Facts about Our Faith

Welcome to a new feature in The Armenian Church that focuses on the essentials of our faith and its rituals. In this column you will see information gathered from our scholars, and adapted from the various resources published by Diocese of the Armenian Church (Eastern). In this issue, we focus on the feasts just after Easter.

The Armenian Easter greeting goes beyond “Happy Easter!” to celebrate and emphasize the reason for our joy at Easter:

Christos Haryav ee merelotz!
Christ is risen from the dead!
Ohrtnyal eh Harootyoone Christosee!
Blessed is the resurrection of Christ!

What are the differences between badarak during Lent and the rest of the year?

The major difference between a Lenten and a regular Sunday badarak (the Divine Liturgy) is clearly visible in church, as the faithful, who are in a penitent state during Lent, do not see the Holy Altar, the celebrant and the deacons because of the closed curtain. During Lent the entire assembly of the faithful is repenting for its sins, but is neither deprived of God’s blessings nor excommunicated from the Holy Church. The faithful are in the sanctuary to hear and follow the Holy Sacrifice being offered on the Holy Altar and to pray earnestly in order to become worthy of receiving God’s grace after they have finished their repentance.

During Lenten badarak the first part of the Divine Liturgy, the Preparation – which symbolizes the Incarnation of the Word of God – is said inaudibly by the Priest. The badarak begins with the Jashoo (‘Noon Hour’ service, or Synaxis). The repenting faithful do not participate in the Preparation since it is a ritual of moral purification that prepares both the celebrant and the people for the Divine Mystery of the Sacrifice. In their penitent state they are not ready yet to receive absolution for their sins. During and at the end of the Liturgy the Gospel is never raised, the Voghchooyn (‘Kiss of peace’) is not delivered and the Holy Communion is not administered, since people repenting are still not reconciled with God in order to approach His word in the Gospel, receive Christ in their midst and receive His Body and Blood, but they hear what is in store for them once they are reconciled.

On Holy Thursday, when Christ instituted the Mystery of the Holy Communion at the Last Supper, the repentant congregation is officially absolved during a service held at 9:00 am. This is incorporated into the first of the Noon Hours. At noon, the second and third Noon Hours are said and immediately after these, as the clerk and then the deacon read the daily lections, the celebrant goes behind the curtain of the altar and performs the Preparation. After the readings the curtain of the Holy Altar is opened and the Profession of Faith is recited, and thereon the badarak is continued. Since the congregation has already been absolved of its sins, Holy Communion is administered and the Kiss of Peace is delivered. But Thursday evening, after the Vodnluvah or ‘Washing of the Feet’ ceremony, the curtain is closed and remains closed until the beginning of the badarak on Saturday evening. The closed curtain and the services on Holy Thursday night, Friday and Saturday until the vespers [evening] service are in memory of our Lord’s betrayal, passion and death.

During Lent, Holy Communion is administered to those who need to receive the Body and the Blood of the Lord, such as the sick, people about to undergo surgery or about to go on a long trip as well as those who for some serious reason cannot wait until the end of Lent. If such people are able, they come to church, attend the Liturgy and receive Holy Communion in the vestry at the end of the service.

What is the Feast of the Ascension?

The feast of Ascension marks the ascent of our Lord Jesus Christ into heaven on the fortieth day after His glorious Resurrection. The timing is clearly specified in the Acts of the Apostles, where it is stated that Christ presented himself alive to the Apostles, “appearing to them during forty days and speaking of the kingdom of God.” (Acts 1:3) On the fortieth day, after he finished his words to the Apostles, “as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. “(Acts 1:9) The Gospel according to Mark sums up the same story as follows: “So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.” (Mark 16: 19) The same account is also in the Gospel according to Luke: “While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.” (Luke 24:51) There are also several references to this event in some of the other books of the New Testament. From ancient tradition we know that the Ascension of the Lord took place on the Mount of Olives. To this day the Brotherhood of St. James in Jerusalem holds vesper service and vigil on the eve of Ascension Day at the sanctuary on the Mount of Olives.

The Ascension is an important dominical feast that has been celebrated in the universal church since ancient times. Modern scholarship traces its observance at the earliest in the fourth century. It is always celebrated on a Thursday, the fortieth day after Easter. Besides being a dominical feast, Ascension marks the anniversary of the reestablishment of the Holy See at the Monastery of Holy Etchmiadzin in 1441, after operating in exile for almost one thousand years.

As with other feasts, Ascension and the Resurrection of the Lord are celebrated over the following nine days until Pentecost.

– adapted from Frequently Asked Questions about the Armenian Church by Fr. Krikor Maksoudian, recently published by St. Vartan Press and available at the St. Vartan Booksore www.stvartanbookstore.com.

What is Pentecost?

Pentecost marks the birth of the first Christian church in Jerusalem, where the Holy Apostles gathered according to instructions from Christ before he ascended to Heaven.

“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:1-4).

On that day, the Jewish feast of Pentecost, Peter delivered an inspiring sermon (Acts 2:14-40) and 3,000 men and women were baptized, becoming the first “church” in Jerusalem (Acts 2:41-42). The Apostles began to heal, to preach with a new confidence, and begin their separate – but equally important – missions throughout the world.

Personal Pentecost

The coming of the Holy Spirit (or Hokekaloust in Armenian) is celebrated by the Armenian Church, as in all Christian churches, 50 days after Easter. As we celebrate that “birthday” of the Church, we also celebrate our own Pentecost. For just as the Holy Spirit came to the Apostles on Pentecost, so too does the Holy Spirit come to each one of us on our personal Pentecost at the time of our chrismation or confirmation.

On the day of our baptism, when we are anointed with oil, we receive the sacrament of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit dwells in the Church, so too does the Holy Spirit dwell in each one of us. It is a personal gift to be experienced individually. And if we are open to that gift, it can transform us and inspire us as it did the Apostles and the 3,000 men and women baptized on that Pentecost so long ago.

The Holy Spirit unites us to Christ and enables us to live a Christ-centered existence, in which the fruits of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control – can grow and thrive (Galatians 5:22).

– adapted from the worship section on our website: www.armenianchurch.net/worship