Category: Uncategorized

Passages: Is. 54:11-55:13; 2 Corinth. 6:1-7:1; Lk. 15:1-32 
Ընթերցուածքներ՝ Եսայ. ԾԴ 11 – ԾԵ13; Բ Կորնց. Զ 1- Է 1; Ղուկ. ԺԵ 1-32 

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

I remember as a kid I made a lot of mistakes. I’ll admit, even as an adult, I still make mistakes. However, as I get older, the mistakes I made had far more serious consequences. For example, if as a child I didn’t eat what was in front of me, my parents would punish me with no sweets or TV. As an adult if I neglect to eat healthy, it will impact my health negatively. If as a child, I broke the rules, I would be sent to time out. Yet, as an adult, when I drive fast and break the law, I get a speeding ticket, must pay a fine to the police, or could end up in jail. Regardless as an adult or child, my mistakes hurt my parents and loved ones, yet, ultimately, my mistakes truly hurt me. Well, my dears, we all make mistakes! Our mistakes have consequences; our mistakes leave a mark, but our mistakes do not define who we are. That is why there is a difference between a mistake and sin. Yes, we all make mistakes, yes, we are all sinful and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 5:12-19) as we read in the Scriptures, but there is a difference between the two.

The first difference is intent my dears. If I play baseball or football and during the game I throw the ball so hard it hurts someone or damages someone’s property, that was a mistake or what we would call an accident. If I break the law while driving, and get pulled over, or get into an accident, again that is a serious mistake but still a mistake. Mistakes are a result of carelessness and poor judgement. Mistakes though they leave a mark, and the consequences can hurt, yet they do not devalue us in anyway shape or form. We can often easily fix a mistake. In fact, the most successful people in the world, are the ones who make the most mistakes, but only when they learn from those mistakes. Yet, if I purposefully choose to cause harm, if I choose to break the law with malicious intent, then my mistakes become a sin. When choosing to do wrong, when causing hurt to others physically, emotionally, spiritually or psychologically to lower them, my mistakes turn into a sin. Though mistakes can happen accidentally, sin is almost always with understanding. Knowing right and choosing wrong!

This leads into the second difference my dears. If I don’t learn from my mistakes; if I remain prideful, and search for self-justification from my mistake, than my mistakes become a sin. Intentionally and maliciously choosing to reject what is right, when I know right from wrong, and rejecting the opportunity to learn, to admit when I am wrong, is what changes our mistakes into a sin. And because of us this, many times it is sin that drives us to make further mistakes. Last week, on Expulsion Sunday, we recognized how Adam and Eve knowing the commandment of God, they chose “pride”, they chose self-justification and personal autonomy, by rejecting God’s love, God’s providence and guidance. Yes, they ate from the forbidden tree; they made a mistake. Yet, there sin began not from the tree but from the moment in their heart, they twisted the words of God. What do we read in Genesis? God commanded them not to eat of the tree and yet, when the Serpent, when the devil asked Eve, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” Well my dears, God did not say, You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it. Rather, God said you must not eat it.

This means Adam and Eve’s mistake of allowing the serpent to converse with them, turned into a sin and led to further mistakes and sins, when they in their heart and mind already rejected right from wrong, before they even ate from the tree. And rather than apologize and learn from it, rather than repent, they began blaming God, and each other. With intent to lift themselves up, they in fact, devalued themselves, from what God had created them to be. Perhaps if they had asked for forgiveness, even though their mistake would have had a consequence, yet, God would have forgiven them. Yet, their mistake became a sin not when they ate from the tree of knowledge, but when they choose to reject God in their heart and mind.

My dears, how many mistakes in our life do we have the opportunity to turn away from before they become a festering sin in our lives? How many mistakes do we not learn from daily? Today, we reflect on the Parable of the Prodigal Son. On this Sunday the Gospel reading includes 2 other parables – the lost sheep and lost coin. In all three passages, the underlying theme is what? Asking for forgiveness? Yes. But also joy! Joy in revaluing, reorienting, and understanding that we all will get lost in this life, we all will make mistakes. This is what we learn from Scripture as repentance – turning from mistakes towards joy, towards God. My dears the world will too often see us as useless, unworthy, and repulsive because of our mistakes. Even our own friends and family might use the mistakes of our past to condemn us. We even in our own eyes see ourselves as lesser because of the scars we have. Yet, when we repent, meaning when we turn to God, when we learn from the mistake, and pray for forgiveness, endure our Cross, then the mistakes we make, will not turn to a sinful life but rather will turn for an occasion of joy that God’s love is greater than our mistake, our hurt, our pain, our addiction and darkness. We will not remain lost; we will not remain devalued in our own eyes or the eyes of the world because we will recognize that God our Heavenly Father lifts us up each time we do make a mistake, each time we are tempted to fall into sin.

My dears, the greatest mistake which can turn into the greatest sin of our life is hopelessness; it is thinking in our heart and mind that our sins are far greater than the love of God. Yet, the greatest joy is when we learn that this is not true! For just as the prodigal son was filled with joy when he came back to his father, ready to live with the consequences but as long as it was in his father’s home, and he was embraced with love, we too through repentance, though will have consequences for the mistakes we’ve made, when we are with our Heavenly Father, the sins we have committed will be forgiven, we will be embraced in His love. My dears, this is the difference between mistakes and sin. While we all make mistakes, and while we all will sin, when we humble our pride, our ego, our hopelessness, when we turn to God through reading of Holy Scripture, daily prayer, attending Church purposefully not passively, than though our mistakes which may leave a scar, through the scars on the hands of Christ Jesus our Lord who is crucified, our sin will be forgiven.

Repentance is not about feeling bad for a mistakes or hoping that there are no consequences but rather it is recognition that by turning to God, mistakes or sins, and the scars that are in our lives are washed away through Christ. And through that washing, we will see and know who we truly are, regardless of our mistakes, regardless of our sin and continued darkness, we are a beloved child of God; and likewise, through repentance we will begin to see the true value of all people, all of God’s children, regardless of their mistakes, regardless of their scars, regardless of their sin and continued darkness.

For the love of God is greater than all our mistakes, His compassion and mercy wipe all our sins. When we repent and turn back to Him, He will embrace us and there will be joy not just for us but in the Heaven’s themselves as we read, “I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” Don’t allow our mistakes to become sins. Rather, allow the Lenten time of prayer and fasting be for us a time of self-forgiveness, humility, repentance and learning. For the mistakes of our past, present and future, our darkness, pain and hurt are not where our value lies. We are the lost sheep that is searched for and found, the lost coin that is swept for and rediscovered and the prodigal child who when chooses to come home, will be embraced by God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen!

Passages: Is. 33:2-22; Rom. 12:1-13:10; Matt. 5:17-48
Ընթերցուածքներ՝ Եսայ. ԼԳ 2-22; Հռոմ. ԺԲ 1- ԺԳ 10; Մատթ. Ե 17-48

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

How many of us have raised children? All of us, even if we don’t have children of our own remember some of the rules we grew up with, such as, “stranger danger” or “don’t take candy from strangers.” Our parents regardless how much they loved us, and how much we begged, gave us nutrition, and proper sustenance over sugary sweets and desserts. For the first few years of our lives, parents try their hardest to protect and care for their children by not ignoring the dangers or negativity of the world but by focusing the child’s attention on them! On the beautiful, kind, and loving. Parent’s clean up and prepare the nursery, filling it with images of love and gentleness. When a child is born, the first thing that doctor does is give the child to the mother, for physical touch so that a familiarity and bond is creating. Yet, in that same hospital there is death and sickness; in that same home where the nursery is built, mom and dad argue, disagree, perhaps face different struggles of their own.

My dears, yes, the world in which we are born in is full of evil and negativity. Yet, because a parent loves their child, despite the evil, they protect and surround the child with love by being with them. In the beginning, when God created all, was there evil? No! When God created humanity, giving us life and birth, and placing us in the Garden of Eden, was there evil? Yes! We read in Genesis that there was 2 trees in the Garden – One of Life and One of Knowledge of Good and Evil. This means that at that time good and evil did exist. What evil? Satan and the demons had already at this time rejected and rebelled against God, my dears. And when God placed us in the garden with these 2 trees, they had a purpose, yet, in He commanded us (Gen. 2:16-17) “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.;’” God blessed humanity with all good things, all that we needed. And without denying the reality of good and evil, God focused our attention, in the infancy of our humanity on Him, on the good, the gentleness, on the life and blessings He has given us.

God desired us to know good first, to know Him first, recognizing that yes eventually we would know evil, we would know the dangers of this world. He wanted us to know Him first in the same way, parent’s desire their child to grow with them first learning love and care before the world causes hurt. Yet, in the same way as children, we start rebelling against mom and dad’s rule, we focus on what we want and not what our parents provide us or instruct us with, we eventually get hurt, we face the dangers, we feel doubt and skepticism, in the same way, Adam and Eve rebelled and in their infancy, when they were not ready, ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and they lost their focus on God, on the good. Their light had not grown to a point where they could keep shining in the darkness – and so they got hurt.

So often I hear people criticize our Christian faith, that we are delusional, or ignorant and pretend that with God all is good, which means we ignore the evils, we numb ourselves as is famously quoted by Karl Marx, “religion is the opiate of the masses.” That we as Christian’s are stupid to love and pray for our enemies or are too weak. However, we do not deny the evil in the world; we do not ignore that dangers. But we are taught that our focus should begin daily with God, on His love, on the good. That by being strengthened by God, we are strong enough to overcome the darkness we see. As St. Paul teaches us, “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.” (Rom. 12) When we wake up, do we reach for our phones or the remote for the TV first? Where we are bombarded by politics and war, and shootings, and economic uncertainty? Do we perhaps wake up and remember something we forgot to do and now we are panicking? Do we look out see, the snow and want to go back under the covers? Do we start everyday in by focusing on the negative?

Yes, the negativity and hardship of life is there, yet, what do we focus on first? Perhaps we wake up and start our day with prayer. We wake up and thank God for the warmth in our home, the roof over our head, the fact that we, even in our pain and dangers, know that God’s love is greater than all the evil, all my skeletons, and addictions and uncertainties. Do you know how I wake up my dears? When my son wakes up and the first thing he looks for is mom and dad. He will leave his bed and run to us, calling to us. His toys are all over, the sweets he enjoys are at arm’s reach in the kitchen, along with all the areas in the home where has bumps and bruises from. Yet, mom and dad is where he finds his peace, where he focuses on.

My dears, yes, God has provided us with blessings and joys; and yes, evil and danger are abound. Call out, focus on God our Heavenly Father first. Not because there is no evil or danger, darkness and addiction, hurt and pain. But because when we are with God, we learn the good first. We learn to love and care for ourselves, for those around us, for the world. We start with goodness which overcomes evil. But we cannot be good, we cannot be perfect as Christ tell us in today’s Gospel, apart from God. To be with God, starts from our heart and mind, which is why Christ in the Gospel today reminds us that evil and sin isn’t limited to our actions but stems from our heart. How we look and think about ourselves and others. When we start with God, when our focus is not void of the evil around us but centered on God, then like children, we will live daily in His care, through His guidance. So that even if we encounter “stranger danger” even if, the temptations of this world, the skepticism, the evil and hurt come to us, we will not reach out and eat of that fruit but know that what God provides us is far greater than what lies the world reminds us of.

Yes, my dears, just as children of our parents and children of God, we will make mistakes, we will sin and lose focus. Yet, God calls us back to Him, in the same way a loving parent calls us back to them in times of hurt, rebellion and all times. St. Ephrem the Syrian for this teaches us “Do not be ashamed to turn back and say boldly: I will arise and go to my Father!” Come back, refocus. That is what Great Lent is about – refocusing on God and His love. Through His love we will know that when we are with God, the flame of our faith is strengthened, that no darkness will overcome us and that His love, which we learn from our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus will feed and provide us with that we need. By the grace and love of God our Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, let us begin each day, each moment, by focusing on Him first, Amen.

Passages: Is. 58:1-14; Rom. 13:11-14:26; Matt. 6:1-21
Ընթերցուածքներ՝ Եսայ. ԾԹ 1-14; Հռոմ. ԺԳ 11- ԺԴ 26; Մատթ. Զ 1-21

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

Whenever I travel, I make sure to make a list of all my belongings. Making sure I’ve packed everything that I need for my trip. Additionally, I also like to create an itinerary, especially when I travel to a place that’s new to me. This is because I want to make sure, I’m prepared and I can make the most of my time. I want to use the opportunity of my travel to grow, to learn, and to come out better. But this journey of traveling and the preparation required to make the most of our time is not just limited to physical travel and vacations. All of us in our daily lives are traveling, are going through a period of time where we work, where we go to school, where we try to make the most of the opportunity we’ve been given. This is also true in our faith.

Within the Church, we have been given certain of the year that focus our mind on the journey ahead. These periods are often supplemented with fasting. While fasting for many of us is understood as abstaining from certain foods and practices, for the Holy Orthodox Church, the period of fasting is ultimately a moment of preparation for what is to come, for what we are going to experience. Yet the truth is, many of us do not take advantage, do not prepare, and in fact, look at such practices as something perhaps optional or even unnecessary. Many people will say that the periods of fasting whether they are the Wednesday or Friday fasts throughout the year, or even the Great Lenten fast are made up practices by the Church. The truth is yes, they are created in the life of the Church, but they are also necessary for our faith. In the same way, being prepared in our daily tasks, and travels is necessary, likewise, faith is a journey, and fasting, along with prayer, meditation, attending Church, is all necessary to help us prepare. To prepare when we struggle with faith, when we come face to face with temptation and sin, with hopelessness and despair.

No, God does not care if we ate a cheeseburger vs. a salad yet, God does invite us to walk with Him, in the same way Adam and Eve walked with Him in Paradise. And the Church Fathers in their wisdom have given us these periods for that reason, so that we can make the most of the time we have in this life, in our daily travels, being prepared for that walk we call faith. Prepared not just in the period of fasting, but in the time that we have on this earth and in this life to live by faith and in Communion with God. The church yes has given us fasting, because fasting as a practice teaches us that by controlling what we eat, we can also begin to learn how to control other aspects of our life. I enjoy working out in the gym. Yes, I am building my physical body yet, the act of physical discipline, we read from many of the Fathers (and even some psychologists suggest) can translate into learning to discipline my mind, as well as to control other things such as my speech; of not lashing out in anger, of not acting of aggressively or of not losing hope. If I can control what I put into my mouth perhaps I can also learn to control what I comes out of my mouth, I can control what I do with my hands, where my feet walk, how I look at others, etc.

My dear brothers and sisters, this time period which we begin tomorrow as Armenian Orthodox Christians is not about the food but about making room, recognizing we need to prepare, we need to set an itinerary of prayer, and meditation and other such practices to grow and learn our faith. They’re there to help us learn what it means to be a Christian, learn the will of God, to learn how to be self-controlling. That is why we read that St. Paul identifies self-control (or self-discipline) as a critical “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-23) St. John Chrysostom describes fasting as a way to purify the mind, calm the senses, and subdue the flesh to the spirit. Ultimately, the Fathers view fasting as a way to “scorn things sensible” meaning to limit the things that hinder faith, in order to “enjoy a spiritual and intellectual feast” how we grow in faith. Which reveals something also another layer to Great Lent my dears.

It isn’t about what others around me are doing, it is about me and my faith. In today’s scripture, reading Christ warns us by giving us the tools and reminding us how to prepare. Do not be like those who do long-winded prayers, who act hypocritically, who do everything to show off. In other words, fasting, and this time of preparation is not about worrying what others see us do. Yes, the Church has taught to us to pray more, to learn to fast from certain foods and practices, to act charitably and so forth but what the Church does not teach us to do is look down on others who do not. To think that just because we are in the period of preparation and others are not that we are some how better. My dear brothers and sisters, if I go to the gym and watch only what others do or do not, I will not benefit. If I go on vacation and only stay in my room, I will not benefit. If I come to Church, fast, and say I am a Christian, but look and judge how others live, how others act or dress or eat or choose to deny God, then this period given to me to prepare will have been wasted.

Make the most of the time we have been given. Learn how to fast, learn how to pray, learn what it means to walk with God. And we with our life will not only learn self-control but perhaps God will use us to be a cause for others to see and desire. Yes, we may be a bit hungrier over the next 40 days but we must hunger for Christ. Yes, we may not be celebrating or going to parties but we will celebrate the eternal life given to us by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ. Take this time and begin to prepare for what is to come. And the our Lord will always walk with us in the journey of life, in our daily highs and lows we will not be forsaken or abandoned. We will be prepared for what is to come, making the most of this time, having grown in faith in Holy Communion with God, Amen!

Passages: Is. 54:1-13; 1 Tim. 1:1-11; Jn. 2:1-11
Ընթերցուածքներ՝ Եսայ. ԾԴ 1-13; Ա Տիմ. Ա 1-11; Յով. Բ 1-11

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

Growing up, I remember the game of scavenger hunt. Now a days, we have a different version of this game known as Escape room; But the principles is the same. The game consists of looking for clues, ultimately leading to more clues, and eventually to a treasure, to freedom, a prize. Of course, the clues progressively got harder and required not just smarts and wits but maturity to understand; we had to read between the lines, interpret deeper meaning and eventually find the truth along the way. We had to work in groups, maybe even ask for help. Last week, I spoke about looking and searching with misinformation and how this can often lead to dissatisfaction, confusion and loss. Yet, if it is something valuable, we search nonetheless. Just as in life we search, whether it is a game or as adults, my dears, faith too is somewhat like scavenger hunt. No it isn’t a game, but just like in the game, the same in life, the same in faith, along our way we find clues, teachings, guidance and direction, which need to be understood. Sometimes these “guides” or “clues” are difficult and need interpretation, or maturity to understand; sometimes we need help or to work together to understand. We search because we know at the end there is a goal, a treasure.

In today’s Gospel, St. John starts by giving us a clue into not just what Jesus can do but where Christ is leading us. We all know the story of the Wedding in Cana. There was a wedding, the wine runs out, Jesus miraculously turns the water into wine, and it was better wine than what was first enjoyed by the guests. Perhaps, we understand that this means Jesus Christ gives us good things; when we trust Him, we will be blessed and the “waters” in our life will be turned to “wine”. However, in verse 11, St. John says, “This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee”. In other words, St. John is refocusing us that this isn’t just a thing Jesus does for us but that within this miracle there is our first clue, the first revelation into understanding who God is.

Jesus Christ does not merely turn water into wine, but into excellent wine. Therefore, the first revelation is that when God gives, He gives beyond our expectations. God knows our needs and wants, yet, God also wants us to come to Him like a child comes to a parent, and like Mary came to Jesus. God will give to His children in abundance; God will take the things in our life that perhaps we are struggling with, we feel we are losing or running out of and will renew, strengthen and fill beyond what we could every ask for. For which the Psalmist says, “you fill my cup, it overflows…”

Another revelation is that when God blesses us, when we are faithful, others around us are also blessed. The wine ran out but it wasn’t the bride and groom or other guests that came to Jesus. Yet, all in attendance enjoyed the new wine, were blessed to drink of what God provided. My dears, we look at the state of the world and wonder why. Yet, we are as the children of God, as Christian’s. Do we come to Christ for others? Do we participate in the evil? do we comment with negativity on social media? Do we act violently by our actions or in our thoughts, or do we come to God and pray for our enemies, those who don’t understand us nor do we understand them? Do we pray for the lost, for the atheists and agnostics, do we pray for the satanist, and fascist, the left or right, do we pray for them or pray they be replaced? Do we pray for all the broken people of this world, us included? When we come to God in faith, God also through us blesses others. For which, St. Peter writes, “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8)

And finally, another revelation is that God transforms us. When Christ did this miracle of water into wine, He reveals to us that the things of the past, our brokenness, our emptiness, our hurt, our sins, when we give into God’s hands, they will be transformed, we will be transformed, into something greater. St. Seraphim of Sarov says, “prayer, fasting, vigils and all other Christian practices, however good they may be in themselves, certainly do not constitute the aim of our Christian life: they are but the indispensable means of attaining that aim. For the true aim of the Christian life is the acquisition (receiving) of the Holy Spirit of God.” In other words, my dear brothers and sisters, coming to Church, praying, reading the Scriptures and saying we are a Christian means very little if we think that “doing” is what God wants from us. These things are what help us mature to understand the clues in our life but which ultimately must lead to us being in Communion with God. Being a Christian, understanding those clue requires to be guided to God not just philosophically but practically, in our life daily; to walk with God in our actions, our thoughts, our hopes and behavior. In the way we treat others, and ourselves. We do these not because we do them for God but because they reveal how God work through us when we have been transformed, reborn not just of water but of spirit.

That is why I say, faith is like the game of scavenger hunt. God our Heavenly Father through the Holy Church has provided us with clues; in the person of Christ Jesus, the Word, brings us into communion, invites us to be with Him, guided by Him. Christ Jesus did not give us faith so we can ask for things to make us comfortable, but faith helps us interpret, mature, grow and be lead us to be in Communion with God. God gave us our Holy Church for us to come seeking help for the clues in our life. To understand the signs along our life that even if difficult to comprehend in the moment, if we keep searching, we will be fulfilled, attaining the Holy Spirit in our life, we will be with God which is truly valuable, true freedom and precious.

My dears, in life and in faith we are all searching. We are searching for answers to our questions, meaning and purpose to our life, guidance for our goals. Perhaps along the way some of us feel that we are running out of “wine”, running out of strength, patience, and hope. Keep praying, keep reading, come to God and trust that He will provide the guidance to understand the clues that will not just turn water into wine, not just help us overcome a moment but that through God, we will be transformed, the world around us will be transformed beyond anything we could every ask for. Through the way we live, love, pray, eat, dance, celebrate, and so forth, the love of God our Heavenly Father, the Son and Holy Spirit will be revealed to all. Keep searching, allow our hearts to remain open to the see the clues or signs God provides to us in our life, in our search for faith, in our Communion with Him, Amen!

Passages: Jn. 1:29-34; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Jn. 11:1-46
Ընթերցուածքներ՝ Յով. Ա 29-34; Ա Թես. Դ 4-13; Յով. ԺԱ 1-46

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

In the 4th century before Christ, the great philosopher Plato taught his students about a Great Society which had fallen into ruin. He gave a geographical description about an island beyond the pillars of Hercules, about a location in the Atlantic ocean, a city established by the Greek God Poseidon. For centuries after, historians, archaeologists, researchers and scientists, writers and enthusiasts of all kinds went out in search of this long lost place known as Atlantis. The stories of Atlantis, have inspired movies and fairy tales. Whether or not this city ever truly existed, people searched with very little information, often misinformation, descriptions, ideas, of what Atlantis should be. The truth is, with bad information, people went searching in the wrong places but they kept searching because they searched for something of great value and importance.

My dear brothers and sisters, we’ve all done something like this. We’re all searching, looking for something meaningful and valuable in life. Sometimes we’ve all looked for something valuable and important, with little to no information. Perhaps we didn’t have a complete picture of what it was we were looking for but we knew that when we found it, we would know. We search high and low to find that which will fill our lives. Entertainment, family time, love, money, possessions, all things we deem important and precious. However, the truth is something we struggle with is understanding how to look. If I want to watch football, and I go searching for a football game at a hockey rink, I will not find what I’m looking for. Yes, both hockey and football are sports, yes, both hockey and football are entertainment, displays of athleticism, but they are not the same. If I go to a hospital seeking help for my ailment, but I’m surrounded by healthy people, athletic people with no sickness or injury, I would wonder if I’m in the right place. Therfore, whether I am looking for sports, or healing, or whatever it may be, I need to know how and where to look. And this is important because if we go searching only with minimal information, we not only do not find what we are truly looking for but we are also left dissatisfied, and we may react negatively.

This is also truth in our search for God. We’ve all heard the argument that if God existed, and if God was all powerful and all loving and all good, then there would be no evil in this world. It is also for this reason, that many see no need to come to church. This is misinformation and leads to misunderstand of who God does, what the Church is thus forming in us bad preconceptions. Yet, St. John Chrysostom teaches us, “the church is a hospital for the sick.” In other words, if I go to a hospital and only find healthy people, I would say we need no doctors or hospitals because everyone is already healthy. If I come to Church, and only find Saints and holy people, righteous and sinless people, then why would we need God to help us in this life. Yet, this is counter to what Holy Scripture teaches us. Christ says in the Gospel, “I have come for the sick.” Jesus teaches us that He did not come for the healthy or self-righteous but for sinners, those aware of their need for healing and repentance. Therefore, why we need the Church is for healing. When we do come to Church, we don’t come searching for healthy people. We come searching for God our true physician. When we come searching for God, we come recognizing first that we are broken, we are sick, we need God to heal us, and likewise, all those in Church are searching for God’s healing love and mercy.

Too many of us, who come or don’t come to Church do so with of bad information, and preconceptions. We look for God without the complete picture and so we neither know how to look or where to look. We may even argue, “we don’t need to go to Church, we can find God anywhere.” However, when we are looking for Der Hayr (or priest) and need to contact him where do we look? We might first call his cell phone, send an e-mail, look for him in church at his office, perhaps go to his home, because we know that’s where he is. Sure, we could run into the priest in the streets, walking down the sidewalk, but we know that the priest is going to either be at home or in church, and is reachable through cell phones or emails. Likewise with God! We know God is everywhere, but God can be reached immediately through the Church, His home, God can be found in our prayers, and God comes to us when we go searching with humility, patience, love, and a desire to grow and to be healthy. Even if we do have incomplete information, if we approach with humility and not arrogance, God will guide us to Him. God will reveal to us that even if we are lost, hurt and broken, even if we may be sick in need of healing, we are not abandoned, and nothing can separate us from His love, not even the tomb can separate us from God, as we read in the Scriptures today of Christ raising Lazarus by calling him out “come out Lazarus”.

My dear brothers and sisters, yes, we are all searching for something. Possessions, material wealth, even the lost cities like Atlantis. Yet, these will only satisfy us for the moment. Christ Jesus our Lord, invite us to be satisfied, to be healed, for all eternity. No matter what we feel, what hurts us, what society and the world says about us, how rejected we feel or how lost we may be, each and every one of us is is loved by God, and when we search for God’s love and healing we will find it. Come to Church! Pray in humility. Come letting go of all preconceptions of what the Church or God should be like. Come and grow, come and learn, come and be healed! And the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit will heal us, and bring us into Communion with our Heavenly Father, to whom is due all glory dominion and honor Amen.

Eve of the Nativity and Theophany of our Lord Jesus Christ | Տօն Ճրագալոյց Ս. Ծննդեան եւ Աստուածայայտնութեան Տեառն մերոյ Յիսուսի Քրիստոսի

Passages: Titus 2:11-5; Matt. 2:1-12; Lk. 2:8-14
Ընթերցուածքներ՝ Տիտ. Բ 11-15; Մատթ. Բ 1-12; Ղկ. Բ 8-14

Քրիստոս Ծնաւ եւ Յայտնեցաւ. Օրհնեալ է Յայտնութիւնը Քրիստոսի։ 
Christ is Born and Revealed, Blessed is the Revelation of Christ.

“Hark the Herald, Angel’s Sing, Glory to the Newborn King.” How many of us have heard of the Myers Brigg test? Growing up in North America, as part of student life, majority of us have taken this personality test, which divides us into categories based on a number of psychological questions. Among the results, we see that certain people have leadership qualities. These people often become teachers, CEO’s, political leaders, and such. No matter what career path any of us eventually fall into, there is always a leader, someone we answer to, and who guides us. In fact, we often look for a leader in times of uncertainty and work. Yet, leadership is more than just someone who bosses us around. Ultimately, leaders, be they worldly or spiritual are those who have an entrusted authority and purpose. Within the Church, though we all have a role to play, the clergy are those who have been educated and entrusted with certain authority and care for the people. Within society, we have community leaders like teachers, doctors, lawyers and judges; mayors, senators, congressional leaders, presidents and if we live in a monarch, kings and queens. All these positions are people who have been trusted to lead, care for and take charge of those under them.

However, often times, these positions of power are abused; leaders do not lead with purpose, those who are called to care become careless and selfish. Last year, many people were protesting “No Kings” in opposition to the leadership in the United States. In Armenia, people are opposing both secular and religious leaders for a various moral or ethical issues. And all over the world, we see people coming out in protest or in cases where there is real danger, quietly exposing dictators, and leaders of all kinds who have not served properly. Therefore, a question must be asked, how do we as Christian’s respond? Should we be participating in “no king” protests, should we be fighting against tyrannical rule, or leaders who have mislead according to us?

In 1 Sam. 8, the Israelites came to God and asked for a leader, a king. Afterall, God had promised both Abraham and Jacob that from their bloodline kings would be born. In fact, in Deut. 17:14-20m, God gave Moses guidelines about how the king of Israel would rule. Yet, when the Jews came to God for a king, we read of how this upset Him; but why? Because they asked, “appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” (1 Sam. 8:5) In other words, the Israelites wanted to be like everyone else; they were rejecting God and wanting a human leader. They had become disinteresting in trusting God to provide for them, and they looked for leadership and care in the broken rather than the divine. My dears, sadly, we are all guilty of this. Putting aside politics, world leaders, community leaders, Church leaders, let us ask ourselves, what and who have we made into kings, into gods for us above God? Perhaps we may say, nothing. We have no king, we have only one God. We stand up against tyranny, we yell “no kings” in the streets, we want our clergy to be righteous, we want our mayors and judges to be fair with the authority they have been given. These are wonderful desires. Yet, the truth is sadly, many of us put more trust in human leadership, in the fragile, than we do in God. We place our hope in policy, in legislation; we trust our smartphones, the internet, our emotions and feelings; we use slogans to motivate and poetry to make us feel good. Philosophies and TedTalks have replaced Scripture and Holiness. In times of uncertainty, where do we place our hope and trust?

Yes, God commands us to take care of those in need, to exemplify justice and fight and protect those who are oppressed, yet, we are also commanded to “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s” (Matthew 22:21, Mark 12:17) And my dears, we, each one of us, leader and follower, clergy and laity, male and female, old and young, rich and poor alike, Armenian, Asian, American, black or white, we belong to God. And because we belong to God, God calls to us to trust Him especially in times of fear and uncertainty. That is why God the Father has given to us this day, gives us everyday, Christ Jesus, the King of Kings. His only begotten Son whose “Kingdom shall have no end” (St. Athanasius) as we declare in the Nicene Creed. This means my dears, that while we do live in this material world and yes, God has given each of us certain authority to lead, to be a priest or parent, president or even king, these titles, our jobs, our education, and the things we have in our life must serve one purpose – to guide us to the manger, to the Cross where we witness the True King, worthy of worship. This material world is a blessing from God, but it is not a god for us. The Holy Spirit is not a feeling of peace or comfort that words alone can provide, rather it is the living presence of God in us illuminating us with wisdom and knowledge of God’s love that heals us, renews us, and protects us, giving us both authority and also purpose.

This doesn’t mean we only use our cellphones to read Holy Scripture, nor does it mean we don’t trust earthly leaders. But it does beg the question, who and what is more important for us than God? If leaders are commanded to restore peace in nations for a moment, Christ restores us eternally. If the material world feeds our stomachs, clothes our nakedness, entertains us for a moment, Christ feeds our soul, covers our hurt and gives us divine joy of which there is no end. My dears, today and tomorrow we as Armenian’s celebrate the birth of Christ in our lives and we say, “Christ is born and revealed” yet, how many of us, if able to, took time off work, took time to pray and reflect what we are actually celebrating? This is not a condemnation but a question of heart; are we like “all the other nations” or are we set apart as Christians, as the children of God? Is Christmas just a hallmark holiday to add to our waistlines, or is it the birth of God in our lives that adds hope and peace to our lives?

“Hark the Herald, Angel’s Sing, Glory to the Newborn King.” Yes, my dears, God allows us to have leaders in our lives, to have material blessings, but we only have One King. Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior, who unlike earthly leaders who boast about themselves, Christ humbled Himself, was born in a manger as a servant to lift us up; to reveal to us who we really are, and what we are called to. “May our hearts, therefore, become a Holy Manger” as St. Paisios says, where we are granted all His blessings. No matter our past, no matter our present, no matter our failures or success; no matter our position or possessions in this life, God’s love is for all, Christ is born in us all – shepherd or magi, president, king, priest, leader or follower, today we bow before the true King, and with one praise and voice Christ the King is Born and Revealed, blessed is the Revelation of Christ!

Passages: Is. 51:15-52:3; Heb. 13:18-25; Lk. 22:24-30
Ընթերցուածքներ՝ Եսայ. ԾԱ 15- ԾԲ 4; Եբր. ԺԳ 18-25; Ղկ. ԻԲ 24-30

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

“Lather, rinse, repeat!” How many of us have thought about how often or why we shower or bathe? According to a Harvard University study in 2021, approximately two-thirds of Americans shower daily, whereas in, for example, Australia it’s over 80%. There are also several reason why we shower and when we chose to shower. The most obvious reason is cleanliness. Yet, morning showers for examples help wake us up; it boosts alertness and washes off overnight sweat for a fresh start. In contrast, evening showers rinse away the day’s dirt, allergens, and oils, which promotes better sleep. When and why regardless, we all know and understand that showering and bathing, washing ourselves, and overall cleanliness is for our benefit (and sometimes the benefit of others).

St. Paul in today’s reading, expresses to us, “Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in you that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ…” (vv. 20-21) What St. Paul is instructing us to remember is that God the Father, through the death and resurrection of God the Son, Christ Jesus, has renewed us, strengthened us, cleansed us and washed us for a purpose. To equip us to do His Will. In the same way my dears, when we shower to clean ourselves and we prepare ourselves for the coming day, night, work or journey, likewise, as Christian’s we are “showered” or washed in preparation. Just as we would shower and live our life, likewise, when we are washed by Christ, washed from the moment we are baptized of the Holy Font, our life requires of us to live in such a way that is fulfilling of His Will.

St. Maximus the Confessor writes, “Do not say that faith in Christ alone can save you, for this is not possible if you do not attain love for Him, which is demonstrated by deeds. As for mere faith: The demons also believe and tremble (James 2:19). The action of love consists in heartfelt good deeds toward one’s neighbor, magnanimity, patience, and sober use of things.” In other words, if we say we believe in God, we come to Church, we are baptized, we read what Holy Scripture teaches us, we receive Holy Communion, but do not live out our faith beyond “this process or belief”, then our faith is dead. Faith is a living response to the love of God; God loved and so sent His Son. God loved and through His Son, Jesus Christ, saved us, washed us; And therefore, God’s love must move us to do likewise. Being washed, we must now live by reflecting that love, that compassion and mercy; being an example of God to one another. To believe in God is wonderful, but so what, if the demons also know of the existence of God? To do good things, is exemplary, but so what, if those who don’t believe can do more than us?

My dears, our Christian faith is Communion with God, it is God born into our lives, and therefore, the purpose of how we live. (After all we are in the season of Christmas.) By love, Christ Jesus is born into a manger, is born for the Cross and from there He looks at us, into our heart, beyond our capabilities, beyond our shortcomings, our language, our age and education. Jesus Christ looks and calls all of us to equally be washed not merely in belief but as a whole person – physical and spiritual. That is why in 2 Corinthians (7:1) we read, “Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, and make holiness perfect in the fear of God.” The filth or defilement we must be washed from is not just physical in the same way, coming to Church and asking for forgiveness is not just about feeling bad for our mistakes. Our Lord knows we all make mistakes; God knows that we in this sinful world get dirty, make bad choices, live facing temptation and often choose wrong. Sometimes it feels like as much as we try to get cleaned up, sober and on the right path, we keep falling. Just this morning, my mind kept wondering as I prepared the Communion Bread, and it just wasn’t working out at first; I kept failing. I came to Church and saw that 2 of the flowers had dried up. And as I tried to throw them out, the petals and leaves fell all over the floor, forcing me to clean it up. As I cleaned the flowers, the pots fell over and all the dirt spilled onto the carpet. And in that moment, in anger and frustration I yelled out “c’mon God!”

My dears, God sees our frustration, our hurt, our rejection, our pain and He still embraces us, offers us hope, life and renewal. God desires us and so provides for us the opportunities to come to Him and be cleansed despite our mistakes. Because to be cleansed of body and spirit, begins by us recognizing we are in need of a washing; that we need God. And so we are invited to bow before the Cross, kneel before the manger, this Holy Altar, to look up and see our Lord through repentance; to turn to Him with hope and in Holy Communion. To be cleansed and to live love; to live Gods love not just as a belief or as a feeling by in life, in our daily choices doing the will of God.

When we shower on the bottle of shampoo it says, “Lather, rinse, repeat” especially for that deep clean. Come and pray, my dears! Be lathered and washed over by the love of God who forgives us. Rinse away the excuses and reasons of why we choose to live apart from Him. Repeat your prayers, your repentance daily! Through these steps we will be continually washed and cleansed; we will recognize the depth of God’s love for us. We will be that love for all others to experience God our Heavenly, Christ our Lord through the Holy Spirit, every day and in every way, now and forever, Amen.

Passages: Is. 41:4-14; Heb. 7:11-25; Lk. 19:12-28
Ընթերցուածքներ՝ Եսայ. ՆԱ 4-14; Եբր. Է 11-25; Ղկ. ԺԹ 12-28

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

On Sunday mornings, when I get up as I prepare for divine liturgy, as a priest I do more than just get dressed. As a priest I begin with my prayers, I begin with reflection, and most importantly I begin by preparing the bread which will be used as the Eucharist in the divine Liturgy. It is the tradition of the Armenian Church, that the bread that is used, that becomes the body and blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, be prepared fresh and warm prior to Divine Liturgy. Of course, as I prepare this dough, mixing flour and water, my son likes to come up and say I want church bread. I wonder what makes this bread Church Bread? Is it the fact that I am making it as a priest? Or is there something more? As part of the preparation of the bread, a priest recites the Lord’s Prayer, Psalm 50, and many other prayers of healing, making petitions known to our Lord so that this bread will be a blessing, and healing to those who consume it. Therefore, what prepares the bread to become church bread, is God’s presence.

Bread for us, as ancient people, as Armenians in the same way for all ancient peoples, is more than just flour and dough. When our Lord teaches us to pray “give us this day our daily Bread,” we are asking God to bless us. To provide for us all that we need to live our life, be it wisdom, food, clothing, shelter, etc. Therefore, the daily bread is more than just material dough. Bread is a symbol of deeper sustenance and nourishment. Interestingly, the first mention of bread in the Bible, which in Hebrew is “lechem” comes to us not from God’s blessing, but rather in the Garden of Eden, it appears only after Adam sins. In Genesis 3:19 we read “by the sweat of your brow, you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground.” This doesn’t mean bread didn’t exist before but Scripture first uses the word bread specifically as a reminder that because we rejected God, who gives freely all that need, now we must work for everything even the simplest thing that which nourishes us and feeds us.

My dears, why is this important to know? Because by the first Adam, when sin entered our lives, we learned that because we have rejected God in our life, the consequence is that we will face difficulties in life, even for a small piece of bread; we will toil for what is our nourishment – physical, spiritual or otherwise. Yet, through the love of God, we also see that the last Adam, Jesus Christ reversed this separation. Jesus first, was born in the House of Bread, Bethlehem. This shows that though we rejected God, and we must work for our bread, God never abandon’s us, and is born into our life. In the Old Testament, we read how God first provided the Manna from Heaven to His people in the desert who were starving. Ultimately, in the city of “the House of Bread” not only was God the Son born, but God the Son Jesus Christ became the Bread of Life, the Holy Eucharist. Christ gave up His body on the Cross so that through Him, we would receive forgiveness of that sin, of that suffering.

This my dears, is such a beautiful revelation of God’s love. It isn’t some deep theological discourse. It teaches us rather, that no amount of sin, no suffering, no consequence, no pain, no addiction, no violence, no persecution, no lie, no hatred or rejection is greater than the power of God. That even if we turn away from Him, even though we will face hardship, He will never abandon us and is ready to feed us when we come back to Him. God our Heavenly Father, does not reject us for our sinfulness, but rejects the sin, and provides all that we may need so that we are fed, and nourished, renewed and loved.

Yet, in the same way, as a priest I prepare the bread for my community with prayer, asking for God’s presence likewise, my dear brothers and sisters, we need to prepare ourselves, our lives, our daily heart and mind. Seek Him and participate in the work of God, even if at times by our sweat, not merely for food but as a response that we recognize that God uses us to the mix “flour and water”, to be a blessing in the world for each other. We are on the last Sunday of this year, we are preparing tables for food, and celebration, we are buying presents and sending out cards. We are preparing our tax papers to start the next year. We are getting resolutions set and hoping to leave all the negativity of 2025 in the past, and yet how many of us are preparing our souls? Our heart, and mind? How many of us are preparing for the nourishment that God provides for us and through us?

We may think that Adam rejected God and yet, that’s not us, we are Christian, we believe, we are in Church already. Yet, being ill-prepared is the reason, in the Gospel today, the master rebukes the servant who is wasteful with the mina that has been given to him. He is unprepared and wasteful. He thinks that since he already is trusted with the mina, that there isn’t more to be done. He neither used what was trusted to him, no did he use it to help others in need. Adam is all humanity; we are entrusted by God and blessed. We are called to respond with that which has been given to us. Christ is the bread for all humanity, and it is through Him we are all called and learn to prepare.

Yes, our Lord was born in Bethlehem, the House of Bread. And our Lord teaches us to pray for our daily bread. But Christ reminds us also, we live by more than just physical bread (Matthew 4:4, John 6). That yes, we will struggle, we will face temptation, and we may fail along the way. But what gives us strength, what makes the bread – Church bread, is not our title or position, not our education or strength, not our language, history, or our past. It is the love of God, His Grace, that renews us, gives us our daily bread, wipes away our sin and forms us into the blessing we are called to be for one another. Therefore, prepare my dears, through daily prayer, to eat of the Church bread, drink of His cup, and be renewed everyday by the love of God our Heavenly Father, the grace of God the Son Jesus Christ and through the illumination of God the Holy Spirit, Amen.