Commemorating the Armenian Genocide - Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread
Armenian orphans in the refugee camp of Sytria with the daily portion of bread in their hands;
https://armeniangenocide100.org
Our Father
Our Father,
Who art in Heaven,
hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come,
Thy Will be done,
on Earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day
our Daily Bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who have trespassed against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen
From the Depths of our Hearts - We Remember
Forget-me-not flower is the official logo for the 100th Year Anniversary
of the Armenian Genocide; en.wikipedia.org
The Flower: A Symbol of Gods Presence
In the basis of the etymology of the word Forget-me-not lies the same meaning in different languages, i.e. "Remember!", which is the main message of the Armenian Genocide Centennial. Besides, the flower was considered a symbol of Gods presence in the Middle Ages.
The Forget-me-not has five petals, each of which symbolizes the five continents, where Armenians settled after the Genocide.
The color of black symbolizes horror and the memories of the Genocide. The yellow color symbolizes the sunlight, which gives hope to live and create. The inner radial light purple symbolizes involvement in the recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide. And the predominant purple lies in the basis of Armenians self-consciousness, in vestments worn by the servants of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
https://armeniangenocide100.org
One of the most striking photographs of the deportations that have come out of Armenia. Here is shown a column of Christians on the path across the great plains of the Mamuret-ul-Aziz. The zaptieths are shown walking along at one side. Published in 1918.
https://upload.wikimedia.org
Pope Franciss message to Armenians
Saint Peters Basilica on Sunday, April 12, 2015
Dear Armenian Brothers and Sisters,
A century has passed since that horrific massacre which was a true martyrdom of your people, in which many innocent people died as confessors and martyrs for the name of Christ (cf. John Paul II and Karekin II, Common Declaration, Etchmiadzin, 27 September 2001). Even today, there is not an Armenian family untouched by the loss of loved ones due to that tragedy: it truly was "Metz Yeghern", the "Great Evil", as it is known by Armenians. On this anniversary, I feel a great closeness to your people and I wish to unite myself spiritually to the prayers which rise up from your hearts, your families and your communities.
Today is a propitious occasion for us to pray together, as we
proclaim Saint Gregory of Narek a Doctor of the Church. I
wish to express my deep gratitude for the presence here
today of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and
Catholicos of All Armenians, His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos
of the Great House of Cilicia, and His Beatitude Nerses
Bedros XIX, Patriarch of Cilicia of Armenian Catholics.
Saint Gregory of Narek, a monk of the tenth century, knew how to express the sentiments of your people more than anyone. He gave voice to the cry, which became a prayer, of a sinful and sorrowful humanity, oppressed by the anguish of its powerlessness, but illuminated by the splendour of Gods love and open to the hope of his salvific intervention, which is capable of transforming all things. Through his strength I wait with certain expectation believing with unwavering hope that I shall be saved by the Lords mighty hand and that I will see the Lord himself in his mercy and compassion and receive the legacy of heaven (Saint Gregory of Narek, Book of Lamentations, XII).
Your Christian identity is indeed ancient, dating from the year 301, when Saint Gregory the Illuminator guided Armenia to conversion and baptism. You were the first among nations in the course of the centuries to embrace the Gospel of
Christ. That spiritual event indelibly marked
the Armenian people, as well as its culture and history, in which martyrdom
holds a preeminent place, as attested to symbolically by the sacrificial
witness of Saint Vardan and his companions in the fifth century.
Your people, illuminated by Christs light and by his grace, have overcome many trials and sufferings, animated by the hope which comes from the Cross (cf. Rom 8:31-39). As Saint John Paul II said to you, Your history of suffering and martyrdom is a precious pearl, of which the universal Church is proud. Faith in Christ, mans Redeemer, infused you with an admirable courage on your path, so often like that of the Cross, on which you have advanced with determination, intent on preserving your identity as a people and as believers (Homily, 21 November 1987).
Your people, illuminated by Christs light and by his grace, have overcome many trials and sufferings, animated by the hope which comes from the Cross (cf. Rom 8:31-39). As Saint John Paul II said to you, Your history of suffering and martyrdom is a precious pearl, of which the universal Church is proud. Faith in Christ, mans Redeemer, infused you with an admirable courage on your path, so often like that of the Cross, on which you have advanced with determination, intent on preserving your identity as a people and as believers (Homily, 21 November 1987).
Saint Gregory of Narek (1010 A.D.)
This faith also accompanied and sustained your people during the tragic experience one hundred years ago in what is generally referred to as the first genocide of the twentieth century (John Paul II and Karekin II, Common Declaration, Etchmiadzin, 27 September 2001). Pope Benedict XV, who condemned the First World War as a senseless slaughter (AAS, IX [1917], 429), did everything in his power until the very end to stop it, continuing the efforts at mediation already begun by Pope Leo XIII when confronted with the deadly events of 1894-96. For this reason, Pope Benedict XV wrote to Sultan Mehmed V, pleading that the many innocents be saved (cf. Letter of 10 S eptember 1915) and, in the Secret Consistory of 6 December 1915, he declared with great dismay, Miserrima Armenorum gens ad interitum prope ducitur (AAS, VII [1915], 510).
It is the responsibility not only of the Armenian people and
the universal Church to recall all that has taken place, but
of the entire human family, so that the warnings from this
tragedy will protect us from falling into a similar horror,
which offends against God and human dignity. Today too, in fact,
these conflicts at times degenerate into unjustifiable violence,
stirred up by exploiting ethnic and religious differences. All
who are Heads of State and of International Organizations are
called to oppose such crimes with a firm sense of duty, without
ceding to ambiguity or compromise.
The 7th-century Khor Virap Monastery in the shadow of Mount Ararat, the peak on which Noahs Ark is said to have landed during the biblical flood.
https://commons.wikimedia.org
May this sorrowful anniversary become for all an occasion of humble and sincere reflection, and may every heart be open to forgiveness, which is the source of peace and renewed hope. Saint Gregory of Narek, an extraordinary interpreter of the human soul, offers words which are prophetic for us: I willingly blame myself with myriad accounts of all the incurable sins, from our first forefather through the end of his generations in all eternity, I charge myself with all these voluntarily (Book of Lamentations, LXXII). How striking is his sense of universal solidarity! How small we feel
The 7th-century Khor Virap Monastery in the shadow of Mount Ararat, the peak on which Noahs Ark is said to have landed during the biblical flood.
https://commons.wikimedia.org
before the greatness
of his invocations: Remember, [Lord,] those of the human
race who are our enemies as well, and for their benefit
accord them pardon and mercy Do not destroy those who
persecute me, but reform them, root out the vile ways of
this world, and plant the good in me and them (ibid., LXXXIII).
May God grant that the people of Armenia and Turkey take up again the path of reconciliation, and may peace also spring forth in Nagorno Karabakh. Despite conflicts and tensions, Armenians and Turks have lived long periods of peaceful coexistence in the past and, even in the midst of violence, they have experienced times of solidarity and mutual help. Only in this way will new generations open themselves to a better future and will the sacrifice of so many become seeds of justice and peace.
May God grant that the people of Armenia and Turkey take up again the path of reconciliation, and may peace also spring forth in Nagorno Karabakh. Despite conflicts and tensions, Armenians and Turks have lived long periods of peaceful coexistence in the past and, even in the midst of violence, they have experienced times of solidarity and mutual help. Only in this way will new generations open themselves to a better future and will the sacrifice of so many become seeds of justice and peace.
Crucifixion and Saints
by Andrea del Castagno; 1440-41; Fresco
Ospedale Santa Maria Nuova, Florence, Italy;
https://www.wga
For us Christians, may this be above all a time of deep prayer. Through the redemptive power of Christs sacrifice, may the blood which has been shed bring about the miracle of the full unity of his disciples. In particular, may it strengthen the bonds of fraternal friendship which already unite the Catholic Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church.
(...) I entrust these intentions to the Mother of God, in the words of Saint Gregory of Narek:
"O Most Pure of Virgins, first among the blessed, Mother of the unshakeable edifice of the Church, Mother of the immaculate Word of God, (...) Taking refuge beneath your boundless wings which grant us the protection of your intercession, we lift up our hands to you, and with unquestioned hope we believe that we are saved."
(Panegyric of the Theotokos)
(From the Vatican, April 12 2015)
Mother of God Appearing to Saint Gregory of Narek
by Harutyun Agemian (Ariel) (1904-1965).
www.agemianpaintings.com
Marian Prayer of Saint Gregory of Narek
Assist me by the wings of your prayers,
O you who are called the Mother of the living,
so that on my exit from this valley of tears
I may be able to advance without torment
to the dwelling of life
that has been prepared for us to lighten the end of a life burdened by my iniquity.
Healer of the sorrows of Eve,
change my day of anguish into a feast of gladness.
Be my Advocate,
ask and supplicate. For as I believe in your inexpressible purity,
so do I also believe in
the good reception that is given to your word.
O you who are blessed among women,
help me with your tears
for I am in danger.
Bend the knee to obtain my reconciliation,
O Mother of God.
Be solicitous for me for I am miserable,
O Tabernacle of the Most High.
Hold out your hand to me as I fall,
O heavenly Temple.
Glorify your Son in you:
may He be pleased to operate Divinely in me
the miracle of forgiveness and mercy.
Handmaid and Mother of God,
may your honour be exalted by me,
and may my salvation be manifested through you. Amen
April 24 - Commemorating the Armenian Genocide - Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread
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