Focus & Depth of Field

/0 Comments/in /by

Road to Healing – Lenten Journey 2014
Day 10:

Being open to miracles means our senses are open to possibilities beyond our understanding. In this frame of mind, we can accept that all disciplines and sciences have something to contribute to any discussion. It is remarkable but true.

Today we will continue on our journey with a lesson from the world of photography. We have been talking about focus, specifically in mediation. Today we will continue to focus, on the term “focus.” Point-and-shoot cameras, and now smart phones have left less to chance when taking a picture. But still, if you’re willing to venture to the manual mode of the camera and tinker with some of the dials and switches, you’ll find pictures can be taken with a variety of effects.

For instance, you can adjust the depth of field within a picture based on the amount of light you allow in through the lens. Depth of field is the zone of sharpest focus in front of, behind and around the focused object. I’m sure you’ve seen these pictures, where one object is in focus and the rest is a nice blur.

When we focus on an object, it means we’re giving it extra special attention. It means we will shed more light on that particular object. The more light we place on an object, the sharper becomes the focus, and the more blurry – that is less in focus – become the other items in the picture. The aperture, (the F-stop) controls the amount of light coming into a camera, and the photographer, that is you and me, controls the aperture.

This is our second lesson about meditation. Like the photographer who opens the aperture of the camera, through meditation we are increasing the light, shedding it and thereby focusing on our illness, blurring-out everything else. The more light, the sharper the focus.

Yesterday, I asked you to set aside time for meditation. It was a time of day where background and peripheral activity was to be minimized or even better, completely eliminated. Today, use that time of meditation to focus in on your illness, disease, disagreement, separation, heartache, depression, bereavement, financial loss, addiction or self-worth. Meet at the appointed time you decided yesterday. Turn off everything around you and turn on the light within. Think of the healing you wish in your life. Focus on it. Now open yourself so that more light can come in. Feel that light – it is more than illuminating, it brings feeling to you. Some warmth and some fear. Focus sharper. The items in the background will be blurred out; they are not receiving light, they are not being nourished. They will die off, but for right now, they’re too obvious. In the long term they won’t survive without the light. Healing is both a process of focusing on the good and diminishing the light the bad.

This is a tough exercise, but today we begin on focused meditation. Imagine a large room filled with people and objects. You are standing in the center of the room with your head up and your palms turn out. Turn the light towards you and intensify that light. You’re getting more and more into focus. That person who hurt you, he’s standing by the wall. He’s no longer visible. We don’t need to discuss him anymore. That car that struck your child is fading in the shadow. The alcohol and drugs on the table next to the mounds of food, they’re close to you, but you don’t notice them any more. They’re out of focus and dimming out of sight. Even the cancer within is no match for this powerful light; it is dying and cannot survive.

Tomorrow we will continue with some more meditation practices. Keep in mind what we have learned thus far and let each day of this Lenten Journey build on the day before.

Let us pray,

Light of Light, True God of True God. I approach you in a thankful spirit. You have given me the power to love which opens my heart and soul to the Light that comes from without and lives within. Shine your light so that every ray hits the disease of my heart and soul, darkening the decay and disease and illuminating the life and wellness I so need. Amen.

This is Fr. Vazken, inviting you to join us tomorrow as we continue to walk on the Road to Healing.

Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for epostle.net
Photo “Grandma flowers” (c)2012 Fr. Vazken Movsesian
Get A Lenten Journey with Fr. Vazken delivered by email
View in iTunes
Now Playing on BluBrry

Focus & Meditation

/0 Comments/in /by

Road to Healing – Lenten Journey 2014
Day 9:
Play Now: 

My phone vibrated just as we were being seated for lunch. It was a meeting with several people coming together to talk about some of the social services we would be offering through the church. I reached for my phone to read the text message on the screen: “Running late. Be there soon.” I told the meeting attendees that Edna was running late. And then it happened. As I moved my glance off of the phone screen it was as if I was giving a signal to start a race; everyone around the table reached into their pocket or purse to check their telephone for messages. Their actions seem too coordinated and synchronized for me to believe that they were consciously getting a signal from me to check. No this was in the realm of the unconscious. Everyone around the table was reminded that it was time to check for messages, calls, and personal tweets.

Like it or not, technology sends us signals in ways we never expected. Like Pablovian dogs, we respond to different stimulations sent us by emails, texts, phones, beeps, rings, lights, and flashes. If a small little vibration can trigger an avalanche of phone-checking in a small group, just think of the effects on larger groups. And we do pay for it as a society. We are so distracted by the outside stimuli that are triggering automated responses from us that we have lost opportunities to pray and meditate in the true spirit of these practices.

I can vouch from my personal experience as a priest, on countless occasions, during the most sacred and solemn moments of services and liturgies, a cell phone will ring, ironically in a place we call “sanctuary,” that is, a place that is supposed to be immune from the noise and pollution of the world.

Giving time for prayer and meditation is vital in the healing process. This time has to be spent in the absence of distractions. We will talk about prayer later in this series, today find some time and a place to meditate and let’s begin with a simple exercise.

To conquer illness, clarity of focus is needed. Meditation is the laser beam that focuses and cuts through the disease, allowing the medicine to find and target the spot to be healed. Think of a misunderstanding between you and friend. Before long, one thing leads to another and words are spread between family members. Soon, parents, relatives from both sides get involved and begin to bicker among themselves. If not stopped soon, the problem escalates. The art of meditation sifts through all of excesses and peripheral events and focuses on the main issue.

Tomorrow we will speak more specifically to the practice of mediation. For today, find some time that will become a regular time of day during the next 30 days of the Journey, when you can meditate. Perhaps in the morning? At midday? Before going to bed? Try to set a time you can keep regularly because along with meditation we will develop a pattern and build our sense of discipline. Set aside 15 minutes. Find a place that is remote and/or secluded. Turn off ALL electronic devices. Imagine you’re on a plane and the stewardess has announced that all electronic devices have to be in the off position. The trip you’re on is greater than a plane ride around the world, it’s a Road to Healing. Turn it off and keep it off.

For tonight, try to stay quiet during these 15 minutes. Take a mental inventory of the sounds and feelings you experience. It may be as simple as listening to your breath. The mind will take you places. When you catch yourself thinking of other things, outside the moment, return back to listening to your breath. Don’t panic and don’t be anxious. This is only the first day of this practice. We will be developing it in the days to come.

Most importantly, we’re learning to use the powers and talents that are within us to better our health, our relationships and ourselves. This is the practice for today’s road to healing.

Let us pray,

Heavenly Healer, I open myself this evening for a healing that can come only from a direct hit on the essence of my troubles. Help me to stay open without giving cause for shame or fear, allowing me to come to terms with my vulnerabilities. Allow me to focus on the essence of my troubles and in my openness, allow the solution to find me. Amen.

This is Fr. Vazken looking forward to continuing the Road to Healing tomorrow, when you’ll join us. Until then, stay well and God bless.

Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for epostle.net
Photo by Fr. Vazken Movsesian
Get A Lenten Journey with Fr. Vazken delivered by email
View in iTunes
Now Playing on BluBrry

Roads

/0 Comments/in /by

Road to Healing – Lenten Journey 2014
Day 8:
Play Now: 

Recently I was on a trip through the Arizona desert. I passed a sign that said that the next gas on the freeway was 90 miles away. I thought I might make it before refueling, but by mile 60 the gauge was on “E” and the fuel light was on. A sign said there was gas available 10 miles away, but to get there, I’d need to get off of the main road. The thought of getting stuck on interstate with 75-mile-an-hour cars and trucks whizzing by is not a pleasant one. I took the turn off and found the gas station just as I must have been traveling on fumes.

I filled up the tank and was ready to drive back to the main highway. There was a small sign there that could have easily been missed had my head been turned ever so slightly in the other direction. It pointed to Phoenix, my destination. It was an alternative route. I’m adventurous when it comes to alternatives, especially when it means a new adventure might be waiting there. I took the road which headed up, cutting through some rock formations. When I got to the top of the hill, in front of me was a highway that echoed the solitude and serenity of the desert. For the next couple hundred miles or so, I passed only a few cars, some beautiful landscapes and as I approached the city I saw the spectacular reflection of the sun beaming from the creations of God and humans. It was a brilliant natural art piece framed behind my car’s windshield.

The Road to Healing has many twists and turns which can take us places where we may not want to go. Some of the turns on the road will be new; some will be in directions we’ve tried to avoid. But to get to our destination we should be adventurous, but all the while staying focused on the destination, and not necessarily the path.

Life is full of wonders and miracles. Healing is a miracle that is accessible to us all. Our willingness to explore and lay down our guard, to become uncomfortable with new methods, to challenge our prejudices and preconceived notions of what is right and wrong, also holds a promise of delivery to our destination.

As we begin our second week of travel we check the sign post up ahead and see we’re headed in the same direction we’ve been in from the beginning. The difference is that along the road we’re picking up some new tools that are necessary to explore and diagnose.

Today’s mediation comes to us from poet Robert Frost. Let us reflect on the road that has brought us to this point in our life. The “road less traveled” made all the difference for Frost. Can you identify the roads that have taken you away from your destination, that is illness, separation, fear? How about the roads that have brought you closer to wellness, happiness, wholeness? Those roads can be people, they can be incidents. They can be situations, tragedies or trauma, perhaps discoveries and novelties. Examine those roads that have made the difference in your life.

The Road Not Taken
Two roads diverged in the yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
O I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

This is Fr. Vazken, inviting you join me tomorrow as we continue on the Road to Healing.

Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for epostle.net
Photo: Arizona landscape (c)2013 by Fr. Vazken Movsesian
Get A Lenten Journey with Fr. Vazken delivered by email
View in iTunes
Now Playing on BluBrry

Expulsion

/0 Comments/in /by

Road to Healing – Lenten Journey 2014
Day 7:
Play Now: 

Healing implies change. It means going from a state of illness to wellness. Medicine can alter our physical state while the ways in which our emotional and mental states can be changed are many.

Punishment is one means of altering behavior. Everyone has been punished at some point in their lifetime, some more than others. Most everyone has practiced some form of punishment on another individual, whether they’ve done so consciously or unconsciously.

Punishment has short-term effectiveness. For instance, if you’ve been tagged for speeding or rolling through a stop sign, you know that immediately after the infraction has been caught and you’ve been punished by an outrageously expensive fine, you are extremely cautious of your speed and driving. But give it a few days, weeks or months and your habits come back, or at least your foot seems to have gained some weight as it presses on the accelerator. A child could have told us that reality. If only we could reminisce back far enough we would abandon some of the more archaic practices we have adopted for altering human behavior.

In fact our entire judicial system, that is, the way we dispense justice, is based on punishment and its power to deter. But dispensing justice is another illness that is in need of healing, so let’s challenge ourselves to look beyond the traditional.

Punishment might deter bad behavior in the short-run, but its long term effects can be devastating. Its effects are felt on our both physical and emotional health. Punishment leaves trails of guilt that drag self-worth on a ride through this lifetime and is sometimes passed along to generations to come. When our self-worth has been damaged, punishment becomes self-inflicting. We become our biggest critic. The punishment we inflict on ourselves is long lasting because we have no one from whom we can become free. Punishment is anything but healing and cannot yield a better life.

Contrast that feeling of punishment with our experiences thus far. As we are on the Road to Healing, we are beginning to understand the power of Love in the healing process. But this power is predicated on a healthier understanding of the basics of faith. We have to go beyond Sunday School lessons and arrive at better and clearer models of the essence of God.

For instance in the Jewish myth of Adam and Eve (Genesis),we read of a God who punishes His creation by expelling it from paradise. If we read the story literally, the punishment is so severe that it comes with multiple sentences that affect the lives of generations to the end of time. The story of expulsion, taken at face value is counter healing. Expulsion, by definition, is the act of depriving someone membership in an institution or organization. How horrendous that God, would deprive his children of anything. Is this a loving and compassionate Father?

Certainly there is more to the Adam and Eve myth than this, but my point here is that we need to understand myths such as Adam and Eve within the context of the culture and time they were written. This particular story is so deeply ingrained in the psyche and soul of Western civilization that we believe this, and stories like it, to be beyond critique. In the Eastern tradition, we understand the Ultimate – whether we call it God, Energy or Love – is greater than the words and stories that try to describe it. Today as we walk the Road to Healing we begin to use the terms of Inclusion, Tolerance and Love as a proper balance for the damage done through exclusion, intolerance and hatred. If we are to find healing, it will come only when we understand that God is Love, Compassion and Mercy.

As we are discovering, there is a healing power that comes from within and without. The fire from within and without is starting to burn away the disease. Yesterday we made the connection to the great power of Love that touches us from the outside. It is important that today we fortify our experience with new understandings of faith and ultimately God. Punishment is a brief detour toward a dead end. Love is eternal healing and we’re discovering its power for lasting health.

You’ve been punished enough! Stop. You’re not going to make the bigger mistake of punishing yourself. Free yourself of the punishment. “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose,” says the poet and it’s our road sign on this leg of the Lenten Journey.

This is Fr. Vazken, inviting you to join us tomorrow as we continue on the Road to Healing.

Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for epostle.net
Photo: Cactus (c) 2011 Fr. Vazken Movsesian
Get A Lenten Journey with Fr. Vazken delivered by email
View in iTunes
Now Playing on BluBrry

Sanitizing

/0 Comments/in /by

Road to Healing – Lenten Journey 2014
Day 6:
Play Now: 

It was on a camping trip with my dad that I learned about sanitation. It’s odd, isn’t it? Camping trips usually mean roughing it. No running water. Soap? Well, don’t let mom hear, but we did fine without it. When you went camping you’d expect to get dirty and messy.

After breakfast one day, we hiked up a trial. It was a long walk through some of the most scenic areas in the Sierras. We walked, ran and played along the trial. As far as I remember, we weren’t interested in resting. The fun of the hike is in the discoveries that are made along the way and the more you walk, the more you experience. This particular discovery wasn’t in the fun category. It started off with the slip of my foot which sent me stumbling toward the ground. By instinct I put my hand out to break the fall and pushed my palm on a broken tree truck. It hurt; not the fall, as much as a rather large sliver of wood dug deep into my skin.

It was one of those wounds that hurt a bit more every time you thought about it. This was in the middle of my palm. It was hard to ignore. You couldn’t see the sliver of wood but you definitely knew it was there.

We headed back to camp. There my dad looked around the campsite and later found a pin inside the car. He went over to the campfire site and stirred up some embers which were dying under a layer of earth. He brought them back to life by fanning a newspaper over them. Before long there was a small blue and gold flame dancing in the middle of the heap. He took the pin out of the safety and began heating it. I remember the tip of the pin got black and then it turned bright red.

“Dad, what are you doing?”

“I’m just sterilizing the pin. The fire burns off all the germs.” He used the pin to push the sliver through my skin, back out the hole from where it came. It was the finest campsite-surgery I had seen this side of the Rockies using an improvised splinter-removal tool, sanitized courtesy of the resurrected campfire embers.

Yesterday on the Road to Healing, we spoke about the “fever” which is the fire within. It’s part of the body’s natural process of eliminating infections. Today we focus on the fire that is introduced from the outside and necessary for our healing. That fire is nothing more than all the elements that come into our life to give us strength – to sanitize it, sterilize it, purify it, so that we fight the infections that prevent us from wellness. These fires could be the words of a friend who offers comfort and consolation to us. It could be the tight embrace of a loved one, reassuring us that troubles are many, but their support is firm and steadfast. The flames that give us strength can be found in exercise, mental stimulation and the human touch which reflects deep love. The flames are in music and art. They are the reflections of love.

This fire is not the one that fights the infection, rather it’s the one that sanitizes the tools, so that you can have a fair fight. Most critical of these outside fires is faith. In the prayer of St. Nersess Shnorhali, we prayed, “O Christ, who are the Living Fire, inflame my soul with the fire of Your love.” Christ is the incarnation of Love. Christ is pure Love and purifying Love, sacred and sanctifying, strength and fortifying, perfect and perfecting.

As we move forward on the Road to Healing, we understand that complete recovery comes from the harmony of body, mind and soul. Love is the fire that cleans and purifies, melding, body, mind and soul to yield a healed self.

Yesterday, we read the prayer of St. Nersess with one understanding. I asked you to meditate with the prayer in your heart on the idea of inner-fire. Today, we learn the importance of the outer-fire. Let us pray the same prayer today as we contemplate the Fire as it comes from without.

O Christ, who are the Living Fire, inflame my soul with the fire of Your love, which You did send forth upon the earth, that it may burn the stains of my soul, sanctify my conscience, purge the sins of my body, and kindle in my heart the light of Your knowledge. Have mercy upon Your Creatures and upon me, a great sinner. Amen.

I look forward to continuing the Road to Healing with you tomorrow. Don’t be scared and stay on course. Until then, this is Fr. Vazken sharing the message of the Living Fire within and without you.

Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for epostle.net
Get A Lenten Journey with Fr. Vazken delivered by email
View in iTunes
Now Playing on BluBrry

Fever

/0 Comments/in /by

Road to Healing – Lenten Journey 2014
Day 5:
Play Now: 

The doctor had given orders to check her temperature at regular half-hour intervals. Whether he ordered it or not, it was common procedures on this ward. Her temperature had steadily risen since she arrived at the hospital. Sharp pains above her stomach brought her in, but at this point her temperature was the gauge by which they were monitoring her status.

The thermometer reads 102.3°. It was on the way down now. She was at 104°a couple hours ago. She was resting and they were keeping her hydrated. The sweat was beading up on her forehead; her hospital gown was drenched. The orders now were to make her comfortable. The worst was over. Soon her temperature would be back to normal and she would be awake enough to hear the diagnosis and prognosis from the medical staff.

The body is amazing. It knows when things are not right. When there is an infection in the body, the brain tells the system to heat up to kill off certain bacteria and viruses that are sensitive to temperature change. Drugs such as aspirin will reduce fever, but some in the medical community argue that temperature should not be lowered because it is the body protecting itself. On the other hand, people sometimes die from fever. It’s a delicate balance, but more often than not, medical professionals will opt to lower the temperature and treat infection without the use of the internal fire. .

The internal fire is natural. It raises our temperature to protect us. It is extremely uncomfortable. In a relationship that fire might be a period of time-away: a separation. It’s not pleasant, it hurts, but it gives a chance for contemplation, thought and evaluation. When struggling with finances, the internal fire might be the one that burns credit cards and causes a more ridged discipline. It’s uncomfortable and perhaps socially embarrassing, but it’s means of survival. With an illness, the internal fire can be a period of intensive treatment, one which may render other parts of the body hurting and bruised, nevertheless, it’s that uncomfortable period that will open the way to a healing.

On this fifth day of this Lenten Journey, we’re called to find the balance between the fever and the fever reducer. The illness and disease that take a hold of our bodies and our emotions set off natural triggers in our life – and those make us uncomfortable. Can you think of some of the things that make you uncomfortable? Beyond the physical discomforts there are social and psychological discomforts. Don’t be afraid of these. They are only natural conditions that we must pass through on the road to healing. Remember, even the fever, with the sweat and discomfort, is a natural condition that is a necessary step of ridding the body of disease.

As we become aware of our conditions and our needs, I share with you this prayer by St. Nersess Shnorhali. Spend some time repeating the prayer and meditating on the fire and fires in your life. Be attentive to the nature of the fire and its necessity in the healing process. Yes, there is discomfort even in the strongest of all fire, love.

O Christ, who are the Living Fire, inflame my soul with the fire of Your love, which You did send forth upon the earth, that it may burn the stains of my soul, sanctify my conscience, purge the sins of my body, and kindle in my heart the light of Your knowledge. Have mercy upon Your Creatures and upon me, a great sinner. Amen.

I look forward to continuing the Road to Healing with you tomorrow. Don’t be scared and stay on course. Until then, this is Fr. Vazken sharing the message of the Living Fire with you.

Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for epostle.net
Get A Lenten Journey with Fr. Vazken delivered by email
View in iTunes
Now Playing on BluBrry

Lighting Up

/0 Comments/in /by

Road to Healing – Lenten Journey 2014
Day 4:
Play Now: 

Awareness implies acceptance. Acceptance leads to awareness. A physician will shine a light in your throat, or your ear to get a better reading of your body’s suffering. This lighting of the darkness is part of the diagnostic process.

Coming to terms with our illness is key to complete and lasting recovery. If you think of all conflicts in the world and throughout history, whether on a personal level or on a global level, the only time they are resolved is when there is an honest acceptance and expression of the problem. Equally true, if the ills are not expressed, conflicts remain unresolved and healing is impossible. It’s simple, isn’t it? Before you treat, you diagnosis. To treat, you need to shine the light as diagnostic method. You find the problem, you study it and you apply the fix. And if you don’t follow this order… well take a look at the world. We are plagued by endless wars, conflicts and disease because we don’t address the root issues of hatred, prejudice, greed, vengeance and materialism and instead we treat the superficial wounds of extinguishing a fire here and ending a conflict there. We treat young children struggling with cancer and turn our head to the carcinogens and toxins we pump into our environment that breaks down the health of even the healthiest of creation. In our personal life the same holds true. We treat the cough and not the smoking addiction, or we make up with someone and ignore the anger which caused the schism. Remember, the Lenten diet is not about losing weight or about healthy living, its purpose is to discipline the self, where control and self-worth are strengthened. Modern science is only now catching up to where the Church has led us through the centuries, in identifying that healing implies spiritual wellbeing as well as physical. Healing is a coordination of mind, body and soul in a working relationship that yields health – complete and lasting.

The underlying issues that surface in the form of disease and dysfunction in our life are the target of our healing. Coming to terms with our illness, means a methodical identification (diagnosis) of the underlying issues and causes. Then we can properly target the enemy – through our prayers and mediations – and find a real prognosis that leads to complete healing.

At the doctor’s office, the physician will usually shine a light in our throat, or ear to get a better understanding of our body’s suffering. Today, we begin to shine the light into the inner workings of our life. Today, we come to terms with our illness, that is, we are ready to inspect the underlying causes in the light. The journey is about to get uncomfortable, but we are ready.

Remember the man at the pool? He was in his comfort zone until Jesus summoned him to accept his illness. In so doing, he was forced to stop the excuses. He had to come to terms with his insecurities and take responsibility for his own welfare. This is called lighting up the darkness.

It takes courage and strength to light up some of those dark spots. Before we begin doing so, I offer this prayer from the 12th Century St. Nersess Shnorhali for all of us on this journey.

I confess with faith and adore You, O Light indivisible, creator of light and dispeller of darkness. Dispel from my soul the darkness of sin and ignorance, and at this hour enlighten my mind, that I may pray to You according to Your will, and receive from You the fulfillment of my supplications. Have mercy upon Your Creatures and upon me, a great sinner. Amen

I look forward to meeting with you tomorrow as we begin to explore our lives with the lights on and with the Light guiding us. Until then, this is Fr. Vazken praying for the Light that dispels darkness and brings complete healing.

Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for epostle.net
Get A Lenten Journey with Fr. Vazken delivered by email
View in iTunes
Now Playing on BluBrry

Seize the Opportunity

/0 Comments/in /by

Road to Healing – Lenten Journey 2014
Day 3:
Play Now: 

“Yes, I want to be healed,” said the invalid. He had answered the invitation to become aware of his condition.

According to the Evangelist John, there was a magical pool in Jerusalem where people lined up to be healed. It was said that an angel of the Lord at

certain seasons would stir up the water and the first person who entered the pool at that time would be healed of his or her disease.

Jesus, saw a man there who had been suffering of a chronic disease. For over 38 years he had been waiting for a cure. He confessed to Jesus that because of his condition he was too slow to jump into the water when it was stirred and someone inevitably beat him into the water. “I have no one to put me into the water when it is stirred.”

Yesterday we were challenged by the question, “Do you want to be healed?” Of course we do. It was important that we articulated our wish with the words, “Yes, I want to be healed.” Today we find that equally important to articulating our wish is to rid ourselves of the notion that our healing is dependent on someone else taking advantage of the opportunity.

Like the man at the pool, it is easy for us to believe that our healing is dependent on someone else initiating the process. Perhaps a friend or a loved one? Perhaps we’re relying on a business associate who will introduce us to “right” people so we can get ahead? Or we might be waiting for an estranged partner to give the signal that he or she is ready to take us back? In the case of physical disease, we might put all of our trust and faith in a doctor who is a specialist in the field of our illness? We go after wonder drugs that promise weight loss or smoking cessation; we turn to courses and even equipment that will improve our condition. We wait for programs that will lower our payments and give us financial success. And if we don’t have that person, that thing or that program, it’s only natural that we blame them for our situation: “I have no one to place me in the water when it is stirred.” Actually, the people, things and events are the opportunities in our lives. They are not the ones or things that can initiate the healing process for us. It is up to us to want the healing and then to act.

“There’s no one to put me in the water when opportunity comes,” said the man and Jesus paid no attention to that. It didn’t matter. No, Jesus did not place the man in the water; instead he healed him because Jesus himself was the healing. He gave the man a new opportunity and the water, the angel and the magic pool became irrelevant to this man’s healing process. In the same way, we look for wonders and miracles, we search for inspiration and people who can move us to freedom, when in reality the only one who can initiate the process of healing is us, ourselves. Only you can take advantage of the opportunity for healing and it begins with the simple awareness of wanting to be healed.

“Rise, take up your bed and walk,” said Jesus to the man, after he articulated and became aware of his own shortcomings.

On this third day of Lent, the challenge is to look within and without, to find the opportunities that are around us. Ignore the obstacles. Find the opportunities that follow your awareness statement, Yes, I want to be healed.

I look forward to continuing on this journey with you tomorrow, when we explore the opportunities for healing. Until then, this is Fr. Vazken, praying with you for the strength to say, Yes I want to be healed.

Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for epostle.net
Get A Lenten Journey with Fr. Vazken delivered by email
View in iTunes
Now Playing on BluBrry

Awareness

/0 Comments/in /by

Road to Healing – Lenten Journey 2014
Day 2:
Play Now: 

The Evangelist John tells the story of a magical pool in Jerusalem where people who struggled with afflictions would go in hopes of finding a cure for their ails. These were people who were sick, blind, lame and even paralyzed. They came to this pool with the desire to be healed. One day as Jesus is passing by, he notices an invalid – a man who had been ill for over 38 years. He was just lying there waiting for a miracle.

Jesus approaches the man and asks him, “Do you wish to get well?” Now think about this scene for a moment. Jesus – known for healing and miraculously making people well – approaches a man who is obviously in need of healing. Not only is he immobile, but his illness is chronic. He’s been in this condition for 38 years. If there’s ever a “No-duh” moment, this is it! Of course, he wanted to be healed. It is so obvious and yet Jesus, before healing him to complete health, stops and asks him, “Do you wish to be well?”

Awareness is the first step on the road to recovery. From this story, note that it is not a question of the man being aware of his disease, rather it’s his awareness of wanting to be healed that is called into question.

When we first encounter pain and later are overcome by it – whether that pain is physical or emotional – we will do anything and everything to rid ourselves of the hurt. The pain relievers we take come in a wide variety of forms and doses. From simple aspirin to hard narcotics, to outlets of violence, sex, money, food, leisure, manipulation, and power, we find ways of escaping the pain, only to find that we’ve treated merely symptoms and not the cause of our illness. Tragically, the pain relievers can easily become a way of life and we find ourselves in comfort-zones. That is, we know things aren’t right, but we’re comfortable. It’s easy to stay in these spots – indulging in our habits and avoiding the true causes of our disease.

Jesus did not ask the man, “Do you want a crutch?” Instead he asks the question we must ask ourselves. Do you want to be healed? Are you ready to become whole? The answer to this question gives us a unique awareness of not the symptoms but the cause of our problems.

On this second day of the Road to Healing, our prayer is for sincerity, that God open our heart so that we can answer the question “Do you want to be healed?” without fear. The road to recovery – whether from physical disease, broken relationships or issues of self-worth – is not an easy one. It’s a challenge. Answering YES to this question sets the course for the rest of the journey.

Yes, I want to be healed! These are the words of today’s meditation. Repeat these words in the silence of your heart. If you’re able, share the words with a loved one. The road to recovery and healing has begun.

I look forward to continuing on this journey with you tomorrow, when we will step even closer to an awareness of our challenges. Until then, this is Fr. Vazken, praying with you for the strength to say, Yes I want to be healed.

Reference – Gospel of St. John Chapter 5

Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for epostle.net
Get A Lenten Journey with Fr. Vazken delivered by email
View in iTunes
Now Playing on BluBrry

Road to Healing – Lenten Journey 2014

/0 Comments/in /by

Road to Healing – Lenten Journey 2014
Day 1:
Play Now: 

As I awoke from my surgery, still groggy, I made out the words “Faith Healer.” The words were coming from the TV above my hospital bed. I had no energy to make out what was going on. I’d rather channel that strength to the button next to my IV. Ah, morph away the pain… I was out.

I awoke a bit later. This time my family was in the room. I made it through the operation and now on the road to recovery. The button next to the IV was there to ease the pain, the nurse told me. The TV was still on.

In that room, we exchanged smiles and thankful expressions that the worst was over.

“Snake Handler Dies.” The voice sounded familiar. I looked up at the TV; the same station was on and it sounded like the same faith-healer story. A snake handler in Kentucky had died after playing with a poisonous rattler. It was the kind of news story that gets blurted out throughout the day. Obviously it was slow-news day. “He said God would save him,” announced a commentator. Then there’s the visual – the pastor praising God, while the snake wrapped around the arm. Next, microphones are extended into the mouths of family members covered by the printed-subtitles, “Cody Coots, 21, says his father’s death was “God’s way” of taking him home.”

Even in my grogginess I made the connection to the referenced passage. I had read it several times. It’s a Jesus quote, “And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” (Mark 16:17&18) I guess it didn’t need to be slow-news day for this story to be broadcast. And I don’t think it was my drugged-state that allowed me to hear the message they were projecting. The commentators did not say it as such, but I could hear them reporting, “Man puts his faith in God. God disappoints. Jesus promises. Jesus does not deliver.”

For the next couple of days while I lay in the hospital bed this news item was repeated by commentators on various networks. There was the story of the initial bite, then the reaction of the parishioners, the debate about religious freedom – you know, the one about allowing God to intervene – and ultimately the question of God: Is He a personal God who cares about His creation? If He does, why does it appear He cares for some and not for others?

Of course, there are so many other questions when it comes to healing. Does healing come from within or without? What is the interaction, if any, between the physical, emotional and spiritual realms of life in the healing process? What about the big diseases, such as cancer? What about emotional duress caused by hatred and betrayal? Is healing always possible? If so, how can I tap into that healing?

Today is the first day of a 40 day journey – it is a Lenten Journey. It is one I call “A Time to Heal.” I invite you take it with me.

We’re all looking for healing, whether it’s to be healed of the pains of the body or the hurt from a relationship gone sour. Whether we’re struggling with emotions that have us off balance or we’re looking for reconciliation with our life choices, healing is the name of the journey we take. The Lenten period is the perfect time to slow down and listen to the voice within. Whether you’re morphing away your pain, or you’re cold-stone sober when you hear the words “Faith Healer” you know there’s something more needed than a Band-Aid to bring complete healing to the wounds of life.

Each day, we will explore a dimension of healing, drawing many Traditions, the teachings of Christ, the wisdom of the sages, the connections conveyed by the mystics and of course, the unique brand of expression we’ve come to know through Armodoxy. Each day during this 40 day journey will bring us closer to the promised health of body, soul and mind. So welcome to Lenten Journey 2014: Time to Heal.

Link in today’s story: http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/16/us/snake-salvation-pastor-bite/

Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for epostle.net