Road to Healing – Lenten Journey 2014
Day 35:
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There’s a palm reader down the street from us. She does a brisk business. People come by to get a peek

at the future. Growing up around Armenian coffee (yes, that’s the PC way to say it around here) made me aware of the practice of reading the grinds for a glimpse into life yet unlived. The unknown is intriguing and very profitable. Astrology is a multi-billion dollar industry.

A few days ago we looked at anxiety in our life and followed it up with lessons on risking. If anything this would seem like a formula for aggravated worry and a walk backward on the Road to Healing. But today, let us understand risking as a part of accelerated living. As such, risking is not about adding anxiety to life, rather it is an answer to anxiety. It sounds strange but I ask you to think about it for a moment. By living, you actually answer anxiety and fear head-on. You are now taking control of your own life. What happens in your life is not dependent on outside forces.

One of the appealing features of future-forecasting is that it reduces responsibility. If your destiny is already written out for you, you don’t have to take responsibility for your life. “The stars were aligned,” “It was in my palm,” “The cards came out like that,” are all convenient excuses, just like, “The devil made me do it.”

The reason we are seeking healing for our illness and problems, is because disease has taken away our responsibility for life. It may not be about cards, palms or stars, but it’s about the cancer, the addiction, the temper, the anger and the genes. It’s a way of tossing the blame elsewhere. I’m not to blame for my illness… my anger, my genes, my hormones, my personality is skewed and I am not responsible. But we are here for a healing, therefore we want to take responsibility for our life and it begins by taking responsibility for our place in life today.

Religion is one of the number one killers of responsibility. Unfortunately, religion – especially the Western varieties – has an element of future-forecasting built into it and followers of the religion forfeit their right to live tomorrow by grabbing a chunk of pre-destiny and concerning themselves with end-times.

For instance, in Christianity, there is the concept of a final judgment, linked to the “Second Coming” of Christ. There are those who calculate, speculate and wait in anticipation of this day, much like those who wait for someone else to take care of their ills and problems. All the while, life passes by.

I have been intrigued by the Armenian Orthodox understanding of the Second Coming because the emphasis is not on tomorrow but on today. It is found in the lectionary reading on the day of Advent. Jesus is put to a test to reveal the greatest commandment. His response is, “Love the Lord God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no greater commandment than these.”

Imagine that! We just heard it from Christ! The commandment is for today. Tomorrow has enough worries for itself, focus on today. The best way to be prepared for the Second Coming is to live the message of the First Coming. That is: Love!

When you love you take control of your life. You regain responsibility. Life is meant to be lived and filled with love.

Today we take control of our life by taking responsibility for our disease by understanding that something very simple is demanded of us. Tomorrow and the future, may or may not be there, but today is real. The only requirement necessary to live the day is to love and to love without restrictions.

Let us pray the 13th hour prayer of St. Nersess

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.

This is Fr. Vazken inviting you to join me again tomorrow as we continue on the Road to Healing.

Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for https://epostle.net
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Road to Healing – Lenten Journey 2014
Day 33:
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Dan Kujurian liked flashy cars and I liked looking out for his cars. Now that I think of it, it was the flash that I liked. I was a kid; flash and glitter were exciting. Come to think of it, I only knew he had cool cars, but never saw him drive any of them. Dan was neither glittery nor exciting. He was actually a very dull guy, but he loved his cars… I guess.

Dan had a brand new Chevy Corvette Sting Ray. The year was 1963 and this car was flash, glitter and excitement. You looked at it and you knew it moved. I remember the first time I saw this car it looked like the car was cutting through space with its sharp front end. The lights would pop up from the hood, and as a 7 year old kid with a wonder for how things worked, my imponderable was whether the lights went off when they were folded under. (Yes, just another version of the refrigerator light imponderable.)

Dan had some business to discuss with my dad one day and came over our house. When the time came for him to leave, I got excited to go out to get a look – and maybe a drive – in his car. My dad and I walked him out the house. Where was his car? Not on our block.

He walked down the street and then turned the corner. My dad said good-bye to him there. I felt short-changed. “Aren’t we going to walk to his car with him? You know he has a Sting Ray!”

“He parked over in the LACC parking lot,” said my dad. He knew something that I was going to find out that night.

The LACC parking lot was three blocks away. It was night and the parking lot was sparsely populated with cars. As he walked away from us my dad told me the Dan Kujurian secret for keeping his car clean, pristine and unscratched: He parks far away and in remote areas.

That’s it. This little secret kept his car looking like new. Everywhere he would go, he’d park far and away, sometimes walking up to a mile to avoid having anyone get close to his vehicle. Now my dad had an aversion to gossip, but that day he told me that Dan had recently made his date walk and walk to the church social one night because he didn’t want to park the car close to others cars in the church parking lot.

I always remember the night that I discovered the Dan Kujurian secret. Whenever I’ve been scared to risk, I’ve thought about that beautiful Sting Ray. It was clean and without blemish, but it was never driven and never served its purpose. It never exploited its full potential. And Dan? Well, he walked everywhere? I don’t think he really enjoyed that car.

Life has purpose and meaning. Healing means we are re-aligned with the purpose and meaning of life. Living life means you have to engage in it at an intimate level. You can’t park far way. Yes, there is a risk that you’ll get scratched and hit, you may get hurt, but think of this: you’ll be sitting in the driver’s seat and the ride will be a fun one.

Tennyson’s words, “Tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all,” are the words of our meditation today. As you roll through this junction on the Road to Healing, think of opportunities that you’ve missed because you have been scared to risk the hurt. Think of the enjoyment you’ve passed up because you’ve parked too far away from life. And now think of the new opportunities in front of you – to heal, to be well, to understand, to stand, to play, to laugh. Courage is required to park close to the action, and with a bit of faith, the drive is fun, fulfilling and filled with joy.

Let’s park close by and tomorrow we can continue on the Road to Healing.

Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for epostle.net
Photo – 1963 Corvette http://gmauthority.com
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Road to Healing – Lenten Journey 2014
Day 32:
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In the healing process, anxiety complicates matter. Usually anxiety is looked upon as the by-product of our illness, that is, because of our illness or strained relationships, we are stressed and worried about the problem and ultimately the solution. Will I get better? Can we find reconciliation? Am I done with my habits or will they return? Will the disease return? Will it kill me?

Anxiety is quantifiable, that is, it can be measured. Arguably, certain levels of anxiety can even be beneficial for our own safety. For instance, walking through on the street at night, with heart-beat racing, our senses are alerted to dangers and we can exercise extra caution. Or, when we hear of someone else’s diagnosis we might project that same illness on ourselves. The anxiety is not healthy in a large dose, but in a small dose it might make us aware of our frailties causing us to change our habits, diets or lifestyle. Many diets and smoking cessation programs have been started because of the illness of a friend or loved one.

Anxiety in large levels is dangerous and here’s why: It prevents us from taking risks! What? Isn’t that a good thing? Why should we want to take risks in the first place?

As you stand on the edge of the building, on the sill, to see if jumping off will hurt or not, anxiety and stress kick in preventing you from risking your life. Getting on a plane to attend a business seminar or visit your Aunty Margaret is also risky, but it’s calculated in favor of reaching your destination without harm. So, while you may get anxiety-induced sweaty palms or jitters during the takeoff, you take the trip nonetheless. But if the anxiety level was so great that you walked away, or off the plane, that would be harmful to your general welfare.

Life is a calculated risk. Too many times I have witnessed people who are so scared of risking that they do not move forward. That fear – being scared – is a negative anxiety. I’m not discounting the power of anxiety; rather I’m challenging its influence in your life.

Life, by definition, is about living. Living means moving forward. When you move forward with your life you’re taking some calculated risks. You may fall down. You may trip. And, yes, you may actually make it to your destination!

Some of the greatest tragedies that I’ve seen in my life have involved people who are so scared that they refuse to take a risk for fear of failure. Yes, there is failure and there is success. They are two sides of the same coin. In the coin-toss of life, there is a chance that the coin will come up Failure, but think of this: Failure is much heavier than Success. Therefore, there’s a better chance that it will land DOWN on Failure and UP on Success!

There are medications that control anxiety, but we are already deep on the Road to Healing. We’ve been through some training over the course of the last few weeks and we’re ready to try out some of our learned experiences against anxiety. Prayer and meditation are important. Stay focused.

Let us meditate on Christ’s words, “Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day.”

What are the things you are most anxious about? Illness? Troubles? Relationships? Addictions? All of these? None of these? What can you do by worrying about them? Does your worrying prevent you from moving forward with your life?

Now ponder the worst-case scenario… What will happen if I take a step forward? What is the worst case scenario? Can I survive it?

You’ve survived thus far. Life has ups and downs and some of the downs are painful, but the ups are tremendously pleasant. Look forward and be prepared to continue on this journey tomorrow.

This is Fr. Vazken inviting you to join me tomorrow on the Road to Healing.

Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for epostle.net
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Road to Healing – Lenten Journey 2014
Day 30:
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“Fire! The house across the street is on fire! Quick come and look out the window.” Young Anna ran from her bedroom to the front room of the house and stared out into the street. No smoke, no flames. And then, in a devilish manner her father proclaimed, “April Fools!”

It was a dirty trick to play on a young kid, especially my mother. But all is fair in love, in war and on April Fools’ Day. My mother remembers that prank to this day. And though she might have missed a heart beat on that day, now, 70 years later, she tells the story of the prank with a big smile on her face. In fact, it’s now become part of the family folklore to play the “Grandpa April Fools’ Prank” on the First.

April Fools is a lighthearted “feast.” Obviously, there’s no holiday or national mandate to celebrate it, but in many cultures people stop to have a mischievous go at fooling people. In fact, companies even get into the spirit with pranks that are sometimes so believable they attract a following. For instance, in 1998 Burger King published a full page ad in USA Today announcing a new item on their menu: The Left-Handed Whopper. They claimed it was designed for the 32 million left-handed Americans. The twist? The burger included all the same ingredients as the original Whopper but the condiments were rotated 180 degrees! Thousands of customers went into restaurants to request the new sandwich, while many others requested the “right handed” version!

As a kid, when I thought of my grandfather playing the fire-trick on my mom as well as his entire family, I never really understood how could a grown man do this? After all, this was grandpa and pranks are for kids. But as I grew older, I was more intrigued that he engaged in this type of humor considering he was a genocide survivor. Only 20 years earlier, he had seen the devastation of his country, family and home. He built a new life on the ashes of devastation, hardship and despair. And yet… when it came time to play, he could play with the best. He smiled and laughed. As a kid, I remember his contagious laugh as I sat in his lap and watched the 3 Stooges on TV.

Humor is so important to a healthy lifestyle and a necessary ingredient to healing. Sometimes our hardships are so great that we think we may never laugh or smile again. I think of the generations which witnessed the most absurd and heinous of all crimes, genocide, and yet they are able to rebound with a smile and a laugh. In that humor they found a new beginning – the possibility to hope and dream again.

Children come into this world believing and hoping. It is for this reason they smile and laugh. Today is the day to connect to that primal hope and faith. Don’t look too far, it’s inside of you. No matter how bad things get, find some time to smile and laugh. And if you can, laugh out loud!

Today’s mediation is on humor. Think of anything that makes you smile or makes you laugh. If it’s difficult, close your eyes and revert to a good time in your life. Perhaps you can remember the first time you met your child and tears came down your face because of joy! Think of a play or a movie, let it be primitively absurd, slapstick, or sophisticatedly jocular, witty. Let it induce a smile on your face. Now hold it right there. Hold the thought and your smile. Did you feel that? For that moment, as brief as it was, nothing else really mattered. Now understand that the change was your doing. You decided and you brought about an end to your pain and a joy to your heart.

This is Fr. Vazken, assuring you that today’s message was not an April Fools’ joke, and to be certain, join me again tomorrow as we continue on the Road to Healing.

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Road to Healing – Lenten Journey 2014
Day 27:
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They thought they could do it. They were charged by Jesus to heal the sick, so when a man

brought his son to the Disciples for a healing it was just a matter of following procedures. But this time, something was off. They were unable to heal the boy.

The story is picked up in the Gospel of Matthew (in chapter 17). The man brought his son to Jesus for a healing complaining that the Disciples were unable to remove the evil from his son. Jesus heals the boy by extracting the disease and illness from his body. The Disciples had tried but failed. They wanted to know why they were unable to expel the disease from the boy?

Jesus explains, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

It is to the two conditions of faith – the catalysts of the faith in action, so to speak – prayer and fasting on which we focus today.

We have the power within us to bring about the changes necessary to move mountains, that is, to make the seemingly impossible truly possible. Healing disease and illness, amending our lifestyle, altering our course and direction, mending the holes in our relationships and living in harmony are all attainable. The mustard seed is of such small size and proportion. When faith is there, it’s there. The quality control on faith, so to speak, is governed by prayer and fasting.

The parable of the “Unrighteous Judge” in the Gospel of Luke (chapter 18) is a rather bizarre story of a powerless woman who brings down the politically potent and ruthless magistrate by being persistent. The story is so off that it warrants a note of intention by the author so that there’s no misunderstanding by the reader: “And Jesus spoke this parable about their need to always pray and not to lose heart.”

Faith is yours. You have it. You’re on this journey, aren’t you? The need for prayer and fasting are matters of discipline. They are the necessary tools by which faith stays alive, that is, faith does not stay dormant and useless, but alive and active. It might be easy to think of it in scientific terms of potential and kinetic energy. Our faith is stored (potential), waiting to move the mountains in our life. When we pray and fast, the energy is pushed into motion, so that it manifests in the actions of our life.

Prayer is the conversation you have with God and yourself. Fasting is the cleansing and the discipline of body so that mind and soul find a place within the whole. The seemingly impossible is made possible because faith is now activated in your life.

We pray today,
Lord, open my heart to your love. Open my mind to your wisdom. Open my body to your healing. I acknowledge the faith that is planted in my spirit. Push it to the brink of my soul so that it moves into every part of my body to become the action of my life, to bring about complete recovery of my ills, peace and harmony to my spirit and the world. Amen.

This is Fr. Vazken inviting you to join me again tomorrow as we continue on the Road to Healing.

Photo: Soul (c) 2011 Fr. Vazken Movsesian
Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for https://epostle.net