Next Step #779 – July 28, 2023 – A call to believe in the power within… Artsakh blockade continues as do the pleas for help. Armenian clergy meet with the US State Department and the vicious circle of victimization continues. Protests take place everywhere except Baku and Ankara. Anthropocene affecting more than we bargained for. Leveraging Love is still the only viable choice – from Archimedes’ lever to Jesus’ mustard seed, the solution is with us. Beatles Pub in Yerevan Clergy/State Department Meeting re: Artsakh Artsakh Blockade 7/28/23 Tankian Spins support Fr. Vazken on Anthropocene 5yrs ago
Ian Anderson’s Divinities: Twelve Dances with God
Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for http://Epostle.net Subscribe and listen on demand on your favorite pod-catcher!
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https://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/NS779_cover.jpg15001200Vazken Movsesianhttps://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/final_logo_large_for_epostle_web-300x189.pngVazken Movsesian2023-07-29 12:00:422023-07-29 14:11:06Changing Center
Four icons hang on Pushkin Street in the middle of Yerevan. For all the breath-taking, amazing, architecturally groundbreaking edifices from antiquity that we have highlighted, these icons are the only one that are internationally recognized. On the corner of Pushkin St. and an obscure alley way is the sign in Armenian letters, “Beatles Pub,” the photos of the Fab Four, John, Paul, George and Ringo, cover the front windows and a sign that says “coming soon.” No explanation necessary – everyone know, the “soon” is in reference to the pub and not the group.
The Beatles Pub, in many ways, is the best explanation of Armodoxy that we can give. The faith of the Armenian Church – Armenian Orthodoxy – does not exist in a vacuum. Just as Jesus came to the world – the tangible real world – Armenian Orthodoxy has a voice in the real world, the world we live in.
One of the greatest human expressions is music. It is a language that speaks to the soul. This is why all religious traditions incorporate music into their rituals and we in the Armenian Church have a treasure house of hymns, based on eight modalities, that connect human existence to the divine sphere. They speak of the manner in which people have perceived or understood the Divine. The hymns, which we refer to as sharagan, are expressions of our theology.
As people, we naturally search for meaning, and connect dots to things greater than ourselves. Music gives us a forum to do so, whether sacred music or pop song. For instance, when Paul McCartney sings “Mother Mary comes to me,” he is speaking of his own mother, whose name was Mary, but millions who have heard Let it Be made a connection to the blessed virgin. When John Lennon sings, “Imagine there’s no heaven,” it forces us to think about the divisions that are caused because of belief systems. Elanor Rigby’s priest, Father McKenzie writes words to a sermon that no one hears the Inner Light asks us see without looking. Most importantly, we all can buy into “All you need is Love” and “Give Peace a Chance.”
When the Beatles “invaded” the world in the early 1960’s, life changed. The Beatles’ influence on pop culture is undeniable, but their influence is much farther reaching and affects just about every arena primarily because their music – melodies and words – have been absorbed by such a diverse population for the last 60+ years. As a young boy, I remember my grandmother humming the tune, “Yesterday” as she went about daily chores. She was a genocide survivor and was in her 60’s when the Beatles were a hit. I was never sure what about the song attracted her ear. Could it have been that yesterday, all her troubles were far away? or was it simply the eloquent music that had already touched millions deep in the soul? On the other end of the age spectrum, my niece, in her 20s, who upon moving to New York paid homage to John Lennon by visiting the Strawberry Fields Memorial. The span of years between my grandmother and my niece is over 100 years; the Beatles touched across generations, how can their influence be discounted?
Armodoxy is the recognition that our faith exists in a world that is living and breathing. Because it is living, it is evolving. The alternative to life is death, in which case matter does not evolve but decays. Armodoxy is about pushing ourselves to understand our faith within the context of life. When Jesus offered parables using a grain of wheat or the mustard seed or grapes and the vineyard, he was speaking to the people in a language which they all understood. The people of the time lived in an agrarian society; they were people of the land. They knew what a mustard seed was, much like a child of today knows what an app is.
Armodoxy is the realistic admission that culture and the life-forces around us, impact and influence us. It is the recognition that Christianity evolved in a pocket of the world, among a group of people, inside of the Armenian Church, and those people survived and thrived against the odds. Armodoxy is the secret formula, so to speak, of how faith and life intertwine and give us meaning. It is the recognition that God did not create us as robots but gave us the gift of thought to interact, to discuss, to arrive at the point of understanding and harmony with our fellow human being. Coupled with our prayer life, we share the unchanging Truth of God that has reached us today. We are the custodians of that Tradition for the time that we are allotted in this world.
The Beatles pub was opening soon. Unfortunately, we were unable to see it in action, but a few weeks after we left, it was Ringo Starr’s birthday (7/7) and they celebrated there, and accented his motto phrase, Peace and Love – khaghootiun yev ser – which is the bottom line, whether sung or said, in English or Armenian, classical or contemporary.
From the Armenian Book of Hours we pray, “Peace and life, our Lord and Savior, the Only Begotten Son of God, give us Your peace, that you grant to your apostles by breathing into them Your life-giving and all powerful Holy Spirit, so that having found our peace from all worldly commotions we may become a temple and a habitation of your grace, and may give you thanks and glorify you together with the Father and Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
At the first Palm Sunday, that is, when Jesus entered Jerusalem to meet his appointment with the Cross, he saw a scene in the temple which infuriated him. We read in Matthew 21:12-13: Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’” This event is sometimes referred to as “Jesus cleansing the temple” because he “cleaned out” all that did not belong there.
Considering that marketing professionals are now selling products under the “Christmas in July” banner, I didn’t hesitate to draw from another period on the Church calendar, namely Palm Sunday, to point to what doesn’t belong on our shopping list. We have been conditioned by what used to be called Madison Avenue, a street in New York City where many advertising agencies have offices and, today, by more elite methods that melt us down to mathematical formulas governed by algorithms. And we react. Christmas, we know is a season for shopping. It’s a season where sales are permissible. And so, if they tell us it’s Christmas in July, much like Pavlov’s dogs, we begin salivating at the chance to bite off some bargains.
Armodoxy is the study of ancient Orthodoxy as it pertains to our lives today. And just as much as the ancient traditions influence us, the methods and practices of today turn our head and direct our feet to follow our glance.
As much as Jesus’s actions in the temple were about cleansing the house of God, his action of overturning the tables, is also memorialized in this story. The phrase “cleansing the temple” is a description someone gave the story. Turning the tables, is the action Jesus took. As Christians, we may draw from these actions and make them metaphors for Christian living. For instance, let us begin with this popular sales pitch we came face-to-face with this year: Christmas in July. One option would have been to resist it, call if for what it is, a ploy to put cash into the economy at the expense of Christ’s name. That would be akin to “cleansing the temple.” But in his action to turn the tables, Jesus brought attention to the seriousness of the temple itself – a house of prayer. In opting for the overturn metaphor, we are turning the table on what is presented to us. In Christ’s words, “Do not resist evil.” We’re not resisting it, rather giving it a chance to work for our goals.
Here’s what happened this week on our “Path to Armodoxy.” We learned that we were being sold “Christmas in July.” We did not resist what was given, rather we took the concept and presented Christmas as a Christian. We spoke about Jesus being born – Christmas – to a world that did not want to be bothered – no room at the inn. We connected to the story of the Down Syndrome children – Fr. Gregor’s Arev Children – in Armenia. We saw the difference one man can make in the lives of so many. In essence, we turned the tables on the advertisers and sold Christmas – Christian Love – in July, rather than the made-in-China products the others were peddling.
Armodoxy is not a rejection of this life, but an understanding to allow us to work in harmony within this life. Jesus did not reject the life of this world. He pointed to something higher that could be attained in the here-and-now. The stories about which we reflect are all stories from our lives today. They are stories to inspire us to work out our Christianity in this world.
Throughout our travels in Armenia, the ever-looming threat of another unexpected attack by the enemy was present. The blockade and destruction of a portion of Armenia, namely Artsakh, was a daily reality we confronted, and the people of Artsakh are enduring it. The temple-cleansing model seems appropriate and efficient, but is it realistic? The overturning model is an approach which takes the reality and uses it to channel a better outcome. Just as we did, Christmas in July became a sale where the work of a good priest in Armenia and the Arev Children became the “sale items” for us.
We live in a world that has issues which some define as problems and others refer to them as challenges. Cleansing the Temple – cleaning everything out – sounds good, but is it possible? Remember, the phrase “cleansing the temple” is what people called what Jesus did. Jesus was more strategic. He turned over the tables and in so doing, the temple remained while the insides were cleaned up and set in order.
Let us pray, Lord Jesus, enter my holy temple and turn over the tables that have set up shop. Turn over misunderstanding to understanding, judgement to tolerance, and hatred to love. Guide and direct my actions to so that your will of peace and harmony become my goals. Amen.
Throughout his ministry, Jesus associated with a wide variety of people. You could say that his circle of acquaintances – friends, associates – was diverse. Jesus was often criticized by the religious community of the day for this association with sinners. We read in scripture, (Luke 5) that the Pharisee rebuked Jesus for eating with sinners, to which Jesus responds, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.”
In fact, Jesus tolerated and associated with everyone. Most notably many remember that he forgave the adulterous (John 8) and included the tax collector (Matthew 9) in his inner circle. The tax collector, we should remember, was considered among the lowest of the low because he was a Jew collecting taxes for the oppressive Roman government. Yes, he accepted them all, but for one. The one person for whom Jesus showed contempt and criticized was the hypocrite. The hypocrite was the one who said one thing with his mouth and lived another way with his life. The Pharisees were the teachers and keepers of the law. They knew scriptures backwards and forward, they gave a tenth of their income to the Temple, but Jesus called them out as “blind guides.” (Matthew 23) He said, 27 “You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”
For Jesus, sincerity and the pureness of heart is central to being in the Kingdom of God. His invitation to become as children (Matthew 18) was an invitation to sincerity and purity of heart.
(For the last couple of days we’ve been looking at the phenomena of Arev Children in Yerevan.) Fr. Gregor, who founded the Arev Children after his child was diagnosed with Down Syndrome, works with these children daily. He has formed a theatre, where the Arev Children perform by reciting poetry, playing music and dancing. But their greatest asset is their sincerity.
According to Fr. Gregor, “It is not possible to be next to the Arev-children and not learn from them to love and see only the good in people.”
As we spent time with the Arev children, Fr. Gregor’s words resonated with more and more meaning. The children are pure and sincere. They laugh, they smile and they hug, and there is nothing insincere about any of their expressions. Every bit of the love they share comes for the deepest depth of their soul.
In these children we see only good. We realize how superficial our lives have become because we identify people by what we observe on the outside. God, looks into the depth of our heart and sees what is real. We refer to a child as having Down Syndrome while God identifies them as the ones who love, laugh, smile and hug with complete sincerity. Fr. Gregor’s Arev Children give us a chance to see beauty that comes from the soul. We understand the value of sincerity and how it is missing in the world. We now understand the words of our Lord Jesus as we read in Matthew chapter 18:
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.
“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.… See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.”
Learn more about the Arev Children at their Facebook page
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When Fr. Gregor found out his son had Down Syndrome he searched for information. It caught him off guard, as it did and does for thousands of parents who come face to face with this reality. Fortunately, in America and in several other countries, there are support groups for parents and families of Down Syndrome children, and ultimately, for the child him or herself. But in Armenia, Fr. Gregor and his wife found themselves alone. Not only was there no support, no one was talking about Down Syndrome.
In my own personal experience, a few years back I was called by one of our parish families to officiate at their child’s funeral. I was shocked! I knew this family well. I had been to their home on a few occasions. I had shared many conversations with the father of the family whom I considered a close friend, and yet, when they called to let me know their daughter of 40 years had passed, I had no idea – zero! – that they had a daughter. She had Down Syndrome and they never spoke of her, nor brought around to the church or community events. I came to find out that in Armenia – as well as many other countries – there is stigma and shame that accompanies having a child with Down Syndrome. And so, parents hid their Down Syndrome child. At least, in this particular case, I know first-hand that that’s what they had done.
Fr. Gregor wouldn’t stand for it. This was his son and he was proud of him! He educated himself about Down Syndrome, about the extra copy of the chromosome that causes this, and about the care of children. But that wasn’t enough for Fr. Gregor, because he knew other parents must be struggling with the same situation and so he rounded up the children with Down Syndrome and their parents. He named them “Arev” Children which means “Sun” Children and he allowed them to shine.
The Catholicos of All Armenians allocated space through the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin for these children. In the middle of Yerevan you’ll find the Arev Children’s center where scores of children receive counseling and education. There are some 200 children who avail themselves of this center. We visited them at the center. They recited poetry, danced, played music for us and most importantly gave us the gift of God – in the form of hugs and smiles.
Fr. Gregor searched for information and educated himself about these children – which have become his children – and in so doing, he broke the bonds that kept these children shackled, the ignorance of old-thinking, freeing them and their families to enjoy the fullness of life. He shared that knowledge with others. He moved from the darkness of ignorance into the light of knowledge.
Jesus came into this world to bring the knowledge of God to us all. Up until Christ, people lived in darkness because they were scared to live. They thought God’s Kingdom belong only to a select group of people. Jesus broke the bonds that kept people shackled to the old-thinking, and freed them to “live life, and live it abundantly.” (John 10:10). He brought the knowledge of God to everyone, without exception, by revealing his Divinity, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9) Knowledge of God is gained by knowing Jesus Christ.
The Arev Children are born in the Light and they share light. Tomorrow, when we continue, they’ll share that light with us.
Let us pray, Lord Jesus, you are the Light of the World. In that light we have a chance to know you. You have taught us that if we live in the Light the Dark will never overcome us. Shine your Light upon us so we can know you and the wonders that surround us. Amen.
The ad came in the mail. It’s one of the few things that still comes by mail. Red and green writing over a picture of a big poinsettia plant: “Christmas in July – SALE!” I smiled and moved on. Later that day it caught my eye while scanning through the TV dial, a big candy cane with the words, “Christmas in July – SALE” on the QVC in-home shopping channel. The next day, I couldn’t avoid it. The words were popping up on my social media pages, letting me know this was not only being promoted by old-school media, but this was a full blown campaign to bring the old-yuletide cheer to businesses wanting to scoop up some extra funds in mid-summer.
Imagine that, I thought to myself, marketers are bringing the Christ name-brand, that is Christmas, to the your local neighborhood to sell made-in-China wares to a sympathetic public. To be sure, the economy here in the US is dependent on year-end, holiday shopping. So some entrepreneur or entrepreneurs are capitalizing on the popularity of Christmas and exploiting it by creating an extra season of holly, candy cane stripes and jolly merriment and collect the financial rewards that comes with this new Christmas season. Imagine that, I thought.
And then it hit me: This was the goal we set out to achieve when we in the Armenian Church celebrate Christmas on December 25 and January 6. This was the Armodoxy formula: The Christian celebrates Christmas every day of the year! Christ is born and revealed every day when a Christian lives his or her life according to the tenants of love. The Christian keeps the message of Christmas alive and in focus all year long! Of course, no one is fooled by this Christmas in July campaign. The object is simply to make money. But that doesn’t mean we can’t use the opportunity to focus on the Christmas message in July, just as we should in August, October, March and May.
So with that introduction, welcome to our Christmas in July podcast, Armodoxy for Today. We begin with the very pronounced message that haunts us at Christmas time, namely that there was no room in the Inn for Jesus. The King-of-kings, the Son of the most high God, was humbly born in a stable and placed in a manger instead of a crib. There was no room for him, not in the Inn and not in the world. People did not want to be bothered with a young Mary who was going through her labor pains, away from her family and on the road in Bethlehem, God opened this small window of possibility for His Son to be born.
Enter Fr. Gregor Gregoryan of Yerevan, 2000 years after the birth of Christ. We recently met him at the Holy Asdvadzadzin “Zoravor” Armenian Church. A few years back, he and his wife had a child. They named him Monte. He was soon diagnosed with Down syndrome. Fr. Gregor looked for help and found none. Monte had come into a world that wasn’t ready for him, in fact, there was no room for him. People didn’t want to be bothered with him or with the struggle of his parents.
Fr. Gregor, a man of deep faith, leaned on God. He found other parents who had the joy of a Down syndrome child but were left out of the joy of parenthood because of the various stigmas attached to Down syndrome children. He brought together families and with the help of Holy Etchmiadzin and the Catholicos of All Armenians, a small center was established for these children. We went there and met with these children. They sang for us, played music and danced for us.
This is Christmas in July. In the next few days, we will be meeting Fr. Gregor, his children and the “Arev” children center he’s established. You’ll learn of the miracle that is taking place. You’ll be at one with the Christmas message: There was no room at the Inn, but this night, God made room in the hearts of men and women throughout the world.
The meditation comes to us from the Gospel Reading for the Sunday after the Transfiguration, Matthew (18:10-14), wherein Jesus says, “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.
“What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
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“She remembered the railroad tracks and the mountains.”
During the Armenian Genocide 1.5 Million Armenians were brutally slaughtered and a greater number of Armenians were exiled from their historic homeland creating the Armenian Diaspora, with representation in almost every country on earth. When a member of that diaspora visits Armenia for the first time, Armenian DNA returns to the land after a century in exile.
A dear friend recently made a pilgrimage with us to Armenia. She came with a story of a memory. Her mother’s mother was from Gyumri and remembered two distinct images from the landscape, the railroad tracks and the mountains.
A child’s vantage point is skewed. From a small stature always looking up at adults and the world, the world seems different than when, as an adult, standing 6 feet off the ground, the same scenery and objects are viewed. And so, in Gyumri we searched, viewing as a child, compensating for the parallax view and invoking images in our mind’s eye from a century before. We searched for what may have been the spot where this child’s memory focused on the railroad tracks that reached for the horizon only to find the mountain. And there it was! Tracks and a mountain.
The mind has a way of protecting itself from huge traumatic events. It will compartmentalize the memories of the Genocide and images from the mass exodus, but it will remember, and quite vividly, those things which are precious and give definition to life. They are the sacred spaces of our lives. The train tracks were a connection to home. The mountain range was home. Over a hundred years later, the DNA and the memories embedded within its double helix returned from where it was taken.
In the Gospel according to St. Luke (2:42-48) we read, that when Jesus was twelve years old, on a trip to Jerusalem with Joseph and Mary, “he lingered behind.” Joseph and Mary searched for three days and found Him in the temple, ‘sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.” And Jesus said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s house?” ‘
Some memories honor the past. Others celebrate them while still others hinder us from moving forward. In Gyumri we found these memories and we returned one as well, one which identified this land as sacred and holy, as the place where life began.
Armodoxy asks us to look at land not as possessions but as sacred spaces that define and give meaning to life. They are created by the holy memories that we hold in our heart. War becomes obsolete because the goal is not to acquire more land but to celebrate the sacredness that belongs to us all.
We pray, “I beseech You, Living God, through Your divine blessings and pleasing graces, enlighten my mind and allow me to love You with all my heart, and through Your irrefutable might, lead me on the path of your will and Your commandments. You are my hope and refuge. You are my salvation. Amen.”
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This week on the Roots of Armodoxy, we are looking at memories from different vantage points that we discovered in Gyumri, the second largest city in Armenia. This is the fourth of five episodes of this mini-series of daily messages.
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.
This week on the Roots of Armodoxy, we are looking at memories – those that honor, those that help us heal and those that keep us from moving forward. We’re looking at memories from different vantage points we’ve discovered in Gyumri, the second largest city in Armenia after Yerevan. This is the third episode of this mini-series of daily messages.
There are a couple appointments in the Church of the Seven Wounds that set it apart from other Armenian churches. The church, as we discovered, is one dedicated to the Holy Asdvadzadzin and points to “seven wounds” inflicted on the Blessed Mother, each annunciated in the Gospel of St. Luke. (See “Memories in Gyumri” for the list.) Aside from the church’s very unique name, inside the sanctuary the altar area is adorned with an iconostasis. In Eastern Orthodox churches, such as the Greek or Russian Orthodox Churches, the iconostasis is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating altar area from the nave of the church. In the Armenian Apostolic Church, that separation is demarked by a curtain. Secondly, in one of the side rooms where congregants are invited to light their devotional candles, there is a large crucifix hanging from one of the walls. Crucifixes are not part of the Armenian Church tradition, partly because the symbol of the cross emphasizes resurrection for the Armenian Church, that is, Jesus’ conquering the cross and our ability to do likewise.
These two unusual appointments – to reiterate, they are unusual within the Armenian Church – the iconostasis and the crucifix are reminders of the ecumenic spirit that is often overlooked when people think of the Armenian Church. Gyumri is on the crossroad of the continents and had visitors from different countries. The large Crucifix was left by a Roman Catholic congregation which was granted use of the Church of the Seven Wounds by the Armenians during the World War II, when the Catholics did not have a place to worship.
Ecumenism is the idea that Christians of different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships to promote Christian unity. One of the pioneers of ecumenism was St. Nersess Shnorhali, the 12th century Saint and Patriarch of the Armenian Church. He offered a formula for Christian understanding which has been adopted by many church leaders through the centuries.* Shnorhali says that as Christians we must be united in essentials, approach secondary items of faith with liberty and display charity (love) in all things.
Essential items are the articles of Faith. We are united in our understanding of God as Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This is essential. Secondary matters might be practices which differ from place to place, community to community. Is the Crucifix necessary? Should you adopt a vegan diet as a Christian? And finally, we approach all our relationships with one another in a spirit of love, to promote Christ’s Birth announcement: Peace on Earth and Goodwill toward one another.
The Armenian Church has lived and survived by this simple code of ethics as articulated by St. Nersess Shnorhali. In the Church of the Seven Wounds, we find memories, remembrances, that honor the spirit of Christian Unity.
As our prayer today, we remember the words from the Gospel of John, and our Lord, Jesus Christ did say, “I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.” Amen. (10:14-6)
* There are those who contend that this formula was given developed by Augustine of Hippo, but modern scholarship has shown otherwise.
https://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/IMG_2673.jpeg20491536Vazken Movsesianhttps://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/final_logo_large_for_epostle_web-300x189.pngVazken Movsesian2023-07-19 00:01:342023-09-14 20:51:43Memories that Honor
This week on the Roots of Armodoxy, we are looking a memories – those that honor, those that help us heal and those that keep us from moving forward. We’re looking at memories from different vantage points we’ve discovered in Gyumri, the second largest city in Armenia after Yerevan. This is the second episode of this mini-series of daily messages.
I remember when the earthquake hit Spitak and the surrounding city of Gyumri in 1988. We in the diaspora went into a massive fundraising effort to provide for equipment and supplies to be sent over there. We in California feel the earth rumble as well, especially in Northern California where I had assumed my first pastorate. In fact, when we heard that the Spitak quake was a magnitude 6.8 Ms, we were a bit surprised to learn that 25,000 to 50,000 had perished. We had had quakes exceeding that magnitude without the casualties sustained in Armenia. It was only a few days later, when Soviet Premier Gorbachev visited Gyumri that we learned about the shotty workmanship and the pilfering of construction material that led the destruction. During Soviet times cement brought in a hefty profit on the black market for those who could manage to build buildings with less material.
For months which turned into years, we collected money and goods to send to Armenia. But during that first year, on October 17, 1989 that I had a front row seat to a big one. 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 fans were in the stands and the rest were next to a TV or radio to follow the game when our turn came. The ground rumbled, and we found ourselves in the Loma Prieta quake, registering 6.9 Ms. I rushed home to find shelves toppled, glass all over the floors and the entire neighborhood out on the street, not sure when the next tremor would hit. It was a big one, indeed, a freeway collapsed, the Bay bridge came apart and when all was said and done 63 people died.
Two earthquakes, less than a year apart, with relative same intensity. The differences of the loss of life was remarkable and may account for the way the quakes were remembered. Or maybe it’s something more, something to do with the way we handle our memories.
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 differences in the commemorations could be described as seeing the glass, half full or half empty? Of course, the number of casualties in Armenia – 50,000 deaths in a country of 3 million means 1.7% of the population was wiped out in this single event. Still, for our discussion, we’re looking at memory, and what that memory does and can do for us.
In the case of Gyumri, the sadness continued for years, in fact, decades later the effects of the earthquake are still felt. The domes that we looked at yesterday are reminders of the quake and they stand so that they are unavoidable, that is, you have to confront and acknowledge the past. In so doing, they give a license for victimization. It opens the doors for confusion. Instead of understanding their predicament logically, people revert to fatalistic answers, such as, “It is God’s will that I suffer.”
One of the groups that is taking a bold stand in Gyumri is FLY = Freedom Loving Youth. Yes, today 35 years after the quake they are relieving the pain and suffering. They are building facilities and housing for people, and even more, providing the necessary resources and psychological assistance to overcome the depression caused by an unresolved trauma from 35 years ago. They are in the process of building a new center where these issues can be resolved in an efficient and equitable manner. We visited the site and met with their workers. In His Shoes is a proud partner of FLY.
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. This last Sunday we celebrated 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.
https://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/IMG_2883.jpeg19251170Vazken Movsesianhttps://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/final_logo_large_for_epostle_web-300x189.pngVazken Movsesian2023-07-18 00:01:082023-07-17 22:16:45Gyumri: Memories that heal
