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Out of the Pit and Into What?

Daily Readings: Zech. 3:7-4:9; Heb.9:1-10; John 10:22-30
Ընթերցուածքներ` Զաք. Գ 7-Դ 9; Եբր. Թ 1-10; Յով. Ժ 22-30

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen!

The name of our Church and many other Armenian Churches is St. Gregory the Illuminator. Yet, why are many of our Churches named after him? St. Gregory, the same as all our saints, lived a life of faithfulness in times of difficulty. He had a past, he had sins, and challenges, yet, by trusting God through those challenges, he did the work of God and today serves as an example to each of us not just in name but through the life he lived. We of how St. Gregory served in the royal courts, under King Trdat in the 4^th century. However because of his devotion to God, he eventually was imprisoned and thrown into a pit, khor virap, where he was left to die in darkness alongside snakes and scorpions, where miraculously Gregory survived for 13 years. While in the pit, King Trdat, persecuted many other Christian’s including the virgin saints Hripsime and Gayane and their companions. After martyring them, the king went mad and became like a wild beast. The kings sister, St. Khosrovidukht, who had secretly converted to Christianity, had a recurring dream revealing that only St. Gregory could heal the king. With no other choice, the king’s officials pulled Gregory out of the pit, and the historian Agathangelos reports that the moment St. Gregory was pulled out of the pit, the pains of the king subsided. Through prayer, teaching for 40 days, and “rebirth” King Trdat accepted Christ and was fully restored and healed. Along with him, the entire royal courts were baptized, and Christianity was declared the state religion of the Kingdom of Armenia in 301 AD, making Armenia the first nation to adopt Christianity as it’s official religion.

What else did St. Gregory do following these events? Yesterday, (June 6) the Armenian Church celebrated the feast of St. Gregory’s removal from the pit, what we just spoke about. The Sunday following this day, the Armenian Church celebrates the Feast of Holy Etchmiadzin, the building of our Holy Mother Cathedral in 303 AD. After St. Gregory baptized the king, he saw a vision of Christ Jesus descending from Heaven with a gold hammer and showing where the Cathedral, the birthplace of our faith would be built. So why is this so important my dears? Isn’t this all just history?

Each of us are on a walk of faith my dears! Along that journey, we will have pitfalls. Either by our own making or by the hardships of life, we will fall into temptation, doubt, depression, anxiety, uncertainty, despair, confusion, loss, addiction and darkness. We all have scars that we look back on and remember painfully what we have gone through. As Christian’s we are taught and we believe that no pit, no darkness, not even the tomb can separate us from the love of God, when we seek Him. You see St. Gregory even though he was left to die by the king whom he had served for many years, someone he called his friend, even though he was left in the darkness by the world, he remained prayerful and faithful. God protected him from the scorpions, serpents, the heat, and elements while he was imprisoned. Even while in the pit, St. Gregory was not abandoned by God.

This teaches us my dears, that even if in life we fall into darkness, even if we have sinned, and are broken, God our Heavenly Father, will not abandon us. Christ enters the tomb for us; Christ enters our darkness to help us out. What we need to ask my dears, is when we finally faithfully come out of the darkness and struggles, what then? Do we return to the life that led to the pit in the first place or do we become the tool that God uses to build his Church, to share His love of hope and mercy to others who are struggling? To have faith my dears, is to do the work of God not for self-gain but for sharing of His love; To be a Christian is to be transformed and to be a cause for transformation for the world to witness the power of God. That is why God has given us the Holy Church, “the Altar of Light” which shines upon us as St. Gregory teaches. The Church with her clergy, the sacraments, the teachings all given to us to illuminate us and transform us.

One day, 2 men are walking on a dirt road, and they come by a hole with a fire burning inside. They look and see that there is a snake caught in the fire. One of the men pulls the snake out of the fire to help it, but immediately the serpent bites him and falls back into the fire. Again, the man tries to help, but the serpent bites again and falls back into the pit. The third time that man attempts to pull the snake out of the pit, yet again he is bitten and the snake falls into the pit and burns to death. The 2^nd man asks him, “why did you keep trying to help the snake, didn’t you see it kept biting you?” And the man replied, “it is in the nature of the serpent to bite, but it is my nature to help.” In this story my dears, we learn that God sends people, prophets, teachers, parents, friends, a community through the Holy Church, to help us out of life’s pits. Yet, unless we are willing to be transformed and changed, we will fall back into the pit. Unless we are changed my dears, we will fall back into the pit of hopelessness and fear. Yet, when with humility, prayerfulness, if we ask God to help change us, to save us from darkness, when we respond in faith, God will transform us and empower us to build not merely physical Churches but to be the Church, an Altar of light, to become a reflection of God’s divine love and a cause to help others.

Does this mean we will never struggle again? No, my dears! St. Gregory when he came out of the pit, all his life still had the physical scars of his torture, yet, he recognized that remaining faithful and obedient, God can use us, use our past to teach others, to build and grow in Communion towards Him. That is why the Prophet Zechariah teaches us, “the Lord Almighty had said: ‘If you obey my laws and perform the duties I have assigned you, then you will continue to be in charge of my Temple and its courts, and I will hear your prayers, just as I hear the prayers of the angels who are in my presence.’” If we remain faithful my dears, God will entrust us to do His work, to share His love, His Gospel. We will be a witness of what it is we say we believe in the Church. That God does not abandon us to our darkness; that by the Holy Spirit we are illuminated to the truth that God the Son, Jesus Christ, enters our darkness, and saves us from the pit of death.

That is why St. Gregory and all our saints are so loved because they teach us that though we all have a past, with God we all have a future. A future of healing, of love, of hopefulness, of compassion, mercy, and growth. Pray, learn, come to Church with a desire to be transformed. Let go of pride, anger, hatred, arrogance and in humility ask God to enter our darkness to lift us out. Come to Church to be changed not to change the Church which is the home, our Holy Mother and the Bride of Christ. For it is only by the grace and love of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, that not only we will be transformed, but the world will see us Christians as the saints we are all called to be, the cloud of witness, the Holy Church through which all creation gives glory to Him, Amen.

Me For Me or God Through Me?

Daily Readings: 2 Kings 2:1-15; James 5:16-20; Luke 4:25-30
Ընթերցուածքներ` Դ Թագ. Բ 1-15; Յակ. Ե 16-20; Ղուկ. Դ 25-30

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen!

An angry man, was driving down the highway, when all of a sudden his phone rang. He ignored it, and again it rang. He ignored it again until, finally he answered the phone snapping, “what? I’m driving, I can’t talk now!” Frantic, the voice of his wife on the other said, “Where are you? Be careful!” Why, what’s going on? he answered. “I just heard that there’s a car driving on the wrong side of the highway.” The husband said, “one car? You should see, all of them are on the wrong side.” My dears, how often is it that when someone points out our faults, our mistakes, our first instinct is to jump into defense rather than reflection? That the fault is not in us but in everyone else.

Christ while preaching in the synagogue gives the example of the Prophet Elijah and of how in times of famine and difficulty God sent the Prophet to a widow who was not a Jew, not a part of the community; or of how the Prophet brought healing to the Syrian, not the Jewish people because of the disobedience and faithlessness of the Jews at the time. The response? (vv.28-29) “So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city…” The Jews felt angry that Jesus was calling them out for their faithlessness, their sinfulness. How many of us are guilty of this as well my dears? Perhaps we live lives and make choices that don’t align with what the Scriptures teach us, with what the Church asks of us. Politically, socially, in our relationships, in our day to day, we live in such a way that is unacceptable or hurtful when compared to what is taught in our Christian faith. Our reaction when we’re called out is often to be filled with anger and desire to throw Christ out of our lives, fabricate a false version of Jesus Christ leaving us momentarily satisfied but broken in the long term.

Yet, my dears, to be a Christian begins from self-examination and reflection. To be a Christian is to walk as Christ walked, grow in God’s likeness, be a light in darkness. To be a Christian is to ask not do people accept me for me, but rather, do people accept God through me. When we read our Holy Scriptures, when the priest or the teachings in the Church challenge us, or call us out, speak out against something we do, believe or choose to live by, we need to ask with wisdom and prayer, why do we feel this way? If we know and believe that God loves us, if we truly believe that God is our Heavenly Father, then we need to recognize that His love is going to challenge us to be better, stronger, and wiser. Not because we are always wrong, not because we are devalued but rather because God knows our full potential and provides the best for us.

In seminary, we had an English teacher who would give us daily assignments. One of those daily tasks was dictations – where he would read out loud and we would copy down what he said. Following his dictation, we were told to rewrite his story in our own words. Every time, no matter what we wrote, our pages would come back with red pen marks with instructions of how we could rewrite it better. One day, a classmate of mine decided he would just hand in exactly what was dictated without any further changes. When he received his notebook back, it was again covered in red pen marks with instructions on how we could reword it better. This wasn’t because our teacher disliked us, but because our teacher wanted us to live up to our full potential, beyond what we recognized.

Truthfully, as a student all we wanted to do was get the task done, get the grade and leave the classroom to do what we wanted. As Christian’s we act this way as well; all we want is to be happy, to “do the right thing” to somehow satisfy God and then leave Church or “leave our faith” to do what we want, what we think is best for us. In the process we hurt ourselves; we are left angry, dissatisfied, hurt and unsure. Yet, our Heavenly Father desires more for us and of us. God corrects us out of love and teaches us that He already knows what is best for us, if we would only remain faithful and obedient to His Will. This obedience my dears, starts with reflection and prayer!

In James we read, “Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” Confession, which is one of the Holy Sacraments of the Church, which is done privately to God, with the aid of the priest in the Church is that self-reflection of our challenges, of our struggles, and the choices we make that tell us we are on the wrong “side of the highway.” To confess is to be transparent; to confess is to verbalize and seek is God in our actions and choices. Is God in our relationships, is God in our addiction, in the way we treat our bodies, in the way we dress, in the way we live. If God is not, how can we change in order not to bring God into our choices but for us to enter God’s love. Confession is a reflection of seeing those red marks in our life not as condemnation but as correction for us to live to our full potential; asking what needs to change and how can we change so that God’s fullness is seen through us. Inner reflection and acceptance that the darkness of this world does not define us, our faults to break us, but the love of God our Heavenly Father is what saves us.

This reflection leads to prayer my dears. A thankfulness for God’s love, gratefulness for another day to grow. Prayer is asking for help to be transformed in heart and mind to live according to His Will. Prayer is openness of our heart; prayer not as laundry list of things we want transactionally from God but prayer as an openness to listen to learn; learning as we wait. When we pray and we wait for God to answer, what do we become? What do we become when we’re waiting? We become waiters! When a waiter is waiting on a table, what do they do? They serve! A waiter serves. When we pray with openness we wait to learn from God by serving. Serving each other in prayer and love. Yet, how many of us are willing to be this open? How many of us are ready to serve rather than be served? How many of us listen with this openness of learning? How many of us are ready to come and confess seeking transformation? Verses how many of us instead react with anger to the challenges, the Cross that God places before us?

To be a Christian is not easy. It is to face challenges from outside and inside. If we come to Church all our life and we never feel challenged, if we read the Scriptures and never feel uncomfortable when we reflect on our life, if we have conversations with our priest and don’t feel pushed to grow, than we have failed. For the way of our faith is through the Cross. Yet, it does not end with the Cross for through the Cross of Christ we are led to the empty tomb. My dears, God our Heavenly Father loves each and every one of us, regardless of how we look, how we act, what we choose. Even if we deny Him, He loves us and waits for us to turn back to Him. It is we who must, therefore, respond to that love, desiring to be transformed and changed. Christ Jesus by His love and grace has already broken the chain of sin, it is we who respond in faithfulness by turning to Him and not chaining ourselves back to our passions, to this world and the material darkness. The Holy Spirit comes and illuminates our hearts and mind, teaches us with wisdom, and compassion. It is we who respond by walking in faith, reading our Holy Scriptures, praying with sincerity, sobriety and reflecting the love of God. If we truly are faithful Christian’s, children of our Lord, we need to ask do we want people to accept me for me or, do will my life be a cause for others to accept God through me? This is a challenge given to us all, Amen!

On Earth and In Heaven

Daily Readings: Acts 23:12-35; 1 John 5:13-21; John 12:12-23
Ընթերցուածքներ` Գործ. ԻԳ 12-35; Ա Յով. Ե 13-21; Յով. ԺԲ 12 – 23

In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen!

© The Thomas Kinkade Estate. All Rights Reserved.

Lewis Carroll in 1865 wrote an iconic children’s novel, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The story follows a young girl named Alice, who falls down a rabbit hole into a world filled with strange creatures. This story is often interpreted as a story about a parallel world hidden beside ordinary reality. The “parallel world” idea comes from how Wonderland mirrors reality while still being a bit different. With strange characters and personalities, the world feels like stepping into a dream version of reality. Yet, by the end, Alice awakens from the experience, suggesting Wonderland may have been a dream — though the story leaves open the possibility that it was a real alternate world reached only through imagination.

This idea of parallel realities exists in many areas of our life my dears. In movies like the Matrix, in literature such as Alice in Wonderland or Chronicles of Narnia. While these are imaginative stories that have something deeper to teach us, who among us has not wondered if this world is all that there is? Is there another reality, another timeline, other worlds like ours? This imaginative questioning is especially alive in children. Have you ever seen a child look into a mirror? They wonder with amazement at the reflection staring back at them. Is that real? Is it another person in a world behind the mirror? As adults we know that the person in the mirror is us, reflecting with light. As for parallel realities or universes, I’ll leave to our imaginations and to film yet, within our faith my dears, I would argue we in fact do believe in an invisible reality, one that this life directly impacts.

When we come to Church and confess our sins, what does the priest say? “…By the command of the Lord in the Holy Gospel, whatever is forgiven on earth is forgiven in Heaven.” This comes to us directly from Holy Scriptures from the words of Christ to His disciples (Matthew 16 & 18) teaching us that what we do here directly impacts us in Heaven. When we step into a Church, we are surrounded by icons, smell of incense, music, beautiful liturgical services, and we are taught from childhood that in Church we don’t talk loudly, we don’t cross our legs, we dress nicely, we don’t chew gum, etc. This isn’t because these things make us into bad people. Rather, again looking to the Holy Scriptures, when we step through the doors of the Church, we step out of the world and step into the presence of God, into the Kingdom of Heaven. We come into a new reality; a parallel reality. That is why from Isaiah we read of how seeing Heaven, he witnessed the angels singing and worshiping God “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Host; the whole earth is full of his glory” (Is. 6:3) and the Book of Revelations (4:8) as St. John lifts our eyes up to Heaven to witness this truth again. So my dear when we are in Badarak, when we step into Church, the name of the Church or the address listed does not matter; the priest and people don’t matter because even in an empty Church, we are all worshipping together, in the Kingdom of God, with all the angels, with the saints, with all humanity – we are worshiping God. We are in a parallel reality.

One day a priest saddened by the reality of his small empty Church decided to resign. He had tried his best, preached, visited, taught the Gospel but his community wasn’t growing, very few people attended services, they were aging, tired, and this led to him to be discouraged overtime; after all he is human. In his prayers he asked God for a sign hoping that even if his Church was empty, he hoped that his prayers were being heard. One Sunday morning he got ready to start Badarak and as the curtain opened and he turned to give that sign of peace, the Church before his eyes was full. The choir was full of people he recognized and of whom he did not. There were priest standing near him, praying with him and the Church was filled with warmth, light and prayer. Uplifted by this was a joyous celebration, he prayed fervently, he gave Communion, offered up his sermon and felt the power of God working through Him. At the end of Badarak, as he turned to do the final dismissal, the Church was suddenly completely empty with only a few of his older parishioners still there. The priest however did not lose heart but recognized, when we pray in Church, we are surrounded by the cloud of witnesses as St. Paul teaches; our prayers are heard, not just in this reality but in the presence of God.

What we do here is what is taking place in the Kingdom of Heaven my dears.. That is also why in the sacraments of the Church we emphasize, what we are doing visibly here, has an invisible reality in the presence of God. As we are reborn through our baptism, as husband and wife 2 become one, as a priest is bestowed with authority to forgive on earth – my dears, invisibly occurs in heaven. So yes, we are gathered in Church here today, in this reality and we are praying. We are praying for answers, and we are recognizing the love of God the Father through Christ Jesus, God the Son who died and is resurrected, who ascends into Heaven. Yet, my dears this love is not just limited to you and I, just to those who come to Church, who think and look like us. This love is not limited to this reality. God’s love is for all creation, for all time. Christ saves not just humanity but all creation that mourns because of sin. As we read, (Lk. 15:7) “I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.” Teaching us that when we choose to live in sin, when we choose to hate, and remain unrepentant, the angels in heaven are saddened; yet, when we repent and come to God, they celebrate. What we do in this world, impacts the Heavenly world.

Today in the Armenian Church we are celebrating an invisible reality in the Kingdom of Heaven. For the Armenian Church it is known as Second Palm Sunday. This is a uniquely Armenian feast day and is told to us by St. Gregory the Illuminator, who while in the pit of Khor Virap his guardian angel visited him each day. However, on the fourth day of the Ascension, the angel did not appear. When St. Gregory asked where he had been the following day, the angel explained that on the fourth day of Ascension the angels celebrate and rejoice in the presence of Christ, of His entrance into the Eternal Jerusalem. While there is no scripture to verify this unique feast day, as we saw throughout many scriptural passages, what we do in this life is reflected in Heaven, our prayers here are reflected in the Kingdom of God; as we gather to celebrate here, the angels and saints celebrate in Heaven.

I say all this my dears to ask an important question because though it may seem imaginative or philosophical, the truth there is a deeper reality that if the material world ripples into the Divine world like a stone thrown into the water, what impact are we leaving in this reality? What life are we living, what decisions, what choices, what prayers are we echoing in this world that reflects in the parallel invisible world that is the Kingdom of God? When God created earth, He created it as a blessing for us through which to prepare us for what is to come. To prepare through prayer, humility, love, mercy, compassion; to prepare us through worship, through Holy Scriptures, through faithfulness. If the angels in Heaven serve and celebrate our faithfulness and yet, mourn and pray for our sinfulness, how do we, the children of God behave and live when the world chooses to reject God’s love, to be disobedient and remain dark? Do we pray for them? Do we look with compassion and serve in humility? For what we do in this world, reflects the Kingdom of God my dears for all to see, in all realities echoing over eternity. The man in the mirror, the imagination of parallel worlds and timelines, while fantastic and entertaining begs the question, whether fictional or real, what kind of reflection, what kind of ripple do we leave?

My dears, come and enter into the Kingdom. Come and pray; come and repent. Attend and learn the Holy Scriptures and worship not just in the Church building that may or may not be empty; but worship in the Kingdom of God. In His real presence, under His real love. And when we worship here, step back out of this invisible world, out of the Kingdom and step into the material world and live a life that reflects this place of forgiveness, healing and love, for others to see. For angels celebrate with us, the saints pray for us and what we do in this life, in this reality, directly impacts what will happen and what is happening in the invisible world to come. What will we see?

Blinded to What Really Matters

Daily Readings: Acts 20:17-38; 1 John 3:2-6; John 9:39-10:10
Ընթերցուածքներ` Գործ. Ի 17-38; Ա Յով. Գ 2-6; Յով. Թ39 – Ժ10

Christ is Resurrected from the Dead – Blessed Is the Resurrection of Christ
Քրիստոս Յարեաւ ի Մեռելոց – Օրհնեալ է Յարութիւնն Քրիստոսի

In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen!

In 2001, Alex Zanardi a famous Italian world class driver, was involved a horrific accident that resulted in the loss of both his legs. He was on top of the world, with accolades, trophies and success, heights that many aspire to but very few achieve. Until it all stopped; He lost control, and his car swerved across a grassy area and onto the track crashing into a fellow driver going 200 mph. In a moment, Alex lost his ability to make a living, to work, to enjoy life. What value he brought into the world disappeared in that split second. Though he lived, his recovery was painful as he experienced periods of deep depression even while working towards rehabilitation. Even as he looked for tools to make a transition back to some form of normality, he struggled finding properly fitting prosthetics. What value did Alex have in this world after losing so much?

My dears, so many of us place such high value on our physical abilities or inabilities, on our appearance, on what we have and do, compared to what God calls us to. Think about how and when we pray? We ask for healing over physical ailments, we ask for success and achievements in material endeavors and plans, we pray for peace, love and fulfillment in ways defined by the world. While there is nothing wrong with praying to be healthy, praying to find peace, love, and hope in our day to day, working and asking for success, yet is this where our value lies? Christ did not die for us so that our value would be determined by those things. In the same way, a parent loves their child regardless of what they achieve in life, likewise our value as the children of God is not limited to what we wear, or what we achieve. That is why St. John addresses us as, “Beloved, now we are children of God…” (v.2) Children to whom, by the grace and love of God through Jesus Christ, our true self and what that means is revealed. Which is why, St. John continues, “it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” See Him and be seen. Know God and see Him in ourselves and others.

Yet, so many of us, still choose to not see, choose to place our value and limit ourselves to what the world sees as important. And so Christ tells the Pharisees that, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.’ Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, ‘Are we blind also?’” The Pharisees are thinking like us, they are seeing their value in their physical ability of blindness. They are associating physical health, or material status as something far for valuable because for the Jewish people, any disability or failure was seen as a form of “punishment from God.” That is why a few verses back, in Jn. 9 the Disciples asked Jesus, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” In fact, it is right after this miracle of the blind man being healed that the Pharisees question Jesus about physical blindness. No, the Pharisees may have not been physically blind, yet, because they lived according to the flesh, having misplaced their trust, choosing sin of pride, and arrogance, Jesus is saying they were blind to the truth; they chose to be blind.

My dears, God doesn’t punish us with sickness. God doesn’t allow hurt, darkness and pain in our life because we sin. And God does not limit our value more or less, based on our abilities, disabilities, achievements and failures. Yes, those things exist in our life. Sickness, failure, darkness, addiction are a painful consequence of the sin that has polluted the creation of God. Yet, despite all that poison God still loves us all. Despite a rebellious child, a true parent continues to love. And God the Father, in His Divine love for us sent His Son Jesus Christ to suffer all that darkness and failure, to be devalued according to this world. Not abandoning Him, God also raised Christ from the tomb defeating the power of sin. And God did so to reveal also to us, that we are also His beloved children, and He will raise us out of our failure, our brokenness and darkness. Christ Jesus opens not just our physical eyes but heals our spiritual blindness from the lies of this world. Christ removes not just the stone that covered the tomb to reveal the truth of the resurrection inside, but removes the stones that cover our eyes to reveal our value.

Just as our value is not limited to our physical healing, likewise healing, what God offers is not about physical healing rather, He opens our heart and illuminates our spirit. Reminding us not to be ashamed of our failure, of our hurt, of our blindness. Reminding us to be ashamed of choosing sin and remaining in blindness; ashamed of the lies we tell ourselves, our pride, our arrogance and hatefulness. Ashamed and cautious, not about what we physically look like but of how we choose to live apart from God. For we say we believe in God yet, we don’t know the Holy Scriptures, we don’t pray honestly, we don’t love, we don’t forgive, we don’t see – and so we remain spiritually blinded. Yet, despite all this, God reminds us ultimately that in humility His love is revealed for us not determined by those external things but the internal – the image and likeness we bare. And that we have a chance every day to repent, to turn to Him and ask to be healed of our blindness, to see His love.

Alex Zanardi, eventually changed. No, life did not get easier, no he did not get his legs back, he had to change his life, but he did not allow his limitations to be a limitation on the strength of his spirit. He joked about how the awkward prosthetic made him feel taller, or that he no longer worried about smelly feet or washing his socks. Eventually Alex went back to racing, driving a modified race car. To be a positive change, Alex discovered, the loss of his feet made room for the strength of his hands. He learned the difficult sport of handcycling, a three-wheeled bike that uses hand cranks instead of foot pedals. In 2011, he won the handcycle division of the New York City Marathon and continued on to win two gold medals and a silver medal at both the 2012 Paralympics in London and the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro. He did not allow his limitations to blind him to his true value, no matter what the world said.

My dears, no matter what the world says about us, regardless of our limitations, our sickness, our shortcomings, regardless of our achievements, physical attributes, money and statues – our value is not limited nor determined by those things. God loves us all and God desires to heal us all, to be whole and holy. Let go of the hate; let go of the pride; let go of what the world tells us is important and trust in God. Repent and return to His love. Learn the Scriptures, come to Church with questions, live in Communion seeking true healing, and our spiritual blindness will be lifted. Yes, we may need to change how we live, how we act, how we dress, and so forth and this may be difficult. Rehabilitation and repentance often are. Yet, when we let go, we open ourselves to more. We open our hands to do the work of God, to be made whole and Holy. We open our heart and mind, to recognize love and mercy. We open our eyes and see the Risen Lord Jesus Christ, with whom we too are risen out of darkness and blindness. By the grace of the Holy Spirit, may our eyes be opened to His love, so that we will see and recognize that we are the beloved children of our Heavenly Father, to whom with the Son and Holy Spirit is due glory now and forever, Amen!

Failure to Finish

Christ is Resurrected from the Dead – Blessed Is the Resurrection of Christ
Քրիստոս Յարեաւ ի Մեռելոց – Օրհնեալ է Յարութիւնն Քրիստոսի

In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen.

Mara had a talent for beginnings. She enjoyed starting new endeavors—a new job, a new habit, a new version of herself—with a kind of electric hope that made people believe in her instantly. The problem was that she also had a talent to always fail. Somewhere between the excitement of starting and the satisfaction of finishing, things fell apart. Her first business idea collapsed in three months. She decided to go back to school to be better prepared, but she struggled to understand the subject matter and so she flunked out. She met the love of her life, got married and began getting ready to start a family. Yet, as quickly as she began, her marriage sadly ended in divorce. She again attempted to start anew. This time she worked harder, slept less, sacrificed more. When she failed again, it didn’t just feel like bad luck, she truly began to feel like failure. Though she tried to laugh it off, she began to tell herself, “You’re just not built for success. You will always fail.” She replayed it in her mind so much, it sounded like truth. Failure had taken a lot from her. One night, without announcing it to anyone, Mara started again. When things started going wrong, she didn’t spiral; she adjusted. When she felt the urge to quit, she waited. The difference wasn’t that she stopped failing; She failed constantly. Ideas didn’t land, people said no, progress stalled. There were moments, that that voice of her past crept back telling her to give up because she would fail. But while in the past doubt caused fear, now Mara saw failure as an opportunity and not a verdict. She wasn’t defined by doubt or questions or uncertainty. Then, one day, she noticed something strange! Things were working. Not perfectly, not effortlessly but they worked. When people asked her how she finally succeeded, Mara even failed to answer that because it wasn’t that she became more talented, or that she got lucky. The biggest difference was that she stopped treating failure like the end of the story. She had failed enough times to realize something important: Failure doesn’t mean you’re done. It just means you’re still in the middle. And the middle, as it turns out, is where almost everything important happens.

My dear brothers and sisters, no one likes to fail. No one starts a diet with thoughts of failing, no one dates or gets married with fear of divorce, no one studies with expectations of flunking out, no one starts with belief they’ll fail. Yet, so many of us listen to that voice of failure, we devalue ourselves, we define who we are focusing on the failures. We become disheartened and feel like giving up. This is especially true with our faith my dears. We try to remain faithful, we try to be forgiving, we try to be prayerful and yet, even with our faith we like a failure the moment we begin to struggle or doubt. And yet, Holy Scripture teaches us, Prov. 24:16 “for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.” The righteous fall seven time. Meaning those who try to remain faithful, prayerful, those who strive to succeed fail not once, not twice but multiple times. Yet, they rise again. They rise not through mere human efforts, nor strength, nor talent.

Remember Mara when asked how she succeeded admitted her talents, or smarts, or skills had not changed. What raises us my dears is our trust and love in our Lord; recognizing that our sin is not the end when through Christ Jesus we live. See how the proverbs says, the “wicked stumble when calamity strikes.” The wicked my dears are the arrogant, the prideful, those who look to blame others, and the world. The wicked are those who are unrepentant, who believe they are sinless. As we read in 1 John 1:8 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” The truth is that failure does not define us; our darkness, our addiction, our mistakes, our brokenness, our sin does not define us; it is not the end!

Christ defines us; the love of God, who through grace and mercy forgives us of our sins through His death and resurrection raises us out of failure, renews us as righteous, lifts us out even out of our tombs. It is for this reason that St. Anthony of Padua teaches us that “Apart from the Cross, there is no other ladder.” A ladder to get back up, a ladder to lean on, a ladder to hold on to when our strength has failed. We need take hold of that ladder, take hold of the Cross and use it to get back up. Trust in not our strengths or weakness but in God. Yes, we might feel discouraged when we fail, yes, we can doubt and worry. Yet, “A drop of prayer is worth more than a sea of worry” – St. Nikolaj Velimirovic. In the face of our failures, we have an opportunity to renew our trust, confess, repent and start again, start with a simple prayer. The cross – in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

This is prayer; it is a symbol of us placing our trust in God; it is a shield that defends us against evil. It is victimhood transformed into victory. Pray my dears. Come to Church with a thirst and hunger to be filled with love, compassion, mercy. Failure is not the end; death is not the end; sin does not define us. Bring worry, doubt, fear and failure and lay it before the Holy Altar. Take hold of the Cross, and we know, that as Christ has been raised, we will be raised. We will be raised and renewed in love, hope and mercy to be an example for others to see and recognize that through God, even multiple failure, even the darkest of pains, has no power over the love and of our Lord. By the Grace of the Holy Spirit, see and hold on to the Cross and we will be lifted up to proclaim in word and in deed, Christ is Risen, Amen!

Christ Is Risen, So What?

Քրիստոս Յարեաւ ի մեռելոց – Christ is risen!

Who cares my dears? Who cares and so what if Christ is risen? This is a question we need to dare ask ourselves and allow it to pierce our heart and mind because who cares if Christ Jesus has is raised from the dead as we proclaim as Christians. This is not a denial of God but a challenge to us. Does the Resurrection of Christ truly matter to us? If we say yes, then in what way does it impact us? There on a large island, is a village that lived in constant fear of a great and terrible storm. For generations, they had been warned that one day a horrific storm would come with such force that nothing would survive it. So they built shelters, stored food, and spoke often about how to endure when the storm finally arrived. They taught their children and prepared them. One day, a messenger came running into the village with astonishing news: “The storm has already come—and it has passed. It has lost its power. You are no longer in danger.” The people, surprised, looked at each other and nodded politely. They thanked the man for the great news, and then turned around back to reinforcing their shelters, living in fear, as though nothing had changed. Nothing changed for the people even with the news of no more danger. The people would rather live in fear of a storm, rather than change their lives.

And that is the problem my dear brothers and sisters. We proclaim with joy: Christ is risen! But do we live as though death—the great storm of humanity—has truly been conquered? As Armenian Christian’s, as people who have endured persecution, and slaughter, who year after year remember the Genocide and what we have lost, who now gather proclaiming victory and sainthood of our Martyrs, those who became the foundation for us to live today, are we changed? What unites us? Fear, death, and loss? As individuals who are each battling a storm in our life, addiction, despair, hopelessness and fear, anger and arrogance, sin of all sorts, how are we changed when we proclaim hope and life in Christ? The tragedy of the story is not that the storm was dangerous—but that the people lived as though it still ruled over them, even after it had been defeated. The greatest tragedy for us my dears today is not that we have faced Genocide, not that we are seeing history repeat itself, not that we have darkness in our life.

The greatest tragedy is that we have allowed death to define us. We have allowed defeat, and persecution to unite us. We haven’t changed. We have placed our trust in the weakness of people to give us peace rather than the power of God. And so I ask, who cares if Christ is Risen, who cares that our martyrs are recognized as saints, who cares if we are able to gather and pray in our own language, in our Mother Church, who cares if we have been able to have families, dance and sing, love and grow, who cares when internally in our hearts and minds nothing has changed? If we care, how are we different? The St. Paul declares: “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins… But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:17,20). If we truly believe that Christ is Risen my dears, then no genocide, no worldly authority, no storm, no darkness, no sin, no addiction, no pain, no worldly ideologies can define who we are; it cannot devalue us or break us.

That is why St. John Chrysostom proclaims, “let no one fear death, for the Savior’s death has set us free.” In other words, my dears, our strength, our response, our hope and our transformation is not merely found in words, but in the life we live. We need to be transformed and changed. Our how and why needs to be grounded in that Good News that the Storm has passed. How and why we love, how and why we go to Church, build careers and families, how and why we treat one another and ourselves with compassion, how and why we are here, how and why we are united, must be changed from fear of suffering, from anger, from shame into life with God. We are not united merely by shared history of death, but by the blood of Christ Jesus. Blood, that our martyrs gave; Blood that demands response; What kind of response, what kind of change?

Humility, compassion and forgiveness. Humility to recognize we don’t have all the answers, humility to recognize that neither our brokenness nor our achievements in this life determine our value but the love of God, humility to come to Church focusing on God and not others. Too many of us whether we come to Church every Sunday or once a year, we come with arrogance. We look at the people around us and judge them for how they dress, how the speak, how they vote, how they live, and we think, “at least we’re not like them.” And it’s true! We aren’t like them. We are far worse! Because the worst patient that a doctor can have is one who thinks they don’t need healing and therefore ignore everything the doctor says. The Holy Church is a hospital, St. John Chrysostom teaches, for the sick and broken who are seeking healing, not a palace where we are looking to be glorified. God is who we glorify, not our egos.

This leads into compassion, and recognizing that just as I am suffering, just as others are suffering, we are all looking for peace, for healing, for love from God. And we can begin to therefore, forgive others and ourselves, because we know that nothing, no failure, no sin, not even death or genocide can separate us from God. Yes, we will feel hurt, yes, we will demand justice, but we know that our value is not determined by others but by God. And that is why we care. That is the so what to Christ being Risen. That with Christ we too are risen, we also live, and we will love and grow! We live today not because we fear death, not because we fear storms, but because our ancestors, our parents, placed their trust in God even when they faced immanent death. If Christ is Risen, then how do we respond?

The early Christians, our ancestors, did not merely believe in the Resurrection—they lived it. They faced persecution as they marched through the deserts, they gave without counting the cost and loved in a way that astonished the world. Because they knew that Christ had destroyed death, and nothing—not even suffering—could separate them from His life. If we truly believe, then we must care with our whole being. We must care enough to change, to struggle, to repent, to forgive, to love. We must care enough to live as those who have already begun to rise with Christ. For the Resurrection is not only something that happened to Christ—it is something that must happen in us. Do not be like the villagers who heard the good news but continued to live in fear. Instead, be witnesses—living witnesses—that Christ is risen. That we are risen. In our thoughts, in our words, in our actions, the world will see that death no longer reigns, that love is stronger than hatred, that hope is stronger than despair. For Christ is risen—and we will rise!

Did You Hear It?!

Daily Readings: Acts 9:23-31; 1 Peter 2:1-10; John 2:23-3:12
Ընթերցուածքներ` Գործ. Թ 23-31; Ա Պետ. Բ 1-10; Յով. Բ 23 – Գ 12

In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen

If a tree falls in the woods and no one’s there to hear it, does it still make a sound? This philosophical question is perhaps one we’ve all heard. The answer is of course yes, it makes sound vibrations though there is no one to receive those vibrations and therefore, the sound is not heard. In science this concept of sound vibrations is actually quite fascinating because it begs the question, are those vibrations powerful enough to make an impact in the world around them even if no one hears it. In science, this is called string theory, which proposes that the fundamental elements of the universe, the things that exist in other words, are not made up of particles, but rather minuscule, vibrating strings of energy. Meaning the entire universe is made up of vibrating energy, what we call frequency, much like a sound wave. Yet, what is so fascinating about this is if we take this theory and apply it to the question I asked about the tree falling in the woods, we can reword it to ask, what in the woods created the sound vibrations and what came of it?

And this is an important question to ask my dears as Christians, not philosophically or scientifically but practical for our lives. Because if science suggests that the entire universe is made up of these vibrations, we need to ask what is the source of those vibrations? For us Christians we know that this was God. In fact, what do we read in the Book of Genesis about creation? How did creation take place? “God said…”Creation was spoken, by sound vibrations, into existence. Even though we were not there to hear it, those vibrations caused life. Ps. 33:4 – 6 we read, “For the word of the Lord is right, And all His work is done in truth. He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. God created all through His Word, through speech. Last week we even read in Jn. 1 – “in the beginning was the Word…All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.”

And speech, or word to create is one of our shared qualities with God. In fact, in Armenian what do we call animals? Anasun, literally “non-verbal”. Yet, if the entire universe as we believe was spoken into existence, which even science affirms, these sound vibrations are what make up the universe and all in it, and we as humans differing from all animals of creation likewise speak, regardless of who is there to hear it, what kind of vibrations, what words, do we speak and put out into the universe? You see my dears, this question is neither scientific nor philosophical, it is personal, because we are responsible for what comes out of our mouths, we are responsible for what we create. And this is not limited to merely words. We are responsible for what choices we make, which likewise leave an impact in this world. The saintly Mother Theresa says, “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”

Regardless of if anyone hears our words, or thoughts, if anyone is on the receiving end of our actions, we leave an impact in this world. Our words, and our actions my dears, leave a vibration and imprint in this universe. Sometimes we don’t even realize this until it’s too late. I remember once getting cut-off in traffic and I used angerly responded with a slur in Armenian, only to hear my son laughing and repeating the same word all of a sudden. So often I hear people say, “oh this is my sin,” “or this doesn’t hurt anyone else.” Yet, as a body, if I have a headache, my entire body is uncomfortable. Likewise, we through our choices not only impact our lives but also those around us. Even the words we use about ourselves, in the privacy of our mind, impact us.

A famous Japanese doctor, Masaru Emoto, conducted an experiment where he would expose water to negativity and hatred. He would use negative, hate filled words, play harsh music, or share unkind thoughts towards a body of water. In another container, Dr. Emoto would play classical music, speak kind and loving words, sharing positivity. At the end of the experiment, he froze both samples of water and examined the participles. In the negative water, he discovered broken, and ugly ice crystals, whereas in contrast with the positive water he found beautiful harmonious structures formed. My dears, does my life leave positive or negative, violent or loving, Godly or sinful impact? As children of God, we are created by the harmonious, kind, loving Word of God. Through sin, the negativity and hatred of the world, pollutes are very being. We fill our lives with anger, hatred, we hold on to hurt, we abuse our mind, and our body, we listen to evil words and thoughts, we go after things that ultimately leave us far worse, broken and unsatisfied. Yet, through His Word, Christ Jesus, God calls us out of the darkness. Our creative God renews us through His Holy Church, through the Holy Scriptures – through His love and mercy.

And in our Psalms, we call out, “Lord if you open my lips, may I sing your praise.” Sing your praise not just in the Church my dears, but with our words, with our lives, sing His praise by forgiving others, sing His praise by forgiving ourselves, sing His praise by our choices in accordance with His commandments. Come and be reborn, washed of iniquity through the Holy Baptismal font, be the Holy Priesthood that God calls us to be through His Word, as St. Peter writes to us. “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9) Declare the wonderful deeds of Him! Create, speak, do, so that when the world sees us, when the world feels the vibrations we leave, even if they never personally know us, they will personally know God. Whether or not there is any one there to hear the sound of a falling tree, God sees. Whether or not the there is any on there to see or hear our actions, God sees. And through us, the universe is impacted, the love of God is shared, the light of God is brightly shined, and all creation, verbal or non-verbal, will glorify or deny Him. By the Word of God, Jesus Christ, by the love and mercy of our Heavenly Father, through the grace of Holy Spirit, let us open our minds with compassion to do His will, let us open our mouths in praise, Amen!

Over the Weeks, Months and Years…

Daily Readings: Acts 5:34-6:7; James 3:1-12; John 1:1-17
Ընթերցուածքներ` Գործ. Ե 34- Զ 7; Յակ. Գ 1-12; Յով. Ա 1-17

Christ is Resurrected from the Dead – Blessed Is the Resurrection of Christ
Քրիստոս Յարեաւ ի Մեռելոց – Օրհնեալ է Յարութիւնն Քրիստոսի

In 2007 I remember joining a group of Armenian Church youth from Canada who traveled to Armenia as volunteers. We lived in villages in Armenia while doing volunteer construction work, teaching the local kids, while also going on excursions to see the beauty and history of Armenia. It filled us all with pride and uplifted our spirits, because we felt a much deeper and appreciative connection to our homeland. When we returned home, we all stayed closely connected, we all attended more Armenian cultural and religious events. We appreciated where we were from and wanted to do more. Yet, over the weeks, months and years, this feeling disappeared. Many in the group stopped attending Church and cultural events, almost all of us stopped messaging each other, and life went on. Many years later, while I was a student in Jerusalem, I met a group of Armenian Church youth who from this Diocese came to Jerusalem as pilgrims. I witnessed the raw emotions and internal questions of faith, as the young men and women, walked the path of Jesus, prayed in ancient temples in their Armenian language, saw the history of not just the world but of our own people in the world. And revitalized, everyone returned to their parishes where they began actively attending their Churches, reading their Scriptures, going to Bible Study, wanting to learn more. Yet, over the weeks, months and years, this feeling disappeared. Life got busy, dating, marriage, careers, and so forth took priority and everything else stopped.

Perhaps my dears we have all felt this way at some point. Not just by going to Armenia or Jerusalem, but even in our everyday lives. When we feel connected and revitalized to do better, work harder, go to the gym, eat healthier, study more, and be more prayerful. Yet, over the weeks, months and years, this feeling disappears. Last week, we celebrated Holy Week, the high point and most difficult religious Christian experience of the reality of Christ Jesus’ being betrayed, tortured and killed for our sins. And the week climaxed with Easter Badarak, with the resounding words of Christ Is Risen, where we witnessed our Churches were filled with faithful. We felt good looking in the pews and seeing how the Church was full. And yet, we are now 1 week later, what changed? Today our Eastern Orthodox brothers and sisters are celebrating Easter, the Resurrection of our Lord, what will change for them next week? Will Church be full? Will we still be energized? What changed? My dear brothers and sisters, nothing has changed and that is the problem.

Our faith must change us, must renew us, and transform us. When we live our faith, it means we need to be changed by it so that what we feel is not merely an emotion but a reality. In the same way when we go to Armenia, when we go on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, when we volunteer, when we try to better ourselves; if all we are doing is on the surface, eventually that feeling stops, success fails and we go back to being disconnected. Christ Jesus changed death into life, Christ Jesus changed brokenness and rejection into love and hope. That is what our faith is, a response to be changed, and transformed. Changed in how we behave, how we think, and overall live out our lives. Changes that take place over the smallest things, which is why James in his letter gives the example of the rudder on the boat, or the small flame that engulfs the forest. Small changes in how we live. God isn’t saying we need to become hermits or stop everything else but rather, my dears, God wants us to be with Him in our everyday, by recognizing His love. A love that teaches us every day Christ is born and revealed for us, everyday Christ is Risen from the Dead for us. And every day, Christ walks with us.

Elder Paisios of Mt. Athos says, “For true monks and believers, every week is Holy Week. When you think divine thoughts, you live through these holy events. You are transformed.” In other words, we don’t need a date in the calendar to respond and celebrate God’s love. We need only to humble ourselves, and seek Him daily, come to the light and be renewed. Today in the Armenian Church we call it “new Sunday” or “re-Easter”, because we again having been renewed celebrate God’s presence in our life, as His children. That is why in the Gospel we remember, “But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” To become, as in to be something they were not, receive something we don’t have; and we are called to become, receive His love and be changed into the children of God. For each of us this path is different, for each of us this process is different, yet for all of us it begins with Christ Jesus. And over the days, weeks, months and years, faith will not disappear but we will be changed.

Come and pray, seek and ask, thirst and drink. Don’t wait for Christmas and Easter, or an arbitrary day in the year to begin walking with God. God loves us every day! Christ calls all of us daily and send the Holy Spirit to show us the way, providing us the means by which we can truly be changed, and transformed. And seeing the wonderous and glorious works of God we will always be revitalized and strengthened in our faith, and we will continue sharing His light with this darkened world. May the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us all, Amen!

To Hell (And Back) With Jesus

Daily Readings: Acts 1:15-26; Mark 16:2-8
Ընթերցուածքներ` Գործք. Ա 15-26; Մարկ. ԺԶ 2-8

Kristos Haryav i merelots,
Christ is Risen from the Dead
Krisdos Anesti
Kristos VosKrese
El Misa Qam
Le Christ est réssuscité
Blessed is the Resurrection of Christ – Օրհնեալ է Յարութիւնը Քրիստոսի

To hell with Jesus Christ! Oh, my goodness Fr. Andreas has lost his mind. In our everyday language we so often use the name of Christ Jesus, or references of God in Armenian and English without realizing their significance. For example, “Oh my God” or “Jesus Christ” are used to express frustration, joy, anger, clarity. In Armenian we have expressions such as “Vay Astvadz” (Oh God) “Ter Voghormya” (Lord have mercy), “Megha Qez Astvac” (I have sinned against God), to express likewise frustration, anger, and other such emotions. Perhaps thinking about this now, we would agree with a slight smirk that yes these are ill-placed and misused, but we wouldn’t think of them as overly harsh. What about “God damn it”, “Holy ____”, or as I started my sermon “to hell with ____”? Do we understand what we are expressing? Even if out of frustration or joy, or anger. In the Gospel of Matthew we read “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:37) Our spoken words are a reflection of the heart and carry immense weight. Careless or idle words (Matthew 12:36) reveal a person’s true character, acting as evidence for or against them. So, do we truly wish for God to damn, send into hellfire and torment, the thing or person that is causing us frustration? Are we truly equating holiness with feces or other such things? Or in Armenian, so often we will in frustration curse “Dirocht mayr or hayr” where we are literally saying, cursed be your mother or fathers Lord “Der”. Isn’t our Lord God?

My dear brothers and sisters, each Easter and Christmas we greet each other with praiseworthy words of recognition of what God has done for us. We commandingly say, “Christ is Risen from the Dead” – yet, how much of those words are careless vs. said with understanding? If our words of prayer are private between us and God, the proclamation of Christ being resurrected is one we say openly to all, share with the angels, our priest, and families. Perhaps some of us will even post it online. Yet, do those words mean truth to us or are they like the many forms of expressions we use daily, the curses, the slang, the negative comments we utter or write online? Do we believe the Christ is Risen? When I begin with the words today “to Hell with Jesus Christ” I am in fact saying them with understanding my dears. Understanding that when Christ was crucified and died for our sins, His body was wrapped and placed in the Tomb. His soul however, traveled to Hell or more correctly, to the Bosom of Abraham and Shaol. The Bosom of Abraham is the place where those who had died before Christ’s coming, yet, who lived faithfully rested waiting for the Messiah.

Shaol was the place where those who died before Christ yet, did not know God, waited. You see Shaol is the Hebrew word for the place of waiting for the dead, while Ghenna or Hell is the place after final judgement. And so those who had died faithfully and faithlessly before Christ, were waiting. And as Orthodox Christian we believe that when Christ died on earth He went to Hell, to Shaol and the Bosom of Abraham, and here He was revealed to those who died as the Messiah. And the reason He did this is because God’s love extends beyond just this material world. God did not abandon those who did not know Him, as is stated by Scriptures in todays reading, “But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power. For David says concerning him, ‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; moreover, my flesh will live in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One experience corruption. You have made known to me the ways of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’” (Acts 2:24-28) And also, “For this is the reason the gospel was proclaimed even to the dead, so that, though they had been judged in the flesh as everyone is judged, they might live in the spirit as God does.” (1 Peter 4:6)

It is this understanding for which I say, Christ Jesus goes to Hell. Yet, why is this so important for us today to know? My dears, no matter where we are in life, no matter our darkness, no matter our hurt, no matter our addictions and brokenness and sin, no matter how much failure or success we’ve had, no matter our language, or politics, skin color, dress, position in life or age, even if we are in hell, God does not abandon us. Even when we think we are lost to the abyss, when we are calling out in prayer, God does not abandon us. Whether we are celebrating joyfully around a banquet table as Christ did during the Wedding of Cana or we are standing before His Cross, seeing the one we loved crucified, God does not abandon us. But as Christ went to Hell and the dead responded to Him, we too must respond to Him. Respond by living out the commandments, respond by remaining faithful and prayerful, respond through patience and compassion. Respond daily in our lives with our actions and words. Actions with these hands by which we cross ourselves and pray but then go out and do hurtful things, reject and deny one another. Words that come out of our lips of prayer, worship and proclamations of God’s love but with these same words which we curse one another, carelessly profane, insult, reject, and devalue ourselves and this world.

Yes, my dears, Christ Jesus harrowed into Hell, destroyed its gates, entered the darkness and lifts out all those who are lost to renewed life and hope. And Christ enters our darkness, to lift us out into renewed life and hope, inviting us into Communion with Him, the Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit. This renewal is not merely a feeling nor is it superlative words and proclamations we say in Church but is the foundational transformation that we are each called today. Hell into Heaven, Doubt into Certainty, Fear into Love, Brokenness into Wholeness, Death into Life.

My dears this transformation, our response of faith is lived out daily, in our words, in our actions, in our interactions, in our private and public lives. Days that feel great and days that feel like hell on earth. As St. David says, “therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced” Therefore, be careful, be watchful what we say, and what we do for our lives are a reflection of who we are my dears. Reflect Christ Resurrected. Reflect life and hope in a world that feels lost and confused. Remain prayerful even if we feel lost. Remain vigilant even if we feel unsure. And know that God will not abandon us, God will not leave us in darkness. “For Christ is Risen from the Dead, trampling down death by death and to those in the Tomb bestowing life.” Understanding this, we proclaim Christ goes to Hell so that we can declare, with Christ we are Risen from the Dead- Christos Haryav I merelots. Amen

Be Watchful Of…

Passages: Is. 66:1-24; Col. 2:8-3:17; Matt. 22:34-23:39
Ընթերցուածքներ՝ Եսայ. ԾԶ 1-24; Կող. Բ 8- Գ 17; Մատթ. ԻԲ 34- ԻԳ 39

In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen!

Be watchful of your thoughts for they become your words; be watchful of your words, for they become your actions; be watchful of your actions, for they become your habits; be watchful of your habits, for they become your character; be watchful of your character, for it becomes your destiny. My dear brothers and sisters, these words come to us from an ancient Japanese proverb which highlights a very important reality, yet one we sometimes forget to reflect upon. I know it’s a bit ironic that I begin today’s sermon with a Japanese proverb when today’s reading from St. Paul to the Colossians literally begins with the words, “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy…” And yet, these philosophical words do not replace Scripture but emphasize rather, and uphold an important question that Holy Scripture asks of us – who are we as a person, what do we do, which shapes and impacts how the world around us will be?

I am always asked why the world is falling apart. War, hatred, rejection; crime, sacrilege, sickness; darkness, addiction and loss. Whether in our own lives or the world around us, we see these negative realities, we experience these pitfalls and wonder how and why. We see parents who do not parent, teachers who do not teach, leaders who do not lead, and faithful who do not pray. We are left again wondering how and why. Yet, my dear brothers and sisters, the answer is quite simple. The why is dependent on each one of us, and why we choose to live the way we do. Why we choose to cheat, why we choose to lie, why we choose to not forgive, or why we do pray, why we do love, why we do care for others. Yet, the how is not immediate, nor is it unique to us.

How the world becomes dark, how our own lives are filled with so much negativity begins step by step, as the Japanese proverb teaches us. Be careful of our thoughts asks, how do we think about those around us, about our own selves, and the world we live in. What kind of thoughts enter our heart and mind that shape us? If we are careless, things will fall apart. If we are overly critical, we are never satisfied and overly burdened. If we judge before knowing, or reject before understanding, we are filled with hatred. Yet, if we are overly accepting and non-judgmental, we allow our own lives to become polluted with things not pleasing to God. As the saying goes,“when a generation tolerates a sin, the next will celebrate it, and the generation after won’t even know it’s a sin!” Be cautious of your thoughts, because those thoughts come out in our words.

How often are we watchful and careful of our words? How careful are we in our vocabulary, regardless of our spoken language? Just think about how much more we hear profanity and vulgar words used not just in private conversations but perhaps in the office, on the news, in our own families. We might argue that we only occasionally use those words in private, yet our words which are shaped in how we think speak about how we view ourselves and others. Through jokes, through white-lies, into hateful, and damning speech. I remember as a kid, playing with my friends we would use horrible language or say racist jokes. I would always be careful that those jokes were only with friends or that language was only when I was frustrated with friends playing games, until one day I used it in a classroom in front of my teacher when I was frustrated on a test.

And whether we like it or not those thoughts, which we speak, translate into actions. How we behave and the choices we make, the lies or truths we justify. And if we do something often enough, that becomes a habit and shapes our character. People expect those things from us negative or positive. “Oh, Armenians and Greeks, they’re always late!” Sure, that might be playful, yet, what about negative stereotypes “California Armenians are all criminals,” “Jews are cheap”, “Asians can’t drive” and so forth. And while no, we may argue we don’t truly believe these things, our thoughts, and words reflect eitherwise in our actions. And perhaps we may not believe in destiny, we certainly believe and know that the life we choose to live based on these steps, our thoughts, words, and actions not only highlight who we are, ultimately they impact our communion with God, and how others view God. Not just Heaven and Hell, but here in our everyday experiences my dears.

That is why Christ is so critical of the Pharisees in today’s Gospel. They know the truth, they have the teachings yet, with their thoughts, words, actions, habits and character not only do they reject God, reject Christ, but also become a stumbling block for others to believe. Well, my dear brothers and sisters, what about us? We have journeyed through another Great Lent period, and we are preparing for Palm Sunday, Holy Week and Easter. Many of us have asked how do we do Lent, what does that consist of, yet how many of us remembered not just the food, or the donations but the way we live our everyday? What kind of music we listen to, what kind of news commentators or literature, videos, movies, and so forth do we allow to be part of our everyday life? How we talk to others, about others, how we think about ourselves and others, and so forth.

These steps my dears, when going down the wrong way is what ultimately leads not just us but also impacts how others are led either towards or away from God, away from His forgiveness and love. Why we choose to do things we do, why we come to Church, why we diet, why we exercise, why we pray, why we care, why we don’t, is a personal reason, impacted by the journey we are on. And yes, along the way we may mistakes, but we can learn to grow, learn and change so that our why will become richer and more impactful. Yet, how the world is in the state it is in, how we make a change, how we, grow starts from the steps we take every day, to be cautious and careful of our thoughts, which become words, which become actions, which become habit, which shape our character and ultimately impact how we receive the love of God in our lives.

God desires the best for us; God our Father, embraces us and offers forgiveness for our past, present and future. God the Son, Jesus Christ, teaches us that no past, no word, no thought or habits or actions is greater than His love, His Word, His act on the Cross for our sake. And God the Holy Spirit, continually provides us with the opportunity to come back, be reshaped, transformed, grounded in faith, so that not only will we be changed, but the people around us will also desire the love of God, the world around us will be changed. Be watchful of your thoughts for they become your words; be watchful of your words, for they become your actions; be watchful of your actions, for they become your habits; be watchful of your habits, for they become your character; be watchful of your character, for it becomes the means by which we either accept or reject the grace and love of God, the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit, daily and for all eternity, Amen!