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Shahan Sarkissian
Armenian Catholicossate of Cilicia
a) We are living in the age of biotechnology where the usage of the old experiences seems no more values or essential to improve human life of the society. Once it was moral concepts, principals and attitudes which where determining your present and goals, now technological future is shaping and guiding your present. b) In his resent Central Committee report, the moderator of the World Council of Churches' His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of Cilicia, called for "dialogue, relations and collaboration with other religions" as the "high priority" for the ecumenical witness, urging the churches and religious leaders for "a culture of mutual trust". My reflections and presentation is prepared in this perspective and spirit. 1) The organizing people of this International Meeting, St. Egidio community members, were very aware of the fact that martyrdom is not an old fashioned reality or phenomena of some distorted men and women, nor a fiction, but an ongoing actuality in our world. 2) Without doing any philosophical analysis, but just putting some facts or realities to the judgment of people, I would like to reemphasize that injustice and violence are inseparable realities and work together as ancient allies to create new world disorder, meanwhile the other inseparable realities, justice and peace discuss the utopic future of this world. You may certainly say; a very pessimistic attitude in the midst of all requested optimism. 3) The present state of the world of the 21st century is in a sense worse than the beginning of the last century. Uncertainty, dramatic changes and unexpected challenges taking place in and around us. The symptoms of the presence of evil forces are reshaped by 11th September�s tragic catastrophe. Meanwhile Ecumenical Decade to Overcome Violence came as an alarm to awaken us from the treat of revitalizing evil. Generally we are in an unhealthy situation, psychologically speaking, of short cut memory concerning our common heritage of suffering, persecuting and martyrdom. Common in the sense of courageous involvement in the christian live and witness for Christ, which is so genuinely common to all our churches, and also common in creative response for the truth. 4) If a martyr is one who bears witness to the truth, what he or she has seen or known, and suffers death in the cause of reveled and incarnate reality, then for us as Christians, that corresponds completely and supremely to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, archetype martyr for all ages and generations (Jn 10.25, 18.37). The martyrdom is the purifying test of the faith, where one must confess, in a very hostile atmosphere, but also in a very sincere devotion and courage the truth and the reality. The Church Fathers distinguish the faithful between perfects (martyrs) and imperfects (not yet witnessed to Christ). The Christian meaning of suffering, persecution and martyrdom has been illustrated in armenian context in a very special way. For us, as for many of you, St. Stephens was and is the symbol of martyrdom. The remains of the victims of the Armenian Genocide 1915 were transferred from the desert of Der Zor in Syria to Antelias in Lebanon to be deposited in a chapel named after St. Stephen the Protomartyr, in memory of the Genocide. 5) Armenian experience: a) In the first century A.D. the founders of the Armenian Apostolic Church the Apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew who brought the light of Christian faith to us, are living examples of the witness for the truth, by suffering to death as martyrs and are considered the two pillars of our church. b) In 301 A.D. Armenia became the first state in the world accepting Christianity as state religion, by the heroic efforts of St. Gregory the Illuminator, who not only preached the Word Incarnate but attesting also by his inexpressible sufferings for 15 years the divine reality of his faith, he is for us the living martyr. c) In the Armenian Christian literature there is a huge number of hagiographic or martyrological texts, literal heritage of martyrs, which proves the importance of their role and their place in our life. Through out the ages, as the history testifies, armenians have suffered discriminations and persecutions, continually and systematically. Our nation had identified its destiny with the Christian faith, struggled for the survival of that faith, despite so many massacres perpetrated against her. d) In 1914-1918, the First World War was the fate of nations; about two million armenians were massacred by the turkish government of the time in a deliberate and organized annihilation, because of their particular and distinctive characteristics. - Ethnic, cultural and religious. It has been called the �blackest page� of modern history or Armenian Genocide. �Martyrology became a second name for Armenian historiography� (the late catholicos Karekin II of Cilicia). e) For the Armenians, religion has both been their spiritual experience, because that was the expression of their life, and the source of their national identity, the way the Armenian Church is known as a national church. This identification was and is in a deeper manner, where Christian faith became �the color of their skin� (Elishe). This characteristic is neither the outcome of a day or a week�s life, nor of a year or a century practice but rather of a long-lived life, which still is in the process of formation. The commemoration of this Genocide: Armenian Martyrs Day is demonstrating the determination of the Armenians to pursue martyrs call for justice. Morally speaking the world cannot turn the page of last century without cleaning the hands of injustice. Justice must be done for the memory of the victims. Keeping silence is not also participating in the consequences of the crime? Let us witness not for the sake of a nation, or a religion, or a culture, but for justice alone, which must be equal for all. 6) Martyrs� tragic and costly death is not an absurdity. Martyrs brighten our darkest day of life. So in this regards how can we understand the meaning of martyrs� heritage. - I. - The heritage is an accumulated rich experience of conscious sufferings for an authentic goal for the benefit, well-being and prosperity of humanity (Heb. 11.35-38). II. - The heritage is a message of peace to be declared openly, everywhere and without single hesitation, to witness for the liberating truth (Jn 8:32). III. - The heritage is a covenant / testament to be carried on with conviction, vocation and courage to continue and fulfill the mission of love for Gods creation. 7) Martyrs in dialogue? An appeal for the livings? Remembering all the martyrs of humanity I see that the meaning of life is that self-dedication for the sake of others. If you don�t or cannot accept the other as you, than life transform to autocentric emptiness with so many meaningless movements. The highly complex picture of the world at the beginning of this century obliges us to. - - Rethink about our common heritage and priorities. - Prepare genuine or credible responses to the challenges. - Reopen inter-religious dialogue, also multi-religious and multi-communal co-habitation at regional, national and global levels. We are suffering from the lack of sincerity, openness and tolerance. We are failing in the true and genuine dialogue, first with ourselves and then with others. - Accept the rights and freedom of the smallest or vulnerable not from the point of view of the oppressive mighty but completely disinterested love and service. - Accepting the differences not as a point of negative divergence but as means to enrich our societies. Even create the needed conditions for religious and cultural plurality. Finaly, in my view the martyrs� heritage can be translated.- I) Creation of the culture of peace but having in mind that there is a huge difference between peace lovers and peacemakers. II) Educate the new generation of ignorents not just for the sake of technical improvements and material gains but also for to the reality of our being as Gods sons and daughters, equal in humanity and different in achieving our utmost goals to serve humanity. III) Readiness to dialogue instead of confrontations with all its implementations. IV) Promotion of mutual understanding instead of prejudices. V) Openness to dialogue with sincerity, patience and hope.
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