Tag Archive for: Sacrifice

A Cross where Hearts are Presumed to be

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Armodoxy for Today: Form is Function in the Case of Love

The word for the Divine Liturgy in Armenian is Pataraq which literally means sacrifice. The Holy Cross, along with its witness as victory of good over evil, death over life and love over hatred, is the ideal symbol of sacrifice.

Over the past several days shared the story of the Apparition of the Holy Cross by looking at the Cross as a messenger witnessing the essence of Christianity to us.

On the Day of Resurrection two of Jesus’ disciples meet Jesus yet do not recognize him. In this story, relayed to us by St. Luke, in the 24th chapter of his Gospel, the disciples spend the entire day with Jesus without a clue to who he is. It is only in the evening, when they sit to eat that Jesus breaks the bread. It is only at that point, scripture tells us, that “their eyes were opened and they knew him.”

Now review the story of the Apparition of the Holy Cross. St. Cyril tells us that the Cross was visible throughout the city, that the populace ran to the church in praise of God. In the Holy Communion, we find that Sacrifice shining as great as the Cross. During the Pataraq the priest presents the Holy Communion to the congregation with the words, “This life, hope, resurrection, expiation and forgiveness of sins.”

Today we learn that the meaning of the Cross and the Holy Communion – specifically the Liturgy which prepares the Communion, the Holy Pataraq, is interchangeable with the Cross, and with Christ himself, ergo, the Holy Communion is, in fact, the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. As we have taught in Armodoxy, the symbol of Love is Cross (vs. the Western tradition of using a heart as the love symbol.)  When the Holy Cross appears across the sky it is Love shining over the world. And that LOVE is the power that conquered death and is what shown in the sky that day in 351. That LOVE is the only thing that is brighter than the sun! Or in the words of the Evangelist St. John, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of humankind.  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it…. The true Light gives light to every human being coming into the world.” (John 1)

We pray, O Christ, Light of the world, You shine where shadows cling, You rise where hearts have fallen, You kindle hope where fear has taken root. You are Light in our darkness, Love in our hands, Life in our midst— remain with us, now and always. Amen.

The Cross of Sacrifice

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Armodoxy for Today: The Cross of Sacrifice

The Cross is the main symbol of Christianity. We erect them atop holy shrines, churches, hospitals, and sacred spaces. We have tiny version of the cross around our neck, pinned to our lapel, and even decorate clothes. The Cross, a symbol of torture and death, was transformed by Christ, into a symbol of victory and life. Jesus conquered the Cross and the empty cross is a symbol of victory, and today we add, it is also a symbol of Sacrifice.

For the last few days, we’ve been diving into the Feast of the Apparition of the Holy Cross and leading up to the glow, or what St. Cyril of Jerusalem described as brighter than the sun. With the theme of Sacrifice, we get closer to finding that brightness.

The central act of worship in the Armenian Church is in the Sacrament of Holy Communion. What other communities refer to as the Divine Liturgy, in Armenian is called Pataraq, literally meaning Sacrifice.

Sacrifice is how love is demonstrated. St. John the Evangelist tells us God is Love. (IJohn 4:8). God is demonstrated through Sacrifice. Take some time to think about this for a moment. Meditate on sacrifice. We have many human examples of sacrifice. Parents – a mother and/or father’s love is expressed through sacrifice of personal time and personal pleasure to tend to the needs of the growing child. Spouses express love to one another by sacrificing, especially through the act of forgiveness, which is a unique type of personal sacrifice. Think of those who put their life on the line for the sake of higher ideas, including community and country safety and welfare. Take some time to think of these examples of sacrifice and how they demonstrate love.

Continue your meditation on Sacrifice. God sacrificed his son as a gesture of His immense love for us. That is what is meant by the most sacred words, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only Begotten Son…” (John 3:16) In this meditation understand that Sacrifice is the verb. It’s in the giving – God gave his son. That action is love.

Now, understand that the word Sacrifice is a descriptor and the name for the Divine Liturgy. In the Armenian Church. It is the Pataraq and it is celebrated every Sunday. (Note: No lambs were slaughtered for this exhibition.)

Today we leave with a meditation from the Gospel of St. John. It is essential to understanding the Cross and the apparition of the Cross in this lesson. In this passage, Jesus defines Sacrifice with a simple metaphor, a metaphor which emphasizes an action: unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor. (John 12:24f)

“Eh” The Eternal Now: Christ Consciousness Awakens in a World on Fire

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Click To Watch.

Ancient Armenian wisdom meets today’s spiritual hunger. Father Vazken reveals why the Kingdom of Heaven isn’t coming later, it’s already here, right now, if we dare to live it.

Los Angeles, CA – April 1, 2026

Highlights from a candid, 54-minute conversation recorded in the shadow of the San Gabriel Mountains, Epostle’s Gregory Beylerian and Father Vazken sat in Greg’s restored 1986 VW West camper van for what may be one of the most timely spiritual dialogues of the year. Just days before Easter, in the middle of Holy Week, under the full moon that sets the date for Easter, the two friends unpacked the single most radical idea in Christianity, one the Armenian Church has guarded for 1,700 years: Christ is not a memory. Christ is presence.

The conversation begins with Archbishop Derderian’s prophetic vision from last year: “Epostle is the future of the Church available today.” Father Vazken smiles and says, “We were talking about Christ consciousness centuries before the world gave it that name.”

At the center of their exchange is one small, luminous Armenian letter: Է (Eh) the seventh letter of the Armenian alphabet, the verb “to be” in the present tense. “It means ‘is,’” Father Vazken explains. “Not ‘was.’ Not ‘will be.’ Right now. He is. God is. Christ is.”

Greg recalls walking into ancient Armenian churches in Armenia  with Father Vazken. in 2014 and seeing that same symbol glowing above every altar. “I asked Father Vazken what it meant, and when he told me… it was my aha moment. Eckhart Tolle, Ram Dass, Oprah, they were all pointing to the same doorway the Armenian Church had been pointing to since the 5th century.”

From there the dialogue flows like living water:

The Kingdom is now. Jesus didn’t say “the Kingdom is coming.” He said, “The Kingdom of God is in your midst.”

Greg responds, “So no one needs to die first to get there.” The resurrection is not a future event; it is the victory of light over darkness that happens the instant we choose love over fear.

The cross is not a symbol of torture, it is the ultimate symbol of love. Father Vazken shares the story of an Indian Orthodox Catholicos who removed his ring, handed it to him to read the Armenian inscription, and told his people: “These Armenians have never known Christianity without suffering. Listen to them.”

Revolution is not protest with an end time. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday as a protest against empire. He didn’t go home at 4 p.m. He went to the cross. That is the difference between temporary activism and eternal revolution.

Father Vazken doesn’t shy away from today’s headlines. He calls the absurdity of solving problems with violence “the playground logic of grown men who never grew up.” He challenges the idea that any war can be fought “in the name of Christ.” And he reminds listeners that the Armenian people were invaded, genocided, exiled, never lost the one message that still offers the world hope: Presence.

The conversation crescendos as the two men connect the dots between the full moon that determines Easter, the resurrection that turns the worst Friday into “Good Friday,” and the personal resurrection each of us is invited into right now.

“Suffering is not the end,” Father Vazken says. “It is the a doorway to resurrection. You cannot get to Sunday morning without Friday. But once you see through the lens of resurrection, even Friday becomes good.”

Greg closes the episode with a simple, powerful question that lingers long after the recording ends:

“If fear has brought us this far… what would love do next?”

Watch or listen to the full conversation.

Because the future of the Church is not coming.

It is already here.

Eh.

He is.

We are.

Right now.

“Eh” Artwork by Gregory Beylerian

Fidelity & Sacrifice

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Armodoxy for Today: Advent Series – Fidelity & Sacrifice

The second of the “But I say to you” instructions address adultery. As in the case of murder, once again, Jesus moves the sin from action to thought. “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’  But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

Jesus’ wish for sincerity is even more accented this time around with this commandment. It is the thought that gives way to action. We see this played out in our lives as well as on the world stage all the time, whether the prejudicial ideas that lead to racism or the unbridled hatred that leads to war, Jesus calls to nip the diseased flower at the bud. However, in context, Jesus was reacting to the hypocrisy that was displayed by the religious elite. Very plainly, he was calling out those who said one thing but lived by another standard. Now, in our hearing, we join the group of “those” and understand he speaks to us all.

After he spoke the Sermon on the Mount, we read the following incident takes place:

… Jesus saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’… ” (Matthew 9:9-12)

Jesus demands mercy as a condition of love. He reminds us that God is a God of mercy and compassion: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” (Hosea 6:6) Sacrifice is an action, a show-thing, mercy comes from our innermost self. And now the turn is ours, to push ourselves to a higher consciousness where our thoughts are controlled to thereby thwart evil actions.

As we move further on the Advent journey, your journal becomes a referencing tool for the teachings of Jesus. Without this first step of mercy, compassion is not sincere. Without sincerity of heart, love and loving is merely an act and lacks fidelity.

Today’s prayer comes from our Eastern Orthodox tradition. As I read it, contemplate the number of times the phrase “Have mercy” is said. Consider it as the fundamental and most basic prayer that we, as humans, may offer.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us; for laying aside all excuse, we sinners offer to Thee, as to our Master, this supplication: Have mercy on us. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. O Lord, have mercy on us, for in Thee have we put our trust.

Cover: Luna & Gregory Beylerian 2023

Veterans’ Day

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Armodoxy for Today: Veterans’ Day

A veteran is a person who has had long experience in a particular field. Generically, we use the word to refer to military personnel, especially those who actively served in the military. The veteran is someone who loves country much more than his or her life. That is, the veteran is willing to lay down his or her life for the country, for something that is greater than the self.

In the Gospel of John (15), Jesus say, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” He is referring to his own sacrifice, and his words define true love as a function of selflessness. He places value on friendship (harmonious living with one another). That value is measured by life itself – a willingness to sacrifice life for the benefit of the greater good. The sacrifice made by veterans has the greatest value of anything or any action, because the measuring “currency” is more precious than silver, gold and even platinum. That’s why we refer to it as paying the ultimate price: life itself.

Veteran’s Day is celebrated today. It is yet another chance for self-evaluation. There is a simple test to take on this day. Ask yourself, what are the things that are most important to me? What are the things for which I would be willing to give up my life. Now ask yourself, if I’m willing to die for it, am I willing to live for it?

If we are willing to die for Christ, then the more important question we must ask ourselves is, am I willing to live for Christ? Armodoxy is the proof that living out Christian principles is much harder than dying for them.

We pray Psalm 27, The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shalI I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after, “That I may dwell in the house of the Lord, that will I seek after; That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple. Amen.

Irony of Cross and Independence

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Armodoxy for Today: Irony of Cross and Independence

Between two feasts celebrating the Cross of Christ is the Anniversary of Independence for Armenia. Last Sunday was the Feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross. Next Sunday is the feast of the Holy Cross of Varak.

Armenia is a landlocked country. It is surrounded by hostile neighbors, some of which openly proclaim their desire to do away with the country of Armenia and its people. For the size of the country and its population, Armenia has a well-organized diaspora, nevertheless its populations is small, with less than three million in the country.

While Armenia may not have military power nor military strategy, it has survived against all the odds:  peril, barbarism, exile, massacres and even genocide. Its survival strategy is rooted in the Cross. “If anyone desires to come after Me,” says Jesus, “Let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23)

The Cross is a symbol of sacrifice. In the message of the Cross you understand that you are loved by God, so much so, that God continually blesses you.

Struggle is a part of life and therefore the Cross is the symbol of a fulfilling life. Your Christian identity carries with it responsibilities that are predicated on sacrifice. Life lived for others is the most fulfilling life because ego is placed in check. When ego is out of the way, God has room to work. With God’s help, you can conquer all of your difficult and the challenges before you. God will not let you go. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” writes St. Paul. (Romans 8:31)

A Christian who has put on Christ cannot say no to difficulties. Ironically, in the scope of independence, a Christian has no other choice but to help the oppressed, the sick and the troubled. Herein the Christian understands true independence in service to others.

Military strategies may be classified as top secret, but I share this survival strategy because it was never meant to be a secret. Just the opposite it was meant to be evangelized, that is spread.

We pray, Christ, protector and guardian of the faithful, protect and deliver us under the shadow of Your Holy and Precious Cross in peace. Deliver us from enemies visible and invisible. And we glorify you with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Muiron’s Beauty in Suffering

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Armodoxy for Today: Muiron’s Beauty Suffers

To the olive oil and oil of balsam is added the essence of forty different flowers to make the Muiron. This formula is one that somehow has become popularized and is recited effortlessly by most everyone who speaks of the Muiron. “Olive oil + balsam + 40 flowers = Muiron” reads like a cookbook recipe. I have intentionally waited to this point to introduce the flower ingredient so that with the background I’ve given thus far, we should not understand this as merely “recipe” for the mixture. In fact, the flowers, as we will see today, are greater than the sum of their parts.

Flowers are the beauty of nature. Their outward beauty is essential for the flow of life. Beauty and vibrant colors attract insects that pollinate the seeds which give us the food for the continuity of life. In the Holy Muiron, however, the beauty of flowers is not based on their superficial attractiveness. Rather, they are ground up, losing any resemblance to their former self standing in the field. The essence of the flower is extracted and it is that essence that is mixed into blend we call Muiron.

Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16) The life of a Christian is not flowery. It is defined by the crosses we meet and greet in our lives and the manner in which we carry those crosses. It is in the suffering that we are “ground up” so that superficial charms and beauty are inconsequential next to the essence of our being. Our lives are measured and find their worth by the sacrificial nature – the crosses – with which we live. Our Lord teaches, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20) In giving we lose the self and keep the essence which is aligned with the Divine expression of love.

The essence of forty different flowers are mixed into the Muiron. The number forty is symbolic. Whereas at one time, the flowers from Armenia were used, today, with a vast diaspora, flowers from ever country and area where Armenians live, are used.

Today we pray the prayer of the Holy Cross, Lord Jesus, I humble myself before your Holy Cross. Giving us the example of humility you instructed us to follow the path of sacrifice. In the shadow of Your Cross, may I lose myself, isolating my ego from all selfish desires and find the path of giving, sharing and loving which is the path to peace. Amen.

Greater Love: Memorial Day

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Armodoxy for Today: Memorial Day

There is a park that I pass by occasionally on my morning rides. It has a sizable monument dedicated to the veterans of US wars. On the center plaque there are the insignias of the different branches of the military hovering around a lone statement that reads, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

I happen to know that this quote is from Jesus. In the Gospel of John (15), Jesus proclaims this truth in final discourse with his disciples before being betrayed and handed over to trial and crucifixion. But for others who had not read the Bible passage or had no reference to Jesus, the quote seems like a basic truth. And that’s how it is presented to the visitors of the park and this monument. The quote is without reference, neither to Jesus, nor to the Gospel in which it appears.

One of the most beautiful traditions we have in the United States is expressed in the Memorial Day holiday. It is an expression of appreciation for one of the greatest gifts, namely freedom, and the price that has been paid for it.

A value can be ascribed to everything, except to human life. Life is a gift given only once by God and therefore it is priceless. When someone loses their life for a cause, we say they have paid the ultimate price, again, emphasizing its pricelessness.

We have heard that freedom is not free, and interestingly enough, the price of freedom is measured by life, that is, the value of freedom is so great that it can only be measured, or given value, in terms of human life.

Stephen Stills writes,
Do we find the cost of freedom
Buried in the ground
Mother Earth will swallow you
Lay your body down

Whether the words of Jesus are referenced to him or not, the words “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” stands as an axiom. As Christians, however, we are consoled in knowing that our Lord, Jesus Christ, said these words as a statement about his offering, his love for his friends, for his children.

Memorial Day gives us a beautiful opportunity and a chance to reflect on something that should be reflected upon regularly, that is, the value of life and those things that are measured by life itself. Are there things that you love more than life itself? Freedom? Family? Love? Country? A close inventory can reveal much. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King has said, “If a man has not found something worth dying for, he is not fit to live.”

Jesus made it clear, that he loved us so much that he laid his life down for us, his friends. In return he asks that we lay our lives down, not to the grave but to surrender to loving one another. It is the greatest testimony to Memorial Day, to respect the price others have paid and understand that in living, and living fully, we honor their sacrifice.

Let us pray, On this Memorial Day, we pray for those who courageously laid down their lives for the cause of freedom. May the examples of their sacrifice inspire in us the selfless love of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Bless the families of our fallen troops, and fill their homes and their lives with Your strength and peace. Amen. (from Common Prayers)

A Grain for Today

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Armodoxy for Today: A Grain for Today

“Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies,” says Jesus, “It remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much harvest.”

This short proclamation could be a lesson directly out of a Botany 101 textbook. Jesus expresses metaphorically, the power of sacrifice. He alludes to himself and his death, which yielded the harvest of the church – a great harvest with churches and monasteries, the spreading of the message of love and light, schools, innovation, hospitals, artwork, music, and countless outreach programs during the last two millennia.

However, the axiomatic definition of a seed’s death yielding harvest is not confined to afterlife events. Think of a parent’s love, how sacrificial it can be. A mother or father, who sacrifices her or himself is the dying seed, and the harvest is great in the lives of their children.

Sacrificial love is Agape love, that is, it is defined by Christ in his action at the cross but can be found in the sacrifices made by others, with their lives and their talents. Parents, teachers, artists, physicians, caretakers are the obvious nominees for those who sacrifice, but caution, it’s not the action that defines sacrifice, but the spirit in which that action is performed.

Today we meditate on the sacrifices we make in our lives by heeding the words of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, who said, “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michaelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”

A Tempting Offer

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Armodoxy for Today: A Tempting Offer

Of the thousands of books written about Jesus, I often opt to read works that challenge me to view things from a different, perhaps new, perspective. One such book is a work of fiction by Nicholas Kazantzakis, called The Last Temptation of Christ. It was written in 1955, stirring up controversy and then in 1988 it was produced into a film stirring up objections from conservative and orthodox Christians.*

The story by Kazantzakis is well researched and thought out. He lays out the plot as follows: The crucified Messiah is given His “last temptation” on the cross. He is given the opportunity to see life beyond the cross, to know the joys of a family life, share memories with friends and live to a ripe old age. He is given the opportunity to have the same dreams as do all men and to be as all men. Yet he resists temptation. He says “no” to all the trappings of this world and opts to do His Father’s Will instead.

The gift of free-will, that is, to choose to do otherwise, is one of the greatest gifts given to us by God. In this novel, we are given a “what-if” scenario, and an opportunity to work-through the natural temptation to live without suffering, and to die a peaceful death. It gives us an opportunity to view the story from yet another perspective.

Jesus chose the Cross. In that choice we find how tightly Love and the Cross are tied together.

Today’s prayer is from the Gospel of John, chapter 12, the words of Jesus, which say, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.

 

*When the film The Last Temptation of Christ debuted in 1988, I was asked to write an op-ed for the San Jose Mercury News. You may read it here.
– Fr. Vazken