PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apost. Church of America and Canada
H.E. Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan
Prelate, Easter Prelacy and Canada
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
Web:
December 24, 2009
PRELATES CHRISTMAS MESSAGE
Archbishop Oshagan issued his 2010 Christmas message last week. With
the theme The Good News of the Sun of Righteousness, His Eminence
writes about the birth of Christ which illuminated all Mankind. That
light, he says, penetrates the soul, heart and mind of all Christians
to make them more faithful, more benevolent, and more righteous in
their thoughts and deeds. The Sun of Righteousness, like justice
itself, represents eternal truth and is Gods presence in us and
amongst Mankind to see and do His will. During the days preceding the
festive days many and various thoughts and concerns come to us. The
most beautiful thing we can do is to be introspective and to see in us
the fullness of Jesus presence and to see ourselves with Him, so that
the light He brings with His birth never diminishes or darkens within
us.
PRELATE WILL BE IN NEW JERSEY THIS SUNDAY
Archbishop Oshagan will preside over the Divine Liturgy and
commemoration of St. Stephen the first deacon and proto-martyr, and
deliver the sermon this Sunday, December 27, at Sts. Vartanantz
Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey.
DAILY BIBLE READINGS
Bible readings for today, Thursday, December 24, are: 2 Samuel 5:1-10;
1 Kings 2:1-11; Ezekiel 34:20-27; James 1:1-12; Matthew 22: 41-46.
Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: I myself will judge
between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you pushed with
flank and shoulder, and butted at all the weak animals with your horns
until you scattered them far and wide, I will save my flock, and they
shall no longer be ravaged; and I will judge between sheep and sheep.
I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he
shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the
Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among
them; I, the Lord, have spoken.
I will make with them a covenant of peace and banish wild
animals from the land, so that they may live in the wild and sleep in
the woods securely. I will make them and the region around my hill a
blessing; and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall
be showers of blessing. The trees of the field shall yield their
fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase. They shall be secure on
their soil; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I break the
bars of their yoke, and save them from the hands of those who enslaved
them. (Ezekiel 34:20-27)
This is a busy week in the Armenian Churchs Liturgical Calendar with
the following commemorations:
DAVID THE PROPHET KING; HOLY APOSTLE JAMES
Today, Thursday, December 24, the Armenian Church commemorates David
the Prophet King and James the Apostle.
David was the youngest of eight brothers and was brought up to
be a shepherd where he learned courage, tenderness and caring. David
became the second King of Israel. In Scripture the name David is his
alone which indicates the unique place had had as an ancestor and
forerunner of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the New Testament there are
more than 50 references to David, including the title given to
JesusSon of David. David was a poet and he wrote some of the Psalms.
James the Apostle, sometimes called Brother of our Lord,
possibly because of his close relationship with Christ, was granted a
special appearance of the Lord after the Resurrection. He is believed
to have been a first cousin of the Lord, or as some biblical scholars
have speculated, a son of Joseph. Following the Resurrection and the
Ascension, while the other Apostles scattered all over the world,
James remained in Jerusalem where he served as the Bishop and became a
leading advocate of the early church.
ST. STEPHEN THE FIRST DEACON AND PROTO-MARTYR
This Saturday, December 26, the Armenian Church commemorates
St. Stephen, the first deacon and proto-martyr. After Christs
ascension, the apostles went about spreading the Word of the new
faith. It soon became apparent that more people were needed to serve
the growing church community. Seven worthy individuals were called
upon to serve the Holy Altar, and were called Deacons (Sarkavag). The
most noteworthy of the original seven was Stephen, described as a man
full of faith and the Holy Spirit, (Acts 6:5). The Feast of
St. Stephen is a popular and important commemoration in the Armenian
Church. It is also a day of honor for all deacons of the
church. St. Stephen became the first martyr of the Christian church
and is therefore known as the proto-martyr. The only first-hand
information on the life and death of St. Stephen is in the Acts of the
Apostles (Acts 6:8 and 8:2)
HOLY APOSTLES PETER AND PAUL
On Monday, December 28, the Armenian Church commemorates the Holy
Apostles, Peter and Paul, perhaps the two individuals who had the
greatest influence in shaping and spreading Christianity. It is
entirely appropriate that the Church celebrates their memory together.
After the Crucifixion and Resurrection, Jesus came to Peter and
asked him to tell the other apostles of His appearance and to give
them His message (Luke 24:34-35) in spite of the fact that at the time
of the judgment of Jesus, Peter denied knowing Him. Peter was renowned
for his oratory skills and he used his talent to spread the Word and
advance Christianity. He preached in Rome and funded the church
there. He is considered to be the first Bishop of Rome. According to
tradition, Peter was crucified in Rome upside down because he declared
himself unworthy to die in the same manner as the Lord. He was buried
in Rome and his relics are enshrined under the high altar of
St. Peters Basilica.
Paul (Saul) was born in Tarsus in Cilicia. He was an oppressor
of the early Christians until on the road to Damascus he underwent a
conversion when a brilliant light blinded him and he heard, Saul,
Saul, why do you persecute me? I am Jesus whom you are
persecuting. Enter the City and you will be told what to do. (Acts
9:4-6; 26:12-16). Saul was baptized and renamed Paul and he went on to
become the greatest preacher of the new religion, traveling and
writing extensively. Many theologians credit him for shaping the
future of the church. His fourteen epistles comprise more than
one-third of the New Testament, not including the Book of Acts, which
although written by Luke, primarily contains an account of Pauls
preaching.
HOLY APOSTLE JAMES AND JOHN THE EVANGELIST: SONS OF THUNDER
This Tuesday, December 29, the Armenian Church remembers the apostles
James and John (Mark 10:35-41), called the Sons of Thunder by Jesus
because of their passionate 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 younger apostle also named James. James was the
first of the apostles to be martyred by order of Herod Agrippa (Acts
12:1-2). He is considered to be the patron saint of Spain and
according to tradition his body was brought from Jerusalem to Spain to
Santiago de Compostela, which is a popular destination for pilgrims.
John is also often called the Divine. It was to John that Jesus
on the cross entrusted the care of his mother. Paul names Peter, John
and James as the pillars of the church (Gal. 2:9).
O Son of God, have mercy on us through the intercession of the
sons of thunder who proclaimed you, the Word of life, who shone forth
from the Father on high and invited the universe to praise the Holy
Trinity.
O Word, you became flesh from the Virgin, the heralds saw this
and announced your coming in the world; only-begotten Son, through
their intercession have mercy on us.
They agreed to accept sufferings and death with you to become
sharers in your glory, O Lord, at your coming; through their
intercession have mercy on us.
>From the Canon for the Sons of Thunder, the Holy Apostles James and
John,
according to the Liturgical Canons of the Armenian Apostolic Church
PAREGENTAN OF THE FAST OF THE NATIVITY
Tuesday, December 29, is the Paregentan of the Feast of the Nativity
(a seven-day fast), leading up to birth of our Lord and Savior on
January 6.
CHRISTMASDECEMBER 25 OR JANUARY 6?
Tomorrow, Friday, December 25, most of the Christian world will
celebrate the birth of Christ. Originally all of Christendom
celebrated the birth, baptism and visit of the Magi on January 6. Rome
adopted December 25 in the year 336, and this date gradually became
popular and was officially adopted at the Council of Chalcedon (451)a
Council the Armenians did not attend and never accepted. Therefore,
the Armenian Church has remained faithful to the original date of
January 6.
Of course, the actual date of Jesus birth is unknown and both
traditions are centuries old. What is important is the spirit and
meaning of the Nativity. We marvel at the wisdom of our parents, the
survivor generation, who realized that both dates should be embraced
and both celebrated, each in its own way.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
December 27St. Gregory Church, Philadelphia, Sunday School Christmas
Pageant.
December 31St. Gregory Church, Philadelphia, New Years Eve
celebration, Seroonian Community Center.
December 31Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey. New Years
Eve Dinner-Dance.
February 6St. Stephens (Watertown, Massachusetts) Ladies Guild, Mardi
Gras celebration, 7 pm at church hall. Costumes optional; masks a
must. For information: Mary Derderian, [email protected] or
781-762-4253.
March 21Musical Armenia, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New
York City.
May 13 to 16National Representative Assembly hosted by
St. Illuminators Cathedral, New York City and St. Sarkis Church,
Douglaston, New York.
July 17A Hye Summer Night V, dance hosted by Ladies Guild of
Sts. Vartanantz Church and ARS Ani Chapter, Providence, Rhode
Island. Watch for details.
Web pages of the parishes can be accessed through the Prelacys web
site.
To ensure the timely arrival of Crossroads in your electronic mailbox,
add [email protected] to your address book.
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:
[email protected]
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
