Tag Archive for: Lent

The Example of the Squirrely Steward

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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

We live in a world that is filled with real challenges. Reality is not based on or built on fairy tales or myths. Unlike playtime, life is demanding. It asks for our resources, the most precious of which is our time and effort – blood, sweat and tears. The question then becomes, how do we deal with, approach and overcome those challenges?

Jesus tells us that the challenges of life are real. They are to be met and overcome. The resources to do so are in place and need to be used. In his words, we are called to use “worldly wealth” to network and deal with the people of this world. In other words, in this world we must use the tools that this world offers, that is the “legal tender” of this world. Don’t shun those tools by ascribing some definitions based on your moral compass. Don’t pretend that you exist in some other world that is apart from the one we inhabit. This world is very real. We need to use the means of this world to survive this world. What are those means? Our talents. The talents given to us by God.

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.

Jesus says, “He who has been faithful in a little, will be trusted with much.” Take your talent and create! Invest it and make more, whatever your talent may be. Today is the day to examine those gifts you have. You are coming into a world that has so many problems and difficulties. It needs the presence of God today. Not yesterday and not tomorrow. Today. And as an ambassador of God, that is, an ambassador of Love, you now have a responsibility to use your talents wisely to bring the presence of God into your own life as well as the lives of the people around you – your family, friends and ultimately, the world. Furthermore, you do not have a right to ignore your gifts and talents. You are the manager of your life. You must use what has been given you.

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)

Back to Reality: Stewardship

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Armodoxy for Today: Back to Reality

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

Why Not Me?

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Armodoxy for Today: Why not me?

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.

Father and Example

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Armodoxy for Today: Father and Example

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.

The second time we see the father is when the son returns. Remember the son is remorseful, or at the very least he understands that he can have a better life by returning to his father’s house. No matter what the son’s intentions may be, the father seeing the son return goes out to meet him on the road and does not even allow his son to ask forgiveness. He does not play a game of pride. He does not foolishly say, “Let me wait and see what he has to say.” He is there to accept his son. He does not say, “I told you so. I knew you would be back.”  Instead he recognizes his loved one – the son that he cared for, gave birth to and nurtured – had now returned! How excited he must have been. Of course he came running up to his son and embraced him.

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.

We now pray there prayer of St. Nerses Shnorhali, from the “I Confess with Faith”:

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)

Awake to the Turning Point

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Armodoxy for Today: The Turning Point

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 

Sin in Motivation

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Armodoxy for Today: Finding the Sin in Motivation

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.

Prodigal’s Sin

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Armodoxy for Today: Prodigal Son
Every Sunday during the Lenten Season has a unique name. Today is known as the Sunday of the Prodigal Son. Accordingly, the lesson of the day comes from the Gospel of St. Luke, Chapter 15, where Jesus teaches using a parable, commonly known as the story of the Prodigal Son.
Perhaps if nothing else reached us from the time of Jesus except for this one parable, it would be enough to explain our relationship with God. It is a story of reconciliation, and expresses the unconditional love that God has for us and therefore, requires of us.
The story of the Prodigal Son unfolds like this: A man has two sons. The younger son asks for and receives his inheritance. He takes his share of his father’s estate and squanders it on reckless living. While he has funds, he is popular with many friends. But when his money ran out, so did his friends. No money, no parties, no extravagant lifestyle, no friends, he goes out to look for work. But it is of no use. He can’t make enough to survive.
One night, when he is really down, he sees some pigs feeding and he actually considers eating the pigs’ food because he is so hungry. It is at that point that he comes to his senses. He remembers his father’s home and remembers that that his father’s servants live better than he. That night, he makes a decision to go back home –to his father – to beg for forgiveness. He even strategizes that he will ask to be taken-in as one of his father’s servants.  
Now, while the son is returning home his father sees him on this road. His father comes running toward him, grabs him, hugs him and kisses him. He doesn’t even give his son a chance to talk nor to explain his deeds while away from home. The father then orders his servants to come around and bring him the best clothes and put the ring of authority on his hand. Then he orders a celebration! The fatted calf is slaughtered for this party.
The story of the Prodigal Son doesn’t end here. Remember he had an older brother. Now this older brother was working in the field and heard the sound of merriment and dancing. He didn’t understand and protested to his father. He said, “Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!” He just could not understand the unfairness of life. He (the older brother) had done everything right and the younger brother had wasted his inheritance. “Where is the justice?” he demanded. Why is the bad guy getting rewarded while the good guy continues to labor and struggle?
The father, with compassion and understanding, explains to the older brother, “You are always with me, and everything I have is yours.  But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.”
This is the story of the Prodigal Son. Read it in Luke 15. We will look at the many dimensions of the story in the next few days. Today, I leave you with homework: What was the sin of the Prodigal son? That he lived with prostitutes? That he was consumed by materialism? Think of it and we’ll continue tomorrow.
I leave you with this prayer by St. Nersess Shnorhali, 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 great sinner. Amen (3/24)

Seven Humans to One Divine

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Armodoxy for Today: Seven humans to One Divine

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.

Welcome to Sin during Lent

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Armodoxy for Today: Welcome to Sin

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.

So let’s begin by saying that all evil is sin, but not all sin is evil.

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.

Each of us strives for perfection. We all want to hit that mark, we want the best for ourselves, for our families, for our children; but we journey through space and time, much like the arrow and are influenced by many factors including the wind, freak occurrences, lack of focus or unnoticed obstacles, and we do not hit the mark.

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.

 

The Blame Game: Expulsion

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Armodoxy for Today: The Blame Game

In his 1970’s TV variety show, Comedian Flip Wilson developed a character named Geraldine Jones, a sassy and liberated Southern woman who, when caught doing something naughty would respond, “The devil made me do it.” In behavior that would be considered tame by today’s standards, those words would be her excuse and would trigger thunderous roars of laughter, and serval blushed faces among parents watching the weekly family show with their kids.

Even farther back in time, the Bible references God catching Adam and Eve in disobedience to his law. The “naughty” moment for them (Genesis chapter 1-3) is when they come to realize that they are naked in the Garden of Eden because their act of disobedience opened their eyes. Genesis chapter 3 reads Adam conversing with God, “I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” And God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”  The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

And the rest is history. What is called “The Fall” follows. God outlines the expulsion of man and woman from paradise in the verses that follow.

“The Devil made me do it!” It was convenient escape clause for the first man and woman as it was for the comedian entertaining on his variety show. And it can elicit the same type of laughter.

Faith is not to entertain us. It’s not make believe. Playing the blame-game, is an immature way of escaping responsibility. Think of it for a moment, if the devil makes you do something, then you are not accountable for your actions. The Devil made me do it! Blame the devil! Blame the woman! Blame the man!

During the Lenten season we are seeking to mature in Faith, or as St. Paul says, “When I was a child I thought as a child, I spoke as a child, I reasoned as a child. But when I became an adult, I put away childish ways.” (I Corinthians 13)

Expulsion Sunday is a call for us to take responsibility for our actions and our deeds. In other words, no one makes you do it. You do it because you want to do it. We journey deeper into the Expulsion tomorrow.