Thanksgiving, writes Diocesan Primate Archbishop Khajag
Barsamian, is more than simply a pious tradition. It is one of our points of
contact with Jesus Christ himself: a spirit that our Lord exemplified, and
shared with those around him. It is, above all, a spirit that Jesus urges his followers
to embrace, and act out in our daily lives. In the Armenian Church, Thanksgiving is a feeling that
flows through every prayer—and especially through the Holy Badarak.
Thanksgiving is something that happens every Sunday…
Click here to read more. http://www.armenianchurch-ed.net/eastern-diocese/the-primate/writings/
Shortly, we will experience one of the most meaningful
holidays of the year: Thanksgiving. It is a uniquely American holiday—and how
wonderful it is to live in a country which sets aside a day out of every year
to express thanks for the bounties God has given us.
Of course, the idea of giving thanks to God during a
family meal is hardly foreign to Armenians. Indeed, it seems so natural to us
that Thanksgiving has been adopted by American-Armenians as another feast
day. In many households, the traditional
ingredients of the Thanksgiving dinner are laid out alongside the delicious
items of Armenian cuisine—a marriage of Old and New World flavors which,
perhaps, is broadly symbolic of our life in the diaspora.
But the idea of Thanksgiving has even deeper roots in the
Armenian heritage. It is something that graces us every day: an enduring
consciousness of the debt of gratitude we owe to God.
Think of the prayers we recite during our meals. We sit
down at the table ready to acknowledge the gifts He provides us:
Jashagetzouk khaghaghoutyamp zgeragours, vor badrasdyal
eh mez ee Dyarneh. Orhnyal eh Der ee
barkevs yur.
Let us eat, in peace, this meal which has been prepared
for us by the Lord. Blessed is the Lord in
all His gifts.
And before we rise from the table, we give thanks again:
Kohoutiun yev pars datzouk geragroghin diyezeratz, vor
uzmez gereguryatz yev liatzooytz; nma park havidyans.
Thanks and glory, let us give, to Him who feeds the
universe. For He has fed us, and filled
us. Glory to Him, forever.
These prayers—and others like them, recited by countless
generations of Armenian Christians—are merely the doorway through which we enter
a larger world of Thanksgiving to our Lord.
That world is most powerfully expressed in the Divine
Liturgy. You might say that the idea of Thanksgiving is the
"backbone" of our liturgy: it's the beam that supports the
architecture of the badarak; the common thread weaving all its parts together.
Among the earliest words spoken during the badarak is
Psalm 100-one of the "Thanksgiving Psalms"-which is one of the
greatest expressions of joy ever written:
Aghaghagetzek ar Der amenayn yergeer; dzarayetsek Dyarn
oorakhoutyamp.
Make a noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness!
After this beginning, it continues:
Mdek unt trounus nora khosdovanoutyamp... / Khosdovan
yegherook dyarn...
Enter into His gate with thanksgiving... / Be thankful
for the Lord...
From these early words of joy, the theme of Thanksgiving
builds, gains momentum, and has a kind of fulfillment in the sacrament of Holy
Communion. After we partake in the Body and Blood of our Lord, two beautiful
hymns allow the congregation to express its feeling of joy and gratitude to
God. The first of these proclaims:
Lutsak ee paroutyants kots Der, jashagelov zmarmin ko yev
zayruin. Park ee partsouns geragroghit
zmez...
Filled, we have been, with your good things, O Lord, by
tasting of your Body and Blood. / Glory in the highest to you who have fed
us...
The second hymn is:
Kohanamk zken Der vor geragretser zmez hanmahagan
seghanoh ko...
Thanks we give to you, O Lord, who have fed us at your
table of immortal life...
After this hymn, the priest recites a prayer of
thanksgiving on behalf of the whole parish, calling on the many names of God:
Kohanam zken, Hayr amenagal... / Kohanam zken, Krisdos
takavor... / Kohanam zken, Hokit jushmarid... / Kohanam zken, Krisdos Asdvadz
mer...
Thanks we give to you, Father almighty... / Christ the
king... / Spirit of Truth... / Christ our God...
It is interesting to note that these thanksgiving prayers
were not part of the earliest Christian liturgies, which concluded with Holy
Communion. But over the course of generations, our ancestors felt a need to
give further voice to their deep sense of gratitude following the badarak—and
these hymns were the beautiful result.
But let me return to Holy Communion—or the
"Eucharist," as it is called.
As I said, Communion is the fulfillment of the spirit of
Thanksgiving which runs through the entire Divine Liturgy. In fact,
"eucharisteo" is the Greek word meaning "to thank," and
"Eucharist" actually means "Thanksgiving."
In the original Greek texts of the New Testament, that
word "eucharisteo" appears at the key moments which establish the
sacrament of Holy Communion. The Gospel of Mark says:
When [Christ] had taken a cup and given thanks
[eucharisteo], He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And He said to them, "This is my blood
of the covenant, which is poured out for many." (Mark 14:23-24)
St. Paul uses the same word in his reference to the Last
Supper:
The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread;
and when He had given thanks [eucharisteo], He broke it and said, "This is
my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." (1 Corinthians 11:23-24)
I mention this to show you that this idea of Thanksgiving
is more than just a pleasant holiday; it is more than simply a pious tradition,
or an inspiration for beautiful poetry and hymns. Rather, Thanksgiving is one
of our points of contact with Jesus Christ himself. It is a spirit that he exemplified, and that
he shared with those around him.
It is, above all, a spirit that he urged his followers to
embrace, and act out in their daily lives.
That is one way in which the Eucharist we take into our
bodies on Sunday continues to nourish, inspire, and sustain us through all the
other days. Thanksgiving is the spirit that becomes manifest in us, when we
fill ourselves at God's immortal table.
This week, we will all be reminded of the many things we
can be thankful for: our families; our health; the blessings of America; our
heritage and our homeland. These are all very important. But there's something
else for us to be thankful for, too.
Our Armenian word for the Divine Liturgy is
"badarak"—which means, "sacrifice." And this is our most
important reminder of why we need to give thanks. It was Christ's sacrifice
which brought mankind the gift of salvation.
And for us as Christians, that fact, above all others, is our greatest
reason for Thanksgiving. As the Gospel
of John puts it: "God so loved the world that He gave it His only
Son" (John 3:16).
Let us always remember to give thanks for that sacrifice.
And let us especially remember this week, when we gather round the table in the
company of our loved ones, and bow our heads to say thank-you to God. Amen.
—Archbishop Khajag Barsamian
A Further Role to Play
A Different Path
While It was Still Dark
Man of Faith
Ten Years After September 11, 2001
"I Have Overcome the World" (Easter 2011)
To Serve Him Without Fear (January 2011)
Thanksgiving Every Sunday (November 2010)
September 11 Memorial
One Extraodinary Act
A Light for Revelation, and for Glory to Thy People
(Excerpt from 2006 Christmas Message)
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