Tirtad, Fanning Fire (4/5)

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Day 4: In sharing the story of the great Revolution that brought Christianity to Armenia, we have used the metaphor of a fire that burnt away the pain and despair of the pagan world. Hripsimé was the spark, kindled by Gayané and Gregory the Illuminator was the necessary catalyst that made the fire glow. To all of the elements, we add one more, the air, or more concisely, the fanning of the flames, to make the fire grow!

Tirtad was the power in the kingdom of Armenia. As king, he was the sovereign over the land and ruled as absolute law. Royalty was revered and enjoyed respect from the citizens, albeit insincere, nevertheless, enough to keep the players in check. And so, he was feared by the common man.

In a story such as the conversion of Armenia, it is often easy to lose true heroes to their villainous personality. Tirtad, who ordered the conversion of Armenia to Christianity, was the same king who killed Hripsimé, Gayané and their companions. He ordered worship of pagan gods and goddesses and had no patience for disobedience. If we become overwhelmed with all the negative attributes of his person, we can forget that this antagonist fanned the fire. The more Tirtad opposed, the stronger Gregory became.

We have heard adages about attitude, to remain positive in the face of adversity. We’ve heard expressions of making lemonade when given lemons, but to see it played out in a story such as this we realize it’s more than having a refreshing drink, but a means of survival, literally. Popular psychology calls this attitude adjustment, we in the Church refer to it as discipline, as having faith in God. Gregory’s sentence was capital punishment; Tirtad threw him into the pit to finish him off. Gregory didn’t fight the King, instead through a system of non-violent resistance, he overcame all the odds. He was disciplined. He used the tools given to him by God, prayer, meditation, fasting, staying focused and seeing God in the face of his adversaries, including Tirtad.

Our takeaway is to view attitude adjustments in terms of the tools given to us, such as prayer, meditation, fasting, staying focused and seeing God in the face of everyone. St. Gregory teaches us this lesson in response to the evil imposed on him by the King.

King Tirtad succumbed to a grave illness because of the horrors he imposed on the innocent sisters of the Gayané and Hripsimé. He was cured by the Illuminator, leading to the conversion of the nation. Plainly, Tirtad, the antagonist, is necessary for the story. He fanned the flames for the Christian Revolution to explode in Armenia. He is crowned a saint in the Armenian Church.

Let us pray, Christ our God, you crown your saints with triumph and do the will of all who love you, looking after your creatures with love and kindness. Hear us from your holy and heavenly realm by the intercession of the Holy Mother of God and by the prayers of all your saints, especially the King of Armenia who converted the nation to Christianity, St. Tirdat. Hear us Lord and show us your mercy. Forgive, redeem and pardon our sins. Make us worthy thankfully to glorify you with the Father and with the Holy Spirit. Now and always and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Cover: Envato Elements

Gregory, the Catalyst (3/5)

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Armodoxy for Today: The Road to the Center of Light – a five-part mini-series of daily messages dedicated to this special week in the life of the Armenian Church. Five days, five inspirations, five sparks that connect to shine the Christ Light.

Day 3: Gregory: Gayané kindled Hripsimé’s spark, but still, a catalyst was necessary to get the Revolution burning. Gregory was that catalyst, bringing the message of Christianity to the pagan world. He was the son of a Parthenian nobleman, and while his biographical details are laced with tragedy, including assassination, rejection and executions, for our purposes, we remember that Gregory, brought up in a Christian family, arrives in Armenia toward the end of the 3rd century, preaching the Gospel. He entered the King’s service and accomplished his tasks conscientiously. However, when asked to make offerings to the pagan gods, he refused, professing his faith in the one God revealed through Jesus Christ.

The King, Dirtad, did not tolerate his insubordination, and viewed Christianity (represented by Gregory) as a threat to the stability of his kingdom. He sentenced Gregory to death in a deep pit at the base of Mt. Ararat along the path of the Arax river. In Armenian this place is call խոր վիրապ (khor-virab), which is a literal translation of the words “deep pit.”

Gregory stood his ground. He did not resist evil, as he was instructed by Christ. He knew that the ways of the world could be sweet, but temporary. He did not give up His commitment to the Truth of Jesus Christ.

In the world we are always given options between the light and dark. While khor-virab is a place, and still attracts hundreds of thousands of pilgrims each year, khor-virab is also a metaphor in Armodoxy. It is the deep abyss and its darkness that blinds us to beauty and God’s wonders. In that darkness we follow the illusion of worldly wealth and remain ignorant to the love and compassion of family and friends. Physical death is what Gregory faced. We face spiritual death every day, and deliverance from that pit is available as it was for Gregory.

Gregory stayed firm in his commitment to Christ. He entered the pit as a death sentence only to walk out of it 13 years later, when the King Dirtad, suffering from a grave illness required healing. Gregory was kept alive with his prayers, his pious spiritual practices and the offering of the king’s sister, Khosrovitoukhd, who would bring scraps of food to the dungeon-pit sustain him.

Upon the king’s healing and recovery, Dirtad declared Christianity as the state religion. The year was 301, thus Armenia became the first Christian nation on earth. St. Gregory is revered as the patron saint of the Armenian Church. He is known as the Second Illuminator of Armenia, for bringing the Light into the darkness. The title of First Illuminator belongs to the Holy Apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew who brought the Light of Christ to Armenia in the fifth decade of the first century.

Saturday is the feast of St. Gregory the Illuminator’s deliverance from the pit. Let us pray, Christ our God, you crown your saints with triumph and do the will of all who love you, looking after your creatures with love and kindness. Hear us from your holy and heavenly realm by the intercession of the Holy Mother of God and by the prayers of all your saints, especially the great patriarch of the Armenian people, St. Gregory the Illuminator. Hear us Lord and show us your mercy. Forgive, redeem and pardon our sins. Make us worthy thankfully to glorify you with the Father and with the Holy Spirit. Now and always and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Gayané, Kindling (2/5)

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Armodoxy for Today: The Road to the Center of Light – a five-part mini-series of daily messages dedicated to this special week in the life of the Armenian Church. Five days, five inspirations, five sparks that connect to shine the Christ Light.

Day 2 – Gayané: If Hripsimé was the spark of the Christian revolution in Armenia, Gayané was the kindling. Gayané was the head of the convent, what might be commonly referred to as a Mother Superior. When Hripsimé ran from Emperor Diocletian it was into the embrace of Gayané. She could not have had a better ally. Gayané was a woman of principle and high morals and for this reason she was charged with the leadership of the sisterhood.

It is important to remember that the Church, at this point, is still functioning underground. That means, the gatherings of the community were secretive. There were pockets of Christians throughout the Empire, but for the most part they were discriminated against, and were dispensable. Furthermore, the Bible had not yet been compiled, but there were scriptures – mostly Psalms and Proverbs – that were read among the believers, and of course, St. Paul’s letters had risen to the status of “epistle,” meaning that they were general letters to the community.

Gayané knew Jesus Christ from the Holy Tradition handed down to her by the Holy Church.  She did not read the words of Christ but heard his voice, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:24-26)

Gayané had picked up her cross in the vows she had taken to serve God by serving others. When the King realized that Hripsimé was not budging from her stance, he approached Gayané, as the head of the sisterhood, to persuade Hripsimé to give into his desire. Just the opposite, Gayané insisted that Hripsimé not trade the pleasures of this world with the rewards of eternity. And so it was they escaped, but at the cost of their mortal existence.

The king’s muscle was exerted on these young girls in an unbelievably disgusting manner. The details of the torturous death they succumbed to would be called crimes against humanity today. Gayané was just the right kindling to Hripsimé’s spark. They played as a team as this Revolution began in Armenia. Gayané brought stability to the team by standing firm to her faith and being a pillar of strength to the young Hripsimé. Each of the characters we meet this week, come to us from over 1700 years ago, but their stories connect to our lives today. The struggles we go through every day, perhaps not as dramatic, still shake us to the core. These characters inspire us to live with hope and overcome the worst of the worst. In their inspiration today, we understand that these stories are timeless.

Every revolution needs a leader, and he was on the horizon. Tomorrow: Gregory the Parthinian, who would come to be known as the Illuminator.

Today is the feast of St. Gayané. Let us pray, Christ our God, you crown your saints with triumph and do the will of all who love you, looking after your creatures with love and kindness. Hear us from your holy and heavenly realm by the intercession of the Holy Mother of God and by the prayers of all your saints, especially the holy martyr St. Gayané. Hear us Lord, and show us your mercy. Forgive, redeem and pardon our sins. Make us worthy thankfully to glorify you with the Father and with the Holy Spirit. Now and always and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Hripsimé, the spark (1/5)

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Armodoxy for Today: The Road to the Center of Light – a five-part mini series of daily messages dedicated to this special week in the life of the Armenian Church. Five days, five inspirations, five sparks that connect to shine the Christ Light.

Day 1, Hripsimé. “The longest journey begins with a single step,” said Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu and I would imagine every culture has some parallel statement that expresses the  sentiment that the biggest and most complicated tasks begin with an initial spark. Hripsime is the spark that ignited the Christian revolution in Armenia in the early 4th century.

Hripsimé was a young girl, we are told, of remarkable beauty. In the late 3rd century, she entered a Roman convent, dedicating her life to Jesus Christ. Her beauty caught the eye of the Roman emperor Diocletian and he was determined to marry her. Hripsime and the other sister fled Rome to escape his hounding, and after some time ended up settling in the town of Vagharshapat, Armenia.

Emperor Diocletian sends word to the Armenian King Tirtad to have her captured and returned to Rome. What happens next seems almost too predictable, Tirtad is taken by Hripsimés beauty and wants her for himself. He offered her his kingdom if she would be his queen, but she refused to marry him, a pagan, and give up her Lord Jesus Christ.

Hripsimé refusal, and her faithfulness to Jesus Christ was the first step on the road to the Christianization of Armenia. Her short answer “No,” was a tiny little step that had huge repercussions. But at the time she refused the king, the only thing that was certain for her was, at the least, persecution, at the most, death.

Rev. Martin Luther King once said, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” Hripsimé took that first step uncertain of where it would lead. Most definitely she did not know, nor did it cross her mind, that this “No” to the king would be the spark to the conversion of Armenia to Christianity. The only certainty she had was that her action, or non-action, was in line with her core beliefs as a Christian.

Hripsimé is a saint whose story inspires us to do that which is right. Hripsimé knew well the parable of the “10 Maidens” (Matthew 25) and as a Christian she had heard the words of Jesus, who said, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36) “Queen Hripsimé” was guaranteed a beautiful and pleasant life, “Sister Hripsimé” was marked to death. But her strength came from Jesus Christ, in his words, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)

Hripsimé followed her heart. It was the place of her treasure. She teaches us to walk in faith and do that which is right. The wealth and beauty of this world … that’s tomorrow: Gayane.

Today is the feast of St. Hripsimé. Let us pray, Christ our God, you crown your saints with triumph and do the will of all who love you, looking after your creatures with love and kindness. Hear us from your holy and heavenly realm by the intercession of the Holy Mother of God and by the prayers of all your saints, especially the holy martyr St. Hripsimé. Hear us Lord, and show us your mercy. Forgive, redeem and pardon our sins. Make us worthy thankfully to glorify you with the Father and with the Holy Spirit. Now and always and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Cover photo: Grave of St. Hripsime, by Luna & Gregory Beylerian, 2023

Aging Vision

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Armodoxy for Today: Aging Vision

Today’s message is prompted by a radio news caster who reported, “The two presidential candidates are campaigning this weekend, sharing their vision for the future.”

Here in the United States it is election year. The candidates from the two major parties are well seasoned, in their golden years, or plainly, up in years. One is over 80 years old and the other is not too far behind. And they’re out about the country, “sharing their vision for the future.”

You must wonder, and at least I did, what vision? And what future? These octogenarians might have wisdom from living their lives, but are they entitled to set a vision for the future of the children?

Most casualties during war – battle-time fatalities – are to kids between the ages of 17 and 25. In Armenia, one of the most sobering moments you’ll experience is at Yrablur, near Yerevan, where tri-colored flags fly over the graves of soldiers of the 44 day war of 2020 and the battles with Azeris since then.

We may call them soldiers, but they are young kids who will never get older, kids who were called up to fight because of someone’s vision to fight fire with fire.

Here in the United States, we have a day set aside every year, in May, to remember those who paid the ultimate price for freedom. We call that day Memorial Day. For the parents and families of these children thrown into war, every day is a recurring nightmare called Memorial Day.

The future belongs to the young. With all due respect for our matured senior citizens and the wisdom they have acquired during their lifetime, I have to ask, have we created a world so great that we have the audacity to set a vision for the future of these children? How about asking them? What is their “vision of the future”? What are we afraid of? That they may say they’d like to enjoy life? That they may want to live without the fear of violence? That they may want a world that is free of the pollutant of hate and intolerance? That they may find a way to negotiate understanding?

We remember the sacrifice made by all those who laid their life down for something greater, whether for the ideal of freedom or the safety of their loved ones. May God rest their souls. We also take time to articulate a new vision, one for peace. In the words of His Holiness Pope Francis, “Please. Countries at war, all of them, stop the war. Look to negotiate. Look for peace.” (CBS 60 Minutes 5/19/24)

We end with a simple prayer, one which articulates the vision of God expressed on the night of our Lord Jesus’ birth: Peace on Earth, good will toward one another. Amen.

Cover: Yrablur by Luna & Gregory Beylerian, 2023

Dreaming Vision

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Dreaming Vision

Next Step #792 – May 25, 2024 – Expanding with Epostle as we hit the 12,000+ mark. Stories of evangelization from the Apple days and exploiting the technology for evangelizing Epostle-style. Remembering Darfur in 2008, coming from the Aurora Awards. Two octogenarians vying for the presidency, share a vision, meanwhile the young give their lives in war – those remembered at Memorial Day. First glance and unheard: A Palestinian Armenian speaks from the war zone in Israel, walking the talk. And much more…
Michio Kaku – Quantum Supremacy
Palestinian Armenian Speaks from the war zone
Pope Francis on 60 Minutes
Aurora Prize
IHS 2008 Man of the Year: Gabriel Stauring
Lala Abgaryan seeks justice for sister tortured by Azeris
Jackie Evancho Dream with Me
Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for http://Epostle.net
Subscribe and listen on demand on your favorite pod-catcher!
We’re on Pandora, Spotify and Apple Podcasts

Cover: Luna & Gregory Beylerian, 2023

Greater Love: Memorial Day

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Armodoxy for Today: Memorial Day

There is a park that I pass by occasionally on my morning rides. It has a sizable monument dedicated to the veterans of US wars. On the center plaque there are the insignias of the different branches of the military hovering around a lone statement that reads, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

I happen to know that this quote is from Jesus. In the Gospel of John (15), Jesus proclaims this truth in final discourse with his disciples before being betrayed and handed over to trial and crucifixion. But for others who had not read the Bible passage or had no reference to Jesus, the quote seems like a basic truth. And that’s how it is presented to the visitors of the park and this monument. The quote is without reference, neither to Jesus, nor to the Gospel in which it appears.

One of the most beautiful traditions we have in the United States is expressed in the Memorial Day holiday. It is an expression of appreciation for one of the greatest gifts, namely freedom, and the price that has been paid for it.

A value can be ascribed to everything, except to human life. Life is a gift given only once by God and therefore it is priceless. When someone loses their life for a cause, we say they have paid the ultimate price, again, emphasizing its pricelessness.

We have heard that freedom is not free, and interestingly enough, the price of freedom is measured by life, that is, the value of freedom is so great that it can only be measured, or given value, in terms of human life.

Stephen Stills writes,
Do we find the cost of freedom
Buried in the ground
Mother Earth will swallow you
Lay your body down

Whether the words of Jesus are referenced to him or not, the words “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” stands as an axiom. As Christians, however, we are consoled in knowing that our Lord, Jesus Christ, said these words as a statement about his offering, his love for his friends, for his children.

Memorial Day gives us a beautiful opportunity and a chance to reflect on something that should be reflected upon regularly, that is, the value of life and those things that are measured by life itself. Are there things that you love more than life itself? Freedom? Family? Love? Country? A close inventory can reveal much. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King has said, “If a man has not found something worth dying for, he is not fit to live.”

Jesus made it clear, that he loved us so much that he laid his life down for us, his friends. In return he asks that we lay our lives down, not to the grave but to surrender to loving one another. It is the greatest testimony to Memorial Day, to respect the price others have paid and understand that in living, and living fully, we honor their sacrifice.

Let us pray, On this Memorial Day, we pray for those who courageously laid down their lives for the cause of freedom. May the examples of their sacrifice inspire in us the selfless love of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Bless the families of our fallen troops, and fill their homes and their lives with Your strength and peace. Amen. (from Common Prayers)

Language to Communicate

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Armodoxy for Today: Language to Communicate

At the Pentecost the Holy Spirit bestowed gifts upon the Apostles, the necessary tools with which to do their missionary work. In Armenian, the feast of Pentecost is called hokegalust, which means “Coming of the Spirit.” In the Book of Acts (2), the event is recorded, “The Holy Spirit gave the gift of utterance to the Apostles.”

The gift of God is communication. We are not created as robots, but entities with the ability to process thoughts and communicate those thoughts to others. In the most intimate of positions and circumstances, the human being has the opportunity to communicate at all levels with thoughts, speech, glances and touch. Language is the skill to communicate with others.

Armodoxy rejects the idea that at Pentecost the gift of utterance was a secret sound-code that was understood by only a select few. Scripture says that the people who heard the Apostles talking said, “And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? … we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” The sounds that people heard were languages, not non-sensical words or sounds. The gifts of God are always practical; they have a function.

Words express our thoughts and teach, that is, they pass along knowledge. The object of those teaching-lessons is harmony among people. The idea that God would give people confusing sounds or would want to confound people’s attempts to understand one another is foreign to Christian thought. The gift of the Holy Spirit brings us together, not draws us apart. Pentecost is the birthday of the Church. With the Holy Spirit, the Church would now move to continue the work of Christ.

Language is the perfect vehicle for this group of people, the Apostles. They communicated the message that was given to them through Christ: Peace on Earth, good will toward one another.

We conclude today with a reading from Acts chapter 2, regarding the first Christian community after Pentecost:

Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

Holy Spirit Then and Now

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Armodoxy for Today: Holy Spirit then and now

Something happened this year on the feast of Pentecost that connected us the event 2000 years ago when the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles. Sticking to our charter of bringing apostolic evangelism to an electronic universe, Epostle.net facilitated a conversation with a gentleman named Malkon who lives in Jerusalem. Malkon is an Armenian Palestinian who lives by the Christian credo of not resisting evil and praying for the enemy. His family has been exiled several times from their homes and land throughout the decades. He finds himself in a country filled with animosity toward him and his people.

We connected with him because of our background as Armenians who attest to the Christian faith as expressed and demonstrated by Jesus Christ. Having experienced Genocide in 1915, and then having lived through the totalitarian communist regime for 70 years, while it spewed its atheistic propaganda, we found independence in a world that ignored us. In 2020 and 2023, we were forced out of our historic homelands, in a broader scheme that targeted the existential destruction of a nation. The world looked on in the pose of the three monkeys blocking their eyes, ears, and mouth: “See no evil,” “Hear no evil,” and “Speak no evil.” We had to meet with Malkon, because even more than exonerating ourselves from the evil of apathy and being accused of monkey-see/monkey-do, we had to connect with a person for whom the tenants of Christianity were part of his daily ritual of overcoming evil with love!

At Epostle.net, every day we preach a message of Christianity from our ancient roots as the first Christian nation. What we call Armodoxy is the application of that ancient Christianity in the world today. Often it gets assigned to a category of idealism and its application is assumed to be impossible, and therefore, not even tried. Malkon presents a model we need to identify with. He moves from theoretical Christianity to the practical side of faith, and it works! Here we witnessed the expressions of a man who lives in and with war, facing every day an enemy that is consumed with killing him and erasing the existence of his people off the pages of history.

We were encouraged by the number of people who attended this event virtually as well as on our new Metaverse platform. In the weeks to come we will be releasing excerpts from the discussions that manifested at the event. For today, we announce it with the excitement that must have surrounded the Apostles who were touched by the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. The Risen Lord is speaking in what the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, has brought to us this day.

We end with the words of our Lord, who spoke then, and speaks now:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43-48)

Doing Business

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Armodoxy for Today: The Business Model

Many clergymen cringe when they hear someone mention the word business next to their church. It is insulting, they think, to refer to the church as a business. Understandably, if the Church is ordained by Christ, and is the dwelling place of God, it should not be tainted with models from the college MBA textbook. God should take care of His Church and speaking of a business model which brings tangible returns can be seen as anathema.

When I was growing up, as I was contemplating the priesthood, I had a conversation with my parish priest, Fr. Krikor Hairabedian (of blessed memory), who shared his understanding of the Church. He said, if Christ is the head of the Church, then he is the “boss.” Why would I worry about any of the tangible matters? God will take care of His Church. And Fr. Krikor proceeded to tell me how throughout his own lifetime, God had always taken care of every one of his needs. Needless to say, Fr. Krikor was a man of great faith. Now, 40+ years into my priesthood, I often think about that conversation with the good priest and can attest the same with my experience in the Church. “The Lord is my shepherd,” says the psalmist (23) and follows up with a declaration, “I shall not want.”

There is a mystical dimension to the Church that overlaps the material Body of Christ. And certainly, it is the formula by which the Armenian Church has “worked” for the last 2000 years. God is in charge, and everything falls into place and is taken care of.

The material Body of Christ is what functions on Earth. It is the legs, the arms, the mouth, the voice of Christ in the here and now. As such, it needs material support. The word “business” refers to the actual mechanism by which the work gets accomplished. Yes, we shy away and cringe at the statement that the church is a business, but in fact it is. It’s goal, however, is not the physical wealth, but the spiritual soul that resides in every human being.

A business – say a restaurant, insurance company or a department store – has as its ultimate goal the creation of more wealth. It has an obligation to its investors to make a profit, however, along the way, it accomplishes other tasks, which we can call overt goals: the restaurant feeds hungry people, the insurance company provides security for families, and the department store furnishes clothing and goods for people. The Church follows the same model but the ultimate goals and the overt goals are swapped. That is the Church has as its goal the salvation of the soul and accomplishes this by the teaching the message of love that Christ demonstrated. Along the way, needs to take care of electric bills, property maintenance and pay for supplies. Calling it a business does not discount the participation of God, it merely establishes an order, a system by which things get accomplished.

During this period, between Ascension and the Pentecost in the post-Resurrection era, the Church was being formed. The order and the systems were being put into place to accomplish the greatest work of all, functioning as the Body of Christ.

We conclude today and these thoughts with the reading of the first Psalm:

Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers; but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night. They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper. (Psalm 1)