LJ 2021 – Day 13 – Critique

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Lenten Journey 2021:
Faith in a Post Pandemic World
by Fr. Vazken Movsesian

 

Day 13: Critique

Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you? … Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again. – Jesus (John 8:10-11)

Criticism can be hurtful to a sensitive soul. Often it is, especially when aimed at the person’s character. During Lent we tone down our lives and patterns, increase the time and quality of our prayer life, with self-improvement as a goal. Listen to the voice of criticism. Is it from the outside? Or is it from within? Do the ones from without matter? Is the one from within your harshest critic? Today, listen to the voice of Jesus. Self-confidence is a step toward self-improvement.
Image: Pixabay

LJ2021 – Day 12 – Beauty

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Welcome to the the Lenten Journey 2021:
Faith in a Post Pandemic World
by Fr. Vazken Movsesian

 

Day 12: Beauty
Do not give what is holy to dogs; and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and turn and maul you. – Jesus (Matthew 7:6)

 
There is superficial beauty and there is intrinsic beauty. In a life lived in Faith, these two types intersect, and not necessarily at only one point. Outer beauty shines and is pleasant to look at, while inner beauty shines bright through the outer layers, radiating. In this pandemic era, more than ever, we are learning that outer beauty must never be so thick as to not let the inner shine through. During the Lenten season make note of beauty – yours and that of others – and keep it holy.
Photo: Wallpaperflare

 

Mister & a Sister

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Mister & the Sister
Next Step #664 – February 25, 2021 – Mr. Potato head loses his top. Silliness abounds as the world death numbers increase; Calculated moves for profit. Connecting to the Expulsion story. The COVID-19 vaccine gives a metaphor for us to find faith in the post-pandemic era.
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LJ2021 – Day 11 – Vaccine

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Welcome to the the Lenten Journey 2021:
Faith in a Post Pandemic World
by Fr. Vazken Movsesian

 

Day 11: Vaccine
But be alert; I have already told you everything. – Jesus (Mark 13:23)


In our post-pandemic world we have found a new savior, it is the vaccine. Today, we have vaccines that are our collective-hope against the coronavirus, COVID-19. A vaccine is “a product that stimulates a person’s immune system to produce immunity to a specific disease, protecting the person from that disease.” We are rushing to vaccinate ourselves, as we did in the past against such wicked menaces as polio, smallpox, diphtheria, to name a few of the diseases that no longer pose threats to mass populations. During the Lenten season we hear the warnings given to us by Jesus, “… be aware…” and understand them to produce the necessary immunity against evil and ungodliness. These are the vaccines against spiritual death, and we discover them under the prescription of prayer, fasting and charity.
Photo: Singularity Hub 2021

LJ2021 – Day 10 – Desire

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Welcome to the the Lenten Journey 2021:
Faith in a Post Pandemic World
by Fr. Vazken Movsesian

 

 

Day 10: Desire
Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses. – Jesus (Luke 12)

 
We are driven and motivated to succeed by our wants and desires. In fact, they are strong motivators. The more we want, the more we are driven to secure the objects of our desire. To covet something, sets us multiple traps in front of us because the object of our desire does not belong to us. The greatest of our disappointments in life are when we have expectations that cannot possibly be fulfilled. During the Lenten season we take inventory of the talents and resources that we can claim as our own. What makes me, me? What is outside of us, we must evaluate and be certain that it is not covetousness that is motivating us, but a true desire for self-improvement.
Photo: Desire, Public Domain

LJ2021 – Day 9 – Value

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Welcome to the the Lenten Journey 2021:
Faith in a Post Pandemic World
by Fr. Vazken Movsesian

 

Day 9: Value
Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. – Jesus (Luke 12)
 
People ascribe significance and value to things. We may forget something that we have labeled as insignificant or we may throw away something which we deem as having no value. Can you imagine a life where everything has significance and everything has value? The blue skies, the rocky mountains, the baby extending her hand to mommy, and even the ant marching across your front porch, are all creations of God. During Lent, we come to understand that everyone and everything is part of God’s creation, and therefore, like us, everything is worthy of care, compassion and love.
Photo: Spider on Flower, 2016 Fr. Vazken

LJ2021 – Day 8: Ordinary

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Welcome to the the Lenten Journey 2021:
Faith in a Post Pandemic World
by Fr. Vazken Movsesian

 

Day 8: Ordinary
 
“See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing…” – Jesus (Mark 1)
 
Extraordinary events will surprise us into expressive responses (sometimes overwhelmingly expressive responses). You cannot help contain your emotions when something unexpected happens – news that you won a prize, learning your child achieved at top levels in school, the announcement that your loved one has overcome a deadly disease. The word ‘miracle’ is thrown around to describe such events. Jesus makes a point of telling those whom he heals, to not share the news of their recovery. Perhaps what we consider as a miraculous event is merely an ordinary occurrence in a life lived in faith. Lent grants us that opportunity to stay calm in the face of the unexpected, discover the miracles that are all around us, and therefore, celebrate and respond to all of life.

LJ2021 – Day 7 – Kindness

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Welcome to the the Lenten Journey 2021:
Faith in a Post Pandemic World
by Fr. Vazken Movsesian

 

 

Day 7 – Kindness

“Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.  You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet” – Jesus (Luke 7:44-46)

 
Kindness is the sharing of blessings. Blessings come from God. As humans we are overwhelmed by God’s goodness and graces. It is easy to lose sight of our responsibility to share the blessings we have. Lent is a time to take an inventory of blessings – talent, family, health, work, wealth – and share them, thereby making kindness a responsibility of Christian existence.
Photo: Music vdub, Yerevan 2014

LJ2021 – Day 6 – In Between

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Welcome to the the Lenten Journey 2021:
Faith in a Post Pandemic World
by Fr. Vazken Movsesian

 

 

 
The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” – Jesus (John 3:8)
Day 6: In Between
Not long ago we could see, either with our eyes or with our minds’ eye, the connection between two telephones. A chord came out of the telephone we talked into, and a chord went into the telephone of the person to whom we were talking. And even if we didn’t understand the technology, we knew that there were solid wires connecting those phones, whether those phones were next door to each other, across town or across the country. Today, we pick up a cell phone and talk to another person somewhere else on this planet. There are no wires in between those two phones. We talk and we hear without knowing what’s in between, but we’re certain there is something that is carrying those sound waves between those two phones. We talk and we hear God, without seeing what’s in between us, but we know there has to be something connecting us. Look for the connections – a good work or deed, a mother’s prayer over us, a tear from our eyes signaling our compassion. It is the Spirit at work.

LJ2021 – Day 5 – Silence

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 Welcome to the the Lenten Journey 2021: Faith in a Post Pandemic World

 

Daily meditations during the Lenten Season

by Fr. Vazken Movsesian

 

Day 5: Silence

This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. (John 8)

As life unfolds and takes its twists and turns it demands a reaction from us. We often find it necessary to react with words. A clever word here, a meaningful remark there, are quick and easy means by which we share our understanding of a situation. Words convey thoughts. Words articulate ideas. Silence, the underrated reaction to life, is sometimes necessary more than our words, to truly understand what is around us. Silence, quiet utterances of the soul, can lead to peace.