| FAST
OF THE NATIVITY; SIXTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT
This Sunday, December 31, is the sixth, and final, Sunday of Advent. Tomorrow,
Friday, December 29 is the Barekentan of the Fast of the Nativity.
There are ten week-long fasts that precede major feasts in the Armenian
Church. All of the Fasts are observed for five days, Monday through Friday,
except for the Fast of the Nativity which lasts 6 days, December 30 to
January 4.
VICAR WILL
ATTEND INTERFAITH BREAKFAST
Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian, Vicar General of the Prelacy, will attend
an Interfaith Breakfast hosted by Mayor Michael Bloomberg at the New York
Public Library in Manhattan, tomorrow, Friday, December 29.
PRELATE WILL
BE IN PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND
This Sunday, December 31, the Prelate, Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, will
visit the Sts. Vartanantz Church parish in Providence, Rhode Island.
SAINTS’
DAYS THIS WEEK
In the Armenian Orthodox tradition, saints are commemorated on Mondays,
Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. This week there are a number of such
commemorations including the following:
Today, December 28, we commemorate the Holy Apostles James and
John. (Mark 10:35-41). They were nicknamed “Sons of Thunder”
by Jesus because of their excitable and quick-natured character. James
was a Galilean fisherman who was called along with his brother John to
be one of the twelve apostles. They, together with Peter, formed the inner
core among the twelve who were present at the raising of the daughter
of Jairus, the transfiguration, and the agony of Gethsemane. James is
sometimes referred to as “James the Greater” to differentiate
from the other James. He was the first of the apostles to be martyred,
by order of King Herod Agrippa I, to please the opponents of Christianity
(Acts 12:1-2). He is the patron saint of Spain and according to tradition
his body was brought from Jerusalem to Spain to Santiago de Compostela,
which remains a popular destination for pilgrims. John is called “the
Divine.” It was to John that Jesus from the cross entrusted the
care of his mother. Paul names John and James along with Peter as the
pillars of the church (Gal. 2:9).
On Saturday, December 30, we commemorate the Holy Fathers Basil
of Caesarea, Gregory of Nyssa, Sylvester of Rome and Ephrem the Syrian.
St. Basil (329-379) was a learned doctor and father of
the Church, who did much to spread Christianity. He became Bishop of Caesarea
and a defender of orthodox Christianity. He established many charitable
projects such as hospitals, hospitality inns for travelers, food kitchens
for the needy, and worked for prison reform.
Gregory of Nyssa (330-400), was the younger brother of
Basil. He was Bishop of Nyssa, and Archbishop of Sepastia. He participated
in the second ecumenical Council at Constantinople, where he was called
“Father of the Fathers.” He was a pillar of orthodoxy and
defender of the faith.
Sylvester of Rome, whose date of birth is not known,
died in 335. He was Bishop of Rome. During his pontificate he built great
churches in Rome.
Ephrem the Syrian (306-373) was born in Mesopotamia and
spent his entire life there. He was baptized at age 18. He served under
Saint James of Nisibis, was head of his school, and most probably accompanied
him to the Council of Nicaea (325).
2007—A
NEW YEAR
Monday, January 1, is the first day of the New Year (In Armenian Nor
Dari, Amanor or Gaghand). For many centuries the Armenians celebrated
the beginning of the New Year on the first day of the month of Navassard
(August 11 in the current calendar). It was in the 18th century that the
Armenians (by decree of Catholicos Simeon Erevantsi) accepted January
1 as the start of the New Year. The New Year is a time of joy, happiness
and festivities. Traditionally Armenians exchange gifts on New Year’s
Day, rather than Christmas. It is a time to celebrate the renewal of life
and prosperity, to put aside anger and grudges, and renew friendships
through mutual visitations. Lavish tables including dried fruits and nuts
are part of the commemorative traditions.
BIBLE READINGS
FOR 2007
The daily Bible readings for 2007, according to the liturgical calendar
of the Armenian Church, are on the Prelacy web page. For this week’s
readings click here.
THE BIBLE
ON OUR LIPS
We use phrases from the Bible (especially from the King James Version)
every day, at times without realizing the source. Some years ago, Bruce
Metzger, a scholar at Princeton Theology Seminary, creatively showed how
much the Bible has influenced Western culture. Here’s a small sampling:
A person may be said to behave like the great “I Am” (Ex.
3:14), or to have “the mark of Cain” (Gen. 4:15). People are
tempted to eat forbidden fruit (Gen. 2:17), desire the fleshpots of Egypt
(Ex. 16:3), and give up something worth having for a mess of pottage (Gen.
25:29-34).
Yet “one does not live by bread alone” (Deut. 8:3), and finally
each must go the way of all flesh (cf. Gen. 6:12; Josh. 23:14) and return
to dust (Gen. 3:19). For the moment, those who find themselves “at
their wits end” (Ps. 107:27) may still escape by the “skin
of their teeth” (Job 19:20), but others find themselves in the position
of a “scapegoat” (Lev. 16:8-10). Nevertheless, “a soft
answer turns away wrath” (Prov. 15:1).
Unfortunately, a leopard cannot change its spots (Jer. 13:23). The wicked
“sow the wind and reap the whirlwind” (Hos. 8:7), and because
they ignore the “writing on the wall” (Dan. 5:24), they are
fated “to lick the dust” (Ps. 72:9). Inevitably, “pride
goeth…before a fall” (Prov. 16:18), and anything that hinders
success is a “fly in the ointment” (Eccles. 10:1). The wise
know that “you can’t take it with you” (Eccles. 5:15),
and that “there is nothing new under the sun” (Eccles. 1:9).
Who has not known a “good Samaritan” (Luke 10:30-37), a person
who will “go a second mile” (Matt. 5:38). Some seek the “pearl
of great price” (Matt. 13:46), while others, like the Prodigal Son,
waste their lives “in riotous living” (Lk. 6:24). “A
house divided against itself will not stand” (Mk. 3:25), nor can
“the blind lead the blind” (Mt. 15:14). It is useless to “cast
pearls before swine” (Mt. 7:6).
In antiquity a “talent” was a unit of weight or money, but
because of Jesus’ Parable of the Talents (Mt. 25:14-30), the word
has come to mean natural endowment or ability. To disregard these abilities
is to “hide one’s light under a bushel” (Mt. 5:15).
Even those who have never opened a Bible recognize the Golden Rule of
doing to “others as we would have them do to us” (Mt. 7:12).
Finally, expressions from the letters of Paul: “The letter kills,
but the spirit gives life” (2 Cor. 3:3); “The love of money
is the root of all evil” (1 Tim. 6:10); “To see through a
glass darkly” (1 Cor. 13:12); and “a thorn in the flesh”
(2 Cor. 12:7).
NEXT ISSUE
OF CROSSROADS
The next issue of Crossroads (Thursday, January 4) will be a special Christmas
issue. Until then…Happy New Year to all. |
|
CALENDAR
OF EVENTS
December 31—New
Year’s Eve Dinner-Dance, Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New
Jersey and ARF Dro Gomideh, Parsippany Hilton, New Jersey. Featuring Arthur
Apkarian and Armenia Band. For full information contact the church office
201-943-2950.
December
31—New Year’s Eve Party, St. Sarkis Armenian Church,
Douglaston, New York.
December
31—New Year’s Eve Party, St. Gregory Illuminator
Armenian Church, Granite City, Illinois.
January
6—St. Gregory the Illuminator Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
first Episcopal Badarak in Philadelphia by Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian.
January
6—Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey, annual
Christmas luncheon hosted by the Ladies’ Guild following church
services on Saturday, January 6. Adults $15; children 12 and under $10.
For reservations/information, 201-943-2950.
January
6—St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New York, Christmas party
and special program for Saturday and Sunday school students.
January
28—Annual Membership Meeting, Soorp Khatch Church, Bethesda,
Maryland, at 1 pm.
February
4—St. Sarkis name day, celebrating the patron saint of
the church and requiem service for Archpriest Rev. Fr. Asoghik Kelejian,
St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New York.
February
11—General Membership meeting and elections, St. Sarkis
Church, Douglaston, New York.
February
17—St. Gregory Church, North Andover, Massachusetts, Annual
Membership Meeting.
February
18—Poon Paregentan, Eve of Great Lent, International Cuisine
Night, St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New York.
March
25—Musical Armenia 2007, Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall,
2 pm. Featured artists: Aleksandr Nazaryan (viola) and Serge Barseghian
(basso).
Items in Crossroads
can be reproduced without permission. Please credit Crossroads as the
source.
Parishes of the
Eastern Prelacy are invited to send information about their major events
to be included in the calendar. Send to: info@armenianprelacy.org
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