Strength in Humanity

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Armodoxy for Today: Power In Humanity

The Beatles’ song, “Let it Be” has a nice and warm spiritual tone to it for a few reasons. The opening chords set the tone of the song. The words of the refrain, “Let it Be” are the definition of the word “Amen.” There are a few references to Mother Mary. She “comes to me” and speaks “words of wisdom” according to the song. The connection with the Blessed Mother is an easy one to make but we find that it is a connection which we infer because of our prejudices. According to the song’s writer, Sir Paul McCartney, this Mother Mary reference is to his own mother, Mary Patricia McCartney, who he lost at an early age. The song is written about a dream in which his mother came to him with words of wisdom.

Our religious prejudices play a large part in how we perceive and interact with the world. Because St. Mary, the Asdvadzadzin is singled out in history to bear the Christ Child, we rightly commemorate her celebrations and feasts by focusing on her holiness. But the strength of St. Mary – as well as all the saints – is in her and their humanity.

Saints, including St. Mary, are not gods. They are not worshipped in the Armenian Church. Rather, they are venerated, that is, they are regarded with great respect and reverence. Because they are human, we can look at them as examples for our life. This is a very important function of saints. As people, they have all the frailties and difficulties that humans have. They had the same temptations and doubts that all of us have. The difference, however, is that they rose from their humanity to touch the divine. It so doing, they give us hope that we too can rise from our humanity and touch or share in the divine realm.

She was asked to bear a Child out of wedlock. The night she gave birth to the Child Jesus, there was no room for her in the inn, or in the world. She witnessed the murder of the innocent. She kept in her heart all the details of Jesus childhood. She was at the Foot of the Cross when the her Son was nailed to a Cross and destroyed by His own creation.

At the feast of Assumption we are invited to reflect on the Blessed Mother Mary, her struggles and challenges and how she overcame each of them to become “Blessed among women.” (Luke 1:42)

We pray from a prayer of the Church, We ask you, Holy Saint Mary, full of glory and birth-giver of God, Asdvadzadzin, to lift up our prayers to your beloved Son that He may forgive our sins. Amen.  

Enter AI – Exciting and Scary

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Armodoxy for Today: Exciting and Scary

At Epostle.net, when we say, Apostolic evangelism for an electronic and expanding universe, it is more than a catch phrase for us, it is our mission. Earlier this year we entered the metaverse with exhibits of the sacred spaces, the monasteries, the khatchkars and prayers of the Armenian Church which have defined civilization. Today, we mark a new day and a new era in Christian evangelism. Today we break the language barriers in sharing the OG Christian message from the ancient Armenian Church – what we have identified as Armodoxy – with a hurting world using the latest tools of artificial intelligence. Today we produce and share videos with the people of the world in their native languages, in French, Russian, Spanish and Korean, with Hindi, German and Chinese being the next languages to follow. While many will stand in awe of the technology our intention is not to showcase those means. The unbridled human spirit will create the tools that will keep us in awe. Ours is to share the unique and necessary message of the power of Love, through Jesus Christ with the world.

Welcome to the new world. It is an exciting and scary place.

This weekend as we commemorate the Assumption of the Blessed Mother, we remember that the announcement of her pregnancy was exciting and scary for her, as were the many events in her life, from the angel’s message to the Birth of the Christ Child, to her standing at the foot of the Cross, to her Assumption into Heaven. We take the first steps in this uncharted area of AI, realizing that the first steps will always be scary. At Epostle.net we connect dots from those events 2000 years ago to our lives today, so as not to lose sight of the purpose of the story. The Asdvadzadzin gave birth to God, the Love that overcomes hatred, the Light that illuminates the darkness, the Resurrection that is a victory over every crucifixion.

Jesus says, “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.” (Matt. 13:45-46)

We have found the pearl!

We take this opportunity to congratulate Team Epostle and especially Epostle creative director Gregory Beylerian for his leadership in exploration and development of these tools to spread the message.

We open this new chapter with an invitation to you to explore and share the many resources we have available, especially on the new international languages page. Join us in prayer, “Lord our God, open our hearts and our souls to the wonders of your love. Grant us the courage to seek the Pearl, the Kingdom that is within us and without us. Banish the fear that hinders us from sharing and celebrating the joy of life. Amen.”

Visit Epostle’s International languages page

St. Mary & Grapes

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Armodoxy for Today: St. Mary and the Grape Connection

My grandmother was one of four sisters. She was the oldest. Her name was Marie. Her sister’s names were Lousaper (the Light-bearer), Srpuhi (the Holy One) and Diruhi (The Lady, as in the feminine of Lord). All four sisters had names which were descriptive of St. Mary. No other saint is revered as much as St. Mary by Armenians, and the fact that in one family, four daughters are named after the blessed Mother is a testament to the respect and devotion she has had among the people.

St. Mary is referred to as the Asdvadzadzin which means the bearer of God, referring to her unique position of giving birth to Jesus, the Son of God. While the traditional churches celebrate the Assumption of St. Mary, only the Armenian Church has the unique tradition of the blessing grapes on that day.

My grandmother would recall how the first fruits of the harvest, the best fruits, were taken to the church on that day for a special blessing. The offering of the fruits was a gesture of thanksgiving, thanking God for the blessings He has bestowed upon the people, the temperance of weather, the fertility of the soil and the abundance of sunshine which yields the grapes. In fact, she would add that the townspeople would not eat the fruit of the vine until they were blessed on this day.

One of the reasons given for the connection between St. Mary and the grapes is that grapes can be propagated without seed, alluding to the virgin birth. But the best reason comes from Christ himself who sets up this analogy, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.  Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” (John 15:1-4)

The life of a Christian is completely dependent on an unfaltering connection to Christ himself. Jesus presents the picture of the vine, the branches, and the fruit. And the operative is God the Father who prunes the branches. Just as the soil, weather and sunlight are necessary for delicious and juicy grapes, so too, our connection to Jesus the Vine is necessary for our lives to be flavorful and beautiful.

The grape blessing service is a call to productivity. God gives us a world and we are the stewards of this beautiful life. Armodoxy attests that Christianity is not an escape from this world to another but a realization that in this world we – us – are the agents to make God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

From the grape blessing prayer that is offered on the feast of Assumption, Bless, O Lord, the grapes. May we enjoy that which You have created in this world and grant that we may be worthy to eat and drink with You from the bounty of Your most fruitful vine at the table of Your Father’s Kingdom, according to the just promise which You made, to the honor and glory of Your coexisting Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the most Holy Spirit to whom is due glory, power, and honor, now and forever. Amen.

And it doesn’t end here…

Mary Yes Needed Today

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Armodoxy for Today: Mary’s Yes Needed Today

Mary, the mother of Jesus, is the first of all the saints in the Church. In the Armenian Church she is referred to the Asdvadzadzin (= Bearer of God) or Asdvadzamayr (= Mother of God). These titles tell us more about the primacy of Jesus Christ in our Faith, than they do about Mary, but they point to the reverence with which we must approach the Blessed Mother.

Unique in the Christian story, Mary is chosen by God to bear the Christ Child. We encounter Mary in the Scriptures at the Conception, the Birth, in the adolescent period of Jesus and finally at the Crucifixion, at the foot of the Cross watching as her child is beaten, tortured and killed by the same humanity for which he came to save. Mary is the only witness, according to Scripture, of Jesus’ life from “cradle to grave.” Though it may be possible that Joseph lived as long, there are no details of his life beyond the story of Jesus at age 12. (Luke 2:41-49).

While much has been said and written throughout the centuries about Mother Mary, her story is a simple one which takes place in the first two chapters of the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke. Even more, the simplicity of Mary’s story can be summarized in one word: Yes! Mary, the Holy Mother of God, is revered and set apart from all the saints because of a simple and courageous “Yes” that she said to God’s invitation.

We read in the Gospel narrative that when the angel announced to her that she would be with child, Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.”

Mary’s “Yes” to the angel is simple and eloquent, yet powerful. It seems to have flowed off of her tongue yet took the courage of a lifetime to utter. Mind you, we’re talking about 2000 years ago, in the Middle East. This story is not in 21st century USA. The sentence for unwedded pregnancy was death by stoning, not to mention the humiliation, dishonor and stigma it cast on your family. The pressure, both real and psychological to say “No” was great, and so the value of that “Yes” was beyond measure. And so it was that her “Yes” changed the course of human history, for unto her a child was born who is the Son of God.

Now, invite Mary’s action to your 21st century life. Every day and every moment we are asked to bring Christ into this world. Christ is the incarnation of love. By loving, caring, being empathetic to the needs of others, we are bringing Christ into this world, we are saying “Yes” to God. It’s as simple as that and the level of difficulty to do so, is up to us. Armodoxy is a testament to a people who have chosen to bear Christ to the world. It has not been easy, but the reward has been great. Every Armenian Church altar bears the image of St. Mary presenting, offering, Jesus Christ, Love to the world. Every altar is a reminder that this “Yes” changes human history.

We pray, “Lord, Jesus Christ, your holy mother said yes to the invitation to bear you and present you to the world. You came into a world of darkness and brought light, into a world of hate and preached love. I say Yes today, to bring light and love to a hurting world. Shine in my life, move me in the paths of your love, always. Amen.”

Think up to Mystery

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Armodoxy for Today: Cognition

One of the greatest gifts given to us by God is the ability to think, to reason, to wonder and ponder, to question and then arrive at a conclusion. In fact, the idea of thinking is tied in intimately with the Christian understanding of life, that is, because we think we have the ability to make decisions, good or bad. God calls us to exercise our free will and make decisions from the most mundane, such as getting out of bed on the right or left side, to the most extreme limits of life, such as deciding whether to drive recklessly while intoxicated. Accordingly, our actions have consequences – rewards and punishments – because we have the ability to think and make decisions. If we didn’t have a choice in decisions, we would be living according to fate and therefore not accountable for any of our actions.

As children, we learn early that our actions have consequences. Our learning is assisted by memory. The first time we place our hand near a hot stove, we feel the heat, perhaps we burn ourselves, and we learn that stoves are hot. Imagine if we didn’t learn and every time we saw a stove we stuck our hand into an open flame, our safety and long term chances of survival would be severely diminished. Thinking is good. Reasoning is good.

Often, religions call on their followers to blindly accept doctrine without putting it to the test, hence the expression, check your brain in at the door. This develops from a misunderstanding of Jesus’ words to trust. He asks us to trust and to have faith. Actually, to truly trust and have faith one needs to fully engage with the powers of reason and rationality. Jesus used parables to explain some of the most complicated and complex concepts in human understanding. The use of parables presupposes the use of intelligence to decipher, to make connections with metaphors and to understand.

There are, of course, many concepts and ideas that are difficult to decipher, for instance the origins of the universe or the extent of time and eternity. When we designate these to the great “mysteries” we are not advocating for an abstention from brain usage. Quite the opposite, we’re saying through the cognitive process, we have exhausted the possibilities of our humanity, but do not discount the possibility of more beyond our sensory perception. Here, we confront God. These are the primal instincts that draw humanity to religious understanding.

Armodoxy begins with a challenge to allow God to be God and us to be human. When we relinquish what we cannot understand or comprehend to the divine realm, we are taking a very real and practical approach to life. Eternity can wait! We have faith that Christ will lead us there. We then focus our attention to the world at hand and how we can become the instruments of peace, the workers for righteousness, the Children of God who by living for peace (Matthew 6:9). Armodoxy is about the here and now. It’s following Jesus’ words, that God’s will must be done on earth as it is in heaven.

We end today with the words of our Lord Jesus, who proclaims, (Matthew 5:3-10)

“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, or 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.

Cover photo: The thinkers of Griffith Observatory, Fr. Vazken 2009

Supernatural to Natural

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Armodoxy for Today: The Supernatural Within

Continuing our journey through Armodoxy, we bring the supernatural home today. If we put away our prejudices, and keep the ego in check, we find it easier to see the supernatural in daily occurrences, whether in the pollination of a flower, the amazing structure a duckling’s tail feather, or the supernatural occurrence healing of the physical.

When we look at the metaphor of the Vine and the branches which Jesus articulates, “I am the vine and you are the branches… you cannot bear fruit without being connected to the vine,” we find a natural progression of events. A branch cannot bear fruit if it is not connected to the vine! Yes, obviously. It’s so natural that it is a given. It is an axiom, not even necessary to mention. But our “dull faculties” (Einstein’s words) have become conditioned to the point that we doubt the obvious, and so we must repeat it for clarity. Jesus should not have had to give this lesson in agricultural botany to a group of people who cultivated the land for their livelihood, but he did. Now imagine how much more we need to, and must, reiterate matters with which we are not familiar.

In my first parish I had a young lady named Leslie who was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The diagnosis was devastating enough, without learning of the many horrible and frightening treatments she would endure to fight this disease and with no certainty of winning that battle. Within our parish community the word spread quickly, and we were all in various degrees of anguish. She was a mother of a beautiful daughter who was too young to realize what lurked ahead for mom. Her husband, stoic at the news, was ever so supportive and determined to overcome the cancer. We braced for the worst with members of our church even discussing how to take care of the little child in her mother’s absence.

That Sunday, as all Sundays, we celebrated the Divine Liturgy and distributed the Holy Eucharist. After church services Leslie approached me. She told me – not asked me – “I received Holy Communion today. It is the Body and the Blood of Jesus Christ.” I nodded my head, yes, you did. She continued, “Well, if Jesus Christ is within me, what cancer can survive inside of me? There is no place for that cancer in my body!”

She said this with such conviction and strength. I picture her face saying this to me to this day and my eyes water as I swell up with emotion thinking about it. If Jesus Christ is inside of me, what business does cancer have within me? Yes! That’s exactly what she said.

Leslie went on to live. She and her husband brought two more beautiful daughters to this world and through the years, we stay in touch, even if only for a Christmas card, with pictures of the family growing and flowering. Even more, she is forever connected to me through the “Vine” that connects us all. Her story has helped me through some of my worst days, and I share it with others, not only to offer hope, but to change our perception of the supernatural to natural.

What we call Supernatural is natural, normal, for those who exist in a different plane of understanding. That plane is not that far away. It is no different than perceiving heaven here on earth. The exercise of losing ego and the dropping of the prejudices we harbor against the miracles of life bring us closer to that reality.

We pray today from St. Nersess Shnorhali’s prayer of the evening hours, “Gracious Lord, commit me to a good angel, who may guide my soul in peace, and carry it undisturbed through the wickedness of evil to heavenly places. Amen.”

Cover: Jermuk Falls, 2019 Fr. Vazken

Dropping Supernatural Prejudices

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Armodoxy for Today: Dropping Supernatural Prejudices

At the end of the last century, musician/guitarist extraordinaire Carlos Santana put out an album of music under the title Supernatural. The album was a huge success, including breaking the record for most Grammy Awards, which up to that time was held by legendary pop star Michael Jackson. The album featured artists from CeeLo Green, to Dave Matthews to Eric Clapton, and many others. Santana used the name “Supernatural” for his album because it was beyond the natural, that such greats would come together to put together this music. He felt that the call to come together was also supernatural.

Often, we find ourselves in unexplainable situations, and when we run out of those explanations we appeal to the supernatural. Yes, we can say that it was a talented group of musicians, to say the least, but Carlos Santana chose to say the most, and said it was supernatural.

Some will doubt that there was anything supernatural. Others will swear by it. While still others, will not even care how the music was produced, as much as it was good music which they are able to enjoy it. In other words, not everything needs to be analyzed.

For the most part, people have prejudices against supernatural events because those events don’t fit nicely in the order of their universe.

Before the Civil Rights movement and legislation in the 1960s, Black Americans were asked (or forcibly placed) to the back of the bus. That was “their place,” they were told by people who pre-judged them, which is what “prejudice” means – to pre-judge. Because religion has not presented the supernatural in an accessible manner, or, as Einstein alluded, “our dull faculties” are not tuned to understand senses beyond ourselves, we harbor these prejudices.

Presenting the effects of the supernatural is not an easy task. Think of Santana’s album; finding the effects is easy because it is the product itself. Armodoxy makes the effects of the supernatural just as easy to find in the work of the Church by pointing to the life that has been lived and is lived by Armenians as a miracle of the supernatural. A group of people who have no military strategy, no military, no political might, no political ally, and not only live but thrive can only be attributed to a supernatural force. It is on the same scale as Santana’s claim of a supernatural force bringing the musicians and music together. Today’s challenge is to drop our prejudices and not confine religious experience to “their place” where “they belong.

Supernatural occurrences are more common than we are led to believe, if we are willing to look within.

We pray today, Lord, help me to look within. Allow me to inventory my life and see the true miracles, including my life, my family and the relationships that sustain me. May I be open to the natural and the supernatural. Amen.

Cover: Noravank, 2023 Luna & Gregory Beylerian

Where Angels Rest

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Armodoxy for Today: Where Angels Rest

Right outside of Yerevan, on the road to Holy Etchmiadzin, there are ruins of an Armenian Church called Zvartnots. For decades there has been talk of the possibly of reconstructing this monument to faith based on ancient documents and the archeological extrapolations from the positioning of the ruins. Architects have studied the large stone pieces of walls and domes but have not dare to tackle the project. They have made drawings of it, rendered it into models, but have not recreated it.

I believe, that it cannot be recreated. You see, the word Zvartnots is a descriptor pointing to “the resting place of the angels.” I do not believe it was made by human hands. It is a perfect place that cannot be recreated on this earth so long as there is no rest for angels.

The innocent who are given a death sentence whether because they are dodging bullets and bombs in war torn areas of the earth, or the victims of mass hatred and murder on the scale of genocide, or children who suffer of incurable diseases, rest in this habitat of perfection called Zvartnots. created by Divine hands. The Armenian Church developed it’s expression of death, namely in the Armenian Church’s requiem, for a population that was persecuted and the victims of hatred. The Armenian Church is the living witness to a people who were given a death sentence purely for being Armenian. Armodoxy tells us that today, we must react and console those who struggle in war, with intolerance, hatred and calamity. This is the Christian call to walk in the shoes of others.

We pray, “For the souls of them that are at rest, we ask of the Lord our God, to accept the souls of his servants, and give us the joy to work our lives in harmony for the sake of peace and tranquility in the world. Amen.”

Cover: 2019 Fr. Vazken

Making Sense, not

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Armodoxy for Today: Not necessarily making sense or not necessary to make sense

The death of a child is one of the most difficult and tragic events with which we must come to terms. As priests we are called to minister to people in their hardest and most difficult hour. Naturally people look for answers because we appreciate and want to have order in our lives. Not only is there a physical and emotional loss for family members touched by this devastation, but the natural rhythms of life have gone topsy turvy because a child is expected to bury his or her parents and not the other way around.

It’s at these times that, if we are honest with ourselves, we realize and understand that certain events have no rhyme nor reason. Sure, we may wish to comfort one another with logic and well-meaning statements such as, “She is no longer suffering,” or “He’s enjoying those who came before him in the perfection of life.” The reality is that words are inadequate to console and, perhaps, unnecessary.

Sometimes we’re called to make sense out of the senseless, when actually, as the adjective implies, there are no words that can do so. You cannot explain away hatred that causes people to kill and commit the horrendous evil of Genocide. You cannot describe the terror felt by children and their parents who are in the middle of a war. And you can’t explain away disease that raises havoc for a family. Just as you cannot describe or comprehend the suffering of Christ on that hill, at the hands of his children who chanted “Crucify Him,” and then drove nails through the hands that only days before healed them.

Armodoxy asks that you look at the short burial service of the Armenian Church. It is one which was developed throughout the centuries for the people of Armenia, people who were innocent but given a death sentence they could not escape. The service is one of reconciliation and acceptance of Christ’s healing words, come to me all of you who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

We pray, “Lord, my God, I am ready to grow in your love. While I don’t understand all that unfolds in life, open my heart so that I may react with compassion, care and love to the difficulties around me. Amen.”

Cover Photo: Light Undefined, 2019 Fr. Vazken

Two Ways of Seeing

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Roots of Armodoxy: Two Ways of Seeing

Two earthquakes, less than a year apart, with relative same intensity were recorded in the 1980’s. I was indirectly and directly at both of these. The first took place in a town called Spitak in Armenia. Close to 50,000 people perished. In a country of 3 million people, this means 1.7% of the population was wiped out in this single event. Along with Armenians throughout the world, I was involved in a massive fundraising effort to bring relief and humanitarian aid to the area.

To the second earthquake I had a front row seat.  It was during the World Series – a special series that pitted the two Bay Area teams, the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics, against one another. The ground rumbled, and we found ourselves in the Loma Prieta quake, registering 6.9 magnitude on the Richter scale.  The differences in the loss of life was remarkable. There was extensive damage to infrastructure, and life was disrupted for a while, but in the end sixty-three people had perished (compared to 50,000 in Armenia the winter before),

On the first anniversary of the Spitak quake, orders came from the top, the Catholicos of All Armenians, that we would solemnly observe the anniversary with requiem services throughout the world. The day was somber indeed, with reruns of video clips and reprints of articles and photos to forever forge the images in our mind.

On the first anniversary of the Bay Area quake, the atmosphere was completely festive! The community got together to celebrate the life that was spared! There were street parties and festivals proclaiming the win over something so tragic, celebrating their re-birth as a community.

The difference in the commemorations explains outlook and understanding of a population, much like the way we describe the same glass as being either half full or half empty. In the case of Gyumri, the sadness continued for years, in fact, decades later the effects of the earthquake are still felt. The dome of the church which fell during the quake is still sitting on the floor as a reminder. It sits there so that it is unavoidable, that is, you have to confront and acknowledge the past as you enter and exit the city. In so doing, a license for victimization is given. There is confusion. Instead of understanding their predicament logically, people revert to fatalistic answers, such as, “It is God’s will that I suffer.”

What I’m describing here can be seen in as comparison between the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. In the Old Testament we read stories – memories – that pit people against one another. The concept of God playing favorites with one people over another is pronounced and remembered throughout its pages. Jesus came to end that. His message was to everyone. Remember the Transfiguration. The point of Moses and Elijah being there was that Jesus is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. “The Kingdom of God is at hand,” is how Jesus entered on the scene and the even greater news he had to give was that the Kingdom was accessible by everyone – young and old, regardless of race or nationality. With his proclamation he moved the model away from fatalism, back to self-determination. “To hear the word of God, and do it.” It’s about Faith being action, not a history lesson.

Baptism is the “Born Again” experience in the Armenian Church. It’s a fresh start, where the past is left behind. The “curse” of the memory is dropped. Memory serves to heal. Christianity is about celebrating the today. The past can be honored and revered but is not a place to live. The difference between a happy or festive expression and a sad expression is not merely an optimistic vs. pessimistic view of the world, it is an acknowledgement that God is with you, that the new day brings with it a new life.

We pray from the Book of Hours of the Armenian Church a morning prayer bringing in the new day, “We thank you O Lord our God, who granted us restful sleep in peace. Grant us to pass the remainder of the day in peace. Strengthen and guard us through the days of our lives, so that we live our lives with pure behavior and reach the peaceful haven in eternal life, by the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.