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. 1990 Fr. Vazken Movsesian Address comments to: dervaz@sain.org -------------------------------------- January 1990 A Wish for Fire for the New Decade As our monthly deadline approaches for the printing of Nakhagoch, we begin to collect our ideas for this message. The situation in Kharabagh, the adulteration of the Christmas season, our communities response to homeless on the streets of San Jose were all on the agenda for this message. Anyone who has followed our work here at St. Andrew knows that I have insisted that the greatest witness to our faith and ethnic roots is our ability to do to others. We as Armenians are obliged to work for justice in China and South Africa because we have known bigotry and have longed for freedom. We are obliged to help survivors of natural disasters such as Hurricane Hugo and our recent quake, because we have been we have live through the same tragedy in our homeland. You also know that I have been very critical of so called churches, Armenian or not, that have no purpose beyond serving themselves. They quote Bible passages to complete their disguise. You know that my insistence has been on activism and not merely words. I believe in the poet, but I also believe in the worker who moves the inspirational words of the poet. There were many thoughts in my mind, which eventually went into an article for these pages. The climate in Armenia is in need of our immediate attention. The billions we pour into buying gifts at Christmas has a haunting effect on many. A homeless Armenian couple, wandering the streets of San Jose struggle to live. Although these are the topics of sermons, I feel compelled to write them here to reach the unchurched. But today, hours before the article was to be printed I held it back for this message. I was called on emergency to the hospital. It was a critical situation. It was a situation which did not demand logic, but irrational faith. A prayer, a hug and a kiss did more than all the Bible-thumping and mind-bending religious rationalization. I saw a smile on the patient's face which reflected an inner strength and trust. And so I received my Christmas gift a few days early. We are on the threshold of a new decade. We stand with hopes and aspirations for the coming years. We hope for peace in the world, but know that it is impossible without first having justice and without our willingness to work for it. We pray for the end to natural disasters, but know that a planet which has polluted and over-crowded its surface is asking for far more trouble than nature can dish out. On the local level, we hope for our new building and an end to our wandering flock. For me, I revert from my activist stance and beg the poet. St. John the Baptist says, "I baptize with water but He who comes after me will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." The baptism from Christ is my wish today. All who have been born of our Holy Mother Church's font have the Holy Spirit burnt into our soul. But the comforts of life have weakened (sometimes extinguished) those flames. May the new year and the new decade be times of renewal for all of us. May the fire of Christ burn and remove the weakness, indifference and apathy from our hearts. The real power to move and make a difference lies in our faith awaiting to be awakened. May God bless you at this Holy Season. Greet one another with the joyous news, Christ is born and revealed. --Fr. Vazken -------------------------------------- c. 1990 Fr. Vazken Movsesian Address comments to: dervaz@sain.org --------------------------------------