Feast of the Apparition of the Holy Cross and the Urgent Message of Christ

Այսօր, երբ մենք կկարդանք Հովհաննու Ավետարանը, դարձյալ առիթ կունենանք մտածելու օրենքի մասին, որովհետև օրենքը շատ կարևոր է։ Ես մեր ծխական խորհրդի հետ քիչ առաջ, երբ ժողովի մեջ էինք, անդրադարձա, երբ դեպքը եղավ Հիսուսի համբարձումեն վերջը, երբ Սուրբ Պողոսը պտտվում էր Հունաստանի մեջ, և այն ժամանակ նրանք հարց ունեցան՝ այս հույները պետք է թլփատվեին կամ ոչ, որովհետև հրեաները մինչև այն ատեն այդ օրենք ունեցած էին, որ պետք է անեին։ Բայց նրանք հասկացան, որ եթե ասիկա պահանջենք այս հույներեն, արդյոք նրանք պիտի թլփատվեն, ամաչեն, դժվար պիտի ըլլա համոզելու այս օտարներին ընդունելու այդ օրենքը, բայց նրանք ունեցած էին առաջնահերթային նպատակը, որ նրանք Քրիստոս ստանան, որ մկրտվեն և իսկապես քրիստոնյա եկեղեցվո առաջին անդամներ դառնան։ Ուրեմն ասիկա եղավ շատ վաղ եկեղեցվո մեջ։ Եվ երբ նրանք հավաքվեցան՝ առաքյալները, աշակերտները, երեցները, բոլորը միասին Սուրբ Պողոսի հետ, որոշում նրանք հասան, որ ասիկա այլևս անհրաժեշտ չպիտի լինի նոր հավատացյալների համար, որովհետև մկրտությունն է նոր թլփատությունը։ Ասիկա կարևոր է, որ մենք հիշենք, որ ասիկա ձևափոխումն է, ասիկա առաջադիմությունն էր եկեղեցվո կյանքին մեջ։ Ոչ թե օրենքը թողեցինք անցյալին, բայց օրենքը Հիսուսի իր ուսուցմամբ և Աստծո կամքով ինքը դարձավ այն օրենք, որ ընդունելի կլինի ամբողջ մարդկության համար, որ եկեղեցին տարածվի մինչև այսօր։ Ուրեմն մենք չենք կրնար մտածել, որ Աստվածաշունչը այդպես բաժնված է երկու կտորներով՝ Հին Կտակարանը և Նոր Կտակարանը, և Հին Կտակարանը կապ չունի մեզ հետ, և Նոր Կտակարանը միայն կարևոր է մեզ համար։ Ընդհակառակը, առանց Հին Կտակարանի Նոր Կտակարան չկա։ Մենք այդ Հին Կտակարանի իր պատմության, իր օրենքների, իր մարգարեության և ի վերջո իր պատգամի ժառանգորդներ ենք։ Պետք է դա արժեքավորենք և ընդունենք, որ ոչ թե կձգենք և նոր մարդիկ ենք, ընդհակառակը, այդ ամեն ինչ կժառանգենք և կհասկանանք Հիսուսի իր վարդապետության հայացքով։

In Armenian just now I gave the message I was preparing to give, which was about the message from the Gospel of John that had to do with some early arguments in the early church, in the Orthodox Church, having to do with circumcision and the law. However, during our badarak today, I was inspired to give a different message, which I’ll share with you in English, and it has to do with the apparition of the Holy Cross, which we’re also celebrating today. We’re celebrating one of the feast days that follows the celebration of the feast of the resurrection in a specific order of the various Sundays following the resurrection. And this is known as Khach yerevman donk, or the Feast of the Apparition or the Appearance of the Holy Cross, when the Holy Cross was revealed in the air for the entire people of Jerusalem to perceive in the fourth century, during this period of time of advanced growth in the life of the church.

Now, what inspired me — I often preach about the apparition of the Holy Cross, which took place in the year 351. However, I said, “Let me focus on the gospel for this Sunday,” because I don’t always do it on a Sunday. However, something took place in the middle of the badarak that I think we all experienced: we were all singing Hayr Mer together, and all at once all of our phones started blaring because there was a silver alert. I think we all saw that, right? I’m sure everybody that has a phone, which means everybody in this room except for the baby Maria and Hovhanna, has a phone. And so they all heard it. And that has never happened during badarak before. It’s the first time I’ve ever experienced that. It was very jarring, particularly during the singing of the Lord’s Prayer, which had gotten me transcendent in that moment. And of course, we all saw this message. And there’s a reason and a value for that. I don’t by any means begrudge there being a notification of an urgent situation that everybody needs to be made aware of — an unfortunate man who’s lost in a city somewhere. And so it is important that we all turn our attention to that truth.

And so it had me thinking about the celebration or the remembrance of the apparition of the Holy Cross. And I realized that was a moment, a crucial moment in the history of humanity, when God really had to demand everybody’s attention. And there were no exceptions, because our tradition regarding the appearance of the Holy Cross was that the cross appeared to everybody in the city of Jerusalem — believer, non-believer. Every single individual that was in the city on that day looked up in the sky and saw a vision of the Holy Cross in the year 351 on May 7th.

Now, it was important in that crucial moment in time, and for those of us that understand and study the early church, the church that we come from, the church that we inherit and we uphold as the Orthodox Church, then we have to understand that that period of time was really crucial in the evolution of the church that we belong to today, what was happening in those times. And of course, the witness, the one who testifies to this, is Saint Cyril of Jerusalem himself, one of our crucial early church fathers — that this was a nobody-gets-to-ignore-this-important-message moment in time when the apparition of the Holy Cross took place, seventeen hundred years ago.

And so we remember it today because we have to remember that that same urgent message that arrived to the people of Jerusalem in the fourth century is the same urgent message nobody should be ignoring, because it’s important and it belongs to everybody. And open your eyes, and if I have to make a loud sound so that you listen to me, then listen to me — the message that we’re receiving today through the Holy Orthodox Church. We live in a crucial moment in time. A time when people will look back and say, “There were things happening in that time, and decisions were made that are affecting our lives now.” But the decision that we all have to make today is: are we going to hear this blaring warning alert that comes to us from Jesus Christ that says, “You belong with me. You belong in my holy church, and this cross is the cross that I died on for you so that you would have the opportunity to be one with me and that you would inherit the kingdom of heaven in just that way that my Father desires for you because He loves you”?

And this is a message that none of us can afford to ignore, however loud we need to say it and however obnoxious we have to be so that people understand that this isn’t something that’s meant to happen eventually, and this isn’t something that we’re supposed to wait for other people to make happen for us. But at this very moment in time, we have to avert our gaze and focus our attention on the reality that this message is calling us to a very important moment in our lives. Christ died on the cross for our sins, and He’s lovingly calling us as His Good Shepherd and asking us to please receive the gift that comes from that sacrifice, which is what we do each and every Sunday in this holy sanctuary. We receive that gift that was intended for you and for me and every individual in this church and outside of this church by virtue of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. It’s not a little thing. It’s not a minimal thing. It’s a great, important thing that has an impact on each and every one of our eternal lives.

And so I make that — it’s not a silver alert, it’s not an amber alert, but it is, let’s call it a purple alert. Whatever you want to call it, this is yours, and it’s here for you always, and Christ is simply and humbly and lovingly calling you to receive it, for His glory and for the glory of the all-holy Trinity and for the sake of our eternal lives. Amen.