Liberty Experiment

/0 Comments/in ,

Armodoxy for Today: Liberty

During elections, such as the one we just had in the United States, questions about democracy and freedom always surface. Democracy in America has been referred to as an experiment because there are so many variables at play that can influence the outcome. All of these variables come in the form of human decisions and reactions, which raises the number of possible results exponentially. The brilliance of the U.S. Constitution is that it puts into place a system of checks and balances. For about 250 years democratic principles of equal rights, general suffrage and government by the people have been tested and tried, retested and retried. The system is far from perfect, but still, the move forward is to strive for the “goal” as outlined by the Constitution.

The Declaration of Independence, signed in 1776, claims that “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.”

These words are beautifully and thoughtfully crafted at a time when independence was only a dream for a group who had escaped the tyranny and ties of the Crown. Within the Declaration of Independence cries of human suffering can be heard. True religion has advocated for human rights, and has been a voice for freedom and liberty, during oppressive history.

The Armenian Church has lived within monarchies, kingdoms, dictatorships, oppressive and barbaric regimes, and even through atheistic Soviet society. The Gospel Message of Christ is greater than any political ideology and must maintain its integrity despite the political climate of the age. The Gospel is a message of freedom is unlike any liberty that can be offered by governments or political entities. The Gospel is given to us by Jesus Christ, the Great Liberator. In the worst of situations, a person can be free. In the most lucrative and decorative lifestyles, a person may be imprisoned.

When reflecting on political realities and events that affect and ultimately control life, equality, oppression, human suffering and liberation, take a moment to first reflect on you – us – and our commitment to ideals greater than ourselves. What are the true restrictions that are placed on our lives? What is it that oppresses us? Where is our liberation?

The Armenian Church refers to the message of Jesus as “ansud khosdum,” that is, His words that cannot lie. In that context of absolute truth, the Armenian Church has presented His message, I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (John 10:10) Put the pieces together and you realize that that abundance is beyond physical measurements. It is in this central message of Liberation that the Armenian Church – Armodoxy – came to guide and direct the people through suffering and oppression. The greatest expression of Liberty is when we use our God-given power to create our own lives.

We pray today, Heavenly Father, bless those who bless you. Give wisdom to those who lead. Keep us vigilant in our commitment to pursue that which is necessary, namely life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Keep us focused on our commitment to work for peace on earth, harmony and understanding between us and our fellow human being. Amen.

2025 Reclaim: In a world defined by Artificial Intelligence… Reclaiming Reality!

/0 Comments/in
📢 Save the Date: March 22, 2025
🌐 RECLAIM Reality: Fact & Fiction in a World of Artificial Intelligence
Dive into the fascinating intersection of technology, faith, and truth. Join us for an eye-opening event that explores the role of AI in shaping reality.
🗓 March 22, 2025
📍 Stay tuned for more details!
Sponsored by ePostle, a Mission of the Western Diocese.

Civility

/0 Comments/in ,

Armodoxy for Today: Civilization

In one of his campaign speeches, Vice Presidential nominee, Tim Walz, reminded us of a nice tradition that exists at the end of team sports. At the end of a game, one team wins, and another loses, yet both teams find their way to the middle of the playing field and acknowledge their opponent with a handshake or hand bump, while proclaiming “Good game” as they pass by the person that had perhaps tackled them or fouled a ball out of their hand. Walz, who was a high school teacher and coached the football team, said that this tradition promoted sportsmanship. At the end of the game, both teams acknowledge one another with the words “Good game.”

Soccer and water polo were the games of choice in our house. I remember several times when I watched my kids play hard and play their hearts out against a team only to lose. You could tell that the thought of going up to their opponent and saying “Good game” was uncomfortable and verging on protest. But the rules of the league prevailed, and we’d watch the kids go through this ritual and we parents would soon follow the line and nod to the parents on the other team. Sometimes when the competition was extremely fierce and you’d watch the other parents humiliate themselves and their children by yelling and screaming on the side lines, you really didn’t feel like shaking hands with these people, but, what’s good for the children is also good for the parents. And so, we’d offer a Good-Game-bump to our counterparts. It was a simple lesson in sportsmanship that we all knew was necessary as a lesson in life.

As the elections came to a close yesterday, one candidate reached out to the other and conceded the election. Her concession remarks were dignified and reminded me of the way things used to be.

There is nothing uniquely Christian about dignity, sportsmanship, or courtesy. These traits belong to the family of humanity. They are classified under civility and by definition are the foundation of civilization – our ability to work together. In Armenian, kaghakavar or kaghakagrtutiun comes from the same root word, civil. As Armodoxy attests, the message given to us at the beginning of Christ’s ministry is heard from the angels, “Peace on Earth, Goodwill toward one another.” The purpose of all true religion is to seek harmony and understanding among people. And ours is to be a reminder of this simple truth – perhaps with a handshake, or a hand bump, or simply to acknowledge another by proclaiming, You played a good game.

From the Book of Hours of the Armenian Church we pray, Peace and life, Only Begotten Son of God, give us Your peace, that You grant to Your holy apostles by breathing into them Your life-giving and all-powerful Holy Spirit, so that having found our peace from worldly commotions, we may become a temple and an inhabitation of Your grace, and may give thanks to You together with the Father and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Casting Votes

/0 Comments/in ,

After I turned in my ballot today, the attendant gave me a sticker with the words, “I VOTED” in large white caps screaming patriotically across a back drop of red and blue. In much smaller print, the same statement was made in 15 other languages, including Armenian – Ես քվեարկել եմ – and as if that small bit of reinforcement for my action was not enough, the attendant then turned to me and said, “Thank you for voting.”

I’m very observant when it comes to manners and appreciate a “please” here and a “thank you” there, but this “Thank you for voting” seemed a bit out of place, just enough to get my mind wandering. And thank you for working at the polling place, right? Why wouldn’t I vote? I’ve been voting since I turned 18 and my grandmother gave me an application, ordering me to fill it out. Voting was serious business for her!

All four of my grandparents were genocide survivors. They arrived on the shores of the United States in the 1920s after being exiled from their homes in historic Armenia. They left the oppressive regime of the Ottoman Turks. They lost parents, children and family members in violent and inhumane acts perpetrated upon them during the Armenian Genocide between 1915 and 1923. America was a safe haven, a place where potentials could be exploited thanks to a freedom to pursue your dreams. They took their citizenship seriously and exercised their right to vote. It was always interesting to me, that they never took freedom for granted.

I remember my grandparents talking about America in grateful terms. America has no obligation to us, they would say, and yet, she opens her doors and gives us an opportunity to live and prosper in peace. Long before Kennedy phrased it, that early generation of immigrants lived it: Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. And they did. They lived, worked, struggled, paid their taxes, served in the military, and took any opportunity they could to thank God for America. I wondered if my grandparents had read those Armenian words on the sticker would have felt that now they had arrived? Or perhaps they would have taken it more in stride and wondered why all the fuss? Of course, we voted!

Throughout the election season, I often thought of my grandparents, their generation and the America which gave them sanctuary. I cross compared their attitudes and now ours, and just how much we take for granted. I also thought of the great American experiment and how fragile it is, and can it survive being taken for granted?

Today as we pray, our prayer is no different than any other that I’ve taught here on Armodoxy for Today. It’s not about God interceding and helping our economy or shielding us against bombs, it’s a prayer for wisdom for us – the people who live and work here – to wake up and never take this freedom for granted; to build up this sanctuary which houses hopes and gives opportunities for dreams. It’s in our hands.

From St. Nersess Shnorhali’s 11th hour of worship, Jesus, Wisdom of the Father, grant us your wisdom, to think, speak and do that which is good in your sight. Save me from evil thoughts, words and deeds. Have mercy on all your creatures and on me. Amen.

The Ararat Label

/0 Comments/in ,

Armodoxy for Today: The Ararat Label

The term “virtual” has taken on some new meaning in the last few decades with the popularity of the internet. It is used to describe something that does not physically exist but is made by software to appears as if it does. That describes the way most Armenians understand Mount Ararat.

The mountain range is easily visible from the moment one arrives in Armenia at the Zvartnots Airport and shows itself especially nicely from the capital city of Yerevan. And if by chance the air is foggy or misty, and a cloud covering hides the mountain, Ararat is seen on logos of coffee shops, souvenirs and just about any type of clothing accessory one can imagine. Most homes have a picture of the twin-peaked mountain hanging somewhere in the house. And if you’re a visitor to Armenia, you receive a small ink graphic of Ararat stamped in your passport when you arrive. I mention this as an oddity because the Ararat Mountain is not in the borders of Armenia. Currently, that land is occupied by Turkey and exists within its borders on internation maps. But Mount Ararat is purely Armenian as is attested by the name itself.

Ararat is the theme of songs, and poems. Even during the Soviet years (1920-1991) when nationalism was played down or discouraged with the large scale punishment, Ararat was the theme of poem and prose. Armenia’s beloved poet, Yeghishé Charents wrote the words that are recited and sung; and they even stretch across a picturesque arch saying, “Travel the world and there is no white capped peak as beautiful as Ararat … it is the road to glory, unreachable, I love Mount Masis.” (another name for Ararat).

For Armenians, Mount Ararat is a national symbol. It’s our mountain and it always will be. This feeling is so strongly reinforced in the collective consciousness of the people that we – Armenians – often forget that the mountain’s claim-to-fame on the international scene is thanks to a reference in the Book of Genesis chapter 8, as the resting place of Noah’s Ark.

A few years back, I was invited to celebrate the Divine Liturgy in Nashville, Tennessee. It is considered a “mission parish” meaning that there is no permenent priest to pastor the small flock. A dear friend picked us up from the airport and on our way to the services we flew past an exit sign on the freeway boldly marked, “Ararat Cemetery next right.” A big smile came on my face. The sign, and the cemetery it pointed to, were indicators that there were Armenians in Tennessee. Any congregation that was running a cemetery must be ready to have graduated from mission parish status. Of course, I was operating on the notion that Ararat implied Armenian.

As we got closer to the cemetery, the sign read, “Ararat Baptist Cemetery.” It was, in fact, run by the local Baptist Church with absolutely no Armenian ties or overtones. The name pointed to the Biblical Mountain which is accepted by all of Christendom.

Much of what we believe, we are conditioned to believe. I’ve spent my entire life associating things labeled “Ararat” – from the local nursing home, to the bubbly water, from the restaurant to a type of slippers, to the cognac – with the Armenian nation. If we had not taken an extra step to take a closer look at the sign, I would have lived with the illusion of believing Tennessee had an Armenian cemetery. Issues of the faith are even more important than discovering what’s under a label. Whether a cemetery or an article of faith, take a moment to go beyond the label.

We pray from the Book of Hours, “Heavenly King, my soul is in Your care at all times and I trust in Your holy Cross. I have the multitude of saints as my intercessors before You. You are forbearing toward all, do not disregard those who rely on You, but protect them with peace by Your precious and Holy cross. Amen.

An Armenian Seminary in Armonk

/2 Comments/in ,

Armodoxy for Today: An Armenian Seminary in Armonk

In New York State, very close to the Connecticut border, there is a small town of almost 3,500 residents called Armonk. It’s an interesting name indeed, considering there is an Armenian monastery in this town, that might have you believe the town was named as a tribute to Armenian monastics, as in, Armenian + monk, shortened to, Armonk. But, like most New England settlements, there is a history to the town that predates the arrival of Armenians to the shores of the United States.  But the history that concerns us today is not the town but the Armenian Seminary, sprawled over 5.5 acres in this town. I had a chance to visit St. Nersess Armenian Seminary and meet with seminarians over the weekend. 

The St. Nersess Armenian Seminary was established in 1961 by the Eastern and Western Dioceses of the Armenian Church. It was the brainchild of Archbishop Tiran Nersoyan, of blessed memory (1904-1989). Archbishop Tiran was a visionary who understood that the needs of the Armenian Church in America and its congregants are unique. Preparing clergy to meet those needs must come from within the community.  St. Nersess was first opened in Evanston, Illinois and moved to New Rochelle, New York until the 2012 when the move was made to the Armonk campus. There is a link to the Seminary’s website where you can read about its history and programs. https://stnersess.edu/about/our-history/

Diocesan bishops set the guidelines for candidates who are pursuing a ministry in the priesthood. After undergraduate studies, a candidate may earn his post graduate degree through the St. Nersess Armenian Seminary and then further his studies at one of the hierarchical seas. The instruction they receive at St. Nersess augments their studies with specific lessons in Armenian Church theology, patristics, history, homiletics and liturgics. Most importantly, as I witnessed in my visit with the seminarians, St. Nersess offers an environment where young men can be with like-minded people, in an atmosphere of prayer, contemplation and comradery. In our secularized society, this in itself is enough to celebrate the importance of St. Nersess in the life of the Armenian Church in America. A priest’s life can be a lonely one, but God fills that loneliness with friendships that revolve around the Gospel of Love.

In the Gospel of Matthew (chapter 10) Jesus sends His Disciples “out like sheep among wolves.” And admonishes them to, “be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.

The priests of tomorrow will be coming from our midst. In a world that is filled with lies, deception and false narratives, the children of today and tomorrow are in search of the most basic element of life, namely Truth. The Armenian Church has offered that Truth for the last 2000 years in presenting Jesus Christ – “The Way, the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6) – to its people. And today it is being heralded to the world.

Today, we offer a prayer for our priests and those contemplating the priesthood, O Jesus, our great High Priest, hear my humble prayers on behalf of your priests. Give them a deep faith, a bright and firm hope and a burning love which will ever increase in the course of their priestly life. In their loneliness, comfort them. In their sorrows, strengthen them. Amen.

Three Locations

/0 Comments/in ,

Armodoxy for Today: Three Location

Every good real estate agent can tell you that the number one rule in real estate is location, location, location. Repeating it three times emphasizes its importance. Identical homes can increase or decrease in value due to their location. So choose location wisely when purchasing.

The same rule holds true in life with the exception that in life only one of the three locations is chosen by us, the client, while the other two are more of chance landings. We are all born into this world – into this life – without our consent. We have no choice as to when or where we are born. On the other end, we may feel we have more to say about our death, but often it takes place without our consent. The only location that we have control over is the third one, which is the life spent between birth and death.

This three location reality is best understood by glancing at a gravestones. Most of them have three symbols etched on them. The first is the person’s date of birth. We have no control over when or where we are born. The second location is the date of death. The third symbol is the dash that separates the date of birth from the date of death. That dash represents our lives and is the only section of life that is mostly in our control. Some dashes are short others are long, but the real quality of the dash is its thickness.

Life and how we live it is up to us. It is the dash – the life we live – that has meaning

Once a young seminarian in a monastery, in a display of youthful pride, decided to play a trick on the one of the oldest and wisest monks. He held a butterfly in his hand and brought his fingers together to cover the small insect. He asked the monk if the butterfly was dead or alive? He thought to himself, if the elderly man answers alive, I will crush the butterfly and prove him wrong. If he answers dead, I will open my fist and the butterfly will fly out. Either way the monk will be wrong and humiliated because the young student had shown him wrong.

Approaching the monk, the young man held the captive butterfly in his fist behind his back. “Old man, tell me, is the butterfly I am holding, dead or alive?” The old monk, not to be tricked replied, “The answer is in your hand.”

Maturity of Faith, which is the theme of this week, requires us to take responsibility for our lives, to recognize that God has entrusted us with our lives and it’s up to us to be part of the answer to, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done.” We are the ones who fatten the dash – the life between our birth and life – and we take the responsibility on whether the butterfly flies or is crushed.

Let us pray, Lord help me to understand your love through the trust you have put into our humble efforts.  tremendous trust you have in me and in humanity. Give me the strength to stand responsibly before you as I follow your commandments and do that which is pleasing in your sight. Amen.