Tag Archive for: Shnorhali

I Confess with Faith – Shnorhali

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I Confess with Faith The prayers of St. Nersess Shnorhali (the Gracefilled)

1) I confess with faith and adore You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, uncreated and immortal essence, creator of
angels, of humans, and of all that exists. Have mercy upon Your Creatures and upon me, a great sinner.

2) I confess with faith and adore You, O Light indivisible, simultaneous Holy Trinity and one Godhead, creator
of light and dispeller of darkness. Dispel from my soul the darkness of sin and ignorance, and at this hour
enlighten my mind, that I may pray to You according to Your will, and receive from You the fulfillment of
my supplications. Have mercy upon Your Creatures and upon me, a great sinner.

3) 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 the Prodigal Son, and clothe me with the garment of innocence, of
which I was deprived by sin. Have mercy upon Your Creatures and upon me, a great sinner.

4) 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 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 in Your kingdom.
Have mercy upon Your Creatures and upon me, a great sinner.

5) Spirit of God, true God, who descended into the Jordan and into the upper chamber, and who enlightened
me by baptism in the holy font, I have sinned against Heaven and before You; cleanse me Your divine fire as
You purified the holy Apostles with fiery tongues. Have mercy upon Your Creatures and upon me, a great
sinner.

6) Uncreated Essence, I have sinned against You in mind, soul and body; do not remember my former sins for
the sake of Your Holy name. Have mercy upon Your Creatures and upon me, a great sinner.

7) Beholder of all, I have sinned against You, in thought, word and deed; erase the record of my offences, and
write my name in the Book of Life. Have mercy upon Your Creatures and upon me, a great sinner.

8) Searcher of secrets, I have sinned against You willing and unwillingly, knowingly and unknowingly, grant
me —a great sinner— forgiveness, for since I was born of the holy font until this day I have sinned before
You, by my senses, and by all the members of my body. Have mercy upon Your Creatures and upon me, a
great sinner.

9) All provident Lord, place Your holy fear as a guard before my eyes so they may not look lustfully; before my
ears so that they may not delight in hearing evil words; before my mouth so that it may not speak any
falsehoods; before my heart so that it may not think evil; before my hands so that they may not do injustice;
before my feet, that they may not walk in the paths of injustice; but so direct them, that they may always be
according to all Your commandments. Have mercy upon Your Creatures and upon me, a great sinner.

10) O Christ, who are the Living Fire, inflame my soul with the fire of Your love, which You did send forth upon
the earth, that it may burn the stains of my soul, sanctify my conscience, purge the sins of my body, and
kindle in my heart the light of Your knowledge. Have mercy upon Your Creatures and upon me, a great
sinner.

11) O Jesus, wisdom of the Father, grant me wisdom, that I may always think, speak, and do that which is good
in Your sight; save me from evil thoughts, words and deeds. Have mercy upon Your Creatures and upon me,
a great sinner.

12) O Lord, who wills that which is good, and are the director of the will, let me not follow the inclinations of
my heart, but lead me to live always according to Your good will. Have mercy upon Your Creatures and
upon me, a great sinner.

13) Heavenly King, grant me Your kingdom, which You have promised to Your beloved; strengthen my heart to
hate sin, and to love You alone, and to do Your will. Have mercy upon Your Creatures and upon me, a great
sinner.

14) Protector of Your creatures, by the sign of Your cross keep my soul and body from the allurements of sin,
from the temptations of the devil and unjust people, and from all perils of soul and body. Have mercy upon
Your Creatures and upon me, a great sinner.

15) O Christ, the guardian of all, let Your Right Hand guard and shelter me by day and by night, while at home
and while away, while sleeping and while awake, that I may never fall. Have mercy upon Your Creatures
and upon me, a great sinner.

16) O my God, who opens Your hand and fills all things living with Your bounty, to You I commit my soul; do
care for me and provide for the needs of my body and soul forever. Have mercy upon Your Creatures and
upon me, a great sinner.

17) You who bring back the wanderers, turn me from my evil ways to good ones and imprint upon my soul the
recollection of the dreadful day of death, the fear of hell and the love of Your Kingdom that I may repent of
my sins and do righteousness. Have mercy upon Your Creatures and upon me, a great sinner.

18) Fountain of immortality, make the tears of repentance flow from my heart, like those of the adulteress, that
I may wash away the sins of my soul before I depart from this world. Have mercy upon Your Creatures and
upon me, a great sinner.

19) Bestower of mercy, grant that I may come to You with true faith, with good works and by the communion
of Your Holy Body and Blood. Have mercy upon Your Creatures and upon me, a great sinner.

20) Beneficent Lord, commit me to a good angel, that I may deliver up my spirit in peace; convey it undisturbed
by the malice of evil spirits that are under the heavens. Have mercy upon Your Creatures and upon me, a
great sinner.

21) O 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. Have mercy upon Your Creatures and upon me, a great sinner.

22) Righteous Judge, when You come in the glory of the Father to judge the living and the dead, enter not into
judgement with Your servant, but deliver me from the eternal fire, and make me worthy to hear the blissful
call of the just to Your heavenly kingdom. Have mercy upon Your Creatures and upon me, a great sinner.

23) All-merciful Lord, have mercy upon all Your faithful, on those who are mine and on those who are
strangers; on those whom I know and on those whom I know not; on the living and on the dead; and
forgive all my enemies, and those who hate me, the trespasses that they have committed against me; turn
them from the malice which they bear towards me, that they may be worthy of Your mercy. Have mercy
upon Your Creatures and upon me, a great sinner.

24) Glorified Lord, accept the supplications of Your servant, and graciously fulfill my petitions, through the
intercession of the Holy Mother of God, John the Baptist, the first martyr St. Stephen, St. Gregory our
Illuminator, the Holy Apostles, Prophets, Divines, Martyrs, Patriarchs, Hermits, Virgins and all Your saints
in Heaven and on Earth. And unto You, O indivisible Holy Trinity, be glory and worship forever and ever.

Amen

Cafeteria Christianity – Options

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Some years ago the term, Cafeteria Catholics made the rounds when followers of Catholicism, those who attended Mass regularly and considered themselves as “Good Catholics,” but could not accept all of the teachings of Catholicism, such as being against abortion, restrictions on artificial birth control or the being against the death penalty. Of course, the term can be applied to all of Christianity as well. Much like in a cafeteria where you an option to select a main course, a side and a drink – Roast beef, mashed potatoes, an apple pie for dessert and a Coke® please – the metaphor is applied to the religion, in this case Christianity – Jesus was the Son of God but his virgin birth might be stretching it a bit. Yes, I’m guaranteed a spot in Heaven if I pronounce his name and am Born Again, and as far as my actions go, they are inconsequential, but I’ll try my best anyway.

Cafeteriaizing Christianity in this manner does seem a bit crude and may seem like a newly acquired method of religious definition, but the practice has been around for some time. Some suggest that it was the cultural shifts that took place in the 20th and 21st centuries, highlighting personal autonomy and self-expression, but I don’t think we have to look for any major psychological or sociological changes in history that points to the opening of the cafeteria. In fact, the four Evangelists – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – the one’s who first recorded the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, practiced a pick and choose the method of presenting the three years of Jesus’ life in the context of a few chapters known as the Gospels. John admits to this in the final words of his Gospel, Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. (21:25) The fact that the Christian Church has several different understandings of Jesus is further proof of Cafeterizing throughout the Centuries. There are Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant branches of Christianity, Protestantism can be split into four major confessions, Lutheran, Anglican, Reformed and Free Church and several different understandings within these groups. Then there are groups such as the Mormons, or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and the Jehovah’s Witness, who claim some connection to Jesus Christ, but have selected another group of norms outside the Gospels or the Church Canons to build a religion.

The early Christian Church tried to bring some order to the differing parties by calling together councils of Church leadership, where Creeds and Canons were agreed upon. For instance the Nicene Creed which is recited in churches is a profession of Faith in the Father, Son, Holy Spirit and the Church. Church leadership presented the Creed as a definition of a Christian: A Christian is one who believes in these doctrines of faith. Martin Luther, at the start of the Protestant Reformation, cafeteriaized the Bible by deciding certain books should not be in the Bible, calling them hidden, or Apocrypha.

One of the top theologians and ecumenists of the Armenian Church, Nersess Shnorhali, who was the Chief Bishop, or Catholicos, of the Armenian Church, in the 12th century, came up with a simple manner in which Christians can understand one another. We must be untied on the essentials, that is the belief that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. We must grant liberty on secondary items, for instance, the date of Jesus’ birth and charity, that is love, in everything, Unity in essentials, liberty in non-essentials, charity in all things.

Today we listen to the Prayer offered by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper, O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.  And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them. (John 17:25-26)

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

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.”

3 Across; 8 Down

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Next Step #601: Senate passes Genocide Resolution: bigger miracle than stars in the sky flashing is the change of heart. Puzzled: Looking for Jesus in the crosswords and finding in a Soviet sale of a Shnorhali book? Yes, puzzled. Armenian Patriarch of Turkey elected. Sophia Armen: the “erasure” factor. Moon craters explained: Children’s Memorial thoughts.
Element Band “Spirit of Christmas”
Sophia Armen, L.A. Times
Senate passes Genocide Resolution (unanimously) Menendez
Armenian Patriarch of Turkey Elected
Jesus, Vorti (Son) 
Engineered by Ken Nalik
Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for InHisShoes.org
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Unplanned Silence

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Next Step #426: Failed test for the Church: planned silence in Armenia. A look at the virtues of silence: “Be still and know that I am God” writes the psalmist. “Unity in Essentials, Liberty in the secondary items and in all things, Love” from Augustine to Shnorhali and today, applying the formula. A commentary that leaves us wondering how to reconcile all the pieces.
“Yar Ko Parag Boyin Mernem” by Element Band
Unity in Essentials ; more on unity
Armenia Protests
Be still and now that I am God
Engineered by Ken Nalik
Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for InHisShoes.org
Subscribe to In His Shoes » Next Step with Fr. Vazken by Email
Look for The Next Step on blubrry.com
Listen via Stitcher Radio on demand!