Catechumens and Eucharistic Education

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Armodoxy for Today: Escorted Out

We are in the midst of a period called the Fast of the Catechumens. A catechumen is a recent convert to Christianity who is under instruction before baptism. The Armenian Church accommodated this group during the Divine Liturgy. This accommodation has fallen out of practice in recent times, but the form – the “order” – is still a loud one on Sunday mornings.

During the Holy Divine Liturgy of the Armenian Church, following the Scriptural readings of the day, the deacons let out a chant, “Mi vok herakhayits…” which translates, “Let none of the catechumens, none of little faith and none of the penitents or the unclean draw near to this divine mystery.” In earlier times, at that point, the church building was cleared out of all the catechumens. They were escorted to the front of the church building where instruction in the faith was offered to them. You might think of it as a Sunday School program. It is hard to imagine something like that happening in our churches today. We tend to think of the Church as an open arena for us to come in and out of. How dare anyone escort us out of the church! we think. After all, we argue, Jesus never put restrictions on those who approached him.

Quite true, but this is not about being unwelcomed in the church, as being escorted out the sanctuary may suggest. Instead, think of the seriousness with which the Holy Eucharist, the Holy Communion, was understood by the Christians of earlier times. It was so holy and sacred, that those who were not baptized could not participate. And to be baptized, implied knowledge of the teachings of Christ and the Church.

Looking at the structure of the Divine Liturgy reveals that those who were waiting to be baptized, that is the catechumens, were invited to come to church for the instructional portion of the Divine Liturgy, known as the “jashou,” literally meaning, “The meal.” They would hear the scriptures read and then the priest would give a sermon on the readings. This was the spiritual meal of the day, the jashou. The Creed of the Church (Nicaean) was recited, giving a chance to witness and articulate the Faith. Then the catechumens would be taken out to learn and pray.

Often, when we hear about the rules and regulations of the discipline of the Church we are critical of the moves that do not follow our understanding of the Faith. I mention this small little action practiced by the Church of earlier centuries to emphasize reverence and discipline with which they approached the Holy Sacrament. This, then becomes an opportunity for us to question our sense of reverence and discipline toward the Blessed Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. It is a forgotten part of the tradition of our Church, but an important exercise in the Armodox self-evaluating process.

Let us pray the hymn of the Holy Eucharist, Christ is sacrificed and distributed among us. His Body he gives us for food, and his holy Blood he bedews for us. Draw near to the Lord and take the light. Taste and see that the Lord is sweet. Praise the Lord in the heavens. Praise him in the heights. Praise him, all his angels. Praise him, all his hosts. Alleluia.

Catechumens: The No Bible Experience

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Armodoxy for Today: No Bible Today

Today begins the Fast of the Catechumens. This four day period is unique to the Armenian Church. It takes place a few weeks before Great Lent and offers an opportunity for purification, by restricting diet to bread and salt.

There are no Biblical passages assigned to the four days of the Fast of the Catechumens. The Lectionary is a list or book of portions of the Bible appointed to be read at church services. Every day of the year is assigned with Bible readings that pertain to that day. For instance, the lectionary for Easter includes a narrative of the Resurrection from the Gospel accounts. These four days of the Fast of the Catechumens are the only days with no lectionary assignment, which begs the question, how can you have a Church without a Bible? Actually, the more correct question is, how can you have a Bible without a Church?

We have been conditioned to believe that the Bible is a book that was handed down to us by God. With the Protestant reformation came the proclamation that the Bible alone is the final authority on all matters of belief and practice. And so, hearing that the Church is the seat of authority in Christianity seems against religious conventions for many outside Orthodox and Roman Catholic traditions.

The truth is that the Bible was not given to us by God. God gave us something much greater than the Bible. He gave is His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Even Christ, did not give us the Bible. He did not write anything that we know of, nor did he hand down a book to his disciples. More important, He gave us His Body, the Holy Church and he said with his words which cannot lie “The gates of Hell will not prevail against it!” (Matthew 16:18). It was in turn that the Church produced the Bible, and that Bible was meant as a tool for the Church to evangelize and teach the catechumens.  (A catechumen is a recent convert to Christianity who is under instruction before baptism.)

A quick look at history will lend more to the puzzle of which came first, the Bible or the Church? At the time of Jesus there was no Bible. At his Crucifixion, there was no Bible. At his Resurrection, there was no Bible. The Bible as we know it was finalized by the Church, with the different books in the 5th century. For five centuries, the Church existed and led the Christian community without a Bible.

The authority of the Church is singular: Jesus Christ. The ascription of “Apostolic” to the Holy Church means that it is in direct succession with the Holy Apostles who were commissioned by Jesus Christ himself. The Holy Bible has a unique place in the Armenian Church and referred to as the “Breath of God.”

These next few days, we will journey through the Fast of the Catechumens to learn closer the beauty of the Christ and the Christian faith.

We pray, a prayer of the Catechumens, “O Lord our God, who dwells in the heavens, and looks down upon all Your works, look down upon Your servants, the catechumens, and us, who have bowed our necks before You, and grant us a light yoke. Amen.”

31i23

Getting Greatness

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Armodoxy for Today: Getting Greatest

The Superbowl is much more than a football game, it is an annual display of athletics and dramatics, from the celebrities who attend, to the celebrities who perform at the half-time event.

The Superbowl is now over and one team has been declared as the greatest. Roughly 76,000 people attended in person and millions watched it as a broadcast on television and streamed over the internet. Interspersed throughout the game, creative and unique commercials debut during time-outs and breaks in the play.    If you were there in person, you may have spotted the President of the United States and if you watch on television you may have caught my boss being featured on one of the commercials. The ad in question starts off with guitar strums and a vocal by Johnny Cash, singing “Personal Jesus.” The question that came on the screen is this: What is Greatness? Next, pictures of people helping people in all types of situations fade from one to the next. People reaching out, hugging, engaging one another in times of need. And a slide appears with the words, “Jesus showed us what greatness really is.” Without getting preachy, the commercial ended with a message that “Jesus gets us. All of us.”

This is the third year that that the Christian website, He Gets Us, set up a beautifully orchestrated campaign of pictures and sayings of Jesus to bring the point home that He gets us! It’s a simple message that Jesus is alive and well and talking to the world today. And this year’s message was especially poignant: Jesus showed us what greatness really is: it’s in the serving and caring of others. And people listened ! I know because last year, immediately after the ad aired, both sides of the political spectrum – the left and the right – criticized the advertising of Jesus in this manner. Yes, just as he did 2000 years ago, so too now, Jesus is shaking up the establishment. On a day when the “greatest” team and players are singled out as champions, Jesus gives us a message of finding greatest in given, sharing, serving, in one word, loving others.

The challenge now comes to us. If Jesus “gets us” we need to “Get Him!”

Let us pray, “O Jesus, You humbled Yourself, as Lord and Creator, You came to give us an example of serving others, and doing so in humility. Help me to get you. Help me to put my ego to one side so I may help and care for others in humility and in kindness. Amen”

Super Sunday II

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Armodoxy for Today: Super Sunday

It’s that time of year again. It’s Super Sunday! Everything gets put on hold for this Sunday. Hostages are still being held, wars are still be fought, rogue nations are still developing plutonium for bombs, and on the streets, fentanyl is destroying lives and politics continues to divide families, communities and the nation. But for a few hours on Sunday, at least here in the United States, two of the best football teams will battle it out for the championship title. Everything else will be forgotten for those few hours as the Superbowl takes center stage and puts the world on hold.

The Superbowl is a multi-billion-dollar operation. The average cost of a ticket is close to $7,000, even though the best seats are relatively inexpensive considering that the game is televised and streamed on many platforms throughout the world, affording fans an opportunity to huddle together with friends and acquaintances to share chips, dips, bar-b-cues, and drinks that make the Superbowl another opportunity for comradery and partying.

Businesses and companies have studied and know the power of this event. They will spend millions to grab your attention during the Bowl game. This year they will be spending $15Million for a minute of advertising. Think about about how many bottles of beer, or how many potato chips, or how many policies a company has to sell to recoup an investment of that size. The mere fact that they advertise at the Superbowl tells you that they have thought about how many cans of soda they have to sell and they know their investment will pay off.

It’s simple business practice: It takes money to make money. And Jesus brought it down to this: “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matthew 6:21)

In Armodoxy we refer to this Sunday as Super Sunday as well, but in reference to another event.  It’s the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. It’s celebrated every Sunday and so we refer to every Sunday as a Super one. The Resurrection is the event that overshadows every other event in human history. Unlike the football game (which is actually the story of a ball going from one team to another, from one side of the field to the other for a few hours)… everyone has an opportunity to win, everyone has a best seat in the house, and everyone can invest in it for a large return.

“I am the resurrection and the life,” says Jesus, “The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.” (John 11:25-26)

Happy Super Sunday.

A prayer from St. Gregory of Datev, O Mighty one, You formed in lordly fashion the complete natures of all things out of nothing, of all beings, of all existences out of no existence. Through you shall all these your creatures be renewed at the resurrection, in that time which is the last day of this life and the first day in the land of the living. The first-born Son, being your kin and of the same essence of the Father, obeyed you also with oneness of will, as he did his Father. While in our likeness, he proclaimed you as true God, equal and consubstantial to his mighty Father. He declared blasphemy against you to be unforgivable and he stopped the impious mouths of those who rebel against you, as of those who fight against God, though he forgave blasphemy against himself, the righteous and the spotless one, finder of all, who was betrayed for our sins and rose for our justification. Glory to him through you, and praise to you with the Father almighty, unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Punctuate that Testament

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Armodoxy for Today: Punctuation

One of the ways that knowledge is passed along from teacher to students, from generation to generation is through by the written word. The Bible evolved from an oral tradition to the written word, to the printed collection we carry today. It was written in Greek, Biblical Hebrew and Biblical Aramaic. The printing press was not invented until the 15th century. Up until then, it was transferred to new audiences by scribes who painstakingly copied words from one manuscript onto new parchment and arduously inspected the words, to avoid mistakes, and those words became the stories of the Faith.

Interestingly enough many of the texts, especially the Greek text in the New Testament were written in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS with no spaces and probably no punctuation.

Punctuation is necessary to give meaning to the words strung in a sentence. Take, for instance, the sentence, “Women without her man is nothing.” Now hold off, before you decide to stop following this post, I want you to realize that the sentence is void of punctuation. Again: Women without her man is nothing. Now, let’s add some punctuation: Woman, without her, man is nothing. The same words, with added punctuation, reveal a sentence that expresses a thought quite the opposite of the original one.

Imagine now, the tremendous task that was before the Church in deciphering the sentences and the sentence structures. When Jesus turns to the thief on with me the cross and says, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise,” there is a certainly that life continues after death immediately. But if a comma were to move over by one word “Truly I tell you today, you will be in paradise” the immediacy of the moment is lost opening up speculation about the next step after death.

Fortunately, the Church was there from the beginning and knew the meaning of the words before they were written in a sentence.

Punctuation – a dot, a line, a squiggle – is more than a pause or an accent. It’s a way of passing along a message.

We pray today, “Lord, open my heart to your word. I hear with my ears and read with my eyes, but it is my heart that I commit to you. Amen.”

6ii23 / 31i24

Embarrassed? Don’t be…

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Armodoxy for Today: Embarrassed? Don’t be…

Several years ago, my spiritual father, that is the bishop who ordained me, asked me to join him at an ecumenical gathering. I was a deacon at the time. Priests, ministers, preachers and lay leaders from different denominations get together in a spirit of ecumenism to celebrate their common faith in Jesus Christ. Wanting to learn more about the first Christians, the gathering had invited Archbishop Vatché to address the conference. As his deacon, they sat me next to him on the dais.

Now I should mention that Archbishop Vatché, of blessed memory (1930-2023), was a straight shooter, in other words, he spoke his mind. He was a presence in the room, and this room was filled with ministers and pastors from all the major Protestant denominations. After they introduce him, he stood behind the podium, with his black cassock, episcopal medallion hanging from his neck, and Armenian monastic hood (velar) on his head. Did I mention he was a presence in the room?

He looked out at the audience of clergy and spoke into the microphone there was no doubt it was a direct message to everyone there. He said, “You!” (emphasized) “You have a lot to learn from us!” I slowly sank into my seat, hoping no one would notice my embarrassment. Here we were at a large gathering honoring the head of the Armenian Church, and here he is talking down to them. Time just stopped for that moment for me. And then, without losing his force in his voice he continued, “And we” (emphasized) “We have a lot to learn from you!” I straighten out in my seat and felt only embarrassed and disappointed in myself that I didn’t have the faith to know he was a man who understood the church well.

Archbishop Vatché’s comment came out of a place of love for the Holy Church. In the next few minutes, he outlined the strengths of the Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church and the Protestant denominations. He spoke about life in a world where so many factors influence and affect families and people and stand in the way of peace. And he pointed to the Answer, Jesus Christ, that is the common bond between all those in attendance. He left the crowd on their feet in a standing ovation.

In the oldest Gospel, Mark writes a short narrative describing an encounter between the disciple of Jesus and a group outside of the Disciples. Now John answered Him, saying, “Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us.”

But Jesus said, “Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me. For he who is not against us is on our side. For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward. (Mark 9:38-41)

In a world that is full of hatred, disease, inhumanity, and corruption, the Christian message of love supersedes all else as the solution and it begins with Christians displaying that respect and love toward one another.
Let swords be turned into ploughshares, fear to trust, despair to hope, oppression to freedom, starvation to prosperity, occupation to liberation, and peace and justice could be experienced by all.  (Prayer for Christian Unity, WCC)

 

Nutrients in the Cafeteria

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Armodoxy for Today: Nutrients in the Cafeteria

I’d like to expand on yesterday’s theme of Cafeteria Christianity. Yes, Cafeteria Christianity is as old as the Gospels themselves, and yes, attempts to bring everyone to the same table have been tried by church leaders, who may be referred to as ecumenists, but differences are always more noticeable than are similarities. This is not unique to the Christianity, or to religion. Think of products and how they are sold on the attributes that set them apart from others.

In the case of the Christian Cafeteria it is not merely a matter of choice but a matter of nutrition, which translates as priority. In the cafeteria we may select one of the several main courses: Lamb chops, chicken cacciatore, falafel and humus, or spaghetti. In each case you’re giving up something and getting something else in return. In each case you are identifying a taste, a need, perhaps a medical restriction, or merely a craving for that day. The meal will satisfy you – we all agree that it is a meal – but the nutritional value differs from meal to meal. When we referred to St. Nersess Shnorhali’s formula of Unity in essentials, liberty in non-essentials and charity in all things, we are admitting that our practices may differ but, in the end, the essential element is the centrality of Jesus Christ in our Faith.

Practices differ, from liturgical, to communal, to virtual, to preachy, to Eucharist. Armodoxy celebrates the differences of practices that share Faith in Jesus Christ. The liturgical life of the Armenian Church focuses on discipline, while communal life is about outreach and practice. Preaching is necessary for conveying of a message that relates to the day and Eucharist is the ultimate expression of God’s love for us and our love for God through the act of thanksgiving. Each of these provide us Christian nutrition. And let’s not forget that Epostle is a virtual component of that diversity.

Christianity in the 21st Century is no different than Christianity of the first century. People, the landscape, social circumstances, that is life, has changed, but not Christ, nor his message. For today, the Christian table is full of opportunities to grow spiritually. Don’t be scared to partake of the goodness of that table. What is it that you crave? Christ’s table is a table of immortality, but even more, it is table to fulfil your spiritual hunger.

Let us pray this prayer from the Armenian Church, Hear us, Lord. Accept the supplications of our hearts and our souls, and the echoes of our wishes and implorations. Embrace us as a sacrifice, sweet incense and a spiritual offering. Lead and guide our paths. Holding us steadfast in our faith, so that we may walk in the path of righteousness to follow, serve and be accountable solely to You. O all Blessed God. Amen.

Cafeteria Christianity – Options

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Some years ago the term, Cafeteria Catholics made the rounds when followers of Catholicism, those who attended Mass regularly and considered themselves as “Good Catholics,” but could not accept all of the teachings of Catholicism, such as being against abortion, restrictions on artificial birth control or the being against the death penalty. Of course, the term can be applied to all of Christianity as well. Much like in a cafeteria where you an option to select a main course, a side and a drink – Roast beef, mashed potatoes, an apple pie for dessert and a Coke® please – the metaphor is applied to the religion, in this case Christianity – Jesus was the Son of God but his virgin birth might be stretching it a bit. Yes, I’m guaranteed a spot in Heaven if I pronounce his name and am Born Again, and as far as my actions go, they are inconsequential, but I’ll try my best anyway.

Cafeteriaizing Christianity in this manner does seem a bit crude and may seem like a newly acquired method of religious definition, but the practice has been around for some time. Some suggest that it was the cultural shifts that took place in the 20th and 21st centuries, highlighting personal autonomy and self-expression, but I don’t think we have to look for any major psychological or sociological changes in history that points to the opening of the cafeteria. In fact, the four Evangelists – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – the one’s who first recorded the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, practiced a pick and choose the method of presenting the three years of Jesus’ life in the context of a few chapters known as the Gospels. John admits to this in the final words of his Gospel, Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. (21:25) The fact that the Christian Church has several different understandings of Jesus is further proof of Cafeterizing throughout the Centuries. There are Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant branches of Christianity, Protestantism can be split into four major confessions, Lutheran, Anglican, Reformed and Free Church and several different understandings within these groups. Then there are groups such as the Mormons, or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and the Jehovah’s Witness, who claim some connection to Jesus Christ, but have selected another group of norms outside the Gospels or the Church Canons to build a religion.

The early Christian Church tried to bring some order to the differing parties by calling together councils of Church leadership, where Creeds and Canons were agreed upon. For instance the Nicene Creed which is recited in churches is a profession of Faith in the Father, Son, Holy Spirit and the Church. Church leadership presented the Creed as a definition of a Christian: A Christian is one who believes in these doctrines of faith. Martin Luther, at the start of the Protestant Reformation, cafeteriaized the Bible by deciding certain books should not be in the Bible, calling them hidden, or Apocrypha.

One of the top theologians and ecumenists of the Armenian Church, Nersess Shnorhali, who was the Chief Bishop, or Catholicos, of the Armenian Church, in the 12th century, came up with a simple manner in which Christians can understand one another. We must be untied on the essentials, that is the belief that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. We must grant liberty on secondary items, for instance, the date of Jesus’ birth and charity, that is love, in everything, Unity in essentials, liberty in non-essentials, charity in all things.

Today we listen to the Prayer offered by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper, O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.  And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them. (John 17:25-26)

Signs Around Us

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Armodoxy for Today: The Signs Around Us

Mr. Gaspar is a sculptor. He works in the courtyard of the St. Leon Armenian Cathedral in Burbank.  For years I have watched him as he turns slabs of stone into ornamental creations. Figures, historic characters, churches and religious symbols take form in his hands.

As I watch the evolution of the stone into art I wonder if it is in hand of the sculptor that they take form, or are the art pieces already there in the stone waiting for the sculptor to chisel it out? My question goes to the huge structures such as the monasteries of Armenia or the ultimate riddle of Geghard, which is a monastery bore out of a side of a mountain. Was that monastery always there waiting to be carved out? Or did the sculptors envision the monastery and chiseled accordingly? Realize also, that on a mountain of that size and a monastery with so many rooms, there is no room for mistakes.

The questioning may sound odd, but if you look at the story wedding feast described in the second chapter of the Gospel according to St. John, there is a parallel set of questions. The story where Jesus changes water into wine ends with, This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him. (2:11) This is recorded as the first of the signs that would bring people to Him. More importantly, the author points to the fact that because of these signs people believed in Him. This correlation between signs and followings is one that I struggle with as a priest trying to engage people in a higher understanding – a maturity – of faith.

The so called “supernatural events” such as changing the molecules of water to wine, or walking on water without sinking, or quieting a storm, or healing a leper, giving sight to a blind man, or resurrecting the dead, seem to the be the attractions that always are thrown out as proof that Jesus is person we say that He is. Instead, if we accept Him as who He is, then these are not supernatural events, rather very natural for God. In so understanding, the very natural events around us become testaments to the grandeur of God and the sacredness of life. A seed placed in ground draws life from nutrients, water and the Sun, becomes a tree and bears fruit to feed a population. Two cells meet and develop into a unique life form that is defined by its molecular make up and personality, with a set of fingerprints unlike anyone else’s in history. Philosophers have pondered numbers and cosmologies; mathematics have defined physical laws that lay the groundwork for the machinery to fly with the birds and now propel humanity to explore the stars and life systems. Each of these are worthy of our wonder and awe, that is, each of these are miracles. The maturity of faith is in our understanding that God is inside each of us, as the soul He breathes into us, attests. In that understanding of God within us, the road to peace can be assured.

Armodoxy is a testament to a group of people who discovered and celebrated the miracle, the wonder and the excitement of everyday life and so understood that God is never apart from us.

From the Armenian Church’s Book of Hours, Lord of hosts, commit our souls to the angel of peace, who will come and keep us tranquil by day and night, while awake and resting. Grant that we pass the rest of the night in peace, and arrive at the service of the morning, to offer worship and glory to the Holy Trinity. Now and forever and ever. Amen

Cover Photo: Sculptures at St. Leon Armenian Cathedral, photo

Message Not to be Omitted

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Armodoxy for Today: The Message

When we proclaim our faith about Jesus Christ, we often do so about the person and inadvertently forget a fundament element of the faith, namely the message he preached. In the Nicene Creed, adopted in 325AD by the Church and recited in churches throughout the world every Sunday, we proclaim our belief in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and the exclusivity of the Holy Church. We have shorter forms of the profession of faith, one of which is confessed by the godfather during baptism in the Armenian Church. In the Western churches, such as the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches, the Apostles Creed is pronounced. In St. Nersess Shnorhali’s prayer of the 4th hour, we read an even more abbreviated form about Jesus, the Son of God, “Who descended from the bosom of the Father, and took flesh of the Holy Virgin Mary for our salvation, who was crucified and buried, and rose from the dead and ascended to the Father.”

In all of the creeds and professions of faith, the person of Jesus, the Son of God, is defined. What is missing is his message, or even more simply, mention or reference of his message. I use the word “missing” rather than “omitted” or “forgotten” because I believe the development of these creeds were products of the times and societal needs. In the case of the Armenian Church, her constituency during the early centuries was homogeneous. The people attending church and shared common values and so it wasn’t necessary to reference the message in a creed.

Armodoxy is about taking that ancient faith and placing it in today’s world and society. In a globalized society, where many different messages are vying for your attention, Jesus’ message can easily be dismissed, omitted or even forgotten because of the zealous efforts to proclaim Jesus as superior to other choices. Mature faith understands that it is Jesus’ message, that is unique and superior to all else. In his message we understand the fulness of the statement that God is love. Jesus’ message is what connects us to the beginning of time, and therein we find the Divinity of Jesus as the Son of God. “I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true.” (John 7:28)

Let us pray St. Nersess Shnorhli’s prayer of the 4th hour, with addendum, Son of God, true God, who descended from the bosom of the Father, and took flesh of the Holy Virgin Mary for our salvation, [who taught the message of true love and compassion, with his words and his life,] who was crucified and buried, and rose from the dead and ascended to the Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before You, remember me like the robber when You come into your kingdom. Amen.

20i23/19i24