Every time we recite the “Our Father,” our prayer begins by renewing our covenant of salvation with our Father by proclaiming “hallowed be Thy name.” (Matthew 6.9) However, without the witness of our deeds and lifestyle, this proclamation remains barren, dry, sterile—an empty word.
How can we give our Heavenly Father a physical and meaningful presence, so that his good and familiar name is not hidden, unnoticed, unintelligible, or meaningless? Instead of being a mere dead human concept, this name may come back to life as it did in Bethlehem, and we may wrap him in swaddling clothes and lay him in our hearts, because this time we make room for him in the inn of our lives.
What can we do to prevent our hearts from becoming hardened when we hear the Father’s voice from above, as in Hebrews 3.7, proclaiming, “You are my beloved Son, in whom I am pleased?” (Mark 1.11). As we hold psalters and lyres, what hymns of joy will we sound when we witness the cart carrying the golden throne, adorned with fine, twisted blue and purple linen bearing the Name of God, descending from the Mountain of Masis, as described in Gregory of Narek’s Ode to the Resurrection, “That cart was descending.”
The cart’s rolling is frequently interrupted, causing it to halt. Despite the witness given beyond any doubt in favor of our salvation by the marvels of divine creation, the cart remains stationary, and the four wheels of the Gospel carrying it cease to roll. The words of Jesus cease to be heard in our lives, and we turn to give credence to alien and spurious words and voices.
We consider ourselves mature and advanced when we replace divine salvation with psychological sublimation. We convince ourselves that evil doesn’t exist and replace the Gospel principles of prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance with the wheels of vengeance, fate, conventional rules, and human destiny. We conveniently overlook the fact that every human treaty and covenant has been broken and shattered because they are based on these principles.
Christians embody the original image of God’s Word, described by Gregory of Narek as attendants with broad shoulders, golden tresses, strong arms, and an unwavering readiness. Through our powerful prayers of penance, we can summon the cart, halted on the right side of Mount Masis, to resume its journey. The wheels will turn, and the cart will enter our souls, bringing the Most Holy Trinity, depicted in the ode as a single flower of violet, to take root within us.
Our covenant with God is rooted in his Name and built on his power. It emanates goodness from God and carries his love. Consequently, our covenant serves as the source of eternal life and the triumph of our ultimate justice.
