Small Steps to Big Changes

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Armodoxy for Today: Small Steps

Richard Dawson was a popular game show host during the 1970s. In one episode of the “Family Feud,” he came out to the cheers of the studio audience and in front of the millions who had tuned in to the weekly show. He took a long puff from a cigarette, exhaled, threw the butt on the floor, stamped it out, turned to camera and exclaimed, “That was my last cigarette!” The audience cheered even louder. And then, without missing a beat, he added, “… for the rest of the show.”

Often, we are overwhelmed with the size and magnitude of our dilemmas and problems. The war in Ukraine has been going on for a couple of years. Artsakh was taken over by the Azeris. The war in Gaza has taken the form of a genocide and though the bombing may have stopped, realists know that the conflicts are much bigger than a seeming ceasefire would indicate. Next to wars, our planet is threatened by weather changes, overbearing populations and food shortages. Add to these global issues our own private and personal challenges of health, finance and relationships and it’s easy to see why so many people are overwhelmed, and diagnosis of depression is on the up. We have heard the Chinese proverb, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step,” but our gaze is usually stretched out so far ahead that we fear inevitable defeat. We succumb to those fears and abandon the run.

Armodoxy is discovered in the long run. It has been cultivated through a history of overwhelming odds for survival and has pulled through. Armodoxy came from a people who thanked God for the day and found themselves in continuous prayer for millennia. It is the small victories, the day-to-day accomplishments that add and make the entire story of life. The smoking habit is overcome by putting out that first cigarette. That long race is won by taking the first step. Peace is achieved by the small expressions of compassion and understanding.

Take a moment to enjoy the victory of a single minute, hour, day, year and you’ll find that the prize is a life filled with meaning and purpose.

Today we pray a prayer from the Armenian Church’s Book of Hours, Jamakirk, Lord our God, we give thanks to You, for You have granted us to pass this day in peace. Grant us, O Lord, to pass this evening and the night before us without sin and stumbling, and to stand firm and abide steadfastly in faith, in hope and in love and in the observance of Your commandments. Give peace to the world and stability to Your holy Church and salvation to our souls. For to You is befitting glory, dominion, and honor, now and forever and ever. Amen.

Heart heard Prayers

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Daily Message – Listening with the heart

In our Daily Message about prayer, we defined prayer as a conversation involving speaking as well as listening. The art of listening is not limited to a function of the ears. For instance, in the Lord’s prayer, the request to forgive our trespasses, or sins, is dependent on our ability to forgive others who trespass against us.

The act of listening, in this case, requires that we contemplate our pattern of forgiveness. To listen, means we reflect on all those who have hurt us, “trespassed” against us, and ask ourselves sincerely, if we have forgiven them. For the condition of forgiveness from God is dependent on our forgiveness of others. “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Did we forgive them half of their debt? Then we can expect God to forgive half of our debt. In other words, by saying “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors,” we are responsible for our own reward or condemnation. By our own mouth we write out a ticket of peace or a path of torment. In fact, so great is this condition, that Jesus reiterates it at the conclusion of the “Lord’s Prayer.” In Matthew 6:14-15, Jesus adds these verses to the Lord’s Prayer, “If you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

Listening is the act of introspection. God talks to us on a multitude of levels – think of them as different frequencies and bandwidths. Don’t expect to hear the thunderous voice of God, if you first haven’t heard His soft whisper in your heart. It’s a voice that says look within, forgive and move forward. Converse with God and remember to listen, especially with your heart.

I share with you the prayer of St. Nersess Shnorhali, from the 23rd hour:

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, and forgive all my enemies, and those who hate me, the trespasses that they have committed against me, turn them from the malice which they bear towards me, that they may be worthy of Your mercy.

Cover: St. Gregory, Yerevan, 2023 Luna & Gregory Beylerian

Prayer basics

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Daily Message – Prayer

We hear it all the time: I’ll pray for you. You’re in my prayers. Keep me in your prayers. Pray for better days. Pray for good health. Pray for safety from enemies.

Before teaching his disciples how to pray, Jesus took a moment to teach them how not to pray. He said, “And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore, do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.”

Most of our ideas about prayer are compiled from different ideas we’ve heard throughout our lifetime, primarily along the lines that prayer is a conversation with God where we present Him with a list of our needs. In turn, we expect God to answer our prayers with a yes, no or maybe.

Clearly, Jesus tells us, that’s not what prayer is, since our “Father knows the things you need before you ask Him.”

If prayer is a conversation with God and not a monologue, nor a soliloquy, but a conversation, it is implied that talking and listening are involved. You see, God knows our needs, but perhaps we may not know our needs. Listening, as part of a conversation, allows to hear our request, to focus on them and find the solutions that are within our grasp.

For this reason, Jesus instructs us with a prayer that asks of God and demands that we listen.

From Matthew chapter 6, Jesus says, “Pray then like this, “Our Father who is in heaven, may Your Name be holy, may Your Kingdom come, may 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 and the Power and the Glory for ever and ever. Amen

The Peace Goal

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The Peace Goal

The journey through and to Armodoxy is a simple one. It does require, however, the openness of mind. Stories, clichés, phases, and general conversations are filled with idioms that are seldom questioned, but instead are repeated as part of unbridled conversation. For instance, when we say someone “Spilled the beans” we mean they gave away a secret and not that they were clumsy with pintos or favas. The expression, “Under the weather” has nothing to do with rain, sleet or snow, rather it’s a way of saying a person is feeling ill. There are thousands of these expressions that have made their way into daily conversations.

Some of these expressions have permeated our reasoning capabilities and we begin to think of them as truths or axioms. For instance, the expression, “You fight fire with fire,” means to fight against an opponent by using the same methods or weapons that the opponent uses, but if we were to think about it for a moment, we would quickly understand that it is fueling the kindle, which make bigger and bigger fires, which is certainly not a means of fighting a fire! When the same thoughtlessness is applied to bigger “fires” we quickly see that we have the ingredients for war.

Armodoxy comes from Armenia, a land and people that have fought fire with water. Here is a group of people that has been attacked and killed by barbarians. They have witnessed the rape and pillage of their country and people, and yet, they have survived and dare to talk about peace… lasting peace.

Armodoxy demands that we have an openness of mind, and a sense of reason to see the ends apart from the means. To understand that that the end is Peace.

Jesus says, ‘You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.” (Matthew 5:38f)

We now begin to understand that the goal of life and ultimately our relations is to bring Peace to the hurting world.

 

Translating to the Metaverse

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Armodoxy for Today: For Whom they Translated

In the Spirit of the Holy Translators and on the weekend of their feast day we, at Epostle, unveiled a new space: the first virtual Sunday School classroom. This opening took place at St. James Armenian Church in Los Angeles, in the presence of church members, parents and of course, the students at the school.

When Epostle first entered the metaverse in 2023 we shared the experience with the members of our community. We invited focus groups to gauge their reaction. Their experience, from group to group, seemed almost the same with slight variation. The patterns seemed to follow this order: At first sight members of the groups were in awe and amazed at the technology that allows for these virtual world. After a few minutes – maybe ten or so minutes – they would nod with a smile that expressed an affirmative reaction to the entire idea. And then… well, not much. It was interesting to us on the developing end. Why wasn’t their amazement pushing them to curiosity and investigation? Why weren’t they spending more time in these worlds?  One of the reasons could be that there was a learning curve and most people looked for instructions and cheat sheets to navigate around the metaverse. In other words, they were intrigued by the novelty of the metaverse, but it wasn’t a place they would engage with regularly. In common parlance, “A nice place to visit, but…”

However, we did notice something else in all the focus groups: the young kids. They didn’t need instruction. They sat at computers, phones or put on VR goggles and threw themselves into the environment! And so, we discovered our prime audience: Youth, under 16!

Our mission is to spread the Gospel, specifically with the tools of technology, hence, the name epostle as an electronic apostle. We moved forward with the creation of the virtual Sunday School classroom. And at the launch, it all paid off. While we were demonstrating the space to the parents, the students had already entered the space, jumping, running, exploring the virtual classroom which we have designated Lake Sevan – a learning center of ancient Armenian Christianity for the new generation.

In the Gospel of Matthew, we read that the little children came to Jesus, but the Disciples rebuked them. Why would Jesus, this Holy Man, want to waste his time with children, they thought. It is Jesus who sets the record straight, “Let the little children come to Me,” He says, “and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19)

The children have an innate love for God. Just as playing on computers, tablets and phones is second nature for them, the Kingdom of Heaven already belongs to the pure in heart. Just as they jumped into the metaverse environments boldly and without inhibition, so too they jump into the Love of God. The question that we must struggle with – and this is essential – is, what is it that we are teaching them? The curriculum and the teaching of the Armenian Church is simply to express the Love of God as it has been passed along through the centuries, in times of crisis and disaster, as well as times of joy. And then, – equally essential – is for us to take time to listen to them, the children. Jesus instructs as much. The experience of the Virtual Sunday School is one of listening to these young voices, their thoughts, their expressions and of course, their dreams.

Today’s prayer is written by Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, in the voice of the student: Lord, my God, my steps lead me to school. Protect me from all kinds of dangers and unkind thoughts, so that I may arrive at my destination safely and in peace. I pray to You tirelessly, for You are the Way, the Truth and the Life. Amen.

Translating Today

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Armodoxy for Today: Translator

Translating is the first step in understanding. The fact that there is so much misunderstanding in our world today points to an inability (or unwillingness) to translate. The Armenian Church celebrates the “Holy Translators” (Srbots Tarkmanchats), this coming weekend. The men in this group were not contemporaries of one another, that is, they lived in different time periods, separated over a span of 700 years or so, yet they are known as a group, The Holy Translators. Yesterday we looked at the group and found the common thread among them was their ability to communicate by simplifying that which was complicated and complex.

Jesus was the ultimate translator. He came to a world that was wrapped up in laws and regulations which kept people alienated from the essence of Faith, namely from God. He simplified it. With parables about wheat, seeds, soil, and talents, he simplified the most complex ideas of purpose and God-centeredness. He simplified the complicated laws. There are 617 laws in the Old Testament. Moses brought it down to 10 commandments. Jesus, simplified it even further, down to one word: Love. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind,” He answered when questioned which is the greatest commandment.  “And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-38)

Consider how simple this is. If you love God and love your neighbor, you can’t murder, you can’t lie, you can’t steal, you are filled with honor for others. Accordingly, it follows then, that the simplification of the law and the prophets was found in the person of Jesus Christ. He is the fulfilment of the law and prophets. He said so distinctly, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” (John 14:6)

The Holy Translators directed people to Christ. It was St. Nersess Shnorhali, the 12th century member of this group, who equated Christ with Love. “The name of Love is Jesus” he wrote in the Aravod Luso hymn. In pointing to Christ, the Holy Translators were pointing to love as the golden key of understanding. That is, through love, the most complex and complicated realities are translated and simplified.

The translators are persons in history, but we have translators in our midst today. Think of a mother, who stands between her husband, children, sometimes parents, sometimes extended family, and somehow translates the differing ideas and tones to bring about harmony. Think of the teacher who spends extra time with a student to assure him or her that there are options after a failed test. Or think of the priest who brings comfort to a family who cannot understand how they will survive the tragic loss of a loved one. These are all people who have accepted the invitation to translate, that is, to understand others. And the invitation is now given to us – you and me. Accept the invitation. Translate the complexity of bitterness, hatred, separatism, and everything else that prevents us from understanding one another, translate them to the simplicity of the message of Christ: love.

Let us pray, “Lord Christ our God, through the intercession of your Holy Translators, Saints Mesrob, Yeghishe, Movses the poet, David the invincible philosopher, Gregory of Narek and Nersess of Kla, I ask that you open my heart to understanding so that I may be in harmony with my surroundings and those with whom I come into contact. May I find joy in the simplicity of your Love commandment and keep that ever before me as I go through this life. In all things I glorify you with the Father and Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Heavens

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Armodoxy for Today: The Heavens

From the earliest of times, from the most ancient history of the human race and even before, people have looked up to the heavens only to stand in awe of its vastness and beauty. It has been the inspiration of poems, songs and prayers. For many, it has signaled the existence of the Creator, the Prime Mover, or simply, God.

Today we know that a dot in the night sky, what we may have called a star, may in fact be a vast galaxy, giant stars or even a black hole, in which great clusters of stars may have disappeared. A gaze up at the heavens, at the endless stars and movements of those celestial bodies causes us to wonder and ponder our existence. The fundamental questions of life come from our wonderment: Where did we come from? Why are we here? What is our purpose? Where are we going?

One of the sacred texts in the Armenian Church is the Book of Ecclesiasticus or, the Wisdom of Jesus Son of Sirac. It reads as a testament to the wonders of the heavens and as a prayer. I offer this reading as the author describes the heavens

I will now call to mind the works of the Lord,
and will declare what I have seen.
By the word of the Lord his works are made;
and all his creatures do his will.
The sun looks down on everything with its light,
and the work of the Lord is full of 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?

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.
 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.
Awesome is the Lord and very great,
and marvelous is his power.
Glorify the Lord and exalt him as much as you can,
for he surpasses even that.
When you exalt him, summon all your strength,
and do not grow weary, for you cannot praise him enough.
(Sirach 42-43 NRSV)

Phffft!

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Armodoxy for Today: Phfffft

A 1960s movie, with Jack Lemmon and Judy Holiday had the title “Phffft” which had everyone turning the pages of their dictionaries, looking for a meaning in that pre-Google age. Phffft is an onomatopoeic interjection representing a sudden cessation, disappearance, or an ending to something. It’s meant to simulate the sound of something disappearing in a puff of smoke. Phffft: It’s gone!

Letting go, for many people, is perhaps one of the most difficult things to do. Letting go means an end has come to a relationship and continuing life when that relationship is no longer an option. We are emotional creatures and continuity, as the word relationship implies, gives us stability. Letting go threatens that stability and therefore is often mixed with painful feelings.

Interestingly enough, we end our prayers with a statement that proclaims we have let go. The word, “Amen” is our resignation to the fact that we have turned over our cares to God. Amen is an affirmation of our trust, our hope and our faith in God. We end each prayer saying, “So be it” or “Let it be so.” Amen. It is the ultimate statement of letting go. We relinquish control.

Letting go is essential, particularly in this age of information. Being bombarded day in and day out with news, it is easy to become distraught and lose hope. In fact, most of the news items we are given fill us with information and not much more. And so, it becomes exceedingly important, for us to admit that certain events and issues are beyond our immediate control. Turning to Armodoxy – you find that relinquishing access of those things you cannot control allows you to sort out your life and be more productive and spiritually alive. We end our prayers with the word “Amen” as an outword profession that we have turned over matters to God. Let it be. I have turned it over to God. Phffft! There go my worries. It’s not mine.

Protestant theologian Reinhold Niebuhr authored a short prayer that is often used in 12 step programs.  It allows us to place issues and events in context. It turns over to God what we cannot do and confesses “Amen” or “let it be.”

Therefore, join me in prayer: God, grant me the serenity to accept the thing I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Amen.

Dawn of Humanity

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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 (4th 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

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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.