Children and Traditions

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Armodoxy for Today: Children & Religion

It is interesting to me that as adults we want to impose on our children systems that have not worked for us. Jesus, turns the tables on that discussion, as he usually does, by calling a child as the example of what he wanted to see in us all.

We read in Matthew 18: At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.

Children are pure, but we know that purity can soon be diluted and corrupted. It seems there are more opportunities and quicker means by which children can be corrupted today. And so, we create ways of passing on knowledge to our kids. The challenge for us, is not to lose track of our goal. I have heard many well-intentioned teachers of scripture do so in literal terms. For instance, presenting the story of Noah’s Ark as literal truth, will certainly backfire when the children ask simple questions like, “What do you mean everyone was so bad that God flooded the world? What about the child that was born the night before, was she evil too?” Instead, the stories of the Old Testament are there to be used as metaphors and templates for some basic truths, such as God has rules and regulations.

The best lessons we can give children is given not with words but by action. When children see their parents and teacher live the life they preach, a greater lesson cannot be learned.

At the Armenian Monastery at Geghart, there is a room to light candles, as there is in all the monasteries. In these rooms are large trays holding sand, where people can light candles of prayer, reminding them of the Light that comes from Christ. At Geghart, however, they have a few of these candle areas that are only a few feet above the ground, making them accessible by children. Right next to their parents, children have an opportunity to stop, light a candle and begin a habit that they will carry with them through their lifetime. These habits are the way traditions are born.

The easiest and most meaningful lessons in life are those which are passed along sincerely.

We pray a prayer by Archbishop Hovnan, “Lord, my God, Your light shines upon me this morning. I lift up my heart to You and with Your blessings I walk to school to enlighten my mind and soul and to become a kind student. Lord, bless me day and night and I promise to live a meaningful life for your glory. Amen.”

 

Summer Solstice

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Armodoxy for Today: The Summer Solstice

Today is the Summer Solstice. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is the day with the most hours of sunlight. Daylight hours have increased since the Winter Solstice in December, the day which enjoys the sun the least.

In the Armenian Church, much has been written and said about the Winter Solstice because the date of Christmas was changed from January 6 to December 25 in the West, to bump the holidays surrounding the solstice celebrations, thus facilitating the spread of Christianity.

With no such conflicts of date or celebrations, the Summer Solstice gives us an opportunity to focus on light itself.

A few years back, I found myself in a village in Rwanda working with genocide survivors. We conducted informal interviews with them, became familiar with their daily activities and then, as the sun went down, people wound down, and soon, it was 7:00 PM. It was dark outside. People were in their homes, preparing for their night’s slumber. There was no sound throughout the village. I thought it odd that people would be preparing to sleep at this early hour. And then it occurred to me, that without electricity, without the artificial lighting that the electricity provides, for all intents and purposes the day was over with the sun set.

In a world without electricity, you can only imagine how welcomed the longer days are. It meant more time for families and community building, more time for productive living, for gatherings, therefore, more time to share and celebrate, that is, to express love.

Light is the facilitator of life. Light maximizes the potential for life. With this understanding, listen, then, to the words of Christ:

“Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him… A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” (John 11 & 12)

Some of the great treasures of our Faith are found in the simplest phenomena of nature.

We end with a prayer by the 13th century saint Nersess Shnorhali, I confess with faith and worship you, O Indivisible Light, unified Holy Trinity and one Godhead; creator of light and dispeller of darkness, dispel from my soul the darkness of sin and ignorance, and enlighten my mind at this moment, so that I may pray to you according to your will, and receive from you the fulfillment of my requests. Have mercy upon your creatures, and on me. Amen.

Children: More than a Grammer Lesson

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Armodoxy for Today: Children’s Grammer Lesson

Somewhere in our education process, either in elementary school or in Junior High, we learn about the elements in a simple sentence. There is a noun and a verb, and sometime there is an object. The object is a noun or a pronoun that is acted upon by the verb. For our discussion, “Mothers bear children,” “Fathers love children” and “Parents raise children” are three examples of simple sentences with a noun – mother, father and parent – a verb – bear, love and raise – and, in a common object – children. Unique to this object is that it also defines the nouns. Without children, the words mother, father and parent have no meaning.

Today, children are sometimes the forgotten elements, not of sentences, but of life. We hear stories of celebrities falling in and out of love, and their children are a footnote, if even that, to the story. We are alarmed by cases of domestic violence, focusing on the barbarism played out on a spouse, without tending to the impact on children. Politicians – presidents, prime ministers and senators declare wars and engage in battles with a heavy cost on children, including the ones who are weaponized as soldier.

Jesus quickly turns the script. “Let the children come to me, for to such belong the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Matthew 19) Note, the children are the nouns and Jesus is the object. But this has not been a lesson in grammar, but a lesson on the primacy of children for God. Their angels, Jesus tells us, see the face of God. (Matthew 18)

It’s been said that there are no atheists in foxholes. A foxhole is a place below the ground used by soldiers as shelter against enemy fire.  The phrase is an aphorism to suggest that in times of extreme fear or threat of death people will appeal to a higher power. In other words, when looking in the face of death, even the atheist will admit to a God.

Many years ago, I discovered another place where there are no atheists. The night my first child was born, it occurred to me that there aren’t any atheists in birthing rooms, either. When looking in the face of life, in its most delicate and novel state, you realize that the loss of your emotions is a connection to something greater than yourself. The details of fingernails that are thinner than paper point to life as anything but an accident.

I tested the theory a couple of times after that first experience. Same conclusion: There are no atheists in birthing rooms. And there is no greater message of hope and love than children.

We pray a prayer from Archbishop Hovnan Derderian’s “Prayers for Children”:  Lord, my God, You created the world the day and the night, the skies and the earth, the waters and the land, the stars and the moon, the trees and the flowers. Let my prayer be a call for the peace of the world, so that we may cherish and embrace Your glorious creation. Amen.

Fatherhood from Joseph’s view

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Armodoxy for Today: Joseph on Fatherhood

The most prominent earthly father in Holy Scripture is Joseph, the husband of St. Mary, the Holy Mother-of-God. In the Armenian Church, he is referred to as Asdvadzahayr, that is, the Father-of-God. Now, in the case of St. Mary, we accept this title because she gave birth to Christ, but we have difficulty with the title given to Joseph because from our earliest days in church and in Sunday School, we have learned that there was no biological tie between Joseph and Jesus.

Very little is written about Joseph in Holy Scriptures, but from that little we know that he was a devout and God-fearing man. We know his strength not only by his physical prowess as a carpenter, but by his moral character. He was unwilling to discredit his wife. Being obedient to the messenger of God, even when all the facts gave him reason to doubt, he took on the responsibility of being the adoptive father of Jesus. In that act of compassion, Joseph did not allow Jesus to be referred to as “illegitimate,” or as an “orphan.” Nor did he allow Jesus to be treated as anything less than his own son.

The act of adoption is an act of love and sacrifice. As parents, we love our own children, but to love another person’s child as your own reflects a very deep love. Joseph demonstrated that love as he adopted Mary’s child, loved and cared for him as his own.

When we talk about the saints, whether Joseph or any of the other saints, it is easy to get caught up in the details of their lives rather than understand that a saint is like us, with all their frailties, problems and even doubts. However, they are able to rise from their difficulties and aspire to the godly, hence, giving us the inspiration and motivation to move from our difficulties. It is important to see in them the characteristics from which we can learn and by which we can pattern our lives.

Joseph sets the ultimate example of living. We see in him true strength. We understand what it means to be obedient to God’s word. Joseph prayed, believing that “Thy Will be done” would take place when he, Joseph, agreed to take part in God’s will. In fact, his actions allowed God’s will to be done here on earth as it was in heaven.

As the adoptive father of Jesus, Joseph displayed courage and immense love for his wife and her child. Former president Barak Obama once said, “What makes you a man is not the ability to make a child, but the courage to raise one.” In fact, in this manner alone, we can understand why our Church Fathers referred to Joseph as the Father of God.  Joseph teaches us the true virtues of parenthood – it is the courage to give, sacrifice and to love another human being as your own. He raised Jesus Christ from infancy to adulthood and gave him the necessary support in preparation for the Divine ministry and to ultimately rise to the Cross and conquer it.

Today we pray a prayer for children and their adoptive parents, “Heavenly Father, by your word, the whole world was created. By your word, your Son was conceived and became man. Bless all fathers of children who have been placed for adoption. May these men always know of your great love for them, just as St. Joseph knew. May these men love their children always as the example set by St. Joseph. Grant them your courage and your peace. Amen.

Responding to Fatherhood

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Armodoxy for Today: Responding to Fatherhood

Father’s Day gives us an opportunity to thank and honor our fathers. Fathers, just as mothers, are no longer confined to a gender. We all know mothers who, because of life circumstances, have had to be both mother and father to their children, just as we know fathers who, because of life circumstances, have had to be both father and mother to their children. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are about the responsibility that goes with parenting.

The family unit has gone through many changes over the last century. A quick glance at television programming will remind us of just how much the image of the family has changed from Father Knows Best in the 50s, to Married with Children in the 90’s, to programs we’d be better off not remembering today. Like it or not, these are the images that came across our TV screens and have their impact on patterns of thought. They come into our living rooms and our homes, sometimes subtly, but most of the times as a reminder of where our society is at this point in time.

I’m not calling for a step back in time. But I am calling upon the teachings of the Church as articulated by our Lord Jesus Christ. He showed us a life of simplicity and personal responsibility. And pay attention to the order: a simpler life means much greater ability to take responsibility.

We fall into the materialism trap. We defend our actions by saying that we are working hard so that our children can enjoy the things we never had. We provide for our children but often don’t realize that the cost of providing is not measured in dollars. We lose sight of the goal of life. Responsibility to children means securing them with love, compassion and belonging.

Once, during a class with Junior High students, I asked them who their favorite hero was, expecting to hear the names Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Black Panther or Spiderman. Would you believe that the fantasy heroes did not even surface on their lists. Their heroes? Their parents!

On Father’s Day and Mother’s Day, I ask fathers and mothers to own up to the responsibilities entrusted to you as parents. Your children need you. Your children will mimic and become the person you teach them to be.  Working so that they may have more money and things are not the gifts your children need. Your children need your time. Your children need your love. Your children need your support.

We conclude today with a passage where Jesus talks about his parents and family. From the Gospel of Matthew (12): While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. Then one said to Him, “Look, 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! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”

From Dot to World

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Armodoxy for Today: From Dot to World

In keeping with the themes we’ve been discussing this past week, today I’d like to share with you a message from astronomer and planetary scientist, the late Carl Segan, with an epilogue by Jesus Christ.

In 1990, the spacecraft Voyager 1, after spending 13 years exploring parts of our Solar System had reached the edge of our planetary neighborhood. Before departing, it turned around one last time toward planet Earth. It was over 4 billion miles away from home when it snapped a picture and radioed it back to us. If you looked extremely close at the image, and only after it was pointed out to you and you took a second, third and fourth glance at it the you might see a pale blue dot against rays of scattered light caused by the Sun. That image, is planet Earth

In 1994 Carl Segan wrote the book.  “Pale Blue Dot.” In it he reminds us that that dot is home. Everyone we have known, loved or hated, every historical figure, from pauper to king, every barbarian and their warriors as well as every ethical teacher and their disciples, who has ever been studied, have all existed on that pale blue dot.

He goes on to warn humanity of the fragility of life, and the importance of honoring and respecting what we have with one another and our environment on that pale blue dot.

Take a look at Segan’s book and his observation of that tiny dot in the universe that we call Earth. You find a prominent scientist, futurist, and thinker talking about the ethics of being human. You see, the scientist and the priest are not too far off each other. They, both begin and end their days with dreams.

Armodoxy points to the universality of the message love, faith and hope. You don’t have to scrape the edges of the Universe to find this truth, it is in each of our hearts. The challenge is to implement the what exists there, and recognize that that pale blue dot is home.

In the Gospel of Matthew we read, an expert in the law, tested Jesus with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22)

 

Glancing at Eternity at Datev

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Roots of Armodoxy: Eternity at Datev

Albert Einstein’s E=mc2 is one of the most recognized scientific notations by non-scientists. At most, people know it has something to do with time and space, though the mechanics escapes them. At the least, people know it is connected to Einstein and the theory of relativity. Around the same time Einstein was putting together the formulas for the general theory of realtify, American write, Henry Van Dyke was stating the relativity of time in these terms, “Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity.” That’s right, time is relative. It moves according to the vantage point of the observer.

At the end of time is eternity. It is difficult to accept and impossible to comprehend. Eternity exists in the absence of time, and as such is goes counter to all of our natural experiences. We may use words and phrases such as forever-and-ever but they describe time, not eternity. One such place where we come close to touching eternity, however, is at the monastery of Datev* or Datevivank. It is found in the Syunik Province in southeastern Armenia. Nestled in the forests, atop a hill, the Monastery is a marvel of Armenian architecture. Stone-placed-upon-stone, the shell of the church holds within it a very sacred space where the energy is so strong that time seems to be bent. While at Datevivank, you can experience eternity because time is absent. Though the structure itself is finite, inside you lose yourself to the marvel of faith that has constructed this shrine.

Datev is the reason why people look up when they think of heaven or eternity. On this hilltop some of the greats of the Armenian Church have lived and been inspired, including St. Gregory of Datev (14th century) who is entombed inside the sanctuary. He was a theologian and philosopher whose influence on the church is felt to this very day. During the early part of the 20th century, as the Genocide was coming to an end, the Datev Monastery was the inspiration and backdrop for greats such as Garegin Njteh as he chartered out the course for a new and independent Armenia, with his priorities expressed in a trilogy of ideas, God, the Nation and the Fatherland.

As we were visiting this bit of heaven on earth, a service uniting heaven and earth was taking place. The head of the monastery, Fr. Michael was administering the sacrament of baptism on a young boy of nine or 10 years of age. The boy’s godfather was a worker from one of the local villages. Those in attendance to witness the Christening were the boy’s immediate family and us, a group of pilgrims open to the blessing that may come our way.

Fr. Michael baptized and confirmed the boy with holy Miuron and then offered a prayer of thanksgiving, “We thank you Lord for replenishing your Church with this new servant of yours.” That word, “Replenishing” was the key to eternity. Here on this high peak, inside this monastery, in the witness of simple people, a miracle was taking place. Eternity was taking form; the continuity of space and time unfolded in our presence. At Datev we may not have comprehended eternity, but we did understand that eternity is not something to come but is in our midst right now. Henry David Thoreau expresses it concisely, “You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.”

Fr. Michael turned to us and gave us a blessing. He is a simple monk of the Armenian Church who understands the power of uniting us with eternity. For those moments at Datev, we saw and were united to the vastness of eternity, and with the certainty of the continuity of life.

We pray today, “Heavenly Father, we say that to You belong the Kingdom of Eternity. May we be in your Divine presence, in that eternity, now, as well as forever. Amen.”

* The Armenian name Տաթեւ, may be transliterated into Latin characters as Datev or at Tatev.

Cover Photo: Fr. Vazken 2023

Other Wars

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Armodoxy for today: Other wars

Continuing on the theme expressed yesterday, as to how we are conditioned for war, we point to a phenomenon that continues to breed war. It is the phenomenon of leading with a stale vision. This year, this phenomenon is even more accentuated with the presidential elections here in the United States. The two leading contenders for the position have lived the good part of eight decades and are now “sharing their vision for the future” vying for votes. What vision and for what future?

This not only true in the United States, but a quick glance around the globe and you’ll see its usually older men who engage in wars that the young ones fight. We hide behind the concept of funding wars, while shipping off kids to fight those wars.

Jesus came to the world to challenge the stale visions with an option for life.  “Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’” (Matthew 9) says Jesus, to a world that is desperate for a vision, a vision which is articulated by love and its manifestations, such as mercy.

Today we fund wars throughout the world based on stale visions which propagate more hatred and more war. Death, disease, famine instead of life, health and wealth. Think of the billions of dollars that can be used to fight larger wars, such as housing and sheltering homeless populations or transferring flood waters to areas devastated by drought or exploring new innovations in medicine and technology to improve the quality of life. Yes, life, health and wealth.

We read in Proverbs, “Where there is no vision, the people perish…” (29) In fact, the stale vision of war is literally and figuratively a one-way ticket to death, hence Jesus words, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” It is the direction of a life which follows a vision of faith, love and hope.

As the Body of Christ, the Church, has a responsibility and duty to continue to herald the vision for peace. This a sacred calling which is pronounced by God and heeded by humanity.

We end today with a prayer by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. O God, we thank you for the lives of great saints and prophets in the past, who have revealed to us that we can stand up amid the problems and difficulties and trials of life and not give in. We thank you for our foreparents, who’ve given us something in the midst of the darkness of exploitation and oppression to keep going. Grant that we will go on with the proper faith and the proper determination of will, so that we will be able to make a creative contribution to this world. In the name and spirit of Jesus we pray. Amen.

The Weapon

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Armodoxy for Today: The Weapon

War is a political action. It’s as old as the hills. It has become a means by which people resolve their differences. We are conditioned to believe and understand that, albeit it is an extreme measure, war resolves conflicts once and for all. We appeal to weapons, building stronger and more powerful weapons to overcome adversity and our enemies. The bigger and more powerful the weapon, we think, the more we are guaranteed victory. And so, along with the quest for peace, we are on an ever-growing exploration for bigger and more explosive weapons.

Jesus Christ presents us a weapon of sorts, namely Love. Oh yes, we pay homage to love, saying it’s what makes the world go around. All you need is love! We dedicate song, poems, novels, movies, monasteries and churches to love, and attest to its awesome power, but when it comes to weaponizing against our enemies, we have no faith in love-power and instead opt for instruments of destruction.

We’ve been conditioned, not only during our childhood as people, but as a civilization, through historical lesson, to believe that war is the solution. Reality check: wars are fought, and no one wins. Sure, a battle is won here or there, but no one wins wars. In the end, loser of the battle only builds resentment and anger, to come back another day for “settle the score.”

Furthermore, war gives the illusion that certain life is more important than other life. Women and children are called on first to evacuate, as if the life of boys and men are of less value. Soldiers are drafted or enlist, and when they don their uniform they are fair game, as if their mother or father will not cry when the announcement arrives that their baby is gone.

Over the weekend, four Israeli hostages were rescued, but the cost of the operation killed over 200 Palestinians and hospitalized four times that amount, adding to the narrative that some lives, some groups, some people are more valuable than others.

There is a higher idea and a better weapon to overcome our enemies.

If you contend that God is the author of life, then you have to admit that all life is precious to God. There are no hierarchies of people for God, as Jesus instructs. We, people, have created disparities. We author wars and are responsible for ending war.

The words of Jesus are clear:  “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5)

Delicate Planet: Remembering Bill Anders

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Armodoxy for Today: Delicate Planet

Today we note the passing of William Anders, one of NASA’s Apollo astronauts from the 1960’s, one of a select group of people through whose efforts the moon landing became possible in 1969.

William Anders flew on Apollo 8, the first man-made object to leave the orbit of the Earth and enter the orbit of another astronomical body, in this case our planet’s nearest neighbor, the Moon. During the Apollo 8 mission the astronauts were charged with circling the Moon, observing the lunar surface, recording their findings and returning back to Earth.

The Moon’s surface is made up of craters and dust. Black and white film was what they used to photograph the landscape.

As the astronauts’ attention was focused on the Moon, in the midst of snapping away pictures, William Anders was the one who turned his head inside the space capsule and noticed a beautiful blue planet peaking its head over the horizon. Quickly, he loaded color film into his camera and began shooting the image outside his window at various f-stops to compensate for the uncertainty created by this never-seen-before event. It was the Earth, rising above the Moon’s horizon. It was the first time ever, that any human life form had witnessed an earthrise.

Anders later said, “We came all this way to explore the Moon, and we discovered the Earth.”

The event took place on Christmas Eve 1968. The image was radioed back to Earth for everyone to see our planet through the eyes of William Anders and the chance event of turning his head. The crew of Apollo 8, Bill Anders, Jim Lovell, and Frank Borman read the story of Creation as a Christmas present to the world. Genesis chapter 1, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth…”

That day, that picture and the message it conveyed, changed the way humans saw our planet. The photograph is now iconic and continues to be a reminder of how delicate our existence truly is on this planet of ours.

Sometimes, all it takes to refresh our view of life is to turn our head and view life from another window, from another angle. When Jesus says, “Turn the other cheek” to evil, he is asking us to consider the beautiful colors outside our window, even when we’re focused on a seemingly black-and-white world. Truly the challenge for humanity is to turn around, reimagine a world where evil can be overcome by goodness, where violence does not have to be met with violence, where our metaphors include putting out fire with a hose, rather than more fire.

William Anders passed away at age 90. The picture he shot from the space capsule will never die because it is a glance at the goodness which God shared with us, His creation. May God rest the soul of William Anders.

We end with a prayer that one of the other astronauts in the same space capsule, Frank Borman, prayed from space on that Christmas Day: “Give us, O God, the vision which can see Your love in the world in spite of human failure. Give us the faith to trust Your goodness in spite of our ignorance and weakness. Give us the knowledge that we may continue to pray with understanding hearts.” Amen.

Cover: Moonrise, 1968 NASA (Apollo 8)