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
https://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/IMG_7569-scaled.jpeg25601920Vazken Movsesianhttps://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/final_logo_large_for_epostle_web-300x189.pngVazken Movsesian2024-07-11 00:01:502024-07-10 22:22:16The Transfer
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.
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.
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.
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
https://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/P1040707-scaled.jpg25601920Vazken Movsesianhttps://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/final_logo_large_for_epostle_web-300x189.pngVazken Movsesian2024-06-04 00:01:052024-06-03 21:46:05Etchmiadzin for All
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.
https://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/IMG_0394-copy-scaled.jpeg25601920Vazken Movsesianhttps://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/final_logo_large_for_epostle_web-300x189.pngVazken Movsesian2024-06-03 00:01:512024-06-03 06:36:23Etchmiadzin is Mission
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)
Change. You have changed through the Lenten Season. In fact, our Lord Jesus Christ is the author of change. He advocated our need to change. Your increased interaction with him has set you on the path to change. That change is articulated through repentance, that is, a conscious desire to change. Through his words and life, Jesus taught that in simplicity we can find happiness and inner peace. Lent offers the first steps on that path toward simplicity.
Christ has the ability to change evil into good. Certainly, at the Cross, he transformed the evil Crucifixion into a “Good” Friday event, by the power of the Resurrection. Jesus also changes the meaning words and concepts for us to understand the power of the good. For instance, he took the words of condemnation and turned them into words of salvation. The first man heard the words, “Take and eat this will make you like God,” and was condemned. Jesus took those same words and turned them into words of salvation, “Take and eat,” this will make you like God, for this is my body and this is my blood.
Jesus is the one who transforms us and in him we see a transfiguration. A renewal for our lives. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives us a formula for happiness. In the Beatitudes we are told what is really important in life. In giving us hope and belief in tomorrow, he concludes the Beatitudes by once again changing us giving us an opportunity to partake in the Divine Nature. The same one who once said, “I am the light of the world,” now turns to us and says, “You are the light of the world,” giving us an opportunity, much like the disciples who witnessed the transfiguration, who saw His radiance, an opportunity to see the fullness of God.
According to the Old Testament, the first thing that God wills is light, “Let there be light.” This is independent of any celestial body. It is pure light. It is radiating light. It is healing light. It is the light that is from the beginning of time and continues forever. Yes, Jesus now places you there, “You are the light of the world!’
Jesus continues in the Sermon on the Mount by saying “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”
Using something as small and seemingly insignificant as a grain of salt, Jesus emphasizes how important your life is in the big picture. The Lord proclaims that you are important because you are that salt of the earth. That salt is used to flavor life, to give life its meaning and to give it content, that is, inner happiness, inner strength, inner peace.
In Armenian Church tradition a priest blesses the homes of his parishioners and part of that ritual involves blessing water for the spiritual needs of the family and blessing the bread for the physical needs of the family. Equally as important, the priest blesses salt because flavor is necessary in life. We are called to the happiness of life, to share in God’s love, in God’s kingdom, in the goodness that is all around us. Imagine, “You are the salt of the earth” because you give meaning to what we know as life. With this gift comes responsibility – not to lose saltiness, not to lose flavor.
Likewise, regarding the light that you are, he says, “You are the light of the world. 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.”
There is a responsibility that comes with being light. Light needs to shine. Yours is to light the world. You do not have the right to hide light.
Today you find more opportunities of expressing our responsibility in God’s Creation. You are called to a unique responsibility of being salt, the flavor of life. You are the light which illuminates the darkness and illuminates the path to your heavenly Father. As night falls on the Lenten Season, we are given the responsibility to shine light on a world that is in need of illumination.
The sun goes down daily over our lives, but for many lives, the glimmer of hope for a new sun rise is nonexistent. Imagine leaving a room, turning off the lights and the room becomes so dark that those people in it cannot see the light switch. They don’t know where to turn. They don’t know where to reach to turn on the light. You are the light of the world. Shine. Turn on the switch. Provide hope, faith and love.
Today God is calling upon you to become the light of the world, not to hide yourself under a table but to put yourself on the light stand. As someone who has gone through this Lenten season you now have a new responsibility to light the darkness and in so doing, to become an agent of Christ, to become a pillar of hope where there cannot be hope. You are the salt of the Earth to bring flavor to life, you are the light of the world to bring light into the darkness.
For today’s prayer, I offer a hymn of Saint Nerses Shnorhali (Norasdeghdzyal): In the beginning the Word newly created the heaven and heavens out of nothing, and the celestial hosts: the watchers, the angels and the elements, contrary one to the other, and yet agreeing, by which the indescribable Trinity is ever glorified.
The thrice-holy One, dominion and Godhead in one nature, the light uncreated that creates, commanded that there be created light, which He made to shine on the first Lord’s day that was Sunday, by which the inexpressible Trinity is ever glorified.
O You Love, in love You humbled Yourself and took human form for our salvation, in the same body that was crucified, and laid in the tomb of death, this day You rose as God and the angels proclaimed; come you who are saved, sing with the angel praises to him that is risen. Amen.
https://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/FRICE081.jpg600900Vazken Movsesianhttps://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/final_logo_large_for_epostle_web-300x189.pngVazken Movsesian2024-03-21 00:01:212024-03-20 22:25:58Light & Salt: Lent Day 39
Over the last 50 years or so, people who have succumbed to heart failure have been brought back to life thanks to developments in medicine and better methods of resuscitation. It is interesting to note the experiences of the victim/survivors, upon being revived. Many describe being in the presence of a calming and warm light. Yes, light is being described not by kilowatts or power, but by temperature, by warmth, they say.
I have had the pleasure of knowing a couple of these survivors and I found that there is no denying the reality they experienced on the “other side” of life. They understand people’s skepticism over their experience, but they won’t renege on their story: they were dead, they felt a warm light and then they returned from death. Some will also add that they had an out-of-body experience, where they witnessed themselves being resuscitated from a birds-eye view. In the end, they returned to tell of their experiences.
Within the Judeo-Christian tradition, the first creation story written in Genesis begins with God creating light (1.2) on the first day. It is interesting because the qualifier of what we consider “light,” that is, the sun, doesn’t appear in this account until the fourth day! (1:14-19)
Light is the first thing that is created. And whether you take the story of creation metaphorically, mythically or literally, you have to admit that the placement of the creation of light as the first act of the story (before the Sun) points to a light that is quite different than what we understand when we open the window or turn on the switch. It is a light that can be measure in intensity and warmth.
This week we have been looking at the Biblical passage John 3:13-21, which was the Sunday lectionary reading. We come to understand that Jesus Christ was there in the beginning, before time and matter. He is Divine. Reading on, we find in the passage that we connect true love with the sacrifice of the Cross.
Today we focus on the concluding words of the passage: … the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.
Therefore, in a passage which begins by placing Jesus at the beginning of time, it concludes with an explanation of Jesus’ proclamation, “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)
The Armenian Church prescribes this passage on the third Sunday following Theophany for a reason. When God is revealed – whether as presented by Matthew & Luke with manger, kings, shepherds, the inn and all the nativity props, or by John’s placement of Jesus at the beginning of time – the Light is present. It is light defined by something greater than photons and powered by wattage. It is the Light eternal. It beckons us to walk, pray, meditate and grow in the Eternal Presence of God.
Let us pray, Nersess Shnorhali’s prayer of the 21st hour, O Christ, True Light, make my soul worthy to behold with you 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.
In the midst of Advent, an important astronomical event takes place in the Northern Hemisphere. Its importance is connected with our journey and with Christmas. The event is the Winter Solstice, and it usually takes place on December 21 or 22. It is the shortest day of the year. For several years now, the day has been set aside to honor the memory of all those who have lost their lives while without shelter. It is used to focus attention on the homeless population because it is the longest night of the year and signals the beginning of Winter.
On the Day after the Winter Solstice the days begin to grow longer. In several cultures the Solstice is celebrated because longer days mean more light and more heat. It is known as the celebration of the Sun. Our Sun starts appearing for longer and longer spurts on the days following the Winter Solstice. You can imagine that in a time before electricity, how important and vital longer days were to survival. There were festivals celebrating the Birth of the Sun!
Interestingly enough, the celebration of the Birth of the Sun was on a collision course with the Birth of the Son, but it wouldn’t be until the 4th century.
For today, we pray a couple of verses from St. Nersess Shnorhali’s Avarod Louso
Morning of light, O thou righteous Sun, shed on me thy light. O Father’s Spirit, pour forth from my soul, words pleasing to thee. Treasure of mercy, of thy hidden wealth, make me a finder. The door of mercy, open thou for me, with angels rank me. Amen.
