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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!

Welcome

Welcome to the new St. Gregory Armenian Church website. We are currently underway to developing our website. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact pastor Rev. Dn. Narek Garabedian at dn.narekg@gmail.com or at the Church 773-637-1711.

Or drop by on Sunday’s for service: 9:30 am Morning Service, 10:30 am Liturgy
6700 W. Diversey Ave.
Chicago, IL 60707