Supernatural to Natural

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Armodoxy for Today: The Supernatural Within

Continuing our journey through Armodoxy, we bring the supernatural home today. If we put away our prejudices, and keep the ego in check, we find it easier to see the supernatural in daily occurrences, whether in the pollination of a flower, the amazing structure a duckling’s tail feather, or the supernatural occurrence healing of the physical.

When we look at the metaphor of the Vine and the branches which Jesus articulates, “I am the vine and you are the branches… you cannot bear fruit without being connected to the vine,” we find a natural progression of events. A branch cannot bear fruit if it is not connected to the vine! Yes, obviously. It’s so natural that it is a given. It is an axiom, not even necessary to mention. But our “dull faculties” (Einstein’s words) have become conditioned to the point that we doubt the obvious, and so we must repeat it for clarity. Jesus should not have had to give this lesson in agricultural botany to a group of people who cultivated the land for their livelihood, but he did. Now imagine how much more we need to, and must, reiterate matters with which we are not familiar.

In my first parish I had a young lady named Leslie who was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The diagnosis was devastating enough, without learning of the many horrible and frightening treatments she would endure to fight this disease and with no certainty of winning that battle. Within our parish community the word spread quickly, and we were all in various degrees of anguish. She was a mother of a beautiful daughter who was too young to realize what lurked ahead for mom. Her husband, stoic at the news, was ever so supportive and determined to overcome the cancer. We braced for the worst with members of our church even discussing how to take care of the little child in her mother’s absence.

That Sunday, as all Sundays, we celebrated the Divine Liturgy and distributed the Holy Eucharist. After church services Leslie approached me. She told me – not asked me – “I received Holy Communion today. It is the Body and the Blood of Jesus Christ.” I nodded my head, yes, you did. She continued, “Well, if Jesus Christ is within me, what cancer can survive inside of me? There is no place for that cancer in my body!”

She said this with such conviction and strength. I picture her face saying this to me to this day and my eyes water as I swell up with emotion thinking about it. If Jesus Christ is inside of me, what business does cancer have within me? Yes! That’s exactly what she said.

Leslie went on to live. She and her husband brought two more beautiful daughters to this world and through the years, we stay in touch, even if only for a Christmas card, with pictures of the family growing and flowering. Even more, she is forever connected to me through the “Vine” that connects us all. Her story has helped me through some of my worst days, and I share it with others, not only to offer hope, but to change our perception of the supernatural to natural.

What we call Supernatural is natural, normal, for those who exist in a different plane of understanding. That plane is not that far away. It is no different than perceiving heaven here on earth. The exercise of losing ego and the dropping of the prejudices we harbor against the miracles of life bring us closer to that reality.

We pray today from St. Nersess Shnorhali’s prayer of the evening hours, “Gracious Lord, commit me to a good angel, who may guide my soul in peace, and carry it undisturbed through the wickedness of evil to heavenly places. Amen.”

Cover: Jermuk Falls, 2019 Fr. Vazken

Dropping Supernatural Prejudices

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Armodoxy for Today: Dropping Supernatural Prejudices

At the end of the last century, musician/guitarist extraordinaire Carlos Santana put out an album of music under the title Supernatural. The album was a huge success, including breaking the record for most Grammy Awards, which up to that time was held by legendary pop star Michael Jackson. The album featured artists from CeeLo Green, to Dave Matthews to Eric Clapton, and many others. Santana used the name “Supernatural” for his album because it was beyond the natural, that such greats would come together to put together this music. He felt that the call to come together was also supernatural.

Often, we find ourselves in unexplainable situations, and when we run out of those explanations we appeal to the supernatural. Yes, we can say that it was a talented group of musicians, to say the least, but Carlos Santana chose to say the most, and said it was supernatural.

Some will doubt that there was anything supernatural. Others will swear by it. While still others, will not even care how the music was produced, as much as it was good music which they are able to enjoy it. In other words, not everything needs to be analyzed.

For the most part, people have prejudices against supernatural events because those events don’t fit nicely in the order of their universe.

Before the Civil Rights movement and legislation in the 1960s, Black Americans were asked (or forcibly placed) to the back of the bus. That was “their place,” they were told by people who pre-judged them, which is what “prejudice” means – to pre-judge. Because religion has not presented the supernatural in an accessible manner, or, as Einstein alluded, “our dull faculties” are not tuned to understand senses beyond ourselves, we harbor these prejudices.

Presenting the effects of the supernatural is not an easy task. Think of Santana’s album; finding the effects is easy because it is the product itself. Armodoxy makes the effects of the supernatural just as easy to find in the work of the Church by pointing to the life that has been lived and is lived by Armenians as a miracle of the supernatural. A group of people who have no military strategy, no military, no political might, no political ally, and not only live but thrive can only be attributed to a supernatural force. It is on the same scale as Santana’s claim of a supernatural force bringing the musicians and music together. Today’s challenge is to drop our prejudices and not confine religious experience to “their place” where “they belong.

Supernatural occurrences are more common than we are led to believe, if we are willing to look within.

We pray today, Lord, help me to look within. Allow me to inventory my life and see the true miracles, including my life, my family and the relationships that sustain me. May I be open to the natural and the supernatural. Amen.

Cover: Noravank, 2023 Luna & Gregory Beylerian

Where Angels Rest

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Armodoxy for Today: Where Angels Rest

Right outside of Yerevan, on the road to Holy Etchmiadzin, there are ruins of an Armenian Church called Zvartnots. For decades there has been talk of the possibly of reconstructing this monument to faith based on ancient documents and the archeological extrapolations from the positioning of the ruins. Architects have studied the large stone pieces of walls and domes but have not dare to tackle the project. They have made drawings of it, rendered it into models, but have not recreated it.

I believe, that it cannot be recreated. You see, the word Zvartnots is a descriptor pointing to “the resting place of the angels.” I do not believe it was made by human hands. It is a perfect place that cannot be recreated on this earth so long as there is no rest for angels.

The innocent who are given a death sentence whether because they are dodging bullets and bombs in war torn areas of the earth, or the victims of mass hatred and murder on the scale of genocide, or children who suffer of incurable diseases, rest in this habitat of perfection called Zvartnots. created by Divine hands. The Armenian Church developed it’s expression of death, namely in the Armenian Church’s requiem, for a population that was persecuted and the victims of hatred. The Armenian Church is the living witness to a people who were given a death sentence purely for being Armenian. Armodoxy tells us that today, we must react and console those who struggle in war, with intolerance, hatred and calamity. This is the Christian call to walk in the shoes of others.

We pray, “For the souls of them that are at rest, we ask of the Lord our God, to accept the souls of his servants, and give us the joy to work our lives in harmony for the sake of peace and tranquility in the world. Amen.”

Cover: 2019 Fr. Vazken

Making Sense, not

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Armodoxy for Today: Not necessarily making sense or not necessary to make sense

The death of a child is one of the most difficult and tragic events with which we must come to terms. As priests we are called to minister to people in their hardest and most difficult hour. Naturally people look for answers because we appreciate and want to have order in our lives. Not only is there a physical and emotional loss for family members touched by this devastation, but the natural rhythms of life have gone topsy turvy because a child is expected to bury his or her parents and not the other way around.

It’s at these times that, if we are honest with ourselves, we realize and understand that certain events have no rhyme nor reason. Sure, we may wish to comfort one another with logic and well-meaning statements such as, “She is no longer suffering,” or “He’s enjoying those who came before him in the perfection of life.” The reality is that words are inadequate to console and, perhaps, unnecessary.

Sometimes we’re called to make sense out of the senseless, when actually, as the adjective implies, there are no words that can do so. You cannot explain away hatred that causes people to kill and commit the horrendous evil of Genocide. You cannot describe the terror felt by children and their parents who are in the middle of a war. And you can’t explain away disease that raises havoc for a family. Just as you cannot describe or comprehend the suffering of Christ on that hill, at the hands of his children who chanted “Crucify Him,” and then drove nails through the hands that only days before healed them.

Armodoxy asks that you look at the short burial service of the Armenian Church. It is one which was developed throughout the centuries for the people of Armenia, people who were innocent but given a death sentence they could not escape. The service is one of reconciliation and acceptance of Christ’s healing words, come to me all of you who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

We pray, “Lord, my God, I am ready to grow in your love. While I don’t understand all that unfolds in life, open my heart so that I may react with compassion, care and love to the difficulties around me. Amen.”

Cover Photo: Light Undefined, 2019 Fr. Vazken

Two Ways of Seeing

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Roots of Armodoxy: Two Ways of Seeing

Two earthquakes, less than a year apart, with relative same intensity were recorded in the 1980’s. I was indirectly and directly at both of these. The first took place in a town called Spitak in Armenia. Close to 50,000 people perished. In a country of 3 million people, this means 1.7% of the population was wiped out in this single event. Along with Armenians throughout the world, I was involved in a massive fundraising effort to bring relief and humanitarian aid to the area.

To the second earthquake I had a front row seat.  It was during the World Series – a special series that pitted the two Bay Area teams, the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics, against one another. The ground rumbled, and we found ourselves in the Loma Prieta quake, registering 6.9 magnitude on the Richter scale.  The differences in the loss of life was remarkable. There was extensive damage to infrastructure, and life was disrupted for a while, but in the end sixty-three people had perished (compared to 50,000 in Armenia the winter before),

On the first anniversary of the Spitak quake, orders came from the top, the Catholicos of All Armenians, that we would solemnly observe the anniversary with requiem services throughout the world. The day was somber indeed, with reruns of video clips and reprints of articles and photos to forever forge the images in our mind.

On the first anniversary of the Bay Area quake, the atmosphere was completely festive! The community got together to celebrate the life that was spared! There were street parties and festivals proclaiming the win over something so tragic, celebrating their re-birth as a community.

The difference in the commemorations explains outlook and understanding of a population, much like the way we describe the same glass as being either half full or half empty. In the case of Gyumri, the sadness continued for years, in fact, decades later the effects of the earthquake are still felt. The dome of the church which fell during the quake is still sitting on the floor as a reminder. It sits there so that it is unavoidable, that is, you have to confront and acknowledge the past as you enter and exit the city. In so doing, a license for victimization is given. There is confusion. Instead of understanding their predicament logically, people revert to fatalistic answers, such as, “It is God’s will that I suffer.”

What I’m describing here can be seen in as comparison between the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. In the Old Testament we read stories – memories – that pit people against one another. The concept of God playing favorites with one people over another is pronounced and remembered throughout its pages. Jesus came to end that. His message was to everyone. Remember the Transfiguration. The point of Moses and Elijah being there was that Jesus is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. “The Kingdom of God is at hand,” is how Jesus entered on the scene and the even greater news he had to give was that the Kingdom was accessible by everyone – young and old, regardless of race or nationality. With his proclamation he moved the model away from fatalism, back to self-determination. “To hear the word of God, and do it.” It’s about Faith being action, not a history lesson.

Baptism is the “Born Again” experience in the Armenian Church. It’s a fresh start, where the past is left behind. The “curse” of the memory is dropped. Memory serves to heal. Christianity is about celebrating the today. The past can be honored and revered but is not a place to live. The difference between a happy or festive expression and a sad expression is not merely an optimistic vs. pessimistic view of the world, it is an acknowledgement that God is with you, that the new day brings with it a new life.

We pray from the Book of Hours of the Armenian Church a morning prayer bringing in the new day, “We thank you O Lord our God, who granted us restful sleep in peace. Grant us to pass the remainder of the day in peace. Strengthen and guard us through the days of our lives, so that we live our lives with pure behavior and reach the peaceful haven in eternal life, by the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Memories to Honor and to Move Forward

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The manner in which a memory is articulated can honor the past, while at the same time bring healing, so as to ensure a forward movement from the event.

Outside the front doors of the Church of the Seven Wounds is a brass cross that looks like it was used for target practice at a firing range. Sadly, it was. In 1937, a group of clergymen of the Armenian Church were executed in an area called Haykadzor, a small section of Ani that is in Armenia proper, near the Armenian Turkish border. The Cross, with bullet holes and all, is displayed atop a brass sphere, which is also riddled with bullet holes. It casts its shadow on the names of a couple dozen clergymen, inscribed on large marble slabs below the cross.

An engraved marker proclaims, “The Cross of Haykadzor’s St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Church fired on by Turk and Soviet atheists. The cross is moved here in memory the priests from the Diocese of Shirak who were shot.”

This monument, with the relocated cross and the inscription was placed in Gyumri in 2018.  The choice of words on the plaque was interesting to me, specifically identifying the culprits as “atheists.” With this word a very strong and meaningful sentence is imposed on the evil doers. It identifies the intention of the perpetrator and lays blame on them. There is no doubt, after reading the statement about what happened and for what reason.

Many times, our memories, especially memories of horrid events or traumatic episodes in our life, are areas that keep us stuck and living in the past, particularly in the case of unresolved conflicts. To label them for what they are, for instance with the phrase “by the atheists,” brings resolution to the trauma. The motive of the Turks and Soviets, in this case, is clearly defined with the phrase and we can understand that it was to eliminate the Christian clerics. The memory is identified, expressed and honored. This is a necessary step to live life in the moment and not to be hampered by the weights of yesteryears.

Jesus addresses a group of people (Luke 13:1-5) who were questioning a tragedy which befell some others when a tower fell over and killed them. “Do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?” Jesus asks. He answers his own question concisely, “I tell you, no; unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” The past is over and there is nothing that can be done to change it. What is important for Jesus, and for us as followers of Christ is that we manage ourselves and change those things that we have control over. In other words, live for today.

Let us pray, Lord our God, you have given us a chance to renew each and every day, each and every minute of the day. Keep my eyes focused on the moment. Help me to move on from the past in a spirit of repentance, knowing you have forgiven me for past wrongs and the moment of today is before me to grasp and live in peace and harmony, in accord with your commandment to love. Amen.

Olympic Size Scandals

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Armodoxy for Today: Olympic Size Scandals

When the best of the best get together for the Olympic games, you expect fierce competition and good sportsmanship.  That was and is the intent of the Olympics. Countries and their people, who otherwise would not cross paths, are brought together in a healthy attempt – to try to get along on the fields, pools and arenas.

Controversies and scandals are par for the course at sporting events. They usually stem around cheating, whether by artificially stimulating muscles through drugs, or bribing a judge, or doctoring scores. People are on the lookout for those kinds of scandals.

Then there are the scandals that hit while people are unprepared. For instance, the Olympics are about sports, but a scandal arises in the opening ceremonies. These types are even more accentuated when they take on a religious tone.  Interestingly, the rush to the aid of God is great and so goes the argument that God is all powerful if He needs His lowly creation to defend him!

I read and saw the buzz on social media that a live tableau at the opening ceremonies was found offensive by the religious community because it was deemed to mock Christ. And the shout out was, “Blasphemy!” As I heard that news item, I read about the killing of innocent children in camps filled with Palestinians facing starvation. I hear and rehear stories of thousands being killed  mercilessly in retaliatory efforts. I watch as rhetoric is thrown around to justify inhumane violence. I listen to the calls for peace, while we all know that killing breeds killing, and the killings of today have created new scars that will last generations to come.

It is easier to fight for God than to promote peace, which begins with understanding and is complimented with mercy. There is no greater scandal than the desecration of life. It is the ultimate blasphemy. Listen to the words of our Lord, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” (Hosea 6:6, Matthew 9:13)

From the Book of Hours of the Armenian Church, Peace and life, Lord and Savior, give us Your peace, so that having found it, we escape from all worldly commotions so we may become a temple and a habitation of Your grace. Amen.

Olympic Second

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Armodoxy Today: Olympic Second

The Olympic competitions are unavoidable these days as athletes from throughout the world are competing for the top titles and the medals: gold for first place, silver for second and bronze for third. Of course, the networks that carry the actual games are busy sending signals across the globe, and everyone else is quick to report results, with an emphasis on their favored team.

I find the level of competition fascinating. We are watching world class athletes push the limits of their bodies. Take a moment to watch a competition and especially pay attention to how the competitions that are measured by time, such as a race or a swim meet. I watched a relay race that was decided by one one-hundredth of a second! I mean, how fast is that? It’s faster than the blink of an eye. Perhaps the flap of a fly’s wing? Let’s agree that it’s fast. Super fast. Now think about it, when you hear that the world competition is decided by one one-hundredth of a second, It means that the winner who took home second place, the silver medal was only off by a hundredth of second! You look at them standing in the winners area. The gold medal winner is standing there and next to the guy who did not win.

Now let’s be fair. The guy who lost by a hundredth of a second is indeed a world class athlete! Come on… even the athlete who comes in last place, is world class and misses the gold by only a few seconds. But all is fair in love and Olympic competitions and he has to step down and accept the silver medal. In the days of non-electronic time pieces, measuring such differences might not have been observed, but they are today, and the athlete who has prepared all of his or her life for this competition is set off by this fraction of a second by which he or she missed the mark.

I couldn’t help but make the parallel in Christian life and the notion of sin. Sin is simply missing the mark. It’s a term that makes sense in archery. Imagine a target with a black dot in the center of a series of red and white circles. Anything outside of the black dot, what we refer to as the bull’s eye, is sin. Some people hit the line between the red and black, others hit the space on the third rung and still others miss the target completely. All of the hits are in sin.

In our life, we sin. It doesn’t mean we are bad people, rather, it only means that we are people. Only God is sinless. Anything outside of the center – outside of perfection – is sin, or being human. And since we all miss the mark of perfection, ours is not to judge. Leave the judging for the Olympic games and focus rather on improving yourself. The difference between Gold, Silver and Bronze may be seconds, but in the sight of God those seconds melt into an amalgama called life.

Let us pray, Grace us, O Lord the vision to follow in the path of the saints. Strengthen in me the resolve to improve on the graces you have bestowed upon me, to exercise my soul with love and compassion, in my path toward the Kingdom. Amen.

Cover: Envato Elements

God’s Competition

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Armodoxy for Today: God Competing

Competition is another word for the Olympics. The best of the best come together on the world stage to demonstrate their athletic and physical prowess every few years. Yesterday we spoke about the competition for the prize, citing that the real prize, far from the gold and silver, is the love of God. There is no competing for His love, but the question is does God have to compete for our attention and our love?

It is rather a strange visual against the backdrop of the Olympics to imagine God in a competition for us! Unfortunately, there are many forces that compete against God and even more tragically they win! Yes, they call into question the phrase “Almighty God.” Sure, He’s powerful, but the “gold” He is competing for is our hearts. He’s running a race and the other athletes are fear, hatred, materialism, self-glory, self-pity, apathy, to name just a few of the contenders.

At the finish line, the trophy is us! It not that God isn’t fast enough to win, rather, the obstacles along the way – the hurdles – are put up by us! Just as God gets close enough to us, we set another hurdle for Him to overcome. Meanwhile, the other forces, including materialism and all of its lavish accessories, run without obstacles, and certainly we don’t put any hurdles in their course because they each provide us with a false sense of security.

Armodoxy is the testament to the true securities that God blesses us with, whether courage, spirit, love, strength, or focus, they are the blessings that help us win the victories of life.

The Olympics give us a chance to view the competition all around us. We don’t compete for God’s love, but He competes for ours, every day with the beauty and wonder that He sets up all around us.

From the Armenian Church’s Book of Hours we pray, We thank You, O Lord, our God, who awakened us from the rest of sleep by the grace of Your mercy. Awaken our mind for justice before You, so our eyes will see Your salvation. Come and dwell in me. Amen.

Olympic Prize

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Armodoxy for Today: Olympic Prize

The Olympics are back! Athletes from throughout the world are competing for the gold and silver. Every four years this tradition brings together countries under the umbrella of sportsmanship. The best of the best gather on the world stage and the planet watches.

Years of training and discipline are over in a few minutes. If they are successful they are remembered for a few days, perhaps week or months, until someone does better or sets a new record. And if they are not successful, then they are already forgotten.

There is a healthy atmosphere of competition displayed at the Olympics. However, competition is a double-edged sword because it may be necessary to win the games but it can lead to obsession which stands in the way of the true prize.

The gold and silver are the prizes we seek. The author of Proverbs writes, Take my instruction instead of silver and knowledge rather than choice gold; For wisdom is better than jewels and all that you may desire cannot compare with her. (8:10)

The true prize that we may be sure of is the prize that never loses value and it is a prize for which we never have to compete. It is God’s love. His love is guaranteed. It never gets old. It cannot be taken away from you. It is the last of the old-fashion freebees of life.

Armodoxy is the proof, the faith of a people, who relied on this awesome power against all the odds, a certainty of God’s love which is unfailing. It is the assurance of resurrection against the odds of crucifixion.

In the spirit of competition that is displayed at the Olympic games, understand that the true prize is God’s love. And then…, ask yourself, does God have to compete for my love? That’s tomorrow.

We pray today from the Armenian Church’s Book of Hours, “You are blessed Almighty Lord, for always accompanying those who call to You with faithful and righteous hearts. We ask You, to lead and guide Your servants on this journey so that we may be grow together with our loved ones in peace. Amen.