Words for Prayer

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Armodoxy for Today: Words for Prayer (for Artsakh)

Ever since Nagorna Karabagh, Artsakh, was violently taken over by the Azeris, Armenians the world over have been searching for words and expressions to share with others, and with God, their frustration, disappointment, anger, and acceptance of the hideous crime on the road to genocide.

The Armenian Law Students Association organized a vigil at the Loyola Law School here in Los Angeles to honor the lives lost during the Artsakh Genocide. An open invitation was sent to the student body as well as the entire community. They assembled, with candles they prayed. I wish to share their prayer here, for those searching for words, especially in a world that keeps adding wars and new sufferings on people. This, they adapted from a prayer written for Armenia and Artsakh in the Eastern Diocese (November 13, 2020).

Blessed are you, O Lord we come to you in a supremely difficult time for the Armenian people. With broken hearts and tears filling our eyes, we are united in grief over the loss of the ancestral holy lands of Artsakh. The Armenian people are forced to leave behind their sacred temples of worship and silence their joyful prayers within their glorious churches. In this state of unbearable pain, we appeal to you, O Lord, to hasten to their aid in your divine mercy and love. 

Dispel their deep sorrow; heal their wounded spirits; pull them back from the error of hopelessness and despair. Help them to find strength and refuge in your loving arms, and to unite the Armenian nation under the warm and caring wings of your Holy Church. Grant us the humility and wisdom to accept the things we can no longer change; and give us courage to effect needful change where we still can.

 In a time of unrest and turmoil in Armenia, give the people the peace you granted to all your followers: breathe into them, too, your life-giving Holy Spirit, so that they too may find peace from worldly commotion, worry, and fear. Help them to work together in love, directing their sincere efforts toward the recovery of our society. Guide them in rebuilding their broken homes, and heal their wounded families who lost loved ones during these bitter days of war.  

Remember with love, Lord, as our Creator, the souls of the heroic soldiers and brave civilians who sacrificed their lives in your name. For those who have now lost their lifelong homes and must flee to safety. Remember them, bless them, and receive them into your Kingdom. Comfort their loved ones by the grace of your Holy Spirit. 

Lord, today we are overwhelmed by the sense of loss and tragedy that has come upon the Armenian people. But we know that you are always near to the brokenhearted, and you rescue those who are crushed in spirit [cf. Psl. 34:18 2]. We trust that all things are possible through you [cf. Philip. 4:13 3]. Help us realize that even when matters lie beyond our understanding, you still know the plans you have for us—plans to help us prosper and not come to harm; plans to give us hope for the future [cf. Jer. 29:11]. We cast our anxiety to you, lean not on our mortal understanding, and trust in you with all our heart [cf. Prov. 3:5]. For we have faith that in all things, you work for the good of all who love and honor you [cf. Rom. 8:28].  

We are humble, Lord, and you are our glory; your very name is wondrous, triumphant, and holy. Surrounded by the great cloud of our newly martyred witnesses to you, we praise you along with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and always, and unto the ages and ages. Amen.

Cover: Envato Elements

Religious Scams

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Armodoxy for Today: Religious Scams

We have all become familiar with this word, scam, though we may be unaware as to how prevalent it is in our lives. We have heard of Internet scams, financial scams, email and telephone scams, and try to exercise some degree of caution against them. Banks, financial institutions, even health care foundations issue warning about the threat of being scammed. But when it comes to religious scams, we are certain that it could never happen to us. After all, we think, I’m a Christian, born and raised a Christian, and I know what I believe to be true. In that statement is the weakest link in what protects us from religious scams.

These days we have everyone and their uncle professing authority in all matters concerning Christ, Christian faith and Christianity. Quote a few Bible verses and do it loud enough on a social media account, and anyone can proclaim just about anything with some degree of authority by virtue of the platform. Fake news gets tagged; but anything goes when it comes to religion, especially Christianity. With wars and talk of wars escalating, the field is open for end-of-world predictions that have to do with a battle called Armageddon.

Because religion is a personal matter, people don’t really care to know the background story. For instance, the Armenian Church, being an Apostolic Church, that is from the time of the Apostles, has a unique spot in the Christian world and speaks with authority when it comes to Christian concepts and dogma. Still, it’s easier for people to believe what they want, as hideous as things may be, rather than educating oneself.

So, in the interest of passing along some information which you may not know, here are a few things to keep in mind as you read through the some of scary predictions which are being made in the name of Christ and Christianity.

The Old Testament is not salvific. Jesus Christ is the fulfilment of the law and the profits.

Jesus is the Son of God and therefore His ethnicity transcends our understanding of ethnicity. He belongs equally to everyone and to all ethnic groups.

The word Israel means the “people of God.” After baptism, we proclaim the child as a member of the “New Israel” which is not to say they belong to the Jewish state in the Middle East.

Jesus will return. His return is imminent, but it has been imminent since the 1st century. For this reason, Jesus says, “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Matthew 24:36)

The location of Jesus’ return is not disclosed. It’s his business. He asks us to love and care, not to predict places. Despite what you have read or heard, if Jesus decides he wants to come back in Puerto Rico or in Armenia, you can site all the pages in the Bible and all the preachers that you’ve heard, he doesn’t have to go by those rules. Again, He asks us to love and care, not to predict places.

Anyone who predicts Jesus’ return on a specific date or place is running a scam.

The Book of Revelation was written by St. John, one of the 12 disciples. He was imprisoned on an island writing to the Christian’s of the time. He wrote in a code that they, the people of the time, would understand. The message is simply: endure the sufferings and persecution, God’s victory is guaranteed in the end.

Who goes to Heaven is God’s business. Ours is to love and care for one another and leave the rest to God. Our prayer is: Lord have mercy.

These are just a few items I wanted to share with you considering all the scary religious misinformation that’s being pumped out in the name of Christianity. There’s much more and that’s why we speak about the Apostolic Evangelism, and hope you follow the ancient teachings.

Pray the Prayer that our Lord Jesus taught us: Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

Disrupting the Ballet

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Armodoxy for Today: Disrupting the Ballet

The annular solar eclipse could not have occurred at a better time for us. It came at a time when we needed to stop and stand in awe. And those of us who witnessed it, did exactly that. We endured a week of news of escalating violence in the Middle-East and imploding war, which fed our skewed understanding of life as some sort of meaningless string of events. And then on Saturday morning, in the skies over our heads, we witnessed a spectacle of light and shadows. Our Moon came between our planet and the Sun in a cosmic ballet which once again took our breath away. At one point, it created, what is referred to as a “ring of fire” with the center of the Sun blacked out and a beautiful and circular ring hovering in the air.

A solar eclipse is a phenomenon which happens every couple of years. This time, it happened over the sliver of the planet that we inhabit here in the Western United States, making its appearance accessible to millions in its path. It is a phenomenon because the size of the moon, and its distance from the surface of our planet and the distance between it and the Sun is such that this small mass can blot out the entirety of the Sun, an object which is 400 times the size of the Moon.

We watched as the Moon danced before the Sun, moving closer and closer to the point of its annular eclipse and then the ring of fire appeared. I couldn’t help but also keep tabs on the time. The eclipse occurred exactly at the point that was predicted by the mathematics of its motion. And at that moment of eclipse, we wake up that this is not by coincidence or by chance. The cosmic ballet is choreographed by the God of the Universe to the second. The proportions, the angles, the time, come together perfectly as only a Perfect Creator could orchestrate. This is the world we are recklessly and negligently playing with, with our wars and our inability to resolve our disputes with anything but bombs and bigger bombs.

It was in the aftermath of the eclipse that I heard a song by Grammy Award winning artist India.Arie Simpson, called “God is for Real.” The timing of this performance was just as profoundly orchestrated for my reference as was my witnessing of the eclipse. At a time when hatred and evil are making headway in this world, we in the Christian community must focus on the wonders of God. This has been the message the Armenian Church has preached to its people during the worst turmoil in their history. And today, it comes to us. Here is an excerpt with an invitation link at the end to hear it in its entirety.

God is for Real by India.Arie

The sweetest honey to the brightest flower

The largest planet to the smallest atom

Snowflakes and the bird kingdom

Smaller THAN the eye can see bigger then the mind can conceive

Heard a man on the radio today, I mean I’m not going to believe in anything that I can’t see and I’ve

been through a lot of hardships in my life ya know ya know in my life

Must confess I disagreed with what he had to say

How he could he not believe that God is real I don’t understand how he could feel that way

When there’s earth, air, water, and fire, so many different flowers, sunshine and rain showers

So many different crystals, ant hills and volcanoes

That’s how I know that God is real. All of this is not by chance. That’s how I know that God is real.

All of this is not by chance.

YouTube Video: God is Real

Songwriters: Drew Ramsey, India Arie Simpson, Shannon B. Sr. Sanders.

Value Relativity

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Armodoxy for Today: Value Relativity

The story of the “Widow’s Mite” which appears in the Gospels is fairly straight forward. In the Gospel of Mark we read, “Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. Then one poor widow came and threw in two pennies.  So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.’” (12:41-44)

Much-much earlier than Margaret Mead’s research led to her teachings of Cultural Relativity, or Einstein’s calculations yielded him the Theories of Relativity, Jesus had made a case for value relativity. In this model, two-cents has a greater value than 10, 20 or 100 times that amount. The value of the offering, according to Jesus, is based on the person’s position and intention. “…For they all put in out of their abundance,” explained Jesus, “But she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.”

Value relativity asks us to look beyond the intrinsic value of an object, call it monetary value, and look at the intentioned value of the object. This gets into muddy waters, because it is not ours to judge what a person’s intentions in their giving. Jesus may do so because of who He is, but not so with us, because our intentions are not always pure.

That being said, the other aspect of value relativity is the position of the person, in the case of the story she was a widow. In the times of Jesus, the legal and social status of women was determined by her husband. Widows could not possess property because their husband had died. After a husband’s death his widow could live in her father’s house if he was alive, or to an adult son if she had one.

In the Gospel of Luke, we read about Jesus passing through a city where a funeral is taking place. We read, “He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” (Luke 7:11-15) He stops the funeral and raises the dead son. Why did “He have compassion on her”? Because without her son, she would be indigent. She had lost her husband and now her only son.

While the story of the widow’s offering is a most important lesson in giving, and the sincerity in giving, for our purposes today, let us focus on value relativity. Knowing the background condition of those in pain, suffering, or in poverty, is essential to understanding our response to the pain of others. Throughout the New Testament, we see that the widows always receive special attention, it is because there is an understanding of their plight within that society and that day. Widows had no way to survive in that society without a man.

Armodoxy is built on the simple understanding that we approach one another with compassion and exercise compassion through our expressions of love. We refrain from judgment on others, rather we understand the background conditions that betray people to the evils they endure.

Let us pray, Lord, our God, give me the gift of understanding the pain and suffering of others. What may seem obvious on the outside may have no bearing on reality. Rather than judgement, may I opt for knowledge and understanding of the conditions that haunt my fellow brothers and sisters. And in understanding, may my heart be opened to express compassion to those in need. Help me, Lord. Amen.

Cover photo: Envato Elements

Translators

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Armodoxy for Today: Translator

Translating is the first step in understanding. The fact that there is so much misunderstanding in our world today points to an inability (or unwillingness) to translate. The Armenian Church celebrates the “Holy Translators” (Srbots Tarkmanchats), this coming weekend. The men in this group were not contemporaries of one another, that is, they lived in different time periods, separated over a span of 700 years or so, yet they are known as a group, The Holy Translators. Yesterday we looked at the group and found the common thread among them was their ability to communicate by simplifying that which was complicated and complex.

Jesus was the ultimate translator. He came to a world that was wrapped up in laws and regulations which kept people alienated from the essence of Faith, namely from God. He simplified it. With parables about wheat, seeds, soil, and talents, he simplified the most complex ideas of purpose and God-centeredness. He simplified the complicated laws. There are 617 laws in the Old Testament. Moses brought it down to 10 commandments. Jesus, simplified it even further, down to one word: Love. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind,” He answered when questioned which is the greatest commandment.  “And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-38)

Consider how simple this is. If you love God and love your neighbor, you can’t murder, you can’t lie, you can’t steal, you are filled with honor for others. Accordingly, it follows then, that the simplification of the law and the prophets was found in the person of Jesus Christ. He is the fulfilment of the law and prophets. He said so distinctly, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” (John 14:6)

The Holy Translators directed people to Christ. It was St. Nersess Shnorhali, the 12th century member of this group, who equated Christ with Love. “The name of Love is Jesus” he wrote in the Aravod Luso hymn. In pointing to Christ, the Holy Translators were pointing to love as the golden key of understanding. That is, through love, the most complex and complicated realities are translated and  simplified.

The translators are persons in history, but we have translators in our midst today. Think of a mother, who stands between her husband, children, sometimes parents, sometimes extended family, and somehow translates the differing ideas and tones to bring about harmony. Think of the teacher who spends extra time with a student to assure him or her that there are options after a failed test. Or think of the priest who brings comfort to a family who cannot understand how they will survive the tragic loss of a loved one. These are all people who have accepted the invitation to translate, that is, to understand others. And the invitation is now given to us – you and me. Accept the invitation. Translate the complexity of bitterness, hatred, separatism, and everything else that prevents us from understanding one another, translate them to the simplicity of the message of Christ: love.

Let us pray, “Lord Christ our God, through the intercession of your Holy Translators, Saints Mesrob, Yeghishe, Movses the poet, David the invincible philosopher, Gregory of Narek and Nersess of Kla, I ask that you open my heart to understanding so that I may be in harmony with my surroundings and those with whom I come into contact. May I find joy in the simplicity of your Love commandment and keep that ever before me as I go through this life. In all things I glorify you with the Father and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Simplifying the Complex

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Armodoxy for Today: Simplifying

This coming weekend the Armenian Church celebrates the “Holy Translators” (Srbots Tarkmanchats), a group of people who translated the Faith. Do not make the mistake of thinking they translated from one language to another, such as Greek to Armenian. Their mission was much greater. These people were not even contemporaries of one another, that is, they lived in different time periods, separated over a span of 700 years or so, yet they are known as a group: The Holy Translators.

Communications – communicating with one another – is regarded as one of the characteristics of a modern society. Ironically, as we move forward in history, we are communicating less and less. Understanding (or misunderstanding) one another seems to be the greatest challenge of our day. Our ability (or inability) to communicate determines the state and quality of life (and death).

In the Bible, the Tower of Babel story is remembered often when discussing misunderstanding among peoples. Unfortunately, as with many stories from the Old Testament, there is a tendency by some to believe these stories as factual accounts of history, rather than metaphorical means by which to explain reality. Read literally, the Tower of Babel, tells of man’s desire to reach God and so he builds a tower to reach God. To confound his efforts, God scrambles man’s languages. Actually, the story is a simple explanation as to why there are so many different languages in the world. Remember, these stories explained the reality of a world with multiple languages long before anthropology dissected migratory habits of people across continents. The story was ample to give satisfaction to the inquisitive mind of the time.

Furthermore, the Tower of Babel story taken literally doesn’t make sense from a Christian perspective. Jesus came so that we can know God, so that we can be closer to God. Why would God confound this effort with a “curse” of multiple languages? Ask this question and you will be brushing against one of the fundamental differences between the Old and New Testament, and the approach to Bible reading. Very sadly and tragically, there are thousands of people, forming many denominations, that build their so called “theology” on these cruel readings of the Bible, claiming the sorry state of our world is part of God’s plan! Listen carefully: We are all children of the same God.

The Church has called out the Holy Translators by name, beginning with St. Mesrop Mashdots, the creator of the Armenian alphabet, who created this miracle of human imagination for the sole purpose of translating the Holy Scriptures to Armenian. The last personality in the group is St. Nersess Shnorhali, who was a theologian, priest, ecumenist and ascended to the position of Catholicos, that is, chief bishop of the Armenian Church. After his passing, he was canonized as a Saint who continues to guide and inspires us with his writings, prayers and hymns. Between Saints Mesrop and Nersess are others, such as David the Invincible, (Anhaghd) who could debate with the best of the philosophers. He was given the descriptor, “invincible” by the Greeks.

Each member of the group of translators is united to the others because of their vocation. Translating is taking what is complicated and making it easy to understand and grasp. That’s what unites the Holy Translators. By bringing understanding to ideas, they made the Faith accessible by people.

Jesus brought accessibility of God to everyone. It didn’t matter who you were on the social scale, how much money you had or made, what family you were born into, what color your skin was, what your nationality was, what your ethnic make-up was, if you spoke or didn’t, if you walked or didn’t, if you saw or didn’t, God was accessible to you. The Holy Translators continued that tradition, making the complicated easy to understand and accessible.

But the translators are not merely figures in history, they come today with a message of hope for a hurting world. That’s what we’ll explore tomorrow as we get closer to the Feast of the Holy Translators this coming Saturday. Join me tomorrow for Armodoxy for Today.

Let us pray, a prayer from the Armenian Church’s Jamakirk, the Book of Hours: Receive, O Great and Almighty God, these prayers. Make Your light of righteousness and wisdom shine forth upon us and make us sons 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.

Blowing in the Wind

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Armodoxy for Today: How many?

In the early 1960’s, Bob Dylan wrote and sang a beautiful song which also became an anthem for an era and a generation. In “Blowing in the Wind” Dylan asks a series of questions beginning with, “How many roads must a man walk down before you call him a man?”

“The answer is blowing in the wind,” is the answer to each of the questions. It is a folk song where the poetic words rhyme with the contemplative melody. One question in particular strikes us today, “How many times must a cannonball fly before they’re forever banned?”

Over the last few days the Middle East has once again exploded into a hotbed of military action. Hamas attacks Israel, Israel sounds the alarm for retaliation. World powers are lining, choosing sides. Still fresh in our minds is the cowardly barbarism we witnessed in Nagorna Karabagh and the takeover of lands by Azerbaijan. The war in Ukraine continues to the attention of the world, and lesser-known hotspots, particularly in Darfur, Sudan and the Congo, get the same treatment as does Armenia, with interest mostly to their people.

Ironically, we can only wish that they were hurling cannonballs at one another. The art of war has escalated so far that annihilation of cities, countries, and the threat of harm to our world makes the answer even more meaningful: The answer is blowing in the wind – a wind carrying debris, the stench of death and nuclear fallout.

On the business front, the retail giant Amazon is having a two-day sale this week, trying to beat other retailers before Black Friday next month. An assortment of products, from electronics to housewares are going at reduced prices. I’m reminded of another one the many voices of the 1960’s, John Lennon, who once observed, “If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there’d be peace.”

Could the answer to peace be as simple as that? That we merely must want it and, therefore, demand it? Certainly, we’re seeing Amazon rake in millions of dollars selling second, third or fourth television sets to people who demand it. Why are we not treating peace as something we want, and therefore demand? We have turned over the rights to geo-governance and determination to politicians and so called leaders who have betrayed our confidence, to say it politely.

In these Armodoxy lessons, I’ve brought to you the message of Jesus Christ which the Armenian Church has followed for centuries. It is simple. God has endowed each and every one of us with the ability to create our story. Our eyes are before us, not behind us. Look forward and drop the victim mentality and the other goals that keep you swimming in stagnant waters. In Jesus’ words, “Seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness.” (Matthew 6:33) The answer is with us.

I share with you today, the words to this song, “Blowing in the Wind”:

How many roads must a man walk down before you call him a man?
How many seas must a white dove sail before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, and how many times must the cannonballs fly before they’re forever banned?

The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind, the answer is blowin’ in the wind.

Yes, and how many years must a mountain exist before it is washed to the sea?
And how many years can some people exist before they’re allowed to be free?
Yes, and how many times can a man turn his head and pretend that he just doesn’t see?

The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind, the answer is blowin’ in the wind.

Yes, and how many times must a man look up before he can see the sky?
And how many ears must one man have before he can hear people cry?
Yes, and how many deaths will it take ’til he knows that too many people have died?

The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind, the answer is blowin’ in the wind.
-Bob Dylan

Small Steps too

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Armodoxy for Today: Small Steps

Richard Dawson was a popular game show host during the 1970s. In one episode of the “Family Feud,” he came out to the cheers of the studio audience and in front of the millions who had tuned in to the weekly show. He took a long puff from a cigarette, exhaled, threw the butt on the floor, stamped it out, turned to camera and exclaimed, “That was my last cigarette!” The audience cheered even louder. And then, without missing a beat, he added, “… for the rest of the show.”

Often, we are overwhelmed with the size and magnitude of our dilemmas and problems. The war in Ukraine has been going on for a couple of years. Artsakh was taken over by the Azeris. The war between Hamas and Israel continues with a new campaign. Next to wars, our planet is threatened by weather changes, overbearing populations and food shortages. Add to these global issues our own private and personal challenges of health, finance and relationships and it’s easy to see why so many people are overwhelmed and diagnosis of depression is on the up. We have heard the Chinese proverb, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step,” but our gaze is usually stretched out so far ahead that we fear inevitable defeat. We succumb to those fears and abandon the run.

Armodoxy is discovered in the long run. It has been cultivated through a history of overwhelming odds for survival and has pulled through. Armodoxy came from a people who thanked God for the day and found themselves in continuous prayer for millennia. It is the small victories, the day-to-day accomplishments that add and make the entire story of life. The smoking habit is overcome by putting out that first cigarette. That long race is won by taking the first step. Peace is achieved by the small expressions of compassion and understanding.

Take a moment to enjoy the victory of a single minute, hour, day, year and you’ll find that the prize is a life filled with meaning and purpose.

Today we pray a prayer from the Armenian Church’s Book of Hours, Jamakirk, Lord our God, we give thanks to You, for You have granted us to pass this day in peace. Grant us, O Lord, to pass this evening and the night before us without sin and stumbling, and to stand firm and abide steadfastly in faith, in hope and in love and in the observance of Your commandments. Give peace to the world and stability to Your holy Church and salvation to our souls. For to You is befitting glory, dominion, and honor, now and forever and ever. Amen.

Cover photo: Elements Envato, Cigarettes in a Pack

Indigenous Peoples’ Day

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Armodoxy for Today: Indigenous Peoples’ Day

A few years ago, by presidential proclamation the second Monday in October became known as Indigenous Peoples’ Day here in the United States. It’s a holiday that celebrates and honors indigenous American peoples and commemorates their histories and cultures. At least for now that’s what the intent is, and soon enough, as people become more familiar with the holiday, sales for houseware and vacations will creep into the dialogue.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day began in the 1990s as a counter-celebration to the Columbus Day holiday in October, honoring the explorer Christopher Columbus who, “Sailed the ocean blue in 1492.” The objection to Columbus Day came from people who pointed to the violent history of colonization, not only in the 15th century, but throughout the centuries in the Western Hemisphere.

The Indigenous Peoples’ Day holiday reverberates especially heavy with me today. Only a few weeks ago, Artsakh (Nagorna Karabagh), the indigenous home of the Armenian people, was violently stolen from the Armenian people. A historic land inhabited by Armenians for centuries is decorated from one side of the country to the other with churches and monuments of the Armenian Christian faith, attesting to the inhabitants and their history on that land. Tragically, the indigenous people were subjected to starvation, deprived of health services and, in that frail condition, the weakest of the population were killed as a threat to the rest of the inhabitants. Finally, the Armenians were forced to surrender their land to the Azerbaijan government.

I get it. I understand why Indigenous Peoples’ Day has to be remembered. When we were kids, we were given a school holiday for Columbus Day. I know how hurtful it will be in a few years when the Azeri school children are treated to an Aliyev holiday, recognizing that he (the President of Azerbaijan) stripped the land of Artsakh of Armenians.

Unfortunately, our celebrations are mostly built upon the accomplishment of warriors. Let us never forget that it is the victors who write history. A small population of people, as the Armenians are, will have a history that always must be defended against rewrites.

In February of 2017, my wife and I flew out to North Dakota to stand with the indigenous people at Standing Rock. There was a pipeline going through their land, which they referred to as “The Black Snake.” We spent several days, walking “In their shoes.” I take to heart the words of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King who said, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” We stood with several people who had come to protest. At that gathering, at the village, set up on the icy shore of the frozen lake, we stood with protesters, some for the sake of the environment, some against government policies, others because it was the place to be, or, like us, because we found a common thread in our histories – between the Armenian people and the Indians at Standing Rock – that we needed to share. One man said to me, “We’re all here for different reasons.” That’s for sure. That’s why we were there, to celebrate the different reasons that propel humanity. In other words, the spiritual Indigenous Peoples’ Day – where we understand we are all indigenous to our planet.

Our only hope for survival as humankind is connected to our ability to respect one another, respect the uniqueness of each person. Respect is built upon understanding and walking in the shoes of others is a means of understanding, of showing empathy. In Armenian, we have an expression, tzav’t danem which literally means, “let me take your pain,” but it is more powerful in its true meaning, of “let me feel, and therefore understand, your pain.”

Everyone feels pain. Everyone has felt pain and defeat. Indigenous Peoples’ Day should also give us an opportunity to empathize with others, to have goodwill toward one another to bring, Peace on Earth.

Let us pray, O Lord Jesus Christ. At your birth, the angels proclaimed your purpose for being with us: Peace on Earth, Good will toward one another. I thank you for the elements that make me who I am. As I celebrate my uniqueness as your creation, let me never forget that I belong to the larger family of humanity and let my actions and work be to promote a better understanding of people, each of us, as indigenous inhabitants of this planet. Amen.

Cover photo: Standing “In His Shoes” at Standing Rock, North Dakota. Listen to the Podcast 2017

 

Discipleship

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Armodoxy for Today: Discipleship

This weekend the Armenian Church celebrates the “72 disciples of Jesus.” Before you accuse me of having my thumb on the scale, adding an extra 60 to the group we’re all familiar with, read the details in the Gospel of Luke (chapter 10), “The Lord appointed seventy-two others also, and sent them two by two before Him into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.‘”

Discipleship in the Gospel was a calling given to a group of students, in this case of Jesus, with a mission. Jesus sent these 72 disciples with these words, “Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road. But whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house.  Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’”

With these words, Jesus sets the tone for Christian missionary activity. It is focused. It is selfless service. It is to spread the Gospel which, as we hear in the passage, it centered in peace.  With this same invitation many people have followed the call of Jesus, some into the clergy, others, have embraced it as a way of life as their personal lay ministry.

It is from this passage that Christianity was delivered and spread. In the case of the Armenian Church, when we reflect on its apostolic roots, today we are reminded that the holy apostles, be they Thaddeus, Bartholomew or one of the others, were part of this mission. Everything we know of Jesus, His Love and His teachings was delivered to us because of the work of these faithful disciples of Jesus, working through this Holy Body, the Church.

The word “disciple” may conjure images of men in the apostolic age. DaVinci’s “Last Supper” is perhaps one of the most famous depictions of Jesus with his twelve disciples. Today’s focus on the 72 help us go beyond the stereotypical images. In the passage we read, note that the 72 are referred without reference to gender. In the early Church discipleship was accessible by all.

At every moment of our lives, we are invited to be disciples of Christ. Never look further than yourself to find the necessary openness to the divine teaching of Jesus Christ.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, one of the most prominent Protestant theologians of the 20th century, was killed by the Nazis during World War II, for his defense of the Jewish populations. He was outspoken about the despicable and horrid treatment of that population. His weapon of criticism was the Gospel of Jesus Christ and he went to his death in defense of that Gospel. He wrote much about discipleship.

On this weekend where we focus on discipleship, I leave you with these words of Bonhoeffer on discipleship and Grace. Here are words for contemplation, for meditation:

True discipleship is characterized by obedience to Christ. There is “cheap” and “costly” grace. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession. It is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate. In contrast to cheap grace, costly grace confronts us as a gracious call to follow Jesus. It comes as a word of forgiveness to the broken spirit and the contrite heart. It is costly because it compels a man to submit to the yoke of Christ and follow him; it is grace because Jesus says: “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Cover photo: Disciple at Ghazanchetsots Cathedral, 2014 Fr. Vazken