Continuing on the theme expressed yesterday, as to how we are conditioned for war, we point to a phenomenon that continues to breed war. It is the phenomenon of leading with a stale vision. This year, this phenomenon is even more accentuated with the presidential elections here in the United States. The two leading contenders for the position have lived the good part of eight decades and are now “sharing their vision for the future” vying for votes. What vision and for what future?
This not only true in the United States, but a quick glance around the globe and you’ll see its usually older men who engage in wars that the young ones fight. We hide behind the concept of funding wars, while shipping off kids to fight those wars.
Jesus came to the world to challenge the stale visions with an option for life. “Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’” (Matthew 9) says Jesus, to a world that is desperate for a vision, a vision which is articulated by love and its manifestations, such as mercy.
Today we fund wars throughout the world based on stale visions which propagate more hatred and more war. Death, disease, famine instead of life, health and wealth. Think of the billions of dollars that can be used to fight larger wars, such as housing and sheltering homeless populations or transferring flood waters to areas devastated by drought or exploring new innovations in medicine and technology to improve the quality of life. Yes, life, health and wealth.
We read in Proverbs, “Where there is no vision, the people perish…” (29) In fact, the stale vision of war is literally and figuratively a one-way ticket to death, hence Jesus words, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” It is the direction of a life which follows a vision of faith, love and hope.
As the Body of Christ, the Church, has a responsibility and duty to continue to herald the vision for peace. This a sacred calling which is pronounced by God and heeded by humanity.
We end today with a prayer by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. O God, we thank you for the lives of great saints and prophets in the past, who have revealed to us that we can stand up amid the problems and difficulties and trials of life and not give in. We thank you for our foreparents, who’ve given us something in the midst of the darkness of exploitation and oppression to keep going. Grant that we will go on with the proper faith and the proper determination of will, so that we will be able to make a creative contribution to this world. In the name and spirit of Jesus we pray. Amen.
War is a political action. It’s as old as the hills. It has become a means by which people resolve their differences. We are conditioned to believe and understand that, albeit it is an extreme measure, war resolves conflicts once and for all. We appeal to weapons, building stronger and more powerful weapons to overcome adversity and our enemies. The bigger and more powerful the weapon, we think, the more we are guaranteed victory. And so, along with the quest for peace, we are on an ever-growing exploration for bigger and more explosive weapons.
Jesus Christ presents us a weapon of sorts, namely Love. Oh yes, we pay homage to love, saying it’s what makes the world go around. All you need is love! We dedicate song, poems, novels, movies, monasteries and churches to love, and attest to its awesome power, but when it comes to weaponizing against our enemies, we have no faith in love-power and instead opt for instruments of destruction.
We’ve been conditioned, not only during our childhood as people, but as a civilization, through historical lesson, to believe that war is the solution. Reality check: wars are fought, and no one wins. Sure, a battle is won here or there, but no one wins wars. In the end, loser of the battle only builds resentment and anger, to come back another day for “settle the score.”
Furthermore, war gives the illusion that certain life is more important than other life. Women and children are called on first to evacuate, as if the life of boys and men are of less value. Soldiers are drafted or enlist, and when they don their uniform they are fair game, as if their mother or father will not cry when the announcement arrives that their baby is gone.
Over the weekend, four Israeli hostages were rescued, but the cost of the operation killed over 200 Palestinians and hospitalized four times that amount, adding to the narrative that some lives, some groups, some people are more valuable than others.
There is a higher idea and a better weapon to overcome our enemies.
If you contend that God is the author of life, then you have to admit that all life is precious to God. There are no hierarchies of people for God, as Jesus instructs. We, people, have created disparities. We author wars and are responsible for ending war.
The words of Jesus are clear: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5)
Today’s message is prompted by a radio news caster who reported, “The two presidential candidates are campaigning this weekend, sharing their vision for the future.”
Here in the United States it is election year. The candidates from the two major parties are well seasoned, in their golden years, or plainly, up in years. One is over 80 years old and the other is not too far behind. And they’re out about the country, “sharing their vision for the future.”
You must wonder, and at least I did, what vision? And what future? These octogenarians might have wisdom from living their lives, but are they entitled to set a vision for the future of the children?
Most casualties during war – battle-time fatalities – are to kids between the ages of 17 and 25. In Armenia, one of the most sobering moments you’ll experience is at Yrablur, near Yerevan, where tri-colored flags fly over the graves of soldiers of the 44 day war of 2020 and the battles with Azeris since then.
We may call them soldiers, but they are young kids who will never get older, kids who were called up to fight because of someone’s vision to fight fire with fire.
Here in the United States, we have a day set aside every year, in May, to remember those who paid the ultimate price for freedom. We call that day Memorial Day. For the parents and families of these children thrown into war, every day is a recurring nightmare called Memorial Day.
The future belongs to the young. With all due respect for our matured senior citizens and the wisdom they have acquired during their lifetime, I have to ask, have we created a world so great that we have the audacity to set a vision for the future of these children? How about asking them? What is their “vision of the future”? What are we afraid of? That they may say they’d like to enjoy life? That they may want to live without the fear of violence? That they may want a world that is free of the pollutant of hate and intolerance? That they may find a way to negotiate understanding?
We remember the sacrifice made by all those who laid their life down for something greater, whether for the ideal of freedom or the safety of their loved ones. May God rest their souls. We also take time to articulate a new vision, one for peace. In the words of His Holiness Pope Francis, “Please. Countries at war, all of them, stop the war. Look to negotiate. Look for peace.” (CBS 60 Minutes 5/19/24)
We end with a simple prayer, one which articulates the vision of God expressed on the night of our Lord Jesus’ birth: Peace on Earth, good will toward one another. Amen.
Next Step #791 – May 5, 2024 – The War in Gaza, a nightmare echoing the words, Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing. Famine is fueled by hatred. The world stands still and even worse, so do those who have seen the same nightmare. Fr. Vazken takes about opportunities lost and the importance of articulating a statement of protest, for the sake of record and moral authority. Firsthand observation of the Eclipse from Uvalde and the Sign of the Cross. Overwhelmed reaction in the birthing room and at the eclipse – God’s perfection. Discussed: the eye for an eye maximum, college protests, a Maturity of Faith. Orthodox Easter, Cinco de Mayo and the Weakest Link.
Links: Uvalde – Eclipse 2024 College Protests of the War Eclipsed Relevance – April 6 Next Step Tooth as the Maximum Next Step Niebuhr’s Prayer (Serenity) 49 Bye-Byes/America’s Song CSNY – Four Way Street
Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for http://Epostle.net Subscribe and listen on demand on your favorite pod-catcher!
We’re on Pandora, Spotify and Apple Podcasts
Next Step with Fr. Vazken #790 – April 29, 2024 – College campus protests flare up regarding Israel’s attacks in Gaza, while Armenian Genocide commemorations take buy into the myth of victimization. Here’s Fr. Vazken’s post-April 24 assessment of disappointments and challenges. Walking in the shoes of others as an answer. Epostle sets up in the metaverse.
https://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DALL·E-2024-04-29-17.42.55-impressionist-version-of-young-people-on-the-streets-wearing-crosses-in-a-group-.png10241024Vazken Movsesianhttps://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/final_logo_large_for_epostle_web-300x189.pngVazken Movsesian2024-04-29 17:45:112024-04-29 17:45:11Buying into the Myth
Next Step #788 – March 21, 2024 – An experiment on the streets of Glendale is about to come to an end, or at least will be put on hold. The Youth Ministry which began in 2003 is having its building sold from under it. Finding an alternative to political solutions to war and conflict. Fr. Datev Tatoulian is buried in Armenia. Fear in Armenia vs. Fear of the Random. Listening to the beat of the church.
Scenes from Nor Hadjin Church and Fr. Datev’s Burial
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Next Step #784 – November 23, 2023 – Thanksgiving edition at the beginning of Advent and in the middle of a war. Discussed in this episode: The impossible the reconciliation of Psalm 37 with war. Power, Horseys and the meek. Armodoxy Delivers: Religion with practical application, connecting the dots in life today, not in the future. The Three fundamental questions: leaving God to deal with those things we can’t forces us to take up what is in our hands, namely peace and understanding. Religion and its application. Advent 50 Series – Essential Teaching of Jesus Psalm 37 An invite Christians Can’t Ignore No atheists in birthing rooms Thank U Very Much, The Scaffold Song
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Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for http://Epostle.net Subscribe and listen on demand on your favorite pod-catcher!
We’re on Pandora, Spotify and Apple Podcasts
https://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/NS784-cover-e1700866578915.jpg7901115Vazken Movsesianhttps://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/final_logo_large_for_epostle_web-300x189.pngVazken Movsesian2023-11-24 14:57:182023-11-25 11:30:55Psalm 37: Impossible Reconciliation with War
Warning: The following message may contain content that is graphic and/or disturbing intended for historical purposes.
After the fall of Nagorna Karabakh I shared, in a daily message, the absurdity to the vocabulary we have invented for war. Now that Israel is at war I hear the absurdity reinforces with talk about the killing of women and children being of a different caliber than that of a man. There are rules for humanitarian corridors, as we kindly ask assailants not to bomb areas.
Here is a revisit to the oxymoronic language of war.
An oxymoron is a figure of speech that juxtaposes concepts with opposite meanings within a word or in a phrase that is a self-contradiction. For instance, “act naturally,” is an oxymoron because if you’re acting, you’re not natural. Awfully good, is often used to describe something of excellent quality, even though if it’s awful, it certainly can’t be good. There are many oxymorons that are part of our daily conversations. Deafening Silence, Civil war, Old News are all examples of the pairing of opposite meaning words.
You can say that I’m clearly confused, I truly am, over a set of words with the same or similar meaning that are paired together to give the illusion that they are opposites. And although they’ve creeped into our daily conversation, their pairing doesn’t fool me. I’m talking about the words “War crimes.” We talk about people being guilty of war crimes, as if war is not a crime in itself as if you can have a war without committing a crime. Digging a bit deeper we find that there are rules and regulations that govern war. Because we have classified our society as civilized, we have formulated rules for war. A soldier is fair game to be shot while a civilian is not. It sounds crazy, but a young man who dons the uniform of a soldier is no longer presumed to belong to a mother or father who will be devastated at his death.
It’s bizarre and even sickening, when we try to convince ourselves that we are civilized, that our conflicts are resolved by the shooting, maiming, injuring and killing those who oppose us. In Kigali, Rwanda I stood at the genocide museum. There, they had exhibits of all the genocides of the 20th century. I stood as the child of survivors of the first genocide of the 20th century at the scene of the last genocide of the 20th century. With one foot in Armenia and one in Rwanda, I was looking at the spans of 100 years and all the genocides that occurred in between. The Holocaust, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Bosnia were all there along with others that were somehow left off of the 6 o’clock news. It’s sobering when you look at them all and think is this the best we can do to resolve conflicts?
War Crimes! We even have rules that govern executions, that is state approved killings. In the time of Christ, we know that crucifixion was the manner in which criminals were executed. What we may not know is that the cause of death of the crucified was asphyxiation. The crucified person would die a slow death, gasping for air, and with each gasp getting less and less oxygen into his system. It was cruel and unusual. That was the process of execution two millennia ago. We evolved, and now we kill humanely. Did you catch that oxymoron. A quick bullet by a firing squad, electrocution, gas chamber and lethal injection. And then in 2020 we learned of George Floyd, neither tried nor convicted, died of asphyxiation, as he was deprived of oxygen on the streets of Minneapolis.
In the time of Jesus they had rules and regulations governing execution. But it wasn’t about humane methods, rather it was about man-made laws. In the Gospel of St. John we read that after Jesus had given up His spirit on the Cross, (19:31-35) “… Because it was the Preparation Day, the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.”
Very much like the modern day expression of war crimes, the Jews had rules and regulations that allowed for death – even cruel death – so long as the rules were adhered to, it was acceptable in their society.
That spear, known as the Holy Lance, is now kept by the Armenian Church. In Armenian it is called the Holy Geghart, and one of our monasteries where it was housed bears the name of that instrument. It is used during the blessing of the Holy Miuron, to stir and bless the Sacred oil. When that Lance entered the breathless body of our Lord Jesus on the Cross it was sanctified in the same manner in which the Cross of Torture became the Cross of Salvation following the Crucifixion.
There is no such thing as war crimes. All wars are crimes. We need to stop fooling ourselves. Conflicts need to be resolved civilly. If Christ transformed the tools of murder into instruments of life, we can do the same in our language and expressions. We can transform war crimes into peace actions.
Let us pray, from the Book of Hours of the Armenian Church, Beneficent and abundantly merciful God, through Your forgiveness and infinite love of humankind be mindful of all that believe in You and have mercy on all. Help us and deliver us from our several perils and trials. Make us worthy to give You thanks and glorify You, the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit, now and always. Amen.
