Message of Fr. Vazken Movsesian, parish priest of St. Andrew Armenian Church, Cupertino, from the Nakhagoch Newsletter. Electronic version archived on: SAIN-- St. Andrew Information Network -------------------------------------- c. 1989 Fr. Vazken Movsesian Address comments to: dervaz@sain.org -------------------------------------- October 1989 Priest's Message THE QUAKE AND THE MESSAGE OF GIVING It was like the day Kennedy was shot or the day the space shuttle exploded. We will all remember where we were on October 17, 1989 at 5:04 p.m. The Earth moved violently. When those 15 seconds were over we were to learn of destruction we thought not possible. Had it not been for the World Series--the 62,000 at Candlestick and the thousands of us at home ready to watch the game--no doubt we would have seen greater destruction. For those few moments, life was all that mattered. This was quite a shock for Silicon Valley residents. Imagine, half-a-million-dollar homes and BMWs played second fiddle to life. The earthquake shook our lives and disturbed the illusion that we are in control of nature. It reminded us that despite all our advances in technology, Mother Earth is as powerful as ever. The devastation caused by the quake and our "close calls" made it very clear that life is precious, delicate and much more than the sum of our possessions. There will be much mending and healing in the next few weeks and months, both physical as well as psychological. There is trauma, guilt and most of all fear associated with the earthquake. The story (see insert) of the children from Armenia speaks for itself. Although our nerves are on edge, one of the best ways to deal with our fear is to express ourselves openly. Often, we hide our fears in silence. Children, in particular, need to vent themselves. They need special attention even if they weren't directly involved in a family tragedy or traumatic experience. Express yourselves, talk with your children, find opportunities to detail your feelings and fears at the time of the shaking as well as now. Do not be embarrassed to admit your anxiety. Expression is therapeutic. BE CAREFUL This cannot be emphasized enough. There will be more quakes, particularly aftershocks. Take the time now to review the Earthquake preparedness pages in your phone book. This also makes a good opportunity for the family to sit down together for quality time. Wait a few weeks before you place the pictures back on the walls. Be cautious. Opportunists are all around us -- selling a product or a service -- working on your fears. Remember, if you didn't ask for the service or order a product, then suspect it. If you need home repairs, call a licensed contractor. Be watchful religionists. The "End-of-the-World" theorists are on the streets again, pointing to the quake as a sign of the times. DO NOT BELIEVE THEM. God does not bring disaster. God is a loving and caring. Earthquakes are a part of life, as are hurricanes, volcanos, and tidal waves. They are part of an imperfect system. The world has always had earthquakes, this time it hit us. So where was God? (Our favorite question.) Look around you. Look at the thousands of volunteers who went out into streets, into the Santa Cruz mountains, into the distribution areas. Look at the love in their hearts. Look at the selflessness. You must be able to see God. And this brings me to the most important part of this message. When our LORD was asked the way to inherit eternal life, He required that we love our neighbor as ourselves. And who is our neighbor? He responded with the story of the Good Samaritan. It is a story we have heard many times. It spoke to the people of the day. The parable of the "Dumb American" (see insert) is perhaps the way he would have told it today. Americans are one of the most generous people on Earth. They give everywhere, to the point that sometimes from the outside their giving seems irrational, even dumb. But Christ orders us to give as such. It is not suprising that we sing the praise of America in a song "God bless America!" Ten months ago, the world was the Good Samaritan. When the Armenians felt the pain of a quake that killed 25,000, there were no questions asked. Not many cared of our ethnic background, nor our religion. What mattered was people were suffering and the world responded with money and aid. Now it is our turn. People are people. There is hurt and suffering. There is pain and death. People are reaching out and helping, but Armenians have even a greater duty and responsibility to respond. We have felt pain. We have been there. We must now react. The St. Andrew Armenian Church has organized a relief effort involving the collection of money and food. The food program involves the collection of canned foods and non-perishables. These supplies will benefit earthquake victims immediately. We will continue collecting food until the end of the year, with weekly distributions. You may bring your donations to the Church office or to services on Sunday morning. Money. We will be accepting monetary donations for immediate earthquake relief. I have targeted Watsonville to be the recipient of the St. Andrew donations. Watsonville is a relatively small town, very near the epicenter of the quake. With all the publicity generated for the San Francisco and Oakland victims of the quake, Watsonville was somehow pushed to background (much like Armenia). From one our families there I am told 150 homes are inhabitable, leaving up to a 1000 homeless. Because of the many farm workers there, each home houses more than one family. ALL MONEY COLLECTED WILL BE DONATED ENTIRELY TO THE WATSONVILLE RECOVERY EFFORT IN THE NAME OF THE ARMENIAN PEOPLE. With Thanksgiving around the corner, what better way of giving thanks than to give of ourselves. This is our way of thanking the world for their generosity earlier this year. This is our way of thanking God for His blessings. Checks may be made payable to the St. Andrew Armenian Church (Earthquake Relief), send to the Church office. Please give generosity. The winter months are upon us, compounding the homeless situation with cold temperatures. Let us be a testament to our faith. Let them one day call us "dumb Armenians," because our generosity and love is so great that it borders on irrationality. God bless you all. --Fr. Vazken -------------------------------------- c. 1989 Fr. Vazken Movsesian Address comments to: dervaz@sain.org --------------------------------------