Memorial Day Thoughts

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Memorial Day Thoughts by Fr. Vazken Movsesian

Last Sunday I stood in church next to a visiting clergyman. We didn’t have an opportunity to speak before the morning service, but when the celebrant priest went to the vestry to prepare for the Liturgy, we had a few moments to exchange pleasantries. I asked him from where he was visiting. He answered quickly, Ukraine. I looked over at him in the moment of the unexpected answer, and he quickly pinpointed for me a precise location: Odesa, he said. He serves the dwindling Armenian community there. I asked him if he was close to the fighting, to which he again snapped, Every day, bombs are dropped around us! We see them fall in the middle of the city.

The war was right next to me in this holy sanctuary. There’s no escape. The Divine Liturgy began but I could not get Ukraine out of my mind. There I was, in church, with priest who was in proximity of bombs and gun fire every day. There’s no escape from the new reality. War is all around us and it’s invading all of our spaces. We can choose to ignore it, or take an active role in advocating for peace.

And then, the Priest came down from the altar. And processed 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, while others are too busy reading the bulletin or perhaps scriptures. Still, others watch as he goes by, not interested in engaging in any manner. And then of course, for those who are not there at that moment, the opportunity to interact is lost because the priest processes through the sanctuary and ascends back to the altar area to continue the Liturgy.

This part of the Divine Liturgy, is as old as Christianity itself. It 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 many reasons and many different interactions with him, just like the congregants on a Sunday morning interacting with the processing priest. There were people who sought him for miracles and healings, while others engaged with him for a blessing or merely to touch his garment. And, of course, for many, the opportunity to be made whole was there and they let him pass by. They were busy praying, reading, rationalizing or philosophizing and, he went by, never to be engaged.

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

Today wars are taking place. Genocide is happening on the world stage. Ethnic cleansing is the plot. When my grandparents were exiled from their ancient homeland in Armenia and 1.5 million Armenians were killed in what came to be called the First Genocide of the 20th Century, and when they were left to die and starve from famine and contract malaria, they wondered how can this happen? How can good people, people who go to church, who believe in God allow such acts to take place.

The story continued in Nazi Germany, in Ethiopia, Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda, Darfur, Congo and now in Gaza. I’m not talking about politics. I’m talking about humanitarian aid, because I can’t look at pictures of starving children and not think of my grandparents. Why do you think they call these, “Acts against humanity”? Genocide is not war, it’s the manifestation of hatred. It is fueled by pure hatred and prejudice. It may be manipulated by politics, but the fuel is evil, just as hatred is.

And this is where we come in. The Savior at the Center of our Church, Jesus Christ, is the manifestation of Love. We’ve never tried love as a solution. It’s more powerful than hate, just as light is more powerful than darkness, and in the Resurrection, we learned life is more powerful than death.

Yes, this is a moment of singularity in your life. Just like that morning in church, the opportunity is right now – you can interact, you can sit back, you can pray, you can analyze, you can read scriptures – but those children are still dying of hunger and bombs of hatred continue to fall on the innocent.

I share this with you on this Memorial Day weekend, in remembrance of all those who laid down their life for the freedoms we enjoy, for the freedom that allows me to share this message with you. We remember their sacrifice and pray that we learn from the ugly scars left in our world by these inhumane actions.

For today, I’d like to share with you a prayer that is an answer to Shnorhali’s nineth hour of prayer, Lord Jesus Christ, you who opened the eyes of the blind man, open our eyes which are blinded by hatred. You who gave hearing to the deaf man, open our ears which can no longer hear the cry of babies. You who loosened the tongue of the mute, open our mouths so we may share our voice for justice. You who restored strength in the legs of the paralyzed man, give us the stamina to walk to bring aid. You who opened the hearts of those who hate, open our hearts to give to those in need. Amen.

Love and Hate: Sharing Light

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Armodoxy for Today: Love and Hate of the self

In the Gospel of John (chapter 12) Jesus meets a new group of people and as we mentioned yesterday, it was a pivotal point in his ministry.

He turns to them and says, He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life will keep it for eternal life. Hard words to follow, indeed! How can we hate ourselves?

Here is a parable,

There were two men who lived on opposite ends of a mountain village. The first, Aram, spent his days building a name for himself. He raised the tallest house, hung the brightest lanterns, and made sure every gift he gave carried his signature. His light was brilliant, but it never left his own walls. The second, Sarkis, kept a small lamp. His home was simple, but his steps were many. He carried his lamp to the widow’s porch, to the sick man’s bedside, to the frightened child’s door. His light was small, but it traveled.

One winter night, a violent storm struck the village. Darkness swallowed every home. Aram’s lanterns burned fiercely — but only for him. He shut his doors to keep the cold out and the warmth in. Sarkis lit his little lamp and stepped into the storm. He guided families to safety, warmed shivering hands, and comforted the lonely. His lamp flickered, but it never failed.

When morning came, Aram’s house still stood, but no one remembered its glow. Sarkis’s lamp, though small, had touched every life. The villagers placed it in the center of the square, not because it was grand, but because it had shone for them.

And the elders would say to their children: “A lamp kept for oneself burns out with the night. A lamp carried for others becomes the dawn.”

And here is the truth: The light you keep for yourself dies with you. The light you give away becomes your legacy. This is what Jesus means when He says, “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” (John 12)

A life lived for the self is a bright lantern in an empty room. A life lived for others becomes a lamp carried from heart to heart — long after we are gone.

Dedicated to Uncle Johnny Kaishian: 1934-2026

 

Pivot point -The time has come

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Armodoxy for Today: The time has come…

Early on in Jesus’ ministry we learn of a wedding feast that takes place in the town of Cana of Galilee. Recorded in the second chapter of John, Jesus is there with his mother and disciples. The weddings is about to come to a halt because the wine has run out.

The Blessed Mother mentions this to Jesus, who responds, that his “hour has not yet come.” (vs. 4) Nevertheless he changes water to wine so the feast can continue. The Evangelist John remembers this miracle in Cana of Galilee as, “The first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.” (vs. 11)

Several times in the Gospel narratives Jesus is telling his followers that his time has not come. But things change when he enters Jerusalem on the day we refer to as Palm Sunday. St. John tells us that “…there were certain heathens among those who came up to worship at the feast.” (12:20) They requested an audience with Jesus to which he answers, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.” (12:23)

This marks a pivotal point in the ministry of Christ. His hour has come. With the presence of the heathens, the preface to John’s Gospel is now finding definition.

He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.  He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.  But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:  who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:10-12)

On this Sunday between Ascension and Pentecost, the day the Armenian Church designates as the Second Palm Sunday, the Holy Universal and Apostolic Church branches out of Jerusalem. On Ascension the Apostles are given a commission to go to the world and on Pentecost, with the reception of the Holy Spirit, receive the tools – the language skills – to do their work.

Jesus is recognized as God of the Universe. This is why in the Armenian Church his icon has ethnic characteristics of an Armenian, in the Greek Church he looks Greek, and in the churches in Africa, Asia or South America, Jesus is pictured with ethnic characterization that help us understand that his Divinity is beyond ethnicity or human characterization.

The Church, which Jesus Christ offered as His body was finding form in the time of the Apostles. Today, we repeat the words of the Nicene Creed every Sunday, “We believe in one, universal, Apostolic Church,” as a reminder that Jesus message belongs to humanity, and it is through that message of love and peace that we come to understand one another in this complex world.

We pray today, O Lord our God, You have planted Your Church as the living Body of Christ, the place where heaven touches earth, where Your Word becomes action, and where Your love becomes service.

Make Your holy Church the radiant center from which Your healing, justice, mercy, and truth flow into every corner of the world. Unite us in the bond of peace, keep us steadfast in apostolic teaching, and send us forth as living instruments of Your will. Amen.

Another Round Around the Palms

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Armodoxy for Today: Another round around the Palms

The Sunday between the Feast of Ascension (40 days after Easter) and the Sunday of Pentecost (50 days after Easter) is referred to as Second Palm Sunday in the Armenian Church.

The Second Palm Sunday designation is unique to the Armenian Church and is referred to as such for a few reasons. Following the Feast of Resurrection, all four Gospels are read in the Church in order, up to the day of Pentecost. (Luke in the morning, John at noon, Matthew during the evening hour and Mark at night). The Palm Sunday narratives coincide with this Sunday between Ascension and Pentecost, hence the name “Second Palm Sunday.” And if you’re counting, this is the seventh Sunday of Easter.

But there’s more to the Second Palm Sunday moniker. Palm Sunday is when Jesus entered triumphantly into Jerusalem. All four Gospels record this event. On Ascension, Jesus enters the eternal Jerusalem. The Apostles witness Jesus ascending into heaven, as we read in the Book of Acts, with the promise that he will be with us to the end of the ages.

According to Church Tradition, while St. Gregory the Illuminator (4th century) was imprisoned in the dungeon called Khor Virab an angel would visit him daily to bring him nutrition and spiritual comfort. On the Sunday following Ascension, the angel does not appear. The following day, Gregory asks the angel its whereabout. The angel replies that the angels celebrate in heaven, the feast of the return of Jesus, taking his place at the right hand of the Father.

Jesus’ entry into the eternal Jerusalem is a reminder to us all that life is much more than the tangible realities that consume our time and energy. There is a spiritual side that needs to be nurtured.

During the Artemis II mission, which took men back to the moon after over a half-a-century, the NASA astronauts witnessed sites and visual phenomena could not be expressed by words. NASA astronaut and Artemis II mission commander Reid Wiseman, in an interview following the mission said, “I’m not really a religious person, but there was just no other avenue for me to explain anything, so I asked for the chaplain on the Navy ship (this is the boat that picked up the astronauts after splashdown) to come visit us for a minute.” Wiseman admitted, “When that man walked in … I saw the Cross on his collar, and I broke down in tears.”

The birth of a child, falling in love, losing a loved one, illicit similar overt outpourings of emotions. There are senses beyond the five physical ones, which every so often, if we put our guards down and allow the spirit to move with us, can and will be experienced. The Armenian Church, long before space exploration – try two millennia before – pointed to those ultra sensory expressions in its theology, by referring to mystery, Khorhourt khorin anhas anuzgisbn =Mystery Deep, inscrutable, without beginning… (From the Divine Liturgy of the Armenian Church)

The Second Palm Sunday feast reminds us that there is more to life than the tangible and the physical. We pray, Lord, open my senses wide to the events and expressions all around me, so I may be a participant in all the wonders you bless upon us in this world. Amen.

Christianity Greater than One

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Armodoxy for Today: Greater than One

On the fortieth day following Easter, Scripture tells us, that Jesus ascended to heaven. On that day, he commissioned the Disciples to Go and make disciples of all nations. In sending them, the Disciples become Apostles. The title describes one who is sent. But these disciples lacked the tools to do the work.

Ten days later, on the fiftieth day after Easter, Scripture continues the Christian story with the coming of the Holy Spirit and the reception of the graces of the Holy Spirit, providing the necessary tools to do the work . The day, which is called Pentecost, to denote the 50th day, in Armenian Church tradition is called Hokegasust, which literally means, the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Both the Ascension and Pentecost point to the importance of Church – the Community – for Christ, in delivering the message. Though it’s romantical to speak of having a faith in Jesus, in reality, there is no such thing as one Christian. A Christian finds expression and meaning in community. This is the Church.

The Church is built on the foundation of a proclamation that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Jesus says, it is this foundation that “is on rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.”  (Matthew 16)

This week we will be looking at that Church through the lens of Armenian Orthodoxy. This will be a novel look including a forgotten palm-Sunday, what happens when Jesus time has come, love and hate of self and a special parable about light and the lantern.  A very special week, from Ascension to another Palm Sunday to the Pentecost.

Today, we pray, Lord Jesus, You are not a solitary light, but the flame that kindles many. You dwell not in one heart alone, but in the communion of all who love You and exercise that LOVE. In every tongue that prays, in every hand that serves, in every heart that forgives, You are made visible. Teach us to see Your face in the faces of those we do not yet understand. Let our differences become the colors of one living tapestry — woven by Your Spirit, held together by Your grace. May Your Church, in all its forms and voices, be the place where heaven touches earth, where the Word becomes flesh again in the fellowship of Your people. For in community, You are manifest; in love, You are revealed; in unity, You are glorified. Amen.

(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 writings. 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 glory. 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