LJ2021 - Day 14 - Focus Point

Lenten Journey 2021:
Faith in a Post Pandemic World
by Fr. Vazken Movsesian

Day 14: Focus Point
And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. -Jesus (Luke 15:13)

It has been said that familiarity breeds contempt. The parable of the two sons, which Jesus recites and is recorded in St. Luke's Gospel, is commonly referred to as the Parable of the Prodigal Son. The point of the story is about returning home, about realizing mistakes and changing course from the prodigal life. The identifier, "Prodigal" might misdirect our attention to the wrong action, that of the sin rather than that of repentance. During Lent, we tune our senses to avoid misdirection and focus on the point of where we are headed. 

Image: Wallpaperfare.com

LJ 2021 - Day 13 - Critique

Lenten Journey 2021:
Faith in a Post Pandemic World
by Fr. Vazken Movsesian

Day 13: Critique

Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you? ... Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again. - Jesus (John 8:10-11)

Criticism can be hurtful to a sensitive soul. Often it is, especially when aimed at the person's character. During Lent we tone down our lives and patterns, increase the time and quality of our prayer life, with self-improvement as a goal. Listen to the voice of criticism. Is it from the outside? Or is it from within? Do the ones from without matter? Is the one from within your harshest critic? Today, listen to the voice of Jesus. Self-confidence is a step toward self-improvement. 

Image: Pixabay

LJ2021 - Day 12 - Beauty

Welcome to the the Lenten Journey 2021:
Faith in a Post Pandemic World
by Fr. Vazken Movsesian

Day 12: Beauty
Do not give what is holy to dogs; and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and turn and maul you. - Jesus (Matthew 7:6)

There is superficial beauty and there is intrinsic beauty. In a life lived in Faith, these two types intersect, and not necessarily at only one point. Outer beauty shines and is pleasant to look at, while inner beauty shines bright through the outer layers, radiating. In this pandemic era, more than ever, we are learning that outer beauty must never be so thick as to not let the inner shine through. During the Lenten season make note of beauty - yours and that of others - and keep it holy. 

Photo: Wallpaperflare

LJ2021 - Day 11 - Vaccine

Welcome to the the Lenten Journey 2021:
Faith in a Post Pandemic World
by Fr. Vazken Movsesian

Day 11: Vaccine
But be alert; I have already told you everything. - Jesus (Mark 13:23)

In our post-pandemic world we have found a new savior, it is the vaccine. Today, we have vaccines that are our collective-hope against the coronavirus, COVID-19. A vaccine is "a product that stimulates a person's immune system to produce immunity to a specific disease, protecting the person from that disease." We are rushing to vaccinate ourselves, as we did in the past against such wicked menaces as polio, smallpox, diphtheria, to name a few of the diseases that no longer pose threats to mass populations. During the Lenten season we hear the warnings given to us by Jesus, "... be aware..." and understand them to produce the necessary immunity against evil and ungodliness. These are the vaccines against spiritual death, and we discover them under the prescription of prayer, fasting and charity. 

Photo: Singularity Hub 2021

LJ2021 - Day 10 - Desire

Welcome to the the Lenten Journey 2021:
Faith in a Post Pandemic World
by Fr. Vazken Movsesian

Day 10: Desire
Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses. - Jesus (Luke 12)

We are driven and motivated to succeed by our wants and desires. In fact, they are strong motivators. The more we want, the more we are driven to secure the objects of our desire. To covet something, sets us multiple traps in front of us because the object of our desire does not belong to us. The greatest of our disappointments in life are when we have expectations that cannot possibly be fulfilled. During the Lenten season we take inventory of the talents and resources that we can claim as our own. What makes me, me? What is outside of us, we must evaluate and be certain that it is not covetousness that is motivating us, but a true desire for self-improvement. 

Photo: Desire, Public Domain

LJ2021 - Day 9 - Value

Welcome to the the Lenten Journey 2021:
Faith in a Post Pandemic World
by Fr. Vazken Movsesian

Day 9: Value

Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. - Jesus (Luke 12)

People ascribe significance and value to things. We may forget something that we have labeled as insignificant or we may throw away something which we deem as having no value. Can you imagine a life where everything has significance and everything has value? The blue skies, the rocky mountains, the baby extending her hand to mommy, and even the ant marching across your front porch, are all creations of God. During Lent, we come to understand that everyone and everything is part of God's creation, and therefore, like us, everything is worthy of care, compassion and love. 

Photo: Spider on Flower, 2016 Fr. Vazken

LJ2021 - Day 8: Ordinary

Welcome to the the Lenten Journey 2021:
Faith in a Post Pandemic World
by Fr. Vazken Movsesian

Day 8: Ordinary

“See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing...” - Jesus (Mark 1)

Extraordinary events will surprise us into expressive responses (sometimes overwhelmingly expressive responses). You cannot help contain your emotions when something unexpected happens - news that you won a prize, learning your child achieved at top levels in school, the announcement that your loved one has overcome a deadly disease. The word 'miracle' is thrown around to describe such events. Jesus makes a point of telling those whom he heals, to not share the news of their recovery. Perhaps what we consider as a miraculous event is merely an ordinary occurrence in a life lived in faith. Lent grants us that opportunity to stay calm in the face of the unexpected, discover the miracles that are all around us, and therefore, celebrate and respond to all of life.

LJ2021 - Day 7 - Kindness

Welcome to the the Lenten Journey 2021:
Faith in a Post Pandemic World
by Fr. Vazken Movsesian

Day 7 - Kindness

“Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.  You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet" - Jesus (Luke 7:44-46)

Kindness is the sharing of blessings. Blessings come from God. As humans we are overwhelmed by God's goodness and graces. It is easy to lose sight of our responsibility to share the blessings we have. Lent is a time to take an inventory of blessings - talent, family, health, work, wealth - and share them, thereby making kindness a responsibility of Christian existence.

 

Photo: Music vdub, Yerevan 2014

LJ2021 - Day 6 - In Between

Welcome to the the Lenten Journey 2021:
Faith in a Post Pandemic World
by Fr. Vazken Movsesian

The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” - Jesus (John 3:8)

Day 6: In Between

Not long ago we could see, either with our eyes or with our minds' eye, the connection between two telephones. A chord came out of the telephone we talked into, and a chord went into the telephone of the person to whom we were talking. And even if we didn't understand the technology, we knew that there were solid wires connecting those phones, whether those phones were next door to each other, across town or across the country. Today, we pick up a cell phone and talk to another person somewhere else on this planet. There are no wires in between those two phones. We talk and we hear without knowing what's in between, but we're certain there is something that is carrying those sound waves between those two phones. We talk and we hear God, without seeing what's in between us, but we know there has to be something connecting us. Look for the connections - a good work or deed, a mother's prayer over us, a tear from our eyes signaling our compassion. It is the Spirit at work.

LJ2021 - Day 5 - Silence

 Welcome to the the Lenten Journey 2021: Faith in a Post Pandemic World

Daily meditations during the Lenten Season 

by Fr. Vazken Movsesian

Day 5: Silence

This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. (John 8)

As life unfolds and takes its twists and turns it demands a reaction from us. We often find it necessary to react with words. A clever word here, a meaningful remark there, are quick and easy means by which we share our understanding of a situation. Words convey thoughts. Words articulate ideas. Silence, the underrated reaction to life, is sometimes necessary more than our words, to truly understand what is around us. Silence, quiet utterances of the soul, can lead to peace.  

LJ2021 - Day 4 - Perseverance

Welcome to the the Lenten Journey 2021: Faith in a Post Pandemic World

Daily meditations during the Lenten Season 

by Fr. Vazken Movsesian

Day 4: Perseverance

And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? - Jesus (Luke 18)

A foreign object - a rover - landed on Martian soil today. The rover's name is Perseverance. It was sent to Mars last year by NASA and arrived today. They selected its name as "a testament to the spirit that got the mission off the ground and on its way to Mars," says NASA. For millennia, humans have looked up to the heavens and wondered what those bright lights at night meant. During the last couple of millennia, humans have mapped those heavens and only dreamed of what might be up there. It was only during the last century that engines and propulsions made the impossible seem and become possible. Today, we look at all we have in front of us, seemingly impossible missions, such as the softening of the human heart, the loving of neighbors and changing "swords into plowshares." (Isaiah 2:4) Perseverance is the human spirit not giving up on a dream.

Image: NASA - Perseverance rover lands today. 

LJ 2021 - Day 3 - Shadows

  Welcome to the the Lenten Journey 2021: Faith in a Post Pandemic World
Daily meditations during the Lenten Season by Fr. Vazken Movsesian

Day 3 - Shadow

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. - James 1:17

One of our Church Fathers remarked that when facing the Sun, we see no shadows. It is only when we turn away from the sun that we notice shadows.  The Sun is the source of light and energy for our planet. Even in the shadows there is enough light to energize us and all of life. This is a testament to the power of the Sun. Jesus, the Light of the World, illuminates and we find no shadows nor places to hide when we are turned toward him. And even when we turn and then notice the shadows, He is still energizing us and all of life.

LJ 2021 - Day 2 - Seeds

 Welcome to the the Lenten Journey 2021: Faith in a Post Pandemic World

Daily meditations during the Lenten Season by Fr. Vazken Movsesian

Day 2: Seeds 

“...for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. - Jesus, (Matthew 17:20)

How big is a mustard seed? 2 millimeters. Is that all the faith that we need to do seemingly impossible feats? How big is the coronavirus? 70 nanometers (try a million times smaller than a millimeter). The pandemic has jarred us. We have lost the confidence in and the certainty of goodness. What is faith? And how does it fit into our equation of life? It can move mountains, and certainly there are mountains that need to be moved.

Lenten Journey 2021 - Faith in a Post Pandemic World - Day 1

Welcome to the the Lenten Journey 2021: Faith in a Post Pandemic World

Daily meditations during the Lenten Season by Fr. Vazken Movsesian

Day 1: No Excuses

"Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, ‘The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.’" - Jesus (Luke 10:8-11)

Imagine being on the receiving end of such a statement. Imagine, the Kingdom of God has come near you, so close that you can see, feel, touch, hear, and taste it. The Kingdom - the goodness, the connection with all of eternity and the universe, the promise and the fulfillment of every dream you have ever had - has come near you. You have a chance to receive it. You have a chance to lose it.