Order from the Spirit

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Armodoxy for Today: Order

Chaotic life is difficult life. Chaos is characterized by random or unpredictable behavior. Hence, chaos carries a negative connotation because unpredictability leads to undesired results, disorganization and confusion. As people we opt for organization. The laws of gravity are organization on a large, astronomical scale, but on a human scale, we like things to fit properly and have order to them.

And then there’s life, which can be unpredictable, almost to the point of randomness, but not quite. In gambling casinos, slot machines are very popular, and though they are computerized and have schedule of payouts, we know that they are a very popular attraction as people try to beat the odds of a seemingly random spin of the wheels. In fact, most gambling games are based on certain formulas that include random factors, and yet the popularity of these games is a testament to people trying to beat the odds, or we can say, predict the unpredictable.

A chaotic life is a difficult life. Religion is a means of bringing order to the chaos by explaining the unexplainable. Something as beautiful as childbirth, for instance, is accompanied by excruciating pain. In the Book of Genesis, when God says to the woman, “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children…” (3:16) we find one such example of an explanation. With a curse by God, we receive an answer to the question of why does a lovely and natural event such as childbirth come with massive pain?

Much of life is filled with these puzzles, some are associated with the mundane, while others address issues of war, pain and suffering. Why do bad things happen to good people? Why do good things happen to bad people? These twin questions usually stimulate people to seek answers in the spiritual world, in religion. There seems to be a random distribution of goods in the world. Why are some born to poverty and struggle through all of life, while others, of no effort of their own, are born in prosperity and seem to enjoy a life of luxury?

Religion gives, or should attempt to give, answers to these questions. At the end, the object is to bring order from seeming chaos.

In Christianity, the answer is given by Jesus Christ. His answer is pure and asks that we engage with Him in such a way that “Thy Will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.” That engagement is the gravity that brings order to the chaos of our lives.

Today, by way of prayer, we read the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-10) – Jesus’ definition of a life lived with the order of God:

  • “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
  •  Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
  •  Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
  •  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
  •  Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
  •  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
  •  Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
  •  Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Too Much Silence

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Armodoxy for Today: Too Much Silence

Her name was Marie. Some called her Mary, once or twice, Maria. To me, she was grandma.

She was the oldest of six children. She was married and had two children herself before her life changed drastically. Her small family found refuge in the home of her parents, where they lived until they were exiled. Political unrest was all around her, and there was news coming in regularly of killings – individual and mass – in nearby villages and towns.

Marie was forcibly removed from her home, but only after her father and husband were seized and taken away, leaving the household with women and children only, an easy target for rape and physical brutality.

It became apparent to Marie that the government’s plan was much greater that singling out her family or her town. The government was executing a program of mass annihilation of an ethnic population, which later became defined as genocide, or for ease of understanding, “ethnic cleansing.” Marie didn’t understand why it was necessary to dumb-it-down to basic understanding. In fact, throughout her lifetime she had a hard time understanding why, people of seeming intelligence, upright moral character, people who would worship in churches, and praise God and proclaim the name of the Lord, why would these “nice” people allow such atrocities take place?

Marie died in 1985 in a bed in America, distanced by 70 years from the events that brought her to this country. Fortunately, she did not live to see, nor did she have the need to question the silence of the world over Bosnia, Rwanda, Darfur, Sudan, Congo and now Gaza. It was enough that she lived through the quiet world over the rise of fascism in Nazi Germany and the antics of the Pol Pot regime in Cambodia.

The great minister of the Gospel, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King said, “In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends.” It was addendum to his warning, “History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.”

Inspired by Shnorhali’s 10th hour, I offer this prayer today, All provident Lord, open my eyes to the hurt and pain in the world, so I may see the beauty of life in all. Open my ears so I may hear the cries of your children, open my mouth so I may speak against the evil in the world and promote peace, open my hands so I may work for justice, guide my feet to walk in the paths of righteousness, so that my faith comes alive in a life lived by your commandments. Amen.

Mother: A Second Womb

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Armodoxy for Today: A Second Womb

In the not-so-distance past, in a time before cell companies offered unlimited calling plans, the connection between two telephones cost money. The farther the distance between two points – between two callers – the higher the price of the call.

AT&T, which was once generically known as the phone company, kept statistics of calling patterns. The most telephone calls made were on Mother’s Day. And on Father’s Day, they reported the most collect calls were made! A collect call was one in which the charges were reversed from the caller to the called number. An interesting statistic which offers a look at the changing times, in many ways, including phone calls and gender roles.

On the second Sunday of May, we celebrate Mother’s Day in the United States. A beautiful tradition, indeed. The Hallmark greeting-card company offers us another tidbit of information that Mother’s Day ranks third in the number of cards sent in the US, and ranks number one for card exchange in the Hispanic community.  Some cynically will point to Hallmark as fabricating this celebration, for profit motives.

The Church had a day on its calendar, from the early centuries, known at “Mothering Day.” On that day people would visit the church where they were baptized. There they would offer gifts of flowers, candles and incense to their spiritual mother, the Holy Church.

The font of baptism is known as the womb of the Church. We are “born again” from this womb to our Mother, the Holy Church. This is based on the scriptural exchange twixt Jesus and a man named Nicodemus who questioned, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” (John 3)

Today we pray, Lord our God, we thank you for the blessing of motherhood. We remember the mothers that have nourished us and led us in paths that bring us closer to You. Keep us ever respectful of all mothers especially our Holy Mother Church which has renewed us in a new life in Christ. Amen.

More to Jesus than Written

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Armodoxy for Today: What More?

Before finishing his Gospel, St. John writes:

And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. (chapter 20)

And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. (chapter 21)

Armodoxy maintains that we come to know Jesus through the stories we read but also by the Tradition that has been handed down to us through the centuries from the time of Christ, in other words, “all the things that could not be contained in the books.” These verses are important reminders of the vastness of Christianity and the unique place of the Armenian Orthodox Tradition, and Apostolic Tradition, which was there at the time of Christ and represents the most ancient form of Christianity. It is the calling card of Armodoxy.

Let us pray,

O glorious Lord, receive the prayers of your servant; and fulfill my requests that are deemed good. Through the intercession of the Holy Mother of God, and St. John the Baptist, and St. Stephen the first martyr, and St. Gregory our Illuminator, and the Holy Apostles, Prophets, Doctors of the Church, Martyrs, Patriarchs, Hermits, Virgins, and all your saints in heaven and on earth. Unto you, O indivisible Holy Trinity, be glory and worship, forever and ever. Amen. -St. Nersess Shnorhali

Peace Aspirations via Empathy

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Armodoxy for Today: An aspiration for peace

On the last evening of a pilgrimage to Armenia, I sat in my room staring out the window at the 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 a simple wish: If this small but potent country could only have peace, miracles could and would happen. At the time, it was going on three decades that this country, which had known centuries of oppression, massacres, communism, information suppression, 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 few years later, one morning a friend called me from Armenia. 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.” His call reminded me of my prayer that night. It was as if my prayer from a few years ago was recorded and being played back to me. 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.

Here is a small exercise that can help us fit our feet into those shoes. 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. Unfortunately, you don’t have to imagine, just look at tensions that exist, whether between Ukraine and Russian, Isreal and the Palestinians, India and Pakistan, the constant threats in Congo, Sudan or Darfur, and of course between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

And if it is 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.

Let’s walk toward that resolution, with a prayer today, appropriately from 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
A young girl sleeps as her mother works to make rugs

And Matthias Makes Twelve

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Armodoxy for Today: And Matthias makes twelve

The selection of Pope Leo XIV took place in the weeks following Easter because the Apostolic Seat of St. Peter was vacant following the death of Pope Francis the day after Easter.

Each church tradition has rules and orders by which vacated positions are filled. The world caught a glimpse of the Roman Catholic tradition with the convocation of the college of cardinals. In the Armenian Church tradition, not only priests, but laity make up the National Ecclesiastical Assembly which selects, again by vote, the person to fill the vacancy of the Catholicos.

The New Testament Book of the Acts of the Apostles chronicles the beginning of the Christian Church following the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The book was written by the same author as the Gospel of St. Luke and can be considered as a “part 2” to the Gospel. The opening verses of the Book of Acts mentions that it is a continuation of Gospel. He writes, “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.”

The first chapter of the Book of Acts tells us that Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus, took his own life, and the remaining Disciples decided it was necessary to fill the vacancy cause by the death of Judas. They prayed and found two men who had been in their midst, in the company of Christ, from the time of Jesus’ Baptism to his Crucifixion.

They prayed and said, “You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.” And they cast lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

More than a bit of trivia, I mention the selection of Matthias so that we understand that the Church which Jesus Christ established, the Apostolic Tradition, has order and structure. It is not a haphazard collection of people who gather based on their interpretation of Scripture. The Apostles took the Gospel message to different nations, so that the Church that was established in Rome by Peter or the one in Armenia by Thaddeus, carries the title of One, Universal, Apostolic, Holy Church. It is in this structure that the message of Jesus Christ was transmitted from the generation to generation and reaches us today.

We prayer, from an Orthodox prayer book, Be Mindful, O Lord, of Thy Holy, Universal and Apostolic Church; confirm and strengthen her, increase her and keep her in peace, and preserve her unconquerable forever. Amen.

Adding a Simple Prayer to His

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Armodoxy for Today: Adding a Simple Prayer to His

Pope Leo XIV offered his first blessing and prayer as the head of the Roman  Catholic  Church, to thousands assembled at St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican yesterday, as millions more throughout the world watched and received the blessing virtually. Indeed, it was an emotional moment for the Pontiff as he transitioned from Cardinal Robert Prevost to head the 1.3 billion member Roman Catholic Church. Even from a distance, watching on screens and phones in different parts of the world, Catholics, believers, and even non-believers were visibly moved as many understood the gravity of the event.

Interesting to me was how quickly and readily the term “American” was volleyed around in the media, conveniently forgetting that the previous pope, Francis, of blessed memory, also came from the Americas. But, homeland is a major factor in defining and giving identity to an individual. Think of some of the first-day discussion that consumed news outlets when they discovered Pope Leo was from the City of Chicago: Was he a Cubs’ fan or a White Sox fan? Perhaps, excitement for geographic identity provides a good explanation as to why churches, which are united in their belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, are separated along ethnic and national lines, whether we’re talking about the Armenian Church, the Roman Catholic Church, or the Greek, Bulgarian, Georgian, Russian Orthodox, and even the American congregations of Presbyterian and Methodists. There is of course the AME, the African Methodist Church and of course, the Church of England. Often, the Christ, the center of Christianity, is lost in some of the traditions that align us with national preservation. Bishop Daniel Findikyan, of Holy Etchmiadzin, talks extensively about this in his book, Building up the Body of Christ. And musician John Lennon, as a dreamer points to the grave dangers of the consequence of national pride, when he asks us to “Imagine there’s no countries, it isn’t hard to do. Nothing to kill or die for and no religion too. Imagine all the people living life in peace…”

With that in mind, we turn to the first words of Pope Leo XIV, in his message. “Peace be with all of you! Dearest brothers and sisters, this is the first greeting of the Risen Christ, the good shepherd who gave his life for God’s flock. I too would like this greeting of peace to enter your heart, to reach your families, to all people, wherever they are, to all peoples, to the whole earth. Peace be with you! “

To his prayer, tonight, we add most appropriately, Amen.

Rock, Stones and the Pope

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Armodoxy for Today: Rocks, Stones and the Pope

The Conclave to elect the next Pope has begun. The person they select will be the next successor of St. Peter, one of the Apostles of Jesus Christ.

During the last few weeks, since the passing of Pope Francis, I’ve been asked many times about how the Armenian Church “fits into” the picture of the Christian Church? Especially because right after Easter and leading to his funeral, I shared some thoughts about the Pontiff, and his legacy, under the banner of Armodoxy and these daily messages.

Some questioned the phrase in the confession of Faith, that is, in the Nicene Creed, “We believe in one, catholic and apostolic holy Church.” Let’s begin there. The term “catholic” means universal. In print, it is easy to make a distinction between the catholic, with a lower case “c” as meaning universal, and upper case “C” as pertaining to the Roman Catholic Church. The office of the Pope is the head of the Catholic (upper case “C”) Church. In the Nicene Creed we confess that the Church is universal (lower case “c”) catholic. It is apostolic because it traces its origin to one of the apostles.

As I shared with you in those earlier daily messages, in the case of the Armenian Church, it was the Apostle Thaddeus that brought the Good News, the Gospel, of Jesus’ Resurrection, to Armenia, just as Peter took the message to Rome.

In Matthew 16, we read that Jesus asks his Disciples, first “Who do people say that I am?” After they threw out some names such as Isaiah, John the Baptist and Jeremiah, Jesus turned the question to them, “Who do you say that I am?” One of the twelve, Simon, answers “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus responds, “Blessed are you Simon Bar-Jonah [son of Jonah], for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build My church, and the gates of Hell shall not be victorious against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Jesus renames Simon, “Peter” which is a play on the Greek word for “stone” or “rock.” Here is where some explanation is necessary. The Roman Catholic Church says the Church is built upon Peter, the Rock, whereas the Armenian Church and other Orthodox Churches say that the Rock is the profession of Faith that “You are the Christ, the son of the Living God.” The Church is built upon that profession.

Thaddeus, Bartholomew, James, John and the other disciples, joined St. Peter in this profession. As for Judas, his vacancy was the first one to be filled. Tomorrow we’ll look at that scriptural reference.

As the Roman Catholic Cardinals pray and deliberate for the next successor of St. Peter, we pray a prayer we extract from the First Letter of St. Peter (chapter 2), We come to You, Lord Jesus, the living stone, rejected by men but precious and chosen by God. Keep away from me all malice, guile, insincerity, envy and slander, so my prayers may join the prayers of others to fortify your Holy Church in bringing glory and honor to God. Amen.

Cover: KTN 2025

Interplay: With Jesus and Today

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Armodoxy for Today: Opportunity Lost

Every Sunday, during the Divine Liturgy of the Armenian Church, the celebrant priest, descends from the altar area and processes around the inner circumference of the church.  As he walks by the congregants, he holds a cross in one hand and censes fragrant incense with the other.

There are a variety of reactions to his presence in the congregation. Some lower their head to ask for a blessing, while others kiss the cross in the priest’s hand out of reverence. Others smile and acknowledge his presence. Still, others watch as he goes by, not interested in engaging in any manner. And of course, for those who are not there at that moment, the opportunity to interact is lost because the priest processes through the church and ascends back to the altar area to continue the Liturgy.

This part of the Divine Liturgy, symbolizes Christ’s descent from the comfort of heaven to live, walk and be among us, after which he ascended back to heaven. During Jesus’ life, there were people who sought him for miracles and healings, while others engaged with him for a blessing and merely to touch his garment. And, of course, for many, the opportunity to be made whole was there and they let him pass by.

In life, there are moments that are singular and they demand our interplay at that moment, otherwise, they go by. Sometimes, events demand that we interact.

Today a genocide takes place. Ethnic cleansing is the plot. To stay quiet and/or to ignore the horror, is an opportunity lost.

We pray, Heavenly Father, I see pain and suffering in this world. I have walked that path in the past. I said, Never Again. Today, grant me the courage to speak out against evil everywhere, so that I may have the moral authority to voice myself whenever evil confronts me. Amen.

Cover Photo: Lunabelle Beylerian, 2023

A Tempting Temptation

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Armodoxy for Today: A Tempting Offer

Of the thousands of books written about Jesus, I often opt to read works that challenge me to view things from a different, perhaps new, perspective. One such book is a work of fiction by Nicholas Kazantzakis, called The Last Temptation of Christ. It was written in 1955, stirring up controversy and then in 1988 it was produced into a film stirring up objections from conservative and orthodox Christians.*

The story by Kazantzakis is well researched and thought out. He lays out the plot as follows: The crucified Messiah is given His “last temptation” on the cross. He is given the opportunity to see life beyond the cross, to know the joys of a family life, share memories with friends and live to a ripe old age. He is given the opportunity to have the same dreams as do all men and to be as all men. Yet he resists temptation. He says “no” to all the trappings of this world and opts to do His Father’s Will instead.

The gift of free-will, that is, to choose to do otherwise, is one of the greatest gifts given to us by God. In this novel, we are given a “what-if” scenario, and an opportunity to work-through the natural temptation to live without suffering, and to die a peaceful death. It gives us an opportunity to view the story from yet another perspective.

Jesus chose the Cross. In that choice we find how tightly Love and the Cross are tied together.

Today’s prayer is from the Gospel of John, chapter 12, the words of Jesus, which say, Most assuredly, I say to you, 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.