Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
Hebrews 1: 1-4
Today’s reading is essentially a statement: Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the creator of all that exists, and He made a way for us to be reconciled to God forever (“purification for sins”). It is a pure statement of our faith – and the only reading prescribed for this day in Lent. To the Jews at the time of Paul’s writing, these words were blasphemous and essentially the cause of Jesus’ crucifixion. Paul’s words, understood today, are not profane, as we Christians believe in the Holy Trinity: Jesus is God the Son, along with the Father and Holy Spirit. It is our privilege, purchased by Jesus’ blood, attested to by millions of Armenian martyrs over the centuries, to say “we believe”.
Let us pray with St. Gregory:
You are salvation, strength, and relief, mercy, enlightenment, atonement and life eternal,
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, creator of heaven and earth,
who offers water to those parched from thirst in the desert.
Through you, may the almighty Holy Spirit cleanse me with pure will and present me to your Father so that I may with him and through him always be bound with grace to you
through the breath of salutation inseparably united with you.
And for these gifts, to you, the Father and the Holy Spirit, three persons,
one nature and one godhead,
glory and Thanksgiving from your created beings, forever and ever.
Amen
Prayer 24 D
