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 -------------------------------------- January 1989 PASTOR'S MESSAGE THEOPHANY: GOD IS REVEALED, BUT WHERE WAS HE WHEN WE NEEDED HIM? One of the most difficult times a priest has is when he is asked to answer the problem of evil. The problem is this: If God is good and wants the good, and God is all powerful, why is there evil in the world. Since evil is a reality in this world, then it follows that either God is not all-powerful, or God does not will the good, or God does not exist. This year, on January 6th we will once again celebrate Theophany (commonly called Armenian Christmas). More than Christmas, on this feast we celebrate the REVELATION OF GOD to this world through His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. This year it will be difficult though. Less than a month ago the Armenian people suffered their second greatest loss of the century. On December 7, 1988 we lost between 50,000 to 150,000 people to a natural disaster. Although this number is great by any standard, it is particularly significant for a small group of people such as the Armenians because it represents between 1 to 2% of our population. That means on December 7, the Armenian people lost one out of every 100 Armenians in the world! If an earthquake in the United States killed 1% of the population we would lose 2.5 million people! One third of Armenia was leveled. Imagine one third of the United States leveled -- from the Rocky Mountains to the Western coast! When facing such devastation, it is only natural to ask why? And just the same, it is natural to ask, why did not God spare the good Armenian people? Why did He not intervene? Why the Armenian people, the same ones who were the first to accept Christianity, the ones who have so piously observed the faith for centuries? And why believe in a God who cannot save us from these dangers? These are questions that I am confronted with daily now that the quake has hit. Éon December 7, the Armenian people lost one out of every 100 Armenians in the world! I have also heard some answers as well. Even some doomsday forecasters who claim the earthquake is part of the "signs of the times." It may well be, but keep in mind that signs and times are not for us to know. It always interests me, how quickly we are willing to thrust aside reason for the unknown. For me, I do not shy away from the scientific and logical approach. Why did the earthquake happen? Because the earth shifts. Why did people die? Because people were trapped under the rubble of buildings which were constructed poorly. Why didn't God step in and save the Armenian people? I don't know, but I would venture to say that things just don't work that way. In times of crisis, our mental image of God is a kind of superman. After all, He is all powerful. But the order of nature is such that that there is an imperfection built into this world. Lightning causes fires. Drought causes crops to wither. The shifting and settling of the earth causes earthquakes. And sometimes, unfortunately, people die. So, the more important question becomes, why believe in a God that cannot save you from the perils and dangers of this world? First and foremost, if this world was all there was to life then this would be a legitimate question. More important for us to remember is that God is not some kind of superman. God is not there to prevent the earthquake. Disasters will happen, but God is found in the reaction to the disaster. Where was God when the earthquake happened? Most probably He was weeping and hurt like all of us. But the real power of God is seen in the aftermath. We see God in the reaction to the earthquake--in the love and support He provides us. When we saw people throughout the world coming together to aid the Armenians, I believe it was God working. God gives us the capacity to love. We give to others because of our ability to love. We must stop thinking of God as this great puppeteer who sends disaster to this world to see our reaction. No! Disaster, pain and suffering are part of an imperfect world. Where we do find God is in the peace and love that only He can give in answer to that disaster. The feast of Theophany is the celebration of God becoming man so that man can know God. He took on our form and went through all the motions of man, so that we could know Him. He suffered and died. He did not exempt Himself from this great suffering, for no one is exempt! However, He conquered death and promised the same to those who believe. What He left was His own peace, "not as the world gives." When the earthquake hit, we were all hurt. Not only our people in Armenia, but all of us throughout the world. But look what came out of it. We saw a world come together. We saw enemies helping enemies. It seemed as if that word did not even exist then. God is revealed: A God who understands us; A God who suffers with us; A God who helps and gives us strength during our darkest hour. This is God being revealed. -Fr. Vazken CHRIST IS BORN AND REVEALED; BLESSED BE THE REVELATION OF CHRIST -------------------------------------- c. 1989 Fr. Vazken Movsesian Address comments to: dervaz@sain.org --------------------------------------