Articulating Spirit

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Armodoxy for Today: Articulating Spirit

 Jesus taught with parables. This one came with a question. He begins, “A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’  He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I [will] go, sir,’ but he did not go.”

Jesus then asks the simple question: “Which of the two did the will of his father?”

They said to Him, “The first.” (Matthew 21:28-32)

The first said no but regretted his decision to disobey and did it. The other, said he would do what was asked, but did not.

Our words are articulations of our mouth. Our actions, are the articulation of our spirit.

Today’s one-minute for Summertime.

Upward: Moon and Saints

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Armodoxy for Today: One Minute for Summertime

The Moon and the Saints

On this day in 1969 Apollo 11 landed on the moon and Neil Armstrong took his memorable small step for a man and giant step for mankind on the surface of our closest celestial neighbor.

The moon has inspired poets and romantics, mystics and philosophers since the beginning of time. Men of old imagined light beyond the night sky and moon and stars as holes in that dark blanket giving us a glimpse of the light beyond. Scientists pursuing the origins of the universe have been intrigued by the Moon.- Some say it is the same size as the Pacific Ocean – that maybe it was thrown out of Earth during the early formation of the planetary system. Characters in stories, such as Moonstruck’s Cosmo Castorini used the size of the moon as a romance meter, Whether the size of his daughter Loretta’s head, or Frank Bigalow, the moon made for a nice love gauge. Kids have looked up, and seeing the circular marks of crashed meteors imagined the Moon to be made of Swiss cheese.

The Moon, much like the saints of our Church, are located above our heads, beckoning us to look up, to wonder, to discover brightness in the darkness.

Today’s one-minute for Summertime.

Sandoukht, the First Armenian Christian Martyr

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Armodoxy for Today: One minute for Summertime

Sandoukht, the First Armenian Christian Martyr

In the Book of Acts we read about Stephen, the first deacon and first martyr of the Christian Church. The Apostolic Church was commissioned to venture out to new areas spreading the Gospel of love, truth and hope through Jesus Christ to the spiritually hungry word. As the Christian Church grew, so did the animosity against its followers. Thaddeus arrived in Armenia circa 40 AD preaching the Gospel, baptizing and converting the people to Christianity. Among those early converts was a young girl named Sandoukht. She was was daughter of the King of Armenia, Sanadruk.

At first the King forbid his daughter from following Jesus, but Sandoukt was defiant and because more and more she understood the power of Christ in her life. After many threats, the king laid down the law: either the sword or the crown! If Sandoukht wanted to remain in the royal family she must abandon following Christ. If not, she would face death by the sword.

Sandoukht became the first Armenian martyr by choosing to follow Christ. She is celebrated this week in the Armenian Church along with St. Thaddeus, the Apostle to Armenia.

While there may be no one taunting us with the “sword or the crown” question, but certainly we are aware of how the “crown” in the guise of material wealth can lure us away from God. Saint Sandoukht gives us an opportunity to reflect on our priorities and where those priorities may lead.

Today’s one minute for Summertime.

Transfiguration for Peace

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Armodoxy for Today: One Minute for Summertime

Words that triggered the Transfiguration, Day 5

The dialogue between the Christ and his disciples was a necessary preface for the Transfiguration. What took place that day on that mountain top was a Theophany, God was revealed. Armodoxy attests that God is beyond our words and our understanding, just as the events of Transfiguration, namely, Christ radiating the Light of Eternity. In the exchange of words between Christ and his disciples we are given a background to the power of love and sacrifice, because the Transfiguration was not merely a demonstration of the supernatural, rather a demonstration of what is possible through the power of love and sacrifice.

The significance of the Transfiguration as a major Feast Days of the Church is that God reveals what is possible when the theoretical (that is conceptual love) comes alive through sacrifice. In this hurting world, where life is defined by material wealth, and harmony with others is the least of concern for villagers, city dwellers and countries, the Transfiguration is a bit of hope as to the potential for peace and harmony of life.

Today’s one-minute for Summertime.

 

Want a little deep dive? Try the Next Step with Fr. Vazken Episode #582

Cover: Chapel of Transfiguration in Grand Teton National Park 

Invite to the Transfiguration

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Armodoxy for Today: One Minute for Summertime

Words that triggered the Transfiguration, Day 4

The conversation that takes place before the Transfiguration, includes an invitation by Jesus.  “If anyone desires to come after Me,” he says, “Let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”

It is not necessarily an attractive invitation. In fact, it has a rather painful call in it: the cross. Here Jesus is calling us to a higher standard by which to live, a life of sacrifice, which can only be achieved once the ego is in check. With self-denial, we open ourselves to the joy of living. It might not have been an appealing offer for the disciples, but those who took him up on the offer saw in the Transfigured Jesus, salvation from the cares of this world.

In the context of the lessons of this past week, Jesus remarks, bring it all into focus: “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16)

Today’s one-minute for Summertime.

The Transfiguration Transcripts Part 2

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Armodoxy for Today: One Minute for Summertime

Words that triggered the Transfiguration part 2

A set of conversations between Jesus and his disciples took place before the Transfiguration. This week we are looking at the sayings of Jesus as a preface to the Revealtion of God at this Event.

According to Matthew’s Gospel (16) Jesus asks his disciples, about the buzz on the streets of Jerusalem.  “Who do people say that I, The Son of Man, am?”

The disciples gave some interesting answers – “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

“But what about you?” Jesus asks. “Who do you say I am?”

This dialogue has been an ongoing one for two thousand years with people describing Jesus as a good man, a holy man, a teacher, a politician, a religious fanatic, or, as Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

People continue to dissect, analyze and try to understand Jesus. The important question has always been the same: What about you? Who do YOU say that I am?

The Transfiguration Transcripts Part 1

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Armodoxy for Today: The Words that triggered the Transfiguration

This week the Armenian Church celebrated the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ. This event, which is recorded in the synoptic Gospels, is akin to the Theophany, in that God is revealed to humanity during the Transfiguration. On a mountain top, Scripture tells us, Jesus stands radiating the Light. “His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.” In the witness of three of his disciples, Peter, James and John, two characters from history appear, Elijah representing the Prophets and Moses as a symbol of the Law. Jesus stands between the Law and the Prophets, the Voice of God the Father expresses that Jesus is His Beloved Son. Jesus is the completion of the Law and the Prophets.

The Light that Jesus radiates is the Divine Essence. The Transfiguration as a singular event in human history is prefaced by a series of statements made by Jesus. This week, on Armodoxy for Today we will explore, what I call, the Transfiguration Transcripts – the words leading to God’s Revelation in our midst, each day, with “one-minute-for-Summertime.”

Nektarios: From Within

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Armodoxy for Today: Nektarios, the saint that directs us to the inside

St. Nektarios, venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Tradition, directs us to “Seek God in your heart, not outside of it.”

The world is a big place. From mountain tops to ocean floors, the vastness can be overwhelming. In our attempts to engage with life and our passions, we may fall victim to that vastness, that is, because life is so big, it’s difficult to focus and life can go by without you fully exploring all that it has to offer.

God is the author of all. Seeking God within, that is, in the heart, is the starting point of all exploration. You are assured of being equipped with the necessary tools to appreciate the deepest and highest points of life. Jesus words are, “The Kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21)

Today’s one minute for Summertime.

Charents Passing Along Hope

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Armodoxy for Today: Charming children

Yeghishé Charents was the main Armenian poet of the 20th century. He lived and wrote his creations following World War I, the Genocide and into the years of communism in Armenia, and was imprisoned for political reasons. In that gloominess, his poetry reflected the beauty around him, in a small patch of land called Armenia.

Charents wrote, “All my life, my impossible aim was to finish a song to charm children.” He wrote these lines on a handkerchief to his friend and fellow poet, Avetik Isahakyan, after hearing a prisoner sing one of Isahakyan’s songs in a neighboring cell.

“Charming children” in the midst of ugliness is more than swelling with optimism or staying positive, it’s recognizing the importance of new life and passing along hope.

Hum the song of the new day to the words that speak to your heart.

Today’s one minute for Summertime.

A Box of Matches for the Church

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Armodoxy for Today: A Match to Light our Worship

One Sunday morning, one of the young altar boys of our church, handed me a small box. On the box was a handwritten gift tag, “To the Church. Open now!” it said. It was wrapped in Christmas paper, though it was mid-July.

The celebration of the Divine Liturgy was about to begin and although I insisted on punctuality for the service, my curiosity got the better of me. Quickly I opened the package. In it was a book of 50 matches. I looked over at Mher, and he didn’t wait for me to ask. He reminded me that last week I looked all over for matches to light the altar candles. So this young boy took the initiative to solve the problem. During the week he went shopping and now provided enough matches to last the entire year.

At eight years old, Mher understood this was his church. He saw a need and took care of it. It’s not more complicated than that, or as Jesus taught, “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17)

Today’s one-minute for Summertime.