Discovery of the Cross – “Key” Message
Parish Priest’s Message from the “Key” Newsletter – 23 October 2011
When referring to our Parish, people invariably comment on our outreach programs. To us, that outreach is a definition of our Christian responsibility. It is accented further by our Armenian ethnic makeup. That is, we understand Christ’s challenge to reach out to the “least of His brothers” (Matthew 25) but the invitation is even more compelling because as Armenians we have stood “In the shoes” of these brothers and sisters. For we were once homeless, hungry, thirsty, naked, in prison and naked. We were, in fact, the survivors of terror, war and genocide. How can we ever forget our past? And so, that past defines our today.
Today’s feast, The “Discovery of the Holy Cross” points to an event in history when the actual Holy Cross of Christ was found. Our forefathers found strength and victory in that cross. The outreach that defines our ministry is the modern “crosses” that we continually discover around us. Whether on a global scale, like the work we do with refugees of the Darfuri genocide, or the atrocities in our back yard expressed in domestic violence, or just reaching out on the streets of LA through our monthly homeless feed, the cross of Christ is revisited by our parishioners.
Today is an opportunity to once again dedicate our lives to Christ’s Holy Cross—the One at Calvary and the One that we discover in our lives today. My prayer today is that God give each of us the strength and the courage to discover and carry our crosses – in our individual lives and the collective life of our community and world.
~ Fr. Vazken
This message is elaborated at www.youtube.com/armodoxy
*The “Key” is the weekly newsletter of the St. Peter Armenian Church, Glendale, CA – Jesus asked the Disciples, “Who do YOU say that I am?” Peter responded “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus promised the Keys to the Kingdom for this profession of faith. (Mt 16) At the St. Peter, Glendale Parish, our faith and actions are based on that same profession of faith. It is the Key that opens the doors to our journey as Christians…
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