Done and Go – Day 40 of 40

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Armodoxy for Today: Done and Go – Day 40 of Lent

Congratulations! You made it to the end of the Lenten Journey. Forty days ago we began this trek and today it comes to an end and you transition. Your prize is waiting for you. It is life but with a new twist, you have found what is important, what is essential, in life. Not the bare minimum to survive, but the best of the pick of life, a life that is full of purpose and meaning, a life that is blessed by God and in harmony with the life around you, is now accessible to you.

At the end of his forty days in the wilderness Jesus gave three answers to the Tempter that I am sure resonate with you today. First, he said, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word God.” Second, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.” And finally, “You shall not test the Lord your God.” (Luke 4)

These words are no longer the punch line to a story, but, to the person who has accomplished the Lenten Journey and exercises, these words are the foundation to life moving forward. You have discovered that Lent is not about the bare necessities of life, but the bare essentials of life. The forty days are up and ahead of you are 325 days that are to built on these teachings.

I remember one of our psychology professors mentioned the goal of therapy is to eliminate you, the therapist, from the life of the patient. The same can be said about the Lenten Journey. Lent in itself is only there to help you, to guide you, but the main event is life itself. Lent is there to get you up and running for life, just like crutches, after leg surgery, are necessary to support and hold you up, and at some point you toss them and walk on your own.

Life is ahead of you. You are prepared. You have filled your life with increased acts of charity, stronger prayer life and fasting. Don’t stop because Lent ends. Tomorrow begins Holy Week, we transition to the most sacred period of time in the life of a Christian. You are ready to greet it and live it, with Christ’s passion, trial, sentencing, crucifixion and then, most importantly, the Resurrection. The Life of Christ will have new meaning for you as Lent has heightened your senses to now, walk with Christ on the road to the Cross and greet the Empty Tomb.

Celebrate tonight with the Day 40 recipe. jicama salad, and its recipe can be found at the link below. God bless you.

We pray from the Armenian Church’s Book of Hours, Receive, Great and Almighty God, these prayers and service. Make your light of righteousness and wisdom shine forth upon us and make us sons and daughters of light and of day, so that in godliness we may lead our life and fulfil it without offence, for You are our helper and Savior and to You is fitting glory and honor. Amen.

Lenten Recipes by Deacon Varoujan: Recipe 40: Jicama Salad

Cover: Sunset over Western Armenia, 2014 Gregory Beylerian

Twinkies and Devil Food Cakes – Day 39 of Lent

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Armodoxy for Today: The Devil and Twinkies – Day 39 of 40

Remember getting in trouble as a kid? No matter who it was who caught you, whether it was your parents, uncle, aunt or teacher, it was easy to pass the buck when you’re young enough to plead ignorance. I didn’t know it was wrong… My friend made me do it… My brother put me up to it…. Everyone else is doing it… are all excuses that parents have heard ad nauseum. And then there was the big scapegoat: the Devil. “The Devil made me do it!”

Scapegoating is as old as the hills. In the Genesis creations story, when God asks the man about his disobedience, the man blames the woman who then blames the serpent. But there’s no need to go back that far in time to hear a good one, take the 1979 trial of Dan White who assassinated San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk. At his trial, defense argued that White suffered diminished capacity because of his depression, attributed to a change in his diet from healthy food to Twinkies. The exact details of the defense can be studied on line, but improbable legal defenses now carry the label, “Twinkie Defense.”

Yesterday we heard St. Paul’s words, “…When I became a man, I put away childish things.” (I Corinthians 13) The Lenten experience brings us to a maturity of faith. Taking our relationship with God seriously means accepting responsibility for our actions. We have arrived knowing that we can try our best and if we fall short, God’s love gives us an opportunity for forgiveness. As we learned, we are forgiven our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, hence, the responsibility is placed squarely on our shoulders. We must forgive, to be forgiven.

Armodoxy points to the path of personal responsibility. By understanding our responsibility for our actions, our actions become more fine-tuned to promote peace and harmony. The words of Christ are now spoken to us directly and our line of communications with God are open. We understand that empathy and compassion are key to living the Christian life. By living the Lenten exercises of a charity, fasting and prayer, new opportunities are open to us. The end of Lent signals a continuation and a beginning.

Your act of charity today is to pray for those around you. Fast from anything that distracts you from the clarity you are coming into. Enjoy tropical sweet potatoes, the featured recipe in the link below.

We pray what is known as the Serenity Prayer authored by Reinhold Niebuhr,

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

Lenten Recipes by Deacon Varoujan: Recipe 39: Tropical Sweet Potatoes

 

Winding up to Maturity – Day 38 of 40

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Armodoxy for Today: Winding up to Maturity – Day 38 of Lent

St. Paul’s treatise on love is a staple at wedding ceremonies and anniversary parties. Love is kind, patient, not boastful, not envious, says the Apostle, among many other qualities of what love is and what love is not. This list, from St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians (chapter 13), is a great reminder of this most essential part of life, whether its read at a wedding, at a recommitment to vows, or just as a stand alone daily-reminder of what it means to love.

Later in that same chapter, St. Paul makes a statement which is often quickly glanced over, but on closer inspection is the purpose of our Lenten travels. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. Love demands maturity of faith so that it rises from the emotional writings on greeting cards, to becoming the indispensable element in a way of life. For this reason, in the Armenian Church the symbol of love is not the small heart, or the plump Cherib angel, but the Sign of the Holy Cross is the ultimate symbol of love because it stands for sacrifice. So it follows that in mature manner, with a mature understanding of the Holy Cross, we come to understand the Apostle John’s words that God is love. Unconditional love. If we have love in our heart and if we have love for one another, Jesus tells us, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” We are Christians by the love that we share and spread. So great is this condition in the Christian experience that not loving excludes you from using the title “Christian.”

Jesus words follow: Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’  And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ (Matthew 7:21-23)

As the Lenten period is coming to an end, we have matured. We should understand our place in the world and Love must be the guiding force behind our actions.

Your act of charity today is to reflect on the maturity that has come over you during the Lenten period. Fast from childish expressions that are void of meaning. Tonight’s menu treat is Peach Salsa, with the recipe at the link below.

Let us pray, O Father Almighty, I stand before you on these last days of the Lenten Season, disciplined by the exercises of the last several weeks. Imprint on me the sign of Love, that I may always hold it high as a symbol of selfless giving and love, to be worthy to be called your child. Amen.

Lenten Recipes by Deacon Varoujan: Recipe 38: Peach Salsa

Blessings beyond Chance ~ Day 37 of 40

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Armodoxy for Today: Blessings beyond Chance Day 37 of Lent

While its tempting to the end Lenten Season by saying we are winding down, if you’ve done the Lenten practice properly, this week we are most definitely winding up the season in preparation for life-beyond-resurrection! Part of that wind-up is redefining what we understand as articles and definitions of faith.

Think of the word blessing. We say we have received a blessing. Or, we may say a person’s life is blessed. We refer to blessings in the same way as we refer to luck. If you hit a lottery or a jackpot on a game of chance, people say that you are lucky! If disaster hits your town or an illness threatens your wellbeing, it is understood in the same manner, that somehow luck escaped you or the events are in the unlucky camp.

Today I ask you to think of the blessings you have in your life. As part of the wind-up for the end of Lent, take an inventory of all the blessings, by thinking about the lessons of Lent. Begin with the most obvious blessing that belongs to all our followers. If you’re listening to this podcast, it means you have an internet connection, you have electricity, you own some type of device that transmits the signal to you. Perhaps you’re in your car driving or have ear plugs that are piping in my voice in stereo to your receptors. Merely the fact that you’re listening to this puts you at an advantage over a large selection of the world’s population who consider you “blessed” because of your access to this technology. Now, leave the material realm and think of the friends and family who are around you. Some friends are closer than family, some family members can be best friends. Consider the priests who prays for you, the physician that cares for you, the teacher or coach who teaches you, the neighbor who looks out for you. Now, move out of this temporal plane and think of God, unconditional love, that wraps around you, that is inside and outside of you. Think of Christ and the anointing you have received to be able to tap into your inner strength and potential. You are able to look beyond the crucifixions that you encounter and find the resurrection ahead of you.

You are truly blessed. Now let’s redefine a blessing as luck, without the element of chance. This Armodox understanding of blessing becomes part of your new perspective on life.

Your act of charity today is to share a blessing with someone. Fast from expressions of luck, rather find the blessing of God in all that you do. Artichoke risotto awaits you on your Lenten dinner table, with the recipe at the link below.

We pray, I thank you Lord for the blessings you have bestowed upon me. May I find the blessings of Your presence at every turn in my life. Whether looking at the seascape, the flowers that bloom or the life that is around me, from the delicate butterfly to the precious child, may I praise you for the blessing of life. Fill me with a spirit of gratitude and happiness so I may share these blessings with others. Amen.

Lenten Recipes by Deacon Varoujan: Recipe 37: Artichoke Risotto

 

Cover picture: Vehapar extends a blessing by Fr. Vazken, 2005

All that Glitters is Not Gold – Day 36 of 40

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Armodoxy for Today: All that glitters is not gold – Day 36 of Lent

We’re in the last days of Lent and the time has come for us to consolidate and summarize our learnings, so as to make the lessons a part of our life in the post-Lenten world. We can begin the summary process by looking at the Lenten characters and events for the last few weeks, namely the parables of the Prodigal Son, the Dishonest Manager, the Unjust Judge and yesterday, the Coming of Jesus Christ. In the cases of the characters, the Prodigal, the Manager and the Judge, these were people we would hardly consider to be models of character and ethics. Yet, Jesus selects them to the “heroes” of his stories. Only Jesus can take something of deception and negative imagery and transform them into examples for our lives and for living. In the case of the event, the Second Coming of Christ, only Jesus can change the conversation about the fear and doomsday catastrophes to a discussion of preparedness by living the events of Jesus’ first coming.

Very simply, over the past few weeks we have been challenged to look beyond our prejudices and understand that there is something to be learned from each encounter.

William Shakespear wrote, “All that glitters is not gold” (Merchant of Venice). We may twist this around to say that not all that is dull is tin. We have something to learn from each of our encounters, from the variety of people that we meet. Jesus invites us to interact with our world and understand that there is an opportunity to learn and grow from everyone, considering that everyone is a child of God.

With these ethically “ugly” people, Jesus share a bit of beauty about them to teach about the Kingdom of Heaven. With the Second Coming event, he gave us a fresh perspective of the true message of the event is.

Today’s act of charity is to review the encounters with the Prodigal, the Manager and the Judge. Read the stories in Luke 15, 16 and 18 respectively. Fast from thoughts that simplify these characters. What are the takeaways for you? Mutabbel is on the Lenten menu this evening. Check out the recipe at the link below.

Pray, Heavenly Father, as I come closer the end of Lent, look over me and direct my path to make the lessons of Lent the guiding direction for my life. Amen.  

Lenten Recipes by Deacon Varoujan: Recipe 36: Mutabbel

Advent Sunday: The Second Coming – You never thought it was this simple

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Armodoxy for Today: The Coming of Jesus

Somewhere along the way, in 2000 years of history of Christianity, someone pulled the switch and took the train off course. I don’t know how, who or when, all I know is those on board will miss the destination.

This last Sunday of Lent is called Advent Sunday. Advent means coming and in this case it is used in reference to the Second Coming of Jesus. And the Armenian Church, subscribes to the formula expressed in the Nicene Creed: [Jesus] is to come with the same body and with the glory of the Father to judge the living and the dead; of His kingdom there is no end.

We also believe the unfailing word of Jesus Christ who says, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” And continues to say, “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Mathew 24) And so, the Christian, like a Boy Scout, is always prepared.

It has become quite popular for people to interpret prophecies, especially the Book of Revelation. Millions are spent by innocent victims who are being given misleading information – false interpretation of philosophy – for a chance to be part of the select group that will outlast horrifying and cataclysmic events, trials and tribulations and end up sitting with Jesus on his return.

A look at the Armenian Church’s orthodox perspective is so necessary, not only for Christians, but for our world. On this Sunday of Advent, our Church fathers direct us to this scriptural reading where the Lord Jesus proclaims, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.   This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. – Jesus (Matthew 22)

That’s it! It’s so easy and basic. It’s a formula that if followed allows you to always be ready for Jesus’ Second Coming. There’s nothing further you have to think about. It is the simple “bottom line” of the Lenten Journey. Jesus cuts through the law and the prophets and profoundly proclaims the message of love – toward God and toward neighbor. The best way to be prepared for the Second Coming is to follow the teachings of the First Coming.

Your act of charity today is to love. Fast from anxious thoughts about tomorrow. Trust God and His message of love. Today’s menu includes roasted eggplant with cashews. Try the recipe at the link below.

Let us pray, from St. Nersess Shnorhali, O Christ, the true Light, make my soul worthy to encounter with joy the light of your divine glory, on the day I will be called by you; and to rest in good hope, in the mansions of the righteous, until the great day of your coming. Amen.

Lenten Recipes by Deacon Varoujan: Recipe 35: Roasted Eggplant with Cashews

Farsighted Victory – Day 34 of Lent

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Armodoxy for Today: Farsighted Victory – Day 34 of Lent

On this final Saturday of the Lenten season, the Armenian Church commemorates St. Gregory the Illuminator’s admission into Khorvirab, or “the Deep Pit,” a place of exile and punishment. It is at the base of Mt. Ararat and is marked with a church atop the sacred space. St. Gregory was sentenced there for the capital offense of spreading the Christian Gospel through Armenia. For thirteen long years he remained in that subterranean dungeon, being nourished and cared for by the prayer and love of a faithful young lady who had converted to Christianity. He found the strength – the kind which comes from within – to challenge the system and to remain faithful to the principles and beliefs that are at the core of Christianity. Meanwhile, the Gospel of Christ had been planted and was now blossoming, in this young girl’s heart. Both St. Gregory and this young lady, Khosrovidughd, showed physical and inner strength, and we remember that strength today.

During this Lenten period we have looked within to find the basic necessities of life and we have discovered the strength that comes from various practices. We learned that ego must be put on hold or lost if we are to see the wonders of God. We challenged ourselves to discover where our inner strength lies. Now discovered, we use that strength to push ourselves forward, to make sure that the principles of our faith are not shaken.

The commemoration of St. Gregory’s entrance into the Pit should remind us of the many “pits” – prisons and dungeons in our lives. It is easy to blame others for those falls, but we should not discount our role in creating some of those prisons. Yes, even St. Gregory could have done otherwise but he did not, and therefore, he is responsible for being in Khorvirab. As noble as the reasons may be for our actions, we are part of an equation which has rewards or consequences on the other side of the equal sign.

As we mature in faith, we understand that there are serious consequences if not ramifications to every decision we make. Much like was the case for St. Gregory, if we stay firm to our principles, we may be challenged with pits in our lives.

Sitting here today, removed by 1700+ years from St. Gregory, we have a special vantage point. History may be translated into the advantage of farsightedness. We know that St. Gregory was punished in Khovirab –the Pit – but we also know the history that he was delivered and as a result, the conversion of Armenia took place, making it the first Christian nation on Earth. From the actions of St. Gregory’s death sentence, a people were given an opportunity to live.

This farsightedness is a gift from God. It is the ability to stand at one point in history and see another. To stand at Good Friday looking up at the Cross with farsightedness and see the Resurrection is our calling.  St. Gregory’s crucifixion the resurrection of a nation took place. Truly, farsightedness is a Christian gift because we see crucifixions through the lens that reveals resurrection. We see the empty tomb of Easter while standing at the cross of Calvary on Good Friday. Sometimes the pits of life are very, very deep, which is the meaning of the word Khorvirab. We struggle to overcome our difficulties. We search for a glimmer of light coming from above – a bit of light to keep us focused on hope to get out of the ditch. We appeal to farsightedness to see the beams of light coming our way.

This farsightedness kept St. Gregory alive. He was certain of resurrection following his crucifixion.

Your act of charity is to place your head up and view the resurrections from your challenges. Fast from the belief that crucifixion is the end game. On your Lenten table is a red bean appetizer to start. Its recipe is in the link below.

We pray a prayer given to us by the father and patron saint of the Armenian Church, St. Gregory the Illuminator:

Blessed is your love for human kind my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Save me from my enemies for like a lion they growl and roar seeking to swallow me up. Now my Lord, flash your light up and destroy their power. Exalted God the only sinless one grant me this sinner your abundant compassion. Save me this wicked one by the grace of your mercy receive me into paradise with the perfectly just. Receive the prayers of this your sinful servant by the intercession of the saints who are pleasing to you Jesus Christ our Lord. Glory to you with the Father and the Holy Spirit, unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Lenten Recipes by Deacon Varoujan: Recipe 34: Red Bean Appetizer

Photo: The Church at Khorvirab, 2009KTN

Trust in God – Day 33 of Lent

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Armodoxy for Today: Trust in God – Day 33 of Lent

As we get closer to the end of Lent, we prepare for the days that follow. In other words, the Lenten period prepares of for life. We think back on the lessons of Lent and are anxious to apply them.

Our Lord Jesus Christ plainly explains that trusting God means to completely submit to His will. It means to allow Him to be God. It means to enjoy the life that He gives us and to fly with the birds, and be clothed like the lilies of the field. To enjoy all that God has given us requires us to have complete and total trust and faith in Him, by allowing Him to be Father. One of the key teachings of the Armenian Church as expressed in the Divine Liturgy is that 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.” Our Father who art in heaven… If we believe He is our Father then as a heavenly Father, He takes care of every single part and aspect of that universe.

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

Your act of charity today is to implement the lessons of Lent and reduce your anxiety, eliminate your fears and trust in God. Grilled red pepper and eggplant sandwich is the Lenten delicacy with the recipe linked below.

Today we conclude with a prayer from Russian writer, Alexander Solzhenitsyn:

How easy it is for me to live with you, Lord!
How easy it is for me to believe in You!
When my mind is distraught
and my reason fails,
when the cleverest people do not see further
than this evening and do not know
what must be done tomorrow – 

You grant me the clear confidence,
that You exist, and that You will take care
that not all the ways of goodness are stopped.
At the height of earthly fame I gaze
with wonder at that path
through hopelessness –
to this point, from which even I have been able to convey
to men some reflection of the light which comes from You. 

And you will enable me to go on doing
as much as needs to be done.
And in so far as I do not manage it –
that means that You have allotted the task to others.
Amen

Lenten Recipes by Deacon Varoujan: Recipe 33: Grilled Red Pepper and Eggplant Sandwiches

 

Pushing Out – Day 32 of 40

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Pushing Out – Day 32 of Lent

This week – the week of the Unjust Judge – we are challenged to look at our prayer life in a new manner, that is, not only as a conversation with God but a conversation with the self. We turn inward to find the strength to push outward – to push that love and compassion out. We find the strength to do this because we trust in love. And now, we begin to understand what the Apostle meant when he said, “God is love.” We trust God because we trust love and vice versa.

During these final days of Lent our direction is outward. The forty days of fasting, praying and charity will push out of the Lenten form to be a part of our everyday life.

On this 32nd day of Lent we are noticing the change in our journey. What started as the road to faith is now turning into the path of action. You have it within you to act, to trust your actions because they are built on faith, they are built on love, that is, they are built on the trust that you have in God.

Today we have a simple act of charity: to love. It is the first step on the path to action. It is a true love, which may hurt, but we trust it. We are completely submitting ourselves to that love. Submitting to God is submitting to love. Push yourself today to freely explore submission to God. Substitute the love where you think of God. Substitute God where you think of love. Push yourself to love others – family, friends, or someone you do not know. Push yourself to engage in a random act of love. Then take the chance and really push yourself to love your enemy. It is there, in your action, that you see God manifested. There you see God born and revealed. There you see the chaos brought to order and fear dispelled. It is at that point that you truly understand, “Thy will be done.” It is His will that we love one another.

Today’s specialty is simply Olivada! You’ll find the recipe at the link below.

Let us pray:
O Christ Jesus, when all is darkness and we feel our weakness and helplessness, give me a sense of your presence, your strength and your love. Help me to trust your protecting love and your strengthening power, so that nothing may frighten me. For living close to you, we will see your plan, your purpose and your will in all things. Amen.

Lenten Recipes by Deacon Varoujan: Recipe 32: Olivada

God’s choice – Day 31 of 40

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Armodoxy for Today: God’s Choice

In the first chapter of the Gospel of St. Mark, we read a story of a leper (a person suffering of leprosy) approaching Jesus for a healing. Although most people have only heard of this bacterial disease in the context of the Biblical stories, there are over 200,000 new cases diagnosed every year. The symptoms of the disease can be disfiguring and mostly out of fear of its sight and the fear of spreading the disease, lepers were isolated in colonies during the time of Jesus.

St. Mark’s narrative is as follows, A leper came to Him [Jesus], imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. (40-42)

In this story, the first question we must as is, Why wouldn’t Jesus choose to do heal this man? Why wouldn’t he want you to be walking in the Grace of God?

This fifth week of Lent opens with the Parable of the Unjust Judge, Luke 18. After reading the story, we have to wonder if a better descriptor of this judicial arbitrator might be the merciless Judge, or the Heartless Judge. God is full of mercy, and in His compassion, He wants the best for His Creation. Once you know Jesus is on-board for the salvation of your soul, you merely have to listen for the words that follow, “Be made clean!” It’s His Choice and His choice for your wholeness.

We pray from St. Gregory of Narek (1): O God, Lord of souls and all flesh, in the words of one divinely graced, you are long-suffering and abounding in mercy … Show me, here at the threshold of these contrite prayers, the sweetness of your will. Strengthen me that I might not be unworthy of the light when the heavens open, so that I might not be consumed and snuffed out like a candle. Amen. (Translated by Thomas J. Samuelian)

Lenten Recipes by Deacon Varoujan: Recipe 31: Tomato and Bread Soup

Photo: Gregory and Luna Beylerian, 2023