Seize the Opportunity

/0 Comments/in

Road to Healing – Lenten Journey 2014
Day 3:
Play Now: 

“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.

Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for epostle.net
Get A Lenten Journey with Fr. Vazken delivered by email
View in iTunes
Now Playing on BluBrry

Awareness

/0 Comments/in

Road to Healing – Lenten Journey 2014
Day 2:
Play Now: 

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, money, food, leisure, manipulation, and power, we find ways of escaping the pain, only to find that we’ve treated 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 is Fr. Vazken, praying with you for the strength to say, Yes I want to be healed.

Reference – Gospel of St. John Chapter 5

Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for epostle.net
Get A Lenten Journey with Fr. Vazken delivered by email
View in iTunes
Now Playing on BluBrry

Road to Healing – Lenten Journey 2014

/0 Comments/in

Road to Healing – Lenten Journey 2014
Day 1:
Play Now: 

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 awoke 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 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. 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 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/

Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for epostle.net