Primate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America
Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another path. (Matthew 2:11-12 NRSV)
It began with a star: one that had never been seen before in the night sky, and so was by definition something mysterious and unexpected. To the wise men, scanning the heavens far to the east of Bethlehem, the appearance of this new star was a summons to embark on a journey—although their final destination was something which would reveal itself only later.
Perhaps it was the wise men’s habit of seeking that allowed them to perceive the star in the first place; to see it as something to follow, where others missed its significance. But for whatever reason, they were willing and ready to undertake this unexpected journey. We can imagine that with the star as their guide, every step along the way held a special meaning, a sense of anticipation, precisely because of the mystery awaiting them at the end.
We who are so familiar with the Christmas story know where the wise men’s journey led them: to the infant Jesus Christ. We know from the Gospel that, finding themselves in our Lord’s presence, they knelt in worship and opened their precious treasures to honor him.
And the Gospel also gives us a fascinating detail, which may resonate with our own spiritual journeys. After being in Christ’s presence, the wise men were inspired to travel “by another path”: a path different from the one that they would ordinarily have chosen; different from the one that had led them to Bethlehem. Just as there had been a special significance in every step towards the star, so too was there an urgent new meaning in every step of the return journey. This time their destination was perfectly familiar, but the wise men would arrive home changed, having taken a different road in response to their encounter with Christ.
It’s an experience many of us can relate to: of being led to some situation we don’t expect, and then realizing that the unexpected event has changed us—taken us down a new path. My own path took just such a turn this year, when I led a pilgrimage to one of the most inspirational spots in historic Armenia: the Church of the Holy Cross on the island of Aghtamar.
Celebrating the holy badarak at Aghtamar was something I had never expected to do, given the realities of our time. And yet this summer, I found that I would have the precious opportunity to do so, and the sense of anticipation gave new meaning to every step of my pilgrim’s journey towards Aghtamar island.
During the badarak—every badarak—we find ourselves in the presence of the Living Christ: we are, as it were, in the place of the wise men, coming before the Lord to worship him. During the badarak at Aghtamar, that feeling bore down upon me with extra force. And having had this miraculous encounter, I came away from Aghtamar with new eyes, seeing new paths open before me, and before all our people.
On my approach to the church, I found myself remembering all the pilgrims of past ages who had come by the same path to worship there. I thought of all the churches built by pious Armenians—from the great monuments of centuries ago, to the sanctuaries that have populated the world, wherever Armenian Christians have settled to live and worship together. I thought of the feelings of faith and foresight, and above all the feeling of love, that every Armenian Church represents.
These were thoughts of the past. But as we sailed away from Aghtamar island, my mind was focused on the future, symbolized by the open horizon which lay ahead on Lake Van—a horizon filled with potential and hope. I envisioned our communities in America; our miraculous Republic of Armenia—realities of the present day that the pilgrims of former generations could not even have imagined. And I wondered to myself what other miracles the future might hold—new pathways that we today have not even dreamed of, but that God, in His good time, will make plain.
Such hopes are very much in the spirit of this season, beginning with Advent—the time of anticipation—and continuing after our celebration of Christmas, when we embark on a new year with renewed life and energy. In the coming year, our Diocese will explore these ideas through the theme, “Living the Gospel of Christ.” The life-in-Christ can begin with a spirit of humble seeking, which ultimately draws us into a deeper, personal encounter with our Lord. And having had that encounter, we find ourselves changed, and open to the unexpected new paths that now appear before us.
Like the wise men on the first Christmas, we should approach Christ’s Nativity with a sense of anticipation and excitement over the mystery that lies ahead. When we reach our destination on January 6—which falls this year on the Lord’s Day, Sunday—it will be a chance for us to open the treasures of our hearts before him.
And it can also be a doorway to a new path: a path that may lead us to familiar places, but that leaves us fundamentally changed, having experienced the miraculous revelation of Jesus Christ—born in the most unlikely of places, for the most unexpected and wonderful of reasons: God’s love for mankind. May we carry that precious miracle in our hearts throughout the coming year, along with the joyous refrain of the Armenian Church:
Krisdos dzunav yev haydnetzav! Orhnyal eh haydnootiunun Krisdosee!
Christ is born and revealed! Blessed is the revelation of Christ!
With prayers,
† Archbishop Khajag Barsamian Primate January 2013
# # #
PublicRelations [publicrelations@armeniandiocese.o
Yorumlar kapatıldı.