Tag Archive for: Light

Control of the Light Switch

Armodoxy for Today: The Advent Journey – Light Switch

The metaphor of light is used by Jesus on many occasions, to refer to himself and in turn in reference to you, his follower. “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life.”  (John 8:12)  Accordingly, as a bearer of that light he then says, “You are the light of the world… Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)

There is nothing fatalistic about this statement. Your goodness is not determined by God or any other force beside yourself. You are the master of your own destiny. “Let your light so shine,” says the Lord. Control of that light switch belongs to no one else but to you.

As we continue in our study of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’ next statement is, The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! (Matthew 6:22-23)

Placed within the context of the entire Teaching of Jesus, we read yesterday the axiom that where our treasure is there are heart is also. Today the material and the spiritual are divided in terms of the light and dark.

At the end of this Journey you will be coming face to face with the Light, first in the form of a star that will guide you to the True Light. And then, you will be in the presence of the Light to receive the Light. The Advent Journey is understanding how fortunate you are to have the control of the light switch. When you walk in the light, it is because you have chosen to do so. When you are in the darkness, it is of your doing.

Let us pray from the 21st hour of St. Nersess Shnorhali’s Confession of Faith, Christ, True Light, make my soul worthy to behold with joy the light of your glory, in that day when you call me and to rest in the hope of good things in the mansions of the just until the day of Your glorious coming. Amen.

Cover: Gregory Beylerian, 2014

The Solstice: Sun and Son Light

Next Step #799 – December 21, 2022 – The Winter Solstice signals the birth of the Sun days begin to grow longer in the Northern Hemisphere. In a comparison of Sunlight with Sonlight, Fr. Vazken shares some ideas that prepare and challenge the listener to tap into the Christ light within. Welcome to Noor.
Show note links:
Why January 6 for Christmas?
Probe to the Sun
Halleluia by Leonard Cohen
Christmas Song by Jethro Tull
Daily Message on the Solstice
Daily Podcasts – Armodoxy for Today – epostle
Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for http://Epostle.net
Subscribe and listen on demand on your favorite pod-catcher!
We’re on PandoraSpotify and Apple Podcasts

The Salt & Light Preface

Armodoxy for Today: The Advent Series – Prefaced with Salt & Light

We begin the second week of our Advent Journey, with two statements that set the purpose for the Essential Teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. Here, he proclaims the importance of each of us, as a child of God. He says,

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

Here he gives a warning of what may come by your own doing. Salt, a speckle of seeming insignificance, is vital to life. It brings flavor to food, as is the directive for you to bring flavor to life. And without that flavor, salt is but a grain of sand. It is, as Jesus says, “Good for nothing.” Very plainly, do not lose your favor.

He continues, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Jesus, who is proclaimed as the “Light of the World” is now casting a new light on us. He refers to you as the Light. So important is Light to our life, that Jesus instructs you to shine your light – share your goodness, your talents – with others.

This passage today prefaces the purpose of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is validating you as Salt and as Light – important to bring flavor and illumination to the world. God has created you in His image for a purpose, to decorate, illuminate, share your talents, bring joy to all of creation. Don’t lose that saltiness. Don’t lose the light. The Sermon is the essential instruction on how not to lose the Goodness with which God has endowed you from the beginning. It’s yours and you are God’s.

Let us pray, Lord our God, during this Season of Advent, I prepare to greet you with awe and wonder. You have given me the joy of life. Help me to count my blessings, make my talents known for your Glory, so that I may live by the standard of Love. Amen.

The Transfer

Armodoxy for Today: The Transfer

Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ, Part 4

At the Transfiguration event, (Matthew 17:1–8, Mark 9:2–8, Luke 9:28–36), we receive a glimpse of the Divine Light. It is overwhelming. It is the Light by which the words “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:2) makes us wonder and ponder the magnificence of God.

In that radiance, a voice is heard from heaven saying, “This is My beloved Son…”

St. John the Evangelist attests to this Light in his Gospel, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” (John 1:1-5)

Jesus says of himself, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” (John 8:12) But he does not stop there. He transfers that light to each of us. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God…” (John 1:12)

This transfer of Light is delivered to us by Jesus himself. “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)

Think of this awesome revelation at the Transfiguration. It is not a moment in history, but an event that talks to you today. The Christ Light – the Divine Light – shone and was witnessed by Jesus Disciples. And in a gesture of universality, Jesus now transfers that Christ Light to each of us, with the condition that it is used to accent the good works of our life and brings glory to God. Think of it for a moment. The purpose of Light is for humanity. It is to strengthen our resolve to do what is right and what is good. It is to promote peace and justice in our lives. In other word, the Jesus Birth-message, “Peace on Earth, goodwill toward one another” is exposed through our Light.

We pray St. Nersess’ prayer for 21st hour, Christ, you are the true light, make my soul worthy to behold the light of your glory with joy, in the day when you call me; to rest in the hope of the good in the mansions of the just. Have mercy on your creatures and upon me. Amen

 

The Call

Armodoxy for Today: The Call

Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ, Part 3

At the Transfiguration event, recorded by the three synoptic gospels, (Matthew 17:1–8, Mark 9:2–8, Luke 9:28–36), two figures appear next to the Transfigured Christ. Moses and Elijah are characters from the Old Testament. Within Jewish history Moses is the Law giver and therefore the symbol of the Law, while Elijah was among the major prophets and therefore comes to symbolize the prophetic tradition in this story. They were not contemporaries of Jesus, but had died several centuries earlier. Their appearance in the narrative is accented by the words from Heaven, “This is My beloved Son. Listen to Him!” Between the Laws and the Prophets stands Jesus Christ radiating the Divine Light to the World. “Listen to Him,” is the direction for humanity.

The Patron saint of the Armenian Church, St. Gregory the Illuminator, added one more dimension to this story so that it would appeal to the people of his congregation. After Gregory converted the Armenian King Dirtad and subsequently the nation of Armenia to Christianity, he replaced many of the pagan holidays with Christian holidays. The celebration known Vartavar, dedicated to the pagan goddess Asdghik, was a water festival. The feast of Transfiguration was assigned to this day. The water component was kept as a reminder of our personal rebirth through the font of Baptism. Hence, the Divine Call was broadened to include Asdghik. She and her followers now heard the message: “Listen to Him.”

We all have mottos, teachers, gurus, philosophies, and perhaps even gods and goddesses who point us in directions of spiritual growth. Some may follow these teaching more fervently than others. Others, may pull up a saying from a calendar or a talk show and connect to the message. The Transfiguration story points to the perennial call. Jesus Christ is shinning the Divine Light. It is the Light that is not measured by lumens but by warmth and factors beyond our understanding. In that Light in which darkness is dissipated, and purity abounds. Traditions – whether the Law, the Prophets, philosophies, teachers, and the lot, are all subjected to the One message that Jesus Christ professed: Love! There’s no escape. And so, we are instructed: Listen to Him!

We pray a prayer adapted from the Armenian Divine Liturgy, God of truth and mercy, we thank you, who have exalted our nature, condemned as we were, above that of the blessed patriarchs; for you were called God to them, whereas in compassion you have been pleased to be named Father to us. Make the grace of so new and precious a naming of yourself shine forth and grant us to open our mouths with a cry of bold voice, to call upon you, O heavenly Father. Amen.

Transfiguration – Mysterious Light

Armodoxy for Today: The Transfiguration

The Transfiguration of Jesus Christ is recorded in the three synoptic Gospels. (Matthew 17:1–8, Mark 9:2–8, Luke 9:28–36) They tell a story of Jesus leading three of his disciples, Peter, James and John up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. St. Matthew says, His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.”

The Evangelist Mark describes his appearance, “His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them.”

And St. Luke describes it, “the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening.”

Jesus was transfigured and accented by a light that cannot be the described except through allegory. The brilliance and quality of that life was undeniably undefinable.

In the Biblical account of Creation (Genesis 1) it is noteworthy that God starts the process by saying, “Let there be Light.” This takes place two days prior to the creation of the stars and the sun. In other words, according to this account, the first day of Creation is marked by a Light that is not defined by the sun or any astronomical body. This is the Divine Light, one that shines bright – dazzling and pure. It cannot be defined by measures, but rather by the purity and quality.

During the last several decades modern science and medicine have advanced to the point of intervening in the death process and giving people who have heart events a second chance at life. It happens often enough that the title “near death experience” is now an accepted phenomenon. If you listen to people who have had these near-death episodes, when they are revived or resuscitated, 98% of them return to life telling of a bright light that is not measured in lumens but by temperature: “A warm light,” they say. Could it be that this is a glance and a feel of the Divine Light?

The Armenian Church celebrates that Light as a mystery. The worship of the Armenian Church – the Holy Pataraq – begins with the words, “Mystery deep, without beginning and beyond understanding…”

Christ revealed only a portion of the Divine Light, the Divine Essence, at the Transfiguration. It is beyond our comprehension and understanding.

Tomorrow we continue on the theme and story of this Light, for today, we pray the Khorhourt Khorin, O mystery deep, inscrutable, without beginning, you have decked your supernal realm as a nuptial chamber to the light unapproachable and adorned with splendid glory the ranks of the fiery spirits.

Summer Solstice

Armodoxy for Today: The Summer Solstice

Today is the Summer Solstice. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is the day with the most hours of sunlight. Daylight hours have increased since the Winter Solstice in December, the day which enjoys the sun the least.

In the Armenian Church, much has been written and said about the Winter Solstice because the date of Christmas was changed from January 6 to December 25 in the West, to bump the holidays surrounding the solstice celebrations, thus facilitating the spread of Christianity.

With no such conflicts of date or celebrations, the Summer Solstice gives us an opportunity to focus on light itself.

A few years back, I found myself in a village in Rwanda working with genocide survivors. We conducted informal interviews with them, became familiar with their daily activities and then, as the sun went down, people wound down, and soon, it was 7:00 PM. It was dark outside. People were in their homes, preparing for their night’s slumber. There was no sound throughout the village. I thought it odd that people would be preparing to sleep at this early hour. And then it occurred to me, that without electricity, without the artificial lighting that the electricity provides, for all intents and purposes the day was over with the sun set.

In a world without electricity, you can only imagine how welcomed the longer days are. It meant more time for families and community building, more time for productive living, for gatherings, therefore, more time to share and celebrate, that is, to express love.

Light is the facilitator of life. Light maximizes the potential for life. With this understanding, listen, then, to the words of Christ:

Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him… A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” (John 11 & 12)

Some of the great treasures of our Faith are found in the simplest phenomena of nature.

We end with a prayer by the 13th century saint Nersess Shnorhali, I confess with faith and worship you, O Indivisible Light, unified Holy Trinity and one Godhead; creator of light and dispeller of darkness, dispel from my soul the darkness of sin and ignorance, and enlighten my mind at this moment, so that I may pray to you according to your will, and receive from you the fulfillment of my requests. Have mercy upon your creatures, and on me. Amen.

Etchmiadzin for All

Armodoxy for Today: Etchmiadin for All

In a world that is plagued with war, disease, poverty, intolerance and indifference, the feast of Holy Etchmiadzin may seem obsolete and/or archaic. What is all this talk about Holy Etchmiadzin when the news is shouting out horror and evil?

The Church steers us to the answer in the epistle reading of the day, from Hebrews chapter 9. Here we read about structures, about altars and tabernacles. In the Armenian Church we read this in the context of the new covenant and therefore state the invitation in the hymn of Holy Etchmiadzin: “Come, let us build the altar of light!”

The altar, which pointed to rules and regulations is now standing as a beacon of light, and therefore, as a lifesaver offering and giving hope! The Divine Liturgy of the Armenian Church attests to this subtle change of focus when the celebrant prays, “God of truth and Father of mercy, we thank you, for you have exalted our nature, above that of the blessed patriarchs; for you were called God to them, whereas in compassion you have been pleased to be named Father to us.”

As children of our Heavenly Father, we are called to the highest calling: to share the Light with others, especially those living in darkness. “You are the light of the world,” says Jesus (Matthew 5).  “A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Come let us build the altar of light, says the hymn, so that evil is exposed. Etchmiadzin is the altar of light that must be raised in a world of darkness.

“This is the verdict,” Jesus says, (John 3) “Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”

We pray, from St. Nersess Shnorhali’s prayer, O Christ, the true Light make my soul worthy to encounter with joy the light of your divine glory, on the day I will be called by you; and to rest in good hope, in the mansions of the righteous, until the great day of your coming. Have mercy upon your creatures, and on me, a sinner. Amen.

 

Cover: Altar of Descent, Holy Etchmiadzin, Fr. Vazken 2014

Etchmiadzin is Mission

Armodoxy for Today: Etchmiadzin as Mission

Today’s message comes from His Holiness, Karekin I, of blessed memory, who was the Catholicos of All Armenians from 1995 until his passing in 1999. When he assumed the throne of Chief Shepherd of the Apostolic See, he coined a phrase, “Etchmiadzin is Mission.” From his sermon which he delivered on the Feast of Holy Etchmiadzin 1995, I share with you these excerpts:

“Come, let us make an altar of light, for thereby did the light shine in the land of Armenia.” (From the hymn of Holy Etchmiadzin)

The altar of light is light itself – light created by God. “I am the light of the world,” proclaimed our Lord, hence the architect of this altar at Etchmiadzin, is God Himself also, acting through His Only Begotten Son. As humans, we are called to make this altar, but I would say that actually we are to allow it to make and fashion us and our lives.

One thinks of artists, sculptors, poets and composers: they create, and their soul radiates through matter – marble, sound, words, etc. – and expresses itself. We can therefore only make an alter for God inasmuch as we become participants in God’s own creativity and the task of spiritual edification.

… What people conceive of when they speak of “Holy Etchmiadzin” is something spiritual, which radiated through the physical Etchmiadzin; for a stone on its own is nothing but a stone – dead matter!

… Etchmiadzin is first and foremost a mission; it is not an institution like other institutions. … It is not an ode to the past, a glorification of previous achievements or pride in former accomplishments. Etchmiadzin is a mission; it is the transcription of God into Armenian, the preaching of Christ’s Gospel and the teaching of the faith of our Holy Fathers.

… Human response to the divine calling is what is needed now; we have to experience a total and complete change of heart so as to be able to deserve serving at Etchamiadzin…

…I quote from the Book of Hours [of the Armenian Church]

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who, through the prayers and intercessions of the father in faith and Your long-suffering servant, St. Gregory the Illuminator… You expressed your Love and mercy in a special way by descending in this place; You struck with your golden hammer the depths of hell and dispersed its inhabitants; You wondrously created this Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and turned it into an ever abundant source of Your grace, into a [nurturing] mother and teacher… keep this See spotless and crystal clear and bright, for the sake of the glory of all our churches until the end of the World… Amen.

Let us become as the plain of Ararat, ready to receive the divine message and may Etchmiadzin become integrated into our spiritual world and our lives. So that we may glorify the Almighty Father and Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Contrast

Armodoxy for Today: Contrast

What is darkness? Very simply, it is the absence of light. Darkness is only definable in the presence of light.

What is evil? Very simply, it is the absence of good. Evil is defined in reference to the good.

Some take this one step further and define Hell as the place where there is the absence of God. With this simple definition it is possible to find Hell here on Earth now, not at some future time. Still, others will argue that by definition there cannot be a place where God does not exist.

Questions and ponderings such as these are more than mental gymnastics, they are brought to the forefront of our thoughts when light is threatened. It is part of our natural defense system because we are afraid of the dark. As humans, we want to stay in the light but sometimes the darkness can be so overwhelming that we succumb to its power.

The power of sunlight is so great, that its light enlightens our entire planet and heats it as well. Likewise, the power of Jesus, as Light of the World, is so great, that His Light overcomes the Darkness.

Jesus begins his ministry by referencing the prophet’s saying  –  “…The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.”

The Evangelist St. Matthew continues the narrative (chapter 4), “From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

We pray, Christ, the true Light, make my soul worthy to encounter with joy the light of your divine glory, on the day I will be called by you; and to rest in good hope, in the mansions of the righteous, until the great day of your coming. Have mercy upon your creatures, and on me, a sinner. Amen. (St. Nersess Shnorhali, I confess with Faith)