Thanksgiving and Worship

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Armodoxy for Today
Thanksgiving and Love

In the spirit of the times, just as retailers have extended Black Friday to the entirety of the month of November, we have extending thanksgiving beyond the traditional one-day commemoration to a series of thoughts on the subject. Over the last several days we’ve spoken about the need to be unashamedly thankful, to avoid comparison shopping and optimizing our thankfulness. We even spoke about thanksgiving as a remedy to ego inflation. Today we will look at the receiver of our thankfulness, God.

Thanksgiving is not prayer. Thanksgiving is an acknowledgement of something greater than yourself. As such, it falls into the category of worship. In the Armenian Church, worship takes place seven times a day. From the early morning hours to the moments before restful sleep, there are seven hours of worship. For a people who have known very little peace and prosperity, that have been attacked, raped and murdered, it is extremely unusual to this group of people offer so much thanksgiving. It is unusual, unless viewed under through the lens of Armodoxy. Thanksgiving, and therefore worship, is not about stroking God’s Ego. The Evangelist John tells us God is love. Accordingly, love has no ego-issue. Love is giving and sacrificing. When we worship and give thanks, we are acknowledging the power of love. The words of the apostle (I Corinthians 13) come to life, “Love is patient; love is kind,” and we are forced to come to terms with the power of love, as St. Paul writes, “Love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.”

Love is God, God is Love. Thanksgiving is, in fact, about acknowledging God, and therefore acknowledging the power of love.

Let us pray, Bless us with Love, O Merciful God; that we may Love as you Love. That we may show patience, tolerance, kindness, caring and love to all. Amen.

Wella Moments

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Next Step #754 – November 17, 2022 – Pre-thanksgiving messages to the questions of robots with souls and worshipping with AI creatures. Not too far off considering Disney gave a soul and personality to a rodent named Mickey.  Carl Perkins helping Paul McCartney grieve John Lennon. Pope Francis and the World Day of the Poor: a challenge from the pages of In His Shoes. Baptism as a candle of hope.
Links
Daily Messages with Fr. Vazken
How God Works: Religion, Robots and AI
Paul McCartney grieving John Lennon 
Pope Francis: World Day of the Poor 
Why do we Baptize (AC101) 
Paul McCartney “Tug of War” 
Cover: “Over the clouds”
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Ego Remedy

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Armodoxy for Today

Ego Remedy

Throughout the gospels, our Lord Jesus calls us to a life of selfless living demonstrated by giving and doing unto others. It may seem like this call is an extra difficult challenge given the pressures of the day, but mastery of the discipline of selflessness – losing one’s ego – has always been the end game of true religion. Given the harsh conditions of life in which Armodoxy developed, discipline of body, soul and mind was, and is, essential for survival.

Selflessness yields inner peace and spiritual contentment.

Thanksgiving prayers are the true prayers of selflessness. The act of giving thanks implies that there is something greater than our self, and in fact, thanksgiving is the first step in losing ego, and understanding the self as part of a community, a community where we share our talents in an expression of love and care. It is us, following in the example given to us by Jesus Christ, himself.

This entire week, as a prelude to the Thanksgiving holiday, our “Daily Messages” looked at the joy of thanksgiving from different angles, and today see it opening a path to peace, one which is in our grasp and for us to create.

We pray for the strength and courage to thank God for the bounty, for the life, and the joy we enjoy. Amen.

Optimized Thankfulness

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Armodoxy for Today
Optimized Thankfulness

What does a prayer of thankfulness, that is, a thanksgiving prayer, sound like?

By reviewing the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collection, we learned in yesterday’s message, that giving thanks, cannot be built on comparing our blessings with the blessings of others. (Daily Message: Comparison Shopping).

If we try to “comparison shop” as a means of thanking God, we will always come out on the short end of the scale. We may thank God for the beautiful house we possess, but next to God, who creates the valleys and mountains, and the gardens of trees and forests, our house is dwarfed. We can thank God for the luxurious cars we own, only to be reminded that the measurement of “horsepower” is meaningful because God has created the animals that move the land and inspire humans to gracefully count our movements. We may thank God for the beautiful airplane on which we fly, only to be reminded that God creates the wings, the feathers and birds that spark our imagination to create the machines that take flight. We can thank God for the art of the great painters, the words of the writers and the music of the minstrels, only to watch them pale next to a seascape hosting a sunset with clouds of deep reds and yellows that pull our imagination below the horizon.

The things we possess will always pale next to the wonders of God. Our prayer, the one of thanksgiving, is a simple one: Lord have mercy. In the Armenian Church, it is recited, chanted and sang, throughout all of our services, Der Voghormya. It is optimized thankfulness, with no excesses and packed with meaning. In asking God for His mercy, we acknowledge the greatness of the One who supplies and replenishes our lives day-to-day, hour-by-hour, minute-by-minute. In Armodoxy, this is the acknowledgement of God as Life-giver, Creator, the All. It resonates the words, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).

Pray this simple prayer of the Armenian Church and be mindful of all the wonders around you. Der Voghormya, Lord have mercy. Amen.

 

Comparison Shopping

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Armodoxy for Today
Comparison Shopping

Jesus shares this story with us, “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’”  Jesus then tells us, “This man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:10-14)

The lessons of this parable are many, but for this Thanksgiving season, we focus on the prayer of the first man, the prayer of the Pharisee, who, by the way, was a learned man. He knew Holy Scriptures backwards, forwards and all around. His prayer, you will notice, is a prayer based on comparison. “I thank God that I am not like the other man…” he says.

If you’re listening to this podcast, it means you have some degree of electronic access, which means that you’re better-off than most people on the planet. It is easy to say thank God I am better off than most, just as the Pharisee thanked God in his prayer. Unlike comparison shopping thankfulness is not about comparing things we do or do not have with those things that others have or do not have. It’s easy to look at the blind man and be thankful for our sight. Or hear of hunger in countries menaced by famine or war and be thankful of our food and peace. Thank God, we might say, that I am not like them!

In the history of the Armenian Church, you find that the prayers of thanksgiving are offered at times of abundance as well as times of scarcity, at times of peace and at times of war and even genocide. Thankfulness is the ability to put the ego on hold, in check, and understand yourself as a part of something greater. It is the beginning of religiosity and ultimately peace.

We pray with the Psalmist (26) Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my mind and my heart. For Your loving kindness is before my eyes, and I have walked in Your truth. I will wash my hands in innocence so I will go about Your altar, O Lord, That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all Your wondrous works. Amen.

Unashamedly Thankful

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Armodoxy for Today

Unashamedly Thankful

In an effort revive or resuscitate the slowdown of “Black Friday” sales and give sales a boost, several years ago, retailers came up with some alternatives buying days, including Cyber Monday, Small Business Saturday, and No-tax Sunday. Perhaps out of guilt for the constant push to buy goods and services, alternatives such as Giving Tuesday and Social Saturday were offered as means of boosting the economy (read spending money) while giving the consumer an altruistic feeling of goodness. Retailers and their advertising consultants unashamedly have usurped the thanksgiving spirit of the holiday with a collection of spending opportunities, the latest of which is Black Friday sales throughout the entire month of November!

The one truly universal religious holiday in America, that is, Thanksgiving, has now been marred with spending opportunities that feed our financial anxieties – never sure if we are getting the best deal or not, on this or that product, and never sure if we need or not, this or that product.

Thanksgiving transcends religious brands. It is the beginning of all true religions and religiosity. It is the wondering of the human spirit that looks up to the heavens and contemplates his existence, realizing that there has to be something more than the human consumption of tangible goods, and coming down on his knees, is thankful for the bounty of life. At that point, the self – the ego – has found its place behind that which is bigger and greater.

Unashamedly, Armodoxy is about thankfulness. Thanksgiving is the first prayer of the Armenian Church and for this reason, not only is the month of November dedicated to thanksgiving, but every day of every year, begins with a prayer of thanksgiving.

We prayer, today the prayer of the Psalmist, (95) “Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.  Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the Lord is the great God, and the great King above all gods.”

Empathy

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Armodoxy for Today
Empathy

On the last evening of a visit to Armenia, I sat at sunset staring out the window of my room. The room was high enough to give me a panoramic view of Yerevan, under the majestic shadow of Mt. Ararat. During my trip, I had met with people doing work on the cutting edge of technology. I spent time with people who were challenging the norms and excelling for the betterment of themselves, their families and their country. There was real hope in the air.

I remember looking out the window and praying for peace. It was simple wish: If this small but potent country could only have peace, miracles could happen. The miracles we would see would not be from any outside source, rather, they would come from within, if only there was peace. It was possible, it had been nearly 30 years that this country, which had known centuries of oppression, massacres and even genocide, was now living in peace. I looked out at the Yerevan skyscape and knew we would see the best of miracles, if only there was peace.

It is now 2022. A friend called me from Armenia this morning. At the end of our conversation he said, “If only we have peace, we can do anything, we can aspire to the best and be the best. If only we have peace.” It was as if my prayer from a few years ago was recorded and being played back to me in the voice of my friend. His prayer was more current, though, and had a more urgent tone to it. After all, the 44 day war in 2020 had taken place and the war in September of this year, initiated by the Azeris, has left everyone on edge, to say the least.

It is difficult to understand the pain and suffering of others from a distance. One of the core tenants of Armodoxy is a call to walk in the shoes of others. It is the expression of empathy, that is, to fully understand the pain and suffering of others, we must walk in their shoes. And small exercises can help us place our feet in the correct place.

Those of us living in the United States might not fully understand the prayer for peace in Armenia, but we might begin by imagining a world where we were constantly being attacked by our neighbors in Mexico and Canada, to the point that we live with the uncertainty of maintaining our independence, day-in and day-out. Perhaps the example is not fair considering the size, power and geography of the US. Those of you in Europe, in Africa, or in the Middle East, where countries are so much closer and intertwined with one another, can consider a country such as Switzerland, if its landlocking neighbors, France, Italy, Austria and Germany had only one intention, to annihilate and destroy that relatively small country.

And if still difficult to imagine, sit in your own home, in your house or apartment and picture all of your neighbors – every one of them, next door and across the street – wanting only one thing: to overpower, overcome and rid you from the neighborhood.

Walking in the shoes of others is a call to empathy. It is understanding that the only real and true miracle that we must pray and work for is peace. Walking in the shoes of others gives us the capacity to understand and once in the shoes, we must walk towards resolution.

Appropriately, today we pray the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

Veterans

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Armodoxy for Today
Veterans

A veteran is a person who has had long experience in a particular field. Generically, we use the word to refer to military personnel, especially those who actively served in the military. The veteran is someone who loves country much more than his or her life. That is, the veteran is willing to lay down his or her life for the country, for something that is greater than the self.

In the Gospel of John (15), Jesus say, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” He is referring to his own sacrifice, and his words define true love as a function of selflessness. He places value on friendship (harmonious living with one another). That value is measured by life itself – a willingness to sacrifice life for the benefit of the greater good. The sacrifice made by veterans has the greatest value of anything or any action, because the measuring “currency” is more precious than silver, gold and even platinum. That’s why we refer to it as paying the ultimate price: life itself.

Veteran’s Day is celebrated today. It is yet another chance for self-evaluation. There is a simple test to take on this day. Ask yourself, What are the things that are most important to me? What are the things for which I would be willing to give up my life. Now ask yourself, if I’m willing to die for it, am I willing to live for it?

If we are willing to die for Christ, then the more important question we must ask ourselves is, am I willing to live for Christ? Armodoxy is the proof that living out Christian principles is much harder than dying for them.

We pray Psalm 27, “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shalI I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after, “That I may dwell in the house of the Lord, that will I seek after; That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.” Amen.

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Election

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Armodoxy for Today
Election

Not only do elections take place every day, but several elections also take place within a day of our life. Presidents, congresspersons and mayors get the title of “elected” official, but our election process, that is, the choices we make, extends far beyond the political circuit. We choose friends to hang with, schools to attend, neighborhoods to lives, theaters where we are entertains, physicians to tend to our sick and meals to fill our tummies. The election process – whether for elected official or for the book that will be by our side for the next week or two – that process is an expression of our freedom. To be free means having the ability to choose and to choose otherwise.

Armenians have suffered the loss of freedom to different would-be conquerors. Even in the harshest of conditions, they did not give up the right to choose and chose the path of God. From the time of Vartan in the 5th century, to atrocities witnessed under Ottoman rule, to the atheism of the 20th century Soviet Union, the choice for God through the power of Christ was the motto of the Armenian Orthodox Church. Armodoxy develops in this world of contradictions, amidst the most oppressive conditions, the election of Christ Centeredness is the power to which Armodoxy attests. It is a simple election for life, for the goal of “Peace on Earth, and goodwill toward all.” (Luke 2:14)

From the Book of Hours, the Zhamakirk, of the Armenian Church we pray, “We bless you, Almighty Lord, for always accompanying those who call to You with faithful and righteous hearts. We beseech You, O Lord, to lead and guide Your servants on this journey so that we may be reunited with our loved ones in peace. For You belong the power and glory, forever and ever. Amen.

Humanity

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Armodoxy for Today by Fr. Vazken

 

 

Humanity

Cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead, who had studied various and many societies throughout the world, taught and advocated for cultural relativism, as a means by which we as people can better understand one another. With all the differences marked by cultures and society, the main ingredient for humanity is a basic one.

The story is told that one of Margaret Mead’s students asked her what she considered to be the first sign of civilization. The student expected the anthropologist to point to clay pots, tools for hunting or various societal or religious artifacts. Instead, Mead pointed to a healed femur found in an archeological site, dating back 15,000 years. This was the first evidence of civilization, she claimed.

A femur is the longest bone in the body, linking hip to knee. Take away some of the benefits of modern medicine and it takes about six weeks of rest for a fractured femur to heal. This particular bone had been broken and had healed. Mead explained that in the animal kingdom, if you break your leg, you die. You cannot run from danger, you cannot drink or hunt for food. In fact, if you were wounded in this manner, you became food for other animals. If you were to stand still for your bone to heal, you’d definitely be the main course on some other animal’s dinner menu. Another animal… that’s right. The question being asked was what separates us – humanity – from other animals? Why was this healed bone the key to understanding when we moved from animal to caring people?

A broken femur that has healed, explained Mead, is evidence that another person took time to stay with the injured person, bound the wound, carried the person to safety and tended to them through recovery. A healed femur indicates that someone has helped a fellow human, rather than abandoning them to save their own life.

“Helping someone else through difficulty is where civilization starts,” explained Margaret Mead.

Armodoxy has roots in untouched Christianity. Christ instructs us, “When you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind.  And you will be blessed.” You see, Christ’s invitation is an invitation to humanity.

Let us pray a prayer from St. Ephrem (4th Century)

I gaze upon You, Christ my Lord, and open my heart before You through fervent prayer, O Son of God, for humbling Yourself before Your creatures and taking on the role of a servant. You possess such love for humankind that we may attain divine wisdom. Have mercy on me, O benevolent God.