Knowing the Jesus Fruits

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Armodoxy for Today: Fruits

Jesus was misunderstood in his time. His call for love and peace was met with hatred and violence by the established religious leaders of the day as is evident by the judgement of the tribunal to beat and flog him and then execute him. Beyond the religious community, the people of the day were taking his words and finding a comfort zone for themselves. In fact, when Emperor Constantine called together the first Ecumenical Council in 325 with representatives from all the Christian communities, it was specifically to sort out all the different teachings ascribed to Jesus up to that time.

Jesus continues to be misunderstood even today as is evident from the many different denominations that confess different understandings of Jesus while operating under the Protestant Christian banner.

Jesus addresses this divergence from his teaching in the next few verses of the Sermon on the Mount.

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore, by their fruits you will know them. (Matthew 7:15-20)

Once again, even in describing “false prophets,” Jesus points to actions as the identifier. Christianity is a religion in the present. As a Christian you interact with the world, with people, with the friends and strangers, with those who respect you as well as those who are alienated from you. A Christian is identified by his or her actions and the fruit those actions produce.

Jesus can’t be any clearer, by your fruits you will be known.

We pray from the 23 hour of St. Nersess Shnorhali’s Confession of Faith, All-merciful Lord, have mercy on all; on my loved ones, and on those who are strangers to me; on all those I know, and on those unknown to me; on the living and on the dead; forgive my enemies, and those who hate me, forgive the trespasses they have committed against me; and dispel the malice they bear towards me, so that they become worthy of your mercy. Amen.

New Year: Marking Time with Jesus

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Armodoxy for Today: The Advent Series – Marking Time with Jesus

On the sixth day of Christmas your true love may give you six geese a-laying, but for most of us, we will be receiving a turnover on the page of the calendar. It’s the end of the old year and the beginning of a new one. In the interest of religious neutrality, the convention for identifying time is BCE and CE (Before the Common Era and Common Era). Some will remember when another convention was used, BC, Before Christ and AD, Anno Domini, that is, in the year of the Lord. The majority of the planet marks time in reference to the Birth of Jesus Christ.

The New Year celebration is a mark in time, a convenient point to reflect on the past and plan for the future. You have done this many times before at this turning point of the old year into the new one. But this year you are on a journey through Advent. You have been awakened to the Teachings of Jesus. As you reflect on the past, include your preconceived notions about Jesus which may have fallen by the wayside as you’ve come in a closer relationship with his words and teachings. Use your journey journal and reflect on how this new understanding moves you into the new day and the New Year.

We end with the final verse, the 24th hour of St. Nersess Shnorhali’s Confession of Faith, 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, indivisible Holy Trinity, be glory and honor, forever and ever. Amen.

Gate to the Present

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Armodoxy for Today: The Advent Series – Gate to the Present

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)

This passage is often misinterpreted by connecting it to some future existence, that is, to an afterlife. It is taught in a way to suggest that the “gate” leads to rewarded afterlife, let’s call it heaven. But today you have been through the Advent journey and are nearing the end of these lessons about Christ’s essential teachings. You are taking this passage in context of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus has enacted the Kingdom of Heaven. Now you are listening carefully to what the Lord is saying here, as well as throughout the Sermon on the Mount, and you find that Jesus steers us to a life lived in harmony and purpose in the here and now. The warning in this passage is to avoid destruction which is the characteristic of a life lived without purpose, a life void of meaning.

The narrow gate, indeed, is a more difficult path, but it leads to life. Jesus tells us that he has come so that we “may have life and have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)

We near the end of the Advent journey understanding that life finds meaning by the life we live, by good we do, and the love we share.

Let us pray, Lord Jesus Christ, you have given us the gift of life and the ability to share its goodness with our fellow man. Forgive me my sins so that I may forgive others. Let me enter my new life free from the weight of yesterday and allow me to build my life on a new and fresh foundation. Amen.

 

Interconnectivity

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Armodoxy for Today: The Advent Series – Interconnectivity

The interconnectivity of God and man is described in Jesus’ next statement, Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:7-12)

Jesus explains God as Father. As we discovered early in the Advent journey, this designation is uniquely Christian and emphasizes the intimate relationship we may expect with the Creator. He invites us into his  holy and sacred family. Just as he refers to God as Father, he has now given us that right and in so doing we become brothers and sisters of Christ.

The Gospel records that one day when the crowds were so large Jesus’ mother and brothers were unable to approach him. Word got to him that, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.” But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers!” (Matthew 12:47-48)

As Armenians, we are identified by the “ian” (or “yan”) suffix to our names, meaning “son of” or “family of.” Appropriately, the word “Christian’ (Christ+ian) is the family of Christ, and today we are part of that godly family. As such we have a responsibility to treat one another with the love and respect that God accords us. What is often called “The Golden Rule” is pronounced by our Lord at this point, “Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them.” Armodoxy is a testament to the Golden Rule.

In viewing our world, you will now further understand why Jesus’ message was so radically novel and revolutionary at that time and still is today. It speaks of the interconnectivity between God and His creation on a level that is understandable by our actions.

We pray today, Lord, let me be guided by Your Holy words. Help me to keep ever before my mind the feelings and expressions that are from God and necessary for me to share with others. As I want to be loved, may love others. As I want to be forgiven, may I forgive others. As I want to be known, may I know my fellow man. Amen.

Pearl & Swine

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Armodoxy for Today: The Advent Series – Swine & Pearls

Immediately following his exhortation to not judge others, Jesus seems to be giving us the responsibility to make some judgement calls regarding possessions.

“Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.” (Matthew 7:6)

With this violent metaphor, Jesus asks us to honor the intrinsic value of our treasures. He is asking us to contemplate what is valuable in our life and in so doing, to designate those things as sacred, special, and holy. Far from a judgement call, Jesus is asking us to look inward to find those treasures.

Earlier Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21) Apply the rule of symmetry and where your heart is, there you will find your treasure. Taking an inventory of those treasures will give you a list with health, relationships, love, time, compassion claiming the top spots. It is your heart manifesting this list. Let this list fill your journal with the goodness that God has bestowed upon you. Don’t rush through this process, for you will find treasures where you did not expect.

With this short statement, “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine,” Jesus mandates that we take the sacred seriously, to keep it holy. Care and protect those treasures from enemies visible and invisible. As you visualize a treasure such a health and counter it with the enemies that attack it, you understand that once again Jesus has invited you to take on personal responsibility.

We are growing spiritually during this Advent journey. Let us pray, Christ, protector of the faithful, protect me under the shadow of your holy and precious Cross in peace. Deliver me from enemies visible and invisible so that I may always glorify you with the Father and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Cover: Aghtamar, Fr. Vazken 2014

Lest ye be judged

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Armodoxy for Today: The Advent Series – Lest ye be judged…

Our study of the Essential Teachings of Jesus continues with his exhortation on judgement (Matthew 7:1-5).

“Judge not, that you be not judged,” says Jesus. “For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”

As we have seen throughout his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus pushes us to personal responsibility. In other words, our actions today, in the here and now, are the measure by which our Faith is defined. Judgement is fair if you are willing to be judged by the same standard. By putting it in these terms Jesus is giving us an opportunity to evaluate our lives, our work, and our actions.

In the process of self-evaluation, you are invited to look honestly at your motives and intention. If done sincerely you understand that you are part of the human condition, that is, you have faults, you are not perfect, and hence, you sin.

The word sin, in both Hebrew and Greek, is an archery term which means, “Missing the mark.” You aim for the bull’s eye, the mark – perfection. Every time you miss the mark you are sinning. Sin in itself is merely a part of the human condition. Only Jesus is sinless and therefore, only Jesus has the right to judge others because if he is judged by the same standard by which he judges, he is perfect.

And so, Jesus continues, “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

Not judging others is one of the cornerstones of Jesus’ teachings. He brings this exaggerated example to drive the point home. With a plank in your own eye, it is impossible to see the speck in another’s eye.  With this example he challenges us to look for, find and remove the planks – the imperfections – from our own life before looking or commenting on another’s life.

We pray today from the 22nd hour of St. Nersess Shnorhali’s Confession of Faith, Righteous Judge, when You come into the glory of the Father to judge the living and the dead, enter not into judgment with Your servant, but deliver me from the eternal fire, and make me worthy to hear the blissful call of the just to Your heavenly Kingdom. Amen.

 

Not Worry? Really?

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Jesus’ statement regarding worry seems childish, naïve and, well, unrealistic. What does it mean don’t worry about tomorrow? In a world that’s defined by long-term strategies, investments, and future payouts, the idea of living for today is absurd. With homelessness on the rise in every major metropolitan city, the idea of not worrying about what to eat, drink or clothing seems to contribute to the ever-growing problem.

At the beginning of this Advent journey, I suggested that you keep a journal of your travel toward Theophany. Reflect on the earlier teachings from the Sermon on the Mount. This statement on trusting our Heavenly Father is merely the logical follow up and conclusion to what Jesus taught earlier. Yes, if God feeds the birds of the air and clothes the flowers of the field which today are and tomorrow are gone, how much more will he take care of you?

But there is more to this than just not worrying. Anxiety, and the fear that causes it, are the opposites of faith. Fear is the biggest obstacle to your living a productive life. Fear is the opposite of faith. If you have faith you have trust. If you have trust then you diminish the power of anxiety because you completely submit to God. Of course, this all comes together when applied on the foundation established by Jesus earlier in the Sermon on the Mount. For instance, understanding that true treasures are not those on earth or discovering the true blessing in humility, these are the foundations upon which you escape the worry and the fear of this world.

Trusting God means to completely submit to His will. It means to allow God to be Father and for you to be His child. It means to enjoy the life that He gives you, to fly with the birds and to be clothed like the lilies of the field. Remember, in the old covenant God was known as Lord, but Jesus set up a new relationship, unlike any other, so that we dare to call God, “Father.” And not only my Father or your Father, but Our Father who art in heaven… Believe He is our Father. He takes care of every single part and aspect of the universe.

Certainly, you will always have fears and apprehensions of tomorrow, but you need to diminish them and the only way, the only cure for that is faith. To strengthen your faith, to really look at the examples that He gives us, look also at all of the examples that are plainly around you. Alongside the birds of the air and the lilies of the fields are the simple smiles of your children, the warm embraces of your loved ones, the monumental signs of the mountains, the crashing waves, the moon and stars, each of them telling you, as Albert Einstein says, “God does not play dice with the universe.” Life has not haphazardly been caused by an accident. God loves us and takes care of us.

Today we pray Psalm 37 (vs 3-5), Trust in the Lord, and do good, dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. Amen.

 

Axioms: No proof required

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An axiom is a statement or a proposition that is self-evident. It does not require proof or further explanation. The last few pronouncements from Jesus – treasures, light and riches – have been stated as axioms. And now, today’s pronouncement, Jesus says with authority. In context of axiomatic statements, you will understand the power of these words.

Thus, Jesus says, …I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Therefore, do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Mattew 6:25-34)

Jesus once again, as he has throughout the entire Sermon on the Mount, points to the Kingdom of God and redirects our attention from the worries of the day.

We will explore these words next time. For today we pray from the 7th hour of I confess with faith, written by St. Nersess Shnorhali. Beholder of all, I have sinned against You, in thought, word and deed, erased the record of my offenses, and write my name in the Book of Life.

Choices: The Lure of Riches

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Armodoxy for Today: The Advent Series – Riches

To continue with the Sermon on the Mount, today’s statement from Jesus is, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matthew 6:24) The word mammon literally means riches, in Aramaic.

Today’s message is presented in an axiomatic manner, just as were the last two statements he about treasures in heaven and the light of the body. I would venture to say that it is because you have gone through the Advent Journey for the past month that this statement is accepted without contest. You cannot serve God and riches. Still, Jesus provides a brief argument, that given two choices, we will favor one over the other. The lure of earthly riches is so much greater than the spiritual treasures gained from serving God.

The operative word in today’s teaching is “serving.” Introspection will reveal that we often “serve” our riches, that is the creation of money for the sake of having more money.

Money only finds value in its ability to do work. A million dollars in the bank is merely a one with six zeros following it. No matter how much you serve the money and how much it grows it has no value until it is used. A million dollars in action, that is, in use, is education, books, medical care, food on the table, housing, shelter, assistance to others, etc.

To put it another way, serving money is valueless. Using money gives value to riches. Serving God gives value to your life. Using God, demeans the value of your life.

The lure of earthly riches is so much greater than the spiritual treasures gained from serving God because earthly riches are tangible and occupy our reality. Jesus has now moved the spiritual treasures into this life, so that they is tangible by the good deeds and share our reality.

For today, we pray St. Nersess Shnorhali’s 12th hour prayer as he “confesses with faith. 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. Amen.

 

Control of the Light Switch

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Armodoxy for Today: The Advent Journey – Light Switch

The metaphor of light is used by Jesus on many occasions, to refer to himself and in turn in reference to you, his follower. “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life.”  (John 8:12)  Accordingly, as a bearer of that light he then says, “You are the light of the world… Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)

There is nothing fatalistic about this statement. Your goodness is not determined by God or any other force beside yourself. You are the master of your own destiny. “Let your light so shine,” says the Lord. Control of that light switch belongs to no one else but to you.

As we continue in our study of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’ next statement is, The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! (Matthew 6:22-23)

Placed within the context of the entire Teaching of Jesus, we read yesterday the axiom that where our treasure is there are heart is also. Today the material and the spiritual are divided in terms of the light and dark.

At the end of this Journey you will be coming face to face with the Light, first in the form of a star that will guide you to the True Light. And then, you will be in the presence of the Light to receive the Light. The Advent Journey is understanding how fortunate you are to have the control of the light switch. When you walk in the light, it is because you have chosen to do so. When you are in the darkness, it is of your doing.

Let us pray from the 21st hour of St. Nersess Shnorhali’s Confession of Faith, Christ, True Light, make my soul worthy to behold with joy the light of your glory, in that day when you call me and to rest in the hope of good things in the mansions of the just until the day of Your glorious coming. Amen.

Cover: Gregory Beylerian, 2014