Did You Know?
Advent In the Armenian Church, Advent is not a one-month preparation. Counting back from January 6, the Feast of Theophany (popularly called Armenian Christmas), the Armenian Church spends 50 days preparing for Christmas! In Armenian this is called Hisnag (Hees-nahg), which comes from the word for "fifty"or hisoon (hee-soon). This year the First Sunday of Advent was November 26. Click here to learn more about the Advent season and to download a Teen Advent Journal.
Thanksgiving Hymns Did you know that there are two Hymns of Thanksgiving sung after Holy Communion?
Over the course of the centuries, it seemed right for the Church to further elaborate its praise and thanksgiving to the Lord for having given us the great sacrament of His Body and Blood. This takes the form of two hymns sung after Holy Communion, Lutsak ee parooyants kots Der "We have been filled with your good things, O Lord" [50]; and Kohanamk uzken Der "We give thanks to you, O Lord" [51]. While the choir and people sing these songs, the celebrant offers another prayer of thanksgiving on behalf of all the people [51-52]. The curtain is closed during this period while the priest and deacons clean the chalice and paten (metal disc to hold the wine and nushkhar), and return all the liturgical vessels to their proper places. This Sunday in church use your pew book, listen for these hymns and sing along with the choir. To learn more about the Divine Liturgy visit the Diocesan website by clicking here.
Feast of All Saints
Did you know that on the first Sunday of November we celebrate the Feast of All Saints. Saints' Day, to commemorate those who have been canonized because they have lived exemplary lives of Christian virtue and sanctity. The Saint's days, which are numerous, are compelling and spiritually inspiring. They put us in contact with the divine plan of salvation as it is witnessed here on earth through martyrdom or the virtuous behavior of exemplary individuals. Naturally there are those saints who have remained unknown. It is for that reason the church celebrates 'All Saints Day' commemorating all saints, "old and new, known and unknown."
Which saint do you most admire? Why? Do you have any saintly qualities? What can you do in your own life to try and follow in the footsteps of a saint? Learn more about the saints of the Armenian Church by clicking here.
Source: The Website of the Armenian Church of The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin www.armenianchurch.org
About the Feasts of the Cross
The months of September and October feature important feasts of the cross, including one of the five major feast days, the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. This Sunday is the Feast of the Holy Cross of Varak.
Did You Know?
Any cross used in church must be blessed and anointed at five points, the center and four "wings." In Armenian, the center of the cross is called the âÂÂag-unâ or ààâÂÂeye.â The meaning of eye in this case has to do with it being ààthe center of focus, but interestingly, the âÂÂeyeâ of a hurricane ààis the calm center of the storm - sort of like the cross, the calm ààcenter of lifeâÂÂs storms. ⢠The Armenian cross often features rays emanating from its ààcenter, like spokes of a wheel; this type of cross is called ààâÂÂse-rag-na-tzev.âÂÂ(literally: in the form of spokes). The hymn sung ààon the Feast of the Cross of Varak refers to these spokes or ààraysâ¦"the radiant four-winged holy cross which illumined the ààworld with sun-like raysâ¦" ⢠The cross perched atop a pole and carried at the head of a ààprocession is called âÂÂta-po-ree khach.â â¢ Armenian crosses do not feature the crucified body of our Lord, ààemphasizing His resurrection and the saving power of the cross. ⢠Crosses are placed on the altar, church walls, and the deaconsâ ààand priestâÂÂs vestments. Look around your church and see how many ààcrosses you can see in your sanctuary. About the Ascension of Our Lord
The Feast of Holy Ascension marks the ascent of our Lord Jesus Christ into heaven on the 40th day after His glorious Resurrection.ÃÂ 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 40th day, after he finished speaking to the Apostles, "as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sigh." (Acts 1:9).ÃÂ 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).ÃÂ There are also several references to this event in some of the other books of the New Testament. Click here for more information.
When Exactly is Easter?
In the early church there was much discussion and debate as to the proper day for the celebration of Easter. The basic concern was whether to celebrate it on the day of the Judaic Feast of Passover or on the closest Sunday thereto. This discussion was ended in 325 A.D. by the decision of the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, which decided the Feast of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ would be celebrated on the first Sunday following the full moon after the vernal equinox. This decision and particularly the celebration of Easter on a Sunday was based on the fact that it was a Sunday on which Christ rose from the dead -- the second day of Passover of that year.
The Feast of Theophany and related observances are celebrated by precise chronological (solar calendar) equations and are not variable, no matter on which day of the week they may fall. Likewise, the Feasts of the Holy Mother of God, the Holy Cross, and the Church are celebrated by using the solar calendar. Easter, however, and the religious observances connected to it, are calculated by the lunar calendar and like the Passover, are variable within a 35-day period. Therefore, Easter may fall between March 22 and April 25.
The variation of the celebration of Easter between the Eastern and Western churches is strictly related to the calendar and the equations thereof, and in no way are theological. Click here for more.
The Meaning of Lent
"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry." (Matthew 4:12.) This is the Biblical basis of the period called Lent, given to us to prepare for the Feast of Feasts, the Resurrection. Just as we need time to prepare for any great event in life, we need time to make ourselves ready to participate in the blessed and wondrous event commemorated by Easter.
Lent gives us the opportunity to:
-Renew our commitment to God -Reflect on our lives and let them be directed by God -Respond to Jesus' call for love and mercy toward all of God's children Lent is a special time in the year when we guard against worldly distractions and make room for the Holy Spirit to fill us. During Lent we go into our own inner wilderness -- caused by sins, spiritual laziness, and empty vanity. There we confront the devil. Through prayer, fasting, Bible reading, and self-examination we gain the strength to work at being more loving, humble, and gentle.
After a successful Lenten journey, we should each be able to say "Be gone, Satan." We also will find ourselves hungry after this long effort; hungry for the only thing that can truly fill the place we have worked hard to clear: the beautiful fruit of the Resurrection, which is Life Everlasting with Christ our Lord.
The heart of Lent is inner penitence and reconciliation with God. Begin with self-examination and inner healing. Set aside this period to examine and evaluate your life as a Christian. Spiritual renewal is possible only if you're willing to repent for your sins and change your life for God.
Uniting with God involves:
Sorrow for Sins -- Changing your life begins when you admit that Christ suffered and died for your sins. Spiritual Growth -- Christian maturity begins when you acknowledge dependence on God.ÃÂ Resolve to accept and carry out His will. Commitment -- Realize that commitment to God is more than just going to church.ÃÂ It involves carrying out God's will daily, whatever the circumstances. Perseverance -- Keep your hope and faith in Easter's promises alive all year long, every year. Realize that Christians of every age have experienced times of testing and have overcome temptation and despair. Resource: http://armenianchurch.net/worship/lent/index.htmlÃÂ Honoring the sacrifice of St. Vartan
Every year the Armenian Church honors St. Vartan the warrior and his companions. February is a month generally associated with remembrances of the famous Battle of Avarayr in 451, of the Armenian Christian soldier St. Vartan, and of those great men -- such as the priest Ghevont -- who were at his side at one of Armenia's darkest hours. This year we remember St. Vartan the warrior and his companions on Thursday, February 23rd.
The meditation below was adapted from a Diocesan publication titled "Profiles in Faith: Meditations on the Lives of the Saints," written by the very talented Albert Keshgegian. End your reading by reflecting on the questions that follow. ST. VARTAN
We don't often think about how fortunate we really are in the United States. Most of us have all that we need to live -- good food, comfortable homes, nice clothing -- and we have religious freedom. We can belong to whatever church or religion we want. We take this for granted. So on Sunday morning, if we feel like it we get into the car and drive to the Armenian Church. Our neighbor might be Episcopalian, Roman Catholic, or even Jewish or Muslim. It really doesn't matter. It wasn't that way in 451. Armenians were part of the Persian Empire. The Persians weren't Christian and didn't even believe in God. They followed the religion of Mazdeism, which included worship of fire. The Persian king wanted to force the Armenians to give up Christianity and adopt Mazdeism. He sent a large army, including 220,000 soldiers and an armored elephant brigade, against the Armenians. Vartan Mamigonian led a much smaller Armenian army of 66,000 against the Persians.
Ghevont was a priest and one of the primary leaders against the Persian king. He had led an uprising against the Persian priests who had come to Armenia to convert churches into fire temples. Before the Battle of Avarayr he addressed the soldiers and exhorted them to sacrifice themselves for the sake of God's immortal power, as Jesus had sacrificed himself for us. Ghevont has been called the soul of the movement of Christian resistance.
The Armenians knew that they might die, but they were prepared to lose their lives, to make the greatest sacrifice possible, for their right to worship God and be followers of Christ. As they had replied to the Persian king at the Council of Artashat two years earlier: "From this faith, no one can shake us, neither angels nor men; neither sword nor fire, nor water, nor all other horrid tortures. All our goods and possessions are in your hands, our bodies are before you; dispose of them as you will. We choose no other God than Jesus Christ for there is no other God. Christ himself so loved us that he took death on himself, that we, by his death, might be freed from eternal death. We will die for his love willingly." And they did die, St. Vartan and 1,036 of those brave people, at the Battle of Avarayr on May 26 (some say June 2), 451. But their fight did not end. Armenians continued their resistance against the Persians. St. Vartan's nephew, Vahan Mamigonian, successfully used guerilla warfare tactics, gaining a peace agreement in 484. Armenia was finally allowed autonomy and freedom to practice Christianity. This was the first time that a people were allowed to have freedom to choose their religion, something that we take for granted today.
Why did the Armenians feel so strongly about their religion? Why were they willing to die for Christ? Death means the end of life here on earth. It means that we can't do all the things that make us happy. No more vacations at the seashore. No more dinners at a nice restaurant. It means that we no longer own all those "things" that we like to say are "ours." No more second homes or sports cars or diamond rings.
The Vartanians didn't have these things; such pleasures weren't around hundreds of years ago. But the Vartanians had other things, and they were willing to give it all up -- "our goods, our possessions, our bodies are yours." Why?
Our life on earth is short. It might seem like a long time, but it really isn't. We can enjoy what we have here. But our life in heaven will be long, and much more important than our life on earth. If we have to suffer on earth and make sacrifices, we should, if what we do is right and brings us joy in heaven.
St. Vartan and his companions knew this. Consider what they said about Jesus. Jesus was God; he was powerful. Yet he chose to suffer on earth and even to die, out of love for us. Because Jesus knew that doing so would bring us something wonderful later on: being with God in his kingdom. The Vartanians knew that one can suffer, sacrifice, and even die, if it is for the joy and happiness of the Kingdom of God. They knew that pleasures on earth are less important.
Do we know this today? We're not usually asked today to die for our religion. Many people before us, like St. Vartan, did just that, so that we would have religious freedom. But that same message of St. Vartan is still there for us. It says: Don't get caught up in the pleasures of this world. Sure they're enjoyable, but there is something more important -- eternal life with God in heaven -- even if we have to sacrifice some of our current pleasures.
God asks us to come to church on Sunday, even if we have to miss the brunch at a restaurant. God asks us to give to the poor, even if we have to give away the money that we would have spent on another cashmere sweater or football game. God asks us to spend some time helping other people, even if we can't relax by the pool as long as we want to. St. Vartan had a very hard choice, but for him it was easy. He said yes to God. The sacrifices God asks us to make today are much smaller. What will our answer be?
Reflection questions:
1. How does God call me to serve him? 2. What events have tested my faith? 3. What can I do to strengthen my faith in God? Prayer
Lord, you call us all to serve you, Each in our own special way. May we have the courage to respond to your call. May we put ourselves into your loving hands And, like St. Vartan, have faith from which No one and nothing can shake us. For more information click here.
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