Casting Votes

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After I turned in my ballot today, the attendant gave me a sticker with the words, “I VOTED” in large white caps screaming patriotically across a back drop of red and blue. In much smaller print, the same statement was made in 15 other languages, including Armenian – Ես քվեարկել եմ – and as if that small bit of reinforcement for my action was not enough, the attendant then turned to me and said, “Thank you for voting.”

I’m very observant when it comes to manners and appreciate a “please” here and a “thank you” there, but this “Thank you for voting” seemed a bit out of place, just enough to get my mind wandering. And thank you for working at the polling place, right? Why wouldn’t I vote? I’ve been voting since I turned 18 and my grandmother gave me an application, ordering me to fill it out. Voting was serious business for her!

All four of my grandparents were genocide survivors. They arrived on the shores of the United States in the 1920s after being exiled from their homes in historic Armenia. They left the oppressive regime of the Ottoman Turks. They lost parents, children and family members in violent and inhumane acts perpetrated upon them during the Armenian Genocide between 1915 and 1923. America was a safe haven, a place where potentials could be exploited thanks to a freedom to pursue your dreams. They took their citizenship seriously and exercised their right to vote. It was always interesting to me, that they never took freedom for granted.

I remember my grandparents talking about America in grateful terms. America has no obligation to us, they would say, and yet, she opens her doors and gives us an opportunity to live and prosper in peace. Long before Kennedy phrased it, that early generation of immigrants lived it: Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. And they did. They lived, worked, struggled, paid their taxes, served in the military, and took any opportunity they could to thank God for America. I wondered if my grandparents had read those Armenian words on the sticker would have felt that now they had arrived? Or perhaps they would have taken it more in stride and wondered why all the fuss? Of course, we voted!

Throughout the election season, I often thought of my grandparents, their generation and the America which gave them sanctuary. I cross compared their attitudes and now ours, and just how much we take for granted. I also thought of the great American experiment and how fragile it is, and can it survive being taken for granted?

Today as we pray, our prayer is no different than any other that I’ve taught here on Armodoxy for Today. It’s not about God interceding and helping our economy or shielding us against bombs, it’s a prayer for wisdom for us – the people who live and work here – to wake up and never take this freedom for granted; to build up this sanctuary which houses hopes and gives opportunities for dreams. It’s in our hands.

From St. Nersess Shnorhali’s 11th hour of worship, Jesus, Wisdom of the Father, grant us your wisdom, to think, speak and do that which is good in your sight. Save me from evil thoughts, words and deeds. Have mercy on all your creatures and on me. Amen.

The Ararat Label

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Armodoxy for Today: The Ararat Label

The term “virtual” has taken on some new meaning in the last few decades with the popularity of the internet. It is used to describe something that does not physically exist but is made by software to appears as if it does. That describes the way most Armenians understand Mount Ararat.

The mountain range is easily visible from the moment one arrives in Armenia at the Zvartnots Airport and shows itself especially nicely from the capital city of Yerevan. And if by chance the air is foggy or misty, and a cloud covering hides the mountain, Ararat is seen on logos of coffee shops, souvenirs and just about any type of clothing accessory one can imagine. Most homes have a picture of the twin-peaked mountain hanging somewhere in the house. And if you’re a visitor to Armenia, you receive a small ink graphic of Ararat stamped in your passport when you arrive. I mention this as an oddity because the Ararat Mountain is not in the borders of Armenia. Currently, that land is occupied by Turkey and exists within its borders on internation maps. But Mount Ararat is purely Armenian as is attested by the name itself.

Ararat is the theme of songs, and poems. Even during the Soviet years (1920-1991) when nationalism was played down or discouraged with the large scale punishment, Ararat was the theme of poem and prose. Armenia’s beloved poet, Yeghishé Charents wrote the words that are recited and sung; and they even stretch across a picturesque arch saying, “Travel the world and there is no white capped peak as beautiful as Ararat … it is the road to glory, unreachable, I love Mount Masis.” (another name for Ararat).

For Armenians, Mount Ararat is a national symbol. It’s our mountain and it always will be. This feeling is so strongly reinforced in the collective consciousness of the people that we – Armenians – often forget that the mountain’s claim-to-fame on the international scene is thanks to a reference in the Book of Genesis chapter 8, as the resting place of Noah’s Ark.

A few years back, I was invited to celebrate the Divine Liturgy in Nashville, Tennessee. It is considered a “mission parish” meaning that there is no permenent priest to pastor the small flock. A dear friend picked us up from the airport and on our way to the services we flew past an exit sign on the freeway boldly marked, “Ararat Cemetery next right.” A big smile came on my face. The sign, and the cemetery it pointed to, were indicators that there were Armenians in Tennessee. Any congregation that was running a cemetery must be ready to have graduated from mission parish status. Of course, I was operating on the notion that Ararat implied Armenian.

As we got closer to the cemetery, the sign read, “Ararat Baptist Cemetery.” It was, in fact, run by the local Baptist Church with absolutely no Armenian ties or overtones. The name pointed to the Biblical Mountain which is accepted by all of Christendom.

Much of what we believe, we are conditioned to believe. I’ve spent my entire life associating things labeled “Ararat” – from the local nursing home, to the bubbly water, from the restaurant to a type of slippers, to the cognac – with the Armenian nation. If we had not taken an extra step to take a closer look at the sign, I would have lived with the illusion of believing Tennessee had an Armenian cemetery. Issues of the faith are even more important than discovering what’s under a label. Whether a cemetery or an article of faith, take a moment to go beyond the label.

We pray from the Book of Hours, “Heavenly King, my soul is in Your care at all times and I trust in Your holy Cross. I have the multitude of saints as my intercessors before You. You are forbearing toward all, do not disregard those who rely on You, but protect them with peace by Your precious and Holy cross. Amen.

An Armenian Seminary in Armonk

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Armodoxy for Today: An Armenian Seminary in Armonk

In New York State, very close to the Connecticut border, there is a small town of almost 3,500 residents called Armonk. It’s an interesting name indeed, considering there is an Armenian monastery in this town, that might have you believe the town was named as a tribute to Armenian monastics, as in, Armenian + monk, shortened to, Armonk. But, like most New England settlements, there is a history to the town that predates the arrival of Armenians to the shores of the United States.  But the history that concerns us today is not the town but the Armenian Seminary, sprawled over 5.5 acres in this town. I had a chance to visit St. Nersess Armenian Seminary and meet with seminarians over the weekend. 

The St. Nersess Armenian Seminary was established in 1961 by the Eastern and Western Dioceses of the Armenian Church. It was the brainchild of Archbishop Tiran Nersoyan, of blessed memory (1904-1989). Archbishop Tiran was a visionary who understood that the needs of the Armenian Church in America and its congregants are unique. Preparing clergy to meet those needs must come from within the community.  St. Nersess was first opened in Evanston, Illinois and moved to New Rochelle, New York until the 2012 when the move was made to the Armonk campus. There is a link to the Seminary’s website where you can read about its history and programs. https://stnersess.edu/about/our-history/

Diocesan bishops set the guidelines for candidates who are pursuing a ministry in the priesthood. After undergraduate studies, a candidate may earn his post graduate degree through the St. Nersess Armenian Seminary and then further his studies at one of the hierarchical seas. The instruction they receive at St. Nersess augments their studies with specific lessons in Armenian Church theology, patristics, history, homiletics and liturgics. Most importantly, as I witnessed in my visit with the seminarians, St. Nersess offers an environment where young men can be with like-minded people, in an atmosphere of prayer, contemplation and comradery. In our secularized society, this in itself is enough to celebrate the importance of St. Nersess in the life of the Armenian Church in America. A priest’s life can be a lonely one, but God fills that loneliness with friendships that revolve around the Gospel of Love.

In the Gospel of Matthew (chapter 10) Jesus sends His Disciples “out like sheep among wolves.” And admonishes them to, “be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.

The priests of tomorrow will be coming from our midst. In a world that is filled with lies, deception and false narratives, the children of today and tomorrow are in search of the most basic element of life, namely Truth. The Armenian Church has offered that Truth for the last 2000 years in presenting Jesus Christ – “The Way, the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6) – to its people. And today it is being heralded to the world.

Today, we offer a prayer for our priests and those contemplating the priesthood, O Jesus, our great High Priest, hear my humble prayers on behalf of your priests. Give them a deep faith, a bright and firm hope and a burning love which will ever increase in the course of their priestly life. In their loneliness, comfort them. In their sorrows, strengthen them. Amen.

Three Locations

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Armodoxy for Today: Three Location

Every good real estate agent can tell you that the number one rule in real estate is location, location, location. Repeating it three times emphasizes its importance. Identical homes can increase or decrease in value due to their location. So choose location wisely when purchasing.

The same rule holds true in life with the exception that in life only one of the three locations is chosen by us, the client, while the other two are more of chance landings. We are all born into this world – into this life – without our consent. We have no choice as to when or where we are born. On the other end, we may feel we have more to say about our death, but often it takes place without our consent. The only location that we have control over is the third one, which is the life spent between birth and death.

This three location reality is best understood by glancing at a gravestones. Most of them have three symbols etched on them. The first is the person’s date of birth. We have no control over when or where we are born. The second location is the date of death. The third symbol is the dash that separates the date of birth from the date of death. That dash represents our lives and is the only section of life that is mostly in our control. Some dashes are short others are long, but the real quality of the dash is its thickness.

Life and how we live it is up to us. It is the dash – the life we live – that has meaning

Once a young seminarian in a monastery, in a display of youthful pride, decided to play a trick on the one of the oldest and wisest monks. He held a butterfly in his hand and brought his fingers together to cover the small insect. He asked the monk if the butterfly was dead or alive? He thought to himself, if the elderly man answers alive, I will crush the butterfly and prove him wrong. If he answers dead, I will open my fist and the butterfly will fly out. Either way the monk will be wrong and humiliated because the young student had shown him wrong.

Approaching the monk, the young man held the captive butterfly in his fist behind his back. “Old man, tell me, is the butterfly I am holding, dead or alive?” The old monk, not to be tricked replied, “The answer is in your hand.”

Maturity of Faith, which is the theme of this week, requires us to take responsibility for our lives, to recognize that God has entrusted us with our lives and it’s up to us to be part of the answer to, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done.” We are the ones who fatten the dash – the life between our birth and life – and we take the responsibility on whether the butterfly flies or is crushed.

Let us pray, Lord help me to understand your love through the trust you have put into our humble efforts.  tremendous trust you have in me and in humanity. Give me the strength to stand responsibly before you as I follow your commandments and do that which is pleasing in your sight. Amen.

Election Choice

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Armodoxy for Today: Election

Not only do elections take place every day, but several elections also take place within a day of our life. Presidents, congresspersons and mayors get the title of “elected” official, but our election process, that is, the choices we make, extends far beyond the political circuit. We choose friends to hang with, schools to attend, neighborhoods to lives, theaters where we are entertains, physicians to tend to our sick and meals to fill our tummies. The election process – whether for elected official or for the book that will be by our side for the next week or two – that process is an expression of our freedom. To be free means having the ability to choose and to choose otherwise.

The choice to do or not to do is the definition of freedom!

Armenians have suffered the loss of freedom to different would-be conquerors. Even in the harshest of conditions, they did not give up the right to choose and chose the path of God. From the time of Vartan in the 5th century, to atrocities witnessed under Ottoman rule, to the atheism of the 20th century Soviet Union, the choice for God through the power of Christ was the motto of the Armenian Orthodox Church. Armodoxy develops in this world of contradictions, amidst the most oppressive conditions, the election of Christ Centeredness is the power to which Armodoxy attests. It is a simple election for life, for the goal of “Peace on Earth, and goodwill toward all.” (Luke 2:14)

From the Book of Hours, the Zhamakirk, of the Armenian Church we pray, We bless you, Almighty Lord, for always accompanying those who call to You with faithful and righteous hearts. We beseech You, O Lord, to lead and guide Your servants on this journey so that we may be reunited with our loved ones in peace. For You belong the power and glory, forever and ever. Amen.

When $2Billion Plus is Not Enough

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Armodoxy for Today: The Search

Last weekend the Armenian Church celebrated the “Discovery of the Holy Cross of Christ.” As I prepared my Sunday sermon, an email crossed my desktop from one of the churches. The subject line heralded, “Discovery of the Cross, this weekend.” I read the first few lines of the message from a well-meaning soul. It spoke of the most inspiring story of Queen Helena who searched and found the Cross of Christ. I kept reading the story looking to see where this was going. It didn’t. It was a very nice history lesson from the 4th century and it pointed to one of the real dilemmas we face in the Orthodox churches: How to tie the history lesson with life today?

On the one hand, the story has to be told. After all, if not us, the Church, then who will tell this story? On the other hand, what do characters from 1,700 years ago, their exploration of lands in search of the Cross of Christ, have to do with our daily concerns inflation, wars and threats of nuclear annihilation, intolerance on every level, and personal issues of health care and broken relationship? The challenge I face as a priest is, how can I tell the stories from our tradition in a manner that will share the Gospel?

There used to be a Labor Day tradition called the “Jerry Lewis Telethon for muscular dystrophy.” Every year, for a couple of days, entertainer Jerry Lewis would stay up for days in front of television cameras, host guests, share stories and, most importantly, solicit donations for the fight against muscular dystrophy. Throughout the years he collected over $2.4Billion for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. After years and years of carrying on this tradition, I remember reading a story saying that Jerry Lewis had been dismissed from his position and would not be conducting the telethon. Can you imagine, an organization dismissing a person who was responsible for raising over $2Billion for the organization? In a statement, the head of the Muscular Dystrophy Association said something to the effect, In a 140-character world, we can’t justify a telethon of several days! In other words, the 140 character world of Twitter was defining the mode of communications, and therefore the funding of the organization.

And hence, our dilemma in the Church. How to we package the story and the message in the least amount of characters and stay faithful to our calling of spreading the Gospel?

Armodoxy addresses this dilemma by not discounting the story but emphasizing the message that the story yields for us today. Without the bridge to today, it is yet another history lesson that can be received from a textbook or a lecture. Armodoxy is looking at the world today through the lens of the Tradition of Armenian Orthodoxy.

Queen Helena left everything to search for the Cross of Christ. Why did she leave the comforts of her royal palace to go through garbage piles at Golgotha, looking for a wooden instrument of torture and capital punishment? Can you imagine in 400 years, someone going through dumps looking for the needle of a vial of lethal injection? We can’t, it’s ridiculous. Yet, that’s exactly what Queen Helena did. She did so because the One who was killed by that torture was the key to salvation. And what she found is what we find today when we look for and discover the Holy Cross.

The Cross, in Armenian Orthodoxy, is the symbol of love. Unlike what Hallmark and Hollywood try to sell us with an emphasis on the heart and the little fat angels with bows and arrows, the true symbol of love is the cross. On The Cross Christ expressed the greatest expression of Love, and in a day and age that is hurting from all sides, the quest for Love begins with each of us. We can’t find what we do not search. The message today is not about finding the Cross, but discovering, that is, searching for the Cross in our lives by searching for Love in our lives. Take it as a challenge to not be scared to search, with body, soul and mind.

Pray the prayer of St. Nersess Shnorhali, O Searcher of secrets, I have sinned against you, willingly and inadvertently, knowingly and unknowingly. Grant me forgiveness, a sinner, since from my birth through the holy baptism, until this day, I have sinned before you Lord. Have mercy on me. Amen.

Beneath the Masks

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Armodoxy for Today: Beneath the Masks

After trick-or-treating the neighborhood and snapping enough pictures to keep the memories going beyond the evening and season, the custom of opening the bag, inspecting and sampling the treasure takes place. The first step, though, is removing the mask off of your face, to better enjoy the goodies.

The masks we wear in life come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The masks we wear at Halloween are celebratory, they are part of the fun and excitement of the evening. The most beautiful young face can be distorted into something so old and hideous, and vice versa. The masks we wear after Halloween are the ones that we need to examine for they are easy hiding places for our true nature. We wear one mask at home and another at work. The mask we wear as a husband or wife might be different from the mask of a friend. The one we wear as parent speaking with our children might be different than the mask we wear speaking with our parents. One mask may be that of the boss and the other of the faithful employee. We wear masks to fit the occasion.

At the end of the day, we remove our masks, and usually do so in front of a mirror. What we see is the maskless self – the one that looks back at us and the one who’s stare we cannot escape.

When we talk about an all-knowing and all-seeing God, we understand He has the unique vantage point of seeing through our masks, no matter how many and how layered they may be. In this sense, it’s like the mirror-stare, in that we can’t escape His view. To open the bag of “goodies of life” and enjoy the treats within, that view – unhindered, unobscured, is the God view that is the same view from a clean and receptive heart.

The prayer of St. Nersess says (#9) Lord, Protector of all, instill Your holy fear in me that my eyes may not look lustfully, that my ears may not delight in hearing evil, that my mouth may not speak lies, that my heart may not think evil, that my hands may not do injustice, that my feet may not walk in the paths of iniquity. But direct all my actions that I do your will in everything. Amen.

Halloween Saints

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Armodoxy for Today: Halloween Saints

Saints are perhaps one of the most misunderstood elements of the Church. Saints are not God. We don’t worship saints. Saints are human, people, just like you and me. Just like us, they have free will. They have doubts, in fact, some have had doubts about God as well as about matters of Faith.

Jesus says, “Courage, the victory is mine. I have overcome the world.” The saints are those who took Jesus for his word, took on the challenges of the world with courage and overcame their condition and therefore, share in the victory with Christ.

In the Armenian Church, the feast of All Saints is celebrated in on a Saturday in November. In the West, All Saints is a fixed feast, that is, it is celebrated on the first day of November. The night before All Saints Day, is appropriately called All Saints Eve, or Hallows Eve, sloppily transformed into Halloween. In the Armenian Church the tradition of the evening before the feast is called Nakhadonak.

Saints have passed on from their physical life, and, as scripture refers to it, they have fallen asleep in Christ. People have tried to grapple with the notion of an end to a physical existence and have pondered about the possibilities of ghosts, hence the connection with some of the popular customs that emphasize death and spooky manifestations of the afterlife surrounding Halloween. Coupled with the huge profit motive in selling costumes, masks, movies, stories of horror, etc., the original intention and connection with saints is forgotten.

Saints give us examples of living. If you or I try (or dare) to compare our lives with Jesus Christ we are doomed for failure because Jesus is perfect. We will always fall short of perfection. But in looking at the saints, we have a model. They are human and therefore they live with frailties and imperfections; however, in their lives they were able to rise from the human condition, and for us today, they give us a model and an example for living.

From St. Nersess’ prayer, (#7), Beholder of all, I have sinned against You, in thought, word or deed. Blot out the handwriting of my offenses and write my name in the book of Life. Amen.

The Mission: Singular in Nature

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Armodoxy for Today: Mission & Continuity

Jesus began his ministry in the town of Nazareth. St. Luke the Evangelists records (chapter 4):
So Jesus came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed.
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. Thus, Jesus proclaimed His mission.

When we describe the Armenian Church as “Apostolic” it means there is an unbroken chain from the time of Jesus to his apostles, through the centuries to us. The mission of the Armenian Apostolic Church is the same mission Jesus proclaimed that day in Nazareth. Is it any wonder that at every ordination service, whether priest, bishop or Catholicos, this passage is read as the Gospel reading – as the instruction from Holy Scripture for the new servant of the Church.

Today, in our hearing, Jesus has proclaimed His mission. It is our mission… to preach the gospel to the poor, heal the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives, grant sight to the blind, set at liberty the oppressed and proclaim the year of the Lord.

A prayer from the Holy Divine Liturgy of the Armenian Church: Deliver us now from all unclean deeds that are not proper for those in whom you dwell, and may the shining light of your gifts not be extinguished within the reflective eyes of our understanding, for we have learned that you do unite with us in prayer and in commendable lives that are offered as incense. Amen.

Gratitude: More than Attitude

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Gratitude: More than an Attitude

Often, we have heard the sage advice that attitude is a major component of a healthy life. There are even popular statistical notations that tout that success in life is primarily a function of attitude as opposed to circumstances. No doubt, these quaint sayings are easy to understand but more difficult to implement especially because we look for some backing and proof.

Armodoxy is a history that supplies the proof for the miraculous. Armenians have faced a history of terror, butchery, and barbarous crimes, all contributing to a country and a people that have been void of peace for centuries. Yet the essence of Armenian spiritual prayers and hymns is thanksgiving. The Armenian Church prayer book, Jamakirk, is a collection of praise and worship. In the face of horror, Armenians have composed hymns and recited prayers that reflect thanksgiving and gratitude.

If anyone has a right to protest to God for the horrors inflicted on its people and land, it is the Armenians. Instead of protest, their prayers reach to the highest heavens with praise and worship. It is herein that the Armenians have survived and built life in the face of death, being a living witness to resurrection in the face of crucifixion.

Armodoxy is the witness that gratitude is more than an attitude.

We are reminded of our Lord Jesus’ words, “…I have spoken to you that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16)

We pray, from the Book of Services of the Armenian Church, Lead us, ensuring that our steps keenly follow in Your path. Keep us focused on adhering to Your divine commandments. Embrace us throughout our lives, so that we may live lives of purity and chastity. We bless You, Father Almighty, the Living Holy Spirit with the graces of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.