SACRAMENTS
THE 7 SACRAMENTS OF THE ARMENIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
The word sacrament comes from the Latin sacrare, which means “to dedicate.” Thus a sacrament is a rite which not only signifies some specific grace but which produces that grace in the soul of the person to whom it is administered.
What is grace? It is that which makes us fulfill our mission as children of God. It is not a state of being. It is a power that comes from God and regenerates and nourishes. It is the energy that feeds the growth of the believing spirit of people.
The Armenian word for sacrament is khorhoort or “mystery.” This implies that the fruits of the sacraments (such as being born to a spiritual life in baptism) are received mysteriously. Each sacrament has an inward and outward expression. For example, the outward expression in baptism is the water. This symbolizes the rebirth and cleansing of the soul of the child, which is inward. Although everything which is in and of the Church is sacramental, there are seven formal sacraments of the Armenian Church which correspond to the different states and situations of a person’s life.
Birth is necessary to begin a life; baptism is necessary so that the child can start a “new life” as a child of God. This is not a conscious act of faith. God has already chosen us and entered our lives (Galatians 4:6). But it is through baptism that a new Christian is brought into the life of the Church and the hope of salvation. Thus it is an act of the people of God and not a single individual. The Armenian understanding of baptism draws upon the evidence of Scripture and Tradition to baptize infants—who are pledged to a life in Christ by godparents and the community—as well as adults. Individuals who have not been baptized are always warmly invited to do so by the church.
Baptism, chrismation, and Holy Communion are all given at the time of baptism. Together these make the new believer ready to fully participate in the life of the Church.
Like water, oil is an essential religious symbol, one of healing, light, reconciliation, and peace. The dove brought Noah an olive branch announcing God’s forgiveness and reconciliation with humanity after the Great Flood. The peace and healing by oil is represented during the actual pouring of Muron into the water from a dove-shaped vessel. The priest sings the hymn “Arakeloh Aghavnoh” (the dove that was sent). This recalls the descent of the Holy Spirit on Christ. The priest then pours the Holy Muron into his palm and uses it to bless 9 parts of the body; forehead, eyes, ears, nostrils, mouth, hands, heart, back and feet, beseeching the Holy Spirit to seal the newly-baptized with faith and to protect the child’s sight, thoughts, words, deeds, and service from the influences of evil in the world.
The history of this sacrament is long and complex. It begins, of course, with Jesus Christ. Christ gave power to the holy apostles to bind and loose sins. Sin is traditionally defined as “disobedience” or alienation from God which causes us to hate ourselves and be distant from others.
If we confess our sins, God is always ready to forgive us, just as the father did the prodigal son. Christian confession and even confession in the Old Testament was always public confession. There was no notion that confession be other than a public one. Over the years, it evolved into a “private” confession where Christians would reveal their sins to a priest. It is the practice of the Armenian Church to endorse both private and public forms of confession. The more practiced is the public one where those ready to take communion first step forward and confess their sins as a group (“megha Asdoodzoh”… I have sinned against God…).
The present form of confession is a shortened version of St. Ephraim the Syrian’s 10 confessional statements. It was originally introduced into the Armenian Church by St. Gregory the Illuminator and translated from the Syriac by Sts. Mesrob and Sahag.
It is through this sacrament of healing that humankind is restored and reconciled with God. But of course, forgiveness can only become complete and genuine when we ourselves are forgiving.
We all need nourishment to live. The soul needs spiritual food to keep alive and to grow in the Kingdom of God. Holy Communion is the most important sacrament and the center of the Church’s life; this union with the Lord is indeed the ultimate purpose of a Christian life as a whole. Communion (haghortootiun in Armenian) refers to the mystical union of people with God and each other as they gather, pray, read the Bible, remember Christ, and share in his redemption of the world through the bread and wine that become truly his body and blood. The faithful are encouraged to take Communion as often as they can.
From as early as the 4th century, a rite of crowning for newly-married couples is mentioned by the early Christian writers. This would take place during the Eucharistic Liturgy. According to the teachings of St. John Chrsysostom, the crowns symbolized victory over passions for the couple and stood as a sign of the eternity of the sacrament. By the 11th century, the rite was separated from the Badarak.
In the Armenian rite, each act has a special meaning for the new life of the couple. Rings are exchanged and the right hands of the bride and groom are joined to symbolize the oneness of the couple. The crowns – narods are traditionally used in the rite – are signs of honor and glory and the new kingdom the couple will now rule (their new lives, their home). Drinking from a common cup of wine recalls the marriage at Cana and stresses the total sharing that will characterize married life.
In the Church, there is a three-fold ministry or rank of clergymen. The three orders of clergy are deacon, priest, and bishop.
DEACON: The elevation of deacons is noted in Acts 6. The apostles prayed over them and laid their hands on them as a symbol of authority. The deacons were instructed to assist the apostles in serving the people. Even today, deacons assist at liturgical services and help with the administrative, charitable, and mission programs of the church.
PRIEST: This order evolved fully by the second century when the huge number of Christian converts made it necessary to increase the ordained ranks. As today, the priest’s task was to preach, sanctify and celebrate the Lord’s Supper, and be the leader of his flock in the bishop’s name. (See the ordination service here)
BISHOP: This office can be traced directly back to Christ who instituted the office through the Holy apostles. Originally, bishops served as parish heads, but as parishes grew, the office of priest was expanded and bishops began to serve at the head of groups of parishes.
There are minor orders as well, namely clerk (tbir) which consists of 4 orders: doorkeeper, reader, exorcist, and acolyte and the sub-diaconate (gisasargavak).
The sacrament of the sick has existed since the beginning of the Church. We have reference to it in the Gospel of Mark and the letter of James. After the eighth century, the sacrament became more and more associated with the clergy only and led to a change of name, extreme unction, or the final anointing.
Holy Communion is the most important sacrament and the center of the Church’s life; this union with the Lord is indeed the ultimate purpose of Christian life as a whole. Communion (haghortootiun in Armenian) refers to the mystical union of people with God and each other as they gather, pray, read the Bible, remember Christ and share in his redemption of the world through the bread and wine that become truly his body and blood. The faithful are encouraged to take Communion as often as they can.