Armodoxy for Today: Muiron, Connecting the Drops

From Armenia Muiron has been prepared and blessed, and now enters your home. We began this deep-dive with, and end it with, Jesus Christ – the alpha and the omega, the a and z, the ayb and keh, the center of our Faith. The Holy Muiron is blessed at the same location where Jesus descended and designated where the Church of the Armenian people would be built. From that same place, Holy Etchmiadzin, the Light of Holy Muiron now needs to radiate to the world.

Our starting point of this series was the story recounted in the Gospel of Matthew (26), of a woman anointing Jesus. Jesus took a break from the mundane workings of the world and focused on the act of love, charity and care offered to him. Our world today is no different from the time of Christ. Sure, there are more people and we may believe our troubles are more complex, but in reality we – people – are driven by the same urges, passions and temptations. Pride, envy, anger, laziness, gluttony, desires and lust were the reasons and are the reasons for all of our problems. Every seven years our Church takes a break from the mundane and celebrates the Love of Christ with this eccentric and beautiful tradition.

The Holy Muiron is the vehicle of the Holy Spirit communicating with us – each of us. On the eve of our Lord’s birth the angels proclaimed, “Peace on Earth and goodwill toward one another.” At the end of His ministry, our Lord says, “Peace I leave you…” but so that we are not orphaned, He promises the Holy Spirit. On Pentecost, the Christian Church – the Body of Jesus Christ – is established by the Power of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Christian Church has had one consistent message for two millennia, no different from the message proclaimed at the Manger: Peace on Earth and goodwill toward one another.

Drop-by-drop the Holy Muiron was prepared over time and blessed with the most expensive and extravagant items found on Earth: the trees, their sap and fruit, the flowers and vegetation, the oils and nectars, the energy of Ararat, the Sacredness of Etchmiadzin, the power of the Holy Cross, the words of the Holy Gospel, the Holy Geghart, and mixed by St. Gregory the Illuminator and the entire assembly of saints, from the time of Christ forward, who add their prayers, tears, and joy to this mix. In other words, all that is necessary – everything we need – to bring about peace and goodwill toward one another is before us.

Every seven years, against the backdrop of a hurting world, this exotic elixir is mixed and blessed in Armenia and distributed as a tonic for the world. It is the gift of God, presented through the Armenian Church to the world. As Jesus announced, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16)

Having this background, you are now invited, to mix your prayers to this Muiron, to say “Amen” to the anointing that unites us to our past, our future, and all of eternity. This is the seventh year. This is the blessing of Holy Muiron.

We pray, from the prayer of the blessing of Holy Muiron, O Merciful Lord, send down your all-powerful Holy Spirit, and make this an anointing of holiness, spiritual grace, life for my life, protector of my spirit and my body, a joyful oil which was given to us through the law but enlightened through the new Covenant, with which You anointed your Holy Apostles, and to all of us through the new birth of the holy font of baptism… so that, kept away from evil, we may come to know You in holiness as Your children, and be with You always, having You Father and Holy Spirit with us and Christ in our heart, always. Amen.