The journey to and through Armodoxy is paradoxical, it is rather simple to understand but difficult to implement, above all, it requires an open mind. Stories, clichés, phrases, and general conversations are filled with idioms that are seldom questioned or explored. Instead, we repeat them as part of an unbridled conversation. An open mind is necessary to dispel some of our skewed understandings of life, how we live and how we interact with the Divine. For instance, when we say, “They spilled the beans” we mean they gave away a secret and not that they were clumsy with pinto or fava varieties of beans. The expression, “Under the weather” has nothing to do with rain, sleet, or snow, rather it is a way of saying a person is feeling ill. There are thousands of these expressions that have made their way into daily conversations.
Some of these expressions have been repeated so often that they obstruct our reasoning capabilities so much so that we think of them as truths or axioms. For instance, the expression, “You fight fire with fire,” means to fight against an opponent by using the same methods or weapons that the opponent uses. However, if we think about it for a moment, we quickly understand that fighting fire with fire only makes the fire bigger! And so, if we use the same tactic an opponent uses on us, the “bigger fire” is the necessary kindling for war.
Armodoxy comes from Armenia, a land and people that have fought fire with water. Many times, the water supply hasn’t been adequate, but still, we understand the best way to fight fire is not with more fire, but with water. This model, for a land and people that have been attacked and killed by barbarians. They have witnessed the rape and pillage of their country and people, and yet, they have survived and dare to talk about peace… lasting peace.
When looking at the conditions of our world today, I realize that I have no other alternative but to talk about Armodoxy as a necessary way of life, especially today.
Jesus says,” You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” But I say to you, do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile.” (Matthew 5:38f)
This is a much tougher solution than fighting fire with fire, but as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “If we do an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, we will be a blind and toothless nation.”
The world is playing with fire and we’re only fanning and fueling the fire at an unprecedented rate. Armodoxy demands that we have an openness of mind, and a sense of reason to see the ends apart from the means. To understand that that the end is, and must be, peace.
Let us receive the blessing from our Lord Jesus Christ, by praying His words,
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Matthew 5)
Jesus’ words should never be confined to the Church audience nor should they be restricted to any limit imposed by the boundaries of space or time. In other words, Jesus’ words are relevant at all times and to everyone. This, in fact, is another testament to his divinity, but that is the topic for another day. Today we’ll focus in on the topic of celebration within the Church.
The Divine Liturgy – the Holy Pataraq – the central act of worship in the Armenian Church is a celebration. It is never performed, rather it is celebrated, with the officiant being referred to as the “celebrant.”
Tragically, life conditions in the Armenian world left very little to celebrate, especially during the last couple centuries. The Armenian experience has been filled with disasters and war which have led to heartbreak. Armenians sought and found refuge in their church. Church became a place where the poor, the maimed, the brokenhearted and the mourners found comfort. Understandably, the word “celebratory” was hardly the descriptor of the feelings they harbored.
Furthermore, the atmosphere in church is often filled with a sense of reverence and awe, as congregants gather to worship and reflect on their faith. This can be felt through the quiet moments of prayer and the solemnity of rituals. Unfortunately, reverence or sacredness is often interpreted as somber, a state void of positive emotion.
We refer to Jesus’ message as the Gospel – in Armenian Avetaran. It literally means “Good News” – in Armenia Avetis. The Good News should be greeted with joy and festivity – hence the expression of celebration for our community worship. The words of the Divine Liturgy – the hymns and prayers all point to celebration. The Good News is God’s love for each and every one of us, rich or poor, tall or short, black or white, male or female, old and young, and fill in all the blanks you want. They all apply. God’s love is expressed through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Celebrate with song, dance and excitement.
We end with the celebration that our Lord describes when he says,
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Amen. (Matthew 5)
https://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/cover-1004.jpg11161098Vazken Movsesianhttps://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/final_logo_large_for_epostle_web-300x189.pngVazken Movsesian2024-10-04 00:01:562024-10-03 21:14:25Celebrating with God
Armodoxy for Today: Axioms to follow (and shouldn’t be challenged)
In the simplicity of Jesus’ statements, there are truths that may not be self-evident until a bit of thought is applied to the cause and effects of the realities the describes.
An axiom is defined as a self-evident truth, in other words, a truth that does not need to be proven. In Euclid’s geometry, for instance, “Axiom 5” states “the whole is greater than the part.” It does not need to be proven. It is self-evident. And the example of the axiom is found all around us. The Book of Acts is a book of the Bible. Accordingly, the Bible is greater than the Book of Acts.
Jesus made several pronouncements which are axioms, but unrecognized as such because of our dull faculties. One such axiom is being played out on the world stage right now. When Jesus was being arrested his disciples ran to his aid. Jesus asked them to put away their swords because, “All who take up the sword will die by the sword.” (Matthew 26). This not a threat but a simple truth that violence begets violence. It is not even logical that violence can bring about anything but more violence, let alone, peace. But, people (read governments) are out to challenge it.
2023 October, the country of Israel was attacked by Hamas militants. In response Israel attacked Hamas installments and escalated the original number of casualties 40x, with human suffering that parallels the most atrocious situations in human history – including those in death camps, and the nations struck by genocide, with starvation and even cases of once-thought-eradicated polio! Caught in the crossfire, are the innocent, the weak and the voiceless. Meanwhile, nations and countries are picking sides and testing each other with bigger and bigger attacks. Billions of dollars are being sent to fight these battles, while possibilities to pipe water from flooded areas to draught stricken areas will never be realized, cancer research will suffer as will the thousands of other proposals to champion life.
He who picks up the sword will die by the sword… of course! With escalating retaliatory actions, countries ensure that the next five generations (at least) will be attacking back in the forms of unannounced violence and actions that will bring terror and fear in the heart everyone.
This is what happens when Jesus’ message is confined to the church walls. His message is intended to and for the world. That’s how we know it is a Divine message. And as such, His pronouncements about our life are axioms, self-evident truths. Of course peace cannot be achieved by escalating violence because he who lives by the sword will die by it! Armodoxy attests to Christ’s Body, the Church, having an obligation and responsibility to proclaim Christ’s message to everyone.
We pray, Lord hear our prayer by helping us to hear Your prayer, the one which guides us to Your Law, the Law of Love which leads to Peace. Forgive us for ignoring Your words and following the direction of the world. Help us to make Thy Will on earth as it is in Heaven. Amen.
https://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/cover-510.jpg11851230Vazken Movsesianhttps://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/final_logo_large_for_epostle_web-300x189.pngVazken Movsesian2024-10-03 00:01:212024-10-02 20:13:49Axioms to follow
Cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead, who had studied various and many societies throughout the world, taught and advocated for cultural relativism, as a means by which we as people can better understand one another. With all the differences marked by cultures and society, the main ingredient for humanity is a basic one.
The story is told that one of Margaret Mead’s students asked her what she considered to be the first sign of civilization. The student expected the anthropologist to point to clay pots, tools for hunting or various societal or religious artifacts. Instead, Mead pointed to a healed femur found in an archeological site, dating back 15,000 years. This was the first evidence of civilization, she claimed.
A femur is the longest bone in the body, linking hip to knee. Take away some of the benefits of modern medicine and it takes about six weeks of rest for a fractured femur to heal. This particular bone had been broken and had healed. Mead explained that in the animal kingdom, if you break your leg, you die. You cannot run from danger, you cannot drink or hunt for food. In fact, if you were wounded in this manner, you became food for other animals. If you were to stand still for your bone to heal, you’d definitely be the main course on some other animal’s dinner menu. Another animal… that’s right. The question being asked was what separates us – humanity – from other animals? Why was this healed bone the key to understanding when we moved from animal to caring people?
A broken femur that has healed, explained Mead, is evidence that another person took time to stay with the injured person, bound the wound, carried the person to safety and tended to them through recovery. A healed femur indicates that someone has helped a fellow human, rather than abandoning them to save their own life.
“Helping someone else through difficulty is where civilization starts,” explained Margaret Mead.
Armodoxy has roots in untouched Christianity. Christ instructs us, “When you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed.” You see, Christ’s invitation is an invitation to humanity.
Let us pray a prayer from St. Ephrem (4th Century)
I gaze upon You, Christ my Lord, and open my heart before You through fervent prayer, O Son of God, for humbling Yourself before Your creatures and taking on the role of a servant. You possess such love for humankind that we may attain divine wisdom. Have mercy on me, O benevolent God.
https://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/cover-509.jpg6251100Vazken Movsesianhttps://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/final_logo_large_for_epostle_web-300x189.pngVazken Movsesian2024-10-02 00:01:182024-10-01 21:17:14The Move to Humanity
Jesus Tweeted. That’s not meant to be funny, neither is it meant to shock you, nor to make Jesus contemporary. God forbid. Jesus and his message are always contemporary and therefore, relevant to us. Rather, “Jesus tweeted,” is merely to use a contemporary term to describe a very effective means by which Jesus communicated with us. His messages were concise, simple and to the point.
“Unless a grain of wheat die, it remains a single seed,” is a Tweet. (John 12:24)
“My family are those who hear the word of God and do it.” Another Tweet. (Math 12:50)
“Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you,” and “Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you,” are two more examples. (Matt. 7:12, Matt. 5:44)
When Twitter first came out, users were limited to 140 characters to the articulate an idea, a thought or a message. Now the limit has doubled to 280 characters, but the challenge to simplify the message is put upon the user. We’re invited to do the same with our Faith, to find God’s voice in the simplest expression. The petal of a flower, the smile of a child or the touch of a friend in need, are starting points in Armodoxy.
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me… forof such is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 19:14)
Let us pray the first and simplest prayer that a Christian must know: Lord, have mercy on me. Amen.’
Over the past month I have had the pleasure of sharing with you the background “deep dive” story of the Holy Muiron. This past weekend, thousands of people made the pilgrimage to Holy Etchmiadzin, Armenia to witness the blessing and the re-consecration of the Mother Cathedral which has been under renovation construction for over a decade. Thousands more watched on-line, as this seventeen-hundred-year-old tradition took place at the oldest Christian cathedral on Earth, in the shadow of Mount Ararat, where Noah and his family walked off the ark.
His Holiness Karekin II, the Catholicos of All Armenians presided and delivered a most stirring sermon which captured the essence of the Muiron of 2024 in the context of the world today. By way of an epilogue to this deep dive series, I share with you excerpts from His Holiness’ message, September 28, 2024. (The message in its entirety appears below.)
“Whoever is anointed with this shall revere God and fear not the enemy.”
Beloved Faithful,
On the eve of the Feast of the Holy Cross of Varag and the commemoration of St. George the Martyr, we give glory to Almighty God, who has granted us the grace to conduct the Blessing of the Holy Myron, a ceremony that we were unable to conduct earlier due to the calamitous events of recent years. By the merciful will of God, may the newly blessed Holy Myron bestow heavenly blessings upon our lives, granting spiritual strength and the grace of renewal to our people who have endured the ravages and losses of war.
Dear Ones, the blessing of the Holy Myron, reminds us of the sacred days of the conversion of the Armenian nation. Through the hand of Catholicos St. Gregory the Illuminator, under the majestic gaze of Biblical Mount Ararat, our people were baptized and anointed with the holy oil, blessed by our Lord and brought to Armenia by St. Thaddeus the Apostle. Thus were our people united with Christ and His Holy Church. The Armenian nation received the grace to become God’s own people and the first nation to declare Christianity as its state religion. Since that epochal moment when the nation’s faith was founded, the holy mountain of salvation, Ararat, and the Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin have stood as sacred and indelible symbols of our enduring faith, and of the eternal existence of the Armenian people.
“Whoever is anointed with this Myron shall revere God and fear not the enemy.” Today, these stirring words from the prayer for the blessing of the Holy Myron echo resoundingly for all of us to hear. This message from our forefathers has accompanied our people throughout history, strengthening them to live with reverence for God’s love, emboldening them in the face of their enemies, and encouraging them to be defender of sacred values and our identity, and to be devoted to serving the homeland.
The Holy Myron is the visible sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit. Through the seal of the Holy Myron, a fountain of divine blessings pours out into the life of the individual and the nation. The one anointed with Holy Myron becomes the recipient of heavenly, pristine gifts, renewed to think and act in goodness, and to live in the fear of God, without fear in the presence of evil. The seal of the Holy Myron affirms our union with Christ and our membership in His Holy Church. It also confirms our national identity and the pledge of our fidelity to God.
For centuries, the Holy Myron has bound together the sons and daughters of our people scattered across the world, uniting the homeland and the diaspora. Through the Holy Myron, we are one nation and one Church. Today, the Holy Myron, distributed through the heads of the Hierarchical Sees and Diocesan Primates to our people worldwide, once again spiritually fortifies our indivisible unity. The Myron has become the blood that flows through the veins of Armenians, empowering the nation with spiritual strength to face all trials, as well as our current challenges, according to the prayerful exhortation of our forefathers: “The one anointed with the Myron fears only God and is unafraid of enemies.”
Beloved, the world today is once again troubled by conflicts and hostilities that undermine harmony in family life, human relationship, sowing enmity and intolerance, inciting war, spreading destruction and calamity. Our country and people, too, confront severe security threats, with an imperative to rise from devastation and profound losses. We believe that the world is not indifferent to pain and violence. We believe love and compassion have not evaporated from human hearts, nor have the pursuit of justice or the rule of law.
On this sacred occasion of the blessing of the Holy Myron, we once again appeal to the international community and our sister Churches, in the presence of our prayerful ecclesiastical and diplomatic representatives, to take effective measures to curb the expansionist ambitions of Azerbaijan and its incessant demands postured from a position of power, and also to return the occupied border territories of Armenia, the protection of the violated rights of the displaced people of Artsakh, the release of captured Armenians, and the preservation of the Armenian spiritual and cultural heritage of Artsakh from usurpation and destruction.
Beloved Faithful, the primary duty and responsibility for resolving this complex situation is ours. It is incumbent upon us to unite; to protect our country from new intrusions and losses; to dispel fear and concern for the future; to reassess mistaken and detrimental trajectories for the nation; to further strengthen Armenian-Diasporan relations; to promote healthy dialogue in the internal political life of the nation; and to seek ways to restore a safe and secure life for our people in the homeland. We must walk this path with justice, courage and honesty. Under these circumstances, trust and hope in God are an anchor and solid foundation upon which we can rise from the calamities that have befallen us in order to build a strong homeland.
Therefore, beloved, let this new Holy Myron be a Myron of hope and renewal, a radiant testimony to our resolve to revive our national life, and to our steadfastness in overcoming both internal and external challenges, as we shape a prosperous future.
Our pontifical appeal to our sons and daughters worldwide is to allow the course of our lives to be ever sealed with Holy Myron and to remain steadfast in protecting the interests of our state. Let no one endanger the future of our nation.
For no one who is anointed with the Holy Myron can ever renounce the dreams of his forefathers for an independent homeland, nor deny his own history.
No one who is anointed with Holy Myron may reject the heritage of his ancestors, nor diminish his sanctified values, nor distort his national identity and aspirations.
No one who is anointed with Holy Myron must ever insult or disdain his compatriots, his fellow sisters and brothers, as it is said, “He who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20).
Anyone who is anointed with the Holy Myron is called to become a pioneer of truth, a creator of goodness, and a preacher of love.
And finally, whoever is anointed with the Holy Myron should fear only God and be fearless in the face of enemies and threats, for, as the Holy Apostle says, “The weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Corinthians 1:25).
Our Patriarchal exhortation to you, beloved Armenians of Artsakh, is to remain steadfast and unwavering in the face of tribulations and hardships. The atrocity committed against Artsakh was not solely against you, but against our entire nation. As a nation, we must resolutely uphold and advocate for your right to live freely and with dignity in your ancestral homeland. From this holy altar, we extend our love and blessing to you, praying that the heavenly graces be poured upon your lives and your households. As the Catholicos of All Armenians, we believe in the inner strength of our nation and the resurgence of our people, in the bright and victorious future that lies ahead.
On this occasion of spiritual renewal, the Blessing of the Holy Myron, we express our love and best wishes to the participants of the ceremony: clergy, state officials, political and diplomatic figures, dedicated national benefactors of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, and faithful pilgrims. We express our high appreciation to the national benefactor, Mr. Samvel Karapetyan, who has taken up the role of godfather for the Blessing of the Holy Myron and has made significant contributions toward the prosperity of our nation and homeland, as well as to the enlightenment of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. May God’s abundant blessings and heavenly gifts bring renewed success, our dear benefactor, Mr. Katrapetyan, to you and your pious family.
We pray to our Heavenly Father, that through the grace of the Holy Spirit, the works of faith, love, and goodness may flourish abundantly in the world, and the paths of peace and harmony may be strengthened. May our homeland be safe and steadfast through the constant outpouring of the Holy Spirit’s gifts, our people’s life adorned with virtue, and our Holy Apostolic Church remain bright and unshaken. May the life-giving light of the Holy Myron keep the Lantern of the Illuminator ever shining in the Armenian land, today, always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Armodoxy for Today: The Khatchkar dialect of Varak
As Jesus entered Jerusalem on that first “Palm Sunday” the people went to the streets with joy, singing in loud voices, “Hosanna. Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
In the Gospel of Luke (19) we read that the religious elite of the day called Jesus from the crowd and ordered him to rebuke the crowd, but Jesus answer, “I tell you that if these [people] should keep silent, the stones themselves would immediately cry out.”
There is a small little village just off the shore of Lake Van in Western Armenia called Varak. In the third century the nun Hripsime, escaping persecution for her Christian beliefs hid in the hills of Varak. In her possession was a piece of the Cross of Christ. She hid the fragment on the mountain where it lay for over three hundred years until a hermit named Totig found it in the seventh century. This Sunday marks the celebration of this event, the Cross of Varak.
I had a chance to visit Varak. Today the town as well as all of Western Armenia is occupied by Turkey. The once beautiful and spiritually active monastery of Varak is now in shambles. Among the ruins you can make out the markings of the interior of the church. Small niches where candles once lit the interior are now exposed to the elements with the roof and huge dome in piles of rubble.
Next to the foundation stones which act as a footprint of the Varak Monastery are houses of the villagers. Kids were playing on the unpaved streets and we struck up a conversation with some of the villagers. One of them invited us into their house. The walls were stones stuck together with a dry pack type of mortar. Stones of different colors and different shapes indicating a variety of sources and suggested they were gathered from different time periods. And… there were khatchkars – cross stones – taken from the monastery and stuck on the wall to protect the inhabitants of the house from outside weather conditions.
The destroyed monasteries and ruined churches, are part of a campaign to erase history and are the final act of destruction following Genocide. Michael Arlen, in his book Passage to Ararat, (1975) searches his roots in Armenia and in Western Armenia. Speaking to the erasure of history, Arlen writes, “What was it except hatred to say that a people did not exist?”
The khatchkar answers back. Khatchkars speak to us in a distinct language, or perhaps, it is a different dialect, because if you listen carefully, you can always understand the message. Khatchkars are the stones that counter the hatred by proclaiming peace of heaven on earth. Even in destructed form, in the ruins, the khatchkars are sharing the Divine message of hope and love as an antidote to the hate.
We pray this prayer for peace, Lord Jesus Christ, who are called the Prince of Peace, please grant us peace. Make all men and women witnesses of truth, justice, and brotherly love. Amen.
https://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/P1040292-scaled.jpg25601920Vazken Movsesianhttps://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/final_logo_large_for_epostle_web-300x189.pngVazken Movsesian2024-09-27 00:01:032024-09-26 22:06:30The Khatchkar Dialect of Varak
Khatchkars decorate Armenian Church, monasteries and the landscape of Armenia. They are tall. They are telling. Many of them can be read like a map pointing to the heavens and eternity.
A khatchkar, literally means “cross stone.” On a large stone, usually rectangular in shape, about six or seven feet tall and three feet wide, engravings reflecting the faith and determination of a person dedicated to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. These stones have survived and have been sharing a message for hundreds and even a thousand years.
The central carving is of a cross, ornate with swirls and designs that depict different theological concepts or ecclesiastical symbols. One khatchkar which is found at the Monastery at Gōsh is especially telling. Gōsh was a seat of education in Armenia as such, the khatchkar there stands tall to tell a story of heaven-earth relations. It may not seem very unusual to see earth depicted as a large sphere in this carving, until you learn that this stone was carved in the 6th century, some 600 years before the Inquisition in Europe, Armenians had already understood the earth to be round and rejected the flat-earth concept.
The messages on the khatchkars are many and in different varieties. However, the greatest story that is often forgotten is that the khatchkar depicts resurrection and victory. Every cross, without exception, and especially every khatchkar is the story of Jesus Christ. Without Christ, the khatchkar has no meaning, in fact, without Jesus Christ, a cross is merely two perpendicular lines.
We stand between two feasts of the Cross – the elevation and the Cross of Varak. The Cross is defined by Jesus Christ, as the instrument of torture, now turned into a symbol of victory.
Yes, the khatchkar decorates the Armenian landscape, and in that decorative form it has been a constant reminder to the people of the power of love over hate, and good over evil. The khatchkar stoically standing on the sidelines of history as the ever-present messenger of hope is a nonstop witness to the reality that has been central to the survival of a people.
Imagine that, a people who have turned around in their journey, and everywhere they have looked, they have been reminded of the hope in the eternal and aligned themselves with the Divine through Christ. “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)
Tomorrow, we’ll look at one special khatchkar, decorating a village house, in Varak. Today we pray, from the 13th hour of St. Nersess Shnorhali’s “I Confess with Faith”: Heavenly King, grant me your kingdom, which you have promised to Your beloved; and strengthen my heart to hate sin, to love you alone, and to do Your will. Have mercy on all Your creatures and on me. Amen
Cover photo: Luna & Gregory Beylerian, 2023
https://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/DSC03770.jpg999659Vazken Movsesianhttps://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/final_logo_large_for_epostle_web-300x189.pngVazken Movsesian2024-09-26 00:01:232024-09-25 15:50:40Khatchkar Messages of Christ
In the Gospel of Matthew (27) we read about the road to the cross as follows:
The soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him. And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Then they spat on Him and took the reed and struck Him on the head. And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified.
Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His cross. And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull… they crucified Him…
At the Crucifixion, they mocked, tortured and eventually killed Jesus. The story remembers a man named Simon who was forced to bear Jesus’ cross – to help him up the hill. In the end, however, it was Jesus who had to climb the Cross.
This week, as we stand between the two remembrances of the Holy Cross, the elevation and the Cross of Varak, we are reminded that the Cross is part of the Christian life journey – that, there is no escaping the cross. We each have our crosses to bear – relationships go sour, health issues arise, financial difficulties force life patterns to go in different directions. Our crosses can get heavy. You may look around and hope for someone to help you – for a Simon the Cyrene – to pick up your cross, even for a little while. That Simon the Cyrene is the Church – the body of believers connected to one another through the power of Jesus Christ. The Church is that able body, that strong one who can pick up the cross and help us move from one point to the other. In the Church you find faith to believe in tomorrow, the hope of resurrection beyond the cross and the love that gives you the strength and courage to conquer your cross, because in the end, it is your cross and you must rise to the occasion. That is Christian responsibility. This is the strength of the Church. This is Armodoxy.
We pray from the 12 hour of St. Nersess Shnorhali’s “I Confess with Faith,” Lord, who has will all that is good, and who is the director of the will, allow me not to follow the inclinations of my heart; but lead me to always walk according to your good pleasure. Have mercy on your creatures and on me a sinner. Amen.
https://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/cover-925.jpg10791090Vazken Movsesianhttps://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/final_logo_large_for_epostle_web-300x189.pngVazken Movsesian2024-09-25 00:01:092024-09-24 21:44:26The Church the Cyrene
Before new life can enter the world there is pain and suffering that the mother endures (and we’d like to believe we fathers share in it to some degree). But the agony of childbirth is quickly forgotten with the celebration of new life. During the experience of childbirth we encounter both feelings of pain as well as of happiness.
We Christians participate in a similar experience when facing the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The sorrow of Good Friday is forgotten with the arrival of Easter. Within a few hours, Christ’s cross is transformed from an instrument of destruction to a symbol of victory. With the resurrection, the cross is conquered and our pain disappears.
We stand today between two celebrations of the Holy Cross: the Elevation of the Cross and the Cross of Varak. St. Paul tells us, “For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (ICor. 1:18) As Christians the lifesaving message of the Holy Cross plays a unique role in our lives. The Cross is the symbol of the Christian Church encompassing the entire life of Christ and the entire Christian experience. It identifies an unparalleled event in History and for the believer it emphasizes God’s constant love and care for us, His children.
God gives us the supreme example of responsibility and care. In the symbol of the Cross we can see the story of a Father who cared and loved His children so much, that He gave His Very Best. He did not exempt His Son from suffering but made His Crucifixion a part of the liberation process. As the Apostle Peter writes, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” (IPet 2:24)
On the feast of the Holy Cross we look up and see the Cross is empty. We see an opportunity to change pain to joy, for new life to overcome our agony. And that opportunity is given to you – to each of us – to meet the challenges of our own crosses head on. You have an opportunity of changing pain into joy, yet we are never alone. The power of God flows through His Holy Community, the Church and there we find strength as we help one another to meet the challenges before us.
As we pray, look up and see the Cross radiating the Power of God. The hymn “Khatchun genarar” The Life-giving Cross which has become our salvation; through this, let us all praise thee, O Lord, and worship the All-Holy Trinity. Lord have mercy on us and especially on me a sinner, as I accept your promise and know that I will conquer my cross. Amen.
