During the last few weeks of Lent, we met the Prodigal Son and the Dishonest Steward through a couple of Parables offered to us by Jesus and recorded in the Gospel of St. Luke. This Sunday, we will meet the Unrighteous Judge, completing a trilogy of “heroes” picked out by Jesus to teach us about the moral truths of life. The characters, the Prodigal, the Manager and the Judge, are all people who we would hardly consider to be models of character and ethics, yet Jesus selects them for these lessons. Only Jesus can take something of deception and negative imagery and transform it into examples for our lives and for living.
William Shakespear wrote, “All that glitters is not gold” (Merchant of Venice). We may twist this around to say that not all that is dull is tin. We have something to learn from each of our encounters, from the variety of people that we meet. Jesus invites us to interact with our world and understand that there is an opportunity to learn and grow from everyone. considering that everyone is a child of God.
With these ethically “ugly” people, the Prodigal, the Unrighteous and the Unjust, Jesus shares a bit of beauty about them to teach about the Kingdom of Heaven. As we are winding down the Lenten journey, consider the words that separate us from God, when the tempter offered the forbidden fruit. The words, “Take and Eat” – those words of condemnation, Jesus took those same words and transformed them into words of salvation: “Take and Eat” establishing the Holy Eucharist.
We offer a prayer of thanksgiving today, We thank you Lord, for opening our heart and soul to the beauty of the world and using us to express that beauty. Amen.
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This is the week of the Steward. We’re focusing on the Parable offered by Jesus as recorded in the 16th chapter of the Gospel of Luke. Jesus uses the metaphor to point to our responsibility in life. We continue on the themes we presented over the last several days.
Al usar la metáfora de la administración, Jesús deja muy claro que somos responsables de nuestra vida. Un día, al igual que el administrador, se nos pedirá que presentemos un registro, una rendición de cuentas de nuestra administración. ¿Qué hiciste con lo que Dios te ha dado? ¿Te dio talentos? ¿Te dio una habilidad? ¿Te dio una sonrisa? ¿Te dio un latido y un aliento? ¿Qué hiciste con ese regalo? ¿Qué hiciste con tu vida?
Imagine giving a gift to a friend or a loved one. Wouldn’t you like to know that your friend enjoyed that gift? At some point wouldn’t you like to ask, “What did you do with that gift that I gave you? Did you enjoy it?” And certainly, how hurt you would be if that person had taken your gift and stored it in a closet or worse yet, just thrown it in the trash and never once paid attention to it. Likewise, God wants to know that the gift He has given us, that most valuable commodity – the breath that we breath, the heart that beats, the smile that comes from our hearts – is being used, and is being used wisely. Ultimately, is it being used to spread love of God to others. That is the demand put upon us as stewards of God’s gifts. We are stewards of our lives. We are responsible for the talents that are given to us, to share them, use them, and to give an account of How? Where? And What did we do with all that God has given us?
Entre los siete pecados capitales se encuentra uno llamado “pereza”, quizás el más incomprendido porque apunta a la inactividad, mientras que los otros pecados requieren que seas activo, que participes en el pecado. Este pecado se define simplemente por ser perezoso, por no hacer algo. Ahora piensa en eso por un momento. ¿Por qué sería eso un pecado? ¿Cómo puede el no hacer algo ser un pecado?
Dios te ha dado un regalo. No tienes derecho a guardarlo en un armario. No tienes derecho a tomar el regalo de Dios y tirarlo a la basura. Es santo. Es sagrado. Eso es lo que es tu vida. Cada bendición, cada momento que tienes en tu vida es un regalo sagrado de Dios.
We will continue on this theme of stewardship as we continue on this week. For today, let us conclude with the prayer of St. Nerses Shnorhali: Jesus, wisdom of the Father, grant me wisdom that I may always think, speak and do that which is good in your site. Save me from evil thoughts, words, and deeds. Have mercy upon all your creatures, and upon me, a great sinner. Amen. (I Confess with Faith 11/24)
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Armodoxy for Today: The Example of the Squirrely Steward
What has been referred to as the dishonest manager is the second character in a trilogy, like the prodigal son from last week and the unrighteous judge that we will look at next week. This character is far from the model you would expect in a religious story, and yet, Jesus uses him, he has the audacity to use him to teach us a lesson in life. It is a lesson in stewardship – managing the assets that we have in life.
Yesterday, we read the parable found in Luke chapter 16. It is confusing for the mere fact that this thief and cheat – the squirrely steward, as we referred to him – is commended by the master. Jesus uses him to make a point
Vivimos en un mundo lleno de desafíos reales. La realidad no se basa ni se construye sobre cuentos de hadas o mitos. A diferencia de los juegos, la vida es exigente. Nos pide nuestros recursos, de los cuales los más valiosos son nuestro tiempo y esfuerzo: sangre, sudor y lágrimas. La pregunta entonces es: ¿cómo enfrentamos, abordamos y superamos esos desafíos?
Jesús nos dice que los desafíos de la vida son reales. Deben ser enfrentados y superados. Los recursos para lograrlo están a tu alcance y necesitas utilizarlos. En sus palabras, estamos llamados a usar las “riquezas mundanas” para relacionarnos y tratar con la gente de este mundo. En otras palabras, en este mundo debemos usar las herramientas que este mundo ofrece, es decir, la “moneda de curso legal” de este mundo. No evites esas herramientas atribuyéndoles definiciones basadas en tu brújula moral. No pretendas que existes en otro mundo ajeno al que habitamos. Este mundo es muy real. Necesitamos usar los medios de este mundo para sobrevivir en él. ¿Cuáles son esos medios? Nuestros talentos. Los talentos que Dios nos ha dado.
During this Lenten season you were asked to take an inventory of the things that are essential and necessary for your life. Today the exercise is to inventory the gifts of God in your lives. What talents do we possess? How can we use them? How can we improve our own lives, as well as the lives of our families, friends and community by the use of those talents? God has given us the resources that we need to deal with life. He has given us the ability, the strength and the courage to move forward. He has given us breath! He has also endowed us with talents. Do you sing or play music? Are you able to craft something? Do you have reasoning and logical skills? Can you invest? Can you make money? Can you heal? Can you console? Can you walk in harmony with others? These are gifts from God.
Jesús dice: “El que es fiel en lo poco, será confiado con mucho”. ¡Toma tu talento y crea! Inviértelo y multiplícalo, sea cual sea tu talento. Hoy es el día para examinar esos dones que tienes. Estás entrando en un mundo que tiene tantos problemas y dificultades. Necesita la presencia de Dios hoy. No ayer ni mañana. Hoy. Y como embajador de Dios, es decir, embajador del Amor, ahora tienes la responsabilidad de usar tus talentos sabiamente para traer la presencia de Dios a tu propia vida, así como a la vida de las personas que te rodean: tu familia, tus amigos y, en última instancia, el mundo. Además, no tienes derecho a ignorar tus dones y talentos. Eres el administrador de tu vida. Debes usar lo que se te ha dado.
In the next few days we will be looking at the models of stewardship.
Let us conclude with the prayer of St. Nersess Shnorhali: Uncreated Essence, I have sinned against You in mind, soul and body; do not remember my former sins for the sake of Your Holy name. Have mercy upon Your Creatures and upon me, a great sinner. (I Confess with Faith 6/24)
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We are over halfway through the Lenten season. We climbed up the hill and we are now at the summit, coming down. We look down from the summit and see two paths, one behind us and even more importantly, the path in front of us. It is this path that connects to a larger road which is the journey of life. All that we are discovering during this Lenten period is part of the self-improvement process which fortifies our position in life by granting us the tools to better meet the challenges of life, be they physical, emotional or spiritual. God gives us the tools to handle the complexities of life and to render the journey a simple one.
As we come down off of the mountain, we enter a world that is very real. It is a world filled with difficulties and challenges, but at the same time, it has many victories. It has many moments for us to rejoice and many more to enjoy. Life is very real! How appropriate, that today, at this half-way mark in Lent, the Armenian Church prescribes the Parable of the Dishonest Steward as its Lenten lesson. This lesson, found in Luke chapter 16, connects us to the reality of life.
The Parable of the Dishonest Steward is given to us by our Lord Jesus. We read that there was a steward, that is, a manager. He was charged with taking care of his boss’ assets and money. Jesus refers to him as a shrewd, and even “dishonest” manager. He gets caught red handed in some business shenanigans and is on the verge of being fired. He acts shrewdly and doubles down by doing even more dishonest deeds against his employer thereby making friends for himself, especially considering his impending unemployment, this was a tactical preemptive move. He is calculated and knows that when he gets fired, these new friends will hire him. Then comes the kicker… Jesus brings it down to this, “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.”
Your act of charity is simple, read the Parable of the Dishonest Steward in its entirety. We will take a dive into this story which leaves many people perplexed because the “hero” is a squirrely character. Fast today from making any judgment calls, on the people in the story as well as in life.
Celebrate the half-way mark of Lent with some Lenten Cookies, the recipe is below.
We pray, Lord, I thank you for entrusting me with my life and the world in which I live. Help me to become a better steward of my life and my world. Amen
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We conclude this week of diving into the parable of the prodigal son (Luke chapter 15) by looking at the third character in the story, namely, the older brother of the three characters, probably the older son is the one with whom we can best identify, perhaps because, well, basically, he is a good guy, at least he says he is. He’s a friendly guy. He is the one who did the right thing and stayed faithful. He stayed home and did not squander the money that his father had given him. He was loyal. He was obedient. Mostly we see him, the man who, like all of us, recognizes the unfairness of life. There was an injustice that was being played out right in front of him, because the younger brother came home, there was a celebration. It was almost as if he was being rewarded for his breach of discipline.
The older brother asks, why not me? Why is it that good things happen to bad people? Why are the actions of bad people rewarded while good actions, case in point me, go unnoticed. There are many examples of unfairness in our lives. Often we see people who seemingly do not deserve to be rewarded, yet they are honored with privileges and rewards. Why not me? It’s only a natural question to follow this inequity. Not only is it natural, it’s logical. If we believe good should be rewarded, I’ve done right. I’m the good guy. Sure, I have faults, but basically, I’m a good person. Why isn’t my goodness being rewarded?
The father in the story gives a simple answer. His is an answer that comes from the vantage point of parenthood. Son, he says, I have always had you. Whatever I have is already yours. But this my son, your younger brother, was lost, and now he is found. He was dead, and now he is alive. And in so saying, the Father is asking his son to see the bigger picture. It’s not about this moment, but there is a bigger project, so to speak. Ultimately, God’s aim is to have us all in reconciliation with all of creation. It’s about a state of love and harmony so that everyone has access to the kingdom.
Now let’s push this a little further and challenge ourselves, because after all, there is true injustice in the world. But as the Lenten season unfolds, we’re understanding that the real problem is with our perception of the goal – of the prize. We’re looking at those excesses and material goods as the prize, and we lose sight of the true treasure that is already part of life. The proof? Take a deep breath right now. Can you feel it entering your lungs? That’s a gift from God on which you cannot place a price tag. Do you love someone? Someone you can look to a child, a parent, a husband, a wife, a boyfriend, a girlfriend, that is a gift. Do you have this ability to smile? Do you have the ability to look at a flower, at the trees, at the mountains, at the sea, and stand in awe for a second or two and realize that there is something far greater than material goods that we consume ourselves with. That’s the gift, and that is a gift that has been given to you by God. He says, don’t abuse it. Don’t be like the prodigal. Don’t squander what I have given you, and now don’t look for more. Anything more is excess.
God has placed love in your heart, and it’s up to us to use it, not abuse it. It’s up to us to share it with ones we love, with our family, our community, and with our world.
Today we end with this prayer from St. Nerses Shnorhali, O merciful Lord, have mercy on all your faithful, on those who are mine and those who are strangers, on those whom I know and on those whom I do not know. On the living and on the dead. Forgive all my enemies and those who hate me the trespasses they have committed against me. Turn them from the malice they bear toward me that they may be worthy of your mercy. Have mercy upon all your creatures and upon me a sinner, amen.
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We continue our dive into the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke chapter 15) by focusing on the father in the story.
The first thing we learn about him is that he gives completely, without restriction or condition. His younger son says, “Give me my inheritance so I can go out and establish and begin my life.” The father, being a wise man, certainly understands that the son may lose or squander the money, but does not argue with his child. There are times in our lives when we need to let go. Even though we may know better than our children, their life is theirs. Yes, making mistakes can be painful, but it is in those mistakes that children learn. This father understand this rule: he lets go of his son. As difficult as it is, he allows his son – the one that he loves – to leave. He allows his son to establish his own life.
La segunda vez que vemos al padre es cuando el hijo regresa. Recuerda que el hijo está arrepentido, o al menos comprende que puede tener una vida mejor regresando a la casa de su padre. Sin importar cuáles sean las intenciones del hijo, el padre, al verlo regresar, sale a su encuentro en el camino y ni siquiera permite que su hijo pida perdón. No juega al orgullo. No dice neciamente: "Esperaré a ver qué tiene que decir". Él está ahí para aceptar a su hijo. No dice: "Te lo dije. Sabía que volverías". En cambio, reconoce a su ser querido, el hijo al que cuidó, vio nacer y crió, ¡que ahora había regresado! Qué emocionado debió sentirse. Por supuesto, corrió hacia su hijo y lo abrazó.
Now there are two dimensions to this. Let’s follow each of them. First, the father in the parable is an expression of our Heavenly Father. God in heaven waits for us to come home and when we do turn back, He does not wait for us to beg to return to His Kingdom. Suffice it that we turn back home that He approaches us, embracing and grabbing us, He takes us in, giving us Life! That’s what this father did and that’s what our Heavenly Father does.
God accepts us as true children of His Kingdom.
Second, the father’s actions tell us what is required of us in our relationships, not necessarily with children, but with one another. There are people who have hurt us. The degrees of hurt are not consequential. Perhaps we have cried over a misspoken word, or we have been devastated by betrayal. The hurt has left a chasm in our relationships with others. We have all created divisions between ourselves and God by virtue of our actions or inaction, yet God has given us a way back. We too must do the same and leave doors open for those people to return back to us. In other words, an end to grudges is in order. Don’t get caught up in foolish pride. Leave doors open without expecting someone to walk through. Don’t wait for those who have hurt you to return, just know that deep down there are many desires that may not be understood. If the door is open, they may return and when they do you will embrace them.
Know that the heart is speaking to you. Do not think with your mind. Be ready to take in.Be ready to embrace, to hug, to suffocate them with the love that is in your heart.This is the example that Jesus gives us through the character of the father.
Ahora rezamos la oración de San Nerses Shnorhali, de “Confieso con fe”:
I confess with faith and adore you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, uncreated and immortal essence, creator of angels, of humans and all that exists. Have mercy upon your creatures and upon me, a great sinner. (1/24)
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The Prodigal Son, is a parable offered to us by Jesus and recorded in the Gospel of St. Luke, chapter 15. We continue this dive into the story today by looking at the sin of the Prodigal son.
Today we look at turning points. As the parable is presented, the younger son takes his inheritance and travels to a far off land. There he squanders his money in reckless living. When his money runs out, so do his friends, and the lifestyle he was living. He comes to his senses and decides to return home. We will call this the turning point. It’s the point at which he realized there is something better for him elsewhere. Some may call this the “wake up” moment, when all along you knew what you were doing was not reality – maybe even a dream – and then the alarm clock rings and you wake to real life. The Prodigal Son woke up and turned back home.
Like the Prodigal, we come to our turning points when we realize that staying on the current path might have dire consequences. Repentance is the call of the Church to turn back. John the Baptist called out in the wilderness, “Repent, the Kingdom of God is at hand.” Today, the word repent means to feel remorse or regret. These feelings are the wake-up moment, while repent literally means to turn around.
Look within. Do you have wake up alarms? Do they guide you toward repentance?
We prayer from St. Nersess Shnorhali’s 3rd hour, Heavenly Father, true God, who sent Your beloved Son to seek the wandering sheep. I have sinned against heaven and before you. Receive me like Prodigal Son and clothe me with the garment of innocence, of which I was deprived by with sin. Have mercy upon your creatures and upon me a sinner. Amen
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The Prodigal Son, a parable offered to us by Jesus and recorded in the Gospel of St. Luke, chapter 15. We continue this dive into the story today by looking at the sin of the Prodigal son.
The prodigal lifestyle that the younger son adopted is usually thought of as his sin, if not, but only by the popular name of the parable. The word prodigal is characterized by profuse or wasteful spending. The word describes someone who is addicted to wasteful expenditure, as of money, time, energy or strength. I propose that these are only manifestations of the true sin, which can be found in a list compiled by the Church, name Pride, Envy, Anger, Gluttony, Lust, Covetousness, and Laziness. Start off with the youthful pride that made him demand his share of inheritance, a pride which deceived him into thinking that he knew better than his father. And as you go through this list, which the Church identifies as “deadly sins” transfer the same measure on your life. Look at the motivations that make you do the things you do.
The Prodigal son was wasteful with the inheritance his father gave him. Think of the talents, the graces, the gifts given to us by God. How do we use them? How do we abuse them? Or perhaps, not even use them? Are we squandering the gifts of God on reckless living?
We pray, from the Armenian Church’s form of Confession, I have also sinned by the seven-fold transgressions of the deadly sins: by pride and all its forms, envy and all its forms, anger and all its forms, sloth and all its forms, covetousness and all its forms, gluttony and all its forms, and lust and all its forms; I have sinned against God. Lord have mercy.
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This week, in examining the concept of Expulsion, we found that what separates us from God is our sin. Like the curtain that is draped across the Holy Altar in our Armenian churches, which prevents us from witnessing the celebration of the Holy and epic Divine Liturgy, our sin prevents us from witnessing the grandeur and glory of God in the fullest.
We learned that sin means missing the mark of perfection and in that sense, we are all sinful because we are imperfect. Jesus makes sure that we understand that perfection as a goal, means going beyond the human expectations. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus contrasts the human with the Divine, saying “You have heard…” for instance “do not murder” “But I tell you…” anger / hatred toward another is the same as murder. Or having lustful thoughts about another’s wife is committing adultery. And the higher standard of loving your enemies and praying for those who persecute you. (Matthew 5)
Herein, we begin to understand why the Church singled out seven expressions as the “deadly sins.” Namely, pride, envy, gluttony, lust, covetousness, anger and laziness. These are the feelings, the expressions, that prevent us from attaining perfection. They are expressions that are under our own control. These are the human expressions that must be managed and overcome in aiming for the Divine.
We pray from the nineth hour of St. Nersess Shnorhali’s “I confess with Faith,” All provident Lord, place Your holy fear as a guard before my eyes so they may not look lustfully; before my ears so that they may not delight in hearing evil words; before my mouth so that it may not speak any falsehoods; before my heart so that it may not think evil; before my hands so that they may not do injustice; before my feet, that they may not walk in the paths of injustice; but so direct them, that they may always be according to all Your commandments. Have mercy upon Your Creatures and upon me, a great sinner. Amen.
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One of the most misunderstood concepts or themes in Christianity is sin. Our understanding, or misunderstanding, of sin stems from models that have been set up for us and have conditioned us since childhood. We associate sin with the bad or evil in our life because evil is punished, or at the very least, it produces unfavorable consequences. Even more, in religion, particularly in the traditional Judeo-Christian system of thought, the punishment for evil is augmented by concepts of condemnation and damnation. These models creep into our adult life and skew our perception of life. They distort our view of what life is what life can be.
The truth is, all our actions – not just evil, but everything we do – has consequences. Actions are made up of emotional thoughts and they are acted out by physical means. Newton’s laws of motion tell us that to every action there is an opposite and equal reaction. This applies to the physical world as well as the spiritual world.
Así que comencemos diciendo que todo mal es pecado, pero no todo pecado es mal.
Sin means missing the mark. Imagine a large target and in this target is the center circle. That large black circle is called the bullseye. Now imagine a bow and arrow in your hands. You pull back on the bow and let the arrow go. The arrow travels through space, through time and eventually it hits its destination. You have aimed for the bullseye, you have aimed for perfection, but somehow it didn’t make it. You missed the mark. You may hit quite a ways off of the mark, you might have hit close by. In fact, you may have not hit the target at all! No matter what the case –close or far from the bullseye – you missed the mark! You sinned. Close or far from the targeted area, it’s a sin. Sin is sin. You aimed for perfection but came short of it. You missed the mark.
Cada uno de nosotros se esfuerza por alcanzar la perfección. Todos queremos dar en el blanco, queremos lo mejor para nosotros, para nuestras familias, para nuestros hijos; pero viajamos a través del espacio y el tiempo, muy parecido a la flecha, y nos vemos influenciados por muchos factores, incluyendo el viento, sucesos inesperados, falta de enfoque u obstáculos inadvertidos, y no logramos dar en el blanco.
As we conclude our second week of Lent, understanding sin in these terms helps us in our journey, especially as we meet the characters of the next few weeks, namely the Prodigal Son, the Dishonest Steward and the Unrighteous Judge.
Your act of charity today is to forgive those who have created a hierarchy of sin. Forgive yourself. Fast today, from judging others.
Let us pray, Father in Heaven, who makes your sun shine on the good and the bad, on the just and the unjust, let the rays of the sun touch and burn away the judgement that runs through me, to understand myself as a sinner too. Help me through this Lenten journey. Amen.
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