sister-in-law Lucy Movsesian, sister-in-law Linda Vartanian and their families

Her children Fr. Vazken and Susan Movsesian, Ned and Anush Avejic, Haig and Talene Movsesian, Jack and Sona Smith

Her grandchildren Nareg and Rosalind Burr, Varoujan and Lauren Movsesian, Eric and Ani Simonoff, Sevan Movsesian, Christaphor Movsesian, Madilyn Smith, Nicole Smith and Vartan Movsesian.

Her great-grandchildren Arek and Shant Simonoff

And many nieces and nephews, great and grand nieces and nephews and of course a multitude of people who referred to her as their own Mamajan.

After thoughts: A life lived in the ways of God: Mamajan’s 40^th day coincides with the “Memorial Day” of the Armenian Church, January 7.

Life in Video https://youtu.be/ekGE6EOoUOQ

Reflections on the Sasnashen Shoot-Down 60th Anniversary

2018-09-13T12:07:00.000-07:00

Reflections on the US Air Force C-130 60528 Shoot Down over Sasnashen, Armenia

by Fr. Vazken Movsesian

Piece of the wreckage -
shadowbox presented to Fr. Vazken

Remembrance in Sasnashen

Fortunately, the details of the incident, the cover-up, the years of denial, the reconciling with the facts up to the present day have been meticulously documented by Larry Tart and have been published in his book, “The Price of Vigilance: Attacks on American Surveillance Flights” (2001 with Robert Keefe). The book and detailed information can be found at Mr. Tart’s website. He has also prepared a short briefing video (which was shown at the Bellevue gathering) where the main details of the incident are outlined.

With the Prop Wash Gang - September 2, 2018, Bellevue, Nebraska

Keynote

With Chief Lonnie Henderson

Presentation of the Shadowbox with wreckage

Missing Man Table Setting

Finally, with the recitation of the poem, “We See the Eagles” the Commemoration on the 60^th Anniversary of the Shoot Down came to an end.

A plaque with the names of the 17 men and this poem was presented to me.

WE SEE THE EAGLES FLY

We see the eagles fly...

lookin’ north

toward the Caucasus Mountains

‘bout nine in the morning

Warm September day

Clear

No clouds

We see the eagles fly...

...effortlessly

riding the currents

Soaring above all

Majestic

Supreme

We see the eagles fly...

...and those eagles

look a lot like

The Prop Wash Gang

September 2, 1997

Photos courtesy of Pat Morrow.

Meeting Khoren of Khorenian

2018-09-10T19:22:00.001-07:00

Maestro Khoren Mekanejian with Fr. Vazken & Susan
at the St. Nersess Armenian Seminary, Armonk, NY 2018

I wasn’t expecting this meeting. He introduced himself to me as Maestro Khoren. Could it be him? I thought. No. He was from long ago – a contemporary of Lusine Zakarian. He was at Holy Etchmiadzin when I was there in the 1970’s. The Maestro Khoren is the renowned and noted conductor of the Etchmiadzin Choir who has written one of the melodies and arrangements of the Divine Liturgies for the Armenian Church. If this was the Khoren of the Khorenian Badarak, what was he doing at the dining table at St. Nersess in Armonk, New York?

“He teaches us music and Armenian liturgical singing,” answered one of the students. Maestro extended his hand in introduction to me and said he was looking forward to celebrating the Liturgy together this coming Sunday at the Cathedral. I was still thinking: Could it be him? “Ah! You sound like you are a baritone,” said the Maestro to me as he walked out the door. “We will be able to sing in the higher keys.” I wish I understood how a low-note baritone gave permission to higher keys, but for that moment I gave a courtesy node and smile as he left the room.

“How often do you take classes with him,” I asked one of the seminarians. “Once a week. The rest of the week the Maestro is at the Cathedral.” It has to be him, I thought. Of course! That’s him.

An hour later we took a tour of the seminary. The seminarians were eager to show us around. I was anxious to check out my hunch. He was on break, between class sessions. He was challenging one of the students with a question about Aravod Looso: Which verse of the 36 verses (corresponding to each of the 36 letters of the Armenian alphabet) does not follow the rhythmic rhyme of repeating the first character (and therefore the phonetic sound)? I got into the act. I had not done my brain teaser for the day; it was a challenge I wasn’t going to pass up.*

Established: This is the Maestro Khoren. I’ve had a burning question that I’m sure he will be able to answer. I’ve kept this mp3 file in my Drop Box for just such an occasion. It is Zarouhi Vartian, singing Marmin Derounagan during my ordination Badarak. It is a unique melody which I have only heard sung in a few churches, including at my first parish in Cupertino. I play it for Maestro. He admits he’s never heard it but starts playing some chords on the 1990’s Yamaha keyboard in front of him. We’ve been invited to his classroom. He explains that the chord progressions suggest, what Komitas called “The Urbanized Armenian hymns.” Armenian hymns are sung and expressed by the villagers, who intertwine the spirit of the land and air into our prayers, he clarifies. Today, everyone wants to get out of church. They would not tolerate such a long and drawn out hymn. “Do you know how I came about to write the music for the Badarak?”

This is it! We’re sitting one-on-one with the man who wrote one of three (Yegmalian, Komitasian, Khorenian) authorized melodies for our Divine Liturgy. And now, in front of this keyboard, we’re about to hear the story of how our Church took on a new form. Yes! It happened, not in the 21^st century, but forty years earlier.

He shared his story. He begins by admitting, “I’m not a composer. I direct choirs. I’m a choral leader.” And from this humble admission he tells the story of what may seem like an accident of events, but in fact, as we found out, is how the Divine works through our lives.

Khoren Mekanejian was the choir director at the Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin. Among his many singers was Lusine Zakarian, the “nightingale” of the Armenian Church, if not, of Armenia. The Catholicos of the time is the venerable Vazken I, who has a front row seat at every Badarak celebrated at Etchmiadzin. One Sunday, the Catholicos calls Maestro into his office following the Liturgy. He has a criticism of the way “Miayn Sourp” is sung. Lusine is accenting the first syllable of Mi~ayn and this conjures negative imagery. “Mi” = do not! “Mi nusdir” = do not sit! “Mi khosir” = do not talk! The Catholicos didn’t want the negative wording of “Mi” to be accented. He told Khoren to please instruct Lusine to accent the second syllable, draw out the second syllable, Miayn~.

After Badarak, in the mashutka that takes the singers back to Yerevan, Maestro tells his star singer to please accent the second syllable. She agrees.

The next Sunday, during Badarak, once again, Lusine accents the Mi in the Miayn. Vehapar hears the obvious. After church he summons Khoren into his office. “Didn’t you tell her?” “Yes I did Vehapar Der.” What happened? He sends a deacon to summon Lusine to his office. She arrives and admits that Khoren had told her but she did not comply. With a smile on his face Khoren tells us that at that point “I was relieved. The fault was off of me.”

The following Sunday, the same thing happens: Lusine accents the Mi instead of the Ayn. Now Vehapar is truly upset. So much so that he did not come to church the following Sunday. This cannot happen, thinks Khoren. So he writes the music for Miayn Sourp, with the notation to cut the duration of the Mi and make up for it by extending the duration of ayn. He hands it to Lusine and they practice. Come Sunday morning she sings Miayn Sourp to the specification the Maestro had written. Vehapar is pleased and thanks the Maestro.

Now he says that there are variations of the Miayn (=only/along/unique), particularly as it is sung in Amen Hayr Sourp, Vorti Sourp, Hoki Sourp. Maestro contemplates the expression of the Trinity in the Armenian Church as Three Persons in One Nature. His challenge is to present three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – as unique expressions and yet united in One Nature. He composes the music for the hymn and it flies! Vehapar loves it.

So now Vehapar asks for Der Voghormia. He wants a new expression appealing for the Lord’s Mercy. The Maestro has had enough. “I’m not a composer,” he protests. “I’m a choir leader.” But Vehapar wants to hear a new Der Voghormia.

Khoren lives by Dzidzernagabert. He prayed. The flames, the smoke, the air gave him the melody. He plays a few bars for us on the keyboard. We are moved to tears.

He took the music to Lusine’s house and played it for her on the piano. She sang and they worked together to perfect the harmonies. His head was hurting from the stressful demand of this project. He asked her to make him some coffee. She went to the kitchen and continued singing while he played the piano from inside. Minutes later she brought him his coffee. She had mistakenly mixed salt in it instead of sugar! The demand to produce this hymn was just as stressful for her.

The Khorenian Der Voghormia was being sung at the Sunday Badarak on a regular basis. Catholicos Vazken was drawn to tears every time he heard it. Once a group of nuns from Rome had come to Armenia and visited the Holy See. When they heard the Der Voghormia in the Mother Cathedral of Etchmiadzin they were all wiping away tears. Vehapar called Khoren to his side and pointed to the sisters saying, “Do you see, it’s not only me who feels this way about your rendition.”

Now Vehapar upped the ante; he wanted the entire Badarak written by Khoren. This was going over the top! How could I write a Badarak or even dare to be in the league with Yegmalian and Komitas? Khoren once again extended his humility in a request to Vehapar to abandon this project. And once again, the venerable Vazken I, in a display of his wisdom argued back, “The Catholics have 20, 30 maybe even 40 different renditions of the Divine Liturgy. Is it too much to ask for a third for us?”

“Your Holiness,” Khoren continued his protest, “There is Aram Khatchadourian. There is Babajanian. They are all composers. I’m a choir leader!” To which Vehapar answered, “Yes, but they have not breathed in the khung (incense) of our Armenian Church. The Church is in your system.”

The Khorenian Badarak was written. It was celebrated once a month in Etchmiadzin and in several churches throughout Armenia. He admits that that was the case only because Catholicos Vazken insisted upon it with his bishops, many of whom had expressed opposition to something new being introduced into the church. Today, it is regularly celebrated at the St. Gregory Cathedral in Yerevan and in other churches as requested.

It was a memorable moment we shared with Maestro, a reminder that new tunes, new harmonies and new melodies are all possible. Of course, for me, the musical expressions are a metaphor for things even greater. But this afternoon, our tears have choked us up to be in his presence and hear his story.

*Answer to Maestro's challenge: The stanza that begins with the “vo” letter, since it is connected with the ‘vieun” and therefore makes the sound of “oo” in one of the verses.

Orthodoxy with Our Malankara Brothers and Sisters

2018-08-02T13:36:00.001-07:00

Finding Brothers and Sisters in the Poconos

“Abouna?” asked the voice on the phone.

“Yes,” I answered, not sure where this conversation was going but I knew any request that was followed with “Barekhmor” had to lead to something meaningful for our ministry. Barekhmor means “Bless, O Lord,” the same as the Armenian priestly greeting “Orhnya Der.”

The voice identified himself as a priest of the Indian Orthodox Church, specifically from the Malankara Archdiocese of the Syrian Orthodox Church of North America. “We’ve seen your videos on the Internet and would like to invite you to address our youth at our annual conference.” Of course, “our” videos are “their” videos. The Malankara church is a member of the Oriental Orthodox group of churches and therefore a sister Church of ours. We share a common faith and enjoy communion in our Lord Jesus Christ. As expected, when two siblings find each other the conversation was warm and real. It was a dialogue which landed us in the Poconos Mountains last week for the 32^nd Annual Youth and Family Conference of the Archdiocese.

Over 750 Attend the Conference

Seven hundred and fifty members of the church had travelled from throughout the country to the beauty of the Pennsylvania Mountains to share, worship and grow together with their Primate, His Eminence Mor Titus Yeldho, Archbishop and Patriarchal Vicar. Even more, young and old came together with their clergy for this special week held at the Kalahari Resorts and Convention Center. The excitement level was high. The event had sold-out only a month after reservations began being taken earlier this year!

With the Youth at the Conference

Yn. Susan and I immediately felt the warmth and charm of this community on our arrival. We met with priests, we met with their families, and we met with the youth. The enthusiasm throughout the Convention Center was contagious. The days began and ended with prayer. I was the keynote speaker for the Youth and as such most of our time was spent with the younger generation both at prayer and classes.

The clergy processed into the Convention Center where the Archbishop chanted the hymns of praise and officially started the gathering. As we processed the people greet the collection of clergy with soft songs and shining lights. I was overwhelmed with emotions when I first saw the name of the event on the posters decorating the Convention Center wall. The gathering was called “Youth and Family Conference.” It may seem like a small matter but in that small gesture of placing the youth ahead of all else, the church and its leadership, from archbishop to priests, lay-leaders to volunteers, was making a bold statement about their priorities: The youth are first and foremost.

The comparisons between both our communities – Armenian and Indian – are striking. Issues that we struggle with in the Armenian Church – such as culture and religion, language, assimilation, relevancy – are part of the common conversation. The Indian Orthodox Community, they told me, came to America in the 1970’s, about 70 years after the first Armenian communities were established here. Many of the challenges we encountered during the first few decades of our church’s life in the New World are the ones they feel today. In a very real sense, while speaking to many of the members of their church I felt as if I was looking at the church of our grandparents. We are here in America with new sets of rules and conforming to the societal pressures while trying to remain steadfast to the values and traditions that uniquely define us and give our lives meaning. While in this “time-travel” state I was hoping that reciprocally, in me they would have an opportunity to peer at the church of their grandchildren. There is a lot to learn from each other. While the Armenian Church has been here almost twice as long, ironically it still struggles with the hurdle of language – a hurdle which the Indian community has jumped and, as we witnessed, the youth participate at a very real level of engagement in the liturgies and prayer services.

Susan during the parade

The theme of the week was “Living a life worthy of the Lord” (Colossians 1:10). I had a chance to present three different lectures/discussions, one on the concept of Lord-worthiness, another on the challenge of the Cross in the worthiness walk, while the last talk was intended to empower youth in activism.

In the 1990’s, while serving as the Parish Priest at the St. Andrew Armenian Church in Cupertino, I was approached by a group of Indian Orthodox asking if they could use our church sanctuary while their church was being built. With the permission of our Primate, they would come every Sunday following our service and worship in our sanctuary for about a year. When the church was completed, a high ranking cleric came from India to dedicated and consecrate the building. I was invited to the ceremony and took my place in a humble location, not to interfere with the proceedings. Suddenly I was asked to come forward and meet His Holiness. I was not expecting this honor and felt the anxiety of the moment. I greeted him and kissed his hand. He then did something which not only will I never forget, but it gave me a direction for my own ministry.

With His Eminence Archbishop Titus

In front of the hundreds of parishioners gathered inside the new church, His Holiness took off his Pontifical ring, the ring of authority, and handed it to me. Puzzled, I looked at him for an explanation. He then asked me to read the inscription inside the ring. To my surprise, it was written in Armenian! It was gift given to him by the late Catholicos of All Armenians, His Holiness Vazken I, of blessed memory. He said he wore this ring given to him by his “brother-in-Christ” because it is a constant reminder of the plight of the Armenian people. He went on to explain to all of us by pointing to me and thereby to the Armenian Church saying that the Indian Orthodox had always enjoyed a place of respect in their country. “We have never known Christianity through suffering. The Armenians, on the other hand, have never known Christianity without suffering! We must be aware of their story.”

There it was. His Holiness’ words were given to the community to listen and learn, to me, they became an invitation to present the message of the Cross – the story of suffering and sacrifice – as witnessed by the Armenian people.

During the Opening Ceremonies

Those words became my motivation to bring the dimension of outreach and healing to my ministry. And here, a quarter of a century later, I had a chance to share the Gospel message, as it passed through the Armenian people and Armenian Church, to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Personally, this was a very humbling and spiritually rewarding experience.

The last evening of the Conference was a celebration and sharing of culture. We enjoyed dances, songs and cheer. The week came to an end with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. We prayed, sang, worshipped and communed in the One Single Faith that unites us all: Our Lord Jesus Christ.

I passed along the greeting of our Primate His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan to the head of the Malankara Archdiocese, His Eminence Archbishop Titus and thank them both for this opportunity to share our Faith. During the Divine Liturgy Fr. Joel Jacob, one of the young priests who was part of the organizing committee, placed a priestly stole around my neck so that I may participate in the Celebration. Following the service, as I folded the holy vestment to return it, he said it was mine to use whenever I attended a Malankara Orthodox service. It was a gesture which reflected the warmth and hospitality we enjoyed with our brothers and sisters.

-Fr. Vazken Movsesian

To learn more about the Malankara Orthodox follow these links

http://malankara.com

http://malankara.tv

Program

More Pictures

My story on the Next Step

Malankara Press Release

The Last Station-Stop

2018-05-16T19:08:00.001-07:00

Christ on your Doorstep*

The Last Station-Stop

by Father Vazken Movsesian

The Resurrection of Christ is the defining moment in human history. It separates time into B.C. and A.D. Is it any wonder that for us in the Church, the Resurrection is much more than a celebration on Easter Sunday? We come today with a new publication: “Christ on your Doorstep,” which is founded on the news of Jesus Christ’s Resurrection and is distributed to you beyond the Easter celebration.

Recently, in a conversation with our Primate Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, we discussed the ever-alarming growth of violence in the world around us and the despair it breeds. He pointed to a verse from one of the Dalai Lama’s books, “Just as a healthy immune system and healthy constitutions protect your body against potentially hazardous viruses and bacteria, mental immunity creates a healthy disposition of the mind, so that it will be less susceptible to negative thoughts and feelings.” Can we, in fact, build up our mental immunities to transform the negative to the positive? Does such a wonder-drug or vaccination exist? And if so, where can we find it and in large enough quantities?

Today we struggle with many issues of identity. Along with the eternal questions of Who am I? What is my purpose? Where am I going? we add additional questions sparked by our ethnic make-up as Armenian Americans: What does it mean that I am Armenian? What is my obligation, if any, to my past? What does an Armenian Christian identity mean in a pluralistic and globalized society?

The Armenian American community finds itself in a rather precarious position. We are all thankful for the welcome and the freedoms we are granted here in the United States. A quick look at the last 100 years will show a mass exodus of the Armenian people from our historic lands. Armenians were scattered throughout the world with some strong-hold positions in the Middle East. In the last half century, we witnessed civil war in Lebanon, the end to the Shah’s regime and the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in Iran, the collapse of the Soviet Union along with the political ramifications it produced, the intolerance of Christian minorities in Egypt, two wars in Iraq and now, the gassing of civilian populations in Syria and the largest refugee crisis the world has ever seen.

Whether your family arrived to America in the 1920s, the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s or in the 21^st century, you have made it to the last station-stop. Welcome: We are all Armenian-Americans!

Today, we all stand here with a sense of gratitude but also insensitive to the values and important institutions that have been forgotten. Our mental and spiritual immunities are weakened. We have forgotten the lessons of history. Is it a surprise that we find dysfunction in our families or that we run after the wealth that cannot possibly sustain us in the long-run?

During the mid-20^th Century, during a time of global crisis, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke the prophetic words, “We must all learn to live as brothers or we will die as fools.” The message can be adapted to us as the Armenians living in the Diaspora. We are all brothers and sisters and our only hope is to understand the unique and precious tie that exists between us.

At the Diocesan “Reclaim” conference this winter we heard many speakers talk about the potential we hold within us for great lives. We focused on the power of the Spirit which moves us to new realms of possibilities, both for our lives and for our communities. As we delved deeper into the subject from speaker to speaker, from discussion to discussion, we heard one theme reoccur: We haven’t lost the answer, we have merely forgotten about it.

Jesus uses the metaphor, “Suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?”

Fortunately, we have not lost our bearings, but we have misplaced them and need to search them out. In finding them, they are more valuable than silver coins for they are the life-giving vaccine, the shield of immunity against disease, loss and despair. Search no further than the Armenian Church. As the Body of Christ, the Armenian Apostolic Church is the living witness to Jesus Christ and His Resurrection. Political parties, philanthropic organizations, schools and other institutions all have their place, but it is only the Armenian Church that can provide the language and the tools for survival and growth. The Church has nurtured us for the last two millennia on a steady diet of Resurrection in our lives.

Dn. Varoujan & Fr. Vazken Movsesian at Sardarabad

The power of the Resurrection builds our immunities – mental, physical and spiritual – and is fortified every Sunday morning in our churches. The proof of this statement – the endorsement for the vaccination – is no further than the story of your family’s arrival to America. Despite the odds, despite the countless difficulties and problems, despite wars, torture and even Genocide, you have opened your eyes at the last station-stop.

Collectively, the proofs are even greater. This May we celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the First Armenian Republic. Exactly three years after the beginning of the darkest page in human-history, three years after the Golgotha of the Armenian people, we proclaimed the power of resurrection over crucifixion. Sardarabad stands as a living monument to this power. Even more the Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin, with its bells ringing and clergy singing, are the silent heroes of freedom because they provided the language for resurrection.

America is the great equalizer – we are all Armenian-Americans at this junction. We all come into the mix with our own sensitivities and strengths. The Armenian Church stands at this station-stop with open arms for us to embrace the one message – the eternal message of resurrection over crucifixion, the victory of life over death. Celebrate the resurrection in all that you do. Turn to the Armenian Church – and find, not what has been lost, but what has been forgotten. Build up your spiritual immunities with the prayers and the hymns that point to resurrection and the possibility for true life.

Los Angeles, California

30 April 2018

*Christ at Your Doorsteps is a new publication of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America, under the auspices of the Primate, Archbishop Hovnan Derderian.

Secret Message for Dreaming

2018-04-26T19:07:00.005-07:00

Keeping the Dream Alive: Homily on the 50^th Anniversary of the Martyrs’ Monument
by Fr. Vazken Movsesian

St. Leon, Srbots Ghevondyants, Armenian Cathedral, Burbank, California

April 24, 2018

It is truly an honor to be offering this homily this evening. I thank His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Diocese for giving me this very special honor his evening.

It is with a thankful heart that we gather this evening as we experience yet another chapter in Armenian history opening up in front of us with developments of the last several days. We are thankful that transitions are taking place in Armenia without bloodshed or violence. While we gather here this evening remembering the atrocities of 1915 and all their ramifications, we are very aware of the difficulties our brothers and sisters are enduring in the homeland. We know of their sufferings and the makings of the political system. And so, I was up against a difficult set of circumstances in regard to my position this evening. The magnitude of the demonstrations that took place this past week and especially this past weekend, left me wondering about the direction of my remarks and the message of this sermon.

Obviously, there is no staying silent either about April 24 or about Armenia today. And so, the homily I wish to offer this evening is to give honor and respect to both of these realities. I have chosen to speak about Dreams, about dreaming as individuals and as a collective…. And to speak about a very special dream that came our way in 1968 – namely with the opening of the Armenian Martyrs’ Monument in Montebello which was unveiled exactly 50 years ago.

I speak of dreams today because I have come to realize at the saddest people I have met are those who have no dreams. They are people who have no hope. Whether because of loss, disease, separation, desperation – they have lost hope, they no longer dream of better days, and the ability to dream is one of the most beautiful aspects of our humanity. That’s what the Turks did on April 24: the Turks rounded up the leadership – the writers, the poets, the priests, the intellectuals – in one word they rounded up the dreamers. If they could kill the dream the people would perish, they thought.

Dreaming and where our dreams CAN lead…

1968 postcard: Armenian Genocide
Martyrs' Monument in Montebello, CA

Our story as Armenians living in the diaspora did not occur in a vacuum. There are many factors that played into how we remember our past and how we celebrate our todays. I’d like to share with you some experiences from my childhood. It’s a story that doesn’t often get told – the plight of the first generation of Armenian settlers here in the United States. Not too far away, the 1960’s decade was a turbulent one in the United States. It was marked by accomplishments and tragedies that would reverberate for years, decades, and now, a half a century later the effects of the 1960’s are still being felt. The 1960s began with the election of one of the youngest and most vibrant presidents of the United States. In John Kennedy people saw hope, because he was dreamer. They saw courage and the ability to achieve the impossible opportunities. He promised to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade and it happened. His dreams led the people. He established by executive order the Peace Corps. But, unfortunately, what people of my generation remember most about Kennedy was that an assassin’s bullet in 1963 left his dreams unfulfilled.

Civil rights was in full swing in the 1960s. We were fighting a horrible war in a place called Vietnam and the images of mayhem were being pipped into our living rooms on the five channels that our television sets had at the time. Meanwhile in America race relations were exploding. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. set the tone for dreaming on the principle he had learned from the Gospel of Christ. He dreamed there would come a day when people of the world could put aside their differences and focus on the common thread of humanity. He dreamed of a day when we would not be judged by the color of our skin (or our ethic make-up) but rather on the content of our character. New dreamers were coming along, one of which was the slain president’s younger brother Robert Kennedy.

It was in that America that people began to feel comfortable with their skin, with their background and their history. Ethnic pride was highlighted with statements such as “black is beautiful” encouraging men and women to stop trying to eliminate ethnic traits by straightening their hair and attempting to lighten or bleach their skin. In that climate of expressing ethnic pride, the Hispanic community adopted a saying “brown is beautiful” and we Armenians followed suit. Fifty years after our Genocide, we knew the time had come and the time was right to tell our story.

In the early 1960’s our churches were at the center of our communities. Armenian Schools were dreams that were becoming realities. My mother, as a first generation daughter of survivors had just authored an Armenian-American textbook for learning basic Armenian conversation. It was published by the Western Diocese and was being used in the Saturday schools of the churches.

Backside of postcard: Armenian Genocide Martyrs'
Monument in Montebello 1968

In 1965 I had just turned nine years old when the Armenians in Los Angeles organized a march – 3,000 marchers began at St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral on Pico and Normandy and ended up at the Ambassador Hotel on Wilshire Blvd. Afterwards the dream was articulated – we needed a place in the Los Angeles area where Armenians could gather and commemorate the Armenian Genocide. In a sense, that Ambassador Hotel on Wilshire was the place where the dream was first dreamt.

A group of dedicated Americans of Armenian descent, representing all different aspects of the community, came together in the spirit of unity and organized as the Monument Council.

For the record - the original Council are recognized on a plaque at the Monument (alphabetically):

Hagop Abdulian; Hrant Agbabian; Krikor Aivazian; Hagop Arshagouni; Marilyn Arshagouni; Vartan Fundukian; Harmik Hacobian; Richard Hovannisian; Osheen Keshishian; George Mandossian; Hagop Manjikian; Michael Minasian; Vasken Minasian; Bob Movel; Varougan Movsesian; Hagop Nazarian; Misak Sevacherian; Jivan Tabibian.

My father, Varougan Movsesian was one of the dreamers.

After three years of dreaming, deliberating, planning, developing, organizing, fund-raising and fighting political obstacle – tremendous pressure of the Turkish lobby not withstanding – the Armenian Genocide Martyrs’ Monument was waiting to be unveiled. The dream was about to become reality.

Then in 1968, I was about to turn 12 years old and the Armenian Martyrs’ Monument was about to open, when on April 4 the first of two tragic events were thought to bring an end to dreaming. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was struck down and killed in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. King was 39 years old. Exactly two months later Robert Kennedy was assassinated in cold blood at the Ambassador Hotel – the same hotel where the dream for the Armenian Monument began. Bobby Kennedy was 42.

In the middle of these two horrific events, the Armenians in Los Angeles did not lose the dream; the Martyrs’ Monument was unveiled on April 21 to a waiting and anxious public. That day was a true celebration for the Armenian community in particular but even more for the entire community in general. “This monument erected by Americans of Armenian descent,” says the inscription at its base, “Is dedicated to the 1,500,000 Armenian Victims of the Genocide perpetrated by the Turkish Government, 1915-1921, and to men of all nations who have fallen victim to crimes against humanity.” The monument reaching for the sky was tall and big. It was even bigger for us as little kids. It was telling a story that went beyond Armenians. The Monument could not be hid and neither could the crimes to which it was pointing be forgotten.

The monument in Montebello was a dream come true for us. At age 12, in the midst of civil rights struggles, wars, the counter-culture movement, rebellion, Rock & Roll and revolution, this monument was standing there to give us meaning and definition. The Armenian Community had its churches, its schools, its organizations, and now a monument – a statement which acknowledged the past in a grand manner.

On the day of the opening my father, along with the other committee members was busy taking care of details in the background. I remember he had handed me a camera to walk around that day to take pictures for posterity. There was a Turkish man standing on Garfield Ave on the road leading up to the monument. He was holding up a poster with demeaning and defaming words against the Armenian people. I remember taking the last picture of him holding that sign as Lindy Avakian, author of “The Cross and the Crescent” came up and tore the poster in his face. Needless to say, the rest of the crowd sent the misguided man on his way.

The opening of the monument was a monumental event, no pun intended. But little did we know that there was something greater coming along that we could not have imagined.

Just a few weeks after the opening of the monument, on May 18, 1968, His Holiness Vazken I, of Blessed Memory, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians arrived and blessed the monument and the community. This was something that was unseen for us, and left an indelible mark on our psyche. From the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin His Holiness brought with him two khatchkars etched with the words of endurance, hope, resurrection and victory. No, there weren’t four words on that stone, only one.

On the khatchkar which was mounted on the monument, was carved the word “Etchmiadzin.” While to many Etchmiadzin is a name from history, or a the name of a place, for us it was much more. I remember my dad telling me that day, to gaze at the letters on the stone beginning with the might “Է” symbol. He said there is a secret message inscribed on that stone, a hidden message for dreamers to keep dreaming. It is the message of hope.

And here, 50 years later, I am coming to understand what he meant by that cryptic message. Etchmiadzin is the name of St. Gregory the Illuminator’s Dream. It’s the beginning place of our Armenian soul and being. Etchmiadzin is a dream in which Christ descends and points to where the Church of the Armenian people is to be built. Etchmiadzin literally means the “descent of the only begotten.” Or very plainly: God is with us! Աստուած ընդ մեզ է: It is that dream of Etchmiadzin that has kept us alive – a dream to acknowledge the One who said, “I will NEVER leave you!” The one who said, “In this world you will have much trouble, but courage, the victory is mine! I have overcome (conquered) this world.” (John 16)

On that historic day in 1968, at the footsteps of the Monument, the Venerable Catholicos Vazken I, as the spiritual father of all Armenians, addressed his children and the general public. His words were met with thunderous applause and massive gratitude. “From those dark days in 1915, an entire country was destroyed… an entire people was decapitated… but just as Christ rose three days after death, three years after 1915, in 1918 our Independent Armenia had risen.” He spoke it plainly, the Armenian people have resurrected and we have a message for the world: good is more powerful than evil, light always overcomes the darkness, dreams are what give us hope and are meant to be dreamt until they are actualized.

Today we stand 103 years removed from a day that was supposed to have left us with only one Armenian propped up in a museum. April 24, 1915 remembers the day the Turks went after the dream! By killing off the writers, the poets, the priests, the intellectuals and the leadership they thought they would kill the dream! Kill the dream and the people will lose hope and die. But our hope and our dream was greater: Etchmiadzin – “Christ is with us!” “God is with us!” That’s a dream that cannot be killed!

The monument of 50 years ago, with the Etchmiadzin khatchkar at its base, continues to stand as a beacon of hope – where you stand with a dream, there is hope.

Our brothers and sisters in Armenia are standing together in defining the new course of a civilization. Ours is one of understanding and dreaming with them. I always mention that in looking at Armenia let us not be impatient, but let us dream of better days. Independence is only 26 years old! What was America 26 years after independence? There was slavery. There was struggles to define the limits and extent of democracy. Misunderstandings led to conflict. But it’s the dream of America that gives us hope.

And so today, let us continue to dream. Those dreams keep hope alive. Dream the dream of “Etchmiadzin” – God is with us! The possibilities are endless. Look at the proof all around us. Each one of you here today, is here because the dream has come true. Therefore, each of you is a monument to the dream – you have survived, you are living and creating! We’re an interesting group of people because we name our children “revenge” (=Vrej) but we also name them “resurrection” (=Haroutiun). Our revenge is in our resurrection.

Tonight – a group from GenNext is with us. Young people who are dreaming of their brighter futures. They are keeping hope alive. Sure, we have people who may not understand the language but they understand the heart – the place where dreams begin. They are part of the dream as everyone who came before them.

Tonight in celebrating the monument at age 50, let us celebrate the spirit of unity of a community coming together. Let us celebrate dreams, however impossible they may seem, to becoming reality. Let us celebrate the lives of the crowned saints, the Holy Martyrs’ of our Church, for the life they lived as living monuments to “Etchmiadzin” … to the fact that God is with us!

God bless you all. God bless the Armenian people and nation. Keep Dreaming.

Miracle in the Sky and Around us

2017-12-13T11:01:00.004-08:00

It’s hard to believe that 20 years have passed since our first commemoration of Children’s Memorial Day. Then President Clinton had just declared the second-Sunday in December as the memorial and we had a recent loss in our church community, young Cathia Hamparian.

That first Children’s Memorial was an opportunity for us to come together to remember dear Cathia and to stand in solidarity with the Hamparian family as they faced their loss. Tragically, through the years others have joined the list of the children we mourn. Each year, the slow and uncertain footsteps of the grieving parents would approach us. They’d share a name and perhaps a picture with us. Our list has grown to 150 children over these last 20 years. To each of those parents we’ve made a promise that we would keep their child’s name alive through the years. With candles, pictures and stories we keep those names close at heart.

And so we gathered on December 10 – the second Sunday in December – at the St. Leon Armenian Cathedral in Burbank to offer our prayers, to light our candles and to seek solace. This was our 20^th year. With the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate, we gathered, prayed, sang, told stories of our children, hugged and shared the horrible pain of the these tragic losses.

Miracles happen in unusual and unexpected ways. Perhaps no one knows this better than I do. This year we had several. One came a half-an-hour before the service when one of the mothers gave me a call. She comes every year and stands in solidarity and unity with us but never talks publically. The pain is too great, even after over a decade of being with us. But this year was going to be different. Cathia’s mother, Maria organizes these annual gatherings and stays in touch with the various families. Maria told me just a few days earlier that this woman was ready to talk! She was looking forward to coming this year and sharing her story as she remembered her dear son. With that anticipation I answered the call. Sadly, it wasn’t going to happen this year either. She was unable to come but she sent her greetings to the new families and her love and appreciation to those families returning to the service. She asked me to tell everyone that she would be there next year. Miracle.

Is that the miracle? My choice of words are intentional. When you consider the pain and suffering these families have experienced over the greatest loss of their lives, you can only then appreciate the word in context. Two other miracles took place last night when two first-time families came and found love, warmth and the caring embrace of fellow journeyers. They talked, cried and in solitude below the blanket of stars above us. It was a night of solace.

Christmas and the holiday season is one of the hardest times for families who have lost a child. While others are celebrating, their empty arms are reminders of the gift of life taken away. The Children’s Memorial Service is a subtle reminder that they are not alone and a reminder to us all that love is our grasp. Reach out to the hurting world.

Picture: At the end of the service, candles were placed around the small angel which sat quietly throughout the service.

Regarding my being a Board Member of Equality Armenia

2017-12-01T14:00:00.000-08:00

Recently an article appeared in Asbarez erroneously proclaiming me as a Board Member of the newly formed Equality Armenia organization. The article was predicated on an interview I gave to Cary Harrison on KPFK radio. Unfortunately, some of the information in the article was and/or might be misconstrued to mean something different than what was intended.

To be certain, according to the canons of the Armenian Church marriage is between a man and woman. Holy Matrimony is one of the seven sacraments of the Church. Pure and simple, this is the definition of marriage as accepted by the Armenian Church. I have not stated anything to the contrary and even more, it is not the place of a priest to change canon law. The underlying reasons for this definition stems from the understanding that marriage is the vessel in which procreation takes place and gives structure to the family. This is the stand of the Armenian Church. Therefore, I cannot be a Board member of any organization whose mission contradicts the stance and doctrines of the Church. And to be clear, I have never officiated in any manner over same-sex unions.

There is also a pastoral dimension to our work as priests that is predicated on the call by Jesus Christ. In the radio spot on KPFK radio (Los Angeles) I was interviewed with Armen Abelyan of Equality Armenia. He is an openly gay man and I sat with him to share in a conversation. In the interview I expressed the orthodox teaching of the Armenian Church, namely that we are called to a life where love is the motivating force in all that we do. Love, as we know, has many dimensions and manifestations, not all of which are about physical love. Love is articulated in a life of compassion, care and understanding. This is expressed throughout the writings and teachings of the Church Fathers, including the greats such as St. Nersess Shnorhali who reminds us that the “name of love is Jesus.” As an Apostolic Church we take our cues from Jesus who accepted all. The cliché “love the sinner but not the sin” is fine to remember as long as at the same time we accept that we are all sinners, in other words, we all miss the mark of perfection. This is not to set up a value system, rather it is to acknowledge our humanity. Judgement is left to God alone. Ours is not to judge but to live the Gospel message in our lives. As a priest my approach with the homosexual community – as with any community – is pastoral, highlighted by our compassion, understanding and acceptance. It only follows then that we approach one another with respect and we love one another for the common union we share in humanity. This is why Jesus Christ does not place a condition on his command to love one another. This is the challenge before all of us to rise above our differences, thereby allowing God to be God and us to be human. I am no different than any other priest: The call we receive to the ministry has as its foundation the call to compassion.

In the scope of our humanity we have to inevitably talk about human rights. Every Armenian should be concerned with human rights because we exist today, especially in the Diaspora, because at one time we were the target of human rights’ violations of the extreme type. Let us not forget that our most recent history marks a Genocide where we were targeted as less-than-human. As Gregory Stanton outlines in his “Eight Stages of Genocide” document, the most violent acts against humanity begin with the simple classification and dehumanization of the target groups. If there is anything that we have learned as victims of Genocide it is that today we cannot tolerate intolerance. Name calling, chastising, irreverence toward God’s creation cannot exist in a loving and caring environment. Therefore, as the Church we follow the highest ideals of humanity as expressed by Jesus Christ, to love one another without exceptions. It was for this reason that we are ordained into priesthood of the Armenian Church.

My calling as a priest has given me an opportunity to sit with many communities that have suffered persecution. My reference to the Armenian Genocide is in the context that if we have survived the suffering of the most horrific of all persecutions, we have a unique vantage point in the world and history. This is not to equate all suffering with the Armenian Genocide. I do not make that comparison, nor can it be made.

Christianity, as expressed through the ancient Armenian Church, works for me. It presents to me a model for living where love and compassion pave the way for the possibility of peace. At Jesus’ Birth, the angels proclaimed, “Peace on Earth, good will toward all.” This was not a declaration about a time to come but a time that has arrived. When we leave judgement to God, and God alone, we then have an opportunity to focus on our own lives, to understand how we can and must be part of the equation for peace.

While I cannot accept a position on the Board of Equality Armenia, it is my hope that we can be called upon for spiritual counsel and direction. All priests are open for this dialogue and the offering of prayer and the sharing of faith.

(KPFK interview https://tinyurl.com/kpfk-eqarm)

So that Armenia may hear: One Mission, Several Hearts of Compassion & 1800 Miracles

2017-10-23T13:32:00.000-07:00

We knew this would be an emotional trip when Archbishop Hovnan Derderian called and asked if we’d accompany the Kavoukjians to Armenia on the Starkey Hearing Foundation Mission. This was not a trip to see sights from old, rather it was to participate in a mission simply dubbed, “So that Armenia may hear.” And so, Yeretsgin Susan I took off for the homeland in expectation of a miracle. Soon we would find 1,800 miracles in the works.

This wasn’t my first exposure to the Starkey Hearing Foundation. Last July, at the invitation of Mr. & Mrs. Armen & Haikouhi Kavoukjians I attended the Starkey Annual Gala fundraiser where the likes of Steve Tyler (Aerosmith), Daymond John (Shark Tank), John Fogerty (CCR) and many others celebrities from the entertainment and sports worlds lent their talents and names “So the World May Hear.” That night over $7Million dollars was raised to bring the possibility of hearing into different countries. It was also a special evening because for the first time, Armenia was being introduced to the Gala attendees. Within minutes thousands of dollars were raised for the Armenia mission to bring hearing to those who could least afford it – to those who possibly would never have an opportunity to avail themselves to this technology. And so, the ground work was in place. We were headed to Armenia.

The Starkey Hearing Foundation was founded by Bill Austin who believes that hearing is a vehicle to reflect caring and to improve the lives of individuals, their families, and communities. For more than 50 years, Austin has been providing the gift of hearing to people in need, with a simple premise: “Alone we can't do much. Together we can change the world.” With the help of thousands of volunteers and supporters, Bill and his wife Tani Austin have been giving the gift of hearing to those in need, empowering them to achieve their potential.

Starkey came to Armenia through the efforts of Armen & Haikouhi Kavoukjians, local medical suppliers (Comfort Care Medical Products) who approached the Austins with the proposal to take the Starkey team to the land of Ararat. The Kavoukjian’s dream was being realized with our footsteps on Armenian soil. Phase 1 of the Armenian mission took place earlier this year when the Starkey team visited Yerevan to take measurements for the hearing-aid fittings. And now we were here for Phase 2, with the Austins, the Kavoukjians, the Starkey Team and scores of volunteers. In the course of three days, 1,800 individuals would be turning on their devices for a chance to hear.

Yerevan’s Hamalir – the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Music Complex – was the site of this phase of the mission. The challenge was to move hundreds of people through, to provide them with hearing exam, education, placement of the hearing aids and then provide on-going instructions for care of the devises. Busses from Gyumri, Vanadzor and other cities brought hundreds from the outlying areas, while locals from Yerevan came directly to the Complex.

From one end of the Hamalir, the patients registered. They were greeted by friendly volunteers who directed them according to their needs. After exams and the education process, the miracles began to happen. One by one the patients approached the audiologists and technicians. One by one their ears were opened to the world of sound. The audiologists had come from different countries. With no knowledge of the Armenian language, they were assisted by volunteers who translated the basic questions of “Can you hear this?” or “Do you hear that?” And suddenly… there was transformation! Suddenly there was sound! It didn’t take long before smiles replaced the faces of hopelessness. For many this offered a new lease on life. Soon there was communication: “Can you hear this?” became “Lusum es?” and “Lav ah?”

For many the loss of hearing had been a gradual process which came about over the years. But for some hearing was but faint whispers throughout their entire life. Such was the case for one young boy who came in from the villages. His hearing loss was so severe that he had never heard properly. At age 11 he had not attended school because of the lack of programs for the hearing impaired. The moment his hearing aid was installed and turned on he lit up with excitement. He could hear! The tears of joy rolled down his face as they rolled down all of our faces: We were witnesses to this miracle. AND… if this was a unique miracle, it would certainly have been reason enough to come to Armenia, but tragically, this boy’s story was not a singular event. One after another, we witnessed the miracle of sound on young and old. Children were hearing their parent’s voice as parents were hearing the laughter of their children for the first time. There was an abundance of tears of joy and hugs of appreciation all around us.

The Scriptural scene recounted in the Gospel of Mark chapter 7 comes to my mind. A deaf man was brought to Jesus, but along with his restricted hearing the man’s tongue “was tied.” When Jesus healed his hearing, Scripture tells us that “and his tongue was released…” Gaining his hearing was just the beginning of a major change in his life! So much more would now be available to him. Likewise, here in Yerevan, the hearing aids opened the ears of the patients for sure, but even more, now their lives were opened to possibilities for communication, interaction, education, a better life and ultimately to become agents for change in their communities.

This was a spiritual journey for sure. His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian and the Western Diocese were sponsors of the Mission and I’m thankful for the opportunity he gave Yn. Susan and myself to be a part of this miracle-making. The Agape Circle of the Western Diocese, chaired by Mrs. Alice Chakrian was a financial supporter of this project. For our part, we took the prayers and financial assistance of our Glendale Bible Study group and the In His Shoes mission.

Following the Mission, the Starkey Team were welcomed at the See of Holy Etchmiadzin, where Archbishop Natan Hovhanissian welcomed and commended the group for their work. He passed along the blessings of His Holiness Karekin II, the Catholicos of All Armenians, who was away from the Holy See in Germany.

Over 1,800 people received hearing aids during the three days of operation. Yerevan TV publicized the event locally and by day 3 many locals had come without registering. What may have been a difficult situation was quickly remedied when Bill and Tani Austin assured us that everyone would be fitted and would receive hearing aids, if not that day then at the next time Starkey came to Armenia in early 2018. Furthermore, each person that received a hearing aid was also offered instructions on care and maintenance of the device, along with ample supplies of batteries.

Armenian government officials toured the operations, meeting with Starkey organizers and physicians. Dr. Ara Babloyan, the current President of the National Assembly of Armenia, was among those who visited and was truly impressed by the scope and extent of operations, noting the smooth and efficient manner in which distribution was taking place. On the final day of the Mission, the Armenian Parliament recognized the work of Starkey Foundation, honoring Bill Austin with commendations and the entire Kavoukjian family for this most important humanitarian effort and work.

The Mission continues and will continue in the months to come as the phases are explored. It took the prayers and untiring efforts of hundreds of people to make this happen. Essential to the success of the project was the invaluable work of Lianna Sahakian, the International Project Coordinator of the Arabkir Children’s Fund.

The Kavoukjians hosted the Starkey appreciation dinner at Megerian Carpets in Yerevan. Here the Starkey team was treated to some exceptional Armenian food, music, dance and culture. When the Starkey awards were given, they awarded one to the Western Diocese and to the Mother Church of Holy Etchmiadzin. I was honored to pick up these awards on behalf of the Church but after all that we had witnessed over last several days it was obvious that these awards were not necessary. Miracles are a part of Christian life. We witnessed true miracles as people heard, laughed, cried and understood the power of love. We had received our award in the miracles we witnessed. And so, may the awards inspire others to reach out with their resources to help those in need. May we all be encouraged to be a part of the miracle-making that is all around us and that is so necessary in our world today.

To learn more about the Starkey Foundation visit www.StarkeyHearingFoundation.org.

To donate to this Mission contact aram@comfortcare.com

Joseph & Mary's Son

2016-07-17T23:30:00.003-07:00

Joseph and Mary had a baby. He was my father. He was born on July 17, 1932 to Joseph and Mary Movsesian, in Marseille, France. This jesus was named Jeane.

Both Joseph and Mary had loved before. They were both widowed during the Armenian Genocide. Aside from their spouses, they lost parents, siblings and children. They were exiled from their homes in Kharpert and Sivri-hisar and somehow, by the Grace of God they ended up in France in 1931 where they married and tried to bring some semblance of order to the chaos they had witnessed. In that chaos, a new light, a new miracle and a new hope, Jeane, became their salvation.

After Jeane’s birth, Joseph journey across the pond to America. He set up life for his new family amidst the Great Depression, bussing tables and stocking vending machines at a New York cafeteria. Mary and Jeane met up with Joseph in 1937. At the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade that year, Jeane sat atop his father’s shoulders, much like Jesus might have sat atop his Joseph's shoulders in the carpentry shop, having a bird's-eye view of all the creativity around him, allowing his little head to wonder - and formulate the metaphors - about the magic of life.

In 1943, with America fully engaged in World War II, the family moved to Los Angeles. It was here that Jeane would grow up. Kids being kids, made fun of his name: Jeane is a girl’s name! Mary adopted an Armenian name for him: Varougan (pronounce Vahr-oo-zhan). I’m not sure how that change would have helped matters but it did. (Later in life, he would go simply by John.) Dad went to Virgil Junior High where he entered the orchestra. He taught himself the violin and by age 17 he was offered a position with the Los Angeles Philharmonic!

Varougan in flight

He graduated John Marshall High School in 1949 and continued his education at LA City College. He was a man of determination and had set his mind on being a medical professional. He was drafted and served as a Medic in the US Army during the Korean War. After the war, he married Anna and started a family together in the heart of the City of the Angeles.

Varougan went from LACC straight into USC Pharmacy School. They told him it could not be done, and that’s all he needed to hear to make it happen. He graduated in 1960 with a Pharm.D. degree. He was a miracle worker. He was a Pharmacist by trade and a physician at heart. He mended and healed, he hammered and nailed, he built and rebuilt. He could fly through the air and dazzle people with his charm. He was Joseph and Mary’s son.

Dad passed away in 1991. He resurrected and is alive to this day in our memories and the stories we marvel at and repeat among us.

Though I knew these facts, it wasn’t until I turned 60 that I realized that my dad came from divine stock.

When I was growing up, I was influenced by a variety of people from different walks of life, with an assortment of life-styles, each flashing their own values. One of these influential men was Hratch. Though he claimed to be an atheist, he helped me become a priest. Hratch’s father was an Armenian writer, a prominent man and well-regarded within the community. Though I never read any of his articles, essays or books, I heard about Alex Kludjian and about the influence he had within the Armenian intellectual community. Because of him I learned there was an “intellectual” category of people. And in fact, thinking about it now, I would say that my conversations with his son Hratch fell into that intellectual category.

Hratch passed away a 2009. A few months after his funeral, I received a box in the mail sent to me by his wife. It contained a plaster bust of Mgrditch Khrimian Hayrig, a 19^th century cleric of the Armenian Church. By this time I had served in the Armenian Church for over 25 years. I knew the players and also had developed a love for certain figures throughout the history of the Church. Mgrditch Khrimian Hayrig certainly tops that list. He was the chief bishop of the Armenian Church under Ottoman occupation. He led the people by preaching self-reliance and victory through inner strength of conscience and will. One of the first books I read in the Armenian language was Hayrig’s “Bab oo Tornig” – his instructions on living a meaningful life. In this essay, he calls for a connection – a permanent bond – to the Armenian soil. I cherish this book and to this day refer to it for inspiration.

Khrimian Hayrig bust

Hratch’s wife wrapped the statuette along with a note. She wanted me to have this memory. It was Hratch’s and now mine. It was made of plaster, hard and shiny. I examined it and noticed two bits of writing on the back of it. One was in ink. It was from the Venerable Catholicos Vazken, with a dedication and dated 1960. That particular year was the first time a Catholicos of the Armenian Church had visited North America and so I figured he probably presented this bust to Alex. If there is such a category as intellectual, then certainly Hayrig’s statue belonged within that community.

But it was the second notation that was of interest to me. It was engraved in the plaster before the putty had dried. It was the signature of the artist who constructed the bust. Below his name there was a date: 17 July 1932.

Writing on the back of the statuette

This statuette is 84 years old today, the same age that the son of Joseph and Mary would have been this very day.

The son of Joseph and Mary was a miracle worker. He came into the world amidst choas and taught us to believe and to have hope. He believed in self-reliance, not in a pompous and arrogant manner, nor with false pride. Rather he understood that the knowledge of God meant a knowledge of the self and with a healthy knowledge of the self, one could be in tune with God... that is, one could be a son of God.

It’s a complex formula that he somehow lived in simple elegance. It's a formula that is built on dreams and dreaming. Perhaps it cannot be explained by words, but it works.

Fallen at Ani

2015-11-19T16:25:00.002-08:00

One of the only standing Armenian churches
in the background of this collapsed structure

The fallen City of Ani is referred to as the City of a thousand-and-one churches. As one of the centers of the Armenian national life, structurally the city was one of the marvels of Christian civilization and a tribute to Armenian Orthodoxy. During the Summer of 2014 I led a pilgrimage to the city. Image a large city wiped out. What's left? A few ruins, a few walls, and remnants of a civilization that once was.

The City of Ani (or what was the City of Ani) is today in the Eastern part of Turkey. When we reached the main wall of Ani, there were three signs written in Turkish, English and I can't remember the language of the third. They described the city in its heyday. It is an attempt at history.

Nowhere throughout the city, where we found small signs propped up next to broken and crumbled monuments, was the word "Armenian" mentioned. No mention of a past. No mention of the pious people, kings, priests who were responsible for the thousand-and-one.... for the life that surrounded those monuments of faith and hope. So I guess, we should deduce that the Turks, who are Muslim, out of some unknown motive, decided to erect Armenian churches throughout the area of an entire city and adore each church with Christian iconography?? Wow! Maybe a goodwill gesture before they slaughtered the people?

No mention of "Armenians" except on one sign. It was on the sign that pointed to this fallen mosque (pictured). There, and only there, we found the word "Armenian" in reference to the City and monuments of Ani. There, is it mentioned that this mosque had been toppled down by an "Armenian terrorist monk."

Yes, Walter Benjamin is right: History is written by the victor. But a bit of imagination please... an "Armenian terrorist monk?" At least it's so far out there - even beyond the "goodwill motive theory" - that a counter claim is unnecessary.

Preparing for Holy Week

2015-03-28T18:45:00.001-07:00

It was a very emotional morning - just to see everyone come out to clean and decorate our church for holy week. And then, when it came time to open the curtain - after the 40 day Lenten period - we prayed and read the Gospel reading for the day - John 11 - 12 (please read the entire chapter). What hit me hard was the passage where Mary anointed the Lord's feet with perfume and then wiped them with her hair.

I don't know what it was, but I was so moved - what an expression of Love! And Jesus (and now us) knowing it was in preparation for his death, he stood up to the defense of that holy moment. There we were in the church - scrubbing, wiping, cleaning - and now our curtain is open. I looked around - most of the people there probably don't do so much for their own homes, but in this church - our home, Christ's home - they were giving it their all.

It's been an incredibly difficult and emotion-filled Lenten Season and know I'm looking forward to tomorrow's Palm Sunday feast and the week that is ahead of us.

"... and it's only the giving that makes you what you are..." - Ian Anderson

Mary Anoints Jesus

(John 11) Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 2 There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him.3 Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them[a] with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii[b] and the money given to the poor?” 6 (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) 7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it[c] so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. 8 You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”

When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well, 11 since it was on account of him that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus.

From Where did the name Vazken come to the Vehapar?

2014-10-14T16:24:00.000-07:00

From where did the name “Vazken” come to the Vehapar?

I was ordained 27 years to the date that His Holiness of Blessed Memory,Vazken I, the venerable Catholicos (1955-1994) was ordained. I was honored to receive his name by my ordaining bishop, Archbishop Vatche. Through the years I had noticed that many men who were named Vazken were born during the mid-1950s. It was then that the newly elected Catholicos had ventured out of Etchmiadzin to bring peace among his flock. I figured it was in honor of him that this name became popular after the 1950's. But I always wondered, where did it come from? It was rare to hear the name in the "pre-Vazken I" era.

This piece was sent to me by Dr. Simon Simonian. It was written in a mix of Eastern & Western Armenian, both grammatically and spelling along with some spelling mistakes. I tried to clean it up, and provide a translation below. Herein, where the name Vazken came to the Vehapar...

Վեհափառ Տէր. «Վազգէն» հատուկ անունը այնքան էլ ընդհանրացած անուն չէր, ոչ աշխարհական և մանավանդ հոգևորականների համար: Մազլումեան Կարապետ սրբազանը որտեղից գտաւ այս անունը, հարցրեց Աւագ Արք. Ասատրեանը Վազգէն Վեհափառին:

Լաւ Հարցում է, ըսաւ Վեհը ու հետևեալ Վկայութիւնը տուեց,

Վանի ինքնապաշտպանութեան հայդուկներէն էր Վազգէն անունով քաջարի երիտասարդ մը: Հերոսամարտի մը ընթացքին սպանվեցաւ: Թուրքերը հերոս երիտասարդին դիակը տունէ տուն պտտցուցին գտնալու համար անոր ընտանիքը պատժելու կամ վնասելու միտումով:

Երբ Վազգէնի մայրը, շրջապատուած տնեցիներով, կը տեսնէ իր անշնչացած որդիին դիակը, կը յայտէ Թուրք զինուորներուն, թէ չի ճանչնար անոր ով ըլլալը: Ու յուզուեց Վեհափառը... Պահ մը մնաց լուռ, ապա շարունակեց, «Գիտէք որքան քաջութիւն պէտք էր մօր մը համար այդպիսի կեցուածք մը ցուցաբերելու: Այդ անկրկնելի զոհաբերութիւնը ըրաւ փրկելու համար ընտանիքի միւս անդամները:»

«Իմ ձեռնադրութեան կնքահայրութիւնը ստանձնած էր Ռումանիոյ թեմական խորհրդի անդամներէն Վանեցի Ռուբէն Իսրայէլեանը: Իր փափաքին ընդառաջելով Մազլումեան սրբազանը զիս վերանուանեց Վազգէն անունով:»

Vehapar, the name “Vazken” was not particularly in popular use, both among laity and clergy. From Where did Bishop Garabed Mazloumian come up with the name “Vazken” for you? asked Archbishop Avak Asadourian to the Catholicos.

It’s a good question, said the pontiff, giving the following answer.

During the resistance movement in the region of Van, a young Armenian freedom fighter named Vazken was killed. The Turks, took the body of this young hero from door to door, to find his family so that they could punish, or to inflict harm upon them.

“When Vazken’s mother, surrounded by her family members, saw the breathless body of her son, she tells the Turk soldiers that she does not recognize the body.” And Vehapar was moved… he paused for a moment, and then continued, “Do you know what kind of courage it took for a mother to show such restraint? She held that unmatched strength to save the rest of her family members.”

“The godfather for my ordination was a member of the Diocese of Romania, originally from Van, named Rouben Israelian. It was according to his wish that Bishop Mazloumian renamed me Vazken.”

-10/14/2014

Getting Pregnant Again

2014-09-08T10:19:00.001-07:00

(At the end of the Avon Breast Cancer Walk)

Lena, one of the walkers, said it's like childbirth: You don’t think about getting pregnant again while you're in labor. Crazy, right? But after the baby is born ...

There were a few (translate 'many') moments when you think - what was in my drink when I signed on the dotted line? We were BEAT after the 39 miles! And then they invited us to the grandstand area - 2000+ of us. Hand-in-hand we came in front of the stage - walkers, survivors, crew and there we stood with fluid emotions. Staff member passing out Kleenex® tissues. And all of a sudden you get it! You get why you’re there. You remember the people who lost the battle. You celebrate those who are STILL fighting cancer. And you understand this is war.

Throughout the weekend breasts abound. Breasts are the name of the game – pictures, drawings, paper mache models... “Save a life: Grope your wife” says one sign held up in the cheering section. “Men who walk are more support than your bra!” says another. There are ta-ta vans, and booby patrol cars. You might even wonder, is anyone taking breast cancer seriously? Well, yeah…

32 years I’ve been a priest. I’ve sat on too many hospital beds with patients and families trying to get through this evil called cancer. Some battles you lose, some you win. The loss/win isn’t about life. Sure that’s the measurable commodity. But the real wins are when people get together – they cry, they hold hands, bow their head a bit and realize life isn’t defined by evil but by the power of love – the power of people coming together. And that’s what we all felt at the closing ceremony yesterday.

We did it. We raised $4.6 million. They announced the recipients of the grants – research teams, treatment centers, hospitals and organizations. I lost it when they presented $125,000 to Project Angel Food - angels who will provide over 56,000 meals to cancer patients in treatment! Yup, it all starts making sense as you look over to the bald chemo woman next to you and you remember your sister who made it through two bouts, swinging and beating the crap out of the disease. And suddenly you figure out what was in your drink and you’re ready to sign on the line for next year. The cancer walk is a commitment. It’s another battle in the war. Sure, sign me up.

Thanks EVERYONE – for your support. Your prayers, donations, words of encouragement, “LIKE”s and thumbs up got me/us through this walk. I love you all. Thanks for making sure evil can never win.

It’s too close after labor, but we’ll be talking about getting pregnant soon. God bless you all.
‪#‎AvonWalk‬ ‪#‎TeamInHerShoes‬ ‪#‎iwasnormalnowimbetter‬

I found the pearl. Now I’m going after it

2014-07-19T20:49:00.003-07:00

Every day we wake up with news about tragedies in the world. There is the war in Syria which has claimed so many lives and the lives of children. Now there is new fighting in Iraq. There are continuing strikes between the Israelis and the Palestinians. This week we learned of the Malaysian jet that was shot down by Pro-Russian rebel forces. It is tragedy upon tragedy on the global scale that we hear about. Of course, tragedies are not confined or limited to the large disasters. Certainly there are large scale calamities – heartbreaks – in

Reading the Gospel at Holy Cross, Akhtamar

our own lives, whether they are health issues, relationships gone sour, financial troubles or our general uneasiness with life. What I wish to share with you is a message of hope that I just discovered, perhaps more precisely, I rediscovered. It is a hope in the dreams that we have – for a better life, for ourselves and the world. Can we dream of peace? Can we dream of a world where love becomes the means by which we resolve our confrontations and situations? And even more important, can me realize those dreams?

On the surface, this sounds impossible, but today I wish to share with you events of the past month that have changed my life and because of those change I’m positive that there are better solutions to our life’s challenges and difficulties than what we have and the way we solve them today.

I’m convinced because I just returned from a most incredible pilgrimage to a land that is the holiest of lands. I know when I saw “holy land” your mind goes to the traditional spots, but let me share with you where the holiest of lands is. It is that land that surrounds Mt. Ararat. This land is known as the “Cradle of Civilization.” It is there where everything began. And so begins a new chapter in my life…

Our pilgrimage took us to three portions of Ararat – The Republic of Armenia, Artsakh (Nagorna Karabagh), and Historic Armenia on the Western side of Mt. Ararat (currently occupied by Turkey). I have been rejuvenated. I got a shot-in-the-arm of a powerful dose of magic, beauty and goodness. It is the magic that says, if you want to see peace don’t give up hope and keep dreaming.

Armenia is an area of the world that is land-locked – there is no way to get to it by oceans or sea. It is surrounded by hostile “neighbors.” This is a land that is at the crossroads of three continents – Asia, Europe and Africa. It is a land that has been raped and pillaged along with its people. Not only by barbarians and conquerors, not only by wars and disasters but by the ultimate in inhumanity, by Genocide! And here we find a group of people that has not only survived – despite not having military power or might – but has prospered. They have taken the dirt and changed it into grass. They have taken darkness and radiated light. They have taken filth and turned it into things of beauty.

It is not a panacea nor is it utopia. Obviously there are governments and people involved so there are interests and politics at play, much like what we see in the rest of the world. But there is hope! And that hope comes from the spiritual world.

For all of our problems we keep appealing to politics for solutions. We look to armies and militaries to solve them. We keep saying, “You fight fire with fire.” NO! You don’t fight fire with fire. You fight fire with water! And we need to develop a language that articulates this common sense approach to life. We have tried everything else. You’ve tried the politics, the military and aggression. It’s about time that you fight fire with water! … and put it out.

This is a spiritual approach because hope comes from beyond us. Dreams come from the inner workings of the being, and are made manifest in the common Faith which we call Armodoxy.

Without going out of my door, I can know all things on Earth

Without looking out of my window, I can know the ways of Heaven

The farther one travels, the less one really knows…

-George Harrison, The Inner Light

There is a tune that I first heard when I was 13 years old. I was mesmerized when I first

heard it and recently I heard a rendition of it by violinist Maxim Vengerov. The song is Le Ronde des Lutins (the Dance of the Goblins) by Bazzini. In this song, the performer hits notes that are not on the violin. Those notes do not exist in physical form but he plays them as harmonics. His bow is travelling so fast that he actually plucks the strings while he is bowing and you cannot understand nor tell how it is played. In other words he is making possible the impossible. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzB4TN7O3rU) And that’s the way I look at our mission. Can we make the impossible possible? Can we find peace – inner peace, outer peace, world peace – in seemingly impossible ways? Can we nurture the soul and spirit in a manner that will bring about peace that will allow us to have a love-life – a life full of love – and no sorrow? It is not impossible, it just requires us to speak and dialog in a language that is conducive to the vitality of the human spirit.

Holy Cross Church at Akhtamar

Certainly, when Jesus speaks about peace it is from another realm. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you: not as the world gives…” (John 14) This peace comes from the beginning of all eternity, that is, it comes from God. Isn't this the peace that we are all seeking? Isn't this the peace that the world is seeking? In particular, when we hear the stories of war and violence, of young children dying, of airplanes being blown up, of neighbors bombing each other, of daily fights and killings, we have to realize that we don’t have the answers here, but need to look beyond ourselves and our temporal plane.

I know it’s overwhelming at times. We know there are politics and interests in the world, there is cancer, and harsh people in our lives who are all beyond our control. One of holy shrines we visited on our pilgrimage was at the island of Akhtamar at Lake Van. When you walk into this sanctuary - Holy Cross - you see the Armenian writings on the walls, the Armenian icons and frescoes above the altar area, and yet, today this area is void of Armenians. The island and the church, as well as all of the historic city of Van and Lake Van are in present day Turkey. Our group of 25 went into the sanctuary and offered a pray. We sang hymns, read the Gospel and then recited the Nicene Creed. Here we proclaimed our faith in the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit and in the Holy Church. This is a important proclamation because the Church is not an institution but the functioning Body of Christ! It is the Body that can heal. It is the Body that the woman who was bleeding for several years touched and she was instantly healed (Matthew 9:20). It is the Body that touched the sick and the lame and made them whole and functioning again. (Matthew 14:36).

As we were about to finish our prayer a Turkish guard approached us. He was in uniform and had a side arm – something very unusual for us to find inside of a church. He said to us, “It is enough.”

You have to respect the soldier; after all, we were in his (their) country. Yes, it’s hurtful. It is your church. It is your faith, but the reality is that it belongs to another. And that was an important moment for me because as much as we talk about these concepts of faith, hope and love, this was a reminder that we live in a world that is run by guns and by might. So here is the question: how can we overcome that gun without appealing to a bigger gun?

Armenia is much like the heart is to the body. It is a small and relatively little organ inside the body, but it is vital. Armenia beats and has a rhythm. It not only survives but it prospers. It builds and moves forward. We went throughout Armenia and visited shrines, churches, centers, some destroyed, some restored and some were functioning for the local communities. But in all of these sacred spaces, whether in ruins or standing upright, we found the will of people. It is that will to live, survive and prosper. On many occasions I thought to myself that had this been anywhere else in the world Discovery Channel, National Geographic and the likes would be there! They’d be producing documentaries and exploiting this treasure.

Now, can we take that little example and present it to the world? Can we take the secret that we found over there and present it to a world and people who are in dire need of an alternative to fighting and destruction? The time has come for us to exploit these places in a good manner. It is time for us to take the lessons that we learned in Armenia and provide them to the world.

Here is an interesting idea that I heard on a Ted Talk recently, it concerned the expanding universe. Back in 1929 astronomer Edwin Hubble articulated the concept of the Expanding Universe. Until then, astronomers looking up into the sky would see our Milky Way Galaxy and assume that it is the universe. After all, we knew about the forces of gravity and therefore the universe must be coming together. Hubble said and showed that it is not coming together, but it is expanding and the expansion is speeding up over time. The initial response to this was that Hubble’s discovery was a mistake. But beginning in 1998 different teams of scientists throughout the world started to verify that the universe is in fact expanding. Not just one team but different teams of scientists from different parts of the world were confirming that the expanding universe theory was not a mistake. Their findings were based on small star-light coming to us from distant galaxies. What this means is that these galaxies will, at some point, be rushing away from us at such a remarkable speed that we may not be able to see them in the future. And this is not because of technological limitations, but because of the physics. “The light those galaxies emit, even traveling at the fastest speed, the speed of light, will not be able to overcome the ever-widening gulf between us.” So astronomers in the far future, looking out into deep space will see nothing but an endless stretch of static, icky, black stillness. AND they will conclude that the universe is static and unchanging and populated by a single central oasis of matter that they inhabit” (namely our Milky Way Galaxy).

Now think about this for a moment. They will have a picture of the universe that we know is wrong! Now, suppose (and we hope) that those future astronomers will have records from our time – from the 21^st century – in which we claim that the universe, “the cosmos teeming with galaxies,” is expanding. Will those future astronomers believe our knowledge? They will have no proof of it – for in fact, when they look up into the night sky they will see only black, static emptiness. Their theories will be validated by their state-of-the-art technological equipment. In turn they will think that our rendition of the universe is archaic – from the dark ages.

Remember, just since 1929 and Hubble’s claim, the theories of the fabric of space have changed dramatically. And we come up with words such as archaic, dark ages and backward to describe old ways of thought. What will people say about us in the future? Will they look at what we know as true and call us backward? Living in the dark ages? Because they will look up and only see what is dark and static. They will not see the reality that we see.

Adding incense to the prayers

Well think about us today. Do we sometimes look out at the past and past civilization and render our judgment upon them calling them backward and archaic? What could they have known? After all they were living in the villages and didn’t have the technology that we have. They were looking out at the stars, seeing the wonders and… thanking God! They looked around and said you have to have faith. They saw dire situations and said that there must be hope. What could they have known? They didn’t have military power.

What I discovered is that they did have something that qualifies as a means of survival. Is it possible that the concepts of faith, hope and love that we talk about are really the means by which we can preserve ourselves, our sanity and our world against our biggest enemy, ourselves?

As I start processing all that we discovered from our pilgrimage, in the coming months I will be presenting some of those experience and the means by which people articulate their lives around faith, hope and love. We will present means by which peace can be attained, personally and on a global level. You’ll have to step out of your box, your comfort zone, to observe and appreciate this but it will be well worth it.

For today, there are three things that I want to share with you. These points became so clear to me to me following this pilgrimage and I need to share this:

1) The Armenian Church, unequivocally was responsible for the formation of the Armenian identity we know today. The Armenian Church formed, fed, cultivated and defended the Armenian identity. Faith, hope and love are embedded in the code of that identity. This is a very difficult position to maintain given today’s world, soaked in plurality. You say, isn’t the Armenian Church expounding faith? What does that have to do with culture and with ethnicity? Well, the Church has had and has today one unique mission: the spreading of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. In that Gospel we find faith, hope and love and it is articulated through Resurrection. That Resurrection is the means by which we find hope for tomorrow. It is the way we discover life. We see light. We find the faith to believe in the things we cannot see. It is the faith that we find in hearing those notes that are impossible to hit, that do not exist on the violin string but are manifest in those 0harmonics Bazzini prescribed and heard in the world in which we live in. In so doing its mission, the Church has provided the tools for a group of people to define themselves. Christianity is part and parcel of the Armenian image. What I’m saying is beyond the formation of the Armenian alphabet. The Church had a mission to reveal the Gospel to the Armenian people and therefore created the alphabet and as a result the volumes of literature were written and that literature formed and articulated Armenian culture which flourished. Beyond the alphabet and the development of language, there are volumes of literature that came out of the Church, including scientific discoveries that predate Galileo and Copernicus’ writings by centuries, defining the order of the cosmos. Through the monastic system the Church provided for the defense of the homeland. For instance, at Datev Vank (Monastery) there is the room where Karekin Ndjeh strategized against and fought against the enemies. Here is a military strategist and hero of the nation gaining inspiration and fortitude from the Church. At another monastery we find the place where troubadour, Sayat Nova – a musical artist renowned throughout the world and certainly the Middle East – lived out his last years as a priest of the Church. I stood there at that monastery looking out at the serenity that he saw and the peace that he found in his heart. The Armenian Church, what I call Armodoxy, that is, the Orthodox Faith as expounded by the Armenian Church, was responsible for the development of the Armenian psyche and identity, not as its mission but as a result of its mission. Therefore any descriptor of the Armenian people which is void of the Cross or the Armenian dome is not representing the Armenian people.

2) The Armenian Church is not only a “corner-gig.” The Armenian Church is not that place you go to be born, married and die. The Armenian Church is beyond the services it renders to the people – liturgy, baptism, marriage & funeral only. There is a spirituality and mysticism that flourished in the past and is now dormant. That is what is calling me to not only find it but to share it. In that mysticism I am coming to terms with what the mystics found and played with through the centuries. It is a connection with the universe in a very real and complete sense. It remains for me to discover not only what the mystics and people found, but also how they unraveled it and made it into a way of life. It is a lonely place to be, I know. But it behooves me, and I hope you, to find the strength to go beyond ourselves.

3) The Land is important. The Land is holy and sacred. The Land is mystical and holds the key to the puzzle. You can take the Armenian Church and its people to some of the most mystical spots on Earth, you can take the Armenian Church and people and form a massive congregation on the New Mexico desert in the midst of tranquility, sunshine and no-Turks; yet it will not make complete sense. The land here – from Ararat to Artsakh – is holy and sacred. It requires connection. You cannot be whole until you connect with this land. At Lake Van, I gave a short sermon in the Holy Cross monastery and recounted the words of a Vanetzi, a great Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Mugrdich Khirmian “Hayrig.” In a book he addresses his grandson, his “tornig” (figuratively referring to the Armenian people). He says, “Unless I marry you to the land, you will die hungry and unfulfilled.” Having been on the land of Mt. Ararat and absorbing the nourishment from the sacred space, I have a new respect and connection to the land and the magic that is manifest from that land. And that’s what I find is at the core of my ministry – I want to present that holiness and sacredness to the world.

Jesus tells a parable in which he describes the Kingdom of Heaven like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who when he find one pearl of great value, he goes and sells all that he has to buy it.

I have found the pearl.

Dinner-Date: Ararat from Both Sides

2014-07-17T20:51:00.004-07:00

I was once asked by a newspaper reporter, if I could have lunch with anyone in history, living or dead, who would it be? The reporter had asked other clergy and received standard replies and Jesus was at the top of the list. For me, Christ is Love. I know that. Not much more to ask or talk about. Love and love without condition....

No, my choice for a dinner date would be my dad. I'd love to sit with him and find out

On the western side of Mt. Ararat.

what made him tick. How he dealt with juggling family, work, love, mortgage, spirit and obligations, while keeping his sanity. I'd love to ask him how he held it all together, living as an Armenian in America and how he understood identity. Man... there are so many questions I can think of asking dad. Among the first - How does Maxim Vengerov play La Ronde des Lutins - bowing and plucking at the same time and hitting those harmonics? (Even more, I'd just love to listen to this and watch my dad react to the notes with his smile.)

It was with that same wish - to connect to the author of our DNA - that we went on a pilgrimage last month to the base of the most sacred space on Earth: Mt. Ararat. We went to the Republic of Armenia, Artsakh and to historic Armenia on the West side of the holy mountain. What we found there was the the answer to the puzzles of life. We actually found possibilities for peace - both in the world and for us individually - through the sacred spaces we visited, touched and absorbed.

Today was my father's birthday. It is also the day we begin our 7th year of broadcasting the Next Step. This year we will be focusing on the mystical and sacred spaces that exist in the isolated and land-locked area around the base of Mt. Ararat, known as the Cradle of Civilization. Join me today and every Thursday for the Next Step. It's like a cool dinner-date, where we talk about life, love, purpose and direction. Listen in at http://epostle.net

Deep Breaths ...

2014-06-14T10:14:00.001-07:00

"No Step"

I looked out of my window, saw a stencil black, NO STEP. NO STEP.
There were nervous mothers with children crying in the back. NO STEP. NO STEP.
Someone bought me my ticket, now I'm on the wing.
Hope my angels are watching me, do I hear them sing?
NO STEP. NO STEP.
Those afterburners cut in and kicked us high. NO STEP. NO STEP.
The thin air shimmered, the sun cut through and burned my eye. NO STEP. NO STEP.
Someone bought me my ticket, now I'm on the wing.
Hope my angels are watching me, do I hear them sing?
NO STEP. NO STEP.
Give me a jet stream schooner or a crew-legged goose. NO STEP. NO STEP.
I'm a clear-air jockey when they turn me loose. NO STEP. NO STEP.
Someone bought me my ticket to the captain's seat.
Will the shakes soon leave me, will I find my feet?
NO STEP. NO STEP.

- (Ian Anderson)

---

The words "NO STEP" are stenciled on the wings of planes. I'm assuming the words are on Aeroflot planes as well. Taking some deep breaths on advice of a loved one and looking forward to the deeper ones I can take in the homeland.

Armodoxy has roots: Partly found in the land around Ararat, but the greater part comes from the universe itself. To be connected with the land and culture is necessary to understand. A trip now and then helps. But to be connected with the energy of the universe - to be in the flow - is essential to live.

Deeper breaths....

Ascension: Full Authority and No Wounds

2014-05-29T00:06:00.002-07:00

Today is the day of Ascension. It’s the celebration of healing. I never understood it the way

I do today.

The celebration of Ascension is 40 days after Easter. Whereas Easter celebrates victory, this feast celebrates the upward movement and healing momentum after the resurrection.

It’s interesting that the Christian story does not end with Resurrection.

The Crucifixion is the ultimate story of betrayal, hurt, pain, suffering and loss. Following the Crucifixion, we find ourselves at the Empty Tomb – a place from which we can look at the Cross and call that day, “Good” Friday. In the context of Resurrection the Crucifixion is done. It’s over. The pain and suffering are finished, conquered and defeated. But the wounds are still there. And that’s why the Christian story does not end with Resurrection.

A week or two following the Resurrection, one of the Disciples of Christ, Thomas, asks to feel the wounds of Christ. The holes in his hands where the nails were driven in were still open, as was the gouge in his side. Resurrection was a victory over death, but the wounds were still open and had not healed.

At the Ascension, Jesus proclaims “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” He ascends to Heaven in full authority. It is to the state of perfection that he ascends. The wounds have been healed!

This is the feast of Ascension – the celebration of healing. It is the celebration of leaving the wounds behind and finding the completeness of life.

Destination - Day #40 on the Road to Healing

2014-04-11T05:43:00.003-07:00

They woke me up to take my vitals. I had been through the routine for the last couple of days, but today

it was different. First the polite bow by the nurse, “How are you feeling, sir? Any pain?” Then they fumble around the IV tubes, cuff your arm. As your blood pressure is being taken, the nurse puts the plastic tip of the thermometer in your ear and one by one the readings are recorded. Temperature. Blood Pressure. Pulse. All systems are fine.

“I have some pain.”

“Just press the button, sir.”

You press the button and slowly you enter into a comfort zone. But today I was okay without the mix of narcotics into my drip. Even more, I knew that as some point I needed to wean myself off of the drugs. Let no one be fooled it’s tempting because it’s quick and effective. But today it’s over. I’m not pressing that button. I’m out of here.

I hear a voice, “Do you want to be healed?”

Yes! I do. No one else can make that decision but me. I want to be complete. I want to be whole.

Yes! I do... I am.

It was forty days ago that we took our first steps on this journey together, on the Road to Healing. We’ve encountered ideas, thoughts, faith, strength and courage along the way. We’ve explored love, God, strength from within and without as antidotes to our disease and despair. And while every journey traveled on the plane of this Earth has a beginning and an end, we understand that our journey has been one of ascent. We are traveling upward, with no boundaries to the heights we can achieve.

In the Gospel of John we read the story of Mary and Martha and their brother Lazarus. They were close friends of Jesus who lived in the town of Bethany. The scripture says that Jesus loved them dearly. The young man Lazarus fell ill and died.

Jesus rounded up the disciples and began the trip to Bethany. While still on the road to Bethany, Martha ran out to greet him. She has complete faith in the power of Christ. “Lord,” she says, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.”

Jesus assures her, “Your brother will rise again.”

Martha knows that for sure. She says, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”

Jesus replies, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.”

At this point, Jesus asks for a confirmation to his words, “Do you believe this?”

Martha replies, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Son of God, the one coming into the world.”

A few moments later, near the tomb, Jesus has the same conversation with Lazarus’ other sister Mary. And she confirms her faith as well.

The miracle takes place. After four days in the tomb, Jesus pulls Lazarus out to full life and full recovery! Needless to say, the people are astonished and the details of this story are distributed throughout the land.

This story is often called the Resurrection of Lazarus. What I propose to you that this is more about Martha and Mary than about Lazarus. True, their brother received the miracle of life, but both Martha and Mary were transformed at that moment of healing. They confessed a faith in a future event, “… he will rise on the last day.” Jesus, with his presence and his words, transformed time itself. No longer is resurrection a thing of the past, but in the immediate present, the here and now, the eternal “I AM” the Resurrection and the Life!

On this 40th Day on the Road to Healing I offer the primer. It is the code which opens the rest of the treasures of faith in all of Armodoxy. It is found in the 29th verse of a hymn written by St. Nersess Shnorhali. He writes, “The Name of Love is Jesus.” Herein lies the truth we have been searching – Love is the resurrection and the life! Believe in Love and you conquer illness, disease, despair, heartbreak and even death. It is transforming and liberating. It is offered to you, not as a final destination on this Road to Healing, but on your path towards ascent to the heavenly dimensions of Faith, Hope and Love.

Photo: Dome Light by Christaphor Movsesian (2013)

Trust - Day #39 on the Road to Healing

2014-04-09T23:49:00.001-07:00

No doubt many of you have passed by an art gallery with a quick glance in and then continued to walk. Art either talks to you or it doesn’t. When I walk past a gallery, curiosity is the first lure that gets me to glance at the work in the window. And then, there’s a quick assessment. Do I like what I see or not? I’m a sucker for the surrealists, so even a small Salvador Dali in the corner will get me to walk through the door. But once I’m in I’m pretty quick on deciding whether I’m going to spend some time looking at the pieces or not. My attention span is pretty short in general and even shorter when I don’t get the artwork. I know this is an age issue. When you’re younger you can find more time to look, evaluate and even pretend you understand some of the stuff. But at this point in my life, I know what I like and if I don’t, I don’t mean any disrespect but I just walk away. I’m usually not critical of the artwork, realizing that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but on a few occasions I have mumbled under my breath a question or two about the validity of the work as “art.”

There is one gallery, though, that I have never been able to pass without stopping by for a look. I’d venture to say that many of you share my same experience. It happens every time I look out that large window that extends to the edge of my peripheral vision and captures the sunset. And though I’ve seen hundreds, perhaps thousands of sunsets, I never tire of casting a look and letting my imagination be pulled down the horizon as it marks the end of the day.

Sometimes I’m lucky, especially at the beach. Clouds will cover parts of the Sun, making for streamers that rise to the heavens. Other times it combines with the atmosphere to produce colors so unique and subtly different from the standard chart of colors. Have you ever noticed, you can never capture a sunset exactly on film or on canvas? You can come close to mimicking the colors, but never an exact copy. Each sunset is a beautiful combination of fire, clouds, atmosphere and the hand of God. Different shapes and diffusions decorate this artwork from the master of all eternity.

Each sunset points to the inevitable truth of our life, namely that time moves forward and we are called to value each moment in that movement. As the sun moves on its path below the horizon, we realize that the moment and the day will never come back. Enjoy the moment for what it is. And as your mind goes for the ride below the horizon your imagination is called upon to dream of tomorrow.

From the sunset we understand that the past is completely guaranteed. No question about it: it happened. The present is happening; you are given a chance to enjoy as brief as it may be. And the future? It’s completely and totally unknown. You can plan, work, sweat, toil and struggle for a bright future, but at some point you have to take it on faith that tomorrow will arrive and trust that you will be a part of it.

A healthy lifestyle has this basic trust component built into it. Without this trust, there is no life.

There is no guarantee that the Sun will rise tomorrow morning, but if each night you went to bed with the fear that it would not, you’d cease to function. Your time and energy would be consumed with unnecessary worry. Because the Sun has a strong track record, that is, every day of your life it has risen, and you have on good authority that it has done so for last several million years; you therefore assign a high level of trust to it. Not so with your illness though. Health – physical, emotional, mental – has let you down, so you’ve assigned a lower level of trustworthiness to it.

Today is the day to move trust in your health up a few notches. We trust that there will be new sunrise tomorrow morning and with that we put our head on the pillow. What does it take to believe the same about life? Part of the healing process is to believe and trust in yourself and the life that has been created around you. All around you is the fingerprint – the artwork – of God. Your only response to it is to trust that your life is adorned and decorated by God.

These past few weeks we have been on the Road to Healing and have tossed around many ideas. The lessons of each day are all predicated on trust. Just as a new sunrise tomorrow morning is unquestionable, so too the healthiness of your life must be trusted.

Here is a prayer of healing from the Armenian Church,
Lord our God, take away the pain and heal the sickness of your people. Grant them all complete health by the sign of your all-triumphant cross, by which you took away the frailty of the human race and condemned the adversary of our life and salvation. You are our life and salvation, O Merciful God. You alone are able to forgive sins and to drive pain and sickness out of us. And you know how to cure our afflictions. O Giver of good gifts, give your creatures the gift of your abundant mercy, each according to their needs. Let us always glorify and praise the all holy Trinity, Father, Son & Holy Spirit.

Power - Day #38 on the Road to Healing

2014-04-08T22:10:00.002-07:00

Our first parish was in a town called Cupertino about 50 miles south of San Francisco, an area that was

developing its identity as Silicon Valley as we were developing our identity as a family. All of our children were born here.

A pastor’s family is always blessed with having so many aunts and uncles. The kind people of the parish and our family engaged in what I call reciprocal-adoption. It was a special time in our life, and very rich with “family” especially considering that both my and my wife’s parents, brothers, sisters and their children all live well over 400 miles away in Southern California.

My brother found every opportunity he could to come and visit with us and his nephews. He’d take the 1 hour airplane trip up the coast and we’d be on the receiving end to pick him up at San Jose Airport. Many times we’d get there a bit early and park our car at the end of the runway and watch the planes take off and land. We’d do it for the boys but I think it was obvious who got the most excitement out of these excursions. And then, when that big Southwest airplane rumbled the air above us and landed down aways, I’d point to it and tell the kids, “There’s Uncle Haig! Let’s go pick him up.” We’d drive over to the terminal in time to watch him come off the plane.

After the weekend – or sometimes we’d be lucky and get him a bit longer – we’d take Uncle Haig to the airport. This time we’d walk him all the way to the gate (yes, this is a bit of pre-9/11 history), say our good-byes and watch the plane back out. San Jose Airport was perfect for plane watching. We’d get in the car and go to the end of the runway. As the plane took off from the tarmac to the sky we’d wave, “Bye Uncle Haig!”

Now when the kids were very small, when we’d get home they’d be playing in the yard and their sharp senses would spot a plane high up in the sky. They would get so happy and excited as they pointed to the small object in the sky, “Look dad. Look mom. There’s Uncle Haig.”

In response to their cuteness, we’d play along with an assuring, “There he goes… wave to him…”

At various times – perhaps days or even weeks later – between visits, our kids would spot a plane say with the same enthusiasm as moments after the flight took off, “There’s Uncle Haig.” And with their little hands they’d wave to the plane high up in the sky.

It was on one of his visits that my brother figured out that our children thought that he was in a perpetual state of flight! They would say goodbye to their uncle at the airport… He’d get on the plane… then the next time they’d see him he’d be coming off the plane. For all they knew, he was always in flight until the next time they’d see him, once again coming off the plane. Think of it in terms of a 3 or 4 year old. Without the knowledge that planes land elsewhere to deliver and pick up passengers, you would assume the flight has a circular route, beginning and ending with you. Why would you think otherwise? As we mature, our world view changes and our understanding of the world develops as we connect the dots between events, places, people and feelings. And soon we, as did my kids, have a new understanding. Uncle Haig got on a plane to come to see us… he lives somewhere else… he needs to return to that somewhere else… and we look forward to his next visit.*

As much as you don’t want your children to grow up with a skewed perception of reality, there is something to be said about the naiveté and innocence of their primal understandings of life.

Francis Bacon has said, “Knowledge is power.” Now it remains for us to understand what that power is. As we are moving forward on this Road to Healing, we have matured in many ways. Through our meditations and prayers, we have connected dots between our illnesses, their causes and our control (or lack of control) over the variety of factors in the healing process. But understanding doesn’t necessarily mean control over events. Rather, it means reconciliation and control over our self.

Understanding that the plane doesn’t stay up in the sky forever, doesn’t mean we control the flight nor do we have the power to alter its properties. The power is in our ability to reconcile and take control of our self.

Here is a prayer for this day of our journey. It is an ancient Armenian blessing, appealing to the Holy Cross along with a simple meditation: The Cross of Christ can be understood or misunderstood. Its understanding does not change reality, but brings reconciliation and control over our lives.

Keep us in peace, O Christ our God, under the protection of your holy and precious cross; save us from our enemies, visible and invisible, and count us worthy to glorify you with thanksgiving, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.

I look forward to meeting with you again tomorrow on the Road to Healing.

*Disclaimer: Space and time were not altered, skewed or changed as a result this blog.

Photo: Cloud-Plane by Sona Smith (2014)

Hosanna - Day #37 on the Road to Healing

2014-04-08T22:07:00.001-07:00

Hosanna is an exclamation of praise. It’s used in the Bible to express adoration, praise and joy. It is

also used as a name in the Armenian culture. I’ve met many Hosanna’s through the years. Some have abbreviated their name and go by Osan or even Hosi! (I always like that derivative of the name – it just sounds fun, doesn’t it? Hosi!)

But the lady who sits in the 3rd pew of our church goes by the full name, Hosanna. She attends church religiously - as if there’s any other way to attend! For her there isn’t. She comes every Sunday with her husband of 60 years. Last year when they celebrated their 60th Anniversary, I made a point of congratulating them in church just before the sermon. As I announced this milestone to the congregation, this cute couple got up and took a modest bow and she shared a blessing with everyone – wishing that others could enjoy this many years. And then she shared her formula for success, “60 years and never a crossed look or an argument between us!”

Yeah, I know, Dr. Phil and the lot will probably suggest some repressed or suppressed emotions. Actually, I have my own theories about how this marriage has lasted, but hey, at this point does it matter? Let’s just say, thank God that they want to share the wealth with their blessing.

Last Sunday Hosanna was missing from church. I have to confess that I didn’t notice until after services when her children approached me and told me that she had gone to the hospital and wanted to receive Holy Communion. I didn’t ask too many questions, but promised I’d visit that day.

I took a portion of the reserved Sacrament and headed out. As life would have it I didn’t make it to the hospital until late that evening. There was about a half-an-hour left before visiting hours were over.

When Hosanna saw me, her beautiful and wrinkly face stretched out a large smile and a thousand notes of appreciation. Her joy was of the variety that I imagined Ed McMahon would see when he dropped off the Publisher’s Clearing House check, back in the day. People just don’t get this happy to see me, but Hosanna was letting everyone know – not only the lady in the bed next to her, but those in the beds in the rooms adjacent and across the hall from her. For a few moments I thought the nurses might come by to see what was going.

To this lady who was born in Syria, moved to Beirut, raised children, fled wars in the Middle East, survived various difficulties and arrived to a safe haven in America, getting some nerves, bones and muscles repaired was nothing to complain about. Her priest had come to visit her and was delivering the Blessed Sacrament – an opportunity to communicate on an intimate level with her Lord and God.

We talked the good part of the half hour I was with her. She was incredibly worried that I wasn’t comfortable, asking the nurse several times to adjust the pillows on my chair.

After I read the prayer of confession and offered her the Holy Communion she was relieved. She knew better days were ahead of her.

I could end this story by saying that she received a blessing, but that’s far from where this story ends. Sunday was a long day, filled with many challenges, but as I left the hospital room I realized I was touched and healed that night.

In life we are searching for meaning and purpose. As a priest, dealing with intangible realities such as faith, hope and love, you sometimes (more often than not for me) question the value of your work and ministry. Unlike other work, the ministry doesn’t provide immediate results – whether it’s praying for a sick person, someone in rehab, a divorced couple or working for justice in war-torn lands, on the streets of Los Angeles or in the Church itself. There are many times of doubt. Hosanna gave me a blessing. She filled my life with purpose and a renewed spirit.

If you look at your life, you will find that what you do and what you live are filled with blessings. Remember faith, hope and love may not provide immediate results, but that doesn’t discount their power. You just need to do what you do and leave the rest to God.

As I left her side I knew she was healed. There was no doubt in my mind, because I know there was no doubt in her mind. I was healed. There was no doubt in my mind and most probably she never imagined that her priest was hurting that night. That’s the power of a blessing and love. At the door way, I looked back and said, “I’ll see you Sunday in Church.”

She responded, “Of course, it’s my name day!”

This Sunday is Palm Sunday. Our Lenten Journey will be coming to an end. Hosanna. It’s the day Christ came into Jerusalem. It’s the day Christ comes into the Holiest Centers of our Lives and we say Hosanna. A message of praise, adoration and joy.

Recurring Disease (Lessons from Rwanda) - Day #36 on the Road to Healing

2014-04-06T22:00:00.000-07:00

Twenty years ago today the Rwandan people woke up to the reality of Genocide. It lasted

for 100 days and claimed a million lives.

A few years back I had an opportunity to visit Rwanda. For me it was a chance to see what I had heard about only through stories. While I didn’t know much about Rwanda, I had grown up with stories of the Armenian Genocide. My grandparents were survivors. My parents were first generation survivors and well, in many ways I am a survivor, having to reconcile with the reality that such a heinous crime could have occurred.

Illness and disease reoccur. Sometimes they are passed along in genes. Sometimes they are passed along as viral infections – they are mimicked and copied from one person to the next. Illness needs to be addressed. Disease cannot be ignored.

Suicide is killing the self. Homicide is killing another person. Genocide, as the name suggests, is killing off the entire gene-pool. Killing is killing, but how can we comprehend killing at this magnitude and in such proportions?

During my stay in Rwanda I met with many survivors who shared their stories. It was surprisingly similar to the stories I had heard from my grandparents: Round-ups in the night, the men taken away, the women raped, the children left to die. In fact at one point the stories were too similar for comfort. One day we were driving on a bridge over the Nile River. Our guide pointed out that at one point during the course of the Genocide, there were so many dead bodies and blood flowing through the river that it was known as the “Red Nile.” Of course, I had heard the same stories, only in Armenia it was the “Red Euphrates” that they referenced.

One of the most disturbing moments during my trip came at the Genocide Museum in Kigali. I was following the exhibits and stories of the Genocide that were mounted on the walls and in cases. In that museum I was immediately made color blind, because the only difference between the children and people in the photos and my own ancestry was the color of our skin. But it was unnoticeable. I was looking back in time at the events of the Armenian Genocide of 1915 here in the museum which documented the Genocide of 1994.

I was moved to tears from these eye-witness accounts. I must have been a terrible mess because the sight of me crying brought one of the museum staff to my aid. She introduced herself to me. “Is everything OK? May I be of assistance?”

I introduced myself and apologized for my outburst. I explained that the stories of the survivors, the children and the widows were stories that I had heard growing up. I explained to her that my grandparents were survivors of genocide. And then it happened. She asked me a question which has haunted me ever since that day. She asked, “Which Genocide?”

Can you imagine? This is the 21st Century and we’re still asking “Which Genocide?” You would think that a civilization that can explore space and develop vaccines for polio and smallpox, could certainly find a way of resolving conflicts without wars, let alone genocide. But here we were, in a museum, attesting to the fact that we are unable to cure the most dreaded of all diseases: hatred.

Illness and disease reoccur. Sometimes they are passed along in genes. Sometimes they are passed along as viral infections – they are mimicked and copied from one person to the next. Illness needs to be addressed. Disease cannot be ignored. Today you are on the Road to Healing because you have identified the disease; you are traveling because you are not ignoring it. Once out of your system, you cannot allow it to come back to take over again. Today, you know that there is no other answer but to eradicate the illness forever.

When we appeal to love as the answer, we have to understand that it is the ultimate weapon against our troubles, whether on a global level or on a personal level. You see, hatred breeds hatred. The ill cells in your body breed more cancers. Personalities and patterns of living infect others through our interactions and ultimately continue to live and wreak havoc another day. We are looking for a healing and understand that it must be complete.

Let us pray, the prayer of Healing,
Healer of infirmity, Physician of the physicians, Light and Love of the world, dispel the pain and heal the sickness of your people by beginning with me. Give me the strength to stand today noting my illness and receiving a complete healing. Fill me with your love and allow me to spread that love through my life and my deeds so that this disease will never go beyond me. It has been defeated. With true faith in the miracle, let it be! Amen.

Future Consciousness - Day #35 on the Road to Healing

2014-04-05T22:22:00.002-07:00

There’s a palm reader down the street from us. She does a brisk business. People come by

to get a peek at the future. Growing up around Armenian coffee (yes, that’s the PC way to say it around here) made me aware of the practice of reading the grinds for a glimpse into life yet unlived. The unknown is intriguing and very profitable. Astrology is a multi-billion dollar industry.

A few days ago we looked at anxiety in our life and followed it up with lessons on risking. If anything this would seem like a formula for aggravated worry and a walk backward on the Road to Healing. But today, let us understand risking as a part of accelerated living. As such, risking is not about adding anxiety to life, rather it is an answer to anxiety. It sounds strange but I ask you to think about it for a moment. By living, you actually answer anxiety and fear head-on. You are now taking control of your own life. What happens in your life is not dependent on outside forces.

One of the appealing features of future-forecasting is that it reduces responsibility. If your destiny is already written out for you, you don’t have to take responsibility for your life. “The stars were aligned,” “It was in my palm,” “The cards came out like that,” are all convenient excuses, just like, “The devil made me do it.”

The reason we are seeking healing for our illness and problems, is because disease has taken away our responsibility for life. It may not be about cards, palms or stars, but it’s about the cancer, the addiction, the temper, the anger and the genes. It’s a way of tossing the blame elsewhere. I’m not to blame for my illness… my anger, my genes, my hormones, my personality is skewed and I am not responsible. But we are here for a healing, therefore we want to take responsibility for our life and it begins by taking responsibility for our place in life today.

Religion is one of the number one killers of responsibility. Unfortunately, religion – especially the Western varieties – has an element of future-forecasting built into it and followers of the religion forfeit their right to live tomorrow by grabbing a chunk of pre-destiny and concerning themselves with end-times.

For instance, in Christianity, there is the concept of a final judgment, linked to the “Second Coming” of Christ. There are those who calculate, speculate and wait in anticipation of this day, much like those who wait for someone else to take care of their ills and problems. All the while, life passes by.

I have been intrigued by the Armenian Orthodox understanding of the Second Coming because the emphasis is not on tomorrow but on today. It is found in the lectionary reading on the day of Advent. Jesus is put to a test to reveal the greatest commandment. His response is, “Love the Lord God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no greater commandment than these.”

Imagine that! We just heard it from Christ! The commandment is for today. Tomorrow has enough worries for itself, focus on today. The best way to be prepared for the Second Coming is to live the message of the First Coming. That is: Love!

When you love you take control of your life. You regain responsibility. Life is meant to be lived and filled with love.

Today we take control of our life by taking responsibility for our disease by understanding that something very simple is demanded of us. Tomorrow and the future, may or may not be there, but today is real. The only requirement necessary to live the day is to love and to love without restrictions.

Let us pray the 13th hour prayer of St. Nersess:
Heavenly King, grant me Your kingdom, which You have promised to Your beloved; strengthen my heart to hate sin, and to love You alone, and to do Your will. Have mercy upon Your Creatures and upon me, a great sinner.

This is Fr. Vazken inviting you to join me again tomorrow as we continue on the Road to Healing.

Time-Dash - Day #34 on the Road to Healing

2014-04-04T22:15:00.004-07:00

Walk through a cemetery and you’re sure to see a variety of headstones. Different epitaphs describe the departed individual and/or a philosophy of life. On most headstones you’ll find the name of the deceased person followed by two dates – the year of birth and the year of death. Between the two dates is what I call the “time dash.” This is a small line that denotes the time between birth and death. The dash is usually the same size, whether it points to a life measured by months or one measured by decades.

Illness and disease remind us of our mortality, that is they remind us that the dash has to have some meaning. Conversely, when the dash is meaningful, illness and disease do not seem to matter.

Academy Award winner Sidney Poitier opens his spiritual autobiography with a scene that is all too

familiar. He writes:

It’s late at night as I lie in bed in the blue glow of the television set. I have the clicker in my hand, the remote control, and I go from 1 to 97, scrolling through the channels. I find nothing that warrants my attention, nothing that amuses me, so I scroll up again, channel by channel, from bottom to top. But already I’ve given it the honor of going from 1 to 97, and already I’ve found nothing. The vast, sophisticated technology and … nothing. It’s given me not one smidgeon of pleasure. It’s informed me of nothing beyond my own ignorance and my own frailties.

But then I have the audacity to go up again! And what do I find? Nothing, of course. So at last, filled with loathing and self-disgust, I punch the damn TV off and throw the clicker across the room, muttering to myself, “What am I doing with my time?”*

This is the question that becomes more pronounced when illness and disease hit us. Surely, the scenario in which Poitier finds himself is another type of disease.

When things are going well, we forgot that our time on this planet and in this life is limited. Time is the most precious of all commodities. We know this. We say it enough, with witty words like, “Life is too short…” But when it comes down to it, we take our time for granted.

As we move on our own spiritual journey and on the Road to healing, the question “What am I doing with my time?” is central to our wellbeing. There are many ways to answer this question. It could be descriptive of time-spent, such as, “I am scanning through 97 channels,” or it can be as profoundly simple as “I am living.”

Interestingly enough, you don’t have to give an accounting of this question to anyone but yourself. To who else does it matter? You know if you’re wasting, squandering, exploiting, enjoying or living the life you have. And no one else can place a value or make a judgment call on your use of time. Ultimately, you are responsible for the minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years of your life. They will make up the content of the time-dash one day.

You are on the Road to Healing. You, if anyone, know the value of time. Part of the 40-day Lenten Journey is to find the strength and courage to implement the discoveries you’ve made during this time, throughout the rest of the year. That is, the 40 days of Lent are to strengthen the 325 other days in the year, and ultimately to make the life changes you need to be and live the healthy life you were intended to live.

Today’s prayer is an adaption that I have made to St. Nersess Shnorhali’s prayer of the 9th hour. It’s about being. Let us pray,

Lord, bless me with the holiness to open my eyes to the beauty in the world, my ears to hear the songs in the air, my mouth so that I may speak out for righteousness, my heart so that it may think of peace, my hands so that I may work for justice, my feet so that I may walk in the paths of healing, and direct me in your commandments. Have mercy on all your creation. Amen.

* From “The Meaure of a Man: A spiritual autobiography” by Sidney Poitier, 2000, Harper San Francisco

Risk Management - Day 33 on the Road to Healing

2014-04-03T22:30:00.004-07:00

Dan Kujurian liked flashy cars and I liked looking out for his cars. Now that I think of it, it was the

flash that I liked. I was a kid; flash and glitter were exciting. Come to think of it, I only knew he had cool cars, but never saw him drive any of them. Dan was neither glittery nor exciting. He was actually a very dull guy, but he loved his cars… I guess.

Dan had a brand new Chevy Corvette Sting Ray. The year was 1963 and this car was flash, glitter and excitement. You looked at it and you knew it moved. I remember the first time I saw this car it looked like the car was cutting through space with its sharp front end. The lights would pop up from the hood, and as a 7 year old kid with a wonder for how things worked, my imponderable was whether the lights went off when they were folded under. (Yes, just another version of the refrigerator light imponderable.)

Dan had some business to discuss with my dad one day and came over our house. When the time came for him to leave, I got excited to go out to get a look – and maybe a drive – in his car. My dad and I walked him out the house. Where was his car? Not on our block.

He walked down the street and then turned the corner. My dad said good-bye to him there. I felt short-changed. “Aren’t we going to walk to his car with him? You know he has a Sting Ray!”

“He parked over in the LACC parking lot,” said my dad. He knew something that I was going to find out that night.

The LACC parking lot was three blocks away. It was night and the parking lot was sparsely populated with cars. As he walked away from us my dad told me the Dan Kujurian secret for keeping his car clean, pristine and unscratched: He parks far away and in remote areas.

That’s it. This little secret kept his car looking like new. Everywhere he would go, he’d park far and away, sometimes walking up to a mile to avoid having anyone get close to his vehicle. Now my dad had an aversion to gossip, but that day he told me that Dan had recently made his date walk and walk to the church social one night because he didn’t want to park the car close to others cars in the church parking lot.

I always remember the night that I discovered the Dan Kujurian secret. Whenever I’ve been scared to risk, I’ve thought about that beautiful Sting Ray. It was clean and without blemish, but it was never driven and never served its purpose. It never exploited its full potential. And Dan? Well, he walked everywhere? I don’t think he really enjoyed that car.

Life has purpose and meaning. Healing means we are re-aligned with the purpose and meaning of life. Living life means you have to engage in it at an intimate level. You can’t park far way. Yes, there is a risk that you’ll get scratched and hit, you may get hurt, but think of this: you’ll be sitting in the driver’s seat and the ride will be a fun one.

Tennyson’s words, “Tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all,” are the words of our meditation today. As you roll through this junction on the Road to Healing, think of opportunities that you’ve missed because you have been scared to risk the hurt. Think of the enjoyment you’ve passed up because you’ve parked too far away from life. And now think of the new opportunities in front of you – to heal, to be well, to understand, to stand, to play, to laugh. Courage is required to park close to the action, and with a bit of faith, the drive is fun, fulfilling and filled with joy.

Let’s park close by and tomorrow we can continue on the Road to Healing.

Photo – 1963 Corvette http://gmauthority.com

Risking Anxiety - Day #32 on the Road to Healing

2014-04-02T21:36:00.003-07:00

In the healing process, anxiety complicates matter. Usually anxiety is looked upon as the

by-product of our illness, that is, because of our illness or strained relationships, we are stressed and worried about the problem and ultimately the solution. Will I get better? Can we find reconciliation? Am I done with my habits or will they return? Will the disease return? Will it kill me?

Anxiety is quantifiable, that is, it can be measured. Arguably, certain levels of anxiety can even be beneficial for our own safety. For instance, walking through on the street at night, with heart-beat racing, our senses are alerted to dangers and we can exercise extra caution. Or, when we hear of someone else’s diagnosis we might project that same illness on ourselves. The anxiety is not healthy in a large dose, but in a small dose it might make us aware of our frailties causing us to change our habits, diets or lifestyle. Many diets and smoking cessation programs have been started because of the illness of a friend or loved one.

Anxiety in large levels is dangerous and here’s why: It prevents us from taking risks! What? Isn’t that a good thing? Why should we want to take risks in the first place?

As you stand on the edge of the building, on the sill, to see if jumping off will hurt or not, anxiety and stress kick in preventing you from risking your life. Getting on a plane to attend a business seminar or visit your Aunty Margaret is also risky, but it’s calculated in favor of reaching your destination without harm. So, while you may get anxiety-induced sweaty palms or jitters during the takeoff, you take the trip nonetheless. But if the anxiety level was so great that you walked away, or off the plane, that would be harmful to your general welfare.

Life is a calculated risk. Too many times I have witnessed people who are so scared of risking that they do not move forward. That fear – being scared – is a negative anxiety. I’m not discounting the power of anxiety; rather I’m challenging its influence in your life.

Life, by definition, is about living. Living means moving forward. When you move forward with your life you’re taking some calculated risks. You may fall down. You may trip. And, yes, you may actually make it to your destination!

Some of the greatest tragedies that I’ve seen in my life have involved people who are so scared that they refuse to take a risk for fear of failure. Yes, there is failure and there is success. They are two sides of the same coin. In the coin-toss of life, there is a chance that the coin will come up Failure, but think of this: Failure is much heavier than Success. Therefore, there’s a better chance that it will land DOWN on Failure and UP on Success!

There are medications that control anxiety, but we are already deep on the Road to Healing. We’ve been through some training over the course of the last few weeks and we’re ready to try out some of our learned experiences against anxiety. Prayer and meditation are important. Stay focused.

Let us meditate on Christ’s words, “Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day.”

What are the things you are most anxious about? Illness? Troubles? Relationships? Addictions? All of these? None of these? What can you do by worrying about them? Does your worrying prevent you from moving forward with your life?

Now ponder the worst-case scenario… What will happen if I take a step forward? What is the worst case scenario? Can I survive it?

You’ve survived thus far. Life has ups and downs and some of the downs are painful, but the ups are tremendously pleasant. Look forward and be prepared to continue on this journey tomorrow. I hope you'll take the risk to join me.

Touching - Day #31 on the Road to Healing

2014-04-01T21:32:00.003-07:00

Dr. K is a physician and an artist, that is, he approaches his medical practice as an art. He

explained this distinction to a group of high school students he was mentoring.

When I first opened the Youth Ministries Center in Glendale, Dr. K approached me with an offer: If I brought him students, he would mentor them, help them as they selected their career paths as well as assist them if they applied to med school. I went with the first group of kids and listened in as Dr. K’s passion for medicine and healing was transferred to this group of student. He spoke as an artist practicing the medical arts, treating and caring for the entire body as well as the human condition.

My relationship with Dr. K continued for several years. I was intrigued by his approach to the healing arts. One day he invited me to join him on the rounds at a Free Clinic he had set up in Ventura County. Many migrant farm workers are attracted to California’s Central Coast. Dr. K attracted a few health care professionals and volunteers to tend to the needs of the needy at a make-shift clinic operating out of the social hall at a local church in Thousand Oaks, California. We drove there together giving me a chance to hear his understanding of the human condition, caring, compassion and healing. It is one thing to hear and another to experience. So that night he allowed me to tail him, as he went from patient to patient, checking blood pressure, temperature and doing what he does best: listening, caring and offering a path to healing.

From the unique vantage point I was offered, I witness an artist in action. But in particular I remember vividly this artist’s brush strokes – as he painted a picture of warmth and design in the life of Mrs. Martinez, the next patient we would visit. Mrs. Martinez was waiting for Dr. K and when we walked in you could tell she was relieved. Dr. K addressed her by name and in her gesture I could tell he was a familiar face to her. Dr. K asked her how she was doing and began rubbing her back as she responded. She spoke and told her story. He rubbed her back and put her at ease. It was a gentle rub, in a circular motion, offered as a therapeutic massage without the deep kneading action. She spoke and spoke. He rubbed and rubbed. The “exam” lasted 20 minutes. At the end, she thanked the doctor. He told her that everything would be fine.

As we left the room, it occurred to me that there was no specific medical trauma that was diagnosed and no medical service – pills, shots, therapy – that took place or offered. At least to this untrained eye, I couldn’t diagnosis the diagnosis. I asked Dr. K, “What was that all about? What was she in for?”

“She’s lonely. Her life is absent of touch.” He said this in a most gentle voice. “She comes in once a month. She talks. This 20 minutes is her human contact, the touch and the feel that she needs to feel good.”

We talked and shared even more that night about Mrs. Martinez as well as some of the other patients I observed. But the image of a lonely woman, warming up and coming to life because of a simple touch has never faded from my memory. Touching and feeling is essential and necessary to human life. We say, life is to be celebrated! How can we celebrate alone? Are we not called to interact, engage and touch one another – spiritually, emotionally and physically?

Today’s mediation is a simple one of reaching out and touching. Take an extra moment to feel the touches in your day today – the handshakes, the embraces, the kisses, as well as the emotional and spiritual touches. When a poem or prayer moves you to tears or goose bumps, what are those physical manifestation of our inner soul all about? How are they connected and how can they touch us to find complete healing?

I look forward to continuing on this journey with you again tomorrow.

(Note: From that original group of students I took to meet Dr. K, the first student graduated med school last year. She promises to be another artist of the healing arts.)

Humor - Day #30 on the Road to Healing

2014-03-31T20:54:00.003-07:00

“Fire! The house across the street is on fire! Quick come and look out the window.”

Young Anna ran from her bedroom to the front room of the house and stared out into the street. No smoke, no flames. And then, in a devilish manner her father proclaimed, “April Fools!”

It was a dirty trick to play on a young kid, especially my mother. But all is fair in love, in war and on April Fools’ Day. My mother remembers that prank to this day. And though she might have missed a heart beat on that day, now, 70 years later, she tells the story of the prank with a big smile on her face. In fact, it’s now become part of the family folklore to play the “Grandpa April Fools’ Prank” on the First.

April Fools is a lighthearted “feast.” Obviously, there’s no holiday or national mandate to celebrate it, but in many cultures people stop to have a mischievous go at fooling people. In fact, companies even get into the spirit with pranks that are sometimes so believable they attract a following. For instance, in 1998 Burger King published a full page ad in USA Today announcing a new item on their menu: The Left-Handed Whopper. They claimed it was designed for the 32 million left-handed Americans. The twist? The burger included all the same ingredients as the original Whopper but the condiments were rotated 180 degrees! Thousands of customers went into restaurants to request the new sandwich, while many others requested the “right handed” version!

As a kid, when I thought of my grandfather playing the fire-trick on my mom as well as his entire family, I never really understood how could a grown man do this? After all, this was grandpa and pranks are for kids. But as I grew older, I was more intrigued that he engaged in this type of humor considering he was a genocide survivor. Only 20 years earlier, he had seen the devastation of his country, family and home. He built a new life on the ashes of devastation, hardship and despair. And yet… when it came time to play, he could play with the best. He smiled and laughed. As a kid, I remember his contagious laugh as I sat in his lap and watched the 3 Stooges on TV.

Humor is so important to a healthy lifestyle and a necessary ingredient to healing. Sometimes our hardships are so great that we think we may never laugh or smile again. I think of the generations which witnessed the most absurd and heinous of all crimes, genocide, and yet they are able to rebound with a smile and a laugh. In that humor they found a new beginning – the possibility to hope and dream again.

Children come into this world believing and hoping. It is for this reason they smile and laugh. Today is the day to connect to that primal hope and faith. Don’t look too far, it’s inside of you. No matter how bad things get, find some time to smile and laugh. And if you can, laugh out loud!

Today’s mediation is on humor. Think of anything that makes you smile or makes you laugh. If it’s difficult, close your eyes and revert to a good time in your life. Perhaps you can remember the first time you met your child and tears came down your face because of joy! Think of a play or a movie, let it be primitively absurd, slapstick, or sophisticatedly jocular, witty. Let it induce a smile on your face. Now hold it right there. Hold the thought and your smile. Did you feel that? For that moment, as brief as it was, nothing else really mattered. Now understand that the change was your doing. You decided and you brought about an end to your pain and a joy to your heart.

This is Fr. Vazken, assuring you that today’s message was not an April Fools’ joke, and to be certain, join me again tomorrow as we continue on the Road to Healing.

Wave Frequency - Day 29 on the Road to Healing

2014-03-30T23:23:00.004-07:00

It was only a few weeks ago that we began our Lenten Journey. We began in a hospital

room, listening to the news describe a faith-healer who had lost his life to a poisonous snake. It wasn’t supposed to happen like that. His prayers were for a healing and yet he died.

Does God hear our prayers? It is a common question. What prompts us to ask this question is that our wishes – our requests – have not been answered to our liking. That is, we pray to God with certain expectations and when we don’t receive the answer we were hoping for, we believe that our prayers are not being heard.

In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) Jesus speaks about prayer in this manner, “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases … for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

If this is the case, then there is something wrong in our definition of a prayer. Traditionally we’ve been told that prayer is a conversation with God. Conversation implies speaking and listening. There is no such thing as a one-way conversation. You give and receive. But Jesus says that our Father knows what our wants are before we ask! Therefore, there is another function to prayer and that is that it is also a prayer with the self! God knows our wants and our needs, but many times we do not know them! As strange as that sounds, it’s true. Prayer means speaking and listening and in listening the inner self is awakened to its needs.

During this Road to Healing, we’ve been engaged in prayer and meditation. The reason for this practice is so that our inner self is tuned into its needs and its growth. Think of the hundreds and thousands of radio signals that are travelling through the airwaves right now – some are captured by your radio and played through speakers, others are captured by your phone, your neighbor’s phone, your friend’s phone and heard in the earpiece. Other signals are heard on the police band or on airplane frequency. So when you tune-in a radio to a certain frequency, what you’re really doing is tuning-out all the other frequencies. Imagine what a mess it would be if a radio didn’t have a dial and picked up every radio wave that was traveling through the air! It would be chaotic! In the same manner, when we tune-in to our needs and our desires, we’re really filtering-out all the things that are not our concern, that are not pertinent to our own situation.

To use our healing metaphor, if you go into a hospital to have your right leg operated on, you certainly don’t expect the surgeon to cut up your left leg! If you have a tummy-ache, you don’t need to look at remedies for itchy-scalp. When your marriage is on the rocks, X-raying your teeth is unnecessary. In other words, our prayer life is not about telling God what our needs are – but telling our self that our remedy is on a frequency that we need to tune-in to and hear.

The healing that we are looking for is from within and without. This week we begin a new cycle on this Road. Be prepared.

Let us pray,
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done,on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one. Amen.

Prayer & Fasting - 28th Day on the Road to Healing

2014-03-29T23:02:00.003-07:00

They thought they could do it. They were charged by Jesus to heal the sick, so when a man

brought his son to the Disciples for a healing it was just a matter of following procedures. But this time, something was off. They were unable to heal the boy.

The story is picked up in the Gospel of Matthew (in chapter 17). The man brought his son to Jesus for a healing complaining that the Disciples were unable to remove the evil from his son. Jesus heals the boy by extracting the disease and illness from his body. The Disciples had tried but failed. They wanted to know why they were unable to expel the disease from the boy?

Jesus explains, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

It is to the two conditions of faith – the catalysts of the faith in action, so to speak – prayer and fasting on which we focus today.

We have the power within us to bring about the changes necessary to move mountains, that is, to make the seemingly impossible truly possible. Healing disease and illness, amending our lifestyle, altering our course and direction, mending the holes in our relationships and living in harmony are all attainable. The mustard seed is of such small size and proportion. When faith is there, it’s there. The quality control on faith, so to speak, is governed by prayer and fasting.

The parable of the “Unrighteous Judge” in the Gospel of Luke (chapter 18) is a rather bizarre story of a powerless woman who brings down the politically potent and ruthless magistrate by being persistent. The story is so off that it warrants a note of intention by the author so that there’s no misunderstanding by the reader: “And Jesus spoke this parable about their need to always pray and not to lose heart.”

Faith is yours. You have it. You’re on this journey, aren’t you? The need for prayer and fasting are matters of discipline. They are the necessary tools by which faith stays alive, that is, faith does not stay dormant and useless, but alive and active. It might be easy to think of it in scientific terms of potential and kinetic energy. Our faith is stored (potential), waiting to move the mountains in our life. When we pray and fast, the energy is pushed into motion, so that it manifests in the actions of our life.

Prayer is the conversation you have with God and yourself. Fasting is the cleansing and the discipline of body so that mind and soul find a place within the whole. The seemingly impossible is made possible because faith is now activated in your life.

We pray today,
Lord, open my heart to your love. Open my mind to your wisdom. Open my body to your healing. I acknowledge the faith that is planted in my spirit. Push it to the brink of my soul so that it moves into every part of my body to become the action of my life, to bring about complete recovery of my ills, peace and harmony to my spirit and the world. Amen.

Torkom - Day #27 on the Road to Healing

2014-03-29T00:07:00.003-07:00

Like every other 13 year old, I was bored during religion class. We were forced to endure a

one-hour lesson once-a-week inside the church sanctuary, where the priest would talk above our head about things that didn’t matter. Until one day, a very special priest invited us to fast. That’s right – to eat nothing. I don’t know what it was, but that one lesson caught my attention and turned me on to a practice that I would carry with me throughout my life.

It was the late 1960’s. The President had been shot a few years earlier. In one year both Civil Rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and then the President’s brother, Robert Kennedy were both shot dead. There was a war in Viet Nam and back in America there was distrust for the government. Shut-ins, walk-outs and sit-ins were the way people expressed their disappointment with the establishment, while drugs of the psychedelic variety were another type of experiment against the system. The Beatles had returned from India with Transcendental Meditation and groups like The Cream were defining the improvisational Rock & Roll. So to sit through a was religion class listening to stories about dead people was an opportunity to either snooze or goof-off with friends. But when this priest spoke, I was listening.

His name was Torkom Saraydarian. I was a student at the Holy Martyrs Ferrahian Armenian Day School in Encino California, where he was the priest. I found his lessons fascinating because he was inviting. He engaged us – at least me – in a practical manner, in my faith. Of all the lessons, the one I remember specifically was the one on fasting. He stood before the altar and explained the joys of fasting – the experience of cleaning the body and the soul through this practice. He spoke of healing and at that young age I was actually understanding that body, soul and mind needed to function in harmony for a healthy life.

Many years later, after I was ordained a priest, I set out looking to find Torkom. He was teaching in Sadona, Arizona. I packed up our young family and we head out to the desert, only to be disappointed to learn the Teacher had passed away only a few months before we arrived. I was truly looking forward to meeting with him. I had followed only peripherally his teachings but knew that we were kindred spirits. A few years after our trip to Sedona I connected with his daughter Gita who was keeping Torkom’s legacy alive through the publication of his books and lessons in Ageless Wisdom.*

In his lifetime, Torkom had authored many books and touched many lives with his wisdom and teaching. One of his many volumes is titled “Healing.” I wish to share with you a few excerpts from the first chapter of the book, called “Striving Toward Perfection.”

The Ageless Wisdom teaches us that the major foundation of health is striving toward perfection… There are three stages of perfection. The first is called Transfiguration. The second is called Mastery. The third one is called Resurrection.

All branches of the Ageless Wisdom – religions, traditions, legends, myths, etc. – have one major goal: to bring to the people of the world all the laws, rules, principles, ideas and the teachings which will make them healthy physically, emotionally, and mentally.

Of course health, in turn, brings happiness, prosperity and success.

To be healthy means to be healthy in all your personality vehicles – the physical, emotional, and mental bodies. Unless these bodies are healthy, you cannot be considered a healthy person. And these three bodies must unfold and develop simultaneously until they reach a high degree of integration in which they cooperate with maximum efficiency and without hindering each other’s growth.

I wish to leave you to contemplate these thoughts from Torkom Saraydarian on this 27th Day on the Road to Healing. Keep in mind that we stepped foot on this road only twenty seven days ago, but the true journey – the one filled with inquiries, answers, growth and completeness, is one we have been on all our life. I look forward to continuing with you tomorrow.

* For more on Ageless Wisdom and Torkom Saraydarian: http://www.tsgfoundation.org/

Photo: At Torkom Saraydarian Center in Arizona with In His Shoes Group, 2003

Chains - Day 26 of the Lenten Journey

2014-03-27T23:00:00.000-07:00

Ever since he was a kid he loved the sea. Garry grew up in a small town over the hill from

the ocean. The fog would roll in on the summer mornings, stirring his imagination to some of the most picturesque shores in the South Sea. His family was of modest means; they lived well, but little left to indulge in some of the luxuries of life. He never verbalized it, but everyone knew, Garry wanted to be on a boat. Not a small boat, but something that he could take out and ride to the places he dreamed about.

So it wasn’t a surprise to anyone when on his 26th birthday he withdrew his entire savings and a small loan to purchase a 2008 Carver Voyager with twin Volvo D9 diesel engines. His dream had come true. He had worked hard for this yacht and he knew he would enjoy all 52 feet of this vessel. He was going to explore, play, see, find and experience his love of the sea from the deck of his own ship. This was his. He had worked hard since graduating high school, sometimes working double shifts to get the money to buy this yacht. He knew all the businesses in the marina and was on a first-name basis with all the owners. The boat owners were all sincerely happy to hear Garry was making this dream come true. He had tried once before to purchase a boat, but it was small and he knew it was for the best that the financing didn’t work on that deal. This was the ship he would now enjoy. And who knows where it would lead him? A young man, with the sea in his hair, he might even find the love of his life to cruise the seas together.

He found a space in the harbor over the hill where he would park his yacht while in town. He had two large chains that he had actually acquired years before the boat. The chains kept his ambition before his mind. He’d look at the chains whenever he’d get discouraged and remember that he was working for a reason – to have this boat. Each chain was made of the highest test materials. They were definitely overkill; they could have held the Queen Mary at bay. But for Garry’s purposes, strong they were, but they weren’t long enough to tie the ship to the dock. He took the chains over to his friend Mike who welded them together, making a large chain to be used to tie the boat to the dock and to go down with the anchor while parked at sea.

Garry was ready to set sail in a week. Once his affairs were in order the open horizon was where he was headed. But his dream would soon be shattered when on the first night he had parked his boat, the chain broke causing this massive yacht to float toward the breakwater, and somehow make it to the edge of the harbor and be kicked out to sea. It was at the dawn of the next day that they discovered the wreckage of the boat, out on the rocks of a nearby island. Back in the harbor the chain was fastened to the dock, but broken at the point of the weld. It was a faulty job.

There is a saying that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Dreams, with all good intentions, can be quickly shattered and lost when that weakest link is broken. Much like Garry’s story, our lives are filled with details, some very minute and precise, but each of those details depends on the health and strength of the other details. We look for healing of the body or the soul, but equally important are our “chains” – those support and structures in our lives that keep us at bay. Those could be things, they could be people, they could be relationships, they are definitely our wellbeing. We are only as strong as our weakest link. It’s necessary to not let ambition rule our actions, where we miss the minute details and allow the chain to break.

Let us pay attention to the details of the minute matters, those links that hold us in place and hold us together. Ask yourself, in my life where are my strong links and where is the weakest link? People? Places? Things? What would I lose if that weak link should snap? When we first started this journey, we might have answered this question by pointing to our illness or disease as the weakest link in our system. I believe today we may find other places to look.

We pray the prayer of St. Nersess Shnorhali,

O Christ, the guardian of all, let Your Right Hand guard and shelter me by day and by night, while at home and while away, while sleeping and while awake, that I may never fall. Have mercy upon Your Creatures and upon me, a great sinner. Amen.

Forgotten Ego - Day #25 on the Road to Healing

2014-03-27T00:34:00.005-07:00

Yesterday we had a preliminary dose of one of St. Gregory of Narek’s prayer. It might have gone

misunderstood had we not been on the journey for over three weeks when we encountered it. The meditation was intended to bring us to a new platform today, where the ego is slighted as a prerequisite to healing.

The struggle we have with our ego is a difficult one. On the first hand, we are here, on this journey, precisely because of the ego. That is, we hurt. We have had several life experiences that have contributed to our pain and suffering. As we inspect and examine ourselves and the underlying reasons for our illness, addictions, broken relationships or disease, we find our ego is tightly and intricately intertwined with our ails.

Who knows you better than anyone else on this planet? Better than your mother, better than your father? Better than your spouse, sister or brother? Better than your lover or your best friend? Who knows you better than anyone else? You do. Sure, you have close friends, maybe even a soul-mate, but only you know all of your ambitions, your desires, your inner struggles and feelings. Therefore, responsibility for your welfare ultimately resides with you. Pure and simple.

But in this thought process, it’s very easy to convince yourself that that is all that matters. When we read a prayer or mediation such as the works of Narekatsi, we immediately understand that there is something greater than the self in the life process. That is, the ego is diminished in size and capacity when we acknowledge something greater than the self. There are many ways of understanding that greater-than-self entity. It can be called the Truth, the Universe, the All, the Force or Power, Father, Mother, God or very simply Love. In all cases, in acknowledging the greater-than-self we understand that our healing, and ultimately our health, is a combination of body and soul, heaven and earth, self and God.

Praising and praying are one way of acknowledging the greater presence and letting the ego have a break.

Let us pray a prayer of St. Nersess Shnorhali,

Searcher of secrets, I have sinned against You willingly and unwillingly, knowingly and unknowingly, grant me —a great sinner— forgiveness, for since I was born of the holy font until this day I have sinned before You, by my senses, and by all the members of my body. Have mercy upon Your Creatures and upon me, a great sinner. Amen.
Think of this prayer, meditate on the words and the thought of asking someone for something as eloquent, as beautiful, as simple and as great as forgiveness. Where does your ego stand in this relationship?

This is Fr. Vazken inviting you to join us tomorrow as we continue on the Road to Healing.

Narek - Day 24 on the Road to Healing

2014-03-25T22:06:00.003-07:00

Yesterday I left you with verses from a prayer by St. Gregory of Narek. Narekatsi*, as he is

called, was monk of the Church at the turn of the first millennium. The monastery of Narek was near Lake Van, in one of the most scenic and serene areas surrounding the holy Mt. Ararat. He was a mystic, a monk, a priest, a poet and a man. He wrote prayers and lead mediations, focusing on the plight of humanity as understood through his suffering, and found a healing joy by humbling himself in the awesome presence of God.

Narekatsi’s prayers are known to have healing powers. Next to the Gospels, Narekatsi’s writings are the most revered by the Armenian people and have been translated into several languages.

I wish to continue today on our Road to Healing with another excerpt from the saint’s sacred poetry. The prayer is recited within the Church with an introductory statement, “From the depth of my heart, a conversation with God.” As I read these lines today meditate not only on the words, but on a possible conversation you would have with the Creator, with Infinite Love. What might that conversation contain? Would it be a shopping list of spiritual ointments and sanctified medicines? Or something else? If your conversation with God begins from your heart, there is only one way it can travel. Give yourself a chance to listen, absorb and then engage in that conversation yourself.

From St. Gregory of Narek,

Lord, my Lord, grantor of gifts, root of goodness,
ruler of all equally, creator of all from nothing,
glorified, awesome, awe inspiring,
beyond understanding,
dreadful, mighty, stern,
unbearable, unapproachable, incomprehensible,
inconceivable,
ineffable, invisible, unexaminable,
untouchable, unsearchable,
without beginning, outside of time,
unclouded knowledge, bold vision,
true being, exalted and humble,1
blessed existence, shadowless dawn,
ray shining upon all, light professing to all,
unwavering assurance, undisturbable calm,
indelible seal, infinite image, witnessed name,
taste of sweetness, cup of bliss,
soul-nourishing bread, love in dark exile,
unambiguous promise,
covering most desirable, garment most protective,
cloak most worthy, ornament most glorious,
great help, trustworthy refuge,
undiminishing grace, inexhaustible treasure,
pure rain, glittering dew,
universal cure, free healing,
health restored, sublime spur,
undeceiving call, good news for all,
king who lifts up the slave,
defender who loves the poor,
giver of endless wealth,
safe harbor, unyielding command,
hope without bounds,
long in vision, unsparing in generosity,
just right hand that dispenses to all,
impartial eye, voice of comfort, consoling tidings,
harbinger of bliss,
living name, finger of foresight,
unstumbling start, sincere course,
life-giving will, candid advice, unenvying honor,
broad possibility, narrow restriction,
track without trace, path without markers,
image indescribable, quantity immeasurable,
model inimitable,
unparalleled compassion, inexhaustible mercy,
humility celebrated, kiss of salvation.

And more than these worthy epithets,
dedicated to your Godliness,
you who are blessed, praised, lauded,
preached, evangelized,
proclaimed, exalted, recounted, sought with
unflagging desire,
whatever your streams of sweetness bring us,
shall be illustrated in these image-filled psalms,
showing you joyful in my salvation, blessed Lord,
as if a ravenous hunger had been relieved by a
sumptuous feast,
for you are glorified not because of some
vain song of mine,
but because you may accept these modest prayers
as justification for granting your great salvation.

This is Fr. Vazken, inviting you to join us tomorrow as we continue on the Road to Healing.

*Literally means, one from Narek

Narekatsi translation by Thomas J. Samuelian
Visit http://www.stgregoryofnarek.am/ to learn more.

Chinese Wood & the Forest - Day #23 on the Road to Healing

2014-03-24T22:08:00.002-07:00

A large envelope arrived in the mail yesterday. It was marked with the writing of a child. It

was addressed to “Hopar,” an endearing term for uncle, from my six-year-old nephew Vartan. He was excited to share his lesson about Martin Luther King, Jr. with me. On a large card made out of construction paper, was his rendition of the Civil Rights Leader along with his narrative, written with thick marker pens.

At the bottom of the note, he had two marking. They had nothing to do with the story of King, but everything to do with our journey. They were combination of lines – a vertical and horizontal line drawn perpendicular to one another, and two lines shooting out of the cross-point at 45 degree angles on each side. Underneath the symbol was written, “Wood symbol in Chinese.” Next to this figure was two of the same figure with the inscription, “Forest in Chinese.”

The Chinese logograms appeared as a bonus message on my nephew’s letter, but their arrival on this day of our Journey – the day after we took our eyes off of the horizon – was more than a fluke. It is the caveat to yesterday’s message and the theme for today: Can’t see the forest for the trees.

Yesterday we moved our attention from the abstract and unseen reality beyond the horizon to the road below our feet, to the immediate functions of life. In so doing it might be easy to concentrate so much on the little things that we fail to notice, and subsequently we fail to understand, the intertwining of all of life’s realities. We can’t see the forest for the trees.

When we are too close to a situation we need to step back and get a better perspective. It is easy to be over obsessed and consumed with our life-situations, especially if they are troubling and causing us hardship. Illness and disease are overwhelming, as are love-lost and hurtful-pasts. It is even comforting to bask in misery because it’s close by and familiar. Meanwhile, the possibility of the unknown – the healing – and the risk involved to get there can be frightening. It means risking and opening ourselves to vulnerability. With this narrow outlook, we miss opportunities to connect with other life experiences and people to build the bigger reality of life.

The happy medium is between our steps below our feet and the horizon in the distance. It’s there that healing becomes possible as we move from self-absorption to self-respect. We understand the possibilities within our reach.

If you follow the road signs on the highway you’re pretty much assured to get in close proximity of your destination, give or take a few addresses, blocks or miles. On this journey we’ve been twisting and turning in a rather adventurous spirit. So I doubt that the direction we received today, from the “hands of babes” was purely chance. When you find synchronicity with the signs, roads and compass directions as we have today, it becomes more of a confirmation of being on the right path and for us, a confirmation that healing is in front of us.

We reach to St. Gregory of Narek (Narekatsi) for today’s prayer and meditation. This is merely an excerpt from a longer proclamation for healing. Narekatsi’s words are overwhelming as a forest, yet each word expresses the beauty and wonder of the simple tree. Meditate on the words, mediate on the whole:

Lord, my Lord, grantor of gifts, root of goodness,
ruler of all equally, creator of all from nothing,
glorified, awesome, awe inspiring,
beyond understanding…
blessed existence, shadowless dawn,
ray shining upon all, light professing to all,
unwavering assurance, undisturbable calm,
taste of sweetness, cup of bliss,
love in dark exile,
great help, trustworthy refuge,
undiminishing grace, inexhaustible treasure,
pure rain, glittering dew,
universal cure, free healing,
health restored, sublime spur,
defender who loves the poor,
unparalleled compassion, inexhaustible mercy,
humility celebrated, kiss of salvation.

We will continue on this road tomorrow, until then this is Fr. Vazken inviting you to join us then, on this Lenten Journey.

Horizon - Day #22 on the Road to Healing

2014-03-23T22:21:00.000-07:00

March 24 – “On a clear day you can see forever” is the title of a book and a song. This is a

conditional statement, that is, the depth of vision is dependent on the clarity of the day.

As we travel on this 22nd day of our journey we can look out fairly far in the distance, in fact we see the horizon and our imagination can take us beyond it. How necessary is to know what lies beyond the horizon? How necessary is the concept of forever? Far more important is the concept of clarity, the condition which makes forever possible. What exists at the horizon or beyond it is of no use for us today. We are traveling forward and therefore the placement of the horizon changes every day.

A journey is a celebration of newness. It’s tempting to stretch our glance out to the horizon, but when we do that we miss the beauty of the flowers in the foreground. Every day we have opportunities to find new adventure. If we take those opportunities, then the horizon is expanded. If we stay still, the horizon remains the same.

On a clear day you can see forever, and it is tempting to look out far, especially if clarity is there. But illness itself (remember we’re talking about physical and emotional) means that there is little or no clarity. The clouds are near and low. The atmosphere is foggy and perhaps smoggy as well. Today, the horizon isn’t visible, but even with our vision impaired we’re finding ways to enjoy the opportunities that are presented. We have the ability to look close by and become more concerned with issues that are today.

Reaching for distant horizons or long-term goals can have side effects that are not conducive to the process of healing. Doing so prevents us from observing the issues that are under our immediate control and detour us from new avenues with new potentials. Living for the day curbs ambition and allows for healthier recovery, because we see the obstacles directly in front of us.

Channel the imagination to the point you’re at now, and see how the position of the horizon changes. Overcome the challenges of the day and jump the hurdles before you and you will rise above the clouds so that you can see forever. It’s not the forever you thought it was.

Here is today’s meditation and prayer by theologian Reinhold Niebuhr. It challenges us to take control of the immediate and trust for things in the future.

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

Photo - Clouds on the Horizon (c)2011 Fr. Vazken Movsesian

East & West - Day #21 on the Road to Healing

2014-03-22T22:10:00.000-07:00

Since returning home after surgery, I have been using the living room space as the

headquarters for my program of recovery. It is there that I meet with friends and family and practice the daily rituals of prayer and meditation. Thoughts are introduced and processed here, some forever lost, while others hit me so profoundly, that they become prescriptions scribbled on pads of electrons.

I am surrounded by two icons. On the Northern wall is an icon of the Resurrection of Christ and on the Southern side, against the window is a depiction of the Medicine Buddha. My dear friend Gregory Beylerian is the artist who created these images. By sitting between them, I am literally between North and South and spiritually between East & West. (I use these terms in the broad sense; for me, it’s a question of being between East and further East.)

Positioning myself here is part of my personal journey of healing. The Medicine Buddha, sometimes referred to as the Healing Buddha, is the granter of perfect health, and in that perfect health we understand body and soul, for the Medicine Buddha light is one that leads to enlightenment. The image is painted in a dark deep blue. In Buddhism, the indigo color is associated with the brow chakra (this is one of the centers of spiritual power in the body) – where we find discernment, clarity, vision and seeing beyond illusion.

So where are we today? Are we at the midpoint of our journey where East meets West? I sit between North and South, I find a fusion of East and West. You’ll find that our Road to Healing has been one of discernment, to find clarity, vision and focus beyond the illusion. Because beyond our ills, problems, addictions, incompatibilities, misunderstandings and failures, there is the pure self that has the potential of complete healing.

Yesterday we met the Medicine Buddha when we heard the question, “Which is easier to say, your sins are forgiven? Or to say rise and walk?” Is this not the hand off between the physical and the spiritual? Jesus, in the Parable of the Dishonest Steward, reminds us that the children of this existence are, in this generation, wiser than the children of light. Today is not only a meeting of East and West, it’s the meeting of Heaven and Earth. Today we find that we are beings of physical and spiritual certainty and the completeness of our life is enjoyed only in the harmony between the two. Heaven and Earth meet as a prototype of our body and soul meeting, leading us to complete renewal and peace.

I am surrounded by two icons. On one side of me the Medicine Buddha, extends his arm and hand toward the holy Earth while on my other side the Christ extends his hand upward heaven, I realize my place between them is unique. I have an opportunity as no other in time, to open myself to the healing that envelopes me, coming from all sides, from above and below, from within and without.

We pray a simple prayer of St. Nersess Shnorhali:
I plead to you, loving Lord, heal me.
Be life in my death.
Be light in my darkness
Take away my pain. Amen.

This is Fr. Vazken looking forward to meeting with you again tomorrow as we continue on this Road to Healing.

The Right Fit - Day #20 on the Road to Healing

2014-03-22T17:37:00.002-07:00

She was very sincere in her asking. She didn’t want to argue with him, but she knew she

was in the right. After all, she was well learned, knowledgeable of the latest trends, well-read and connected to daily news. So she was rather taken aback when her doctor adamantly refused her request. After all she had heard that a glass of red wine and dark chocolate were good for the heart. She just wanted to hear it come from his mouth, if it did it would then qualify as a prescription for her. But her request was met with an emphatic “No!” by the one she called physician.

“But I heard it’s supposed to be good for the heart.”

“Maybe so,” replied the doctor, “But it’s not good for your heart.”

She wasn’t going to give up without a battle. “How about just a little; I heard it Dr. Oz talk about it on his show.” She was pulling out all the guns – shooting heavy now.

“There are a lot of things that can be good in different ways, but considering your history with heart disease and your physical condition now, you cannot eat chocolate and you cannot drink wine.”

Given our options and choices today and the volume and speed at which information flows, we all have a little knowledge about a large variety of subjects. The old saying, “Jack of all trades, master of none,” can be revised today, “Informed about all, expert of none.” Obviously, it’s not a bad place to be in life – to know a bit about everything. But, if we mistake information for knowledge, we increase our vulnerability and can end up believing in things that are insignificant, or even harmful to our general wellbeing.

Today we are at the mid-point of our journey. On this 20th day, we learn that one-size does not fit all. We are all alike in that we on a journey toward healing; we are all different by virtue of our uniqueness and individuality. In our individuality we come to realize that yes, we can be an expert in one area for sure – our self. There is no one who knows your self the way you do!

Today on this hump day, with half of the journey behind us and a half in front of us, let us understand our uniqueness and celebrate our individuality. The lessons thus far have been to limber us up so that we can be open and raw, so that we can be masters of our own lives. Our healing is dependent on many factors. Healing will be complete for each of us according to a prescription written uniquely to our weight, height, psychological and physical condition, emotional and spiritual state, unique to the color of our eyes, the swirls of our fingerprints, the pace of our walk. In other words, be thankful that one size does not fit all.

I look forward to continuing the second half of the journey with you tomorrow, on this Road to Healing.

Forgiveness3 - Day 19 on the Road to Healing

2014-03-21T08:52:00.002-07:00

Did you ever get something you didn’t bargain for? This could be negative or positive.

You’ve probably experienced the “Express Lube” centers where we go in for an oil-change only to be offered upgrades and extra services that do little except to drain your wallet. Or what I call the “and up” print. This is that small print usually underneath the price of an item that let’s you know you may get the item for $29.95, but it is more likely that you will find something of decent quality in the “and up” price range.

There are of course, positive extras which are real bargains. You sit at a restaurant and order a meal. When the bill comes it’s less than you thought it would be; your order was on the luncheon specials menu. You go for a medical exam because your blood pressure has been up. You find out your new diet has reduced your blood pressure and on top of it, you’ve dropped an extra 10 pounds. These are the extras that we all like and wish there was more of.

There was a man who was paralyzed and lived his life on a stretcher. His family had heard that Jesus was performing miracles, healing the lame and the ill. They took this man on the stretcher so that he might be healed and walk again.

When they came close to the house where Jesus was staying they saw that it was impossible to get in or even near Jesus. The house was full, the windows and doors were blocked by people trying to get in and even the front and back yards were jammed with those who hoped only for a glance or a whisper from Jesus.

They took the paralytic on his stretcher up to the roof of the house. They were so determined for him to be healed that they broke a hole in the roof and lowered the paralyzed man through the attic to a spot immediately in front of Jesus.

Seeing the faith of these people and moved by their determination to get in, Jesus turned to the man and said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”

Wait a minute! Sins? Who’s talking about sins? They went to all that trouble, carrying him up to the roof, tore the tiles and lowered the paralytic into the house for the forgiveness of sins? Was he serious? Couldn’t he see that this man wanted to be healed? This man wanted to walk. Why was Jesus forgiving sins? And on top of it, who was Jesus that might presume that he could forgive this man’s sins?

Jesus looked at the people and asked them straight out, “Why are you troubled by this? Why are you questioning this in your heart? Which is easier? To tell this man ‘Your sins are forgiven?’ Or to tell him, ‘Rise, Take up your stretcher and walk.’ But so that you man know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” he said to the paralytic, “Get up! Rise! Pick up your stretcher, walk and go home.”

The story, which is recorded in three of the Gospels says that the man rose “Immediately” picking up his stretcher and walked home.

The man came looking for a low-level miracle. He wanted to get up and walk. The extra bonus, which was the real miracle, was that he was forgiven. He was let go of his past. Jesus referring to himself as the “Son of Man” in this context is the expression and ability that he is one of us. That is, this power to forgive is given to all of us. Even more, his question, “Which is easier to forgive sins or to say ‘Rise and Walk!’” informs us that the path to health, to rising and walking, to healing, to recovery, to reconciliation is with the basic step of forgiving.

Today’s meditation comes to us from this story. It’s a challenging contemplation. We are all like the paralytic in the story, that is, we are bound up by our illness and disease. He was unable to move because of the loss of motor skills. You may be stuck because of your lack of self-esteem, or stifled because of a love lost or struggling because of an addiction. What is it that you really want? Do you want to walk? Or do you want to be relieved of the illness and the struggles that prevent you from walking?

We shake off some of the difficulties with this mediation today and return tomorrow to move forward on the Road to Healing.

Forgiveness2 - Day 18 on the Road to Healing - Raul Aguirre

2014-03-21T08:49:00.003-07:00

There would soon be nothing to celebrate on Cinco de Mayo. It was in the year 2000 on

May 5 that a young man named Raul Aguirre died outside his High School. In an effort to break-up a gang-related scuffle, Raul got caught in the mix and a knife meant for another boy killed him instead. Raul was not a gang member. He was a student. He was only 17 years old.

All this took place directly across the street from the church where I serve as Pastor in Glendale, California. Our church had not yet opened in 2000 and so, I came to know Raul from the stories I heard, but more so from a demonstration of compassion, love and forgiveness offered by his mother, Leticia Aguirre.

On that day, Raul was late coming home from school. The phone rang and she received the first news that her son had been hurt in a fight. Only three hours later, Raul died on the operating table.

Mrs. Aguirre recounted, “That moment was the most horrible in my life…. I felt that I would die, but the worst is that I didn’t die…”

When we opened our Armenian Church and youth ministry center in 2003, the community was very much talking about this murder. The trial was underway. The minor tensions that existed between the Armenian and Latino communities were even more pronounced by some of the students at the school. The boys who killed Raul were Armenian.

Day after grueling day of testimony Mrs. Aguirre attended the trial of her boy’s killers. And then the unexpected happened, at least it was unexpected for me. In fact, so much so, that I invited her to come and speak at our church – to explain this unexpected event – to a sanctuary filled with Armenian women, men, mothers, fathers and children. She spoke in Spanish, we translated in English and Armenian, and everyone – yes, everyone – heard the story in a language called Love.

“I wanted justice to be done,” said Mrs. Aguirre. “In court I saw the mothers of the gang members kissing crosses and praying to God to forgive their sons and I thought how difficult this must be for God.”

But when Rafael Gevorgyan, one of three gang members being tried begged for Mrs. Aguirre’s forgiveness on the final day of his trial, she gave it to him, she said.

“I saw a boy, almost a child, in a situation so grave asking for forgiveness,” she said. “I felt huge compassion and huge tenderness.”

As we move toward healing, we assume that the wounds of life will be closed and repaired. Some of our hurt and pain is so intense that they may never go away, but healing is not about forgetting. Healing is about completing. It’s about finding the supernatural miracle, that is, rising above the expected and achieving the spectacular. Forgiveness is supernatural. Forgiveness is going beyond the expected and therefore the result is spectacular. It’s healing and completing. Mrs. Aguirre’s actions were supernatural, that is, they rose above the expected argument of hatred and acknowledged the power of love. There’s not much higher healing than this.

On our Road to Healing we stop reflect today on yet another lesson in the art of healing through forgiveness. Our illness, our disease and misunderstandings come in many forms and shapes. To be healed we need to rise above the expected to achieve the spectacular. You’re looking for a healing. You’ve asked for a healing. Now ask yourself, how can I make this happen by rising above the expected? By being greater than the natural, that is supernatural? Is there room for love and forgiveness in my life and if I opt for them, is there healing?

I look forward to meeting with you again tomorrow as we continue on the Road to Healing.

Forgiveness1 – Day 17 of the Lenten Journey

2014-03-19T06:07:00.002-07:00

Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu, says that there is no future without forgiveness. You merely have to think about the phrase briefly to understand how profoundly true it is. Forgiveness is about the past and unless the past is resolved, that is, unless it is at peace, there can be no harmony and healing in the future.

Back in 2006, I was walking down a street in the city of Kigali, the capital of Rwanda when I had a very special awakening and revelation. The streets were full of people. A little over a decade earlier, the streets and beautiful countryside were lined with corpses, the remains of the victims of genocide. I come from a background of genocide. My grandparents escaped the Genocide nearly a hundred years ago. Unlike my grandparents and hundreds of thousands of other Armenians who escaped their homeland to seek safe haven, the survivors of the Rwandan Genocide had to live in the same neighborhoods and in close proximity to perpetrators the mass killing. In other words they have found a means of healing even after such a barbaric and unimaginable crime as genocide.* The power of forgiveness in the case of Rwanda is huge and undeniable when witnessed directly amidst the people. And I witnessed the power of that healing on that street.

I speak on the large scale but the same truth and power of forgiveness is applicable to us on an individual scale as well. If we’re looking for healing – physical, emotional, psychological – there is a vital step in the process that means reconciling with our condition. This does not mean we give in, give up or accept any of the language of victimization. Quite the opposite, it means finding the courage to rise and forgive. “There is no future without forgiveness.”

Last Sunday our Journey took us past a father and son who offered us a lesson in forgiveness. In fact, the lesson was so intense that I called for a day of rest and a day of preparation for the road ahead. Forgiveness is not for the weak and faint at heart. Forgiveness, we find, is another building block on which our healing is dependent upon.

Forgiveness is an action that you need to give and receive. We all need to be forgiven and at the same time we need to forgive. In both instances we have issues because of our egos. We need to be forgiven but we’re cautious and ask who gave that person the right to forgive me? We want to forgive, but we remember the pain and get stuck in the past. Who’s past? Well, it’s a past that only we have control over.

To make the process understandable Archbishop Tutu suggests** that there are four important steps toward healing, namely, admitting to the wrong, articulating it, asking and granting forgiveness and finally renewing the relationship. We received a practical example of Tutu’s four steps in the parable of the “Prodigal Son.” If you remember (from Last Sunday) for the young man to be healed, that is, reconciled with his father, and healed, first he admitted to the wrong. He came to the point of awakening and realized his situation. Next he articulated it by setting out his plan for return. Third, he made the journey home, asking and granting forgiveness, and finally, the relationship was renewed as he entered into his father’s home.

Forgiveness may seem difficult to give and/or to receive, but just as we are doing on the Road to Healing, we’re not going to tackle this topic overnight. We’re taking our time. This is why we have spread out the Journey over 40 days. Forgiveness can be managed by breaking it up into parts and components. Forgiveness is essential to our overall health. Forgiveness is about us and others, others and us. Tomorrow we delve further into forgiveness.

The topic for today’s meditation a simple one: What future do you have without forgiveness? Contemplate this question today and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow when we continue on the Road to Healing.

* Victims and perpetrators of the Rwandan Genocide living together is akin to the small but significant community of Armenians who live in Istanbul today. The similarity between the Armenian and Rwandan Genocides are striking. The difference between the two is a simple one – in the case of the Rwandans, the perpetrators have accepted their crime, in the case of the Armenians the Turkish government has not. My reflections on Rwanda, as an Armenian Priest can be found at http://dervaz.blogspot.com/

** Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s newest book, The Book of Forgiving is “both a touchstone and a tool, offering Tutu's wise advice and showing the way to experience forgiveness. Ultimately, forgiving is the only means we have to heal ourselves and our aching world.” – Amazon.com

Foot-Mouth Dilemma - Day 16 of the Road to Healing

2014-03-17T22:36:00.002-07:00

“Hey, congratulations,” said Ed to Liddy. They hadn’t seen each other since they broke up during their senior year in college. They had dated for several years and even contemplated marriage. Things happened and they both went their separate ways.

No matter how much time goes by there is that initial nervousness that can leads to awkwardness when you first connect with someone so special from the past. It certainly was there at this chance meeting at the Starbucks in Lompoc, near the Air Force Base. After college Liddy had moved out of state, married, and built a lucrative career as an engineer, acquiring many government contracts. Her latest success involved a major deal with the Mars-Taurus project at Vandenberg.

After the initial surprise of seeing one another, the exchange of a hug and a soft kiss on the cheek, Ed started the conversation, “It’s great to see you here.”

“It’s great to be back here on the California coast. I missed the breeze and that gentle mist. I often wondered if you were still in the area.”

Ed smiled and after a brief pause, he offered his congratulations.

“Thanks. I’ve been waiting a long time for this.” It didn’t surprise her that he knew about her landing this sweet deal. She had been interviewed by the local newspaper and a radio station just about a month ago.

“How soon is it going to be?”

“Oh, everything is set for next week. And we’re set to move in then.”

“What’s it going to be?”

“What do you mean?”

“Boy or girl?”

There was an awkward pause along with her confused look. “Umm…” That’s when they both realized something was off. “Boy or girl? In my new job? I’m not sure what you mean.”

Ed looked down at her belly and asked, “What’s it going to be? Didn’t you find out already?”

Liddy put her hand on her tummy and in an uncomfortable manner replied, “Oh that. I guess that’s what happens after years of a desk job, not enough exercise and eating junk food.”

Now the awkwardness-ball was in Ed’s court. He had his foot in his mouth and needed to get it out quickly. He spotted her key chain; it had a small dog medallion on it. Pointing to it, he said, “Oh, I saw the charm on your ring. Is your dog a he or a she?”

Now this had to have been the most lame and stupidest come-back, but he was going for it. Liddy came back on her own, “It’s OK, I know I’ve gained quite a bit of weight since we last saw each other. Trust me; you’re not the first one to notice.”

“What are you talking about? You look as good as you did back then. A pound here, a few pounds there, with all the sugar and carbs people are taking in, you’ve rounded out well.” At this point, even he realized this wasn’t getting better.

“You’re being kind, Ed.” She was truly embarrassed and now the conversation was too personal for comfort. “It was nice seeing you today. Maybe we’ll run into each other soon.” She had had enough and needed get away.

He was embarrassed and in a last ditch effort to rectify the conversation, “If you really want to get out from behind the desk, there’s a great gym just up the street.” He was done. He wanted to kick himself in the mouth. Maybe that’s where the expression “putting your foot in your mouth” comes from.

Have you ever put your foot in your mouth? I know we’ve all said something that we’ve later regretted. I’m sure you’ll agree that the bigger regret is when we don’t acknowledge our mistake in the first place and make it worse by shoving our foot farther and farther in. Ed mistook Liddy’s weight gain for a pregnancy. Mistakes happened. Yes, he would have had a moment’s embarrassments, but friendships can survive embarrassments. They can’t survive insincerity. His cover up was the painful part. It was what pushed Liddy away and closed the conversation and closed the future for the two.

On our Road to Healing we are at a new plateau. Yesterday I asked you to take some time to reflect on all that we have learned thus far. We’re going to accelerate the trip and journey into some uncomfortable areas. We can either admit to our flaws and suffer a moment or two of embarrassment (but what is embarrassment among friends?) or we can fake it, twist and turn until we force that foot in our mouth. Let’s opt for the first way and keep an open mind and reflect openly – without fear of embarrassment.

Our prayer this day is to keep our soul and heart open. To find the courage to be upright and sincere, admitting our faults and refuse the stigma of embarrassment. We have no reason to reject this sincerity; we are with God and with our self.

This is Fr. Vazken inviting you to join me again tomorrow as we continue on the Road to Healing.

Last Cigarette - Day 15 on the Road to Healing

2014-03-16T22:08:00.000-07:00

The popular TV game show, “Family Feud” was started back in the mid 1970’s with a host named Richard Dawson. I remember the show quite well, perhaps because I had an opportunity a contestant on the series – an episode I’d be happy to forget, which says something about how we did… The show began with an introduction of the two families and then the announcer would say, to the sound of a cheering crowd, “…And here is the host of Family Feud, Richard Dawson.”

I remember in particular one episode Dawson came out to his name’s announcement and the applause of the crowd, puffing on a cigarette. He took to center stage with the crowd cheering, holding the cigarette between his thumb and index finger. He took a long drag and then threw it on the floor, stamped it out under his shoe.

He announced to the crowd, “That was my last cigarette!” The audience cheered even louder. And then, without missing a beat, he add, “… for the rest of the show.”

I don’t know why I remembered that particular scene because it wasn’t until many years later, when dealing with different addictive behaviors I’d come across with people throughout my ministry, I remembered that nicotine was so powerful that he couldn’t commit to stopping for more than a half an hour.

But it’s not about nicotine or because of addictions that I bring up this story. Instead it’s about sincerity and taking small steps on the Road to Healing.

It may be tempting to look for answers for the long term, but keep in mind, anything good and of value is not easy to acquire. If we are looking to treat the symptoms of our illness, there are many medications and gauze that we can take or place on the wound to ease the pain or fix the hurt. But healing is a process. We've already come to some basic understanding of that process.

We will use today as a day of rest. It’s been an interesting journey thus far and especially considering the latest revelation we had in our encounter with the father and son yesterday. There needs to be some time to digest all that we have learned. Today is the day where we throw out the “cigarette” (our problem) that is hurting us, and realize that it may be forever, it may be for a week, it may be for half an hour. Don’t be anxious. The road is ahead of us and it’s not going anywhere. Only we are. Let’s look forward to the new awakenings every day.

Take some time to absorb, breathe and relax. This is Fr. Vazken, I look forward to taking the next step in our journey with you tomorrow as we continue on the Road to Healing.

Prodigal & Father - Day 14 of the Road to Healing

2014-03-15T22:03:00.002-07:00

“Smile and the world smiles with you, cry and you cry alone.” (Stanley Gordon West).

Isn’t that true? A young man found out this truth the hard way. He convinced his father to give him a cut of his inheritance – quite a sizable amount – and he went out spending it. He was in fat-city. Night life, clubs, parties, fun, games, excitement! And on top of it, friends! Well of course, he was buying. He had friends right, left and center.

And then it happened. The economy turned. Things were rough and the young man’s money ran out. No money, no parties, no fun and games. No fun and games, no friends. They all abandoned him and he was left alone looking at his situation. It was a loneliness like none other. It was hard because he once lived so well and now everything was gone.

He became desperate. He was hungry and cold. In fact, one day he passed by some animals feeding in a yard. When he looked over and saw the slop that the pigs were eating and it looked good, he had a wake up moment! He was completely disgusted with himself and where he was in life. He couldn’t even fathom the idea that the disgusting and filthy hog-food was looking good to him.

It was in his wake up moment that he realized his father’s employees lived better than he did. So he came up with a simple plan. I’ll go back to my father, he thought to himself, and I’ll ask him for a job as an employee. Forget about asking him to take me back into the house, I’ll just ask to be tried out as a hired-hand. So with this scheme he heads home.

While on the road, the father seems him. He runs out and embraces his lost son with both arms and squeezes him emotionally and full of love. The son started to say, “Dad, I’m sorry. I messed up. Would you hire me as …” Before he could finish, the father called his workers. He ordered one to take the son and have him fitted for the finest clothes they could find. He ordered another worker to organize a huge celebration party, inviting friends and family. Then he ordered his family ring, to be placed on the son’s finger. His son was not going to be accepted as a servant, employee or worker. Absolutely nothing less than the blood relative – the son – he was.

“Today we celebrate,” said the father in emotions that could not be contained, “for my son was lost and he is found. He was dead and now he is alive.”

For the last several days of the Lenten Journey, we’ve been exploring the concept of God, that is, the Ultimate Perfection, the Total and Complete that touches our life, and is a factor in the formula for healing. Today, we receive the most special and true expression of God and it comes to us via a parable, a story, offered to us by Christ. “No one knows the Father except he that is come from the Father.” It is the story of the “Prodigal Son.” This story, as I have shared it with you, is the story of a wayward son, but even more it’s the story of a compassionate and loving Father. It’s the only understanding that is necessary on the Road to Recovery, because this understanding includes every other understanding and definition.

Is there anything more powerful than Love? Is there anything greater than Compassion? Is there anything more healing, comforting and completing than the Love that comes from outside and transforms us, to become the terminals and transmitters of love our self?

The story is so simple and yet so weighted with truths of human nature. But the example of the father shines. He is one who does not wait for the child to come home; in fact, he goes out to meet the son. He does not harbor anger nor does he seek vengeance. He’s not interested in the past, only in the here and now. He cherishes life.

When we look for God’s blessings in our life – a healing – realize you’ve already received the blessing and therefore the healing. Remember, when we first started this Journey two weeks ago, we heard the voice, “Do you want to be healed?” If we do, like the son, we to turn back, accept our circumstances and humble ourselves. Then, the healing begins. The love comes pouring out.

We have much to absorb. I look forward to continuing this journey with you tomorrow as we walk on the Road to Healing.

Reflections in Nature - Day 13 of the Lenten Journey

2014-03-15T21:59:00.001-07:00

For the last few days we’ve been looking to God as a necessary part of this journey we are

on. We have resolved that healing is from within and without. We look within and without to find the all the attributes of God, the completeness, the beauty and the perfection. In that perfection, illness and disease cannot exist, only good health and harmony prevail.

Today we take a look at a reflection written by Sirach which calls our attention to the God within nature and the seen universe. Listen in and do not get ahead of the path. Tomorrow, we will unfold one more secret that will give us the fullest understanding of God. This writing from Sirach comes to us from around 200 years before Christ. Here we see the beauty of nature and see the perfection of God.

The Works of God in Nature-
I will now call to mind the works of the Lord, and will declare what I have seen. The sun looks down on everything with its light, and the work of the Lord is full of his glory. He searches out the abyss and the human heart; he understands their innermost secrets.

How desirable are all his works, and how sparkling they are to see! Who could ever tire of seeing his glory?

The pride of the higher realms is the clear vault of the sky, as glorious to behold as the sight of the heavens. The sun, when it appears, proclaims as it rises what a marvelous instrument it is, the work of the Most High.

At noon it parches the land, and who can withstand its burning heat? A man tending a furnace works in burning heat, but three times as hot is the sun scorching the mountains; it breathes out fiery vapors, and its bright rays blind the eyes.

It is the moon that marks the changing seasons, governing the times, their everlasting sign. From the moon comes the sign for festal days, a light that wanes when it completes its course. The new moon, as its name suggests, renews itself; how marvelous it is in this change, a beacon to the hosts on high, shining in the vault of the heavens!

The glory of the stars is the beauty of heaven, a glittering array in the heights of the Lord. On the orders of the Holy One they stand in their appointed places; they never relax in their watches. Look at the rainbow, and praise him who made it; it is exceedingly beautiful in its brightness. It encircles the sky with its glorious arc; the hands of the Most High have stretched it out.

By his command he sends the driving snow and speeds the lightnings of his judgment. Therefore the storehouses are opened, and the clouds fly out like birds. In his majesty he gives the clouds their strength, and the hailstones are broken in pieces.

The voice of his thunder rebukes the earth; when he appears, the mountains shake. At his will the south wind blows; so do the storm from the north and the whirlwind.

He scatters the snow like birds flying down, and its descent is like locusts alighting. The eye is dazzled by the beauty of its whiteness, and the mind is amazed as it falls. He pours frost over the earth like salt, and icicles form like pointed thorns.

The cold north wind blows, and ice freezes on the water; it settles on every pool of water, and the water puts it on like a breastplate. He consumes the mountains and burns up the wilderness, and withers the tender grass like fire.

A mist quickly heals all things; the falling dew gives refreshment from the heat. By his plan he stilled the deep and planted islands in it. Those who sail the sea tell of its dangers, and we marvel at what we hear.

We could say more but could never say enough; let the final word be: “He is the all.” Where can we find the strength to praise him? For he is greater than all his works. (Sirac 42)

I leave you with this passage for you to contemplate on this 13th day of the Lenten Journey. Tomorrow, when we return, we will be instructed in the most profound expression and understanding of God. I look forward to greeting you then, and together, continuing on the Road to Healing.

Beauty along the Road to Healing – Day 12 of the Lenten Journey

2014-03-13T22:16:00.001-07:00

How big is God? How big does God have to be to work the miracle for your healing? The miracle for your reconciliation? The miracle of your recovery?

We continue on the topic we introduced yesterday, on Day 11 of the Journey. We meditate on the I AM and discover it’s not about might or size, but I AM is about beauty.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was a historian, Russian novelist and a tireless critic of Soviet totalitarianism. His writings and life targeted huge and giant problems. One of his essays is a short piece where he identifies God, without a mention of name, might, gender or size. Rather he points to the beauty that is beyond all understanding and we find God.

The writing is called “The Duckling”

A little yellow duckling, flopping comically on its white belly in the wet grass and scarcely able to stand on its thin, feeble legs, runs in front of me and quacks: "Where's my mommy? Where's my family?"

He has no mommy, because he has been fostered by a hen: duck eggs were put in her nest, she sat on then and hatched them with her own. To shelter them from the bad weather, their home—an upturned basket without a bottom—has been moved into a shed and covered with sacking. They are all in there, but this one is lost. Come on then, little thing, let me take you in my hand.

What keeps it alive? It weighs nothing; its little black eyes are like beads, its feet are like sparrows' feet, the slightest squeeze and it would be no more. Yet it is warm with life. Its little beak is pale pink and slightly splayed, like a manicured fingernail. Its feet are already webbed, there is yellow among its feathers, and its downy wings are starting to protrude. Its personality already sets it apart from its foster brothers.

And we men will soon be flying to Venus; if we pooled our efforts, we could plough up the whole world in twenty minutes.

Yet, with all our atomic might, we shall never-never! — be able to make this feeble speck of a yellow duckling in a test tube; even if we were given the feathers and bones, we could never put such a creature together.
On the Road to Healing we have stumbled upon something so great, so simple and so beautiful. How big does God have to work the miracle for your healing? The miracle for your reconciliation? For the miracle of your recovery?

I'm inviting you to join us tomorrow as we continue to walk on the Road to Healing.

The Mindfulness Code in Armodoxy - Day 11 of the Road to Healing

2014-03-12T21:57:00.006-07:00

Recently Time Magazine (February 3, 2014) wrote, “…We’re in the midst of a popular obsession with mindfulness as the secret to health and happiness—and a growing body of evidence suggests it has clear benefits.”

Mindfulness is about becoming aware of the present moment, and being less interested in the past or what is to come. Mindfulness is a means of coping with stress and anxiety, especially in a world caught up in blaming the past and projecting doom for the future.

During the past few days our Lenten Journey has taken us on a trip exploring the value of meditation. Certainly, meditation offers an important technique for clearing the mind and arriving at a state of mindfulness. Today, I wish to introduce the idea of God, as understood in Armodoxy. This understanding will be necessary as we continue the road to healing. Like the unexpected twists and turns of the journey, this will be a refreshing shift. First, put away preconceived notions and make the connection with the here and now.

The Armenian alphabet was created for purposes of spirituality, primarily to interpret and understand the new message of love and hope as expressed by Jesus Christ. The alphabet was invented in the 5th century and consisted of 36 letters, defining a 6x6 matrix. The 7th letter of the alphabet is the letter “է” (pronounced ‘eh’ as in “eloquent”). The letter is also a word; specifically it is the present tense of the verb “to be” (is).

The verb to be, in the present tense, is the name of God. When God is asked “What is your name?” God answers, “I AM.”

“I AM” is to say “God IS.” It is a descriptive name as well as a direction to mindfulness, that is, “IS” focuses on what is the now. God is not what was, nor is God what will be, rather God is!

It is further significant that “է” is the 7th letter of the alphabet. Seven is the number of the universe. It is the sum of 3, the number of Heaven as in the Trinity, and 4, the number of the Earth as in the four directions.
3+4=7 is Heaven + Earth = Totality, Universe, Completeness

The common worship of the Armenian Church begins with the hymn, խորհուրդ խորին... the first words of which are “Deep mystery, inscrutable and without beginning...” In these words are expressed the understanding that God is not understandable, greater than the words that describe the Almighty power of the eternal.

When Jesus refers to himself as “I am the Light,” “I am the Good Shepherd,” “I am the Way,” “I am Truth,” “I am the Life,” he is speaking in the eternal present, connecting to the universal beginning of time and space by virtue of the light, way, truth, life and love. This is why the message he speaks is timeless and therefore can open the opportunity to “I am the Resurrection.”

On the Road to Healing, these last few days we’ve been speaking about meditation as a means of targeting the hurt and illness within and opening ourselves to the light from without. Today we are challenged by the call to mindfulness and connect to the Eternal Present, the IS.

During your daily meditation today, I offer you a simple and profound psalm to guide and direct your path. Turn off your distractions, find a state of physical quietness and contemplate, “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)

What does that mean to you? What does it mean to your illness? Your situation? Your healing? Join me, tomorrow as we continue on the Road to Healing.

Focus & Depth of Field - Day 10 on the Road to Healing

2014-03-11T20:48:00.003-07:00

Being open to miracles means our senses are open to possibilities beyond our

understanding. In this frame of mind, we can accept that all disciplines and sciences have something to contribute to any discussion. It is remarkable but true.

Today we will continue on our journey with a lesson from the world of photography. We have been talking about focus, specifically in mediation. Today we will continue to focus, on the term “focus.” Point-and-shoot cameras, and now smart phones have left less to chance when taking a picture. But still, if you’re willing to venture to the manual mode of the camera and tinker with some of the dials and switches, you’ll find pictures can be taken with a variety of effects.

For instance, you can adjust the depth of field within a picture based on the amount of light you allow in through the lens. Depth of field is the zone of sharpest focus in front of, behind and around the focused object. I’m sure you’ve seen these pictures, where one object is in focus and the rest is a nice blur.

When we focus on an object, it means we’re giving it extra special attention. It means we will shed more light on that particular object. The more light we place on an object, the sharper becomes the focus, and the more blurry – that is less in focus – become the other items in the picture. The aperture, (the F-stop) controls the amount of light coming into a camera, and the photographer, that is you and me, controls the aperture.

This is our second lesson about meditation. Like the photographer who opens the aperture of the camera, through meditation we are increasing the light, shedding it and thereby focusing on our illness, blurring-out everything else. The more light, the sharper the focus.

Yesterday, I asked you to set aside time for meditation. It was a time of day where background and peripheral activity was to be minimized or even better, completely eliminated. Today, use that time of meditation to focus in on your illness, disease, disagreement, separation, heartache, depression, bereavement, financial loss, addiction or self-worth. Meet at the appointed time you decided yesterday. Turn off everything around you and turn on the light within. Think of the healing you wish in your life. Focus on it. Now open yourself so that more light can come in. Feel that light – it is more than illuminating, it brings feeling to you. Some warmth and some fear. Focus sharper. The items in the background will be blurred out; they are not receiving light, they are not being nourished. They will die off, but for right now, they’re too obvious. In the long term they won’t survive without the light. Healing is both a process of focusing on the good and diminishing the light the bad.

This is a tough exercise, but today we begin on focused meditation. Imagine a large room filled with people and objects. You are standing in the center of the room with your head up and your palms turn out. Turn the light towards you and intensify that light. You’re getting more and more into focus. That person who hurt you, he’s standing by the wall. He’s no longer visible. We don’t need to discuss him anymore. That car that struck your child is fading in the shadow. The alcohol and drugs on the table next to the mounds of food, they’re close to you, but you don’t notice them any more. They’re out of focus and dimming out of sight. Even the cancer within is no match for this powerful light; it is dying and cannot survive.

Tomorrow we will continue with some more meditation practices. Keep in mind what we have learned thus far and let each day of this Lenten Journey build on the day before.

Let us pray,

Light of Light, True God of True God. I approach you in a thankful spirit. You have given me the power to love which opens my heart and soul to the Light that comes from without and lives within. Shine your light so that every ray hits the disease of my heart and soul, darkening the decay and disease and illuminating the life and wellness I so need. Amen.
This is Fr. Vazken, inviting you to join us tomorrow as we continue to walk on the Road to Healing.

Focus & Meditation - Day 9 on the Road to Healing

2014-03-11T06:50:00.003-07:00

My phone vibrated just as we were being seated for lunch. It was a meeting with several people coming together to talk about some of the social services we would be offering through the church. I reached for my phone to read the text message on the screen: “Running late. Be there soon.” I told the meeting attendees that Edna was running late. And then it happened. As I moved my glance off of the phone screen it was as if I was giving a signal to start a race; everyone around the table reached into their pocket or purse to check their telephone for messages. Their actions seem too coordinated and synchronized for me to believe that they were consciously getting a signal from me to check. No this was in the realm of the unconscious. Everyone around the table was reminded that it was time to check for messages, calls, and personal tweets.

Like it or not, technology sends us signals in ways we never expected. Like Pablovian dogs, we respond to different stimulatations sent us by emails, texts, phones, beeps, rings, lights, and flashes. If a small little vibration can trigger an avalanche of phone-checking in a small group, just think of the effects on larger groups. And we do pay for it as a society. We are so distracted by the outside stimuli that are triggering automated responses from us that we have lost opportunities to pray and meditate in the true spirit of these practices.

I can vouch from my personal experience as a priest, on countless occasions, during the most sacred and solemn moments of services and liturgies, a cell phone will ring, ironically in a place we call “sanctuary,” that is, a place that is supposed to be immune from the noise and pollution of the world.

Giving time for prayer and meditation is vital in the healing process. This time has to be spent in the absence of distractions. We will talk about prayer later in this series, today find some time and a place to meditate and let’s begin with a simple exercise.

To conquer illness, clarity of focus is needed. Meditation is the laser beam that focuses and cuts through the disease, allowing the medicine to find and target the spot to be healed. Think of a misunderstanding between you and friend. Before long, one thing leads to another and words are spread between family members. Soon, parents, relatives from both sides get involved and begin to bicker among themselves. If not stopped soon, the problem escalates. The art of meditation sifts through all of excesses and peripheral events and focuses on the main issue.

Tomorrow we will speak more specifically to the practice of mediation. For today, find some time that will become a regular time of day during the next 30 days of the Journey, when you can meditate. Perhaps in the morning? At midday? Before going to bed? Try to set a time you can keep regularly because along with meditation we will develop a pattern and build our sense of discipline. Set aside 15 minutes. Find a place that is remote and/or secluded. Turn off ALL electronic devices. Imagine you’re on a plane and the stewardess has announced that all electronic devices have to be in the off position. The trip you’re on is greater than a plane ride around the world, it’s a Road to Healing. Turn it off and keep it off.

For tonight, try to stay quiet during these 15 minutes. Take a mental inventory of the sounds and feelings you experience. It may be as simple as listening to your breath. The mind will take you places. When you catch yourself thinking of other things, outside the moment, return back to listening to your breath. Don’t panic and don’t be anxious. This is only the first day of this practice. We will be developing it in the days to come.

Most importantly, we’re learning to use the powers and talents that are within us to better our health, our relationships and ourselves. This is the practice for today’s road to healing.

Let us pray,
Heavenly Healer, I open myself this evening for a healing that can come only from a direct hit on the essence of my troubles. Help me to stay open without giving cause for shame or fear, allowing me to come to terms with my vulnerabilities. Allow me to focus on the essence of my troubles and in my openness, allow the solution to find me. Amen.

Roads - Road to Healing Day #8

2014-03-09T18:54:00.002-07:00

Roads

Recently I was on a trip through the Arizona desert. I passed a sign that said that the next gas on the freeway was 90 miles away. I thought I might make it before refueling, but by mile 60 the gauge was on “E” and the fuel light was on. A sign said there was gas available 10 miles away, but to get there, I’d need to get off of the main road. The thought of getting stuck on interstate with 75-mile-an-hour cars and trucks whizzing by is not a pleasant one. I took the turn off and found the gas station just as I must have been traveling on the fumes.

I filled up the tank and was ready to drive back to the main highway. There was a small sign there that could have easily been missed had my head been turned ever so slightly in the other direction. It pointed to Phoenix, my destination. It was an alternative route. I’m adventurous when it comes to alternatives, especially when it means a new adventure might be waiting there. I took the road which headed up, cutting through some rock formations. When I got to the top of the hill, in front of me was a highway that echoed the solitude and serenity of the desert. For the next couple hundred miles or so, I passed only a few cars, some beautiful landscapes and as I approached the city I saw the spectacular reflection of the sun beaming from the creations of God and human. It was a brilliant natural art piece framed behind my car’s windshield.

The Road to Healing has many twists and turns which can take us places where we may not want to go. Some of the turns in the road will be new; some will be in directions we’ve tried to avoid. But to get to our destination we should be adventurous, but all the while staying focused to the destination, and not necessarily to the path.

Life is full of wonders and miracles. Healing is a miracle that is accessible to us all. Our willingness to explore and lay down our guard, to become uncomfortable with new methods, to challenge our prejudices and preconceived notions of what is right and wrong, also holds a promise of delivery to our destination.

As we begin our second week of travel we check the sign post up ahead and see we’re headed in the same direction we’ve been in from the beginning. The difference is that along the road we’re picking up some new tools that are necessary to explore and diagnose.

Today’s mediation comes to us from poet Robert Frost. Let us reflect on the road that has brought us to this point in our life. The “road less traveled” made all the difference for Frost. Can you identify the roads that have taken you away from your destination, that is illness, separation, fear? How about the roads that have brought you closer to wellness, happiness, wholeness? Those roads can be people, they can be incidents. They can be situations, tragedies or trauma, perhaps discoveries and novelties. Examine those roads that have made the difference in your life.

The Road Not Taken

by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in the yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

O I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Join me tomorrow as we continue on the Road to Healing.

Expulsion - Road to Healing Day #7

2014-03-08T22:12:00.000-08:00

Healing implies change. It means going from a state of illness to wellness. Medicine can alter our physical state while the ways in which our emotional and mental states can be changed are many.

Punishment is one means of altering behavior. Everyone has been punished at some point in thir lifetime, some more than others. Most everyone has practiced some form of punishment on another individual, whether they’ve done so consciously or unconsciously.

Punishment has short-term effectiveness. For instance, if you’ve been tagged for speeding or rolling through a stop sign, you know that immediately after the infraction has been caught and you’ve been punished by an outrageously expensive fine, you are extremely cautious of your speed and driving. But give it a few days, weeks or months and your habits come back, or at least your foot seems to have gained some weight as it presses on the accelerator. A child could have told us that reality. If only we could reminisce back far enough we would abandon some of the more archaic practices we have adopted for altering human behavior.

In fact our entire judicial system, that is, the way we dispense justice, is based on punishment and its power to deter. But dispensing justice is another illness that is in need of healing, so let’s challenge ourselves to look beyond the traditional.

Punishment might deter bad behavior in the short-run, but its long term effects can be devastating. Its effects are felt on our health and on our emotional wellbeing. Punishment leaves trails of guilt that drag self-worth on a ride through this lifetime and is sometimes passed along to generations to come. When our self-worth has been damaged, it is easy for punishment to be self-inflicting. We become our biggest critic. The punishment we inflict on ourselves is long lasting because we have no one from whom we can become free. Punishment is anything but healing and cannot yield a better life.

Contrast that feeling of punishment with our experiences thus far. As we are on the Road to Healing, we are beginning to understand the power of Love in the healing process. But this power is predicated on a healthier understanding of the basics of faith. We have to go beyond Sunday School lessons and arrive at better and clearer models of the essence of God.

For instance in the Jewish myth of Adam and Eve (Genesis),we read of a God who punishes His creation by expelling it from paradise. If we read the story literally, the punishment is so severe that it comes with multiple sentences that affect the lives of generations to the end of time. The story of expulsion, taken at face value is counter healing. Expulsion, by definition, is the act of depriving someone membership in an institution or organization. How horrendous that God, would deprive his children of anything. Is this a loving and compassionate Father?

Certainly there is more to the Adam and Eve myth than this, but my point here is that we need to understand myths such as Adam and Eve within the context of the culture and time they were written. This particular story is so deeply ingrained in the psyche and soul of Western civilization that we believe this, and stories like it, to be beyond critique. In the Eastern tradition, we understand the Ultimate – whether we call it God, Energy or Love - is greater than the words and stories that try to describe it. Today as we walk the Road to Healing we begin to use the terms of Inclusion, Tolerance and Love as a proper balance for the damage done through exclusion, intolerance and hatred. If we are to find healing, it will come only when we understand that God is Love, Compassion and Mercy.

As we are discovering, there is a healing power that comes from within and without. The fire from within and without is starting to burn away the disease. Yesterday we made the connection to the great power of Love that touches us from the outside. It is important that today we fortify our experience with new understandings of faith and ultimately God. Punishment is a brief detour toward a dead end. Love is eternal healing and we’re discovering its power for lasting health.

You’ve been punished enough! Stop. You’re not going to make the bigger mistake of punishing yourself. Free yourself of the punishment. “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose,” says the poet and it’s our road sign on this leg of the Lenten Journey.

This is Fr. Vazken, inviting you to join us tomorrow as we continue on the Road to Healing.

Sanitizing - The Road to Healing Day #6

2014-03-07T18:06:00.000-08:00

Sanitizing

It was on a camping trip with my dad that I learned about sanitation. It’s odd, isn’t it? Camping

trips usually mean roughing it. No running water. Soap? Well, don’t let mom hear, but we did fine without it. When you went camping you’d expect to get dirty and messy.

After breakfast one day, we hiked up a trial. It was a long walk through some of the most scenic areas in the Sierras. We walked, ran and played along the trial. As far as I remember, we weren’t interested in resting. The fun of the hike is in the discoveries that are made along the way and the more you walk, the more you experience. This particular discovery wasn’t in the fun category. It started off with the slip of my foot which sent me stumbling toward the ground. By instinct I put my hand out to break the fall and pushed my palm on a broken tree truck. It hurt; not the fall, as much as a rather large sliver of wood dug deep into my skin.

It was one of those wounds that hurt a bit more every time you thought about it. This was in the middle of my palm. It was hard to ignore. You couldn’t see the sliver of wood but you definitely knew it was there.

We headed back to camp. There my dad looked around the campsite and later found a pin inside the car. He went over to the campfire site and stirred up some embers which were dying under a layer of earth. He brought them back to life by fanning a newspaper on them. Before long there was a small blue and gold flame dancing in the middle of the heap. He took the pin out of the safety and began heating it. I remember the tip of the pin got black and then it turned bright red.

“Dad, what are you doing?”

“I’m just sterilizing the pin. The fire burns off all the germs.” He used the pin to push the sliver through my skin, back out the hole from where it came. It was the finest campsite-surgery I had seen this side of the Rockies using an improvised splinter-removal tool, sanitized courtesy of the resurrected campfire embers.

Yesterday on the Road to Healing, we spoke about the “fever” which is the fire within. It’s part of the body’s natural process of eliminating infections. Today we focus on the fire that is introduced from the outside and necessary for our healing. That fire is nothing more than all the elements that come into our life to give us strength – to sanitize it, sterilize it, purify it, so that we fight the infections that prevent us from wellness. These fires could be the words of a friend who offers comfort and consolation to us. It could be the tight embrace of a loved one, reassuring us that troubles are many, but their support is firm and steadfast. The flames that give us strength can be found in exercise, mental stimulation and the human touch which reflects deep love. The flames are in music and art. They are the reflections of love.

This fire is not the one that fights the infection, rather it’s the one that sanitizes the tools, so that you can have a fair fight. Most critical of these outside fires is faith. In the prayer of St. Nersess Shnorhali, we prayed, “O Christ, who are the Living Fire, inflame my soul with the fire of Your love.” Christ is the incarnation of Love. Christ is pure Love and purifying Love, sacred and sanctifying, strength and fortifying, perfect and perfecting.

As we move forward on the Road to Healing, we understand that complete recovery comes from the harmony of body, mind and soul. Love is the fire that cleans and purifies, melding, body, mind and soul to yield a healed self.

Yesterday, we read the prayer of St. Nersess with one understanding. I asked you to meditate with the prayer in your heart on the idea of inner-fire. Today, we learn the importance of the outer-fire. Let us pray the same prayer today as we contemplate the Fire as it comes from without.

O Christ, who are the Living Fire, inflame my soul with the fire of Your love, which You did send forth upon the earth, that it may burn the stains of my soul, sanctify my conscience, purge the sins of my body, and kindle in my heart the light of Your knowledge. Have mercy upon Your Creatures and upon me, a great sinner. Amen.

I look forward to continuing the Road to Healing with you tomorrow. Don’t be scared and stay on course. Until then, this is Fr. Vazken sharing the message of the Living Fire within and without you.

Fever - Day 5 of the Lenten Journey 2014

2014-03-06T20:44:00.001-08:00

Fever

The doctor had given orders to check her temperature at regular half-hour intervals. Whether he ordered it or not, it was common procedures on this ward. Her temperature had steadily risen since she arrived at the hospital. Sharp pains above her stomach brought her in, but at this point her temperature was the gauge by which they were monitoring her status.

The thermometer reads 102.3°. It was on the way down now. She was at 104°a couple hours ago. She was resting and they were keeping her hydrated. The sweat was beading up on her forehead; her hospital gown was drenched. The orders now were to make her comfortable. The worst was over. Soon her temperature would be back to normal and she would be awake enough to hear the diagnosis and prognosis from the medical staff.

The body is amazing. It knows when things are not right. When there is an infection in the body, the brain tells the system to heat up to kill off certain bacteria and viruses that are sensitive to temperature change. Drugs such as aspirin will reduce fever, but some in the medical community argue that temperature should not be lowered because it is the body protecting itself. On the other hand, people sometimes die from fever. It’s a delicate balance, but more often than not, medical professionals will opt to lower the temperature and treat infection without the use of the internal fire.

The internal fire is natural. It raises our temperature to protect us. It is extremely uncomfortable. In a relationship that fire might be a period of time-away: a separation. It’s not pleasant, it hurts, but it gives a chance for contemplation, thought and evaluation. When struggling with finances, the internal fire might be the one that burns credit cards and causes a more ridged discipline. It’s uncomfortable and perhaps socially embarrassing, but it’s means of survival. With an illness, the internal fire can be a period of intensive treatment, one which may render other parts of the body hurting and bruised, nevertheless, it’s that uncomfortable period that will open the way to a healing.

On this fifth day of this Lenten Journey, we’re called to find the balance between the fever and the fever reducer. The illness and disease that take a hold of our bodies and our emotions set off natural triggers in our life – and those make us uncomfortable. Can you think of some of the things that make you uncomfortable? Beyond the physical discomforts there are social and psychological discomforts. Don’t be afraid of these. They are only natural conditions that we must pass through on the road to healing. Remember, even the fever, with the sweat and discomfort, is a natural condition that is a necessary step of ridding the body of disease.

As we become aware of our conditions and our needs, I share with you this prayer by St. Nersess Shnorhali. Be attentive to the nature of the fire and its necessity in the healing process. Spend some time repeating the prayer and meditating on the fire and fires in your life. Yes, there is discomfort even in the strongest of all fire, love.

O Christ, who are the Living Fire, inflame my soul with the fire of Your love, which You did send forth upon the earth, that it may burn the stains of my soul, sanctify my conscience, purge the sins of my body, and kindle in my heart the light of Your knowledge. Have mercy upon Your Creatures and upon me, a great sinner. Amen.

I look forward to continuing the Road to Healing with you tomorrow. Don’t be scared and stay on course. Until then, this is Fr. Vazken sharing the message of the Living Fire with you.

Photo: Yerevan Church (c) 2009 Fr. Vazken Movsesian

Lighting Up - Day 4 of the Road to Healing

2014-03-05T21:32:00.000-08:00

Lighting up

Awareness implies acceptance. Acceptance leads to awareness. A physician will shine a light in your throat, or your ear to get a better reading of your body’s suffering. This lighting of the darkness is part of the diagnostic process.

Coming to terms with our illness is key to complete and lasting recovery. If you think of all conflicts in the world and throughout history, whether on a personal level or on a global level, the only time they are resolved is when there is an honest acceptance and expression of the problem. Equally true, if the ills are not expressed, conflicts remain unresolved and healing is impossible. It’s simple, isn’t it? Before you treat, you diagnosis. To treat, you need to shine the light as diagnostic method. You find the problem, you study it and you apply the fix. And if you don’t follow this order… well take a look at the world. We are plagued by endless wars, conflicts and disease because we don’t address the root issues of hatred, prejudice, greed, vengeance and materialism and instead we treat the superficial wounds of extinguishing a fire here and ending a conflict there. We treat young children struggling with cancer and turn our head to the carcinogens and toxins we pump into our environment that breaks down the health of even the healthiest of creation. In our personal life the same holds true. We treat the cough and not the smoking addiction, or we make up with someone and ignore the anger which caused the schism. Remember, the Lenten diet is not about losing weight or about healthy living, its purpose is to discipline the self, where control and self-worth are strengthened. Modern science is only now catching up to where the Church has led us through the centuries, in identifying that healing implies spiritual wellbeing as well as physical. Healing is a coordination of mind, body and soul in a working relationship that yields health – complete and lasting.

The underlying issues that surface in the form of disease and dysfunction in our life are the target of our healing. Coming to terms with our illness, means a methodical identification (diagnosis) of the underlying issues and causes. Then we can properly target the enemy – through our prayers and mediations – and find a real prognosis that leads to complete healing.

At the doctor’s office, the physician will usually shine a light in our throat, or ear to get a better understanding of our body’s suffering. Today, we begin to shine the light into the inner workings of our life. Today, we come to terms with our illness, that is, we are ready to inspect the underlying causes in the light. The journey is about to get uncomfortable, but we are ready.

Remember the man at the pool? He was in his comfort zone until Jesus summoned him to accept his illness. In so doing, he was forced to stop the excuses. He had to come to terms with his insecurities and take responsibility for his own welfare. This is called lighting up the darkness.

It takes courage and strength to light up some of those dark spots. Before we begin doing so, I offer this prayer from the 12^th Century St. Nersess Shnorhali for all of us on this journey.

I confess with faith and adore You, O Light indivisible, creator of light and dispeller of darkness. Dispel from my soul the darkness of sin and ignorance, and at this hour enlighten my mind, that I may pray to You according to Your will, and receive from You the fulfillment of my supplications. Have mercy upon Your Creatures and upon me, a great sinner. Amen

I look forward to meeting with you tomorrow as we begin to explore our lives with the lights on and with the Light guiding us. Until then, this is Fr. Vazken praying for the Light that dispels darkness and brings complete healing.

Opportunities: Road to Recovery - Lenten Journey Day #3

2014-03-04T21:57:00.002-08:00

Seize the Opportunity

“Yes, I want to be healed,” said the invalid. He had answered the invitation to become

aware of his condition.

According to the Evangelist John, there was a magical pool in Jerusalem where people lined up to be healed. It was said that an angel of the Lord at certain seasons would stir up the water and the first person who entered the pool at that time would be healed of his or her disease.

Jesus, saw a man there who had been suffering of a chronic disease. For over 38 years he had been waiting for a cure. He confessed to Jesus that because of his condition he was too slow to jump into the water when it was stirred and someone inevitably beat him into the water. “I have no one to put me into the water when it is stirred.”

Yesterday we were challenged by the question, “Do you want to be healed?” Of course we do. It was important that we articulated our wish with the words, “Yes, I want to be healed.” Today we find that equally important to articulating our wish is to rid ourselves of the notion that our healing is dependent on someone else taking advantage of the opportunity.

Like the man at the pool, it is easy for us to believe that our healing is dependent on someone else initiating the process. Perhaps a friend or a loved one? Perhaps we’re relying on a business associate who will introduce us to “right” people so we can get ahead? Or we might be waiting for an estranged partner to give the signal that he or she is ready to take us back? In the case of physical disease, we might put all of our trust and faith in a doctor who is a specialist in the field of our illness? We go after wonder drugs that promise weight loss or smoking cessation; we turn to courses and even equipment that will improve our condition. We wait for programs that will lower our payments and give us financial success. And if we don’t have that person, that thing or that program, it’s only natural that we blame them for our situation: “I have no one to place me in the water when it is stirred.”

Actually, the people, things and events are the opportunities in our lives. They are not the ones or things that can initiate the healing process for us. It is up to us to want the healing and then to act.

“There’s no one to put me in the water when opportunity comes,” said the man and Jesus paid no attention to that. It didn’t matter. No, Jesus did not place the man in the water; instead he healed him because Jesus himself was the healing. He gave the man a new opportunity and the water, the angel and the magic pool became irrelevant to this man’s healing process. In the same way, we look for wonders and miracles, we search for inspiration and people who can move us to freedom, when in reality the only one who can initiate the process of healing is us, ourselves. Only you can take advantage of the opportunity for healing and it begins with the simple awareness of wanting to be healed.

“Rise, take up your bed and walk,” said Jesus to the man, after he articulated and became aware of his own shortcomings.

On this third day of Lent, the challenge is to look within and without, to find the opportunities that are around us. Ignore the obstacles. Find the opportunities that follow your awareness statement, Yes, I want to be healed.

I look forward to continuing on this journey with you tomorrow, when we explore the opportunities for healing. Until then, this is Fr. Vazken, praying with you for the strength to say, Yes I want to be healed.

Reference: John 5

Road to Healing – Lenten Journey 2014 Day #2

2014-03-03T22:12:00.001-08:00

Day 2 - Awareness

The Evangelist John tells the story of a magical pool in Jerusalem where people who struggled with

afflictions would go in hopes of finding a cure for their ails. These were people who were sick, blind, lame and even paralyzed. They came to this pool with the desire to be healed. One day as Jesus is passing by, he notices an invalid – a man who had been ill for over 38 years. He was just lying there waiting for a miracle.

Jesus approaches the man and asks him, “Do you wish to get well?” Now think about this scene for a moment. Jesus – known for healing and miraculously making people well – approaches a man who is obviously in need of healing. Not only is he immobile, but his illness is chronic. He’s been in this condition for 38 years. If there’s ever a “No-duh” moment, this is it! Of course, he wanted to be healed. It is so obvious and yet Jesus, before healing him to complete health, stops and asks him, “Do you wish to be well?”

Awareness is the first step on the road to recovery. From this story, note that it is not a question of the man being aware of his disease, rather it’s his awareness of wanting to be healed that is called into question.

When we first encounter pain and later are overcome by it – whether that pain is physical or emotional - we will do anything and everything to rid ourselves of the hurt. The pain relievers we take come in a wide variety of forms and doses. From simple aspirin to hard narcotics, to outlets of violence, sex, manipulation and power, we find ways of escaping the pain, only to find that we’ve treated the merely symptoms and not the cause of our illness. Tragically, the pain relievers can easily become a way of life and we find ourselves in comfort-zones. That is, we know things aren’t right, but we’re comfortable. It’s easy to stay in these spots – indulging in our habits and avoiding the true causes of our disease.

Jesus did not ask the man, “Do you want a crutch?” Instead he asks the question we must ask ourselves. Do you want to be healed? Are you ready to become whole? The answer to this question gives us a unique awareness of not the symptoms but the cause of our problems.

On this second day of the Road to Healing, our prayer is for sincerity, that God open our heart so that we can answer the question “Do you want to be healed?” without fear. The road to recovery – whether from physical disease, broken relationships or issues of self-worth – is not an easy one. It’s a challenge. Answering YES to this question sets the course for the rest of the journey.

Yes, I want to be healed! These are the words of today’s meditation. Repeat these words in the silence of your heart. If you’re able, share the words with a loved one. The road to recovery and healing has begun.

I look forward to continuing on this journey with you tomorrow, when we will step even closer to an awareness of our challenges. Until then, this if Fr. Vazken, praying with you for the strength to say, Yes I want to be healed.

Reference – Gospel of St. John Chapter 5

Road to Healing - Lenten Journey 2014 #1

2014-03-02T23:58:00.003-08:00

March 3, 2014 – Day 1

As I awoke from my surgery, still groggy, I made out the words “Faith Healer.” The words

were coming from the TV above my hospital bed. I had no energy to make out what was going on. I’d rather channel that strength to the button next to my IV. Ah, morph away the pain… I was out.

I woke up a bit later. This time my family was in the room. I made it through the operation and now on the road to recovery. The button next to the IV was there to ease the pain, the nurse told me. The TV was still on.

In that room, we exchanged smiles and thankful expressions that the worst was over.

“Snake Handler Dies.” The voice sounded familiar. I looked up at the TV; the same station was on and its it sounded like the same faith-healer story. A snake handler in Kentucky had died after playing with a poisonous rattler. It was the kind of news story that gets blurted out throughout the day. Obviously it was slow-news day. “He said God would save him,” announced a commentator. Then there’s the visual – the pastor praising God, while the snake wrapped around the arm. Next, microphones are extended into the mouths of family members covered by the printed-subtitles, “Cody Coots, 21, says his father’s death was “God’s way” of taking him home.”

Even in my grogginess I made the connection to the referenced passage. I had read it several times. It’s a Jesus quote, “And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” (Mark 16:17&18)

I guess it didn’t need to be slow-news day for this story to be broadcast. And I don’t think it was my drugged-state that allowed me to hear the message they were projecting. The commentators did not say it as such, but I could hear them reporting, “Man puts his faith in God. God disappoints. Jesus promises. Jesus does not deliver.”

For the next couple of days while I lay in the hospital bed this news item was repeated by commentators on various networks. I thought I was in the bed to recover – to be healed – instead I was treated to a story that just kept unfolding with disease, faith, healing and God, or the absence there of (of any of those elements). There was the story of the initial bite, then the reaction of the parishioners, the debate about religious freedom – you know, the one about allowing God to intervene – and ultimately the question of God: Is He a personal God who cares about His creation? If He does, why does it appear He cares for some and not for others?

Of course, there are so many other questions when it comes to healing. Does healing come from within or without? What is the interaction, if any, between the physical, emotional and spiritual realms of life in the healing process? What about the big diseases, such as cancer? What about emotional duress caused by hatred and betrayal? Is healing always possible? If so, how can I tap into that healing?

Today is the first day of a 40 day journey – it is a Lenten Journey. It is one I call “A Time to Heal.” I invite you take it with me.

We’re all looking for healing, whether it’s to be healed of the pains of the body or the hurt from a relationship gone sour. Whether we’re struggling with emotions that have us off balance or we’re looking for reconciliation with our life choices, healing is the name of the journey we take. The Lenten period is the perfect time to slow down and listen to the voice within. Whether you’re morphing away your pain, or you’re cold-stone sober when you hear the words “Faith Healer” you know there’s something more needed than a Band-Aid to bring complete healing to the wounds of life.

Each day, we will explore a dimension of healing, drawing from many Traditions, the teachings of Christ, the wisdom of the sages, the connections conveyed by the mystics and of course, the unique brand of expression we’ve come to know through Armodoxy. Each day during this 40 day journey will bring us closer to the promised health of body, soul and mind.

So welcome to Lenten Journey 2014: Time to Heal.

Link in today’s story: http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/16/us/snake-salvation-pastor-bite/

Photo: Lake Sevan Vazkenian Seminary Chapel - (c)Fr. Vazken Movsesian

Comments at LA County Gathering (MLK)

2014-01-16T17:42:00.000-08:00

Opening Remarks at the Clergy Prayer Breakfast organized by Sheriff Lee Baca at the St. Leon Armenian Cathedral, on January 10, 2014 by Fr. Vazken Movsesian

Distinguished Clergy and guest,

On behalf of His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese, I welcome to the St. Leon Armenian Cathedral, headquarters of the Armenian Church in the Western United States. It is a unique honor for us to host this gathering of clergy, faith leaders and people of faith, who gather around the common theme of freedom, peace and justice. Furthermore, today we have an opportunity to honor Sheriff Lee Baca (who most recently announced his retirement from the Department). It is appropriate to do so at this gathering, for in fact, it was Sheriff Baca, who shortly after being sworn into office brought together religious leaders throughout the County. Sheriff Baca has advocated for community policing and he saw a need for religious leaders to partner with the members of the Department to address community concerns. This annual gathering is a result of his efforts and leadership.

This may be the first time many of you have come into an Armenian Church. I’d like to bring to your attention some of the nuances of the church building. While it is a fairly new sanctuary, it is built in accord with traditional Armenian architecture - one of the most ancient of Christian traditions. You’ll notice the pictures and icons of saints throughout the building. What you don’t see is that each pillar, wall, and area of this sanctuary is consecrated and dedicated in the name of a saint. I mention this because saints are not God, nor are they endowed with godly powers. They are people, with all of the human frailties, and have faced challenges, oppression, suffering, but they have risen to the occasion and shined a light of hope a midst the darkness. In other words, they give us - you and me - hope. You expect perfection from a god, but when a person in the midst of torment and suffering is able to rise to the occasion, it signals an opportunity for us to excel and achieve. That is, we are empowered with the knowledge and confidence to know that we too can achieve the seemingly impossible.

As an Armenia, I can attest to this miraculous power. Armenia is a small/tiny, land-locked country, at the crossroads of three continents. Its history is almost exclusively one of wars, terror and even genocide. The power of love has been the only constant and the only weapon that has insured its survival. It may sound strange and certainly paradoxical to someone without faith, but as these saints will attest with their lives, it is true.

How blessed are we this morning to have examples that we can touch today, not only in the walls and paintings, but examples that are fresh in our memory. Just last Summer we commemorated the 50th Anniversary of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s March on Washington and the words which shook the world challenging each of us, and our nation collectively, to dream of and to realize justice through racial harmony. Only last month, we marked the passing of Nelson Mandela, an icon of freedom. In him we found a man who fought and won against the powers of evil with love and forgiveness.

Now, I wish to remind our gathering today, that Dr. King, in his writings and his speeches never hesitated to mention that he was a minister of the Gospel. He gave meaning to the “REVEREND” title at the beginning of his name. He was a man of God. How fortunate are we to find ourselves at this time in history with such great reminders of compassion, healing, forgiveness and love. These are models that give us all a change to look forward in hope.

Our gathering today is at the beginning of a new year. With the New Year comes newness. Sure, it’s merely a date on the calendar, but it’s a convenient opportunity for us to take an inventory of our work, to look back with introspection and forward with hopes and dreams. Today is that opportunity for us to join in fellowship and solidarity with members of the faith community, to make a difference in our communities and surroundings.

But let us also be aware of the trapping of time. The New Year is here, but that doesn’t mean things will be new, unless we so move to make them new. Dr. King repeatedly told us that bringing about justice - and therefore peace - cannot wait. The time is always right for peace, harmony and understanding. Writing to his colleagues, from the Birmingham jail, Rev. King warned them and therefore us, to avoid a misconception of time.

“... It comes from the strangely rational notion that there is something in the very flow of time that will inevitably cure all ills. Actually, time itself is neutral… . Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability; it comes through the tireless efforts of men willing to be co-workers with God, and without this 'hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation.”

It is in this spirit that we gather this morning, as faith leaders, to become worthy co-workers with God. Thank you for attending. Let us move forward with our program…

Christmas, Advent & Heart

2014-01-05T08:29:00.001-08:00

Parish Priest’s Message from the “Key” Newsletter* – 5 January 2014

http://www.armenianchurchyouthministries.org/newsletter/The_Key_010514.pdf

Dear Parishioners,
How about some double good news today? Of course there’s the BIG news of the day - “Christ is Born & Revealed!” but I have another one that’s equally important. That is, we made it! We finish the period of Advent today.

It’s been 50 days since we started the Advent journey together. During this time of Christmas preparation, we reached out as the Body of Christ has been instructed to do by Jesus. (Luke 14) We started off with our Thanksgiving feed, and continued through the holy days with our Children’s Memorial, Toy and Blanket drives. So that when we arrive here at Christmas and we hear the beautiful greeting, “Christ is Born & Revealed” it has a true meaning. It is not only a statement or slogan, but in fact, LOVE has been born and revealed in our midst. Through our actions we become a living testimony to the event - The Nativity - which took place in history, and even more, we testify to the reality of Love being born today and every day. Therefore, we can loudly proclaim, “Indeed, He is Revealed!”

As excited as I am with the achievements of our small parish over the past Advent Season, I am not content. As your Pastor, I have to confess my sadness with the situation that I witness in our community. Our church still functions in a time-warp, with awkward and archaic customs that promote an unreal and skewed understanding of its place and function in life. I try to console myself by saying “small steps” or that things do not change overnight, nevertheless it is heartbreaking that on Christmas we are not where we should be as an Armenian Church, and thus, as an Armenian Christian community. We celebrate Theophany today asking God to reveal His Love to us. -Fr. Vazken

*The “Key” is the weekly newsletter of the St. Peter Armenian Church, Glendale, CA – Jesus asked the Disciples, “Who do YOU say that I am?” Peter responded “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus promised the Keys to the Kingdom for this profession of faith. (Mt 16) At the St. Peter, Glendale Parish, our faith and actions are based on that same profession of faith. It is the Key that opens the doors to our journey as Christians...

The Boy who sang the Psalms

2013-12-06T17:58:00.000-08:00

Ever since the second Sunday of December was designated as "Children's Memorial Day" in 1997 by then President Clinton, we, via In His Shoes Ministries, have organized services to remember the tragic loss of our children. This year the commemoration falls on the 25th anniversary of the earthquake in Armenia which claimed upward of 25,000 lives.

There's the stillness of death on a deathly unliving sea...

As I prepare for this year's service, my mind goes to all the wonderful children I have met throughout the years and sadly have had to say goodbye to them all too early I've sat with them, held their hands, cried with their parents and have felt as if they were my own flesh and blood. Back in the early 1990's we lost a young boy who would "sing the psalms." I remember him often and in particular during this time of year when we remember our children.

I just found the eulogy that I delivered at his funeral. It was translated in the Window Quarterly. I post it here on this Armodoxy page, as a simple offering of reconciliation, condolence and understanding....

Eulogy:
The Boy who Sang the Psalms

Note: Saro Balabanian passed away at age 7, after a four year battle with leukemia. During his bout with cancer, he earned the affection and respect of his community..

Just about every day we hear reports of children dying in Somalia, Bosnia, Bangladesh or some third world country. Famine, war and poverty claim the lives of these, the young and innocent. As tragic as these stories may be, we have the option of turning the station or folding close the newspaper and going about our daily business. But today’s story is not from a world far away. And unlike other tragedies in this world, we don’t have the opportunity to turn the channel or turn the page. We are facing the death of a young boy, one who has touched so many of us in many different ways. We are standing before the reality we can’t escape, Saro has left us.

Unlike the stories we hear from Somalia and Bangladesh, Saro didn't die because of man-made problems of famine, greed and war. In fact he had all the resources one could want along with the love and devotion of very special parents and family. The villain was cancer and after fighting it for a few years, the good guy lost this battle.

Saro was a unique little boy. He always had a smile, even when he wasn’t feeling well. Until his last dying moment, that smile did not leave his face. You didn’t hear Saro complain much
either. Whether a blood transfusion or not being able to play with other little boys, you didn’t hear him complain or frown. He wasn’t too different from other little boys. He loved sports. He liked to play video games. He knew the basketball statistics like no one else. Most of all, he had a positive outlook. He hoped for a brighter tomorrow and was always filled with wonderment about things around him. Saro was a young boy with hope and expectations. His outlook was positive, always finding something good in even the worst of situations. It is
in this light that I wish to present this eulogy today. For if Saro were standing with us now, knowing him, he would want to make us feel good and would comfort us.

But how do we find something good in what happened today? Saro was seven years old. At that age, your biggest concern should be what kind of ice cream you’re going to eat, or which ride you will go on at the carnival. Instead, Saro was confronted with the nightmare of waking up with cancer, of receiving new blood, of rejections and transplants– all things which would scare anyone– but somehow Saro would comfort us all.

Saro grew up with a love for God, instilled by his father Rafi and mother Nora and grandparents. He would recite the psalms. On his last day, he recited Psalm 23: “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want..."

It is easy for us today to look, in our usual cynicism and ask, where was God when Saro needed Him? Why did the God who Saro trusted, let him down? But let us look at Saro’s life through the eyes of innocence that Saro had.

Where was God? God was there throughout every phase of Saro’s illness. God was working
the miracle of miracles– bringing people together out of concern– in love and respect for human life! God was teaching us the most valuable lesson of our lives — the need to love
and help one another!

It is unusual — we adults think we have so much to teach the young ones, when in reality, there is so much to learn from them. One day, people brought infants to our Lord so that he would touch them and the disciples ordered the people not to. Jesus told them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God
belongs.” (Luke 18:16) And later he tells us that “the angels (of the children) continually see the face of my Father in heaven.” (Matt. 18:10)

We expected and waited for a miracle with Saro. In fact, we received it, but sometimes our senses are too dull to notice it or to accept it. Saro was an angel sent by God, who visited us
and taught us much about life. Saro’s was a short life, but a full life — where he touched and loved us. He taught us. You see, the miracle happened three years ago, when the doctors told
the family that Saro’s life was limited to a few months. Since that time we have seen strength, courage, hopefulness and faith in this young boy. He taught us what it means to believe, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” He taught us what it means, to “have faith as a little child, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” He taught us that there is no fear when you trust in the Lord because you trust in the One who said, “Courage! The victory is mine. I have overcome the world!” He taught us that the pure in heart are truly blessed, “for they shall see God.”

Saro’s life became the miracle we expected. God touched us through Saro!We began to believe. We began to hope. We began to pray. We began to realize that this existence is not the end of all things! We saw people crossing boundaries. It didn’t matter if it

was an evangelical church, a catholic church or an orthodox church (Armenian and non-Armenian alike) — communities came down on their knees to pray. As if God were telling us, “Enough of these denominational divisions. I am ONE! My LOVE is ONE!”

Saro was the miracle. Saro was the angel who came and touched us. And whenever we look at the stories of the Bible and see miracles of angels and bright lights — let us never forget that those are not stories which happened centuries ago, but God is working through His people today! Saro was now. And everyone of us who was touched by Saro was a part of the miracle.

Today, we have the comfort of knowing that this life has not ended for Saro, because of the unfailing words of our Lord Jesus Christ: “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live!” Today, we bid farewell to Saro with the complete faith and acceptance that Saro lives today, where there is no pain, where there is no suffering, where there is no cancer, in his rightful place with his heavenly father, in the kingdom of all eternities.

In the Armenian Church funeral service we read the passage from the Gospel of St. John — “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” Jesus was talking about himself, but we can easily extend this to Saro. Saro is that single seed that has died, but will produce much harvest and fruit. You, me,
everyone of us who has been touched, is now obligated to keep the miracle going.

Today, when you remember Saro, remember all the pain in the world. Remember the children of war. Remember the children of famine. Remember the children of disease. Remember the need to put an end to illness and disease. Pray for and support the research projects that promise hope for the sick. If you gave blood for Saro, don’t stop giving because Saro is gone. If you prayed, don’t stop praying because Saro is gone. If you visited and laughed with Saro, don’t stop doing so with others in need, because Saro is gone. There are many other Saros who need and deserve our attention.

And when you help these other Saros, that “grain of wheat”– Saro — begins to blossom. It will be evident that our Little Angel, our Little Saro, lives in you through your deeds. And may God bless all of you — family, friends, acquaintances, doctors and nurses. You were all part of the miracle which can now only begin — the miracle we knew as Saro.

~Cupertino, California

June 1993

Happy Thanksgiving Mr. President

2013-11-28T04:09:00.004-08:00

Thoughts about our President's visit, our church, our responsibility to others.

Our church faces the east fence of Toll Middle School in Glendale. The soccer field behind the fence is where hundreds of kids play throughout the week and see the Armenian cross on the roof of our church. This is the same field that the White House staff decided would be the best landing site for the Presidential helicopter, Marine 1.

Over the weekend, we noticed the temporary “No Parking” signs on the streets. Our neighborhood knew something was about to happen. Not sure exactly what, but we learned quickly when four military helicopters landed on the field. This was the practice run. It was to deliver the President of the United States to Glendale for a tour of DreamWorks studio, just up the street from us.

So we had a few days to speculate and even think of some cleaver scenarios.

Invite the President in for a cup of coffee? A parishioner even suggested that he might want to stop by the church for a prayer. Sure. Maybe Mr. Obama will even light a candle? OK. Enough.

Tuesday morning.
I wish we had put a banner in front of our church – Happy Thanksgiving Mr. President. Instead it was me and Arpine, the young lady finishing up a mural in the church, who would be there to witness the day Mr. Obama came by the Armenian Church.

Every jurisdiction was on the street. Sheriff, Highway Patrol, Glendale PD, SWAT Team, Search & Rescue, Hazmat, Bomb Squad and of course, the Secret Service. Later, I would learn that they have to anticipate any problem and be ready to react. This was an impressive set up. Maybe it was more than a hand-shake and a transportation exchange? Would he be speaking here? There certainly was an awful lot of protection and firepower here on this street.

Behind the police yellow tape boundary one of Arpine’s friends spots her and asks if she can join us on the porch in front of the church. We’re looking out at the field. We see the sharp

shooters on the roof of the school building. They look right at us with their long-range binoculars. I can only imagine they can read our expressions. Arpine’s friend waves at them with a big smile on her face. We can’t help but laugh but also I panic, “Don’t wave!”

The crowds are assembling. We’re told by Secret Service that when the helicopters arrive we will have to go inside the church. “It’s for your protection” they tell us. Hmmmm... my no-wave warning was in order.

The helicopters arrive. The two Marine helicopters are massive, almost the size of our church building. The grace with which the pilots handle them is remarkable. Then the two presidential helicopters arrive. They’re very grasshoppery. He came out of the second helicopter to land. All this detail was for a hand-shake and a transport-exchange. President Obama, tall and sleek, came out of Marine-1, walked over to a limo and took off. That was it. And along with him went the entourage of emergency and security vehicles.

An hour-and-a-half later, they returned. It was all in reverse now. Into the helicopters and off they went.

It was a few hours of excitement on our street corner. It happens now and then in Glendale.

Arpine teaching a new
generation about
Armenian sacred art

A few hours later, there’s a news report on local TV about Obama’s visit. I listen inattentively as they described his trip to Dreamworks studio. But my ears perk when I heard the word “Armenian” in the report. No, it wasn’t about the little Armenian Church that sat across the landing strip. It was a story about a group of local Armenians who “ask President Obama to display the Orphan Rug at the Smithsonian.” What? What local Armenians? I was there. We were the local Armenians. What was this all about?

I did a quick Google search. What happened today? Did I miss something? No. The search led me to the unreliable pages of the Glendale Newspress. And there I read it for the first time. A group of local Armenians got together to ask President Obama to display the Orphan Rug. There they were. Clergy, laity, political leaders and the infamous Glendale School Board. One was missing: President Obama. Yes, they were “asking” President Obama for recognition, but he wasn’t there to hear them! What a non-story! And it was being reported! I expect non-stories from the Glendale Newspress, but I also heard it on NBC-4. Well, so goes their credibility.

Let’s think about this for a moment. A group of Armenians get together, they have a press-conference to address the president. The President is not there to answer back, so we know the answer is not going to change, that is, it will be no. So this sad group goes to battle, knowing it will be defeated and their message is one of complete dependence – asking someone else to verify their reality. (Underlying the Orphan Rug controversy is the bigger issue of Armenian Genocide recognition.)

Instead of the Non-Story…

The bigger story would have been if a group of Armenians offered a message of Thanksgiving to the President. This evening, our small Church on the corner, packaged and delivered turkeys, and boxes of food to hungry people throughout the area. In fact, it’s something we do weekly as part of the parish’s outreach. We walk “In the Shoes” of the homeless and the hungry because we were once homeless and hungry. Yes, the same people who were once called the “Starving Armenians” are now feeding the starving. THERE is your answer to recognition. Why would I want to be a victim if I AM a victor? Why would I need someone else to verify my reality?

The President was standing across the street from an Armenian Church. This Armenian Church exists today because I exist. It exists because there are generations that didn’t die but live today. To the point, two little girls, four generations removed from the Genocide, came by during the presidential-visit. They laughed, spoke and sang in Armenian with me. They even learned some Armenian sacred painting techniques from Arpine. Yes, Armenians are not only here after Genocide, we're creating and teaching the next generation. Who or what entity do I need to verify, recognize or acknowledge this reality? Our Armenian Church has a sign on it that proclaims its OUTREACH through Epostle, In His Shoes and Armodoxy. Simply put (and to the point): We are alive and creating.

So I offer a Thanksgiving message to President Obamba: Mr. President, to me you are a symbol of the United States of America. This Thanksgiving we take a moment not to complain about the things we don’t have but rather to be thankful for the things we do have. The freedoms that we enjoy here in the United States are empowering. I know. My grandparents were immigrants escaping the tyranny of the Turkish Ottoman state. They were survivor of the most heinous of all crimes, Genocide. They found refuge in this great country. My grandfather filled vending machines in New York City. He worked and supported my grandmother and two sons. Together they laid the foundation for my father’s education, career and life. My mother’s father cut hair. He took care of his family and laid the ground work for my mother’s life.

Sound familiar? Of course. It’s the story of America. Our parents gave us the necessary tools to become the people we are. This is a story of strength and growth.

Are there problems here in America. Of course. I’m looking at one of them right now. We’re so scared of ourselves that we have to protect our leaders with massive armor and might. That’s a price we pay. There’s inequality around us. There are economic issues and now, the battle for equitable health care opportunities. But in a society where we can dialogue and engage in conversation, all of our problems can be resolved. America is not a sinking ship

Preparing Thanksgiving Meals - Once starving, now feeding

because it is built on hope. That hope is what America gave to my grandparents. Hope is what gives me strength. I’m thankful to America for that Hope.

I wish everyone would know the story of the Armenians. It is not up for debate. It is a matter of history. If the president chooses to ignore it, we are hurt, but his ignorance doesn’t change the reality. We change the reality when we allow our documented and true stories become non-stories. That’s what happened today by the sad attempt to create a story out of something that wasn’t there.

Happy Thanksgiving. Thanks!

Video clips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XyLX_ref3I

No Sini/No Wonder…

2013-11-18T23:18:00.000-08:00

A series and collection of events, every day-in and day-out

Thursday – Worked at the Ascencia homeless shelter. In the process of food distribution, thought about the place of responsibility. Sixteen kids lived in the shelter, seven of them from one family. Where’s the conversation about birth control and the need for personal responsibility?

As I walk out, I’m confronted by an ex-heroin addict. He tells me he’s cured by Jesus. In the same town, Glendale, on TV, the Church, clergy and Christ are being degraded and humiliated. People listen and applaud. People listen and support.

Meanwhile, a priest, his church and the love in the heart of the congregation has not asked any questions, only fed the hungry based on Christ’s message to help and have compassion.

Friday – I’m dealing all day with a woman victimized by her husband in an overt case of domestic abuse. We’re careful not to call it “violence” because she has not been beaten, but she has endured the wounds of words and neglect on her psyche and soul.

We reach out with wings. It’s “Datev” Outreach. A couple of us offer help and support. All of sudden she’s been given the greatest of all gifts, she has hope. She believes that things can get better. Her brows ease up and a smile appears on her face.

At what point do the husbands stop beating their wives? When do we identify problems of anger, lust, addictions and address the issues before those issues destroy lives? Where and when does the true “manliness” conversation begin to the responsibility to love?

And all the while, it’s a small group of the Church. It is the Body of Christ that is in motion.

Saturday – Funeral service. She’s lived for 89 years, married for 66 of those years. This woman radiated beauty. She was in church every Sunday until her dying day. She brought her children up in the Church. Some of the grandkids don’t speak Armenian, but no one would dare to question their ethnicity. They are Armenian all the way through – mind and soul without a question, without a doubt.

We’re a long way from Glendale: Fifty miles to the South, light years in mentality. This woman raised her family in the Armenian Church. There was no compromise when it came to the Armenian Church. It was the place where she lived. The same Armenian Church that today is passed up for the soccer field and the Armenian clubs on Sunday mornings.

Sunday – Divine Liturgy. We’re in another parish. It’s a brand new building. The priest’s voice is beautiful. Is there more to say? Some 20, maybe 30, people show up for worship. What do they get from the service? What is redeeming about it? It’s very difficult to sit through one of these. Here’s the question – why would anyone want to sit through a terrible opera?

We have a good thing in Glendale. It’s taken us several years to get it to that point. It’s a different understanding of spirituality at our church. It’s a process. It’s singing. It’s participating. But what do we find on the outside? Is this a unique reality? Or are we just seeing a smaller version of the norm throughout the Armenian Church world?

It’s depressing. It makes us depressed. We’ve done everything to make the Church accessible. It’s not being accessed and in other parishes, even that little access is denied. When do we reach critical mass to effectuate change?

We talk about the Church as the “Body of Christ.” Where else do you find or see this understanding of the Sacred Institution, the House of God?

I get it. I'm on another page. That's why the need for Armodoxy. The Church if not there. It's traditions and liturgy are beautiful. They speak to the angels. But to us mortals? The connection is lost. So before it's too late we have to make sure we are there. The need for relevancy is ever more accented this day.

Before going to sleep that night I read a sorry story of ANOTHER loss. How many of these will it take before we say enough? Here we find a young woman who is unable to connect with her Church. She's in a stand-off and rather than fight and expelling the people who don't belong there, she jumps ship and finds expression elsewhere. How many more of these will it take?

I go to sleep, but I can't. It's a toss and turn night until a dot wakes me to consciousness.

Monday – We have a meeting to organize our work. It requires putting the pure entity into a box. The box gives it structure and also boundaries. That’s OK for an organization, a club or a fraternity, even for a hospital. What about the Body of Christ? Can that be put into a box? We can't. You see, I just got word that another 130 people were killed in Darfur and the Genocide continues. It's been the enough moment too long. While the Armenians are going to commemorate 100 years of Genocide, the evil continues. There's only one answer to evil. I know it. We have it.

The box is there. It’s the structure that gives form. It’s the structure that fools us into believing the building is the church. It makes us lose sight of the mission that defines the Church. The box is the structure that gives the awards and accolades to people, while ignoring those who give a hand and those who need a hand. The box makes us believe that the Institution is corrupt, and even prevents us from supporting the sacredness of Church, i.e., the Body and its Mission. Yes, support is withheld in the guise of thoughtful giving.

And so… when someone criticizes the Church and shies away from using the name of Jesus Christ, I have to think it’s due to a fundamental misunderstanding of terms and function. But I also feel it is due to our betrayal of the fundamental foundation of our Faith.

I’m done. It will not be a stand-off this time.

The name of Love is Jesus. Crush my cold and stony heart with your love. -St. Neress Shnorhali

Listen to Dad. Listen to the Heroin Addict. Listen.

2013-11-14T23:50:00.002-08:00

As I was leaving our monthly homeless feed at Ascencia this evening, a man approached me - he was wiry, wearing an Indian necklaces, long uncombed hair, clean with a scraggly beard. "Father - I was a heroin addict for 37 years, living on the streets. Jesus saved me. I want to share my story. It's been documented and I have this art project. It would be an honor for me to present it to your church - especially to the kids, so they won't wind up like me...." he said.

I just sighed. I actually heard my sigh. I didn't want to leave any more, but had to. I looked back at our ladies - those fabulous ladies. I saw them generically. Not as individuals, but as "our group." They were dealing food. They were answering the hunger and loneliness of these people with the power of love. They weren’t victims of a long suffering nation. They were in control. Their hands are full and giving life to others.

I walked out the building and on the right, an Amtrak train whisked by. I looked over and the lights were on inside the train so that you can see the people. It’s 6:00PM, the sun has set. The bright windows along with the figures of people in them - reading and sleeping - were contrasted by the silhouette of the train. They were just moving along, oblivious to anything that was happening on the streets. They had no clue what's going on at Ascensia - why should they?

Same night, in the same town of Glendale, Armenian TV’s are turned on. They’re bashing the Church, bashing the clergy and bashing Jesus Christ as nonsense. They’ll never get the power that’s waiting to be tapped. They’ll never get it.

Translators for Today: An Anush Treat

2013-10-12T22:36:00.002-07:00

Sometimes timing can’t get any more perfect. This weekend, as the Armenian Church

celebrates the Feast of the Holy Translators, a new book is published (see article on right)

illustrated by my sister Anush Avejic. “When I Go to Church” translates our Faith to the youngest members of our Church community.

Perhaps it’s a coincidence that this book arrived in our hands this weekend. Perhaps it’s a bit more than coincidence. (Of course, you know my leaning on the question of chance....) But whatever the case, the truth is that our Armenian Church suffers from a problem of relevancy which is exasperated by language and articulation. I have written and commented about these issues extensively in the past. For today, I wish to focus on one solution which we find via this new publication, namely the use of art and color to simplify and transmit the faith.

The Translators of the Church - Mesrob Mashdots, David the Invincible, Yeghishe, to name a few - were men who took the complicated and simplified it. They used the basic art forms of language, letters, pictures, intellect to take the message of Love, Faith and Hope from the abstract to the tangible. They made Christ accessible! In very real terms, this new book, “When I Go to Church,” does exactly that. Anush has captured and thereby captivates her audience with forms and colors that take the most complicated expressions of liturgics and simplify them for spiritual consumption. Further, the book is inspirational, in that it reminds us about the simplicity of life and the forms around us. It inspires us to do the same: using our talents to make God’s Love accessible. Congratulations Anush and to all of us.

-Fr. Vazken

(From "The Key" - Vol. III, No. 2 http://armenianchurchyouthministries.org/newsletter/The_Key_101313.pdf)

Preface: The Healing Process

2013-07-05T11:29:00.000-07:00

Jesus was and is a healer. He came as a healer. The quantity of his healing is relatively insignificant, that is, whether he healed an individual or all of humanity, is secondary to the quality of his healing. He heals completely.

I have been pondering notions of healing lately. I can't deny that the initial questions came about
because of my personal issues. Having survived cancer, I have a difficult time thinking of life without the blemishes. Having survived cancer, I have a difficult time thinking of life without also thinking of our ability to overcome the pain and marring effects of disease.

During the last several years I've had many profound moments of awakening and clarity. The theme of healing has been hovering around me, and in all I do. Healing has been mixed in with my calling as a priest, but recently I am understanding that it is at the core of the priesthood. Jesus healed the blind, the deaf and lame. He also healed the sinner. He gave all an opportunity to maximize their potential as living-breathing human beings. For the collective, for humanity, he provided complete healing - and therefore gave a formula for peace - through a vigilant and uncompromising message of love. As a disciple of Christ, the priest is called to do the same. Collectively, the Church, as the Body of Christ, can do nothing else, but to heal. Physical, emotional, spiritual, quantity and form do not matter, it is a matter of quality. Healing has to be complete and lasting.

Several weeks ago I had an enlightening conversation with a friend which awakened in me the idea of progress as a means to healing. That discussion offered clarity and at the same time wonder. Is progress a means or truly the only means of healing? That is, if you don't progress - move forward, evolve - what are you doing but decaying? Living beings change because they evolve. Dead beings change because they decay.

This exercise we call Armodoxy is about that progress and therefore it is about healing. It's about rejecting the decay. It’s about making Faith real in our life.

The Armenian Orthodox prayer for healing begins, Փարաեա զցաւս եւ բժշկեա զհիւանդութիւնս ի ժողովրդենէ քումմէ... Translated: Dispel the pain and heal the sickness of your people... Along with the verbs to dispel and heal, the prayer also pronounces that disease and illness are "rejected." That opportunity to reject and rebel against evil is a a power that is given to each. We have to discover that power within..

God, Jesus Christ, prayer, Holy Spirit, Etchmiadzin are not mere words. They are alive and therefore progressing and evolving. Armodoxy is about making these words real in our lives. Armodoxy rejects the decay that is often associated with religious notions. Instead, it moves us to a higher point - to a higher place where we have the power to overcome our illness and disease. That is an evolution pushed by a revolution.

I'm committed to this ministry which we dare call Armodoxy. It’s a living tradition that engages us with the Divine.

Photo: "Backyard 2011" by vkm

Holy Week via Armodoxy

2013-03-23T17:56:00.001-07:00

Raising Lazarus - Today we drew the curtain back, revealing the altar. For the last 40 days, the curtain was drawn, hiding the altar and the services that took place on the sacred table. As the curtain opens, we realize the altar has always been there. It was only hidden from our view, but always there.

We read the Raising of Lazarus narrative, from the Gospel of St. John (11). The people that were in attendance had come prepared. It was the culmination of the 40 day preparation we call Great Lent.

My preparation came in part through this blog. During this Lent (2013) I was given an opportunity to revisit the "Lenten Journey" we produced back in 2010. This year we transcribed it and had a chance to review the journey. My thanks to my wife, Yn. Susan, my sister Anush for transcribing and typing the meditations, and to Suzie for producing the blog. Thank you to everyone who read, prayed and offered feedback. I trust it was a blessed journey for you, I know it was for me.

This volume of work now resides on the net in written form as well as audio. Hopefully, soon I will be able to sift through it for a review and rewrite for publication.

Today begins Holy Week. When we first produced the Lenten Journey, we didn't anticipate going into the 9 days of Holy Week, but the popularity of the podcast encouraged and pushed us to continue. That original Holy Week series is available at http://epostle.net or directly from the Holy Week Page.

Here's wishing you a blessed week. I will try to augment the blog when I can. My prayer is that the peace and love of the Risen Lord be with you all.
~Fr. Vazken

Lenten Journey Day 40 - Worship

2013-03-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

If you cannot see the audio controls, listen/download the audio file here

Lenten Recipe

Recipe 40: Jicama Salad

Lenten Journey Day 40 – Worship

What a beautiful day today is. It is day 40 – forty days ago we began this Lenten Journey. We feel a sense of accomplishment. It is a good feeling. It has been 40 days of fasting – abstaining from certain foods. It has been 40 days of intensifying our prayer life. It has been 40 days of charitable giving, not merely by writing out checks but giving pieces of ourselves. We have counted our blessings and our talents, contemplating our purpose and function within life and our world. It has been a time of reflection.

It is perfectly natural for us to look back today, perhaps even revisit some of the themes that we explored during this Season. In looking back, though, we must be honest. If not, we will be betrayed by our attitudes and actions.

Today as we gather on this 40th day of Lent we arrive as new creatures. We have been transformed. We have changed, perhaps not to the exact place we would like to be, but the change is noticeable. In particular we have a new outlook. We see ourselves differently, as individuals and within the structure of our communities and the world.

The one topic that follows, naturally is “Worship.” It is the one area that we have not explored. It is the most extraordinary and natural. It is the final step we need to take during this Lenten Season.

In worship we understand ourselves in relationship with God in a rather unique manner. Worship is not prayer . It is praise. Worship is not asking. Worship is giving. It is giving ourselves and humbling ourselves before that which is greater than ours self. And so, Worship is the final step in the Lenten period.

It has been a beautiful journey this year because we have grown, both individually and together. By listening, by talking, by sharing, by extending ourselves, that is, by Loving! Think of it for a moment. The Love that we share with others defines who we are in, for and around life itself. And we have a new definition today. We have a new lease on life today! We have opportunity to come face-to-face with this holy season, to look at the resurrection with new eyes. Our eyes are focusing beyond crucifixion and we see the empty tomb. We witness and become part of the Tomb.

Imagine that…. Sitting in the Tomb of Jesus. Imagine waking up after the torture of crucifixion. Imagine waking up after a burial. We can now share properly what we were intended to share from the very beginning – to become participants in the salvation process. It is not a question of being saved, but one of being a participant. And that is where worship grants us a perfect model.

Worship in the Armenian Church is participation. It is an act of participation. It is not witnessing, but throwing yourself into it holistically with all your senses. To visually see what is around you – the visual delights, the colors, the candles, the flowers. To smell the aroma of the flowers at the altar as well as the incense that takes our prayers to heaven. To be able to hear the beautiful tones and tonalities of the angels. Not saying I don’t understand so let the angels come to me, but rather asking, how can I fly with the angels. How can I participant? Our sense of touch is also important in the Worship services. We have to touch each another. We have to physically love one another. We have to kiss each other to say “You are important in my life just as I would like to be important in yours.” In that touching process we begin to understand what it means to put our feet in the shoes of others. In the shoes of our brothers and sisters, of our people, of others who are struggling. We place our feet in the shoes of others and we understand their difficulties. Perhaps the loss of a job? The loss of a loved one? Perhaps they have an inability to process the spirituality, to process the love that God has put in our heart. And so we reach out to one another physically.

Finally we appeal to our sense of taste. We participate by communicating, by communing with the Holy Eucharist, with the precious body and blood of Jesus Christ.

So we see that worship really is that final step in the Lenten Journey. It is a step that allows us to go beyond Lent, so that taking what we learned during these 40 days, we can apply it and make it a reality in our life, every single day and every single moment, in our relationships with one another, to draw on what we learned in the past, but not to stay there in the past, and to say that the life before me is so beautiful that I’m ready to walk. I am ready to take on the challenges. I am empowered by God. I have been given a new lease on life with Jesus Christ as my savior.

Jesus Christ. Love incarnate. I have been given a new lease on life through Jesus, through love.

We conclude with a meditation on John chapter 15, Jesus, the True Vine. Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.

Amen.
This concludes the Lenten Journey.

Follow the Holy Week Podcasts at Epostle.net

Lenten Journey Day 39 - Light and Salt

2013-03-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

If you cannot see the audio controls, listen/download the audio file here

Lenten Recipe

Recipe 39: Tropical Sweet Potatoes

Lenten Journey Day 39 - Light and Salt

Change. We have changed through the Lenten Season. In fact, our Lord Jesus Christ is the author of change. He advocated our need to change. He taught us a path to get back home through repentance. He expressed through words and his life, that through simplicity we can find happiness and inner peace.

Christ has the ability to change evil into good. Certainly, at the Cross, he transformed the evil Crucifixion into a “Good” Friday event, by the power of the Resurrection. Jesus also changes word and concepts. For instance he took the words of condemnation and turned them into words of salvation. The first man heard the words, “Take and eat this will make you like God,” and was condemned. Jesus took those same words and made them into words of salvation, “Take and eat,” this will make you like God, for this is my body and this is my blood.

Jesus is the one who transforms us and in him we see a transfiguration. A renewal for our lives. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus gives us a formula for happiness. In the Beatitudes we are told what is really important in life. In giving us hope and belief in tomorrow, he concludes the Beatitudes by once again changing us by giving an opportunity for us to partake in the Divine Nature. The same one who once said, “I am the light of the world,” now turns to us and says, “You are the light of the world,” giving us an opportunity, much like the disciples who witnessed the transfiguration, who saw His radiance, an opportunity to see the fullness of God.

According to the Old Testament, the first thing that God willed was light, “Let there be light.” This is independent of any celestial body. It is pure light. It is radiating light. It is healing light. It is the light that is from the beginning of time and continues forever.

Jesus gives us an opportunity to be that light. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”

Using something as small and seemingly insignificant as a grain of salt, Jesus emphasizes how important our life is in the big picture. The Lord proclaims that you are important because you are that salt of the earth. That salt is used to flavor life, to give life its meaning and to give it content, that is, inner happiness, inner strength, inner peace.

In Armenian Church tradition a priest blesses the homes of his parishioners and part of that ritual involves blessing water for the spiritual needs of the family and blessing the bread for the physical needs of the family. Equally as important, the priest blesses salt because flavor is necessary in life. We are called to the happiness of life , to share in God’s love, in God’s kingdom, in the goodness that is all around us. Imagine, “You are the salt of the earth” because you give meaning to what we know as life.

Jesus continues, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

There is a responsibility that comes with being light. Light needs to shine. Ours is to light the world. We do not have the right to hide light.

Today we find more opportunities of expressing our responsibility in God’s Creation. You are called to a unique responsibility of being salt, the flavor of life. You are the light which illuminates the darkness and illuminates the path to your heavenly Father. As night falls on the Lenten Season, we are given the responsibility to shine light on a world that is in need of illumination.

The sun goes down daily over our lives, but for many lives, the glimmer of hope for a new sun rise is nonexistent. Imagine leaving a room, turning off the lights and the room becomes so dark that those people in it cannot see the light switch. They don’t know where to turn. They don’t know where to reach to turn on the light. You are the light of the world. Shine. Turn on the switch. Provide hope, faith and love.

Today God is calling upon you to become the light of the world, not to hide yourself under a table but to put yourself on the light stand. As someone who has gone through this Lenten season you now have a new responsibility to light the darkness and in so doing, to become an agent of Christ, to become a pillar of hope where there cannot be hope. You are the salt of the Earth to bring flavor to life, you are the light of the world to bring light into the darkness.

Let us pray the prayer of Saint Nerses Shnorhali (Norasdeghdzyal):
In the beginning the Word newly created the heaven and heavens out of nothing, and the celestial hosts: the watchers, the angels and the elements, contrary one to the other, and yet agreeing, by which the indescribable Trinity is ever glorified.

The thrice-holy One, dominion and Godhead in one nature, the light uncreated that creates, commanded that there be created light, which he made to shine on the first Lord’s day that was Sunday, by which the inexpressible Trinity is ever glorified.

O You Love, in love You humbled Yourself and took human form for our salvation, in the same body that was crucified, and laid in the tomb of death, this day You rose as God and the angels proclaimed; come you who are saved, sing with the angel praises to him that is risen.
Amen.

Lenten Journey Day 38 - Happiness & Blessings

2013-03-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

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Lenten Recipe

Recipe 38: Peach Salsa

Lenten Journey Day 38 - Happiness & Blessings

The Declaration of Independence of the United States proclaims that people are endowed by their creator to have the unalienable right to pursue happiness. Striving for happiness can be expensive for many. Some people forget and forsake all else for the sake of happiness. Often we view happiness as an end in itself, forgetting that happiness can serve a greater end, and that end we call life.

In the Sermon on the Mount our Lord Jesus Christ offers a plan for happiness, which many times seems to be at odds with the perspective offered by the world. Rather than focusing on pride, Jesus recommends being humble. Rather than pushing for pleasure or possessions Christ says true joy is found by helping others. Instead of pushing others out of our way, Jesus tells us to minister to them. His prescription for happiness seems to be at odds with the rest of the world.

Today as we are winding down our Lenten journey, taking those final steps on the road toward Holy Week we start putting pieces together. Fragments seem to collide with each other, right before our eyes. We have a new understanding of what that happiness is all about.

You were given this prescription at an early age, you probably read it several times, heard in many times but never made the connection that it was a prescription. It is a special healing for each and every one of us. It is an opportunity for us to connect to something greater than ourselves. It is a prescription for happiness. We call it the “Beatitudes.”

In the Sermon on the Mount (chapter 5 of the Gospel of St. Matthew) Jesus utters these words and speaks to the heart of a hurting people. He speaks to the soul of a people who need healing. These people are not members of any particular ethnic group. In fact, these people are all of us, they are you and me. Through the centuries we have opened these pages and have been inspired and found hope in tomorrow. In the dreams that we dream and surely those dreams being actualized are the happiness that you and I seek.

Today as you and I are finishing this Lenten season let us read the Beatitudes – this prescription for happiness. As you read, take your time to meditate on how these words speak to you. Contemplate the meaning of the words today and how they might have been interpreted before you started the Lenten Journey. We have tried to alienate ourselves from the pace of everyday life, and we have found a life that is full and rich. It is full of sacrifice, as our Lord Jesus Christ says, “He who is going to follow me must pick up his cross and follow me.” Further He sets a beautiful gardening metaphor for growth, by saying, “Unless a grain of wheat falls in the earth and dies it remains a single seed, but when it does die it produces much harvest.” Jesus in talking about His own resurrection, invites us to participate in a life of giving, of loving. It is a life of sharing, which makes it a life of fullness, where real happiness is instilled in our heart and can never be taken away.

The Beatitudes are the hope that Jesus gives us.

You who have gone through 38 days of the Lenten season with heightened prayer, with fasting with giving of charity. You will hear these words for the first time in a new manner as a prescription and formula for sacrifice, love and happiness. Let us pray the Beatitudes:

Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Amen.

Lenten Journey Day 37 – Born Again

2013-03-19T00:00:00.000-07:00

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Lenten Recipe

Recipe 37: Artichoke Risotto

Lenten Journey Day 37 – Born Again

One evening in the life of our Lord Jesus, he was approached by a man named Nicodemus who seemingly complimented him. According to the Gospel of St. John, Nicodemus said to Jesus, “we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” Jesus responds to Nicodemus in a rather awkward and unusual manner. Ordinarily you would expect the answer to such a compliment to be a kind thanks, or at the very least an acknowledgement. Instead Jesus turns to Nicodemus and gives him a qualifier. He said, “Unless one is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

These words, “being born again” can be translated in few ways. Literally, they mean to be “born from above” but it also implies renewal. Jesus’ words mean to be born from above, to be born anew, to be born again. No matter how we twist it, no matter how we say it Jesus demands from us a new beginning for our lives.

Throughout this Lenten season we’ve been challenges in many ways to discover truths about ourselves, so that at the end of the 40 days, we are truly born again, that is, we are born anew, fresh, from above.

Being born again is not limited to one time event in our lives. Nicodemus turns to Jesus and says, “How could this be? How could this possibly be when a man is old, can he enter for a second time into his mother’s womb to be born again?”

Jesus says, “Unless one is born of water and the spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” Jesus is referring to baptism by saying to be born from the water and the spirit. This new birth is from our new mother, the Holy Church. The holy font (baptism basin) is the womb of that mother – the womb of the Church.

Beyond the sacraments of Baptism, throughout our life - that time that God gives us – we are granted many opportunities when we experience a re-awakening of our senses and our our being. Certainly this Lenten Journey is one such experience where we have put the ego on a shelf, where we have put many of our desires on hold so that we can understand ourselves and the spiritual being within, experiencing a new birth. The Christian has an opportunity to be born again and again and again. Baptism is the entry point to a new life in Christ, but it does not end when the water has dried off. In fact, it has only just begun. The Christian is challenged to find that newness. Being born again is really a revelation from above. It is an opportunity to be born anew, to a life that is full of love and understanding, not only of ourselves but for the people around us for our environment, certainly for the world.

The Christian is invited to a new life in Christ. That Christian journey is a long and beautiful one, but many times as life hits us with difficulties deviated from the path. During Lent we stand back and notice our deviation and have an opportunity to get back on that road. Lent is about recovering the lost ground and in concluding this Lenten Journey, on its final days of this walk, we understand that the born again experience is really something we need to welcome in our lives.

The challenges of life dull our senses to the beauty that is all around us. We need to welcome the experience as an essential part of the re-creative process of life. The word recreation, to “re- create” ourselves begins with communion with God. The Holy Eucharist is the new born again experience for every Christian. Because in the Holy Eucharist we not only walk with Christ, we talk with Christ, we taste Christ, we enjoy Christ. That is, we are born again into a new life that is born from above, that is born anew and we see that no matter how we express it there is a new generation and a new birth for each of us.

Here is an opportunity at the end of this Lenten period for us to walk out into a new life with Christ. It is a life that has been ordained by God, one that has been sanctioned by God, one that has been demanded by God! We walk with Christ. Plainly, we walk in the path of love, harmony and peace.

Let us pray:
Guide us O Lord our God and teach us to walk in your paths of righteousness. Keep our lives in peace and our ways pleasing in your sight. Guide us, your servants, on our earthly and heavenly course. May we say on the path of purity as directed by Your Only-Begotten Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who is the hope of our salvation, with whom you are blessed O Father Almighty, together with the life-giving and liberating Holy Spirit now and forever, to the end of the ages. Amen.

Lenten Journey Day 36 - Discipleship

2013-03-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

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Lenten Recipe

Recipe 36: Mutabbel

Lenten Journey Day 36 - Discipleship

It would have been appropriate to start this Lenten Journey the topic of discipleship. I have intentionally left it toward the end of the Journey, because as I sure you will agree, discipleship means something different to you today than it did 35 days ago.

The word disciple means student, or a follower of a person. In the Bible, disciples were those who were in Jesus’ company, those who were learning from him. This group went on to become apostles. Apostle means one who is sent. Once they had learned from Jesus, the disciples were commissioned to go out to the world to teach and preach.

Being a disciple of Christ means you are one who learns His words. You praise His life because you have applied his teachings to yours and the improvement of quality (in your life) is overwhelming. At the beginning of this Lenten Journey I asked you to inventory the many aspects of your life: What is necessary to live? What is truly important in your life? By inventorying you can monitor importance levels. You will have a frame of reference. You can note changes in value and attitude.

Today we switch gears. We are now at a point – discipleship – where we are moving from theory to practice. Lent is no longer a burden but is something to look forward to, as a time for change, as a time for reflection, as a time of growth. I would venture to say that you are at a point where your outlook and attitude is noticeably chanced. Perhaps you would call it a mature outlook and understanding of the self and purpose for the self. How do we survive? How do we make a difference in our own lives? How about in the life of our community? Of our family? And even, the world? We have a more mature understanding of faith: Less “me, me” and more “what can I do to help others?” “How can my sacrifice affect the bigger picture in life?” “How can I put something into the larger collection of what we call life? In this understanding, in this maturation process, Discipleship now has a different meaning, for it is not a question of merely following Jesus. It is not even a question of learning what He had to say. It is about actually becoming, living that faith, becoming the person and people God wants us to be.

The message that our Lord Jesus Christ brought to us 2000 years ago was a simple one that God is accessible, that God is there. And it does not matter who you are. It does not matter what social class you’ve come from. It does not matter what your past has contained or not contained. There are no more excuses. God has been revealed and in that revelation He is now reachable. We cannot touch Him but we can understand Him in a new light. We understand Him as pure love, something that touches us and something with which we touch others. It is the message of sacrifice, of faith, hope and love. Most importantly it is a holistic message that to be a Disciple of Christ today means something different to us because we approach Christ holistically. We do not merely focus on His message, we do not merely look at the person of Christ, but collectively the person, the message, the sacrifice, the giving, the God nature is all there for us. So as disciples of Christ we use all of our senses.

We hear His message. We read the message with our eyes but likewise we bear witness to the message that is around us. We see the waves at the ocean, the mountains, the beautiful flowers and the smile of our children. We use our nose to absorb the aroma that comes from all of the goodness that is around us, the beautiful fragrances of God’s wonder. We appeal to our sense of touch. We reach out to people who need a hug, who need a hand. We also find that with those hands that are extended to us are bodies that are waiting to be hugged, waiting to be kissed, waiting to express that love holistically. Finally we appeal to our sense of taste in the Holy communion. It is that final recognition that we are disciples, as our fathers teach us, come and taste the Lord for indeed the Lord is tasty.

We are the disciples of Christ. We have learned love. We now live love. We must share that love. “By this they will know that you are my disciples”, says our Lord Jesus Christ, “that you love one another”.

Today’s prayer is a thought from theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, on the idea of Discipleship:

Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: 'Ye were bought at a price', and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.

Lenten Journey Day 35 - Last Days

2013-03-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

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Lenten Recipe

Recipe 35: Roasted Eggplant with Cashews

Lenten Journey Day 35- Last Days Today’s Lenten meditation is a riddle of sorts. It begins with the very basic question, how can we be prepared for the return of Jesus Christ? As it unfolds we find a very unique message with the instruction we need, with the exact steps we need to go through in preparation for a cataclysmic event. These instructions, however, have more to do with today than with tomorrow. This last Sunday of the Lent is called referred to as the Sunday of Advent in the Armenian Church.
In the Creed of Nicaea, which we recite every Sunday during the Divine Liturgy, we confess the second coming. We say, Jesus is to return to judge the living and the dead. In scripture there are references to the “signs of the times.” Specifically earthquakes, famines and wars are named as the events that will precede the coming of the end. Unfortunately curiosity often gets the better of us, and rather than preparing for those last days we consume ourselves with questions of where, when, and how these last days will come about.

Our Lord Jesus tells us that no one knows the answer to those questions, not the angels in heaven, not even the son, but only the Father. But curiosity is powerful. The book of Revelation is often consulted to quench the thirst of curiosity. Revelation is a book of prophecy and few can understand prophecy, many times the message is distorted by conjecture. The Church does not even prescribe reading this book (it is not in the lection of weekly readings) nevertheless, people read it and read into it. They point to hurricanes, famines and wars as signs of the times and then speculate that the end times are here. Jesus warned us against such misinterpretation of prophecies. When then should we do? How do we prepare for the second coming? What is the Church’s prescription for the preparation?

The Gospel reading for this day has the answer to preparedness. It comes from the 22nd chapter of the Gospel of St. Matthew. The narrative begins with the Pharisees approaching Jesus to trick him with a question as to which is the “greatest” commandment. Thinking that Jesus may pick one, they will then have an opportunity to show him the error in his ways. Jesus answers, “The greatest commandment is that you love your Lord your God with all your heart, your mind and your soul and the second commandment is that you love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments, Jesus tells us, the rest of the laws and the prophets are all based. In other words love for God, love for neighbor supersedes all other commandments.

Because this passage is placed as the lectionary reading for this Advent Sunday, it is therefore the instruction for preparedness for the second coming of Christ! The riddle has been answered! The best preparation for the second coming is to accept and live the message of the first coming. Love with all your mind, body, soul and heart the Lord your God and your neighbor.

During this Lenten journey we have meditated about many different forces that effect us. We have accepted concepts and ideas that improve our selves, that bring our lives back down to the bare minimum. What is essential for us to survive? What is really necessary for that happiness that comes not from without, but from within.

Today’s message, today’s instruction is at the heart of it brings us yet even closer to understanding the essence of life. When we love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind and soul, that is with everything that we have, we cannot help but love our neighbor, we cannot help but love ourselves, we cannot help but to reach out to help people in need, be they friends, families, be they people we do not know or even people who wish ill for us. In other words we rise for our humanity and take a different look, from God’s vantage point, realizing that everyone around us is truly related to us. They are our brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, our children and in this sense we become united with the grand will, with the great will of the universe, with God’s will, who from the beginning of time willed this existence because of His Love, His infinite love.

Today we are given this unique perspective. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, your mind, your soul tells us to be prepared, not for some future date but for today. The Christian is called to always be prepared by always loving. It is God’s way. He always loves.

Today’s prayer comes to us from the gospels of Matthew chapter 25. It is the prayer of the last day. It is offered to us as a parable by our Lord Jesus Christ.

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Lenten Journey Day 34 - Farsightedness

2013-03-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

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Lenten Recipe

Recipe 34: Red Bean Appetizer

Lenten Journey Day 34 - Farsightedness

On this final Saturday of the Lenten season, the Armenian Church commemorating St. Gregory the Illuminator’s (circa 290AD) admission into the “Great Pit” (Khorvirab). The Great Pit was a place of exile and punishment, where St. Gregory was sentenced for the capital offense of spreading the Christian Gospel through Armenia. For thirteen long years he remained in that subterranean dungeon, being nourished and cared for by the prayer and love of a faithful young lady who had converted to Christianity. He found the strength – the kind which comes from within – to challenge the system and to remain faithful to the principles and beliefs that are at the core of Christianity. Meanwhile, the message of Christ had been planted and was now blossoming, in this young girl’s heart. Both St. Gregory and this young lady, Khosrovidughd, showed strength and inner strength that we remember today.

Many times we find ourselves challenged for our beliefs and the only answer we have – the only way we can answer – is with an inner strength. This past week began with our look at the Parable of the Judge. While we understood the need for prayer in life, we also understood that prayer means letting go and losing the self. The ego takes a back seat to the greater plans of God. We also challenged ourselves to really see where our inner strength lies. Once discovered, we use that strength to push ourselves forward, to make sure that the principles of our faith are not shaken.

The commemoration of St. Gregory’s entrance into the Pit should remind us of the many “pits” – prisons and dungeons in our lives. It is easy to blame others for those falls, but we should not discount our role in creating some of those prisons. Yes, even St. Gregory could have done otherwise but he did not, and therefore, he is also responsible for being in sentenced. As noble as the reasons may be for our actions, we are part of an equation which has rewards or consequences on the other side of the equal sign.

As we mature in faith, we understand that there are serious consequences if not ramifications to every decision we make. Much like was the case for St. Gregory, if we stay firm to our principles that guide our life, we may be challenged with pits in our life, that is punishments that must be endured and overcome.

Sitting here today, removed by 1700+ years from the St. Gregory, we have a special vantage point. We know the history and therefore we have the advantage of farsightedness. We know that St. Gregory was punished in the Pit, but we also know the history that he was delivered and as a result, the conversion of Armenia took place, making it the first Christian nation on Earth. From the actions of St. Gregory’s death sentence, a people were given an opportunity to live.

This is called farsightedness. It is the ability to stand at one point in history and see another. We stand at Good Friday looking up at the Cross with farsightedness and see the Resurrection! So too, from St. Gregory’s crucifixion the resurrection of a nation took place.

Truly, farsightedness is a very special gift given to us as Christian, for we see the crucifixions through the lens that reveals resurrection. We see the empty tomb of Easter while standing at the cross of Calvary on Good Friday. Sometimes the pits of life are very, very deep. In fact the word Khorvirab. means just that, the deep pit. We struggle to overcome our difficulties. We search for a glimmer of light coming from above - a bit of light to keep us focused in hope to get out of the ditch. We appeal to farsightedness to see the beams of light coming our way.

But there is a promise. Don’t despair. It is a promise that is given to us by one who does not lie. It is guaranteed by the One who has been on the Cross and delivered the Empty Tomb. Our Lord Jesus Christ says, “Courage, the victory is mine, I have overcome the world.”

In that prison cell, St. Gregory had that same message guiding Him and giving him the lens of farsightedness. “The victory is mine”, says the Lord and he too knew his victory was enduring. Having the assistance of the young lady, having her prayers, having the strength that comes from within and the crowning, the ordination of God upon his work he could not fail.

Think of the blessings you have in your life. Think of the friends, the priests, those who pray for you. Think of the crowning, the ordination that God placed upon you, so that you cannot fail. Find that inner strength within to be able to look into the distant and look past the crucifixion in front of you, and find the resurrection ahead.

This farsightedness kept St. Gregory alive.

As we conclude the fifth week of our Lenten Journey we now pray a prayer given to us by the father of the Armenian Church, St. Gregory the Illuminator:

Blessed is your love for human kind my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Save me from my enemies for like a lion they growl and roar seeking to swallow me up. Now my Lord, flash your light up and destroy their power. May they fear you and be cut off from the light of your face since they cannot stand in Your presence Lord, nor in the presence of those who love you.

Whoever calls on You and sees the power of the sign of Your Cross Lord and trembles and shies away from it Lord, save and keep me for I have put my trust in you. Liberate me from my troubles so that the malicious one will not cast me into oblivion for he battles against me in his insidious ways. Have mercy on me God who has power over all and grant the grace of tears to my sinful soul so that I may wash away the multitude of my sins.

Exalted God the only sinless one grant me this sinner your abundant compassion. Save me this wicked one by the grace of your mercy receive me into paradise with the perfectly just. Receive the prayers of this your sinful servant by the intercession of the saints who are pleasing to you Jesus Christ our Lord. Glory to you with the Father and the Holy Spirit, unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Photo: The Church at Khorvirab, 2009 by Fr. Vazken Movsesian

Lenten Journey Day 33 - Worrying about Tomorrow

2013-03-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

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Lenten Recipe

Recipe 33: Grilled Red Pepper and Eggplant Sandwiches

Lenten Journey Day 33 - Worrying about Tomorrow

We end this fifth week of Lent with a meditation about apprehension, anxiety and worry about the future. Certainly anxiety comes into play when we are confronted with uncertainty. Even more, this coming Sunday is the Sunday of Advent, when we reflect on the second coming, which in its turn produces new anxieties and new worries of tomorrow.

Jesus warns us not to be anxious. He speaks directly against anxiety and against worrying about tomorrow. Anxiety and the fear that causes it are the opposites of faith. If we have faith we have trust. If we have trust then we diminish the power of anxiety and completely submit to God, so that “Thy will be done” will be done in our lives. Of course this is much easier said than done.

Let us look directly at the instruction that is given to us by our Lord Jesus Christ. Herein is the greatest lesson that we have regarding faith. It comes to us from the Sermon on the Mount, from the Gospel of St. Matthew, quoting Jesus:

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also…

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Our Lord Jesus Christ plainly explains that trusting God means to completely submit to His will. It means to allow Him to be God. It means to enjoy the life that He gives us and to fly with the birds, and be clothed like the lilies of the field. Enjoy all that God has given us. It requires us to have complete and total faith in Him, by allowing Him to be Father. Remember, in the old covenant God was known as Lord, but Jesus set up a new relationship, unlike any other, so that we dare to call God, “Father.” Our Father who art in heaven… If we believe He is our Father then as a heavenly Father, He takes care of every single part and aspect of that universe.

Certainly we will always have fears and apprehensions of tomorrow, but we need to diminish them and the only way, the only cure for that is faith. To strengthen our faith, to really look at the examples that He gives us, let us look for all of the examples that are plainly around us. Alongside the birds of the air and the lilies of the fields are the simple smiles of our children, the warm embraces of our loved ones, the monumental signs of the mountains, the crashing waves, the moon and stars, each of them telling us, as Albert Einstein says, “God does not play dice with the universe.” Life has not haphazardly come into being. We are not here by accident. God loves us and takes care of us.

Reduce your anxiety, eliminate your fears and trust in God.

Today we conclude with a prayer from Russian writer, Alexander Solzhenitsyn: How easy it is for me to live with you, Lord!
How easy it is for me to believe in You!
When my mind is distraught
and my reason fails,
when the cleverest people do not see further
than this evening and do not know
what must be done tomorrow -

You grant me the clear confidence,
that You exist, and that You will take care
that not all the ways of goodness are stopped.
At the height of earthly fame I gaze
with wonder at that path
through hopelessness -
to this point, from which even I have been able to convey
to men some reflection of the light which comes from You.

And you will enable me to go on doing
as much as needs to be done.
And in so far as I do not manage it -
that means that You have allotted the task to others.
Amen

Lenten Journey Day 32 - Trust

2013-03-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

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Lenten Recipe
Recipe #32 - Olivada

Lenten Journey Day 32 – Trust

Our lives are built upon trust. Trust and faith are what give our lives stability. Trust and faith come from experience, that is, they are based on our own personal experiences and history. For instance, we trust that when the light turns green for us, the on-coming traffic has a red light. This trust is built on our experience of the thousands of traffic lights we have breezed through, with the full confidence that the opposite traffic is stopped. If we did not have this type of trust, we would live in fear and suspicion. We would stop at every signal we came to, uncertain what to expect.

If we think a bit deeper about our habits on approach to the traffic light, we trust on multiple levels. We trust the equipments – the electronics, the switches and the light bulbs themselves. We also trust the programmers who have set the time switches for the red and green lights. We can safely say that we believe that the programmer is a trustworthy person, that is, someone who will not fool us by giving us a green light and a green light for the opposite street. Our trust, makes the programmer (or builder of the signal) a person who is worthy of our trust.

This type of trust we learn. It is a trust built on experience. It is on this trust that we build our expectations for life. If we do not have this basic trust, we are then betrayed to a chaotic lifestyle. Life become chaos, it does not have order or rhythm. It becomes chaotic because we are overly consumed with fear – fear of the unknown and of the harm that will ensue.

It therefore follows that fear and chaos are overcome by faith and trust. We learn to have faith and trust, which in turn give rhyme and reason to our life and existence.

This week we are challenged to look at our prayer life in a new manner, that is, not only as a conversation with God but a conversation with the self. We turn inward to find the strength to push outward – to push that love and compassion out. We find the strength to do this because we trust. We trust love because we understand that love to be God.

God is love. Unconditional love. If we have love in our heart and if we have love for one another, Jesus tells us, “by this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” We are Christians by the love that we share and spread.

When we find it difficult to share our love, it is usually because we do not trust. We do not faith that love will be returned to us. We do not trust that love will not hurt. We have lost trust in love. But today we stand with a different outlook and a mature understanding of our faith and place in the universe, we now understand that God is love. And this understanding makes all the difference.

We trust God because God is the one constant in the universe. He is, the I am. Not He was, not He will be, but He is. God as the Eternal Present, is the only thing that can be trusted. He is the only constant in our life that dispels the fear and brings order to the chaos. As such, He – this constant – allows us to trust in ourselves, the love that is in our heart. To trust God means to trust love. We therefore can push ourselves and push outward that love without fear.

On this 32nd day of Lent we are noticing the change in our Journey. What started as the road to faith is now turning into the path of action. You have it within you to act, to trust your actions because they are built on faith, they are built on love, that is, they are built on the trust that you have in God.

Today we have a simple exercise: to love. It is the beginning to the path to action. It is the first step towards action. It is a true love, which may hurt, but we trust it. We are completely submitting ourselves to that love. Submitting to God is submitting to love. Push yourself today to freely explore submission to God. Substitute the love where you think of God. Substitute God where you think of love. Push yourself to love others – family, friends, or someone you do not know. Push yourself to engage in a random act of love. Then take the chance and really push yourself to love your enemy. It is there, in your action, that you see God manifested. There you see God born. There you see the chaos brought to order and fear dispelled. It is at that point that you truly understand, “Thy will be done.” It is His will that we love one another.

Let us pray:
O Christ Jesus, when all is darkness and we feel our weakness and helplessness, give a sense of your presence, your strength and your love. Help us to trust your protecting love and your strengthening power, so that nothing may frighten us. For living close to you, we will see your plan, your purpose and your will in all things. Amen.

Lenten Journey Day 31 - God's Power

2013-03-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

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Lenten Recipe

Recipe #31 - Tomato & Bread Soup

Lenten Journey Day 31 - God’s Power

Today we continue with the lessons of the Unrighteous Judge, to understand God’s response to our prayer. Does God answer prayer? How? Is prayer as powerful as they say it is? Does it change God’s mind?

Yesterday we looked at the Problem of Evil. Certainly we all pray for the good and against evil – whether for ourselves, or for others, this prayer is a familiar one. At the very least we have said the phrase, “Peace on Earth” as a prayer of humankind through the ages. Yet evil is very real in the world. In fact, we see such a great presence of evil in this world. If God is all powerful why does He not eliminate evil? If God is all loving, why does He allow evil to exist? Why does He tolerate hatred? Why is there prejudice? Why is there war? Why is there illness? Why evil?

Our church fathers have pondered this question and as an answer have directed our attention to the cross of Christ. In fact, on that original Good Friday – not evil Friday, but good Friday – we find the Son of God himself is not exempt from evil. God did not stop evil from touching His Son. If God allows this evil, does that make Him powerless? Does that diminish His power. We say that He is omnipotent, we say that He is all powerful, so why does He not stop evil? Perhaps it is because we fail to understand the true nature of God.

St. John the Evangelist tells us that God is love. In a very straightforward mathematical equation (a=b; b=a) he allows us to see that God is Love and therefore, Love is God. Pure love is that manifestation of God. But we are talking concepts: God, Love, what do these things mean? St. Nerses Shnorhali in his theologically rich hymn, “Aradov Looso,” (=morning light), offers us the primer, that is, the key to unlock the giant mystery of Life, Love and God. In this hymn, which he offers to light and the source of light, Shnorhali writes, “The name of love is Jesus.” When we understand that God is love, and love’s name is Jesus, we now begin to understand that the crucifixion is part of the equation but is not the end. Jesus rose. He conquered death; He conquered evil, so in God’s eyes, it is only a platform. It is only one step – and a necessary step to understanding true love.

Each of us that has had the fortune of experiencing love knows that there is a cost to it. There are certain pains that go along with love. Does that exempt us from being all that we can be? Does that in any way hinder us, expressing and experiencing true love? Quite the opposite. In fact it enhances the love experience. So much so that if we look at the empty tomb on Easter, it is only valuable, it is only truly an empty tomb of victory in the context of the crucifixion. That is, without a crucifixion you can never experience a resurrection. And herein lies the key to evil.

The answer to the question, Is God powerless over evil? is, certainly not! God is love! And that is the power of power, that is the light of light. That is the true God of true God. That is real power, isn’t it? For He lights up the darkness; He gives strength to the weak. It allows us to stand in the face of crucifixion and know that we are never alone and that there is an empty tomb for each of us. There is victory for each of us. There is a resurrection for every crucifixion.

From the beginning of this Lenten Journey we have been challenged to move our thought process from our minds to our hearts. As St. Nerses Shnorhali reminds us, “Put a guard upon my heart, so that it may think no evil.” Not “upon my brain,” but “upon my heart.” It is from that point that we start developing our love. From our heart. Now, mind you, the heart does get broken. That heart is not rational, but neither is love. Love is true. Love goes beyond rationality. It gives us the endless possibility to be in union with God. You cannot rationalize a crucifixion, but you can understand that a father, in love for his creation, would give everything – even His Son – knowing that in the end, His creation too, shares in the possibility of resurrection, in complete victory over all the dreaded evil in this world. Herein, God answers the ultimate prayer.

We conclude today with a prayer, by St. Patrick who lived during the 4th and 5th centuries. This is called St. Patrick’s Breastplate because it seeks God’s protection in a world of both tangible and invisible dangers.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through the belief in the threeness,
Through the confession of the oneness
Of the Creator of Creation.
I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth with his baptism,
Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial,
Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension,
Through the strength of his descent for the Judgment Day.
I arise today
Through the strength of the love of Cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In prayers of patriarchs,
In predictions of prophets,
In preaching of apostles,
In faith of confessors,
In innocence of holy virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.
I arise today
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.
I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me:
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's host to save me
From snares of demons,
From temptations of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone and in multitude.
I summon today all these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel merciless power that may oppose my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul.
Christ to shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that there may come to me abundance of reward.
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness,
Of the Creator of Creation.
Amen.

Lenten Journey Day 30 - Why Evil?

2013-03-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

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Lenten Recipe

Recipe 30: Rice Desert with Cherries

Lenten Journey Day 30 - Why Evil?

Of all the questions that have plagued humankind, of all the questions that have demanded an answer, perhaps there is none greater than “Why Evil?” Why is there evil in this world? The question is asked by people who profess a religious belief as well as those who disavow any notion of deity. For the Christian, the “Problem of Evil” is troubling a puzzle because it can shake the very foundation of faith and belief in God.

The Problem of Evil is expressed as follows: If God is good, and if God is all powerful, why does he allow evil? Why do bad things happen? Why are there earthquakes? Why is there cancer? Why wars and genocide? Why do we have to deal with so many tragedies? And so the problem is, either God is not all-powerful, and therefore allows evil, or He is not all good and therefore is responsible for the evil. The are other questions which are related and follow: why does evil happen to innocent people? Why do the good suffer?

Today we will look at the problem of evil, and build upon the themes that we have been exploring during the Lenten Journey, especially along the lines of our Parable of the Judge and our need to pray unceasingly. We keep in mind that on this 30th day of Lent we understand ourselves to be in a process of maturing and growing spiritually. Things look differently today. Things are understood differently today. Putting away our preconceptions, we open our heart to an answer that is coming to us from the definition of God being love.

In yesterday’s journey we were challenged to make our prayer life real. God is not some Santa Claus/Superman type of person to whom we can give our list of demands and wants. Rather, we submit by saying “Thy will be done…” or “Let it be Your will that is actualized in and through my life.” In so doing, we accept a new responsibility, a more mature outlook on our life and our surroundings.

The Christian is called to a life of responsibility. If someone else is in charge of your life, you cannot take responsibility. If it is someone else who is doing your work, it is not your fault when problems occur. But, the Christian stands firm and says, “It is my doing. I accept the love that God has given me in my heart and therefore I need to act on that love.”

Prayer is a conversation with God and also a conversation with the self. This is the idea of meditation, of secluding oneself, getting away from everything and really having that honest conversation with the self. What is it that I need in this life? Who am I? What special talents do I have that I can use and perhaps even exploit?

Now let’s move over to evil, because if I am in charge of my life, how do I explain the big evils within life? That is, what about those things over which I am completely powerless? Earthquakes that take away villages and towns where thousands upon thousands are destroyed? What about the evils of famine and war? More closely, what about illness that devastates families and relationships? I am completely powerless. And as much as I pray about them, I know they are not in my hands. How can I effectuate the change upon these big issues or upon the evils which occur on a grand scale? True, they are not individually in our hands, but this is where the power of the collective, of the Church, comes in.

We believe with Christ, all things are possible. We believe that love is more powerful than evil. Where is love going to manifest itself to this magnitude, but in the body of Christ? Two thousand years ago we had the example, we had the manifestation, we had the incarnation of Love. We touched that incarnation, and in so touching, we were healed. That Incarnation was taken up to a crucifixion and we witnessed a resurrection. If we accept this, then we have to also accept the entire package. The package says, “I am with you to the end of the ages.” In that package we understand – as Jesus says, “Have courage. The victory is mine” – we too, are worthy and capable of resurrecting from our crucifixions and can now have a different understanding of events in our life. In fact, earthquakes, hurricanes, catastrophes, illnesses, cancers – they are not the end. They are the crucifixions that we endure just as the Son of God endured. God did not prevent that cancer, that earthquake, that hurricane from trying to destroy love. Evil did try. But evil is all around. It is not a question of combating evil with more evil. It is a question of enduring and overcoming evil with only one power, the only power that we have – with love.

In enduring, we find the resurrections in our lives. We see that generations are built upon love that cannot crumble, that cannot be destroyed neither through earthquake nor famine nor through the cancers of evil, hatred, bigotry that are all consuming. You see there is evil in this world and God allows it even upon the cross. Does that make God powerless? We will look at that question was we continue our Lenten Journey during this season of prayer as we look at our prayer lives, as we look at the idea of evil and the power of love.

Today we conclude with a different type of prayer. It is an inspirational message. It is something I found a few years ago that brought a lot of comfort to a patient, and I wish to share it with you today. It has many applications, please use it accordingly as a prayer in your lives. It is entitled, Cancer is So Powerless.
Cancer is so powerless,

It cannot cripple love.
It cannot shatter hope,

It cannot corrode faith.
It cannot destroy peace, kill friendship, suppress memories, silence courage, invade the soul.
It cannot steal eternal life.

It cannot concur the spirit.
We confirm this by saying “Amen.”
Confirm by pronouncing the real power: Love.

Lenten Journey Day 29 – God’s Way

2013-03-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

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Lenten Recipe

Recipe 29: Mediterranean Bean Salad

Lenten Journey Day 29 – God’s Way

The Lenten journey is much like a set of stairs. As we ascent upward, we acknowledge the foundation built by each step. Each stair is dependent upon the previous steps we have taken and the success of our climb relies on us placing a firm foot on the stair before.

Yesterday’s step introduced the parable of the Unrighteous Judge. Through it Jesus taught about the nature of prayer. Because our Heavenly Father already knows our needs we therefore understand prayer not only as a conversation with God but a conversation with the self. As we climb the steps, we come to understand God as a caring and compassionate Father who works with and within us, not outside of us. Many times our prayers are based an expectation that God, like Superman, will come swooping down from the heavens and rectify the situation that we’re in. When we pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” we should not expect something outside of us to take control; that is, a “Superman” effect by God. Our understanding of prayer today is that we are open to the possibility of God’s will being done. Not to merely sit back and say, “Thy will be done,” and expect some power from outside to overtake us, but now we are open to the possibility of God working through us. That means we open our hands and embrace those who need love. That means we put one step in front of the other and we walk in the paths of righteousness. That means we open our eyes and open our ears to God’s justice. That means we become the instruments to do God’s will here on earth. This is quite different from a lazy man’s prayer wishing that God swoop down from the heavens and take care of his every need.

“Thy will be done” is a prayer of us engaging – being in fellowship with God, allowing God to work through us. Allowing God to be a partner with us in this lifetime. This is the mature prayer of the Christian. This is the new step that we take today. We understand God through the conversation that we are having with Him. Prayer is this new conversation with God and it is not a one-way street. It is not a request list that we hand out and expect to be filled like a Santa Claus does who comes down a chimney and delivers according who’s been “naughty or nice.” The dreams that we have may be wild ones, but to actualize those dreams, God works through us. He becomes a partner with us so that we become the legs, the hands, the mouth, the strength of God here on Earth.

St. Paul likens the Church to the Body of Christ specifically talking about the members of the body in terms of hands, feet, legs. Why? Because the only way Christ can work in this world is through a physical presence and a body. And here is the next step upwards… You’ve arrived at day 29, stepping on the previous steps and moving forward. You’ve made the transition in understanding. Prayer is your a partnership with God.

Yes, the Lenten journey has brought us here. What began as a solo venture is now a partnership between you and God, between you and others. You are not alone. There is a reason that Jesus says, “Where two or three are gathered in My name, there shall I be.” He does not say, “Where one is gathered, “ for there cannot be one Christian. Christianity implies a community. It implies working together. Faith without works is meaningless says the apostle.

On this day of Lent, we understand that prayer will have a different meaning for us. The words, “Thy will be done,” will be a call for action for us to open our hearts, open our senses to the possibility of the Eternal God of the Universe to work through us and not outside of us.

But what of problems that are beyond us such as earthquakes, hurricanes, illnesses and disease? We’ll take a look at those problems tomorrow as we continue on this thread, as we take the next step up the staircase of Lent.

Accordingly, for our prayer today, let us pray the prayer of St. Francis of Assissi.
“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace, where there is hatred, let me sow love,
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith,
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
And where there is sadness, joy.
Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand
To be loved as to love.
For it is giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned. And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.”

Lenten Journey Day 28 - Perseverance

2013-03-10T00:00:00.000-08:00

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Lenten Recipe

Recipe 28: Broiled Lemon-garlic Mushrooms

Lenten Journey Day 28 - Perseverance

Of the Lenten Sundays, three of them are named after parables which spotlight questionable character. During the last two Sundays we met the Prodigal Son and the Dishonest Steward. Completing the trilogy of Parables-Sundays is the dedication for this 28th day of Lent to the Unrighteous Judge. All three parables come to us from our Lord and are found in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 16, 17 & 18, respectively.

The Unrighteous Judge is a man who, as Jesus explains, did not fear anyone – not even God, nor was he ashamed of any person. In the town where he served as judge a widow kept coming to him and pleading with him, begging that he hear her case. For some time he refused, but finally he said to himself, “Even though I don’t fear God, nor do I care about men, but because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice so she won’t eventually wear me out!” Jesus concludes his parable with an interesting statement. He says, “Listen to what the unjust judge says and will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night. Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, He will see that they get justice, and quickly.”

Indeed, this is an odd story. At first reading you might think that Jesus compares God to this unrighteous, unjust judge. The parable creates this image of a God who can be worn out, or worn down. It is as if, should we keep persevering, if we continue to pray over and over again, God will eventually wear down and He will say yes to our needs and to our desires. So keep praying, keep being persistent. Persevere like the old lady! And in the end God will wear down and will give you what you want.

On closer inspection of the parable, that is, when we read it in its entirety, we see that the evangelist, St. Luke, writes a few words of explanation as a preface to the parable. He says, “Jesus told His disciples this parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” So yes, this is a story of perseverance, but it is not to wear God down, it is to keep in mind that must continually be in communion with God. St. Luke’s preface to the parable suggests that during his time, as is the case today, there is a misconception about the nature of prayer.

When Jesus teaches us the “Lord’s Prayer” he warns, “Do not heap up extra words. Your heavenly Father already knows what you need. Therefore when you pray, pray like this. Our Father, which art in heaven … ” Let’s think about that for a moment. If our Heavenly Father knows what we need, why then should we pray?

God knows our needs, so obviously, we have a very real misunderstanding about the nature of prayer.

Prayer is not merely a conversation with God. We pray because we need a conversation with ourselves. God already knows the desires of our heart. He knows our needs and wants, most probably, better than we know them. God knows where we are going. The real question is, do we? It may sound strange, but unless you have a true focus on your life, it is questionable whether or not you know what your needs are.

How often do we give time to hear ourselves, to hear the inner self speak? Part of this Lenten journey has been to open the ears of our heart, to be able to listen attentively. The Psalmist says, “Be still! And know that I am God.” Lent is giving us the opportunity to sit still and listen, hear, absorb and thereby grow spiritually. Lent is not merely to cut down on food, but it is to come down to the bare essentials: What is necessary to survive? Or in Jesus’ words (to the tempter), “Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes forth from the Lord.”

When teaching us to pray, Jesus directs us to go into a small room and pray without any distractions so that you understand what your needs are. Because when we pray for the good things, God already wants us to have the good things, but how are they going to arrive to us? We need to find the strength. We need to find the patience, the devotion. We need to find the correct values. We need to wake up, put our dreams aside and put on the new garment of hope to walk forward. This all comes from the person – you and me – taking action. When we accept that we are God’s children and that He is our Father, then we know that He will take care of us in all circumstances. Just as He takes care of the birds in the air, as He takes care of the lilies of the field who are here today and gone tomorrow, so too, He will take care of us. Jesus tells us, “How much more are you worth than those lilies of the field, than those birds of the air? Your Heavenly Father takes care of them. How much more He will take care of you.”

Do you have that faith? It is an unquestioning faith and is difficult to achieve, hence the need to discipline ourselves. What remains for us is to continue to pray. Persistence! Persevere! Consistency! Like the woman in the story, never doubt that in the end, you will get what you need, because in that persistence, it is not God the Judge listening, it is you listening to yourself. In your persistence you’ll find that these prayers turn into mantras. They turn into guidelines by which you start living, by which you start accepting responsibility in your life. And much as your life has changed during this Lenten season, your prayer life will begin to mature, and your prayers become real mantras toward action, to realize the dreams that are set deep in your heart and not the desires based on the whims of today.

We conclude today’s Lenten journey with the prayer that our Lord, Jesus Christ, taught us,
“Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

Lenten Journey Day 27 - 40 Martyrs

2013-03-09T00:00:00.000-08:00

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Lenten Recipe

Recipe 27: Cold Linguine with Red Pepper, Artichoke and Sun Dried Tomato Sauce

Lenten Journey Day 27 - Friendship

The Armenian Church celebrates the 40 Martyrs of Sebastia during one of the Saturdays of Lent. Although Sebastia is a town in Armenia, the entire Christian Church commemorates the martyrdom that took place there as a lesson in Christianity, perseverance, sacrifice and friendship.

The story of the 40 Martyrs of Sebastia takes place in the 4th century, when 40 soldiers of the Roman army armed with a faith in Jesus Christ, are put to the test: either deny their faith or lose their lives. They refuse to betray or deny their faith in Christ Jesus. They are sentenced to a torturous death by being thrown into a mid-winter freezing lake. The forty men reach out to one another. They hold on to one another creating a human life raft. The water miraculously warms up. God creates an opportunity for the freezing water to give warmth, to give life. In so doing the men are also given an opportunity to be crowned as saints.

There are many dimensions to this story. I invite you to read about it. It appears in many books and articles. For now, I would like to focus on the friendship that existed between these soldiers, particularly because they had the same goal and foundation of faith. Even more, they belonged to a community that brought them together.

We build relationships with others with whom we establish what is called “friendship.” Most of the time, these are limited partnerships; that is, we can talk about everything except matters of faith. We may be reluctant to talk about faith/religion. Why? Because we have been conditioned, we have been taught it is not polite to discuss religion in mixed company. After all, politics and religion are the two ingredients that you never want to take into a friendship. More arguments start because of politics and religion they tell us, than any other subject.

During this Lenten Journey we have looked within. We have looked without. We have built our prayer life with quality and quantity. We understand ourselves as disciplined creatures, assisted by the practices of fasting and of abstinence. Our Christian charity is defined by responsibility and stewardship. And so at the end of this 4th week, we understand that certainly Christianity is not that distorted view that so many people speak about, but there is a purity in Christianity. Not only is Christianity defined by love, but it is the expression of pure love. It calls us to extend and give ourselves to one another. It is sacrifice that manifests itself in friendships and relationships. We love, honor, respect and cherish one another.

Because Christ’s message is so pure, it gives each of us an opportunity to grow in that that same purity.

The forty martyrs found that purity in one another. They were able to hold on to each other and stay afloat in that lake. They were able to find strength from one another. We too are on a journey. It is called life. We look for friends and sometimes shy away because we feel others may not understand our position. Real friendship means that we can put all our cards out on the table. It means we can count on one another. We can lean on others and expect them to lean on us as well. To make this happen we need open dialogue. There is a formula to the dialogue. It begins by talking about the bare essentials of life including our faith, our spirituality, who we are, how we understand ourselves and what commitment we have to love. WE understand quickly now that there is nothing to be embarrassed about when it comes to matters of faith. It is now becoming part and parcel of our being to be able to stand tall and say, “Yes, I am a Christian because I am a member of Christ’s family.” Simply put, we say, “Yes, I am called to love.” Nothing more, and certainly nothing less.

To love, to be able to stand up and help. To be able to sit down with a friend in trouble. To be able to extend a hand to someone in need. And to be able to offer the strength and the courage, to lift up someone who has fallen. You see, Christianity is all about continuing what Christ began.

The forty Martyrs of Sebastia understood the message of Christ as an expression of community. The name of the feast itself is about community. It is not one martyr that we remember, but 40 martyrs. It is a collective. People hanging on to one another, staying afloat, despite the difficulties in life. When we understand this, then we start reaching out to one another. We no longer fear confiding in our friends. Instead we have a healthy and open relationship, and we become true friends. Reaching out, hanging on, staying afloat in the waters of life… Understand that this is how miracles happen, because it at these moments that God heats the waters! We have yet another opportunity to really set sail and reach the dreams that we cannot do alone but certainly possible because of the community collective.

Today’s Lenten exercise is a simple one: reach out to your friends, reach out to your family. Engage them in a conversation of faith. Engage them to understand how important that faith is to you, and really explain what are the dimensions of that faith. Not merely stories, not merely myths, but a real story, a real story of hope, of faith, of really reaching out to one another and helping them stand up and for them to help you stand up. Together. With God’s blessings you reach the goals, you reach the dreams that are infront of you.

In that same spirit, let us pray from St. Nersess Shnorhali:
Glorified Lord, accept the supplications of your servant and graciously fulfill my petitions through the intercession of the Holy Mother of God, John the Baptist, St. Steven the first martyr, St. Gregory our Illuminator, the holy apostles, prophets, divines, martyrs, patriarchs, hermits, virgins and all your saints in heaven and on earth. And unto you, oh indivisible Holy Trinity be glory and worship for ever and ever. Amen. (24/24)

Photo - 2009 Fr. Vazken Movsesian

Lenten Journey Day 26 - Courage

2013-03-07T23:27:00.000-08:00

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Lenten Recipe
Recipe 26: Cold Noodles in Spicy Sesame Sauce

Lenten Journey Day 26 - Courage

During Lent we have become aware of the curtain drawn across the altar of life. That curtain is the obstacle that prevents us from seeing the wonders and the beauty of God – the obstacles that prevent us from maximizing our potential. That curtain has been lowered because of our fears, and the only way for us to bring it up, the only way for us to open that curtain is to combat our fears with courage.

Because God resides within us we know that the potential for courage is within us. Courage comes from within where God has placed it.

At the Last Supper, Jesus asked his disciples to look within. In the Gospel of John, we read Jesus’ final discourse (Chapter 16 and on). Jesus asks his disciples to act with love and with humility even in the face of the unthinkable, at the most horrid of endings. At the Last Supper he discloses to his disciples that he will suffer an unthinkable death. He will be humiliated before humanity. The same creature that received its life from Christ, will now kill the Christ. The same life that was formed from those hands, will now take those very hands and drive nails through them! And yet, Jesus says, have courage. In no uncertain terms he demands it of each of us who sit across from Him at the table. His words, “Courage! The victory is mine. I have overcome the world,” are words that should resound, should reverberate in the deepest pockets of our souls.

Our curtains need to be opened. The obstacles need to be removed. It’s all in our hands. We can do it if we have the courage. So let’s find that courage. It’s easy. Here is a small Lenten exercise for today. Imagine yourself sitting across from our Lord Jesus Christ at the Last Supper. As he spoke to his disciples 2,000 years ago, today he speaks to us, in the same language, knowing that ahead of Him lies the cross, and acknowledges the certainty of the resurrection. Now listen to his words carefully. “Courage! The victory is mine. I have overcome the world!”

It does not matter what difficulties we have ahead of us. It does not matter what kinds of obstacles there are. There may be crosses that are huge and torturous. There may be crosses that we find difficult to raise. There may be crosses that are merely stumbling blocks. It does not matter. With courage, we can carry those crosses. And we can find the resurrections. As we find, they are sitting on the other side of our curtains.
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Open the curtains! Remove the obstacles! Put fear aside. Have courage – a courage that comes from within and without. Understand yourself as a creation of God, standing with Him during his trials and tribulations on the cross because, as you know, He is standing with you at your trials and your tribulations, guaranteeing you a resurrection.

Let us pray now the prayer of St. Nerses Shnorhali:
You who bring back the wanderers, turn me from my evil ways into good ones and imprint upon my soul the recollection of the dreadful day of death, the fear of hell, and the love of your kingdom that I may repent or my sins and do righteousness. Have mercy upon all your creatures and upon me, a great sinner. Amen. (I Confess with Faith, 17/24)

Lenten Journey Day 25 - Fear

2013-03-07T00:00:00.000-08:00

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Lenten Recipe

Recipe 25: Curry Butternut Squash

Lenten Journey Day 25 - Fear
By this 25th day of the Lenten Journey we realize many things have changed in our lives. It may seem as if our surroundings have changed when actually we are now perceiving things differently. We have a broader understanding of our prayer life. We communicate with God and with our self. We understand our fasting as a means of discipline, and of course, our giving – reaching out to others with compassion – as an articulation of faith. On this 25th day of Lent, we understand that beyond these 40 days, there is a the journey of life. What we gain from Lent, we will carry for the rest of our life.

These past few days we have studied the story of the Dishonest Steward and contemplated on the theme of stewardship, that is, being entrusted by another to look over assets. We are entrusted by God to look over His greatest gift to us: the life that we live. We are managers of that life.

Remember that in the story of the Dishonest Steward, we find a person who is commended for his shrewdness. Shrewdness is one man’s talent, while others may shy away from such expressions because of fear. That fear, in turn, prevents us from maximizing our potential. The fear of the unknown is high on the list of fears, along with the fear of the self, the fear of being put down. There are so many dimensions to fear, and whatever they may be, we realize that fear prevents us from maximizing our potential. Fear is the hurdle to overcome. The obstacles to win the race of life are many. Overcoming fear is our first step. Think about it in your life – all the dreams that you have, all of them are attainable, so what prevents you from reaching those goals if not fear?

In our churches we cover the altar during the Lenten season. That curtain symbolizes sin, the separation between us and God due to sin. Because of our imperfection, we sin. And yet, perhaps that curtain can best be described as fear, as the fear that really prevents us from seeing the beauty that is all around us. Seeing the potential we have within us.
Beyond the parable of the Dishonest Steward, Jesus uses other parables to explain stewardship to us. Among them he speaks of stewards who are fearful; that is, people who are entrusted with life but fear to explore it. One such parable reminds us of three men who are entrusted with different amounts of money. To the first, $10,000 dollars is given; to the second, $5,000; and to the third, $1,000. When an accounting is required – “What did you do with the money that I gave you? – the first one says, “I took the $10,000 and I invested it. And I took some risks with it, but here it is. I have produced an additional $10,000.” The second man did the same thing. He took the $5,000 and he multiplied it and gave back $10,000 – “Here’s $5,000, and here’s $5,000 more that I invested and am giving back to you!” But the third of these stewards was fearful. To him was given $1,000. And he was scared. He was scared of humiliation. He was fearful that he might be condemned if anything happened to that money. Rather than understanding that money as a tool, he took it and kept it in his pocket, as if it had intrinsic worth in itself. When asked for an accounting of his stewardship, he reached into his pocket and gave back the $1,000. Nothing was lost! Not a penny! But he was condemned. He was condemned because what was given to him was kept and not utilized. He was scared to use it. He had that fear that each and every one of us possess: the fear of succeeding.

The reasons for those fears are many. They go back to our childhood and to our relationships with people who have demanded of us. Some of them are because of physical inabilities, handicaps or illnesses. They are all the same, and each of them accordingly prevent us from realizing our dreams, from reaching the goals that we set for ourselves and more importantly, from reaching the goals that God wants us to set for ourselves.

Each of the stewards in this story are given different amounts to remind us that life deals out different hands to different people. Some may have more, and others may have less, but in each case we have a responsibility to take what is given to you and maximize it. I invite you today to really think about that stewardship that God has entrusted us with – the life that you have – to end the fears that prevent you from really maximizing yourself and the potential that God has placed inside of your heart. There are so many beautiful things all around you, and I invite you to look beyond the material gains. This is not an exercise in prosperity but an exercise in fulfilling the dreams of your heart and of reaching the potential that you have.

During this Lenten Journey we realize that the curtains in front of us need to be drawn, and that we do want to see the beauty in life. Because we want it, we know that God has placed that desire in our hearts. Let us seek the beauty that God has set up all around us and know that with his help those potentials can be realized and actualized.

We now pray the prayer of St. Nerses Shnorhali
Protector of your Creatures, by the sign of your holy cross, keep my soul and body from the allurement of sin, from the temptation of the devil and unjust people, and from all perils of soul and body. Have mercy upon all your creatures, and upon me, a great sinner. Amen. (I Confess with Faith, 14/24)

Lenten Journey Day 24 - Rock, Paper, Scissors

2013-03-06T00:00:00.000-08:00

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Lenten Recipe

Recipe 24: "Berry Good Chili"

Lenten Journey Day 24 - Rock, Paper, Scissors
One of the early games we learn as children is the game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. Standing across from our opponent we produce one of these symbols as a hand gesture. A flattened hand is the symbol of paper, a clenched fist is a rock, and two fingers extending forward are scissors. Each item in this trinity has its own strength as well as its own weakness. Each has power over another and is overcome by another. Scissor cuts paper but is crushed by the rock. Paper covers the rock but is shredded by the scissor. Rock breaks the scissor but is made invisible by the paper.

Each item in its own right has seeming power and at the same time is betrayed by its own intrinsic weakness.

This week we have been examining our lives in terms of stewardship, that is, what is our responsibility and purpose in life, have been entrusted with the gifts of God, the greatest of which is our life! Being managers of life means we have to coordinate the working of our breath, smile, heartbeat, feelings and actions. We each have, like the rock, paper, and scissors, our own weaknesses and our own strengths.

In a society that places so much emphasis on outward appearances, unfortunately, it is easy for us to overlook some of our greatest strengths. The Lenten Journey has given us opportunities for introspection and to identify our strengths. By viewing our self as a steward of God’s goodness, we quickly realize how special we are as a unique creation of God. That is, we may be thin and fragile like the paper, but we have unique qualities which can show its strength and tenacity over the hard rocks of life. Individually, we have unique qualities, but in the grand playing field of life, we bring our talents together for the betterment of the team, the whole.

Today we look at the talents that God bestows upon us. How do we use those talents to overcome the difficulties in life? Are we a piece of paper? Can we cover the rocks in our lives? Perhaps we are scissors and we can cut the paper that hide and blanket our progress. And if we are rocks, we must use that mass to crush the scissors that tear us apart. We have these strengths within us. It is just a matter of spreading those unique qualities on field and realizing with so many different people and different talents, we are playing on an even playing field.

God gives us the unique strengths. To drive that power, he gives us freedom, love, and compassion. We are called to explore all the dimensions of life so that we can maximize our potential. As we live life we begin to notice our weakness and that gives way to fear. It is only natural. Now we understand that to overcome those fears, we need not to look without, but to look within. Our strength is within us. Sure, we may be scared. But consider on the even playing field, that it may be something as simple as a piece of paper that is covering us, shadowing us, preventing us from seeing all of the beauty around us. Quickly, we realize that we have within us the scissor to cut apart that paper. We may be scared of those scissors that are tearing us apart, that are leaving us in bits and pieces between family relationships, our work and our love. But we realize that we have the rock within us to crush apart that hatred that divides us from the things that we love. And of course, we may be fearful of some of the rocks that can unexpectedly crush some of our enjoyment. But right away let’s remember that much like the paper there are parts of us that can become the shadow, the umbrella over those rocks, over those difficulties to prevent those rocks from ever surfacing or even getting close to us. We do have that strength within us. Lent gives us this opportunity to inventory those strengths as well as our fears, and realize that we can overcome the bad with the good.

A simple childhood game, “Rock, Paper, Scissors” and the week of the Steward reminds us of our strengths and weaknesses and how we manage them. Life has its ups and downs, with moments of difficulties and moments of happiness and glory. But in all things, we are one with God when we take advantage of the gifts that He has given us. Celebrate the talents that make us who we are.

Let us pray the prayer of St. Nerses Shnorhali:
Oh Christ, who are the living fire, inflame my soul with the fire of your love which you did set forth upon this Earth that it may burn the stains of my soul, sanctify my conscience, purge the sins of my body and kindle in my heart the light of your knowledge. Have mercy upon all your creatures and upon me, a great sinner. Amen. (I Confess with Faith)

Lenten Journey Day 23 - Schmoozing

2013-03-05T00:00:00.000-08:00

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Lenten Recipe

Recipe 23: Roasted Red Pepper and Fresh Chickpea Pasta

Lenten Journey Day 23: Schmoozing
Of all the topics we have discussed during the Lenten season, did you ever think we would talk about “schmoozing?”

The word schmoozing implies disingenuous feelings, a type of insincerity. Interestingly enough, Jesus turned the schmoozer into the hero of his story. Of course, I’m talking about the insincere, unjust and dishonest steward, the story from which we have been learning for the past two days but today we do so from yet another angle.

Remember, the steward is one who has been trusted by his boss, to manage the business affairs – the boss’ wealth and assets. As the story goes, it turns out that this steward is a crooked man. He is a man who has stolen and found to be dishonest. As he is being fired by his employers he is ordered to give “an accounting of your stewardship!”

The story continues, as Jesus tells it, like this:
So he thought to himself, “I’m not strong enough to dig. And I’m ashamed to beg. I know what I’ll do so when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.” So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, “How much do you owe my master?” “800 gallons of olive oil,” he replied. The manager told him, “Take your bill, sit down quickly and make it 400.” Then he asked the second, “And how much do you owe?” “A thousand bushels of wheat.” He replied, “Take your bill and make it 800.”
What is this steward up to? He is taking what does not belong to him and he is using it for his profit. Interesting. You would think that his boss would be more upset. But Jesus turns the situation around. “The master,” Jesus says, “commended the dishonest manager because he acted shrewdly…” And the justification? Jesus continues “…for the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than the people of light. I tell you use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves so when it is gone you will be welcomed in eternal dwellings.”

This can be very confusing on the surface. In fact, something as disingenuous as schmoozing becomes a norm for this person and he is commended for his behavior. He is applauded for his shrewdness. But the justification statement is very important. When Jesus says, “the children of this world are more shrewd in their dealings than the children of light” he is telling us that while we are here in this world we need to use the tools that are given to us. We must find the language of this world to better understand one another and function together – to communicate, so that we can implement and do the work that is necessary. Of course, confusion can arise because it sounds foreign based on our prejudices. That is, we are conditioned to believe that religious individuals do not opt for disingenuous means. That is, this does not sound “religious.” But that is the beauty of what Jesus is teaching us and the beauty of our Church Fathers’ direction at this point in Lent.

During this second half of the Lenten Journey we are coming down off the mountain top, as we are looking ahead at life on earth. We have to understand that this is a real life. Sadly, many times the religious community wrongly places its emphasis on a life to come forgetting that our life here is one of beauty, one that needs to be cared for and one with which we need to interact. Today we know that there are many problems in the world. There are wars, famines, injustice and an absence of peace on every corner of the globe. On a very personal level, we know of disease and illness. Relationships have gone awry. Families are being destroyed by our materialistic desires. Drugs are coming into the lives of our children and wreaking havoc. All these things Jesus tells us are real. Don’t think that you can avoid them. However, he gives us the tools to deal with our real problems. Those tools are not the holy ones we expect, rather they are rooted in the ways of the world. It figures. To deal with the issues of this world, you need the tools of this world.

Overcome the problems that you have using the tools and the talents that God has given you. As you do so, you begin to see the big picture and your place within it. You have the tools to do anything, even bring about peace. That anger and hatred that escalate into war and genocide, poverty, sickness, disease, pollution and then manifest themselves into cancers and the cancer of hunger, can all be solved by using “worldly wealth” – money – to bring about God’s justice here in this world. The schmoozing is up to us.

For today I ask you to read the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 16. Read the story of the dishonest steward and then think of it this way: The boss is God. You and I are the stewards. Then fill in the blanks with issues in your life. How can you use the talents that you have – to schmooze – solutions in your life? This Lenten season is the first call. In other words, we have been called by our employer to give an accounting of our stewardship. What have we done?

Thank God we have this opportunity of Lent to set ourselves right. God has given us those tools. Look around and find the places where you can use that talent, where you can schmooze… and using the language of this world, better our situation and work to make dreams into reality.

Remember, this life is beautiful. This life, right now, is worth living. This life is what God has given you. Do not look out beyond yourself and your life. Do not look at something or some life to come. It is this life that is God's gift. Enjoy it. Schmooz. Make a difference in the lives you touch. He has given you everything you need to make it and make this the beautiful life that He intends it to be.

Let us pray the prayer of St. Nerses Shnorhali:
I confess with faith and adore You, O light indivisible, simultaneous Holy Trinity and one Godhead, creator of light and dispeller of darkness. Dispel from my soul the darkness of sin and ignorance and at this hour, enlighten my mind that I may pray to you according to your will and receive from you the fulfillment of my supplications. Have mercy upon all your creatures, and upon me a great sinner. Amen. (I Confess with Faith 2/24)

Photo: (c)2009 Fr. Vazken Movsesian

Lenten Journey Day 22 - Stewardship Training

2013-03-04T00:00:00.000-08:00

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Lenten Recipe

Recipe 22: Susty's Super Tofu Salad

Lenten Journey Day 22: Stewardship Training

This is the week of the steward. Yesterday we read the story of the Dishonest Steward in the Gospel of Luke, in which Jesus uses the metaphor to point to our responsibility in life. We are called to be managers of the life and the talents that God has given us. He asks us to use those talents with our brothers and sisters here in this world.

By using the metaphor of stewardship, Jesus makes it very clear that we are accountable for our life. One day, like the manager or steward, we will be asked to produce a record, an accountability of our stewardship. What did we do with what God has given us? Did God give us talents? Did He give us an ability? Did He give us a smile? Did He give us a heartbeat and a breath? What did we do with that gift? What did we do with our lives?

Imagine giving a gift to a friend or a loved one. Wouldn’t you like to know that your friend enjoyed that gift? At some point wouldn’t you ask your loved one, “What did you do with that gift that I gave you? Did you enjoy it?” And certainly, how hurt you would be if that person had taken your gift and stored it in a closet or worse yet, just thrown it in the trash and never once paid attention to it. Likewise, God wants to know that the gift He has given us, that most valuable commodity – the breath that we breath, the heart that beats, the smile that comes from our hearts – is being used, and is being used wisely. Ultimately, is it being used to spread love of God to others. That is the demand put upon us as stewards of God’s gifts. We are stewards of our lives. We are responsible for the talents that are given to us, to share them, use them, and to give an account of How? Where? And What did we do with all that God has given us?

Among the seven deadly sins is a sin called “sloth” perhaps the one most misunderstood because it points to inactivity whereas the other sins require us to be active, to engage in the sin. This one sin is defined by just being lazy, by not doing something. Now think of that for a minute. Why would that be a sin? How can not doing something be a sin?

God has given you a gift. You do not have a right to store it in a closet. You do not have a right to take God’s gift and trash it. It is holy. It is sacred. That is what your life is. Every blessing, every moment that you have in your life is a sacred gift from God.

During this Lenten season we are taking an inventory of the different blessings we have in life. We see that we can bring life down to its bare minimum with what is essential to live and with what is essential to survive. In so doing we understand that the little, that very essential element in life, is really that blessing that God has given us. Interestingly enough, as we go through this Lenten journey, our perspective changes.

Remember a few weeks ago when we read that Jesus says, “Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that is spoken by God,” we thought of it in terms of the bar essentials, the bare minimum. But today that has changed because we have changed since we last read that passage. The challenge today, on this 22nd day of Lent, is to really look at those same words “…By every word that comes out of the mouth of God…” as being the blessing, as being the fullness of God speaking to our hearts, to our ears that are listening from within and now acting. We are saying if God is speaking to us, if God is directing our ways, can we go wrong? Can we possibly be steered in the wrong direction? Can we possibly think that our actions as stewards, as managers of that God-given life can be anything but a productive one? It will be a life filled with beauty, with ambiance, with love, with all of the dynamics necessary in this life. The life we live today is an abundant one. “I came so that you would have life,” said the Lord, “and have it abundantly.” A life with Christ is a life in love. It is a life of abundance having everything that you need.

We are managers of the most precious gift given to us by God. It is not something that sits in our wallet, not something that sits in our bank account, but something that resides in the center of our being, in our heart. It is life and it is defined by the smile, the warmth and the love that comes out of us.

You are the steward. There’s no tag on your shirt that says, “Manager,” because God has placed upon you the greatest tag of all. He’s named you as His child. Take advantage today. Is there anything that speaks to your heart more than the dreams that you have – the accessibility to a life that is rich and full? It is yours. It is yours because God has placed you in charge of that life. You do not have a right to place it in a closet. You do not have a right to trash it. All you have a right to do is enjoy it. Let it flower. Let it be fruitful. Let it bring glory to God.

We will continue on this theme of stewardship as we continue on this week. For today, let us conclude with the prayer of St. Nerses Shnorhali:
Jesus, wisdom of the Father, grant me wisdom that I may always think, speak and do that which is good in your site. Save me from evil thoughts, words, and deeds. Have mercy upon all your creatures, and upon me, a great sinner. Amen. (I Confess with Faith 11/24)

Lenten Journey Day 21 - Stewardship

2013-03-03T00:00:00.000-08:00

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Lenten Recipe

Recipe 21: Lenten Cookies

Lenten Journey Day 21 – Stewardship

We are over half way through the Lenten season. We climbed up the hill and we are now at the summit, coming down. We look down from the summit and see two paths, one behind us and even more importantly, the path in front of us. It is this path that connects to a larger road which is the journey of life. All that we are discovering during this Lenten period is part of the self-improvement process which fortifies our position in life by granting us the tools to better meet the challenges of life, be they physical, emotional or spiritual. God gives us the tools to handle the complexities of life and to render the journey a simple one.

As we come down off of the mountain, we enter a world that is very real. It is a world filled with difficulties and challenges, but at the same time, it has many victories. It has many moments for us to rejoice and many more to enjoy. Life is very real! How appropriate, that today, at this half-way mark in Lent, the Armenian Church prescribes the Parable of the Dishonest Steward as its Lenten lesson. This is a lesson that connects us to the reality of life.

The Parable of the Dishonest Steward is given to us by our Lord Jesus. We read that there was a dishonest steward, that is, a manager. He was charged to take care of his boss’ assets and money. This man was wise and calculating. He took actions that benefitted himself and at the same time his boss. Jesus refers to him as a shrewd, and even “dishonest” manager. Jesus brings it down to this, “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.”

This manager is the second character in a trilogy, like the prodigal son from last week and the unrighteous judge that we will look at next week. This character is far from the model you would expect in a religious story, and yet, Jesus uses him, he has the audacity to use him to teach us a lesson in life. It is a lesson in stewardship – managing the assets that we have in life.

Please read the story in its entirety. It is found in the first 12 verses of the 16th chapter of St. Luke’s Gospel. There are many dimensions to it. Today we will focus on the concept of managing our tangible assets.

We live in a world that is filled with real challenges. Reality is not based on or built on fairy tales or myths. Unlike playtime, life is demanding. It asks for our resources, the most precious of which is our time and effort – blood, sweat and tears. The question then becomes, how do we deal with, approach and overcome those challenges?

Jesus tells us that the challenges of life are real. They are to be met and overcome. The resources to do so are in place and need to be used. In his words, we are called to use “worldly wealth” to network and deal with the people of this world. In other words, in this world we must use the tools that this world offers, that is the “legal tender” of this world. Don’t shun those tools by ascribing some definitions based on your moral compass. Don’t pretend that you exist in some other world that is apart from the one we inhabit. This world is very real. We need to use the means of this world to survive this world. What are those means? Our talents. The talents given to us by God.

We began this Lenten Journey by taking an inventory of the things that are essential and necessary for our lives. Today, on this 21st day of Lent, the exercise is to inventory the gifts of God in our lives. What talents do we possess? How can we use them? How can we improve our own lives, as well as the lives of our families, friends and community by the use of those talents? God has given us the resources that we need to deal with life. He has given us the ability, the strength and the courage to move forward. He has given us breath! He has also endowed us with talents. Do you sing or play music? Are you able to craft something? Do you have reasoning and logical skills? Can you invest? Can you make money? Can you heal? Can you console? Can you walk in harmony with others? These are gifts from God.

Jesus says, “He who has been faithful in a little, will be trusted with much.” Take your talent and create! Invest it and make more, whatever your talent may be. Today is the day to examine those gifts you have. You are coming into a world that has so many problems and difficulties. It needs the presence of God today. Not yesterday and not tomorrow. Today. And as an ambassador of God, that is, an ambassador of Love, you now have a responsibility to use your talents wisely to bring the presence of God into your own life as well as the lives of the people around you – your family, friends and ultimately, the world. Furthermore, you do not have a right to ignore your gifts and talents. You are the manager of your life. You must use what has been given you.

In the next few days we will be looking at the models of stewardship. We will look at our talents and understand how we are stewards of our life. How can we take those things that God has given us, and multiply them to really enjoy our life as we fill it with meaning and purpose? How can we touch the lives of others with those talents?

Let us conclude with the prayer of St. Nersess Shnorhali:
Uncreated Essence, I have sinned against You in mind, soul and body; do not remember my former sins for the sake of Your Holy name. Have mercy upon Your Creatures and upon me, a great sinner. (I Confess with Faith 6/24)

Lenten Journey Day 20 - Seeing from Above

2013-03-02T00:00:00.000-08:00

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Lenten Recipe

Recipe 20: Hot and Sour Soup

Day 20 - Seeing from Above

You’ve made it! You are at the half-way mark of this Lenten journey. Twenty days behind you, twenty days in front of you. You are at the summit, in a sense, looking out from the mountain top and seeing all things below you. You notice the path that you have taken over the last twenty days. Your food intake is restricted but your prayer life is unfastened and more focused than it was before you started. You are being challenged to accept Christianity on Christ’s terms, that is, you are placing the Christ’s teachings of love, of care, of honor and humility into action. And that is only when you look back. Now, take a look forward at the path for the next twenty days. You quickly realize that at the end of that path it merely connects to a longer road: the journey of life.

From this vantage point – looking from above, from the summit – you see your past and your future, and realize that you are standing at the most beautiful and most critical place of all; that is, you are in the present. The one truth that connects you not only with the past and the future, but also allows you to understand this expedition as one step in the bigger journey of life, is the harmony you feel with all things and people around you. This is an expression of being united with God. In fact, God is the eternal present. He is the “I Am.” Not the “I Was” nor the “I Will Be” but the “I Am” and our connection with God is our link to the beginning of time and our roadmap on the course to eternity.

On this third Saturday of the Lenten season, the church directs our attention to a group of men who stand at the summit of all spirituality. Some of the saints remembered by name are St. John of Odzoun, St. John of Vorodon and St. Gregory of Datev. When we remember these Church giants during Lent, we see the example they left of connecting to a higher life. By being elevated to sainthood we understand that they are human, like you and me, with all the frailties, difficulties and challenges that life gives us be they spiritual, emotional or physical. Yet these people rose to the occasion. They followed God’s path and stood at the summit, at the top, looking out at a life that is full and abundant. Looking out at the beauty that God has created all around them and offering their spirits to the world. Ultimately, isn’t that our purpose? We strive to be at harmony with all those around us, to strengthen our relationships with people, with life itself. In that harmony, we can look from the summit, look from above, at a world that is so beautiful that we now offer ourselves, our souls to the collective, to the mix of life.

Today’s message is perhaps the most profound message of all. We are standing at the summit when we are appreciative of all that God has given us. In the act and spirit of thanksgiving we realize that we indeed have a beautiful vantage point of life. We are at the summit and can look all around. We begin sensing with our hearts because our hearts are now sensitive to the wonders all around, to the sounds, to the sights, to the smells, the tastes, the touch of beauty. Today we come to terms with the value of this journey and the road ahead. The path ahead? It is a downhill. We’re going to make it! We’re going to make it not only through the next twenty days, but we’re going to make it through life.

As difficult as life gets, we now have the tools, the confidence, the discipline and we are going to make it. This is one of the most beautiful lessons that come to us from the Lenten season: that God really has given us all the tools necessary to fight the battles and gives us all the strength necessary to overcome our difficulties. Ours is to confide and trust in Him. We are confident to know that this path is a simple one because, it is the path of life.

We conclude with prayer of St. Nerses Shnorhali,
All mericiful Lord, have mercy on all Your faithful, on those who are mine and on those who are strangers. On those whom I know, and on those whom I know not, on the living and on the dead. Forgive all my enemies and those who hate me the trespasses they have committed against me. Turn them from the malice they bear toward me that they may be worthy of your mercy. Have mercy on all your creatures, and on me, a great sinner. Amen. (I Confess with Faith 23/24)

Lenten Journey Day 19 - Ego

2013-03-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

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Lenten Recipe

Recipe 19: Baked Sweet Potato Wedges

Lenten Journey Day 19 - Ego

We are at the third week of Lent. It has been a good journey. We have had time to look inward, to contemplate, meditate and pray. We have restricted our diets as well as restricted idle conversation. We are feeling good. The changes we are making are starting to impact others, our families our surroundings, our work environment, our communities and therefore, our world.

Now we start understanding that real changes come from within. Perhaps it is the only thing we can alter in this world, because it is the only thing in which we have complete control. God places that control in our hands. He gives us this life and He allows us to live it the way we wish.

We conclude this week by looking at one more dimension in the story of the Prodigal Son, namely the ego dimension. You see, all of our difficulties in life stem from the ego. It is for this reason that all major religions, true religions, ask you to lose the ego as part of their spiritual discipline. For the Christian we are reminded of Jesus’ words, “ He who loves his life will lose it and he who hates his life in this world shall keep it for eternal life.”

Take a look at great people who have impacted society and life and are recorded in history in a very positive manner. You’ll find something very similar among all of their biographies. They have been willing to sacrifice themselves. They have given of themselves. Now, do not mistake this for low self esteem or low self worth. People who impact life in a positive manner have a very positive image of themselves, but they are also willing to sacrifice because that positive self image is not a false one nor is it built on false pride.

False pride is very easy to acquire. Especially going through some of the Lenten rituals, as we are doing now, it is very easy to confidently boast, “Look at me, I am doing something that others can’t do.” In that statement we forget the reason for the Lenten season. In other words, the means become the focus of our actions rather than the end or goal of our efforts. The goal of Lent is to better ourselves and therefore better our relationships and our world. In the same way, we can think of our dietary restrictions during Lent. There is a reason for us to abstain from animal products. It is not only for the sake of lowering our cholesterol or our weight, but it is to keep things on an even playing field, understanding what is essential in our lives.

Think of the great people who have impacted the world. Now focus on the great people in your own life. They may be a parent or a teacher, a mentor. You will find again that these have been the ones who have been willing to put themselves second to better the lives of others, be they their children, their husbands, their wives, their country, their society or their community. Whatever the case, in the sacrifice that they made ego was contained. Ego was put on hold so that others were allowed to prosper.

To raise children, to support a husband or a wife, to deal with aging parents, to offer love and affection to people around, requires sacrifice. Many times in church life we need volunteers to get jobs done. Sometimes we think, would it not be easier if we paid people to work in these positions? Certainly it would be easier, but the real power of getting things done in the church is by volunteers, because in volunteerism the ego has to be suppressed.

When you get down on your knees and wipe the floors of a church you are acknowledging that there is something greater than yourself there that needs to be served. When you volunteer to help in community organizations, in organization that have goals that are striving for peace or world justice, you are placing a greater-than-sign (>) between the purpose and yourself. In volunteering, the ego gets left behind. You are not as important as the we.

In the story of the Prodigal Son the younger brother is driven by ego. He wants his inheritance, not for some community project, not to better the lives of other people but to enjoy himself. Quickly we see that when the money runs out and so does the enjoyment. His friends back off. There is no intrinsic value to the things he acquired. He was driven by ego and he lost the value of life.

Think about all of the difficulties you have in your life, can you trace them back to ego? Think about the very basic seven sins that we identify, namely pride, envy, anger, gluttony, lust, laziness and covetousness,. Each one of these sins has a foundation made up of an ego that needs to be fed. When we get rid of ego, or at least trim it down, we start seeing that our motives become more pure, our actions are more productive. We begin to understand that we give because it is right to give, not because we are expecting something back in return. We care for people because it is right to care for them, not because we are obliged to do so. If we love people, we are doing so because it is right to love, not because we are living out someone else's ideals. When the ego is abandoned, we find a new purity of purpose and of self. Our motives and intentions move toward the noble and perhaps even the sacred. We find the power to become the people we want to become and need to become. It is for this reason that our Lord Jesus Christ reminds us, “Blessed are the pure at heart for they shall see God.”

Let us pray the prayer of St. Nerses Shnorhali in concluding today’s meditation:
Son of God, true God who descended from the bosom of the Father and took flesh of the Holy virgin Mary for our salvation, who was crucified and buried and rose from the dead and ascended to the Father. I have sinned against heaven and before you. Remember me like the robber when I (yes?) come in your kingdom. Have mercy on your creatures and upon me a great sinner. (I Confess with Faith 4/24)

Lenten Journey Day 18 - Lost and Found

2013-02-28T00:00:00.000-08:00

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Lenten Recipe

Recipe 18: Peach Cobbler

Lenten Journey Day 18 - Lost and Found

As I mentioned earlier if nothing else reached us from the time of Christ save for the Parable of the Prodigal Son, it would be enough to teach us about the Love of God and the meaning of reconciliation. It is a story which demonstrates our responsibility to one another in terms of love, compassion and forgiveness. There are so many dimensions to this story that it really makes it a perfect tool to be used during the Lenten season.

Yesterday we meditated about the travel we take, from various points in our life to an end. Today, we will look at the detours that come our way in our travel through life. When we lose focus of the target, we wander and can be distracted to the point that we lose our way. We become lost. Tragically, sometimes our lost state is so severe that we neither return to the road nor the destination.

Getting lost is not intentional. No one begins a journey with the hope of getting lost. The truth is, in the journey of life we come across many difficulties, many obstacles, that prevent us from reaching the fullness that we want in life. Those obstacles stand in front of us like roadblocks as we travel toward our dreams. When the road is blocked, we immediately look for ways to circumvent, to go around the obstacles and in so doing, we swerve off course. We get lost. We discussed this earlier as being one of the foundations of being in a “sinful nature.” That is, we missed the mark. We’re shooting for that perfection but we miss it. We’re off the bull’s-eye.

Think about your life. Think about the difficulties, the challenges that you have experienced. You started off your journey with good intentions. Whether it was a career path or career move, a business, education, financial, health goals, or a relationship – a husband, wife, children, parents, friends – whatever the case may be, your motives and purpose were good, perhaps even noble.

Take for instance your financial goals. You started out with good intention: those funds were to pay for something. An education? A better way of living. A trip? Retirement? But along the way you started to compromise. You lost sight of where you were going. While deep down, in the back of your mind, you knew where the destination was, but the day-to-day activities of your life betray you to compromise. You got caught up in the mundane chores and responsibilities that took you father and father away from your goals. You looked at the map and you realized, you were lost!

Being lost hurts. Part of the hurt is attributed to frustration, while a bigger part is because of the guilt. You know that you started with every intention of finishing in a proper manner. You know that the road was a good one, but things got messed up along with way.

Fortunately, we have a way to turn back. We do not have to continue along that same path. And that is the strength of the Lenten Journey. By self-evaluation and introspection we identify our problems and through prayer and meditation we find the means to re-orient and to redirect our self along the path, ultimately to find direction in our life.

In the Gospel narrative, as a prelude to Jesus’ telling of the Prodigal Son parable, there is a discussion about being lost and found (Luke 15). We read that the tax collectors and sinners were gathered around Jesus to hear Him. Now this is interesting and important to note here because Jesus, being the holy man that he was, was in violation of protocol. It was not proper for Him to be sitting with tax collectors who were not only disliked for obvious reasons, but were hated because they were looked upon as traitors, collecting money for the enemy state. And of course, he was with the sinners, who were the outcasts because they did not live up to the standards society had imposed upon them. The so called people of faith, looked down their noses at the sinners.

“The Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.’ Then Jesus told them this parable: Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the 99 in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he does find it, he rejoices, puts it on his shoulders and comes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me! I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous people who do not need to repent.”

Just as he did in the story of the Prodigal Son, Jesus makes it very clear that He is interested in the people who have lost their way. And please note, that includes every one of us.

There is a beautiful expression that says, “Stop and smell the roses.” I love that expression because it reminds us that yes, we are lost. How often do we have the time or take the time to really stop and smell the roses? To really look at the sunset in awe? To look into our children’s eyes and see the hope of tomorrow? To really dream with them and believe in tomorrow? To know that peace is possible? To dream of a better tomorrow? Those dreams, those smiles, are usually forgotten by us because we are in the fast gear, never having enough time to slow down and look, hear, smell, taste and feel life.

Lent is this perfect time to look at your path, where you are going, where you are headed. Are you lost? Do you need a road map? Do you need to get back to the path? Is it time to make a turn or perhaps a complete a U-turn? These are questions that you and you alone need to answer. You have your map open. You have your navigator on and you are on this Lenten Journey.

We conclude with the prayer of St. Nerses Shnorhali. Today let us go to the beginning of that prayer, to the first hour to remind us where everything begins:
I confess with faith and adore you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, uncreated and immortal essence, creator of angels, of humans and all that exists. Have mercy upon your creatures and upon me, a great sinner. Amen (I Confess with Faith, 1/24)

Lenten Journey Day 17 - Turning Around

2013-02-27T00:08:00.000-08:00

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Lenten Recipe

Recipe 17: Asian Noodles with Edamame

Lenten Journey Day 17 - Turning Around

A wide variety of emotions and feelings accompany us on our Lenten Journey. Because we are each unique creations, we each approach our spirituality in different ways. Some may feel tranquility. Some may feel inner peace. Others may feel anxiety – fear of the unknown, of what may be ahead. And others yet, may not be able to process the physical changes that are taking place by virtue of the dietary restrictions. No matter where you may be in your spiritual quest, it is important to remember that we have taken this journey with purpose, with a goal in mind: to purify, to minimize, to find meaning and purpose not only for the duration of Lent but for our entire life. We must understand that these 40 days are training us for the other 325 days that are ahead of us.

Consider now that we began at one point and are headed toward another point. Ironically, sometimes that end point may very well be the beginning point; that is, the end of the journey may be right where we started.

I do not mean to confuse things, but think of experiences in your own life. When you have been confronted with a problem or difficulties, you may ponder and look for answers, when all along those answers exist within you. We have had those answers right from the beginning, much like the fabled Dorothy, who stands at the end of her journey in Oz, realizing that the answers were right at her feet all along. She receives the grand revelation that there is no place like home, not from outside herself, but by fact that she arrived at that revelation point. Sure enough, we found the same revelation this week in the parable of the Prodigal Son. The son returned home because that was where the answers were.

In fact, we find that God has given us all of the gifts that we need in our lives. He has placed it in our hearts but we have drifted from our path. We have strayed away from God. But if we look carefully, we are finding that in this spiritual journey the answers are not somewhere outside of us but are seated within us. Why not? If God has created us and God has given us a soul, why would the “owners manual” – the answer book – be outside of us? The answers are right there, within each of us where they have always been.

God speaks to us. From the depths of our heart we hear His voice. His words are the answers that are always with us, no matter where we go. When Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth and the life,” it is the profound expression of love. There is one direction. There is only one path. It is the path of love.

St. Nerses Shnorhali reminds us that the name of love is Jesus. So we now understand Jesus’ words to mean that Love is the Way, the Truth and the Life. We have all known that all along. This is nothing new. It is just that we have alienated that section of our soul, mind and spirit from what is important and therefore forgotten that there is only one way and one truth. It happens to be Love. We have searched elsewhere, instead of looking within.

St. Nectarius reminds us, “Do not seek the kingdom outside of yourself, but the kingdom is within.” Jesus established his Church, his Kingdom here on earth, and that Church has its primary foundation in the human heart. That is where the owner’s manual belongs.

This week we looked at the three characters in the story of the Prodigal son, namely the young son, the older son and the father. Today let us be reminded that this Lenten Journey is not only a trip from point A to B, but it can also be a journey from A to A. We find our old life with freshness to it. So it is no longer an old life, but a new life filled with a new understanding, a different approach to dealing with our relationship and our surroundings.

What we are beginning to see develop is the concept of repentance, that is, turning around, coming back: Point A to point A via point B. The most powerful tool a Christian has is repentance. When we realize we have made a mistake we have the ability to improve our self. We can turn back. That return to home worked for the Prodigal Son. There are different paths for each of our lives, but they all lead to the end of the Journey. For some, this journey will be from point A to B. For others it will be from point A to B and perhaps a C and D along the way until they get to E. And yet, for others still, it will be a full circle returning back home from and to point A. A loop or a little detour is nothing to be afraid of. Chock it up to the experience of life. In the mistakes and pains of life we learn. Fortunately, God has given plenty of room to make U-turns.

Let us pray the prayer of St. Nerses Shnorhali:
Fountain of immortality, let the tears of repentance flow from my heart like those of the adulteress that they may wash away the sins of my soul before I depart from this world. Have mercy upon all your creatures and upon me, a great sinner. (I Confess with Faith, 18/24)

Lenten Journey Day 16 - Older Brother

2013-02-26T22:16:00.000-08:00

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Lenten Recipe

Recipe 16: Cherry Walnut Chews

Lenten Journey Day 16 – The Older Brother

For the past two days we looked at two different characters from the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15). Today we will continue looking at the parable and this time focus on the actions of the older brother.

Of the three characters in the prodigal son, perhaps it is the older brother with whom we can best identify. Perhaps it is because, well, basically he is a good guy. He is a friendly guy. He is the one who did the right things and stayed faithful. He stayed home and did not squander the money that his father had given him. He was loyal. He was obedient. But mostly we see in him the man, who like all of us, recognizes the unfairness of life. There was an injustice that was being played out because when the younger brother came home, there was celebration. It was almost as if he was being rewarded for his breach of discipline.

The older brother also asked some questions that could have arisen out of simple jealousy. Why not me? Why is it that good things happen to bad people? Why are the actions of the bad person being rewarded while my goodness goes unnoticed? I have been loyal. I have been the model son any father would be proud of. Now this son of yours comes home, after squandering and abusing what you have given him. How can he being worth the fatted calf? A celebration? The ring of authority on his hand? Simply: Why not me? Perhaps it is this expression that rings the bell of familiarity in all of us.

There are many example of unfairness in our lives. Often we see people who seemingly do not deserve to be rewarded, yet they are honored with privileges and rewards. Why not me? is only a natural question to follow this inequity. Not only is it natural, it is logical if we believe good should be rewarded, well, I’ve done it right. I’m a good guy. Sure, I have faults but basically, I’m a good person. Why isn’t my goodness being rewarded?

The father in the story gives a very simple answer. His is an answer that comes from the vantage point of parenthood. “ Son,” says the father to his oldest, “I have always had you. Whatever I have is already yours. But this, my son, was lost and now he’s found; was dead and now he’s alive.” In so saying, the father is asking his son to see the bigger pictures. It’s not just about this moment, but there is a bigger “project” so to speak. Ultimately, God’s aim is to have us all His children reconciled with all of His creation. It’s about a state of love and harmony so that everyone may share that Kingdom.

Now let’s push this little further and challenge ourselves, because, after all, there is true injustice in the world. But as this Lenten Journey unfolds we’re understanding that the real problem is with our perception of the goal, of the prize. We’re looking at those excesses and material goods as the prize and lose sight of the true treasure that is already a part of our life. Proof? Take a deep breath. Can you feel it entering your lungs? That’s a gift from God on which you cannot place a price tag. Do you love someone? Someone you can look to – a child, a parent, a husband, a wife, a boyfriend, a girlfriend? That is a gift. Do you have the ability to smile? Do you have the ability to look out at the flowers, at the trees, at the mountains, at the sea and stand in awe for a second and realize that there is something far greater than material goods we consume ourselves with. That is a gift. And that is the gift that has been given to you by God. He says, don’t abuse it. Don’t be like the prodigal. Don’t squander what I have given you. And now, don’t look for more. Because anything more are the excesses that you have to fight off anyway. Don’t look for those extras because you’ve already been given the gift of life. What greater gift is there? You have the gift of love in your heart, along with the ability to take that love and share it with others.

Today’s challenge in the Lenten Journey is to dismiss any jealousies that may be consuming us and preventing us from taking another step forward. As the father in the parable challenged the older son, we receive a challenge from the Parable itself, to take a walk in the shoes of the father. We’ll note that in his unconditional love for both his sons there is no room for jealousy. The Love of God trumps everything, no matter how strong those feelings of jealousy or envy may be.

Remember, God has placed love in our heart. It’s up to us to use it, not abuse it. It’s up to use to share it with the ones we love, with our family, our community and with this world.

We conclude with the prayer of St. Nerses Shnorhali,
All Merciful Lord, have mercy on all your faithful. On those who are mine and on those who are strangers. On those whom I know and on those whom I know not, on the living and on the dead. Forgive all my enemies and those who hate me the trespasses they have committed against me. Turn them from the malice they bear toward me that they may be worthy of your mercy. Have mercy upon all your creatures, and upon me, a great sinner. (I confess with Faith, 23/24)

Lenten Journey Day 15 - The Prodigal's Father

2013-02-25T00:00:00.000-08:00

Day 15: The Prodigal's Father

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Lenten Recipe

Recipe 15: Suonomo (Cucumber Salad)

Lenten Journey Day 15 : The Prodigal's Father

Yesterday we were introduced to the story of the Prodigal Son. In the 15^th chapter of the Gospel of St. Luke, Jesus offers this parable which touches so many different dimensions of our lives.

Yesterday we reflected on the sin of the Prodigal son; that is, the “prodigalness” of the young man. His sin was that he abused the gifts that were given him. We share in that sin by abusing, which includes not using, the talents given to us by God.

Today we look at the character of the father. The first thing we learn about him is that he gives completely, without restriction or condition. His younger son says, “Give me my inheritance so I can go out and establish and begin my life.” The father, being a wise man, certainly understands that the son may lose or squander the money, but does not argue with his child. There are times in our lives when we need to let go. Even though we may know better than our children, their life is theirs. Yes, making mistakes can be painful, but it is in those mistakes that children learn. This father understand this rule and lets go of his son. As difficult as it is, he allows his son – the one that he loves – to leave. He allows his son to establish his own life.

The second time we see the father is when the son returns. Remember the son is remorseful, or at the very least he understands that he can have a better life by returning to his father’s house. No matter what the son’s intentions may be, the father seeing the son return goes out to meet him on the road and does not even allow his son to ask forgiveness. He does not play a game of pride. He does not foolishly say, “Let me wait and see what he has to say.” He is there to accept his son. He does not say, “I told you so. I knew you would be back.” Instead he recognizes his loved one – the son that he cared for, gave birth to and nurtured – had now returned! How excited he must have been. Of course he came running up to his son and embraced him.

Now there are two dimensions to this. Let’s follow each of them. First, the father in the parable is an expression of our Heavenly Father. God in heaven waits for us to come home and when we do turn back, He does not wait for us to beg to return to His Kingdom. His patience lasts for us to make that first turn-around. It’s then that He approaches us, embracing and grabbing us, He takes us in, giving us Life! That’s what this father did and that’s what our Heavenly Father does.

God accepts us as true children of his Kingdom. His acceptance of us is a given. The requirement is for us to say, “Yes, I have sinned. I have gone the wrong way. I have squandered what God has given me. I want to find the peace. I want to find that love that God has created me in.” God waits for us to say, “I’m ready.” The rest takes place – it actually falls into place.

Second, the father’s actions what is required of us in our relationships, not necessarily with children, but with one another. There are people who have hurt us. The degrees of hurt are not consequential. Perhaps we have cried over a misspoken word, or we have been devastated by betrayal. The hurt has left a chasm in our relationships with others. We have all created divisions between ourselves and God by virtue of our actions or inaction, yet God has given us a way back. We too must do the same and leave doors open for those people to return back to us. In other words, an end to grudges is in order. Don’t get caught up in foolish pride. Leave doors open without expecting someone to walk through. Don’t wait for those who have hurt you to return, just know that deep down there are many desires that may not be understood. If the door is open, they may return and when they do you will embrace them.

Know that the heart is speaking to you. Do not think with your mind. Be ready to take in. Be ready to embrace, to hug, to suffocate them with the love that is in your heart. This is the example that Jesus gives us through the character of the father. It’s a double-edged sword, isn’t it? On the one hand it is showing us what our Heavenly Father does, and the example for us to do likewise those in our lives. On the other hand we have prayed, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us.” God forgives us. We, therefore, have to be forgiving of others.

Finally, the third time we see the father in this story is when he talks to the older brother. He comforts him and he reminds him that we are all equal. In the sight of God it does not matter if you come back today, or if you come back in a hundred years. It does not matter if you came back yesterday. What is important is for each us to turn back to God. And that is the caring Father that we have in heaven, who does not prejudice his decisions by who we are, where we are, or what we’ve done. What matters is the “right now”. Are we willing to be at one, in harmony with Him, with the love and the universe that he has given us.

Tomorrow we will continue with the theme of the Prodigal Son as we take a look at his older brother.

We now pray there prayer of St. Nerses Shnorhali, from the “I Confess with Faith”:

I confess with faith and adore you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, uncreated and immortal essence, creator of angels, of humans and all that exists. Have mercy upon your creatures and upon me, a great sinner. (1/24)

Lenten Journey Day 14 - The Prodigal Son

2013-02-24T00:00:00.000-08:00

Day 14: The Prodigal Son

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Lenten Recipe

Recipe 14: Hot and Sour Cabbage

Lenten Journey Day 14 - The Prodigal Son

Every Sunday during the Lenten Season has a unique name. Today is known as the Sunday of the Prodigal Son. Accordingly, the lesson of the day comes from the Gospel of St. Luke, Chapter 15, where Jesus teaches using a parable, commonly known as the story of the Prodigal Son.

Perhaps if nothing else reached us from the time of Jesus except for this one parable, it would be enough to explain our relationship with God. It is a story of reconciliation, and expresses the unconditional love that God has for us and therefore, requires of us.

The story of the Prodigal Son unfolds like this: A man has two sons. The younger son asks for and receives his inheritance. He takes his share of his father’s estate and squanders it on reckless living. While he has funds, he is popular with many friends. But when his money ran out, so did his friends. No money, no parties, no extravagant lifestyle, no friends, he goes out to look for work. But it is of no use. He can’t make enough to survive.

One night, when he is really down, he sees some pigs feeding and he actually considers eating the pigs’ food because he is so hungry. It is at that point that he comes to his senses. He remembers his father’s home and remembers that that his father’s servants live better than he. That night, he makes a decision to go back home –to his father – to beg for forgiveness. He even strategizes that he will ask to be taken-in as one of his father’s servants.

Now, while the son is returning home his father sees him on this road. His father comes running toward him, grabs him, hugs him and kisses him. He doesn’t even give his son a chance to talk nor to explain his deeds while away from home. The father then orders his servants to come around and bring him the best clothes and put the ring of authority on his hand. Then he orders a celebration! The fatted calf is slaughtered for this party.

The story of the Prodigal Son doesn’t end here. Remember he had an older brother. Now this older brother was working in the field and heard the sound of merriment and dancing. He didn’t understand and protested to his father. He said, “Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!” He just could not understand the unfairness of life. He (the older brother) had done everything right and the younger brother had wasted his inheritance. “Where is the justice?” he demanded. Why is the bad guy getting rewarded while the good guy continues to labor and struggle?

The father, with compassion and understanding, explains to the older brother, “You are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.”

So ends the story of the Prodigal Son, but here begins a tremendous opportunity to reflect on the many dimensions of this short parable.

In the next few days of the Lenten Journey we will look at the father and older son characters separately. For today’s discussion we will focus on the younger son. Let’s begin with the young man’s desire to want a better life and to enjoy it. That is not a foreign or unusual feeling. In fact, we all have entertained thoughts of better life. Why not? Why shouldn’t we have the better things in life? For in fact, in this boy’s case, he had the means, his father had the resources, so why not take advantage of the situation and go for it all? What then is the “sin” of the younger son? He is driven by his passions and the energy that comes with youth, and perhaps a little bit of impatience. He seizes the opportunity and takes what he can! Where’s the sin?

Taking what is given to you is not a sin. That is your gift. It belongs to you. The sin is squandering the gift! The sin is taking your gift and abusing it.

One of the challenges that comes to us on this 14^th Day of the Lenten Journey is to list and inventory the gifts that have been given to you. Are you using that gift? Or are you abusing it? Are you respecting that gift or are you squandering it?

God has given each of us talents. He has given us life itself. Indeed the breath we breathe is a gift, as is the smile on our face, our ability to hug and our passion to reach out. Unfortunately, much like the Prodigal Son, we squander what is given us in a reckless and sometimes abusive manner. We consume our lives with the minutia and we therefore abandon quality. God has given us a smile that would light up a room and we cover it up, we are ashamed to show that smile. He has given us the ability to talk and instead we keep our mouths closed, or if we do open it we fill it with idle conversation and gossip. He has given us the ability to hold, lift up and to help others instead we tie our hands down and refuse to help those in need. He has given us feet to walk in the paths of righteousness and instead we take our bodies to dismal hangouts.

We are each a prodigal son. We have taken the gifts of God and instead of using and enjoying them, we have squandered, abused and wasted the goodness in a prodigal life. We have missed the mark and by missing it, we fall short of realizing and maximizing our potential.

As we are inventorying our talents and gifts from God, let us also ask ourselves how we are using those gifts. Are we squandering the precious elements of life? Or are we using those talents for the betterment of all?

Tomorrow, we will continue with the parable of the Prodigal Son by observing the character of the father. For now let us pray the prayer of St. Nerses Shnorhali

Heavenly Father, true God, who sent Your beloved Son to seek the wandering sheep. I have sinned against heaven and before you. Receive me like Prodigal Son and clothe me with the garment of innocence, of which I was deprived by with sin. Have mercy upon your creatures and upon me a great sinner. Amen (3/24)

Lenten Journey Day 13 - Foundation

2013-02-23T00:00:00.000-08:00

Day 13: Foundation

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Lenten Recipe

Recipe 13: Stir -Fried Asparagus

Lenten Journey Day 13: Foundation

The Saturdays of Lent give us a chance to contemplate faith in action by celebrating the lives of the saints. As we learned last week, Orthodox tradition, and therefore the Armenian Church, looks to the saints as examples of living life with purpose and in the path of Christ. Saints are never worship. Each of them are people just like us. In their humanity, they were able to rise to the occasion, usually through selfless sacrifice, and they express their love in unique ways.

A group of saints are remembered as the Armenian Church remembers the Church Fathers of the Council of Constantinople. Modern day Istanbul was once named after the great Emperor Constantine who had convened the original council of Nicea, known for the formulation of the Creed which formalized and gave a foundation to the Christian Faith. During the early centuries, the exact definition of Christianity was under dispute. Groups were raising questions about the Nature of Christ and Person of Jesus. The Council of Constantinople was called in the year 381 to address these issues. At this Council the definition of the Holy Spirit as preceding from the Father and being equal to the Father was articulated.

The early Church Councils gave structure to the Church and the Christian Faith. We are mindful that today we are in this Lenten Journey. While the history and the teachings of these Councils fill volumes and speak to generations, today we will look at the Councils by way of reflection. How do they talk to us today? What do they tell us that fills another footstep in our Lenten Journey? Remembering the Councils reminds us that there needs to be a solid foundation on which to build life and that life itself has structure. Our life is made up of our actions and those actions are triggered and motivated by our faith. The stronger the foundation, the more structure we find in our life.

The Apostle James writes that faith without works is useless. So many times we are challenged to really put our faith into action. At those moments we realize that only by virtue of our actions does our faith have meaning. That is, our faith has value and structure by because of our actions. Conversely, works without faith lead to a nebulous understanding of our purpose within the entire framework of life.

This balancing act between faith and works is usually defined in logical terms. Now, let us understand the same by grasping it with our heart. St. Neress Shnorhali in the 9^th hour of his prayer, “In Confess with Faith” places the center of our thought in the heart and nowhere else. When we think and act according to the principles set forth in our brain, we are acting by reason, based on the wisdom that we have acquired through life. While this is very important in practical life, the Christian needs to excel in the area of dreaming - to dream of the impossible dreams.

When you think and act according to your heart, then and there you understand that your movements and actions are based on the passions you have inside of you. This is the faith that can move mountains. Think with your heart and not with your brain when it comes to doing the impossible.

On Calvary Jesus did the impossible. He forgave of people who had betrayed and handed Him over to death. He forgave the people who were nailing Him to the tree. He forgave the generations of people that had ignored the pleas for peace, disregarded the expressions of love and were paying back love with hatred. Jesus did the impossible. He forgave with His Heart. Likewise, when we think of all the actions that are demanded of us as Christians, rise to the higher occasion. Push yourself, particularly during this Lenten Season, to look for those opportunities to find the truth that is beyond reason. Pay back everyone with love. To offer kindness to those who are kind to you, is only human. To pay back evil and hatred with kindness and love is surely divine. In this state, we come to find that our actions are built on a solid and strong foundation.

Our Faith is built on the same Foundation on which the Early Church structured itself. The Foundation is Jesus Christ, that is Love incarnate. When faith is based on love, we have the ability to open our heart to impossible possibilities. They are all around us.

God is calling you during this Lenten Season to do the impossible and build your actions on Christ. Pay back hatred with kindness and evil with love. If you think about it, whatever your goals may be you can reach those goals – you can make impossible goals possible – when you put love as the center piece of your heart, your life and all of the actions that you take.

Let us now offer a prayer from St. Nerses Shnorhali:(Dedicated to the Holy Spirit)

Spirit of God, true God, who descended into the Jordan and into the upper chamber and who enlightened me by baptism in the Holy font, I have sinned before Heaven and before You. Cleanse me with Your Divine Fire as You purified the Holy Apostle with fiery tongues. Have mercy upon me and a great sinner. Amen.

Lenten Journey Day 12 - Sin

2013-02-22T00:00:00.000-08:00

Day 12: Sin

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Lenten Recipe

Recipe 12: Portobello Seitan Hash

Lenten Journey Day 12 - Sin
You have made it to the 12^th day of Lent. Today is an opportunity to look back and say, Yes, I have done it and to look forward and say, Yes, it is possible to complete! Today is also a day not to get caught up in the foolish pride of accomplishment, and instead understanding that there is a purpose for the Journey. Lent is for the betterment of the self. By improving the self, we will be better able and equipped to affect others, society, our community and ultimately our world.

Today we will look at the problem of sin. Perhaps one of the most misunderstood concepts or themes in the Christian faith is sin. Our understanding (or misunderstanding) of sin stems from models that have been set up for us and have conditioned us since childhood. We associate sin with the bad or evil in our life because evil is punished, or at the very least, it produces unfavorable consequences. Even more, in religion, particularly in the traditional Judeo-Christian system of thought, the punishment for evil is augmented by concepts of condemnation and damnation. These models creep into our adult life and skew our perception of life. They distort our view of what life is what life can be.

The truth is, all of our actions – not just evil, but everything we do – has consequences. Actions are made up of emotional thoughts and they are acted out by physical means. The laws of thermodynamics tell us that to every action there is an opposite and equal reaction. This applies to the physical world as well as the spiritual world.

So let’s begin by saying that all evil is sin, but not all sin is evil.

Sin means missing the mark. Imagine a large target and in this target is the center circle. That large black circle is called the bull’s eye. Now imagine a bow and arrow in your hands. You pull back on the bow and let the arrow go. The arrow travels through space, through time and eventually it hits its destination. You have aimed for the bull’s eye, you have aimed for perfection, but somehow it didn’t make it. You missed the mark. You may hit quite a ways off of the mark, you might have hit close by. In fact, you may not have hit the target at all! No matter what the case –close or far from the bull’s eye – you missed the mark! That’s sin. Close or far from the targeted area, it’s a sin. Sin is sin. You aimed for perfection but came short of it. You missed the mark.

Each of us strives for perfection. We all want to hit that mark, we want the best for ourselves, for our families, for our children; but we journey through space and time, much like the arrow and are influenced by many factors including the wind, freak occurrences, lack of focus or unnoticed obstacles, and we do not hit the mark.

When we hit elsewhere, what is our reaction? We go back and try again. We pull the arrow out, put it on the bow one more time and shoot again. In our lives we have opportunities to recreate ourselves and strive for the perfection no matter how many times we miss the goal. When we fail it doesn’t mean anything more than that we are human.

Let’s imagine that same bow and arrow with God being the Archer. Can you imagine what we would see? Every time that God pulls and lets go of the arrow, the arrow hits the bulls eye. It hits the center each and every time. That’s perfection. Now imagine you or I coming and standing in the same spot that God stood. We try, but miss the target. Does that mean we are evil? No. It simply means we are bad shots. It means we hit the wrong place and so we go back and we try again.

With this basic understanding of sin we can understand ourselves, and humanity, not as evil, wicked or worthy of damnation. Rather, we are striving for perfection and fall short. We are in sin.

Life gives us an opportunity try again. Certainly this Lenten Journey is an opportunity to give us a chance to look at the marks that we have missed. We must first pull out the arrows and try again, to fix relationships that have gone sour, to fix perceptions and prejudices, to try again at failed attempts of business, to improve our outlook and attitude, to try again at love. By understanding the nature of sin in this manner, we understand that the improvement we make on our self will have ramifications on the world we live in and the people we touch.

Next week we will take a closer look at what we call the “7 deadly sins” but as a prelude to that I wish to offer you a small little excerpt from a Cherokee diary. Interestingly enough, you will find an lesson that is appropriate for today.

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes inside people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all. One is evil. It is anger, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed arrogance, self pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, deception, false pride, superiority and ego. The other wolf is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, righteousness, compassion and faith.”

The grandson thought about it for a moment and replied, “But Grandfather, which one wins?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

Let us pray the prayer of St. Nerses Shnorhali:

Searcher of secrets I have sinned against you willingly and unwillingly, knowingly and unknowingly, grant me, a great sinner forgiveness for since I was born of the holy font until this day I have sinned before you, by my senses and all the members of my body. Have mercy upon your creatures and upon me a great sinner. Amen (I Confess with Faith 8/24)

Lenten Journey, Day 11: More Important than God

2013-02-21T00:00:00.000-08:00

Day 11: More Important than God

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Lenten Recipe

Recipe 11: Roasted Potato Fans!

Lenten Journey Day 11 - More Important than God
The eleventh day of Lent is a special one in the journey. Eleven is the first and only prime number of equal proportions. It reminds us of the delicate balance between body, soul and mind. It reminds us of the uniqueness of the primes as well as the uniqueness of our lives. Finding that balance in our lives, of course, is one of the reasons we are taking this journey.

Today’s message comes to us from the Gospel of St. Matthew, chapter 5. Here Jesus is addressing a large crowd in what is known as the Sermon on the Mount. In the Sermon Jesus outlines a way of life and living. His message is very clear. He speaks of our relationships with one another. In so doing, he mentions that there is something more important than God.

Matthew 5:21, Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said of men of old, you shall not kill and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment, but I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment and whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council and whoever says you fool shall be liable to the Hell of fire.”

Christianity is really a very difficult religion to practice, in fact it has been argued that Christianity has never really been practiced because of statements such as what we read. Jesus tells us that it is not enough to say that murder is bad, but when you have evil in your heart, when you harbor that anger towards your brother, you are committing those acts of evil, those acts of murder. He is saying, “If you have anger and act upon that anger and insult your brother, or if you are angry and talk down to your sister you are already committing murder,”

If we’d like to wipe out hatred and anger from our life, then we have to pay attention to this message. It is so necessary to understanding the revolution Jesus brought. And now, if we read further, we find something even more important. In fact, it’s what Jesus says is even more important than God! As hard as that might be to believe, the Holy Scriptures points to Jesus’ words, “So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you leave your gift, leave your offering, and go! First be reconciled with your brother and then come and offer your gift.”

Reconciling with our brothers! Jesus is telling us it is more important than the worship of God, that is, the celebration of God. Leave your gifts at the altar. Leave God! Go reconcile with your brother and then come back to the altar! He demands that we love one another. To be able to love others is the expression that God demands of us. In that love we begin to understand the unique relationship between us and our heavenly Father.

The Christian message is about people. It’s about harmony and that peaceful existence comes about when we become part of the solution. It’s not about looking up to heaven, but reaching out to one another here on Earth. If there is going to be harmony in our lives, if there is going to be peace in this world, it’s not because I am offering a prayer upwards, but because I am offering a prayer sideways. I am reaching out to my brothers and my sisters and I am going to be the vehicle of love. I’m going to be the one who reaches out and becomes that means of reconciliation. True peace, true harmony, true existence is about us loving with one another.

“You cannot say,” say’s the evangelist John, “that you love God who you do not see when first you do not love the brother who you do see.” It is so critical in the life of the Christian that we understand this very clearly and plainly. God is Love. So let’s repeat that, “You cannot say that you love God who you do not see when first you do not love the brother that you do see.”

Our first obligation is to love one another. By this Jesus tells us we become Christian. By loving, people will know that we are truly His children.

On this eleventh day of Lent as we find harmony and balance, as body soul and mind come together, keep in mind where God wants us to be. The relationships that need to be nurtured, that need to be mended in our lives, this is a perfect time take action on them. The Lenten period is some time to go out and reach out sideways, not only vertically with God, but horizontally with God inside each of us. Reach out to the people around you to say that yes I have faltered, I have sinned. We all make mistakes, but I’m willing to rise above that imperfection and become a child of God.

By loving one another, put away old habits and problems. Begin each day as a new creation and find that new creation in the loved ones all around me.

Let us conclude with the prayer of St. Nerses Shnorhali:

Uncreated Essence I have sinned against you in mind, soul and body. Do not remember my former sins, for the sake of Your Holy name, have mercy upon your creatures and upon me a great sinner. Amen (I Confess with Faith 6/24)

Lenten Journey Day 10 - Forgiveness

2013-02-20T08:37:00.000-08:00

Day 10: Forgiveness

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Lenten Recipe

Recipe 10: Red Cabbage Slaw

Lenten Journey Day 10 - Forgiveness

Jesus instructs us to pray the “Our Father” prayer. We say, “Our Father who art in heaven hallowed be Thy name…” Along with the request to give us this day our daily bread, there is another request that is uniquely qualified. That is, the fulfillment of the request is dependent on our actions.

We pray, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” This is a conditional request. Very plainly, we are saying that forgiveness from God is dependent on our willingness to forgive. Additionally, we ask for forgiveness by the same standard by which we forgive. “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against up.”

In the “Our Father,” (sometimes referred to as the “Lord’s Prayer”), Jesus has us focus on many different concepts… “Thy kingdom come thy will be done.” Or, regarding temptation, “Deliver us from evil.” Now consider this, that all of the ideas that he introduces in the prayer – heaven, God’s Will, His Holy name, deliverance from evil, temptation, and so on – and consider the complexities involved in these concepts, there is only one area of the prayer that he amplifies. After teaching the prayer (Matthew 6) Jesus continues his instruction about forgiveness. He says, “For if you forgive men of their trespasses your heavenly Father also will forgive you, but if you do not forgive men their trespasses neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses.” It is conditional. It is the one request we make of God on which there is a condition – put upon us by God (by virtue of Jesus’ instruction) and confirmed by us (by virtue of us reciting the prayer). What we are saying is that I expect to be forgiven by the same standard by which I forgive others. This is a rather difficult one to understand and requires a more mature approach to our faith. In fact we’ve been taught that God gives, God gives abundantly. We’ve been taught that God forgives. We’ve forgotten, however, that His forgiveness is dependent on our forgiving all those around us as well as forgiving ourselves.

Sometimes the word “debt” is used in place of the word “trespasses” and it offers a better metaphor for understanding the dynamics of forgiveness. “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors…” Let’s move from the spiritual to the secular. For the sake of this example let us think of it in terms of banking. Who can forgive a debt? Only the one who holds the note. Since the bank holds the note, only the bank can forgive the debt. How?

There are two ways of wiping the slate clean. Either, you have to pay off the debt (we call that a “mortgage” or a “ransom”) or, the bank decides on different terms – renegotiating, adjusting, or completely forgiving. That’s what God has done with us. God says, I hold the note on life. You are indebted to me for this beautiful thing that you have and enjoy. You have the smile of your children, the air that you breathe, the mountains around you and the spray of the seas. You owe Me! But I know it seems overwhelming and you feel you can’t pay Me back. So I will work out a payment schedule so that you can pay off your debt. Here’s the deal: Love people. Forgive people. That’s it. Love each other and We’ll call it even.

That’s it.

How will God forgive us our sins? By the same standard we use on other people. “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” We’re driving the bargain. If we forgive, God forgives. If we do not forgive others neither will He forgive us. Thus, we begin to understand that if we really want peace and if we want harmony, if we want to find the happiness in life, it is dependent on us and does not come about from some outside force. Many times we think of peace coming from above. We pray for peace, failing to understand that real peace begins with each and every one us resolving to living in harmony.

God has already given us all of the ingredients for peace. The recipe for that harmony is in the breath that we take. It is a blessing from God. And all of God’s blessings are the ingredients for peace. That includes the love that we see in the eyes of our children, the majesty of the mountains, the delicate nature of a flower or the crashing waves at the ocean. They all signal the presence of something Great, Awesome and Creative. That tells us that everything has been given to us. All of the universe is there to be enjoyed and to exist with in harmony. Therefore, the only direction where we must look for love and for peace is within each other. We need to reconcile with brothers and sisters, share the love that God has given. And this road to harmony and reconciliation begins by forgiving.

During the Lenten journey we’ve been asked to inventory different aspects of our life. Today we are asked to look at the ones that have hurt us. Who are they? Remember to look within and include yourself if necessary. Once identified, begin to forgive. Forgive yourself. Forgive others their trespasses, now with the certainty that once we do so, God has forgiven us.

Let us pray the prayer of St. Nerses Shnorhali:

Beholder of all I have sinned against you in thought word and deed erase the record of my offenses and write my name in the book of life. Have mercy upon your creatures and upon me a great sinner. (I Confess with Faith 7/24)

To learn more about Foregiveness visit us at http://7x77.org

Lenten Journey Day 9 - Listening

2013-02-19T00:00:00.000-08:00

Day 9: Listening

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Lenten Recipe

Recipe 9: Stuffed Egglplants

Lenten Journey Day 9 - Listening

Day 9 is a turning point in your Lenten Journey. Many of the toxins in your system have been eliminated by this point. Be sure to nourish your organs with plenty of water.

Day 9 is also an appropriate time to begin taking inventory of the your Lenten Journey itself. Up until now, we have been inventorying habits, emotions, relationships and those things related to the journey. Now turn your attention to the journey itself – to these days we have spent together. Even though we are still toward the beginning of the journey we are realizing that it is a trip that will change us powerfully. Inventorying will create a map of the journey and remind you of the details, of the turns and twists in the road.

As we reflect on the Lenten Journey, we find that the changes we experiencing, physically, emotionally and in our relationships are good changes. They are patterns and habits that we’d like to carry with us beyond the 40 day period of Lent.

Because we know there is light at the end of the tunnel, we know this journey has a purpose and a goal. The destination is the goal, but we’re beginning to figure out that this Lenten journey prescribed to us by our forefathers, is not about a 40 day expedition. Rather, it is about a lifetime of being connected with the One, with the Ultimate which brings us happiness, peace and the true meaning of life.

The Psalmist reminds us, “Be still, and know that I am God.” In that stillness our hearing abilities are sharpened. In that stillness we hear sounds with our ears and also with our hearts.

Hearing with your heart? What does that mean? Today, you might understand it only as a possibility, but it’s exactly for that reason that I ask you take a Lenten inventory. Just think how strange “listening with your heart” would have sounded ten days ago. But today you understand that it is a possibility. You understand that there is a possibility to see with your heart and to sense with your heart. You know that the heart is not merely a pump or a mechanical device, but it is something which has receiving and giving capabilities. The heart is a receptor, it responds to outside stimuli and at the same time it is provider, that is, a place from which our feelings sprout.

Hearing from the heart, implies listening. Begin with the receptor called the ear. Do we listen? Do we listen enough? Do we listen too much? Are there things that we should not listen to? What about times to listen? Are there times when we should shut down and not listen to anything? And in shutting down, will that allow the soul or the heart to listen?

In the Gospels we read of Jesus the incredible orator. He always has the right words. He is never at a loss for words in and at any occasion. He is always speaking to the times and events. He is bringing people together, charismatically drawing them to his message of love, his message of hope and his message of faith. He is never at a loss for words and even finds words where no one could have been imaged.

In the Gospel of John, Nicodemus says to Jesus, “Teacher, we know you are sent from God because no one can do the things that you do unless God is with him.” What a nice statement. You or I would have either blushed or thanked Nicodemus for the compliment. But Jesus, rather than acknowledging the compliment or thanking him, turns it around. He pulls, from what may seem like nowhere, the reply, “Unless one is born from above – born again – he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” (John 3) Jesus heard with his heart and answered accordingly. Nicodemus’ statement was not one for the ear, but had underlying meaning which Jesus perceived with his heart.

Jesus was never at a loss for words. In fact, the people of the time marveled and acknowledged that no one had ever spoken the way he had. And when we listen from the heart, we too will marvel that no one can capture us the way Christ can.

Yet, when the time came when it was necessary for Jesus to speak, he didn’t. He shut down. During his trial, Jesus is silent. The Evangelist Matthew writes, “… he gave no answer, not even to a single charge.” (27:14).

There are times to listen, times to talk, times when we shouldn’t talk, and times when we should not listen. Much of the difficulty that we endure in life is because we place importance on things that do not matter. We are hurt by words that should not matter in our lives. An insult or a put-down can devastate us, but only if we allow it.

Jesus, standing in front of his accusers, heard many things with his ears. But he was listening with his heart, and that type of listening allowed him to understand the people around him. He looked at his accusers and saw his children. Likewise, when we listen with our heart, we begin to understand others.

Although we aren’t God and find it very difficult to stand in the way of these insults, through understanding we will not allow those verbal abuses and hurtful cursing to devastate us, nor will we allow them to destroy us. We understand those sounds as coming from places where there is no harmony. And in so doing we pray, for those who persecute us, and for those who are out of harmony. We pray that they may find the fullness of God, the love that He gives each of us, that same love that is in our heart.

We pray the prayer of St. Nersess Shnorhali,

O Christ, True Light, make my soul worthy to behold with joy the light of Your glory, in that day when You call me and to rest in the hope of good things in the mansions of the just until the day of Your glorious coming. Have mercy upon Your Creatures and upon me, a great sinner. (I Confess with Faith 21/24)

Lenten Journey Day 8 - Judgment

2013-02-18T00:00:00.000-08:00

Day 8: Judgment

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Lenten Recipe

Recipe 8: Almond French Toast

As we begin the second week of the Lenten Season we explore our emotions and the actions they produce. We begin this week by looking at the instruction pertaining to judgment given to us by Jesus Christ in the Sermon on the Mount. We read Jesus’ words,

Do not judge or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others you will be judged. And with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye. How can you say to your brother, let me take the speck out of your eye when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite! First take the plank out of your own eye and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7)

In this very short passage we find a very powerful message which is instructional for life. “Do not judge,” says Jesus. In that instruction we come to understand God’s vantage point. How does God view each of us as a collective, that is, as His children inhabiting this planet?

In the eyes of God there are no differences between people. There are no races to differentiate people. We are all His children. If you think about it for a moment, you would understand the saying that all wars are considered to be civil wars, in the eyes of God. We are all His children, therefore and assault on anyone is an assault on God’s creation.

Jesus says do not judge because on the playing field we are all equals. There is no one to judge another. Jesus goes on to remind us that God makes the sun shine down on the good and the bad because He does not differentiate between the two. Therefore, if God doesn’t differentiate between people, who are we to dare to presume that we are better than anyone else? That is why He says look first within, look at the damages you have in your own life, remove that so that clearly you can see the greater picture. After all, that is exactly the purpose of Lent! It’s time – 40 days – where we are looking to remove those planks from our eyes, so we can see the wonders in life. We are pulling back the curtain so that we can see the good of God’s creation all around us. Wouldn’t it be beautiful to look into the eyes of another human being and see the reflection of God? What if we could look deep into the soul of another and truly see the presence of God? Do you want to get to that point? Well, first remove the plank from your own eye, so you can clearly see the wonders all around you.

Last week, we had an instruction on prayer. Jesus teaches us the “Our Father” We pray, “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be they name…” The one request that we make of our Heavenly Father in this prayer is that he forgive us our sins. How? By the same measure with which we forgive others. We say, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us.” In other words, by that same standard we will be judged. As we read today, Jesus says not to judge. Be careful! By the same standard we judge others, we will be judged.

Indeed, today’s lesson is a simple one, yet a difficult one to actualize. But that’s what Lent is about, simple yet difficult. Take this opportunity to look at your relationships, with loved ones, spouses, children and parents. Look at relationships you have with friends, coworkers, acquaintances and people that you would like to know. Look at the judgments you make and see how artificial they are. Look at your prejudices – pre-judgments – that you make every day. We all make judgments. It doesn’t mean we’re bad people, it just means we are human. But in that humanity, take a lesson from Jesus Christ. You can find love, and that love is no farther than the people all around you. Look at the difficulties – those “planks” – that distort our perception and prevent us from seeing the beauty that is all around us.

Judge not lest you be judged. Remove the plank out of your own eye… What you will find is that you won’t be able to see the speck in your brother’s eyes. Instead, you will only see the presence of God.

Let us pray the prayers of St. Nersess Shorhali:

Righteous Judge, when You come in the glory of the Father to judge the living and the dead, enter not into judgment with Your servant, but deliver me from the eternal fire, and make me worthy to hear the blissful call of the just to Your heavenly kingdom. Have mercy upon Your Creatures and upon me, a great sinner. (I confess with faith #22/24)

Lenten Journey Day 7 - Expulsion

2013-02-17T00:00:00.000-08:00

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." ~Jesus (Matthew 5)

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Lenten Recipe

Recipe : Mushroom Ragu

Unique to the Armenian church is the practices of naming each Sunday of Lent with a descriptive and special name. This Sunday is called the Sunday of Expulsion. We are reminded of how sin enters into our life and prevents us from experiencing the best of life – Paradise - in God’s fullness.

When you enter an Armenian church during Lent, you immediately notice the huge curtain draped across the altar area. The curtain is there to remind us of sin, because sin, just like the curtain, prevents us from seeing the beauty of God.

Sin is a normal part of life. It literally means, “missing the mark.” In archery, you aim your arrow at the bull’s eye. When it misses the mark, the arrow is sinning. Likewise, we are called to enjoy Paradise – the bull’s eye. We fall short from reaching that mark because of our imperfections. Sins are the obstacles that prevent us from experiencing, the fullness God - a life full of love, peace and happiness.

Sin is avoidable but is very much a part of life. Do not make the mistake of believing that because sin is in your life that paradise is lost or cannot be attained. Sin is merely a reminder that we are human, that we are not God. Only God is without sin because by definition God is love and love cannot be sin. Love cannot be that barrier between us and paradise. Love is pure. Therefore, if sin is an obstacle, it can be overcome.

Expulsion Sunday is a reminder that we were created in and for paradise. God gives us paradise and he wants us to be in complete union with His awesome love. In that paradise, much like the myth of Adam & Eve, we choose to go against His will. In other words we seek the fruit of knowledge of good and evil to become like God.

God gives us one set of instructions and we, of our own free will, opt for and choose another. God tells us love one another, and we say not everyone. God tells us care for one another and we say only for those who give us something in return. God says love your neighbors as you love yourself and we build bombs, stock pile weapons and destroy towns, villages and countries. God says value the family and we say I will bring the work home, to take time away from the family. God says, value life but we say the dollar buys us more. God says enjoy your life and we define that enjoyment by all kinds of abuses to our body and our life style. God says, take care of this world and we say who cares, and go about cutting down the rain forests and polluting the environment. God says worship me and we say I have better things to do. God says know me and we say there’s no profit in it.

The sin of humankind is that we exert our will over the will of God, and so we distance ourselves from God and paradise. Sin causes the divide, the separation from God. Sin is the curtain that prevents us from looking beyond and seeing the beauty on the other side.

During the Lenten season we have this opportunity to look within, to reflect and make improvements on our life. Taking inventory is important and today we take inventory of the sins in our life. If you break them down you will find that each and every one of them are related to us exerting our will, in a way that is out of sync with God’s will. Remember the lesson of prayer and remember to listen to the voice calling within. Listen for the Will that is speaking to you. You will find it no further than the love that He has placed in your heart. That is the love which can conquer all of the difficulties, including the greatest sins that are before you.

Let us now pray the prayer of St. Nerses Shnorhali:

Spirit of God, true God, who descended into the Gordan, and into the upper chamber and who enlightened me by baptism in the Holy font. I have sinned against heaven and before You. Cleanse me with your divine fire as you purified the Holy apostles with fiery tongues.

Have mercy upon your creatures and upon me, a great sinner. Amen. (I confess with Faith 5/24)

Lenten Journey Day 6 - Facilitating the Vision

2013-02-16T00:00:00.000-08:00

Day 6: Facilitating the Vision

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Lenten Recipe

Recipe 6: Roasted Veggies

Saints are remembered on the Church calendar during the Lenten Season, as they are throughout the year. On the first Saturday of Lent this year the Church remembers St. Theodore the Warrior, a personality from the 4^th Century.

In Orthodox tradition we look to the saints as examples of living life with purpose and in the path of Christ. Saints are never worshiped. Each of them are people just like us. In their humanity, they were able to rise to the occasion, usually through selfless sacrifice, and express their love in unique ways. One such saint that the Church remembers is St. Sahag Barthev. He was a saint who used his God given talents and spread the Gospel of love and hope to the world.

St. Sahag lived in the 5^th century. His story begins a hundred years yearly, when the Armenian people accepted Christianity in 301AD. Immediately, the move to educate the people in the ways of Christ was underway. Quickly it became obvious that first and foremost in the education of the people, it was necessary to translate the Holy Scriptures into Armenian. An Armenian monk by the name of Mesrobe (St. Mesrobe Mashdots) had the vision to invent an Armenian alphabet with the sole purpose of bringing the Christian message to his people. He found a partner in making that vision a reality in the person of the Chief Bishop, or Catholicos, Sahag Barthev. As the head of the Armenian Church, St. Sahag commissioned and underwrote the project. It was in 431 AD that the translation of Bible into Armenian was completed.

In Armenian Orthodox tradition, the Bible is precious and sacred that is has a unique name. It is called the Breath of God, or Asdvadzashoonch. The vision became a reality. The Armenian people were able to read and understand scriptures in their native language.

Each and every one of us has our own dreams. We have our own visions of what our life and communities should be. We dream of goals for our family and ourselves. Each of us walking through the Lenten Journey should seize the opportunity to inventory those dreams. During Lent we have reviewed and altered our diet and inspected our relationships. Today, we look at our dreams closely. What dreams do we have for ourselves, as well as our families and our communities? What dreams to our family and friends have that can use our support? Today’s lesson is about turning dreams into reality and to freely give the encouragement and support that you possess to others. Mesrobe Mashdotz realizing he could not actualize his dream alone, plugged into a larger community of people who shared his vision. Sahag Barthev realizing he had a desire to do good, needed to find the means by which to make his dream come true. Together, they make the dream come true.

Let us find strength in our relationships with family and friends. Find people who share your same vision. Encourage the little steps others take to make the big strides, and eventually the goal, possible. And now push yourself to think bigger…

As we heighten our prayer life during Lent and as we turn inward in meditation, let us keep in mind that Jesus also has a dream. It is a dream for peace. His dream involves love, kindness and charity to all of His children. He’s counting on us to be the Sahag Barthev that will encourage and support His Dream. He looks to us, His Holy body the Church, to become the facilitators, the means by which peace can come. We become the arms, the legs and the mouth to do His work here in this world.

Let us pray the prayer of St. Nerses Shnorhali:

Oh Jesus, Wisdom of the Father, Grant me wisdom so that I may think, speak and do that which is good in your sight. Save me from evil thoughts, words and deeds. Have mercy on your creatures and upon me a great sinner. (I Confess with Faith 11/24)

Lenten Journey Day 5 - Intense Fasting

2013-02-15T00:00:00.000-08:00

Day 5: Intense Fasting

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Lenten Recipe

Recipe 5: Glazed Sweet Potatoes with Cranberries and Pecans!

As we approach the end of our first week in Lent, remind yourself that your accomplishments as well as your failures are behind you. If you are fasting, and your prayer and giving cycles have increased, then these are accomplishments which should encourage you to continue and be even stronger in the weeks to come. If you have strayed from your goals, then regard this time as a catalyst for change. Challenge yourself to re-focus and be determined to take on the next few weeks with optimism.

Today we will talk about intense fasting, that is, fasting beyond food. In scripture we read a passage from the Gospel of St. Luke which says, “Jesus called the crowd to Him and said to them, ‘Listen and understand it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.’”

The message here is a strong one. So many times, and especially during the Lenten period, we are consumed with all of the laws and the regulations of life, the dos and don’ts of life. Do abstain from meat. Don’t drink milk. etc. We spend time asking the wrong questions: Do we abstain from this type of meat? Or that type of food? Rather than the rules and regulations, we should investigate the reasons for those rules. That is, we should be navigating ourselves to the true true intention of the Lenten period.

Lent, as we have learned, is a time to simplify, to bring it down to the bare basics, to find out what is necessary to live. We abstain from certain foods – meat and animal products – to help us simplify. Today we will crank it up a notch as we start to abstain from the bigger foods. We will focus on the things that defile us, or as Jesus says, “… not what goes into our system but what goes out of our system.”

What are those things that come out of our system and are they defiling us? Are there words, are there emotions that are destroying us, that are literally killing us and the people around us? I am talking about those expressions of anger, those expressions of hatred. How about discouragement and discontent? These are all emotions that tear us apart. They rip apart the relationships from people that we love. They defile us. They pollute our systems and our lives. They prevent us from becoming all that we can and should be.

As we know, the words that we speak can destroy us. There is an expression among Armenians that the wound created by a sword will heal, but the wound caused by the tongue never heals.

Think about the words that you have used in haste, perhaps in anger. Think about those expressions that have divided you from friends, or perhaps from family. Some words have even destroyed others, Willingly or maybe unwillingly, those small words have come out of your mouth and you have hurt others. Unfortunately, more often than not, you end up hurting the ones you love most. Perhaps it’s because we think that those who love us will tolerance us, put up with us. Whatever the case or the reason, when we hurt others, we destroy relationships and in so doing, we destroy our relationship with God.

In fact in the Gospel of Matthew in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus specifically makes this point, “You have heard that you shall not murder, but I tell you if you have anger toward your brother you are guilty of that murder!" That’s it! Christ tells us in no uncertain terms that there is no place in the life of a Christian for anger, for hatred, for divisive conversations, and even the thoughts that are the basis for those actions.

Now, when you rid yourself of the evil thoughts which lead to the evil actions, you must replace them with the only thought powerful enough to keep those thoughts away. That power comes from love. Love is the one ingredient of life that can overcome those thoughts and words that divide and devastate us.

Without love, what meaning or what purpose can our existence have? Love is the necessary component of life. While it is a natural element of our existence, that is, it exists in us all, nevertheless, it needs to be cultivated and nurtured. During this Lenten period we have a golden opportunity to do exactly that. By cultivating and nurturing the feelings of love in our life, we build the necessary habit to overcome the difficulties of life beyond this period of Lent. While abstinence and restrictions are one part of the Lenten journey, the greater task for the believer is to exercise love and to be in harmony family, friends, with nature, with surroundings, the world and ultimately, all of the universe, namely God.

Let us pray:

All provident Lord place your holy fear as a guard before my eyes, so they may not look lustfully, before my ears so they may not delight in hearing evil words, before my mouth so it may not speak any falsehoods, before my heart so that it may not think evil, before my hands so that they may not do injustice, before my feet that they may not walk in the paths of injustice. But so direct them that they may always be according to all your commandments. Have mercy upon your creatures and upon me a great sinner. Amen. (St. Nersess Shnorhali’s Havadov Khosdovanim 9/24)

Lenten Journey Day 4 - Giving

2013-02-14T00:00:00.000-08:00

Day 4: Giving

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Lenten Recipe

Recipe 4: Spinach Salad with Passionfruit Dressing and Maple-Glazed Almonds

As we are coming to understand, Lent gives us an opportunity to slow down and strip life to its essentials. We are finding what is really essential and necessary for our life.

Today we discover that the act of giving, that is charity, is an essential element of life, that is, it is necessary for healthy living. In real terms, giving is one act that you can’t “give-up” for Lent. Giving to others enhances our spiritual life.

Let us take at the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus instructs us on the proper manner of giving. Jesus says, “Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them. For then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. So whenever you give alms do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the street so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you they have received their reward. When you give alms do not let your left hand know what the right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6)

Giving, or acting on charity, is an outward expression of our faith. By giving to others we are expressing the inner desires of our heart. Those expressions tell a lot about us. In the giving process we develop patterns and slowly we find that we are juggling our giving along with the receiving and taking processes. We seek to find a balance between our giving and receiving. For instance, we give to those from whom it is possible to receive and we take from those who are giving.

When Jesus says, “It is better to give then it is to receive,” he is disrupting the balance. He is placing a greater-than sign in place of the equal sign and we’re called to do the same. He says when you give, keep it pure. If you give to others make sure that is a true giving without expectation of anything in return. In fact throughout the Gospels Jesus instructs us to help the poor, to aid those in need. Why? Well, the first answer is obvious: because they need it. But what is not so apparent is that even more, we need to give! When we aid others and help them we understand that life is more than the accumulation of wealth. We realize that life is not made up of the stuff and things that we call possession. Those thing, in fact, possess us!

When Jesus cautions us not to sound a trumpet when giving, he is instructing us to keep it pure. Give with no expectation. Even the applause and the praise of others is something we receive in return, so avoid it by giving in secret. In so doing, our giving is unidirectional, and that type of giving is egoless, selfless. On this fourth day of Lent, we are beginning to understand the importance of losing the self. When ego doesn’t matter, the desires of the heart are truly pure. Giving becomes an expression of love, unconditionally, without expectation of anything in return.

During the Lenten period we are called to really examine ourselves, with fasting, with prayer and with giving. Giving is the easiest of the three to examine, because we notice ourselves giving. There is a record of our actions. Take advantage of this time. Try this small and simple exercise. Examine your past and your present for people who have touched you in a unique manner. You may be surprised to find that the ones who have influenced you the most were not the superstars. They were not the athletes, the recording stars and the mega-rich. In fact, they were the very simple people who gave something to you without expectation for their personal rewards. Perhaps it was a mother, a father, perhaps a grandfather or grandmother. Perhaps a friend who shared some time with you or some advice. And the fact that you remember these people is proof that giving never dies because it is an expression of love.

One-way giving is the kind of giving God expects because it is the type of giving He demonstrates in His love for us. One-way giving is a definition of Love. God gives us the most precious gift of all, that life that we have. He gives us salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ and it is given unconditionally, in other words despite ourselves. So in the same manner give to others. In fact throughout the gospels Jesus instructs us to give to others who have absolutely no way to pay us back. Why? Because in so doing we become God-like. God did the same thing. He gave to people who had absolutely no way to repay Him. How can you payback life and salvation? And God answers by saying, do the same to others. Love and care for others with no expectation and no conditions.

So give freely. And remember, the object of your giving is not the tangibles alone. More important that what is in your pocket is what is in your heart. Give your time. Give your attention. Give your love. Find an elderly person who needs a few moments of your time. Find a child who needs you to read a book. Find a person who needs food. Find another who is in need of shelter. Or simply, find someone who needs a smile and for you to hold his or her hand. Give and express your love.

Let us pray one of the prayers of St. Nerses Shnorhali:

Bestower of mercy grant that I may come to you with true faith, with good works and by the communion of the Holy body and blood. Have mercy upon your creatures and upon me, a great sinner. (From St. Nersess Shnorhali’s “I confess with Faith,” 19/24)

Lenten Journey Day 3 - Prayer

2013-02-13T00:00:00.000-08:00

Day 3: Prayer

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Lenten Recipe Recipe 3: Spicy Peanut Noodles

Today we will discuss prayer in the life of the Christian and its importance during the Lenten period.

As we discussed in our previous sessions, during the Lenten period we are called to a discipline of fasting, of giving and of heightened awareness in our prayer life. Usually when we think of prayer we define it as a conversation with God. While this is an acceptable understanding of prayer, we must also admit that conversation is a two way street and so, if we are to talk, we must also listen.

Let us begin by listening to the words of Christ regarding prayer. We read from the Sermon on the Mount, (Matthew chapter 6): “And whenever you pray”, Jesus says, “Do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you they have received their reward. But whenever you pray go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father in secret. Your Father who sees in secret will reward you. When you are praying do not heap up empty phrases, as the gentiles do for they think they will be heard because of their words. Do not be like them for your Father knows what you need before you ask.”

Jesus tells us in no uncertain terms that God knows the wants and needs of our hearts. He knows our deepest desires. Therefore, the question comes up, if God knows what we need and want, why pray? Prayer, therefore must be more than a conversation with God and it is.

As much as prayer is a conversation with God, more importantly, it is a conversation with the self. It may sound strange that the self would not know its own needs, but think about it for a moment. The needs and desire of your heart are within your grasp, and the prayer that you make to God can only be to awaken and strengthen your resolve to actualize your dreams.

The self needs to be awakened and that is what this Lenten journey is all about. Lent is that windshield wiper that drives away the dirt, the grime and the rain that is blurring our vision. It allows us to see the clear picture, to see the life that is in front of us.

During the Lenten Journey, we are streamline and minimize. We find what is truly necessary to survive and live. We fast and in our prayer life we have a conversation with our self to find the true desires of our heart. In so doing, we discover that we can actualize our desires with the tools that God has given us, namely with faith, hope and love our deepest dreams can come true. Through the Lenten Journey, we wash away the toxins in our system and eliminate the excesses only to uncover and find the true treasures in our life. They are not the things and stuff that consume our daily existence. No, we find the real treasures of faith, hope and love.

During Lent we have a beautiful opportunity to communicate with God and with our selves. We understand that God and self exist in a unique relationship that brings them into close proximity and connection.

St. Gregory of Nareg (Gregor Narekatzi) reminds us that prayer is a conversation that originates from the depth of our heart, that is, from the center of our being.

For today’s lesson, I ask that you find a place where you can be alone. It should be where you are not easily distracted. You may wish to burn some incense to keep focused. By looking at the smoke that rises to heaven, you will be reminded that your prayers must also rise beyond yourself and the temporal plain. As you smell the fragrance of the incense, it awakens your senses, much like the Zen master that paddles his students who have lost focus and fallen asleep. While in prayer we need that awakening, that jarring, that says stay focused and listen to the sound of God.

When you are alone, awake and in prayer, be concise and precise in articulating your heart’s message. As our Lord says, your Father already knows what you need. Jesus, therefore, instructs us with a model prayer: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory. Forever and ever!”

As you say, “Amen” at the end of the prayer, let it be! Release yourself to God. Submit. Let it be! Give it all to God and then sit back and listen. Give some time to listening in your prayer life. Away from distractions with a clear focus, listen to how is God responding to you? What is God saying to the depths of your heart? You may not hear an answer right away, but trust me, in the next few weeks, as we travel this Lenten Journey together, your senses will become more aware. You will be more conscious of your surroundings and to the voices that do not talk to ears but to the heart. Yes, you will be hearing with your heart!

Let us pray…

Heavenly King, grant me Your kingdom, which You have promised to Your beloved; strengthen my heart to hate sin, and to love You alone, and to do Your will. Have mercy upon Your Creatures and upon me, a great sinner. (I confess with Faith by St. Nersess Shnorhali, vs. 13/24)

On this third day of Lent, I invite you to begin journaling. Write the wishes of your heart and write the responses you receive. You will find this a helpful practice during the Lenten season. Especially as we begin this Lenten Journey, it may be tempting to stray.

Lenten Journey Day 2 - Fasting

2013-02-12T00:00:00.000-08:00

Day 2: Fasting: Abstaining from Food and Drink

“And whenever you fast do not look dismal like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces to show the others that they are fasting. Truly, I tell you, they have received their reward. When you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face so that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who is in secret will reward you.” ~Jesus (Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6)

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Lenten Recipe

Recipe 2: Mushroom Fried Rice

Yesterday we took a general look at the Lenten period and noted the instruction given to us in Holy Scripture regarding almsgiving, prayer and fasting. Of these three, fasting is the most pronounced when it comes to Lent.

Often, people understand that Lent is a period of time when we “give up” something. We are familiar with Mardi Gras, which means “Fat Tuesday.” It is the day before Lent where anything goes because the on the following day, Ash Wednesday, the period of deprivation begins. For us in the Armenian Orthodox tradition, we are already in the Lenten cycle – two days before Ash Wednesday. Lent begins on Monday, so“Fat Tuesday” is actually Fat Sunday. In Armenian we refer to last Sunday, the day before Lent as Poon Paregentan. It is a compound word meaning “Good” (pari) and “Living” (gentan) = the day of Good Living.

As for dietary habits, the Armenian Orthodox Church clearly pronounces a menu. For us, we abstain from all animal and animal products. That is, no meats, no poultry, no fish as well as their products. No milk, cheese and dairy products. Basically, we bring it down to a vegan diet. It is a beautiful opportunity to clean our systems during Lent. But be careful. Sometimes people look at Lent, especially the fasting rituals, as an opportunity to drop some pounds or to lower cholesterol. That is not what it’s about. You do not fast to lose weight. You do not fast to drop your cholesterol levels.

The purpose of these dietary restrictions is to reminds us of what is essential in our lives. During Lent we strip away all the excesses, we purge our system of the toxins and we find what we need to live. Think of Jesus in the wilderness. For 40 days and 40 nights he fasted and then he was tempted. “Change theses stones into bread,” said the Tempter. “Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the Lord,” response Jesus. These words must guide us in our fasting and dietary discipline. What do we need in our lives? What is essential for us to live? What is being spoken to us?

John Jesus says, “I came that you might have life and have it abundantly.” That abundant life should reflect a life filled with passion, victories, love and happiness. I’m not talking about superficial happiness, but the one that comes from within, when we live a life of purpose and full of meaning.

When we fast, we stay away from certain foods. We clean out our systems, yes, but at the same time we are reminded of the necessities of life, that is, what is necessary to life? If you take a personal inventory of your life, you’ll find that most everything that you have falls into the “excess” category. There is so little that you really need to survive. But that too is a challenge. God does not call us to live a life without those excesses.

In the Armenian Church there is a practice to bless the homes. A family invites the priest into their home, and place bread, water and salt on a table, for this blessing. The bread is blessed for the physical needs of the family. We bless water for the spiritual fidelity of the family. And equally important, we bless salt, to remind us that life has to have flavor. Life is beautiful and it is meant to be lived in excess – to love in excess, to smile in excess, to care in excess. Lent is not about forgoing the excess but to inspect and find what are the excesses that we can live without and what are those things – the smile, love, care – that we need to increase, fill our lives and live the abundant life.

Today with this lesson on fasting, I invite you to really take an inventory of your life. What is really necessary to get through? What is necessary to survive? And what is really necessary in your life to enjoy? You will find that taking an inventory gives you a unique insight into your life and living practices. You will find that the necessities of life are in the acts of love, kindness and charity. These are what define us as people and make us truly worthy to be called children of God.

We conclude with one of the prayers of St. Nerses Shnorhali, (Verse 16 from Havadov Khosdovaneemk):

Oh my God, who opens your hands and fills all things living with your bounty, to you I commit my soul. Do care for me and provide for the needs of my soul and body forever. Have mercy upon all your creatures and upon me, a great sinner. Amen.

Lenten Journey Day 1

2013-02-11T00:00:00.000-08:00

Day 1: The Lenten Journey

“From the east to the west and throughout the entire Christian world, wherever people call on the name of the Lord in holiness, by their prayers and intercession, may the Lord have mercy upon us.”

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Lenten Recipe

Recipe 1: "Cream" of Asparagus Soup

These are the first words of the Prayer of Sunrise from the service of the same name, Arevakal, in the Armenian Orthodox Church. We are reminded today that just as the Sun rises from the East and travels to the West, shining its light, radiating its heat, so too we find God everywhere. We find the presence of God everywhere and anywhere where there is life, where there is love.

On this first day of Lent, our Church Fathers direct us to the Gospel of St. Matthew asking us to keep in mind our three main obligations during the Lenten journey: Giving, prayer and fasting. While fasting is more formulated, in other words, keeping away from meat with dietary restrictions, and while prayer gives us an opportunity for conversation, giving is the action element to the Lenten cycle.

We will be looking at all three of these elements – giving, prayer and fasting – in detail in the next few days. For today, as a primer, we will look at all three of them in the context we find in the Gospel according to St. Matthew, specifically from the Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew Chapter 6: And Jesus says Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. For whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets so that they may be praised by others. Truly, I tell you, they have received their reward. For when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing so that your alms may be done in secret and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Secondly, Jesus talks about prayer: And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door. And pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.

And regarding fasting, Jesus says, And whenever you fast, do not look dismal like the hypocrites for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you they have received their reward. For when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face so that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.

The first day of Lent is a time for a fresh start. Do not approach Lent as an obligation but approach it as an opportunity to grow. This 40 day period is an opportunity not a responsibility. In the Scriptural passages above we see that giving, prayer and fasting are private opportunities to build on your relationship with God. The Lenten Journey is between you and God. It is a time for reflection and introspection.

During the next 40 days you will see what is really important in your life. Remember, after Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness he was tempted to change the stones into bread to feed his physical hunger. His answer, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from God” is the cornerstone to the Lenten Journey. We are reminded that there is so much more to life than our physical existence. There is a soul which has spiritual hunger. These next 40 days will give you the opportunity to see what is necessary in your life. You will find that prayer, fasting and giving, will connect you to a higher reality. Remember, it is between you and God, and God is "From the East to the West...", that is, He is everywhere, within and without you. St. Nectarous says, “Seek God within your heart and not outside of it.” It is just between you and God. Lent is between you and all of life. Take advantage! Here’s an opportunity like no other.

Let us now pray the prayer of St. Nerses Shnorhali (the Graceful):

Oh Christ, Guardian of All, let your right hand guard and shelter me by day and by night; while home and while away; while sleeping and while awake that I may never fall. Have mercy upon all your creatures, and upon me, a great sinner.

It is Super Sunday - Fr. Vazken's "Key" Message

2013-02-02T21:37:00.002-08:00

Parish Priest’s Message from the “Key”* Newsletter* –3 February 2013

Welcome to “Super Sunday.” It’s a nice designation—the Sunday of the Super Bowl Game! No worries, I’m not going to take sides today, although you’d think my years living in the Bay Area would make me partial to the 49ers. No worries today. But I am excited about this Sunday because it IS a Super one. Actually, all Sundays are Super in the Armenian Church: they point to the Resurrection! And frankly I can’t think of too many things more super than that.

But let me try... More super than Jesus’ Resurrection? How about ours? That’s amazingly super, don’t you think? That we, mortals, not gods, can resurrect and live forever? All for the cost of Love. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Say it again, Love is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

~ ~ ~

Yesterday was Groundhog Day. We are at midwinter, exactly 6 weeks left to Spring. Punxsutawney Phil predictedan early Season. On the Church calendar we refer to this as Candlemas, 40 days after Christmas. Of course, since we celebrate Christmas on January 6, our Candlemas is on February 14. We call it Diaruntarach. The tradition comes from St. Luke’s (2:32) account of the Presentation of our Lord. In the story a man, full of faith named Simeon pronounces that “with my eyes I have seen the Savior…” Imagine that… seeing the Savior with your eyes! I say THAT is fairly “super.” Now imagine this: EVERY Sunday you’re given an opportunity to SEE, HEAR, TOUCH, SMELL and TASTE the Lord at the Holy Badarak! Now, I’d say, THAT is a SUPER SUNDAY! -Fr. Vazken

http://armenianchurchyouthministries.org/newsletter/The%20Key%20-%20020313.pdf

St. Andrew - the First Called - Key Message

2012-11-17T19:06:00.001-08:00

Parish Priest’s Message from the “Key” Newsletter* –18 November 2012

http://armenianchurchyouthministries.org/newsletter/The%20Key%20-%20111812.pdf

St. Andrew the Apostle - the First Called

Being the first at anything takes courage. To be the first means you’ve rejected some element of the status quo and have tried a new venture.

Change. Rejecting the status quo. Seeking something new. Revolution. These are all greeted with some of the greatest resistance ever encountered. Albert Einstein reminds us, “Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.”

It takes inner fortitude, it takes confidence in your purpose and goal, it takes a “great spirit” to be the first at anything. St. Andrew the Apostle, whose feast the Armenian Church celebrated yesterday, had this “great spirit.” In fact, he needed it. He was the first-called “Nakhagoch” disciple of Christ. He heard the CALL of Christ. It spoke to his heart and he was never the same. Although he was ridiculed and criticized for following Jesus, he stuck to his principles and became the first of the 12 and therefore he is the first of over a billion Christians on the planet today.

St. Andrew teaches us the importance of following your heart. St. Andrew sought and found the Prize. In our ministry, St. Andrew the Apostle plays a very important role, because we’re bucking the system, we’re setting the pace for what Armenian Orthodoxy should be. Advent is in front of us and once again we will be challenging our faith by living the expressions of Love. Stay committed, even in the face of opposition.

Life comes around only but once. Take the time to “seek and you shall find,” says our Lord Jesus Christ. And when you discover that Truth, believe in it enough to put away comforts. Take the risk. It’s worth it, teaches us St. Andrew.

- Fr. Vazken

http://armenianchurchyouthministries.org/newsletter/The%20Key%20-%20111812.pdf

Have fun at Halloween - Fr. Vazken's Key Message 10/28/12

2012-10-27T23:08:00.002-07:00

Parish Priest’s Message from the “Key” Newsletter* –28 October 2012

http://armenianchurchyouthministries.org/newsletter/The%20Key%20-%20102812.pdf

Every year around this time, someone (usually concerned and caring parents) will ask me, is it okay to celebrate Halloween? Many times they ask with a sense of expectation that their priest will condemn the tradition and then they’re off the hook with their children’s wish to trick-or-treat. There is also a sense of confusion that comes from the outward celebration of Halloween - skeletons, witches, devils - you can understand why people ask their priest about the holiday. So in a nutshell, let me offer some answers from the Church’s point of view - an Armodoxy perspective, if you will...

First, the celebration of Halloween is driven by profits. There’s a lot of money in candy (and cavities), costumes, ornaments and everything that goes with the celebration. That being said, I think it’s important to celebrate Halloween and here’s why: It’s a fun day. We, especially our kids need to have fun and feel like kids more often. Halloween gives us all that opportunity.

Halloween is actually a Church feast. It’s the eve of All Saints Day, or “Hallow’s Day.” Say “Hallow’s Eve” fast and you get “Halloween.” In the West it’s celebrated on Oct 31. For the Armenian Church, All Saints Day is a Saturday in November and so the eve is a Friday night.

My suggestion to parents: Enjoy the feast! Have your children dress up as the saints this Halloween - Vartan (warrior), Ashkhen (Queen), Shnorhali (a cool priest), etc. Let them enjoy childhood fantasies and have fun. There’s plenty of time to grow up. Meanwhile, some of the "grown ups" would do well to let loose, take a deep breath and enjoy life with childish wonder and excitement. Happy Halloween. -Fr. Vazken

Evil Again in Hungary, Azerbaijan and Around Us - "Key" article"

2012-09-09T09:04:00.000-07:00

This past week evil once again lifted its head in front of the Armenian people in the form of a hate-crime. When a convicted axe-murderer was returned to Azerbaijan by the Hungarian government, he was granted a heroes welcome. His crime? Killing an Armenian — in his sleep, no less! To the Azerbaijanis, this was an act of heroism… (and a way to fan the flames of hate.)

An even worse evil raises its head now, in the missing response to this hate-crime. The US State Department commented briefly but it is obvious that the Armenians are too small of a population over which to strain relations with the heavyweights of the world.

Fortunately, our Armenian Church leadership spoke up dramatically on this issue. His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, loudly protested and called on religious leaders to voice their disgust for this type of hate-rally. Our Primate, Archbishop Hovnan Derderian wrote a very strong letter of protest to the Hungarian government. (These documents can — and should be — read on the Diocesan website: ArmenianChurchWD.com.)

As you know, part of the unique character of our parish is the In His Shoes philosophy which focuses on these crimes, not only against Armenians, but against humanity and offers a true Christian response. It’s not the “wet-noodle” response people expect, but one of courage and activism. If we expect others to note the pain of Armenians, we Armenians must champion the causes of others, no matter where and who they are. I invite you to listen to our broadcasts this week - both the “Next Step” and “In Step with Christ” which focused on this crime and our—the Christian response.
-Fr. Vazken
Listen/watch at Epostle.net

This appeared in the Key 9/9/12: http://armenianchurchyouthministries.org/newsletter/The%20Key%20-%20090912.pdf

Fr. Vazken's "Key" message -Feeding of the 5,000+ 7/8/12

2012-07-09T08:11:00.002-07:00

In today’s Gospel passage we read the story of Jesus multiplying the fish and loaves. (Matthew 14). It is one of the miracles of Jesus which has all the trappings of the miracle genre. That is, its big and spectacular—Jesus feeds 10,000+ people with a few scraps of food! Scripture says 5,000 men were fed, not counting the women and children. So we can extrapolate a number in the five digits. And for those who want to pass it off to a spiritual feed, consider that scripture notes that they picked up 12 baskets of leftovers, just to be sure that it was a multiplication of tangible food. The miracle is supernatural and therefore demonstrates Jesus’ divinity.

To me, the real message comes to us in the lines that follow the story. There we read that after the miracle, Jesus “went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.” Here is the REAL unusual part of the story, because this was a time for Jesus when everything was going right. He was at the height of his popularity. He had thousands following him. He was healing the sick. He just performed this miracle and fed the people to their heart’s (stomach’s) content. And now, he takes time to withdraw and pray.

Unfortunately, for many of us, we find it necessary to pray during our difficulties, when we’re lonely and when we’re not succeeding. In the message today, we see that Jesus finds the time to RETREAT and to PRAY, when all is going well. What a beautiful example our Lord sets up for all of us. During this Summer season, take some time off for real re-creation. Retreat, pray and meditate.

- Fr. Vazken

http://armenianchurchyouthministries.org/newsletter/The%20Key%20-%20070812.pdf

Fr. Vazken's 4th of July Key Message

2012-07-01T18:43:00.000-07:00

Although the Fourth of July is neither a religious holiday, nor an Armenian one, I wish to share with you some thoughts on the occasion of Independence Day. In fact, the concept of freedom and independence are among the highest ideals and goals of all true religions. It is therefore important that as people of faith we seriously contemplate the freedoms that we enjoy and sometimes take for granted.

Signed on July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence states, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness." With these words the United States declared its independence from England and for the past 236 years, we have struggled to identify, define and clarify these terms.

Freedom is not a physical state of being but rather a spiritual one. Real freedom is not built on a decree of a government, but begins from within the individual. You cannot fight for freedom with guns and weapons. You have to win it through the discipline of your soul. Every Sunday, during our Divine Liturgy we pray for the deliverance of those who are held captive. That prayer should also be said for us. We are the ones who are captive to sin, to the greed, to the lust for power. So long as those obstacles stand in our way, we can never attain true freedom and therefore we can never maximize the true potential within us.

- Fr. Vazken

http://armenianchurchyouthministries.org/newsletter/The%20Key%20-%20070112.pdf

Fathers, Roles and Family - Fathers' Day 2012

2012-06-17T00:30:00.000-07:00

Parish Priest’s Message from the “Key” Newsletter – 17 June 2012

It’s disheartening when we see how the role of father has deteriorated into something silly and even superfluous in society today. Television has done a good job of documenting the decline. People in my generation will remember Jim Anderson and Ward Cleaver who were the fathers who new best. A generation later, Archie Bunker was bigoted enough that you wanted to rid your house of him. Of course, Cosby was a fun dad, but was he necessary to the family? Murphy Brown had her child without the need of a father, and Homer Simpson threw fatherhood out with the bathwater.

Of course, art mimics reality. The family structure has changed; fatherhood has become an extra variable rather than a necessary constant in the family equation.

Traditionally, in the Armenian Christian family, mother and father have come together to raise children. In this model of parenting, father and mother compliment one another. Neither is dominant or submissive to the other. But for this model to work, Christ needs to be at the center of that family unit for “we are all one in Christ, Jesus.” It is for this reason the Armenian family is established as a sacrament called “Unity in Christ.”

Last year, when the “Oprah Winfrey show ended it’s run of 25 years she was asked to what she attributed her success? Her answer: “My staff and Jesus.” She had the same formula our Church has had for 2000 years.

On this Fathers’ Day, my prayer is that we rededicate our family to Christ-centeredness. May Christ’s presence guide fathers and mothers in their God-ordained role to create vibrant and lively Christian families, filled with goodness always. - Fr. Vazken

archived:

http://armenianchurchyouthministries.org/newsletter/The%20Key%20-%20061712.pdf

Post-Genocide "Key" Message

2012-04-29T02:28:00.000-07:00

Parish Priest's Message from "The Key" - 29 April 2012

This Sunday is a stop between two travels. Last week, we remembered the 1.5 million martyrs of the 1915 Genocide with commemoration events that took us to different places, primarily three college campuses: UCLA, USC and UCSB. At each of these stops we talked about our obligation and responsibility as Genocide survivors to speak out against injustice everywhere. If you haven’t done so yet, check out the videos at InHisShoes.org or our Facebook page.

We were very encouraged by the response of the students. It reminded us about the original mission and charter we had as a parish, to be a youth ministry.

The second part of our travels takes place this week as we head out to Arizona to participate in the Annual Diocesan Assembly, held at the St. Apkar church there. It’s a difficult transition for us to make. There we will be reminded of the backward thinking that dismantled much of our efforts here as a youth ministry. It’s not just the mentality that is so prominent, but it’s hearing about and seeing a church that is missing its calling as a Body of Christ and missing its potential.

Thankfully our inspiration comes from the sacrifice of the Martyrs and the Resurrection of our People, both grounded in the promise of Jesus Christ. From that, I know, that wherever our travels take us, we have one mission and one focus. I ask for your prayers. Pray for our Church - our church on the corner and the greater Armenian Church.

- Fr. Vazken

The "Key" is the weekly newsletter of the St. Peter Armenian Church in Glendale, California. Jesus asked the Disciples, “Who do YOU say that I am?” Peter responded “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus promised the Keys to the Kingdom for this profession of faith. (Mt 16) At the St. Peter, Glendale Parish, our faith and actions are based on that same profession of faith. It is the Key that opens the doors to our journey as Christians...

Conundrum of April

2012-04-22T02:33:00.000-07:00

Parish Priest's Message from "The Key"* - 22 April 2012

It’s a conundrum, isn’t it? We just celebrated the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ a couple of weeks ago. Priests stood up from the altar area of all the Armenian Churches in the world the news was heralded, “Christ has Risen!” I know I did. And now, just weeks later, from the same altar areas we’re talking about death, evil and the ultimate expression of darkness, Genocide!

Today we commemorate the 1.5 Million Armenians who perished at the hands of the Turks in 1915.
Since that time, there have been many geno-cides. Strange, isn't’ it? We think we’re living in such advanced and modern times, yet we still resort to barbaric forms conflict resolution! Since the Armenian Genocide, there have been the Holocaust, Cambodia, Bosnia and Rwanda, just to name a few where the words “ethnic cleansing” are used. And today, there is the Genocide in Darfur!

We as Armenians KNOW the meaning of pain and suffering. We KNOW crucifixion. But we also KNOW resurrection, and as such we need to be equal witnesses to Crucifixion AND Resurrection. This is why, at our church, our efforts and our attention is not only on the past, but on the present. We’re calling for justices through-out the world through our In His Shoes Ministries. I thank you, as parishioners and parish administrators, for adopting this stand. We’re living out Christ’s commandment to be the LIGHT in the world.

~ Fr. Vazken
To hear the entire message of the day listen to Next Step Episode #202 at www.epostle.net

*The "Key" is the weekly newsletter of the St. Peter Armenian Church in Glendale, California. Jesus asked the Disciples, “Who do YOU say that I am?” Peter responded “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus promised the Keys to the Kingdom for this profession of faith. (Mt 16) At the St. Peter, Glendale Parish, our faith and actions are based on that same profession of faith. It is the Key that opens the doors to our journey as Christians...

A Blessed Fate of the Blessed Curtain

2012-04-15T02:42:00.000-07:00

Guest editorial in the "Key" Newsletter - April 15, 2012 by Rev. Dr. Zaven Archpriest Arzoumanian

During the Holy Week as we sang heartfelt melodies at St. Peter Armenian Church in Glendale, we read in between Gospel pas-sages regarding the last days of Our Lord on earth before His Crucifixion. “The curtain of the Jerusalem Temple was rent into two from top to the bottom” at the time Christ was crucified, as said in the Gospels. An amazing sign had its blessed echo in this lively church of St. Peter, headed by its Pastor the Reverend Father Vazken Movsesian.

The church was packed on Palm Sunday, and before his sermon the Pastor announced quietly that the large and heavy curtain of the Holy Altar, ten years already in use, was to be replaced by a new curtain, donated by a faithful. We figured at least a couple of months needed before the replacement.

Two days later, on Holy Tuesday, while the Primate was presiding over the Ten Virgins ceremony, the new curtain was already in place and the dedication took place the same evening, again very quietly. We were amazed! A pair of large size gold-laced Armenian-style Crosses graced the new curtain. The old curtain was folded properly and laid on the side of the lower step of the Holy Altar.

Remember the curtain in the Jerusalem Temple was rent INTO TWO. So far at St. Peter one part of the story became a blessed reality: the curtain is hanging gracefully, naturally looking brighter than the old. But the real story stems from the other part of the Jerusalem’s Curtain: What to do with the old curtain that had absorbed sweet incense every week for ten years along with the fervent prayers of the faithful?

Ordinarily anything old replaced by new is quietly discarded. But not when it comes to the genius attention of Father Vazken Movsesian, an outstanding and caring priest of the Western Diocese, as well as the hard working Pastor of St. Peter parish for the past decade. This is what we heard him announcing on Easter Sunday as I was the Celebrant and waiting to deliver the sermon upon his kind invitation.

“Tomorrow according to our Church Calendar is a Memorial Day. There will be a Requiem Service for all our beloved departed souls. Following the service I will ask the ladies of this parish to come equipped with scissors to cut the old curtain most carefully to fit each part as a single blanket to be distributed to the homeless and to the poor.”

What a blessed fate to a curtain that remained faithfully hanging before the Holy Altar of Christ, His Cross indeed! From now on the poor will continue praying for them and for us. Our prayers shall meet wherever the blankets reach. Good for you and thank you Father Vazken our Brother in Christ.

Palm Sunday - "Key" Message 2012

2012-04-01T03:06:00.000-07:00

Parish Priest’s Message from the “Key” Newsletter – 1 April 2012

I congratulate all of our faithful people who completed the Lenten period successfully. Through your vigilance, you have opened your hearts and spirits to Christ’s unfailing love. Today, Palm Sunday, we remember Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. You are a participant in that victory through Lent and today Jesus enters your hearts and lives in a very special manner. Congratulations!

Today begins one of the most sacred periods in Christianity. It marks the journey of our Lord Jesus Christ, as he enters the Holy City of Jerusalem, is betrayed, face and be convicted false accusations and charges. He is condemned to death, crucified and buried. Of course, we know how the story ends, with the glorious Resurrection next Sunday. But in the meantime, the journey to the cross is a spiritual journey that we are invited to take through Holy Week. It is our way of “walking with Christ” through His trials, passion and crucifixion.

In the Armenian Church we not only commemorate these days with services, but we invite people to participate in the walk to the cross. Each of our services have opportunities for participation. During the 10 maid-ens young kids hold candles as described in Matthew 25; at “feet washing” we participate as described in John 13; and at the burial we walk below the grave. Please follow the Easter Week Schedule we’ve provided and participate in one of the most beautiful week’s services. ~ Fr. Vazken

The “Key” is the weekly newsletter of the St. Peter Armenian Church, Glendale, CA – Jesus asked the Disciples, “Who do YOU say that I am?” Peter responded “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus promised the Keys to the Kingdom for this profession of faith. (Mt 16) At the St. Peter, Glendale Parish, our faith and actions are based on that same profession of faith. It is the Key that opens the doors to our journey as Christians...

"Advent" Sunday - Lent 2012

2012-03-25T03:10:00.000-07:00

Parish Priest’s Message from the “Key” Newsletter – 25 March 2012

The Lenten Season winds down this week.

On this last Sunday of Lent, our Church Fathers direct our attention to the Second Coming of Christ. This Sunday is known as “Advent Sunday” or “Coming.”

Most often the words “Second Coming” conjure in our minds images of the end-times. And because those thought remind us of our own mortality, we’re fearful to approach the subject in a sincere and mature manner. Hence we have discussions of Mayan calendars and 2012 brought to us courtesy of Hollywood and the pop culture.

Jesus, in no uncertain terms, tells that NO ONE knows the date and time of the end. Instead, he instructs us to “Set our minds on God’s Kingdom and all else will follow.” (Matt 5-7). That being the case, the Christian must always be ready to meet his/her Maker and to give an accounting of his/her life.

It is for this reason that our Church Father’s have instructed us through the scriptural readings of the day, to seek the path of humility, to love others and show compassion. Quite simply, it comes down to this: The best way to be prepared for the Second Coming of Christ is to follow the lessons of His FIRST Coming, namely to love and love without hesitation. -Fr. Vazken

Hear Fr. Vazken’s Advent message at Youtube.com/armodoxy

The Unrighteous Judge - "Key" Message

2012-03-18T03:16:00.000-07:00

Parish Priest’s Message from the “Key” Newsletter – 18 March 2012

The story of the Unrighteous Judge, is the last parable in a trilogy prescribed to us by the Armenian Church during the Lenten Season. It emphasizes the actions of an unrighteous individual and makes him out to be the hero of the story.

Today, in the sermon we will examine this character and the lesson he gives re-garding prayer. But there’s more to today's story…

Unlike other parables, this one exposes its purpose up front. The evangelist St. Luke writes, “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” Perhaps it was because there was room for misunderstanding and confusion that St. Luke offers this preface. I mention this because many times we’re eager to find explanations for the events of life which seem like they fall upon us randomly. Seeking a Lukean explanation is also part of the Lenten journey.

This is a time for prayer and meditation, introspection and inspection of motives and feelings. The parable of the Judge is filled with opportunities to grow during these last weeks of Lent. I challenge you to look at the story and then look within. See yourself in the story and then push yourself outside of the confines it presents.

These past three Sundays—Prodigal, Steward and Judge—are all about looking within and finding the opportunity to grow spiritually, in the Eyes of God, but also for our own peace of mind. -Fr. Vazken

Hear Fr. Vazken’s “Judge” message at Youtube.com/armodoxy

Managerial Skills Wanted - "Key" Message on Steward

2012-03-11T03:20:00.000-07:00

Parish Priest’s Message from the “Key” Newsletter – 11 March 2012

Managerial Skills Wanted

Once a year, we get the short-end of the stick as we lose an hour for Daylight Sav-ings Time. Unless you live in Arizona, this morning you woke up with an hour missing from your life. We reconcile with the no-tion, because in the Fall we get it back, still it bothers us because TIME is so precious. In fact, it is in such short supply that it has value, sparking sayings such as “time is money.”

This Sunday, the Armenian Church focuses its attention on the second of character in a trilogy of parable-heroes offered to us by Christ. Last week we studied the Prodigal Sunday, this week we look at the Dishonest Steward (Luke 16).

The theme is stewardship today. The day begs us to reflect on our managerial skills. How do we use the gifts that God has given us? Life is the gift given to us by God. That life is measured by time. Each of us is blessed with unique talents by the Grace of God, talents that give us identity. The chal-lenge therefore is to manage our time so that our talents are used for the betterment of our families, communities and ulti-mately, the world.

This Sunday of Lent, take an inventory of your talents. Find means by which your talents can reflect the Love of God.

“Let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so they will praise your Father in heaven.” (Matt. 5)

-Fr. Vazken

Hear Fr. Vazken’s “Steward” message at Youtube.com/armodoxy

The Three Bad Guys of Lent - "Key" Message on Prodigal

2012-03-04T03:22:00.000-08:00

Parish Priest’s Message from the “Key” Newsletter – 4 March 2012

These next three Sundays of Lent are made unusual by the Armenian Church because they highlight characters that are not ordinarily associated with the church or with Christian living. In fact, they are plain and simply, bad character.

Today is called the Sunday of the Prodigal Son (Lk15), next Sunday is the Dishonest Steward (Lk 16) and the Sunday after is the Unrighteous Judge (Lk 17). Imagine that! Christ uses these immoral and horrendous characters to teach us about his Loving Truth!

Perhaps the greatest message we find in these stories is about the trans-forming power of God. That is, if we allow him, God can take each of us, with our faults and frailties and transform us. Christ turned the Prodigal Son, the Steward and the Judge into the heroes of the stories. He is the same Christ who took the words of condemnation “take and eat ” (of the forbidden fruit) and turned them into the words of salvation, “take and eat, this is my body.”

Our Church Fathers designated this period of Lent for self-evaluation. With the messages we receive through our heightened prayer life, our scriptural readings and the Sundays of Lent, we have a golden opportunity to be transformed. Take advantage of this time. It’s an opportunity like no other for renewal and fulfillment in life. -Fr. Vazken

Hear Fr. Vazken’s “Prodigal” message at Youtube.com/armodoxy

Returning Home - Lent 2012

2012-02-26T03:29:00.000-08:00

Parish Priest’s Message from the “Key” Newsletter – 26 February 2012

Home! And this is my room - and you're all here! And I'm not going to leave here ever, ever again, because I love you all! And -- Oh, Auntie Em -- there's no place like home!

At the end of the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy recites these memorable words. She reminds us that there is a very special place in each of our lives where we feel safe. It’s a place where we are loved unconditionally. It’s a place full of warmth and acceptance. It can be called paradise, but even better, its called home.

Welcome to the first official Sunday of Lent. While last week we celebrated “Poon Paregentan” today is called “Expulsion” Sunday—reminding us of lost paradise.

The world and the life that God has created was paradise. It has so much potential, but because of our discontentment we are purged from paradise. We know God gives us paradise, but we choose paths that take us father and father away from home. In Genesis is referred to as the original sin of trying to be like God.

The Lenten period allows us to focus in on paradise lost, to count our blessing, to see what really matters in our lives. In a word, it’s a chance to see that our lives may not be perfect - that they are far from paradise- but that there’s no place like home. -Fr. Vakzen