Tag Archive for: Love

The Prodigal’s Father: Lent Day 15

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Lenten Recipe

Recipe 15: Suonomo (Cucumber Salad)

Lenten Journey Day 15 : The Prodigal’s Father
Yesterday we were introduced to the story of the Prodigal Son. In the 15th chapter of the Gospel of St. Luke, Jesus offers this parable which touches so many different dimensions of our lives.

Yesterday we reflected on the sin of the Prodigal son; that is, the “prodigalness” of the young man. His sin was that he abused the gifts that were given him. We share in that sin by abusing, which includes not using, the talents given to us by God.
Today we look at the character of the father. 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 and 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. His patience lasts for us to make that first turn-around. It’s then 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. His acceptance of us is a given. The requirement is for us to say, “Yes, I have sinned. I have gone the wrong way. I have squandered what God has given me. I want to find the peace. I want to find that love that God has created me in.” God waits for us to say, “I’m ready.” The rest takes place – it actually falls into place.
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. It’s a double-edged sword, isn’t it? On the one hand it is showing us what our Heavenly Father does, and the example for us to do likewise those in our lives.On the other hand we have prayed, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us.” God forgives us. We, therefore, have to be forgiving of others.

Finally, the third time we see the father in this story is when he talks to the older brother. He comforts him and he reminds him that we are all equal. In the sight of God it does not matter if you come back today, or if you come back in a hundred years. It does not matter if you came back yesterday. What is important is for each us to turn back to God. And that is the caring Father that we have in heaven, who does not prejudice his decisions by who we are, where we are, or what we’ve done. What matters is the “right now”. Are we willing to be at one, in harmony with Him, with the love and the universe that he has given us.Tomorrow we will continue with the theme of the Prodigal Son as we take a look at his older brother.

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)

Image by Edgar Gonzalez from Pixabay

Prodigal Son – Lent Day 14

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Lenten Recipe

Recipe 14: Hot and Sour Cabbage

Lenten Journey Day 14 – The 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.”
So ends the story of the Prodigal Son, but here begins a tremendous opportunity to reflect on the many dimensions of this short parable.
In the next few days of the Lenten Journey we will look at the father and older son characters separately. For today’s discussion we will focus on the younger son. Let’s begin with the young man’s desire to want a better life and to enjoy it. That is not a foreign or unusual feeling. In fact, we all have entertained thoughts of better life. Why not? Why shouldn’t we have the better things in life? For in fact, in this boy’s case, he had the means, his father had the resources, so why not take advantage of the situation and go for it all? What then is the “sin” of the younger son? He is driven by his passions and the energy that comes with youth, and perhaps a little bit of impatience. He seizes the opportunity and takes what he can! Where’s the sin?
Taking what is given to you is not a sin. That is your gift. It belongs to you. The sin is squandering the gift! The sin is taking your gift and abusing it.
One of the challenges that comes to us on this 14th Day of the Lenten Journey is to list and inventory the gifts that have been given to you. Are you using that gift? Or are you abusing it? Are you respecting that gift or are you squandering it?
God has given each of us talents. He has given us life itself. Indeed the breath we breathe is a gift, as is the smile on our face, our ability to hug and our passion to reach out. Unfortunately, much like the Prodigal Son, we squander what is given us in a reckless and sometimes abusive manner. We consume our lives with the minutia and we therefore abandon quality. God has given us a smile that would light up a room and we cover it up, we are ashamed to show that smile. He has given us the ability to talk and instead we keep our mouths closed, or if we do open it we fill it with idle conversation and gossip. He has  given us the ability to hold, lift up and to help others instead we tie our hands down and refuse to help those in need. He has given us feet to walk in the paths of righteousness and instead we take our bodies to dismal hangouts.
We are each a prodigal son. We have taken the gifts of God and instead of using and enjoying them, we have squandered, abused and wasted the goodness in a prodigal life. We have missed the mark and by missing it, we fall short of realizing and maximizing our potential.
As we are inventorying our talents and gifts from God, let us also ask ourselves how we are using those gifts. Are we squandering the precious elements of life? Or are we using those talents for the betterment of all?
Tomorrow, we will continue with the parable of the Prodigal Son by observing the character of the father. For now let us pray the prayer of St. Nerses 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)

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

Charity: changing the greater-than sign

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Day 4: Giving and placement of the greater-than sign

Lenten Recipe

Recipe 4: Spinach Salad with Passionfruit Dressing and Maple-Glazed Almonds

 
As we are coming to understand, Lent gives us an opportunity to slow down and strip life to its essentials. We are finding what is really essential and necessary for our life.
Today we discover that the act of giving, that is charity, is an essential element of life, that is, it is necessary for healthy living. In real terms, giving is one act that you can’t “give-up” for Lent. Giving to others enhances our spiritual life.
Let us take at the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus instructs us on the proper manner of giving. Jesus says, “Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them. For then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. So whenever you give alms do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the street so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you they have received their reward. When you give alms do not let your left hand know what the right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6)
Giving, or acting on charity, is an outward expression of our faith. By giving to others we are expressing the inner desires of our heart. Those expressions tell a lot about us. In the giving process we develop patterns and slowly we find that we are juggling our giving along with the receiving and taking processes.  We seek to find a balance between our giving and receiving. For instance, we give to those from whom it is possible to receive and we take from those who are giving.
When Jesus says, “It is better to give then it is to receive,” he is disrupting the balance. He is placing a greater-than sign in place of the equal sign and we’re called to do the same. He says when you give, keep it pure. If you give to others make sure that is a true giving without expectation of anything in return.  In fact throughout the Gospels Jesus instructs us to help the poor, to aid those in need. Why? Well, the first answer is obvious: because they need it. But what is not so apparent is that even more, weneed to give! When we aid others and help them we understand that life is more than the accumulation of wealth. We realize that life is not made up of the stuff and things that we call possession. Those thing, in fact, possess us!
When Jesus cautions us not to sound a trumpet when giving, he is instructing us to keep it pure. Give with no expectation. Even the applause and the praise of others is something we receive in return, so avoid it by giving in secret. In so doing, our giving is unidirectional, and that type of giving is egoless, selfless. On this fourth day of Lent, we are beginning to understand the importance of losing the self. When ego doesn’t matter, the desires of the heart are truly pure. Giving becomes an expression of love, unconditionally, without expectation of anything in return.
During the Lenten period we are called to really examine ourselves, with fasting, with prayer and with giving. Giving is the easiest of the three to examine, because we notice ourselves giving. There is a record of our actions. Take advantage of this time.  Try this small and simple exercise. Examine your past and your present for people who have touched you in a unique manner. You may be surprised to find that the ones who have influenced you the most were not the superstars. They were not the athletes, the recording stars and the mega-rich. In fact, they were the very simple people who gave something to you without expectation for their personal rewards. Perhaps it was a mother, a father,  perhaps a grandfather or grandmother. Perhaps a friend who shared some time with you or some advice. And the fact that you remember these people is proof that giving never dies because it is an expression of love.
One-way giving is the kind of giving God expects because it is the type of giving He demonstrates in His love for us. One-way giving is a definition of Love. God gives us the most precious gift of all, that life that we have. He gives us salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ and it is given unconditionally, in other words despite ourselves. So in the same manner give to others. In fact throughout the gospels Jesus instructs us to give to others who have absolutely no way to pay us back. Why? Because in so doing we become God-like. God did the same thing. He gave to people who had absolutely no way to repay Him. How can you payback life and salvation? And God answers by saying, do the same to others. Love and care for others with no expectation and no conditions.
So give freely. And remember, the object of your giving is not only tangible goods. More important that what is in your pocket is what is in your heart. Give your time. Give your attention. Give your love. Find an elderly person who needs a few moments of your time. Find a child who needs you to read a book. Find a person who needs food. Find another who is in need of shelter. Or simply, find someone who needs a smile and for you to hold his or her hand. Give and express your love.
Let us pray one of the prayers of St. Nerses Shnorhali:
Bestower of mercy grant that I may come to you with true faith, with good works and by the communion of the Holy body and blood. Have mercy upon your creatures and upon me, a great sinner. (From St. Nersess Shnorhali’s “I confess with Faith,” 19/24)

Finding the Primer

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Armodoxy for Today: The Primer

There is one word for love “սէր” (pronounced sehr) in Armenian and in this one word, the erotic (eros), brotherly (philia), and unconditional (agape) elements of love all come together, remarkably, but not surprisingly.

In science and specifically in the field of physics attempts have been made to describe all the fundamental forces and the relationships between elementary particles in a single theoretical framework. A unified field theory has been the quest of many great physicists. During my youth I was fascinated by the notion that everything might be explained in a unified field theory. I carried my interest and curiosity for an answer with me into seminary. If there exists one explanation, if there is a unified field theory, I thought, why must it be limited to the physical world? A true unified field theory would also pertain to the emotional, psychological, and spiritual world and therefore be explained as a part of religion. From a religious vantage point, particularly a Christian one, the unified field theory would also account for God. The problem there, of course, is that God has to be greater than the words that can contain or describe Him. And so, I thought, is it possible that God is the Unified Field Theory? But, who in the scientific community would entertain such an assertion?

Throughout the years as I contemplated this puzzle, I was fascinated by the work of physicists who pondered the question and came up with theories. I would dive, even if shallow, into experiments with particle accelerators and the latest with Higgs boson or Higgs particle, especially when the term “The God Particle” was assigned to the work.

Something was missing. There was a missing piece to everything I was absorbing. I needed a primer – a piece of the puzzle that would give meaning to everything else. And then it happened! One Sunday morning as we were singing the Hymn “Aravod Louso” a verse that I had sang a thousand times before jumped out at me. St. Nersess Shnorhali writes, in the 36 verse hymn, in the 29th verse, the words, “The name of love is Jesus.”  It clicked! From that moment on, I saw something very clearly, that relied on the truth of pure logic, that is, if A = B and B = C, then A = C. If God = Love and if Love = Jesus, then God = Jesus. In other words, the primer opened the world of understanding by expressions of equality. God, Jesus and Love could be used interchangeably.

I went ahead and tested this discovery. Jesus makes a statement, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” This has caused isolation and rejection of Christianity by people who only had a superficial understanding of the terms. Testing began. I interchanged the word “Love” for Jesus. Can we now agree – everyone agree – that Love is the way. Love is the truth. Love is the life? It works! It was remarkable but not surprising. Jesus Christ, is the fulfillment of the law and the profits, the Alpha and the Omega. The Way is a person, the Truth is a person and Life is a person. They are Jesus Christ. The primer works! It connects the story of Jesus Christ to all of eternity, to the beginning and end of time. Armodoxy makes this bold proclamation, and everything we teach is based on this solid foundation, that there is only one element from the beginning of the universe to the end, and that is love. It is the strongest element in this universe. It is the beginning and the end.

Let us pray, O Lord Jesus Christ, you are the way, the truth and the life. Help me to walk in your path of love. Guild me to proclaim boldly the name of Jesus Christ and in so doing, may I carry this message to the hurting world. Amen.

Cover: Luna & Gregory Beylerian

25i23

Love, Romance and Sacrifice

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Armodoxy for Today: Love Defined

The statement made by Christ is John 3:16, “God so loved the world that He gave his only Son” has been referred to as the “Gospel in brief.” It is recited and re-recited by the young and old so frequently that many would be pressed to explain its meaning.

God sending His Son is the reason given as a demonstration of His love for the world. The statement presupposes that we know how the story is going to pan out, namely that Jesus will be Crucified. It is the Crucifixion that gives meaning to the statement, “God so loved the world that He gave his only Son.” The fact that God gives up and sacrifices His Son is the qualifier for His love. In other words, we understand that God must love us so much that He sacrifices His very best. Without this sacrificial act, the statement is empty.

In Armenian Orthodoxy the symbol of love is the cross. Quite different from the Western symbol of the red-heart made popular by Hallmark and candy companies vying for your dollars on Valentine’s Day, the Cross is true romance because in the symbol there is pain and suffering that is voluntarily given out of love.

Reflect on your own circumstance, on your own life… Who are the people that sacrificed for you? If you can think of a person then you are also thinking of the person who loves you. Love is painful because sacrifice hurts. Love is beautiful because sacrificing is the ultimate expression of beauty. The Cross is set apart as a symbol of magnificence because in it we understand, albeit only partially but still enough, that God’s love for us is the ultimate expression of caring, compassion and affection for us, because He gave His very best.

The Greeks use many words to describe Love, but three of them have been popularized in the Christianity, namely eros, philia and agape. Eros is the physical or sexual love. Think of the word erotic. Philia is the love between siblings, between friends. Think of Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love. Agape is the God-love. It is unconditional. It is sacrificial and therefore, sacrificial love, as in “God so love the world…” is unconditional.

Armodoxy goes one step further. In the Armenian language, there is only one word for love, “սէր” (pronounced sehr) In this one word, the erotic, brotherly, and unconditional elements of love all come together, remarkably, but not surprisingly. Join me tomorrow as we continue with Armodoxy for today.

Let us pray, the prayer of St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi, All the greatest pains become sweet for whoever looks at Jesus Christ on the Cross. Amen.

25i23

Missing Message: Armodoxy

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Armodoxy for Today: The Message

When we proclaim our faith about Jesus Christ, we often do so about the person and inadvertently forget a fundament element of the faith, namely the message he preached. In the Nicene Creed, adopted in 325AD by the Church and recited in churches throughout the world every Sunday, we proclaim our belief in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and the exclusivity of the Holy Church. We have shorter forms of the profession of faith, one of which is confessed by the godfather during baptism in the Armenian Church. In the Western churches, such as the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches, the Apostles Creed is pronounced. In St. Nersess Shnorhali’s prayer of the 4th hour, we read an even more abbreviated form about Jesus, the Son of God, “Who descended from the bosom of the Father, and took flesh of the Holy Virgin Mary for our salvation, who was crucified and buried, and rose from the dead and ascended to the Father.”

In all of the Creeds and professions of faith, the person of Jesus, the Son of God, is defined. What is missing is his message, or even more simply, mention or reference of his message. I use the word “missing” rather than “omitted” or “forgotten” because I believe the development of these creeds were products of the times and societal needs. In the case of the Armenian Church, her constituency during the early centuries was homogeneous. The people attended church and shared common values and so it wasn’t necessary to reference the message in a creed.

Armodoxy is about taking that ancient faith and placing it in today’s world and society. In a globalized society, where many different messages are vying for your attention, Jesus’ message can easily be dismissed, omitted or even forgotten because of the zealous efforts to proclaim Jesus as superior to other choices. Mature faith understands that it is Jesus’ message, that is unique and superior to all else. In his message we understand the fulness of the statement that God is love. Jesus’ message is what connects us to the beginning of time, and therein we find the Divinity of Jesus as the Son of God. “I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true.” (John 7:28)

Let us pray St. Nersess Shnorhli’s prayer of the 4th hour, with addendum, Son of God, true God, who descended from the bosom of the Father, and took flesh of the Holy Virgin Mary for our salvation, [who taught the message of true love and compassion, with his words and his life,] who was crucified and buried, and rose from the dead and ascended to the Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before You, remember me like the robber when You come into your kingdom. Amen.

20i23

Advent 42-50: Fruits

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Advent Day 42 of 50: Fruits

Jesus was misunderstood in his time. His call for love and peace was met with hatred and violence by the established religious leaders of the day as is evident by the judgement of the tribunal to beat and flog him and then execute him. Beyond the religious community, the people of the day were taking his words and finding a comfort zone for themselves. In fact, when Emperor Constantine called together the first Ecumenical Council in 325 with representatives from all the Christian communities, it was specifically to sort out all the different teachings ascribed to Jesus up to that time.

Jesus continues to be misunderstood even today as is evident from the many different denominations that confess different understandings of Jesus while operating under the Protestant Christian banner.

Jesus addresses this divergence from his teaching in the next few verses of the Sermon on the Mount.

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. (Matthew 7:15-20)

Once again, even in describing “false prophets,” Jesus points to actions as the identifier. Christianity is a religion in the present. As a Christian you interact with the world, with people, with the friends and strangers, with those who respect you as well as those who are alienated from you. A Christian is identified by his or her actions and the fruit those actions produce.

Jesus can’t be any clearer, by your fruits you will be known.

We pray from the 23 hour of St. Nersess Shnorhali’s Confession of Faith, All-merciful Lord, have mercy on all; on my loved ones, and on those who are strangers to me; on all those I know, and on those unknown to me; on the living and on the dead; forgive my enemies, and those who hate me, forgive the trespasses they have committed against me; and dispel the malice they bear towards me, so that they become worthy of your mercy. Amen.

Advent 10-50: Greater than God

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Advent Day 10 of 50: Greater than God

Advent Day 10 of During this period of Advent, we are encountering the Essential Teachings of Jesus as he expressed them in the Sermon on the Mount. Today we continue to look at the harsh contrast between the Old and New Testaments, especially as it is presented in this passage about murder. Jesus equates murder with anger. “You have heard that it was said to those of old,” Jesus says, “‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.” For Jesus, sincerity of heart is of primary importance. But the contrast twixt Old and New is perhaps nowhere so pronounces as when Jesus offers the solution to our anger.

He continues, “Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”

Truly this prescription is in stark contrast to the Old Covenant. In the Ten Commandments, the code of the Old Testament God is not to be overshadowed by anyone or anything. The first two commandments, articulated by God are as follows:

“You shall have no other gods before Me. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God….” (Exodus 20:3-6)

For Jesus, our reconciliation with one another is more important than God! “… leave your gift there before the altar,” he instructs, “and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”

Lip service did not interest Jesus. Actions were necessary to back up the words of our mouth. The love we have with one another is our expression of the love we have for God. This was so central to Jesus’ teaching that it was codified, in a sense, in the writing of St. John the Evangelist.

Today, we leave with a mediation from the Letter of St. John, chapter 4:

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. … Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. … If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also. (4:7-20)

Cover Photo: Luna & Gregory Beylerian

Chiastic Love

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Armodoxy for Today: Chiastic Love

A chiasmus is a literary form as old as recorded civilization. It is defined as a reversal in the order of words in two otherwise parallel phrases. For instance, sayings such as, “Say what you mean, and mean what you say” or on the lighter side, “Never let a fool kiss you or a kiss fool you.”

St. Augustine appealed to the chiasmus form when he said, “The measure of love is to love without measure.”

Loving without measure is one of the hallmarks of Christianity. Love without limits allows us to understand all the other teachings of Jesus, such as charity, forgiveness or humility, as the challenge to be Christ-like.

The measure of love is to love without measure. Today’s one minute for standard time.

Cover: Envato Elements

Melting Love

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Armodoxy for Today: Melting Love

When we were kids, one of our favorite fairy tales was “The Frog Prince,” rendered by the Brothers Grimm. My sister and I would listen to an old phonograph record which told the story of a spoiled princess who reluctantly befriended a frog. The friendship was the frog’s request as his reward for retrieving her golden ball. She was irritated that she, a beautiful princess, would have to hold, or just be in close proximity, of this old repulsive waddler. But the frog kept pushing his friendship on the princess. Little did she know that he was a prince who had a spell cast upon him and was trapped in the body of the frog.

Our phonograph record would play with the pops and hisses that we were accustomed to hear when playing the black vinyl, and we’d listen to the old froggy voice beg for the princess’ love. In his reptilian voice, he spelled it out, “Love could melt the heart of stone!”

As children those words were very powerful. A stone heart melting through the power of love! It was many years later that as a seminarian I heard similar words, not from the raspy mouth of a frog but from the golden hymn of Nersess Shnorhali, “Jesus, by name love, may your love crush my heart of stone.” Ser anoun Hisus, sirov kov jmlya sir dim kareghen. Yes, indeed, the power of love is so great that it can crush the heart of stone.

There are many images that are exaggerated as a matter of romantic reflection, whether in a fairy tale, or in a hymn. Heaven knows how many poems and songs have been penned with images touting the magical powers of love.

And certainly, the entire Gospel message, is one of Jesus instructing us to repay evil with love and he even demonstrates this on the Cross. The Resurrection itself is the victory of Love over the ultimate evil.

So today we ask, at what point did we stop believing in the power of love? When did we lose the faith in love’s power to melt or crush a heart of stone? When did we give up on love? When did we stop answering evil with the power of love?

As children we tend to take things literally. When the coach says, “Keep your eye on the ball, we may awkwardly walk up to the ball and place it under our eye until we realize that it is merely an expression to pay attention. There is a naivete that is characteristic of childhood and as we grow older we come to understand expressions in place of the literal meanings.

In the case of Jesus and his expression of love, he took it to the end exactly as he expressed it throughout his ministry. The Creed of the Armenian Church saw, “Jesus Christ, yesterday and today, the same for eternity.” Armodoxy attests that Jesus is Love incarnate, and therefore love, is the same yesterday, today and for eternity.

So we must conclude that Love has always been powerful. Love can indeed melt or crush the heart of stone. It is us that need to retrain and revert to our initial understanding of Love, literally as the means by which we overcome evil. It is on us, then, to seek and find, Love and as it was given to us through the Babe in a manger, to bring peace on earth and good will toward one another.

We pray today, “Lord Jesus Christ. God is love. Your name is love. Love exists in the eternal present. Rekindle in me the flames of love that were present in my childhood, when I believed the power of love could overcome the worst of the worst. Direct my path in the direction of my childhood dreams, where goodness and love are my strengths and my protection. Amen.”