Tag Archive for: Lent

Lenten Journey Day 8 – Judgment

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Day 8: Judgment

Lenten Recipe

Recipe 8: Almond French Toast

 
As we begin the second week of the Lenten Season we explore our emotions and the actions they produce. We begin this week by looking at the instruction pertaining to judgment given to us by Jesus Christ in the Sermon on the Mount. We read Jesus’ words,
Do not judge or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others you will be judged. And with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye. How can you say to your brother, let me take the speck out of your eye when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite! First take the plank out of your own eye and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7)
In this very short passage we find a very powerful message which is instructional for life. “Do not judge,” says Jesus. In that instruction we come to understand God’s vantage point. How does God view each of us as a collective, that is, as His children inhabiting this planet?
In the eyes of God there are no differences between people. There are no races to differentiate people. We are all His children. If you think about it for a moment, you would understand the saying that all wars are considered to be civil wars, in the eyes of God. We are all His children, therefore and assault on anyone is an assault on God’s creation.
Jesus says do not judge because on the playing field we are all equals.  There is no one to judge another. Jesus goes on to remind us that God makes the sun shine down on the good and the bad because He does not differentiate between the two.  Therefore, if God doesn’t differentiate between people, who are we to dare to presume that we are better than anyone else? That is why He says look first within, look at the damages you have in your own life, remove that so that clearly you can see the greater picture. After all, that is exactly the purpose of Lent! It’s time – 40 days – where we are looking to remove those planks from our eyes, so we can see the wonders in life. We are pulling back the curtain so that we can see the good of God’s creation all around us.  Wouldn’t it be beautiful to look into the eyes of another human being and see the reflection of God? What if we could look deep into the soul of another and truly see the presence of God? Do you want to get to that point? Well, first remove the plank from your own eye, so you can clearly see the wonders all around you.
Last week, we had an instruction on prayer. Jesus teaches us the “Our Father” We pray, “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be they name…”  The one request that we make of our Heavenly Father in this prayer is that he forgive us our sins. How? By the same measure with which we forgive others.  We say, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us.” In other words, by thatsame standard we will be judged. As we read today, Jesus says not to judge. Be careful! By the same standard we judge others, we will be judged.
Indeed, today’s lesson is a simple one, yet a difficult one to actualize. But that’s what Lent is about, simple yet difficult. Take this opportunity to look at your relationships, with loved ones, spouses, children and parents. Look at relationships you have with friends, coworkers, acquaintances and people that you would like to know. Look at the judgments you make and see how artificial they are. Look at your prejudices – pre-judgments – that you make every day. We all make judgments. It doesn’t mean we’re bad people, it just means we are human. But in that humanity, take a lesson from Jesus Christ. You can find love, and that love is no farther than the people all around you. Look at the difficulties – those “planks” – that distort our perception and prevent us from seeing the beauty that is all around us.
Judge not lest you be judged. Remove the plank out of your own eye… What you will find is that you won’t be able to see the speck in your brother’s eyes. Instead, you will only see the presence of God.
Let us pray the prayers of St. Nersess Shorhali:
 Righteous Judge, when You come in the glory of the Father to judge the living and the dead, enter not into judgment with Your servant, but deliver me from the eternal fire, and make me worthy to hear the blissful call of the just to Your heavenly kingdom. Have mercy upon Your Creatures and upon me, a great sinner. (I confess with faith #22/24)

Lenten Journey Day 7 – Expulsion

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“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”  ~Jesus (Matthew 5)

Lenten Recipe

Recipe : Mushroom Ragu

Unique to the Armenian church is the practices of naming each Sunday of Lent with a descriptive and special name. This Sunday is called the Sunday of Expulsion. We are reminded of how sin enters into our life and prevents us from experiencing the best of life – Paradise – in God’s fullness.
When you enter an Armenian church during Lent, you immediately notice the huge curtain draped across the altar area. The curtain is there to remind us of sin, because sin, just like the curtain, prevents us from seeing the beauty of God.
Sin is a normal part of life. It literally means, “missing the mark.” In archery, you aim your arrow at the bull’s eye. When it misses the mark, the arrow is sinning. Likewise, we are called to enjoy Paradise – the bull’s eye. We fall short from reaching that mark because of our imperfections.  Sins are the obstacles that prevent us from experiencing, the fullness God – a life full of love, peace and happiness.
Sin is avoidable but is very much a part of life. Do not make the mistake of believing that because sin is in your life that paradise is lost or cannot be attained. Sin is merely a reminder that we are human, that we are not God. Only God is without sin because by definition God is love and love cannot be sin. Love cannot be that barrier between us and paradise. Love is pure. Therefore, if sin is an obstacle, it can be overcome.
Expulsion Sunday is a reminder that we were created in and for paradise.  God gives us paradise and he wants us to be in complete union with His awesome love. In that paradise, much like the myth of Adam & Eve, we choose to go against His will. In other words we seek the fruit of knowledge of good and evil to become like God.
God gives us one set of instructions and we, of our own free will, opt for and choose another. God tells us love one another, and we say not everyone. God tells us care for one another and we say only for those who give us something in return. God says love your neighbors as you love yourself and we build bombs, stock pile weapons and destroy towns, villages and countries. God says value the family and we say I will bring the work home, to take time away from the family. God says, value life but we say the dollar buys us more. God says enjoy your life and we define that enjoyment by all kinds of abuses to our body and our life style. God says, take care of this world and we say who cares, and go about cutting down the rain forests and polluting the environment. God says worship me and we say I have better things to do. God says know me and we say there’s no profit in it.
The sin of humankind is that we exert our will over the will of God, and so we distance ourselves from God and paradise. Sin causes the divide, the separation from God. Sin is the curtain that prevents us from looking beyond and seeing the beauty on the other side.  
During the Lenten season we have this opportunity to look within, to reflect and make improvements on our life. Taking inventory is important and today we take inventory of the sins in our life. If you break them down you will find that each and every one of them are related to us exerting our will, in a way that is out of sync with God’s will. Remember the lesson of prayer and remember to listen to the voice calling within. Listen for the Will that is speaking to you. You will find it no further than the love that He has placed in your heart. That is the love which can conquer all of the difficulties, including the greatest sins that are before you.
Let us now pray the prayer of St. Nerses Shnorhali:
Spirit of God, true God, who descended into the Gordan, and into the upper chamber and who enlightened me by baptism in the Holy font. I have sinned against heaven and before You. Cleanse me with your divine fire as you purified the Holy apostles with fiery tongues.
Have mercy upon your creatures and upon me, a great sinner. Amen. (I confess with Faith 5/24)
Music: Lifebeats, Jethro Tull 1973

Lenten Journey Day 6 – Facilitating the Vision

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Day 6: Facilitating the Vision

Lenten Recipe

Recipe 6: Roasted Veggies

Saints are remembered on the Church calendar during the Lenten Season, as they are throughout the year. On the first Saturday of Lent this year the Church remembers St. Theodore the Warrior, a personality from the 4th Century.
In Orthodox tradition we look to the saints as examples of living life with purpose and in the path of Christ. Saints are never worshiped. Each of them are people just like us. In their humanity, they were able to rise to the occasion, usually through selfless sacrifice, and express their love in unique ways. One such saint that the Church remembers is St. Sahag Barthev. He was a saint who used his God given talents and spread the Gospel of love and hope to the world.
St. Sahag lived in the 5th century. His story begins a hundred years yearly, when the Armenian people accepted Christianity in 301AD. Immediately, the move to educate the people in the ways of Christ was underway. Quickly it became obvious that first and foremost in the education of the people, it was necessary to translate the Holy Scriptures into Armenian. An Armenian monk by the name of Mesrobe (St. Mesrobe Mashdots)  had the vision to invent an Armenian alphabet with the sole purpose of bringing the Christian message to his people. He found a partner in making that vision a reality in the person of the Chief Bishop, or Catholicos, Sahag Barthev. As the head of the Armenian Church, St. Sahag commissioned and underwrote the project. It was in 431 AD that the translation of Bible into Armenian was completed.
In Armenian Orthodox tradition, the Bible is precious and sacred that is has a unique name. It is called the Breath of God, or Asdvadzashoonch.  The vision became a reality. The Armenian people were able to read and understand scriptures in their native language.
Each and every one of us has our own dreams. We have our own visions of what our life and communities should be. We dream of goals for our family and ourselves. Each of us walking through the Lenten Journey should seize the opportunity to inventory those dreams. During Lent we have reviewed and altered our diet and inspected our relationships. Today, we look at our dreams closely. What dreams do we have for ourselves, as well as our families and our communities? What dreams to our family and friends have that can use our support? Today’s lesson is about turning dreams into reality and to freely give the encouragement and support that you possess to others. Mesrobe Mashdotz realizing he could not actualize his dream alone, plugged into a larger community of people who shared his vision. Sahag Barthev realizing he had a desire to do good, needed to find the means by which to make his dream come true. Together, they make the dream come true.
Let us find strength in our relationships with family and friends. Find people who share your same vision. Encourage the little steps others take to make the big strides, and eventually the goal, possible. And now push yourself to think bigger…
As we heighten our prayer life during Lent and as we turn inward in meditation, let us keep in mind that Jesus also has a dream. It is a dream for peace. His dream involves love, kindness and charity to all of His children. He’s counting on us to be the Sahag Barthev that will encourage and support His Dream. He looks to us, His Holy body the Church, to become the facilitators, the means by which peace can come. We become the arms, the legs and the mouth to do His work here in this world.
Let us pray the prayer of St. Nerses Shnorhali:
Oh Jesus, Wisdom of the Father, Grant me wisdom so that I may think, speak and do that which is good in your sight. Save me from evil thoughts, words and deeds. Have mercy on your creatures and upon me a great sinner. (I Confess with Faith 11/24)

Lenten Journey Day 3 – Prayer

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Day 3: Prayer

Lenten RecipeRecipe 3: Spicy Peanut Noodles

 

Today we will discuss prayer in the life of the Christian and its importance during the Lenten period.
 
As we discussed in our previous sessions, during the Lenten period we are called to a discipline of fasting, of giving and of heightened awareness in our prayer life. Usually when we think of prayer we define it as a conversation with God. While this is an acceptable understanding of prayer, we must also admit that conversation is a two way street and so, if we are to talk, we must also listen.
 
Let us begin by listening to the words of Christ regarding prayer. We read from the Sermon on the Mount, (Matthew chapter 6): “And whenever you pray”, Jesus says, “Do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you they have received their reward. But whenever you pray go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father in secret. Your Father who sees in secret will reward you. When you are praying do not heap up empty phrases, as the gentiles do for they think they will be heard because of their words. Do not be like them for your Father knows what you need before you ask.”
 
Jesus tells us in no uncertain terms that God knows the wants and needs of our hearts. He knows our deepest desires. Therefore, the question comes up, if God knows what we need and want, why pray? Prayer, therefore must be more than a conversation with God and it is.
 
As much as prayer is a conversation with God, more importantly, it is a conversation with the self. It may sound strange that the self would not know its own needs, but think about it for a moment. The needs and desire of your heart are within your grasp, and the prayer that you make to God can only be to awaken and strengthen your resolve to actualize your dreams.
 
The self needs to be awakened and that is what this Lenten journey is all about. Lent is that windshield wiper that drives away the dirt, the grime and the rain that is blurring our vision. It allows us to see the clear picture, to see the life that is in front of us.
 
During the Lenten Journey, we are streamline and minimize. We find what is truly necessary to survive and live. We fast and in our prayer life we have a conversation with our self to find the true desires of our heart. In so doing, we discover that we can actualize our desires with the tools that God has given us, namely with faith, hope and love our deepest dreams can come true. Through the Lenten Journey, we wash away the toxins in our system and eliminate the excesses only to uncover and find the true treasures in our life. They are not the things and stuff that consume our daily existence. No, we find the real treasures of faith, hope and love.
 
During Lent we have a beautiful opportunity to communicate with God and with our selves. We understand that God and self exist in a unique relationship that brings them into close proximity and connection.  
 
St. Gregory of Nareg (Gregor Narekatzi) reminds us that prayer is a conversation that originates from the depth of our heart, that is, from the center of our being.
 
For today’s lesson, I ask that you find a place where you can be alone. It should be where you are not easily distracted. You may wish to burn some incense to keep focused. By looking at the smoke that rises to heaven, you will be reminded that your prayers must also rise beyond yourself and the temporal plain. As you smell the fragrance of the incense, it awakens your senses, much like the Zen master that paddles his students who have lost focus and fallen asleep. While in prayer we need that awakening, that jarring, that says stay focused and listen to the sound of God.
 
When you are alone, awake and in prayer, be concise and precise in articulating your heart’s message. As our Lord says, your Father already knows what you need. Jesus, therefore, instructs us with a model prayer: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,  your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory. Forever and ever!”
 
As you say, “Amen” at the end of the prayer, let it be! Release yourself to God. Submit. Let it be! Give it all to God and then sit back and listen. Give some time to listening in your prayer life. Away from distractions with a clear focus, listen to how is God responding to you? What is God saying to the depths of your heart?  You may not hear an answer right away, but trust me, in the next few weeks, as we travel this Lenten Journey together, your senses will become more aware. You will be more conscious of your surroundings and to the voices that do not talk to ears but to the heart. Yes, you will be hearing with your heart!
 
Let us pray…
Heavenly King, grant me Your kingdom, which You have promised to Your beloved; strengthen my heart to hate sin, and to love You alone, and to do Your will. Have mercy upon Your Creatures and upon me, a great sinner. (I confess with Faith by St. Nersess Shnorhali, vs. 13/24)
 
On this third day of Lent, I invite you to begin journaling. Write the wishes of your heart and write the responses you receive. You will find this a helpful practice during the Lenten season. Especially as we begin this Lenten Journey, it may be tempting to stray.  

Get it?

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Armodoxy for Today: Get It?

The Super Bowl is an event unparalleled in the United States. It attracts a wide variety of people to an annual display of athletics and dramatics. Much more than a football game, the Super Bowl has become a phenomenon with its high priced tickets and astronomical advertising fees. Let’s get the statistics out of the way first. This year, the average price of a ticket was $9,000, the stadium was filled with 70,000+ attendees, the cost of advertising was $7,000,000 for 30 seconds (yes, that’s a half-a-minute) of airtime, and an estimated 113,000,000 people viewed the game on TV and live streams.

The theatrics of the Super Bowl is not limited only to the half-time-show. Actors and celebrities are commissioned to sell everything from alcoholic drinks to food products, from invisible wireless services to very visible luxury vehicles. Of course, it’s all calculated on the returns. If an advertiser is going to spend $7Million for 30 seconds, be sure that they’ve calculated the return will be many times over. That’s good business and has been the business of Super Bowl advertising, until this year. The product? Jesus!

A Christian website, He Gets Us, set up a beautifully orchestrated campaign of pictures and sayings of Jesus to bring the point home that He gets us! On a week where Jesus is celebrated by the actions of Vartan and Leon, these commercials made it clear that Jesus is alive and well, and talking to the world today. You know people heard because immediately after the ad aired both sides of the political spectrum – the left and right – criticized the advertising of Jesus in this manner. Yes, just as He did 2000 years ago, so too now, He is shaking up the establishment.

So they spent $20Million on advertising and what was the return? In proclaiming that Jesus “Gets us” the purpose (or the calculated return) is to challenge us to “Get Him!”

This coming Sunday is called the “Day of Good Living” followed by the beginning of Lent on Monday. Lent is about how we “Get Him.” Yes, God understands us. Jesus gets us. The question for us is, do we get Him?

The forty day period of Lent begins with an invitation to “Get Him.” The Armodox practice of abstaining from animal products in our diet, and increasing our time in private prayer and acts of charity sets us on a course to meet the Resurrected Lord, at Easter and to take Him with us into and in our lives. In other words, 40 days of Lent prepares and arms for the 325 days of the year that follow.

Join me on the Lenten Journey beginning this Sunday and continuing every day as a daily message, Armodoxy for Today.

Let us pray, “Lord, I thank you for hearing my prayer and understanding me. As I prepare for the Lenten Season, open my heart to Your love, so that I may grow spiritually, to hear your answers and how Your Word touch my life every day. In Your name, Jesus, I pray. Amen”

Lenten Vacation

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Next Step #668: How I spent my Lenten vacation? Want to give it a try? Guilt and sin: setting a standard for the Christian. Overcoming addictions: drugs and religion. JW’s go for a GQ look for Jesus and vestment/textiles discussed at Tufts, all in this episode of the Next Step.
Lenten Journey 2021
WD168 this week
Hampig Sassounian parole
Palm Sunday at St. Gregory, Pasadena
Hymn for Lazarus Saturday, Vem Radio
Office of 10 Maiden (join by Zoom)
Cover: Armenia 2009 Fr Vazken
Engineered by Ken Nalik
Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for InHisShoes.org
Look for The Next Step on blubrry.com
Listen via Stitcher Radio on demand!
Listen on Apple Podcasts

Mister & a Sister

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Mister & the Sister
Next Step #664 – February 25, 2021 – Mr. Potato head loses his top. Silliness abounds as the world death numbers increase; Calculated moves for profit. Connecting to the Expulsion story. The COVID-19 vaccine gives a metaphor for us to find faith in the post-pandemic era.
Potato Head News
Reclaim Conference
Register for Reclaim Conference
Lenten Journey with Fr. Vazken 
60 Minutes on Syria
Inner Peace for Busy People
Engineered by Ken Nalik
Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for http://InHisShoes.org

Simply Innocent

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Next Step #663: The Armodoxy approach to Lent: Simplifying by the numbers. Rules and regulations that form society and stripping them down during Lent. Even a Bible must be paid for: the rules that govern a simple Bible Study. A collection of Riffs from Beethoven to Zeppelin. Childish vocabulary not needed: hear the Beatitudes before it got complicated.
Fr. Vazken’s Lenten Journey (2021)
Lenten Guide 2021 Armenian
Lenten Guide 2021 English
40 Lenten Recipes (Bland Page)
Reclaim 2021
Register for Reclaim 2021 
Join Fr. Vazken this Sunday
WD168 this week 
Mars Landing 
Ian Anderson on the riffs 
Cat Steven’s Yousef’s Cafe
Cover: Simple Garden 2013 Fr. Vazken
Engineered by Ken Nalik
Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for http://InHisShoes.org
Look for The Next Step on blubrry.com
Listen via Stitcher Radio on demand!
Listen on Apple Podcasts.

Lenten Beauty

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Next Step #662: Celebrating Beauty even and especially during Lent. Beyond the cosmetic and superficial, finding beauty and the challenge for Lent: Far from a basics and gloom. Fibonacci, Pi, Primes and beauty: Time for Christian celebration.
Lenten Journey 2021 with Fr. Vazken
Vartanantz Sermon
Join Fr. Vazken this Sunday at St. Gregory
WD168 this week: the can is gone!
Sirach chapter 43
Divine Proportion by Priya Hemenway
Vartanantz Concert
Contact
Guy Chookoorian Tribute
Rosemary Clooney “Come on a my house”
Guy Chookoorian Music
Engineered by Ken Nalik
Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for InHisShoes.org
Look for The Next Step on blubrry.com
Listen via Stitcher Radio on demand!
Listen on Apple Podcasts.

Natural & Artificial Lenten Intelligence

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Next Step #612: A first look at some natural intelligence that comes from the time of birth and is lost by the time we start practicing Lent. Lesson for Lent from my 3 month-old grandson. Enter artificial intelligence and deal with the latest in ethics and responsibility. The quest begins for the algorithms to contaminate AI with ethics. Not for the faint at heart or for the easily dizzied. Building a church and not finding a loan? Here are some secrets from the inner ranks.
Gor Mkhitarian – Oonaynutiun from the Spirit Album
Pontifical Academy: Artificial Intelligence
Vestments in the Armenian Church
WD168 – February 26, 2020
Lenten Journey by Fr. Vazken
Lenten “Bland” Page
40 Vegan Recipes (another bland page)
Reclaim Etchmiadzin – March 13-15, 2020
Order tickets to Reclaim Etchmiadzin www.embracing-faith.com
Cover: Bubble in Avalon, 2012 Fr. Vazken
Engineered by Ken Nalik
Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for InHisShoes.org
Look for The Next Step on blubrry.com
Listen via Stitcher Radio on demand!