(Out of) Comfort Level

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Armodoxy for Today: Comfort Level

Thermostats control the temperature and in theory, they should make the atmosphere pleasant. Comfort is something we all enjoy, whether physically relaxing or seeking serenity from our mental stimulation.

At the Ascension, the Disciples graduated from their studies with Jesus and were being commissioned to “Go and make disciples of all nations.” These were marching orders into some very intolerant areas. The disciples were receiving these orders from Jesus, who only 40 days earlier was tried, convicted and executed by the ruling religious body of the day. What is known as the “Great Commission,” given at the  Ascension, was taking them out of their comfort level. It was like sending a sailboat outside of the calm harbor on a trip through choppy ocean waters.

When Jesus ascended into heaven, we read in the Book of Acts, that while the Disciples “were gazing into heaven… two men stood by them in white robes and said “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:10-11)  In other words, get your head out of the clouds; there’s work to be done!

“Gazing into heaven” is one way that people hide from reality. Since the time of Christ to the present, there are ample numbers of people who devote their lives to trying to figure out when the earth will end, when Jesus will return, or when the final judgement will occur. This, despite Jesus’ warning, that the preoccupation with end time deciphering is out of our domain, but reserved for God the Father.

The Christian is a restless person. The comfort thermostat is broken for the Christian. It has to be because love, caring, sacrificing, are all Christian actions that take us out of the comfort zone. These actions require us to not look up to heaven, but to look all around us, to the presence of God in our fellow man.

Jesus describes the final judgment as I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was naked and you clothed me, I was ill or grieving and you comforted me. Whenever you did it to the least of my brothers or sisters, you did it to me. And all you didn’t do, you didn’t do for me.  (Matthew 25)

The same question comes to us today: Why are we standing and looking up into heaven? The Kingdom is all around us.

We pray, Lord, gaze my eyes on Your Kingdom which is all around me. Help me to curb by desire for comfort by finding the pleasure in loving and giving. Amen.

Ascension: Time to Leave

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Armodoxy for Today: Time to Leave

Today is the 40th day after the Feast of Resurrection, or Easter. According to Scripture (Book of Acts) Jesus ascended to heaven on this day.

Three years earlier Jesus, while walking on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, met a couple of brothers. St. Matthew writes of the event:

Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee. He saw two brothers. They were Simon (his other name was Peter) and Andrew, his brother. They were putting a net into the sea for they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, “Follow Me. I will make you fish for men!” At once they left their nets and followed Him. Going from there, Jesus saw two other brothers. They were James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were sitting in a boat with their father, mending their nets. Jesus called them.  At once they left the boat and their father and followed Jesus. (Matthew 4:18f)

In the same manner, Jesus invited the other disciples – eight more – to follow him and learn – to become “fishers of men.”

Ascension Day is graduation day. The Disciples having learned and received training, are commissioned on this day by their teacher Jesus with these words, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20)  Note that that it is the group of disciples commissioned, not everyone, not even everyone who lives in Jerusalem, but the twelve disciples less Judas.

The learning process is crowned by graduation. Of course, learning never ends, but the formal sit-down lectures – the parables and sermons – portion is finished. On graduation day, on Ascension day, the Disciples were commissioned and became Apostles, to apply their knowledge to the world.

There certainly is a comfort level that is found in maintaining the status quo. A classroom is a safe place where concepts can be challenged. argued, and debated, but those concepts are only concepts until they are put to practice.

We pray today by acknowledging that, Today the Disciples moved on, each to follow their own path. Whether to Rome, Antioch, India or Armenia, they were each commissioned with the same mission; to preach the Gospel and they left with the same assurance that Christ was with them, to the end of the ages. We ask you Lord, that we find inspiration for our own lives, to apply the lessons of love and harmony in our dealings with others, so that Christ never remain as a figure in a book, even if that book be the Bible, but that he is a living expression of faith in my life and the lives I touch. Amen.

Vortex in the fabric of history

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Armodoxy for Today: Vortex in the fabric of history

Following the Resurrection of Jesus, the disciples anticipated that the world – at least history – would come to an end as is evident by most of the New Testament writing. It was only after a few decades had passed and the eye witnesses to Jesus life, death and resurrection, were getting to be fewer and fewer in number. As that first generation was dying, the Church called for the story of Jesus’ life to be written. The witnesses to Jesus, the writers of the Gospels were not necessarily thinking of compiling only historical facts to create a biography. But for them, Jesus was not a historical figure but someone who was beyond history. That is, he conquered death and so, without a doubt, he was living.

As we read about the period following the Resurrection, primarily in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles and in the letters and epistles that follow it in the Bible, we witness a group of people trying to discover meaning and definition in relationship to their living Savior.

The challenge for us today, especially in reading Scripture, is not to see it as a history textbook, but a living epistle that talks to us and breathes on us. The Resurrection of Jesus was a life changing event for anyone who witnessed it or heard of it. In reading the Book of Acts, see the wonder and excitement in the expressions of a community that has discovered a vortex in the living fabric of history, a vortex that transports them beyond themselves, to a higher plane. In Jesus’ words, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13)

Lord, teach me to seek as the merchant sought, to recognize the pearl when it gleams in the dust, and to trade every comfort for the joy of knowing You. May my soul rejoice in the exchange — losing the world to gain eternity, emptying my hands to hold Your grace. Amen.

Transitioning to Church

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Armodoxy for Today: Transitioning to Church

During the weeks that follow the Feast of the Resurrection, that is, in the post-Easter season, the Scriptural readings point us to the Book of Acts. This book of the Bible, has as its official name a descriptor title. It is the Book of the Acts of the Apostles. Herein is detailed the founding and formative steps of the early Christian communities, the first-century Church.

The Acts of the Apostles is written by Luke, the same author of the third Gospel. The first paragraph of the Book of Acts is the preface to this second-volume of Christianity, where the first volume chronicled Jesus’ ministry to the Resurrection, and now in this second volume, Luke presents the Church in the post-Resurrection era.

Luke starts the Book of Acts writing, The former account I made… of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,  until the day in which, He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen,  to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

The reference to the 40 day period is the time between Resurrection and Jesus’ Ascension. At the Ascencion, Jesus instructs his disciple, his students, to “Go” into the world and Baptize all nations, and teach what he taught them. With that direction, the disciples became the Apostles. In Armenian, the word is Arakyal, from the verb Arakel, meaning one who is sent.

In the next few days we take an introductory look at the story leading up to the Ascension, to understand the importance the Jesus put on his Holy Church, as the vehicle by which his work and mission would continue.

Today we pray a prayer for understanding in preparation for the days ahead. “Heavenly Father, open my mind and my heart to your word. Allow me to put away my prejudices so I may come to know you in the spirit of the Disciples who greeted the Risen Lord. Amen.”

Try this shoe on for size

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Armodoxy for Today: Empathy

On the last evening of a visit to Armenia, I sat staring out the window of my room at sunset. The room was high enough to give me a panoramic view of Yerevan, under the majestic shadow of Mt. Ararat. During my trip, I had met with people doing work on the cutting edge of technology. I spent time with people who were challenging the norms and excelling for the betterment of themselves, their families and their country. There was real hope in the air.

I remember looking out the window and praying for peace. It was simple wish: If this small but potent country could only have peace, miracles could happen. The miracles we would see would not be from any outside source, rather, they would come from within, if only there was peace. It was possible, it had been nearly 30 years that this country, which had known centuries of oppression, massacres and even genocide, was now living in peace. I looked out at the Yerevan skyscape and knew we would see the best of miracles, if only there was peace.

A friend called me from Armenia this morning. At the end of our conversation he said, “If only we have peace, we can do anything, we can aspire to the best and be the best. If only we have peace.” It was as if my prayer from a few years ago was recorded and being played back to me in the voice of my friend. His prayer was more current, though, and had a more urgent tone to it.

It is difficult to understand the pain and suffering of others from a distance. One of the core tenants of Armodoxy is a call to walk in the shoes of others. It is the expression of empathy, that is, to fully understand the pain and suffering of others, we must walk in their shoes. And small exercises can help us place our feet in the correct place.

Those of us living in the United States might not fully understand the prayer for peace in Armenia, but we might begin by imagining a world where we were constantly being attacked by our neighbors in Mexico and Canada, to the point that we live with the uncertainty of maintaining our independence, day-in and day-out. Perhaps the example is not fair considering the size, power and geography of the US. Those of you in Europe, in Africa, or in the Middle East, where countries are so much closer and intertwined with one another, can consider a country such as Switzerland, if its landlocking neighbors, France, Italy, Austria and Germany had only one intention, to annihilate and destroy that relatively small country.

And if still difficult to imagine, sit in your own home, in your house or apartment and picture all of your neighbors – every one of them, next door and across the street – wanting only one thing: to overpower, overcome and rid you from the neighborhood.

Walking in the shoes of others is a call to empathy. It is understanding that the only real and true miracle that we must pray and work for is peace. Walking in the shoes of others gives us the capacity to understand and once in the shoes, we must walk towards resolution.

Appropriately, today we pray the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, 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. O Divine Master, 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 in 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.

Cover Photo: Lunabelle Beylerian, 2023

Part of the Mission

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Armodoxy for Today: Part of the Mission

In the Gospel according to St. Luke Jesus states his mission clearly. He is here to preach the gospel to the poor, heal the brokenhearted, liberate captives and the oppressed and recover sight to the blind. (4:17-8)

It is tempting to consider these groups in the category of the other – people outside of ourselves. We may think of the blind as those missing sight receptacles in their eye sockets, when in fact we know many who walk around with eyeballs and yet are blind to the beauty around them. We think of the captives as those who are imprisoned or held in slavery against their will, yet there are those who living in freedom are enslaved to their money and their possessions.  When we categorize the hurting and frail as the other, we deny ourselves the opportunity for self-evaluation and thereby self-improvement.

We are all in need of healing, we all long for true freedom, and we all search for complete love, understanding and belonging in life.  Jesus said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” (Mark 2)

Let us pray the prayer of St. Nersess Shnorhali, “Lord, who wills that which is good, and are the director of the will, let me not follow the inclinations of my heart, but lead me to live always according to Your good will. Have mercy upon Your Creatures and upon me, a sinner.“

A Cross where Hearts are Presumed to be

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Armodoxy for Today: Form is Function in the Case of Love

The word for the Divine Liturgy in Armenian is Pataraq which literally means sacrifice. The Holy Cross, along with its witness as victory of good over evil, death over life and love over hatred, is the ideal symbol of sacrifice.

Over the past several days shared the story of the Apparition of the Holy Cross by looking at the Cross as a messenger witnessing the essence of Christianity to us.

On the Day of Resurrection two of Jesus’ disciples meet Jesus yet do not recognize him. In this story, relayed to us by St. Luke, in the 24th chapter of his Gospel, the disciples spend the entire day with Jesus without a clue to who he is. It is only in the evening, when they sit to eat that Jesus breaks the bread. It is only at that point, scripture tells us, that “their eyes were opened and they knew him.”

Now review the story of the Apparition of the Holy Cross. St. Cyril tells us that the Cross was visible throughout the city, that the populace ran to the church in praise of God. In the Holy Communion, we find that Sacrifice shining as great as the Cross. During the Pataraq the priest presents the Holy Communion to the congregation with the words, “This life, hope, resurrection, expiation and forgiveness of sins.”

Today we learn that the meaning of the Cross and the Holy Communion – specifically the Liturgy which prepares the Communion, the Holy Pataraq, is interchangeable with the Cross, and with Christ himself, ergo, the Holy Communion is, in fact, the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. As we have taught in Armodoxy, the symbol of Love is Cross (vs. the Western tradition of using a heart as the love symbol.)  When the Holy Cross appears across the sky it is Love shining over the world. And that LOVE is the power that conquered death and is what shown in the sky that day in 351. That LOVE is the only thing that is brighter than the sun! Or in the words of the Evangelist St. John, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of humankind.  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it…. The true Light gives light to every human being coming into the world.” (John 1)

We pray, O Christ, Light of the world, You shine where shadows cling, You rise where hearts have fallen, You kindle hope where fear has taken root. You are Light in our darkness, Love in our hands, Life in our midst— remain with us, now and always. Amen.

The Cross of Sacrifice

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Armodoxy for Today: The Cross of Sacrifice

The Cross is the main symbol of Christianity. We erect them atop holy shrines, churches, hospitals, and sacred spaces. We have tiny version of the cross around our neck, pinned to our lapel, and even decorate clothes. The Cross, a symbol of torture and death, was transformed by Christ, into a symbol of victory and life. Jesus conquered the Cross and the empty cross is a symbol of victory, and today we add, it is also a symbol of Sacrifice.

For the last few days, we’ve been diving into the Feast of the Apparition of the Holy Cross and leading up to the glow, or what St. Cyril of Jerusalem described as brighter than the sun. With the theme of Sacrifice, we get closer to finding that brightness.

The central act of worship in the Armenian Church is in the Sacrament of Holy Communion. What other communities refer to as the Divine Liturgy, in Armenian is called Pataraq, literally meaning Sacrifice.

Sacrifice is how love is demonstrated. St. John the Evangelist tells us God is Love. (IJohn 4:8). God is demonstrated through Sacrifice. Take some time to think about this for a moment. Meditate on sacrifice. We have many human examples of sacrifice. Parents – a mother and/or father’s love is expressed through sacrifice of personal time and personal pleasure to tend to the needs of the growing child. Spouses express love to one another by sacrificing, especially through the act of forgiveness, which is a unique type of personal sacrifice. Think of those who put their life on the line for the sake of higher ideas, including community and country safety and welfare. Take some time to think of these examples of sacrifice and how they demonstrate love.

Continue your meditation on Sacrifice. God sacrificed his son as a gesture of His immense love for us. That is what is meant by the most sacred words, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only Begotten Son…” (John 3:16) In this meditation understand that Sacrifice is the verb. It’s in the giving – God gave his son. That action is love.

Now, understand that the word Sacrifice is a descriptor and the name for the Divine Liturgy. In the Armenian Church. It is the Pataraq and it is celebrated every Sunday. (Note: No lambs were slaughtered for this exhibition.)

Today we leave with a meditation from the Gospel of St. John. It is essential to understanding the Cross and the apparition of the Cross in this lesson. In this passage, Jesus defines Sacrifice with a simple metaphor, a metaphor which emphasizes an action: unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor. (John 12:24f)

The Transformed Cross

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Armodoxy for Today: The Transformed Cross

St. Cyril of Jerusalem witnessed to the Apparition of the Holy Cross, which lit the sky in the year 351 from the hill of Golgotha to the Mount of Olives. I shared that witness with you yesterday, which described the rays of light being brighter than the sun.

The cross was an instrument of torture and death. The act of crucifixion took place on a cross, where those who were sentenced to death would slowly die of asphyxiation and exhaustion over the course of several hours. The word “torture” finds its meaning in the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, when he was whipped, beaten, physically abused, made to carry his cross up the hill to Golgotha where he was nailed to the cross and mocked as he died a slow death.

Christians celebrate the cross. It’s hard to imagine that anyone would celebrate an instrument of torture and death. Certainly not the rifle from a firing squad, nor an electric chair, gas pellets from the death chamber nor a hypodermic needle delivering deadly toxins to the central nervous system of a prisoner. No. It would be absurd to celebrate these instruments of torture, and certainly we would never hang a replica around our neck, nor adorn our houses and spires with them. However, when we Christian point to a cross with joy, wear it around our necks or lapels, or see it as an ornament, we’re doing exactly that – we are celebrating an instrument of torture, with one major difference! Jesus defeated the cross! He resurrected! He beat evil with good, overcame darkness with light and dismissed hatred with pure love. In other words he turned the Cross into a symbol of holiness and victory. It is there that we Christians find an expression of joy.

The Cross which appeared in the sky was brighter than the sun, of course. It could not be anything but brighter. The Cross symbolizes the ultimate victory of Life over death and Jesus is the one who demonstrated that. But I did promise a connection to a bright cross in our world and in our lives today. Tomorrow, we get closer to that reality as the Cross appears in our lives.

Today we pray, O Christ, Redeemer of the world, You took the wood of shame and made it the Tree of Life. Upon the beams meant for torment, You stretched mercy wide, and turned the nails of cruelty into the keys of salvation. May we lift our eyes to that holy sign, and remember that You have changed its meaning forever: from torture to triumph, from despair to deliverance, from death to the radiant victory of life. Amen.

When the Cross Appeared

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Armodoxy for Today: When the Cross Appeared

On the fifth Sunday of the Feast of Resurrection (28 days following Easter) the Armenian Church celebrates the Feast of the Apparition of the Holy Cross, remembering an event which took place in the fourth century (351) when a luminous cross appeared over Jerusalem, stretching from Golgotha to the Mount of Olives.

St. Cyril of Jerusalem documents the event in a letter that has been kept by the Armenian Church and is read during the feast. He writes that during the Holy Easter Season, a large cross of light – “a vast luminous body” – appeared in the sky above Holy Golgotha and stretching to the Mount of Olives. It was revealed to everyone in the city of Jerusalem, unmistakably, he says, not just a few people. And very clearly, that is, it was not an optical illusion. It was visible for several hours. The light emitted, he insists, was brighter than the rays of the sun. Everyone in the city, ran to the holy church, with fear and joy at this vision from God. Christians, as well as foreigners sang hymns of praise to God’s Only Begotten Son.

St. Cyril says this event took place “On the nones of May.” The nones is the nineth day before the ides by inclusive reckoning, or in this case, the 7th day of May, placing it on the Feast of Pentecost of that year. The Apparition of the Holy Cross is one of four feasts dedicated to the Cross that the Armenian Church celebrates. The three others are the Elevation of the Cross, the Discovery of the Holy Cross and the Cross of Varak, which are all celebrated as Summer moves to Autumn.

I leave you with this historic account of a phenomenon, miracle, or demonstration, which ever you wish to call it, as the background to the excitement of discovering that the luminous Cross is still shining. Yes. Our receptors have weakened, even to the rays brighter than the sun, but it is necessary to take this break before I continue tomorrow so you will  not be overwhelmed by the incredible opportunity to view the Apparition of the Holy Cross now, seventeen centuries later. Yes! As we continue tomorrow with our next Armodoxy for Today.

We pray today, O Christ, whose glory once stretched across the sky, stretch now Your mercy across our souls, that we may reflect Your light in every word and deed. Amen.