Filtering the Ceasar Noise

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Armodoxy for Today: Filtering the Noise

This week we have been examining Christ’s admonition to Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, what belongs to God to God. I took some time with this passage to show the absurdity of trying to attach more meaning to the words of Christ, than what he initially intended. In the case of taxes, he said, give to the government what belongs to it. He did not set a blanket policy to exclude ourselves for governance nor to hand over humanitarian pursuits to politicians.

Give to God, what is God’s. And so, give the precious life that God has given to you, back to God by committing to be compassionate and caring to those in need.

I selected this topic intentionally during this week of April because on April 24 the Armenian Genocide is remembered. One and a half million Armenians were barbarically slaughter from 1915 to 1922. An attempt was made in 1915 to, in today’s parlance, “wipe out an entire civilization.” And the plot continues today with new strikes against Armenians and Armenian historic monuments in an area called Artsakh as the same perpetrator of Genocide of 1915 is even more emboldened thanks to the politics and politicians of today.

In 1915, Armenians rendered unto Ceasar in an appeal for assistance, with only shattered dreams and broken promises in the end. And ever since, even today, the Ceasar-card attracts the masses and they play it. Check the local demonstration near you and chances are you will find, like this in my area, a stage filled with ineffective or retired politicians, dismissed military men, and for show a defrocked priests show. This time, in my area, even a priest impersonator is invited to share the podium, which makes a mockery of this horrid and evil page of human history. Of course I resent it. These are my people. My grandparents went through that reality and now they are turning into a circus with freak acts and mockery.

Giving to God is to find the humanity in helping and tending to the hurting souls of our world. Commemorating a Genocide from over 100 years ago can only properly be expressed in the actions of helping and others who are suffering the same. Today, the sound of children and people crying from under bombs, bullets and rubble are the expressions despair and further violence for the next century as reflections of their shattered life.

We will continue tomorrow with some positive directions moving forward. Let us pray, Heavenly Father, You have bestowed life in me. Help me to filter the noise of nonsense so I may hear the cries of those who call out to me. Amen.

God’s is Humanity

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Armodoxy for Today: God’s is Humanity

Rendering unto Ceasar what is Ceasar’s and unto God what is God’s, makes for a nice and convenient escape from world problems and situations. Recently, while commenting on the devastation in Gaza and the famine that became a product of the attacks, I was interrupted by a self-appointed watch-dog of such matters, claiming that Gaza and the plight of the Palestinians was in the hands of the politicians. “Remember,” he told me, “Jesus told us to Render unto Ceasar what is Ceasar’s…”

Ah yes, we’ve heard that many a-time. It’s a convenient cop-out. Don’t mess with the horrors of society… there’s nothing that can be done… suffice it, that we should pray, for an end to war and more… It’s very convenient: Let the politicians and the government they represent deal with it.

Perhaps it’s a bit too convenient, because if you want to go that route, then go the entire way: Render unto God what is God’s! That’s right. God’s is the humanitarian heart. In Jesus’ words, “… To proclaim good news to the poor, to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, heal the brokenhearted, grant recovery of sight for the blind, and set the oppressed free… (Luke 4:18)

You see, rendering unto Ceaser is not an escape clause. Quite the opposite, it’s taking responsibility by rendering unto God. It’s a humanitarian issue! God is love. God is compassion. And we, the Church established by Christ, are called to be the agent for change, to be love, to be compassion. War, famine, hatred, division are not political issues, they are humanitarian issues, pure and simple.

We pray, Lord Jesus Christ, you taught us to see the face of God in everyone. You taught us to be the hands, legs, and mouth of God. Fill us with your compassion to reach out and tend to the hurting of our world. Amen.

Buttered Hypocrisy

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Armodoxy for Today: Buttered hypocrisy

Rendering unto Ceasar what is Ceasar’s and unto God what is God’s, is where we left off yesterday. With fervent zeal and a need to separate the sacred from the profane, many people are quick to blurt out these words in an attempt distance themselves from unholiness politician, be he Ceasar or a member of City Council. And then, they stumble (literally) upon the Parable of the Dishonest Steward and hear the words of Christ pointing to the need use the tools of the world to deal with people of this world. Make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home. (Luke 16)

In the passage leading up to the separation of Ceaser’s belonging from God’s, we see that the religious elite of Jesus’ time were trying to trap him, and they were doing so by “buttering him up.” Listen to the words leading up to the questioning:

“Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.” This was probably Jesus’ first tip-off that a stinger was to follow.  They asked, “Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”

Mark writes, “Jesus knew their hypocrisy. ‘Why are you trying to trap me?’  (Mark 12)

Spreading the butter – thick or thin – means giving a person excessive praise, flattery, or compliments in order to get something from them — a favor, approval, leniency, or a better outcome.

It’s not just being nice. It’s being strategically nice. This is where hypocrisy sprouts.

Yes, they used simple ego stroking to manipulate and trap Jesus. He didn’t fall into the trap. Think of the strokes, the accolades, the honors and the pedestals that are offered to us. What’s expected in return?

We leave you with this question and  this prayer, Teach me to walk humbly, to listen deeply, and to remember that all good in me comes from You. Amen.

That’s too easy

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Armodoxy for Today: Too Easy

Scripture recounts that the religious elite of the first century was constantly trying to trap Jesus into contradicting himself. Their traps were of no avail, Jesus’ responses to their questions were always precise and left them (and today, us) with new thoughts to ponder. Such was the case in this moment recorded in the Gospel of Mark (chapter 12).

They approached Jesus, but this time they buttered him up first with words of flattery. “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.” This was probably Jesus’ first tip-off that a stinger was to follow.  They asked, “Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”

Mark writes, “Jesus knew their hypocrisy. ‘Why are you trying to trap me?’ he asked. ‘Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.’ They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”

“Caesar’s,” they replied. Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” And they were amazed at him.

With this one statement, Jesus has continued to amaze generations until today. Render unto Ceasar what is Ceasar’s and what is God’s to God, is the phrases that is the foundation for concepts such as the separation of Church and State.

It is too easy to quote Jesus with this single line and claim that as Church, or people of Faith, we need to distance ourselves from politics. But as the history of Armodoxy demonstrates, everything is interconnected and certainly did not make this statement to distance himself from the reality of daily life.

All things are connected to one another in a universal network of life. Economics gives us the resources to buy the Bible, which defines sin, which psychology attempts to diminish. Physics explains the movement of the building blocks which chemistry and biology exploit into physical realities, art presents in forms that express ideas that form ideologies that philosophy dissects and analyses. Politics creates systems that organize those ideologies, and religion is there to ensure the equity of distribution, claiming to have a connection to a higher understanding of fairness.

Yes, everything is connected. It is too easy to pretend that reality is void of spirituality or that religious entities do not have concerns for their community and world. Separation of Church and State does not mean that clergy should not and cannot comment on political realities. Quite the contrary, they are the ones who might align those realities to higher understandings of selfhood and responsibility.

It was not easy for Jesus to make this statement. Tomorrow we continue, today we pray, O Breath of All that Lives, You who move in the pulse of galaxies and in the quiet rhythm of a single human heart, open my eyes to the sacred thread that binds all creation. Amen.

Doubt Transformed to Faith

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Armodoxy for Today: Eclipsed! (Doubting Thomas)

The Gospel tells us that Jesus appeared to the disciples on several occasions after the Resurrection. During that first week, every time he appeared to the disciples, Thomas, who was called the Twin was not present. In fact, Thomas doubted the others had seen the Resurrected Lord, hence he is referred to as Doubting Thomas. He said, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

Thomas was eclipsed from the bearer of Light as a follower of Jesus, to the darkness of disbelief.

We read in John, chapter 21:

And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”

And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

The eclipse is over! Thomas’ proclamation was complete and total: “My Lord and my God!” And note that he did not put his fingers on the marks of the nail. Thomas was transformed from unbelieving to believing.

Most Christians come to Christ without seeing the physical Jesus, but they come to believe because they have seen his works – the love in the world.

Let us pray, Almighty and ever living God, who strengthen your apostle Thomas with sure and certain faith in Your Son’s Resurrection: Grant us so perfectly and without doubt to believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord and our God, that our faith may never be found wanting in Your sight; through Him who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Judge & Jury

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Armodoxy for Today: The Judge and Jury

One of the stories from Jesus’ life that should give everyone – yes, everyone – cause for pause and reflection is the story of the woman caught in adultery. It is recorded in the Gospel of John, from which we read…

Early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?”  This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.

So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”  And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”  She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” (John 8)

In case you missed it, this is a story about judgement. In this story, Jesus is the only one qualified to pass judgement. He is the only one who can accept the invitation to pick up the first stone, that is, he is the only one who is without sin. Jesus stands before the woman is judge and as jury, to offer the verdict, “Neither do I condemn you.”

One more time, the lesson “Judge not, that you be not judged” (Matthew 7) is taught by Jesus, this time with his action, a verdict that reminds us that we do not have the moral authority to throw the first stone.

We pray, Lord, Teach my heart to walk gently in this world. Keep me from lifting stones— stones of blame, stones of pride, stones of quick conclusions. You know the hidden battles each soul carries, the wounds no eye can see, the fears no voice can confess. Let me remember that I, too, am a work in progress, standing in need of the same mercy I often forget to offer. Amen.

Don’t Step on the Brake

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Armodoxy for Today: Don’t Step on the Brake

Reading the Bible is important. You expect a statement such as this coming from a priest of the Church and, of course, from ministers of denominations that are Bible based and advocate for individual interpretation of the Bible.

It never ceases to amaze me how people would never, in a million years, consider having their car brakes repaired by someone who read a book about brakes, or watched a YouTube video explaining brake repair. You’d be a fool to trust your car’s braking system and your family’s safety to someone with that kind of “knowlege.” Or even worse, you can’t imagine someone suffering from heart disease or cancer, trusting their medical care to someone who read an article about staying healthy in AARP magazine. Yes, it would be akin to a person sitting in the pilot seat of a jet liner, because he or she grew up on Superman comic books. Yet, when it comes to spiritual care, the wellness of your immortal soul… many people are not only fine but will argue for the thoughts of someone who’s knowledge comes from an evening spent lost in TikTok and Instagram videos, or perhaps a casual read of a book, even if that book may be the Bible.

The Bible is the product of the Church. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, it was the one, universal, apostolic and holy Church that put together the different books that constitute the Bible. Think of the Church as the editor – the one who goes through the material and decides what stays in and what is left out. Each of the Evangelists – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were the original editors of the life of Christ. In fact, St. John final words to his gospel are, “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 Bible comes alive in the environment that produced it. The Church, the Body gifted to us by Jesus Christ, shares with us words of scripture and interprets their direction.

We pray, Lord, You who speak in silence and whisper truth beneath all noise — teach me to listen with my heart. So often my eyes rush to judge, to grasp at appearances, to cling to what is seen rather than what is true. Quiet that impulse in me. Open the inner ear of my soul. Let me hear Your voice in the spaces between words, in the intentions beneath actions, in the gentle movements of grace that the eyes cannot perceive. Amen.

 

Clearing the Inner Temple

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Armodoxy for Today: Clearing the Inner Temple

The story of Jesus turning over the tables and clearing the temple of the merchants and moneylenders is an exciting movement in the Gospels. It has all the elements for good theatrics and those theatrics have made it a popular moment in Jesus-flicks. Jesus’ outburst in the Temple has also justified fits of anger, with simple philosophical explanations that even Jesus, the Prince of Peace, could not curtail his anger and so, there are times when we too are justified to do likewise. When? Well, when a rude driver cuts me off on the freeway, when my children disobey me, when a friend says something that offends me, and so on.

In a sense, life is a theater and we see ourselves moving up and down with the frames of the film (yes, even in the digital age, we view life as an analog progression of images moving along a timeline.

Jesus had the moral authority to call out what does not belong in the temple. His call to us is “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 7)

As Love Incarnate, as the Way, the Truth and the Life, Jesus can make the call to clear the house of God of all that does not belong there. However, for us, we are called to clean the first house of God, namely ourselves. In St. Paul’s words, “You are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”

We pray, Lord, You who fashioned my soul as a holy dwelling, a living temple shaped by Your hands — enter now into the hidden rooms of my heart. Shine Your light where shadows still linger. Sweep away the dust of old fears, the cobwebs of resentment, the idols I have built from comfort, pride, or desire. Cleanse what has grown stale, heal what has been wounded, restore what has been neglected. Amen.

 

Guards Down

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Armodoxy for Today: Guards Down

The story of the Rich Fool, a parable offered by Jesus and recorded in Luke chapter 12, has always intrigued me because the fool can be any one of us. As Jesus says, the fool in the story is defined as anyone who “stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” My interest in this story (and others like it) stems from the fact that we, the listener of the story – the audience members – exclude ourselves from the punch line category. In this case, we look at others as fools, rather than understanding that the story is intended to warn the fool in all of us.

One of the exercises that is most prominent during the Lenten season which we only recently completed, is that of the practice of introspection. To make self-examination work, we need to put down our guards. When reading the stories or parables of Jesus confronting others, remember Jesus has the moral authority to call out others. Ours is not to point to others and call them the fools, rather, for us place ourselves in the place of the person who builds his wealth in earthy material wealth and abandon the pursuit of higher godly reconciliation, by coming to terms with our mortality, rejecting the material trappings of the world, reaching out to those in need and leaving judgement only to God.

Yes, lowering our guards, allows for God’s free flowing energy to pass through unhindered.

We pray, Lord of Light and Truth, You who breathe life into every soul and call us toward what is eternal — open my heart to grow in Your wisdom. Teach me to desire what cannot be bought, to hunger for compassion more than comfort, to seek depth over display, and to measure my life not by possessions but by the love I offer and the love I receive. Amen.

Contrasting between two

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Armodoxy for Today: Contrast

What is darkness? Very simply, it is the absence of light. Darkness is only definable in the presence of light.

What is evil? Very simply, it is the absence of good. Evil is defined in reference to the good.

Some take this one step further and define Hell as the place where there is the absence of God. With this simple definition it is possible to find Hell here on Earth now, not at some future time. Still, others will argue that by definition there cannot be a place where God does not exist.

Questions and ponderings such as these are more than mental gymnastics, they are brought to the forefront of our thoughts when light is threatened. It is part of our natural defense system because we are afraid of the dark. As humans, we want to stay in the light but sometimes the darkness can be so overwhelming that we succumb to its power.

The power of sunlight is so great, that its light enlightens our entire planet and heats it as well. Likewise, the power of Jesus, as Light of the World, is so great, that His Light overcomes the Darkness.

Jesus begins his ministry by referencing the prophet’s saying  –  “…The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.”

The Evangelist St. Matthew continues the narrative (chapter 4), “From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

We pray, Christ, the true Light, make my soul worthy to encounter with joy the light of your divine glory, on the day I will be called by you; and to rest in good hope, in the mansions of the righteous, until the great day of your coming. Have mercy upon your creatures, and on me, a sinner. Amen. (St. Nersess Shnorhali, I confess with Faith)