On this Wednesday, the fifth day on the road to Resurrection, we are reminded of our aim, the presence of Christ. In Armodoxy, the Christ Presence is accessible to all. “Let the little children come to me,” says Jesus, “and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19:14) The children, being pure of heart, have access and therefore, the potential for everyone to have access is a given.
Before He was betrayed, before his trial and crucifixion, Jesus ate one last meal with his loved ones. Known as the “Last Supper,” this is where Jesus gave his instruction to disciples. Addressing them by using the same descriptive phrase, “Little children,” Jesus tells them, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13) He placed love as the highest standard for identification as a follower of Christ.
As they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” (Matthew 26) These words of Institution established the ritual of Communion. It is a sacred and a holy act by which we literally and completely absorb Christ as the energy source by which we live the expression of love. The Christ Presences is not outside of you, but, in the words of Jesus, “Indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17)
Today’s question, Where is the Christ Presence in your life?
Each day of Holy Week, on the road to Resurrection, we are presented with a question which only you, and you alone, can answer.
On Tuesday of Holy Week, the Armenian Church recounts a parable offered by Jesus, known as the “Parable of the 10 Maidens” (Matthew 25). The guests of a wedding celebration are awaiting the arrival of the bridegroom. As the sun sets guests are left in the dark. Half of them have come prepared with lanterns filled with oil, while the others have exhausted their resources. Jesus refers to these guests as “foolish” for their lack of preparedness. Jesus says, “The foolish guests said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’” The foolish guests had to leave the gathering in order to purchase more oil. While they were gone, the bridegroom came. The wise guests entered while the foolish ones, as a consequence of their unpreparedness, were left outside of the wedding feast.
The bridegroom alludes to Christ and the celebration is being in Christ’s presence. Preparation for this “feast” is to be wise, that is to always be prepared. Jesus concludes the parable with the words, “because you do not know the day or the hour.”
While yesterday’s question challenged us to look within and identify the change we are looking for, on this fourth day on the road to Resurrection, we are being questioned, Are you ready for the change that comes with the Christ presence?
What is it that you fearthat would make you silence voices of praise? was the second question of this Holy Week. Each day of Holy Week, leading to the Resurrection, presents us with a question which only you, and you alone, can answer.
On Holy Monday, we wash the altar of our church with wine and water. After Jesus came to the Holy City on Palm Sunday, he entered the temple courts, and began to drive out the merchants and moneylenders who were selling and trading in this sacred space. “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be a house of prayer’; but you have made it ‘a den of thieves.’” (Luke 19)
Jesus is the author of change. When he enters your life, your sacred space, He drives out everything that does not belong there and cleanses what remains.
What is it that does not belong in your life? This then is the third question on the road to Resurrection. With a question that is equally important, Are you ready for this cleansing?
Stones: Palm Sunday (Question 2 of 9 Questions to Resurrection, an Armodox journey through Holy Week)
“Do you believe this?” is the simple question posed to us by Jesus, with which we began Holy Week. Each of the days of Holy Week leading to the Resurrection presents us with a question which only you, and you alone can answer.
On the Sunday before Easter, Scripture tells us that Jesus entered into Jerusalem, humbly, but was quickly elevated by the people to the status of king, a savior who had come to liberate them from the political bonds that enslaved them.
In the Gospel of John (12) we read, “…When they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: “Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
The religious establishment fearing the possibility of a religious rebellion told Jesus to stifle the crowd – to rebuke them, to which Jesus says, “I tell you that if these [people] should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.” (Luke 19)
What is it that you fearthat would make you silence voices of praise? is the second question of this Holy Week.
Lent is over and now Holy Week begins in the Armenian Church with a remembrance of Lazarus, a close friend of Jesus, who succumbs to an illness. His distraught sisters mention to Jesus, that had he been by Lazarus would not have died. Jesus proclaims, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.” He asks the sisters, “Do you believe this?”
With this question – not a simple one by any means – begins a voyage through Holy Week, the most sacred and spiritually motivating time of the Christian year. From Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem, to the Last Supper, His Passion, Crucifixion, Burial to the victory of Resurrection, we will journey together, day by day. And it all begins with a question asking for your answer, “Do you believe this?”
What a beautiful day today is. It is day 40 – forty days ago you began this Lenten Journey. You feel a sense of accomplishment. It is a good feeling. It has been 40 days of fasting – abstaining from certain foods. It has been 40 days of intensified prayer life. It has been 40 days of charitable giving, not merely by writing out checks but giving pieces of ourselves. We have counted our blessings and our talents, contemplating our purpose and function within life and our world. It has been a time of reflection.
It is perfectly natural for us to look back today, perhaps even revisit some of the themes that we explored during this Season. But that backward look might, in fact, be counter to what we learned during this Lenten Journey.
Today as we gather on this 40th day of Lent we arrive as new creatures. We have been transformed. We have changed, perhaps not to the exact place we would like to be, but the change is noticeable. We have a new outlook. We see ourselves differently, as individuals and within the structure of our families, our communities and the world.
The one topic that naturally follows is “Worship.” It is the one area that we have not explored. It is the most extraordinary and natural. It is the final step we need to take during this Lenten Season.
In worship we understand ourselves in relationship with God in a rather unique manner. Worship is not prayer . It is praise. Worship is not asking. Worship is giving. It is giving ourselves and humbling ourselves before that which is greater than ours self. And so, Worship is the final step in the Lenten period.
It has been a beautiful journey this year because we have grown, both individually and together. By listening, by talking, by sharing, by extending ourselves, that is, by Loving! Think of it for a moment. The Love that we share with others defines who we are in, for and around life itself. And we have a new definition. We have a new lease on life today! We have opportunity to come face-to-face with this holy season, to look at the resurrection with new eyes. Our eyes are focusing beyond The Crucifixion and we see the Empty Tomb. We witness and become part of the Tomb.
Imagine that…. Sitting in the Tomb of Jesus. Imagine waking up after the torture of crucifixion. Imagine waking up after a burial. We can now share properly what we were intended to share from the very beginning – to become participants in the salvation process. It is not a question of being saved, but one of being a participant. And that is where worship grants us a perfect model.
Worship in the Armenian Church is participation. It is an act of participation. It is not witnessing, but throwing yourself into it holistically with all your senses. To visually see what is around you – the visual delights, the colors, the candles, the flowers. To smell the aroma of the flowers at the altar as well as the incense that takes our prayers to heaven. To be able to hear the beautiful tones and tonalities of the angels. Not saying I don’t understand so let the angels come to me, but rather asking, how can I fly with the angels. How can I participant? Our sense of touch is also important in the Worship services. We have to touch each another. We have to physically love one another. We have to kiss each other to say “You are important in my life just as I would like to be important in yours.” In that touching process we begin to understand what it means to put our feet in the shoes of others. In the shoes of our brothers and sisters, of our people, of others who are struggling. We place our feet in the shoes of others and we understand their difficulties. Perhaps the loss of a job? The loss of a loved one? Perhaps they have an inability to process the spirituality, to process the love that God has put in our heart. And so we reach out to one another physically.
Finally we appeal to our sense of taste. We participate by communicating, by communing with the Holy Eucharist, with the precious body and blood of Jesus Christ.
So we see that worship really is that final step in the Lenten Journey. It is a step that allows us to go beyond Lent, so that taking what we learned during these 40 days, we can apply it and make it a reality in our life, every single day and every single moment, in our relationships with one another, to draw on what we learned in the past, but not to stay there in the past, and to say that the life before me is so beautiful that I’m ready to walk. I am ready to take on the challenges. I am empowered by God. I have been given a new lease on life with Jesus Christ as my savior.
Jesus Christ. Love incarnate. You have been given a new lease on life through Jesus, through love.
We conclude with a meditation on John chapter 15, Jesus, the True Vine. Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.
Amen.
Thank you for joining us on this year’s Lenten Journey. We invite you to follow along a special series during Holy Week. This concludes the Lenten Journey.
The daily messages continue tomorrow with the Holy Week series at Epostle.net
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Next Step #788 – March 21, 2024 – An experiment on the streets of Glendale is about to come to an end, or at least will be put on hold. The Youth Ministry which began in 2003 is having its building sold from under it. Finding an alternative to political solutions to war and conflict. Fr. Datev Tatoulian is buried in Armenia. Fear in Armenia vs. Fear of the Random. Listening to the beat of the church.
Scenes from Nor Hadjin Church and Fr. Datev’s Burial
Cover: Envato Elements
https://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/run-to-the-beat-2024-03-15-05-42-47-utc-scaled.jpg17082560Vazken Movsesianhttps://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/final_logo_large_for_epostle_web-300x189.pngVazken Movsesian2024-03-21 23:02:362024-03-21 23:02:36The Beat of the Church
Change. You have changed through the Lenten Season. In fact, our Lord Jesus Christ is the author of change. He advocated our need to change. Your increased interaction with him has set you on the path to change. That change is articulated through repentance, that is, a conscious desire to change. Through his words and life, Jesus taught that in simplicity we can find happiness and inner peace. Lent offers the first steps on that path toward simplicity.
Christ has the ability to change evil into good. Certainly, at the Cross, he transformed the evil Crucifixion into a “Good” Friday event, by the power of the Resurrection. Jesus also changes the meaning words and concepts for us to understand the power of the good. For instance, he took the words of condemnation and turned them into words of salvation. The first man heard the words, “Take and eat this will make you like God,” and was condemned. Jesus took those same words and turned them into words of salvation, “Take and eat,” this will make you like God, for this is my body and this is my blood.
Jesus is the one who transforms us and in him we see a transfiguration. A renewal for our lives. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives us a formula for happiness. In the Beatitudes we are told what is really important in life. In giving us hope and belief in tomorrow, he concludes the Beatitudes by once again changing us giving us an opportunity to partake in the Divine Nature. The same one who once said, “I am the light of the world,” now turns to us and says, “You are the light of the world,” giving us an opportunity, much like the disciples who witnessed the transfiguration, who saw His radiance, an opportunity to see the fullness of God.
According to the Old Testament, the first thing that God wills is light, “Let there be light.” This is independent of any celestial body. It is pure light. It is radiating light. It is healing light. It is the light that is from the beginning of time and continues forever. Yes, Jesus now places you there, “You are the light of the world!’
Jesus continues in the Sermon on the Mount by saying “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”
Using something as small and seemingly insignificant as a grain of salt, Jesus emphasizes how important your life is in the big picture. The Lord proclaims that you are important because you are that salt of the earth. That salt is used to flavor life, to give life its meaning and to give it content, that is, inner happiness, inner strength, inner peace.
In Armenian Church tradition a priest blesses the homes of his parishioners and part of that ritual involves blessing water for the spiritual needs of the family and blessing the bread for the physical needs of the family. Equally as important, the priest blesses salt because flavor is necessary in life. We are called to the happiness of life, to share in God’s love, in God’s kingdom, in the goodness that is all around us. Imagine, “You are the salt of the earth” because you give meaning to what we know as life. With this gift comes responsibility – not to lose saltiness, not to lose flavor.
Likewise, regarding the light that you are, he says, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
There is a responsibility that comes with being light. Light needs to shine. Yours is to light the world. You do not have the right to hide light.
Today you find more opportunities of expressing our responsibility in God’s Creation. You are called to a unique responsibility of being salt, the flavor of life. You are the light which illuminates the darkness and illuminates the path to your heavenly Father. As night falls on the Lenten Season, we are given the responsibility to shine light on a world that is in need of illumination.
The sun goes down daily over our lives, but for many lives, the glimmer of hope for a new sun rise is nonexistent. Imagine leaving a room, turning off the lights and the room becomes so dark that those people in it cannot see the light switch. They don’t know where to turn. They don’t know where to reach to turn on the light. You are the light of the world. Shine. Turn on the switch. Provide hope, faith and love.
Today God is calling upon you to become the light of the world, not to hide yourself under a table but to put yourself on the light stand. As someone who has gone through this Lenten season you now have a new responsibility to light the darkness and in so doing, to become an agent of Christ, to become a pillar of hope where there cannot be hope. You are the salt of the Earth to bring flavor to life, you are the light of the world to bring light into the darkness.
For today’s prayer, I offer a hymn of Saint Nerses Shnorhali (Norasdeghdzyal): In the beginning the Word newly created the heaven and heavens out of nothing, and the celestial hosts: the watchers, the angels and the elements, contrary one to the other, and yet agreeing, by which the indescribable Trinity is ever glorified.
The thrice-holy One, dominion and Godhead in one nature, the light uncreated that creates, commanded that there be created light, which He made to shine on the first Lord’s day that was Sunday, by which the inexpressible Trinity is ever glorified.
O You Love, in love You humbled Yourself and took human form for our salvation, in the same body that was crucified, and laid in the tomb of death, this day You rose as God and the angels proclaimed; come you who are saved, sing with the angel praises to him that is risen. Amen.
https://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/FRICE081.jpg600900Vazken Movsesianhttps://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/final_logo_large_for_epostle_web-300x189.pngVazken Movsesian2024-03-21 00:01:212024-03-20 22:25:58Light & Salt: Lent Day 39
The Declaration of Independence of the United States proclaims that people are endowed by their creator to have the unalienable right to pursue happiness. Striving for happiness can be expensive for many. Some people forget and forsake all else for the sake of happiness. Often we view happiness as an end in itself, forgetting that happiness can serve a greater end, and that end we call life.
In the Sermon on the Mount our Lord Jesus Christ offers a plan for happiness, which many times seems to be at odds with the perspective offered by the world. Rather than focusing on pride, Jesus recommends being humble. Rather than pushing for pleasure or possessions Christ says true joy is found by helping others. Instead of pushing others out of our way, Jesus tells us to minister to them. His prescription for happiness seems to be at odds with the rest of the world.
Today as we are winding down our Lenten journey, taking those final steps on the road toward Holy Week we start putting pieces together. Fragments seem to collide with each other, right before our eyes. We have a new understanding of what that happiness is all about.
You were given this prescription at an early age, you probably read it several times, heard in many times but never made the connection that it was a prescription. It is a special healing for each and every one of us. It is an opportunity for us to connect to something greater than ourselves. It is a prescription for happiness. We call it the “Beatitudes.”
In the Sermon on the Mount (chapter 5 of the Gospel of St. Matthew) Jesus utters these words and speaks to the heart of a hurting people. He speaks to the soul of a people who need healing. These people are not members of any particular ethnic group. In fact, these people are all of us, they are you and me. Through the centuries we have opened these pages and have been inspired and found hope in tomorrow. In the dreams that we dream and surely those dreams being actualized are the happiness that you and I seek.
Today as you and I are finishing this Lenten season let us read the Beatitudes – this prescription for happiness. As you read, take your time to meditate on how these words speak to you. Contemplate the meaning of the words today and how they might have been interpreted before you started the Lenten Journey. We have tried to alienate ourselves from the pace of everyday life, and we have found a life that is full and rich. It is full of sacrifice, as our Lord Jesus Christ says, “He who is going to follow me must pick up his cross and follow me.” Further He sets a beautiful gardening metaphor for growth, by saying, “Unless a grain of wheat falls in the earth and dies it remains a single seed, but when it does die it produces much harvest.” Jesus in talking about His own resurrection, invites us to participate in a life of giving, of loving. It is a life of sharing, which makes it a life of fullness, where real happiness is instilled in our heart and can never be taken away.
The Beatitudes are the hope that Jesus gives us.
You who have gone through 38 days of the Lenten season with heightened prayer, with fasting with giving of charity. You will hear these words for the first time in a new manner as a prescription and formula for sacrifice, love and happiness. Let us pray the Beatitudes:
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Amen.
Let us pray from the Holy Divine Liturgy (Kiss of Peace)
Christ in our midst has been revealed;
He Who Is, God, is here seated.
The voice of peace has resounded;
Holy greeting is commanded.
This Church has now become one soul,
The kiss is given for a full bond.
Enmity has been removed;
And love is spread over us all.
Now, Ministers, raise your voices,
And give blessings with one accord.
To the consubstantial Godhead,
To whom the Seraphim give praise. Amen
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One evening in the life of our Lord Jesus, he was approached by a man named Nicodemus who seemingly complimented him. According to the Gospel of St. John, Nicodemus said to Jesus, “we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” Jesus responds to Nicodemus in a rather awkward and unusual manner. Ordinarily you would expect the answer to such a compliment to be a kind thanks, or at the very least an acknowledgement. Instead, Jesus turns to Nicodemus and gives him a qualifier. He said, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
These words, “being born again” can be translated in few ways. Literally, they mean to be “born from above” but it also implies renewal. Jesus’ words mean to be born from above, to be born anew, to be born again. No matter how we twist it, no matter how we say it, Jesus demands from us a new beginning for our lives.
Throughout this Lenten season we’ve been challenges in many ways to discover truths about ourselves, so that at the end of the 40 days, we are truly born again, that is, we are born anew, fresh, from above.
Being born again is not limited to one time event in our lives. Nicodemus turns to Jesus and says, “How could this be? How could this possibly be when a man is old, can he enter for a second time into his mother’s womb to be born again?”
Jesus says, “Unless one is born of water and the spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” Jesus is referring to baptism by saying to be born from the water and the spirit. This new birth is from our new mother, the Holy Church. The holy font (baptism basin) is the womb of that mother – the womb of the Church.
Beyond the sacrament of Baptism, throughout our life – that time that God gives us – we are granted many opportunities when we experience a re-awakening of our senses and our being. Certainly, this Lenten Journey is one such experience where we have put the ego on a shelf, where we have put many of our desires on hold so that we can understand ourselves and the spiritual being within, experiencing a new birth. The Christian has an opportunity to be born again and again and again. Baptism is the entry point to a new life in Christ, but it does not end when the water has dried off. In fact, it has only just begun. The Christian is challenged to find that newness. Being born again is really a revelation from above. It is an opportunity to be born anew, to a life that is full of love and understanding, not only of ourselves but for the people around us for our environment, certainly for the world.
The Christian is invited to a new life in Christ. That Christian journey is a long and beautiful one, but many times as life hits us with difficulties which cause us to deviate from the path. During Lent we stand back and notice our deviation and have an opportunity to get back on that road. Lent is about recovering the lost ground and in concluding this Lenten Journey, on its final days of this walk, we understand that the born again experience is really something we need to welcome in our lives.
The challenges of life dull our senses to the beauty that is all around us. We need to welcome the experience as an essential part of the re-creative process of life. The word recreation, to “re-create” ourselves begins with communion with God. The Holy Eucharist is the new born again experience for every Christian. Because in the Holy Eucharist we walk with Christ, we talk with Christ, we taste Christ, we enjoy Christ. That is, we are born again into a new life that is born from above, that is born anew and we see that no matter how we express it there is a new generation and a new birth for each of us.
Here is an opportunity at the end of this Lenten period for us to walk out into a new life with Christ. It is a life that has been ordained by God, one that has been sanctioned and sanctified by God, one that has been demanded by God! We walk with Christ. Plainly, we walk in the path of love, harmony and peace.
Let us pray: Guide us O Lord our God and teach us to walk in your paths of righteousness. Keep our lives in peace and our ways pleasing in your sight. Guide us, your servants, on our earthly and heavenly course. May we stay on the path of purity as directed by Your Only-Begotten Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who is the hope of our salvation, with whom you are blessed O Father Almighty, together with the life-giving and liberating Holy Spirit now and forever, to the end of the ages. Amen.
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