Entries by stjohn

SEVEN NEW PRIESTS ORDAINED BY BISHOP MESROP’S HAND

This week, Diocesan Primate Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan was blessed to ordain seven new priests to serve the Armenian Church. He did so while he was visiting Armenia to attend the Supreme Spiritual Council meeting at Holy Etchmiadzin.

The ordination service took place on Sunday, June 16, at St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in Yerevan. Each of the seven young men who knelt before the altar embodied a unique calling that God had planted in their hearts. These seven represent the first priests to be ordained by the hand of our Primate.

STS. SAHAG AND MESROB: THE HOLY TRANSLATORS

The Armenian Church and the Armenian language have helped Armenians defeat existential threats. The Armenian language as a factor in national survival is second only to the conversion of the Armenians to Christianity and the establishment of a national church. Thus, language has played a dual role for the Armenians: first, as a medium of communication; second and more important, as a cohesive force for national survival.

HAPPY FATHERS DAY!

While in Armenia for the Supreme Spiritual Council meeting, I had the blessing of ordaining seven new priests at the St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in Yerevan today. Each of these seven young men who knelt before the altar embodied a unique calling, a divine purpose that God had planted in their hearts.

Father’s Day is a celebration of fatherhood, and this year, it took on a new meaning for me: I became their spiritual father, consecrating them and dedicating them to the Lord. As I laid my hands on each candidate, I felt a profound sense of responsibility and joy.

FATHER’S LOVE

The Spanish have a touching story about an estranged father and son. When the son, Paco, leaves home after a severe argument, the father looks for him everywhere. After months of searching in vain, he takes one last desperate step: he publishes an announcement in one of Madrid’s daily newspapers. The statement reads: “Dear Paco, I will wait for you at the entrance of the Almudena Cathedral on Saturday afternoon. Everything is forgiven. I love you. With longing and love, Your Father.”

BIRTH OF ANTHONY KRAFFT-BONNARD

Pastor Krafft-Bonnard was among the first to delve into aid for Armenia following the news about the Hamidian massacres in 1895-1896. In fall 1896, the different committees organized in many Swiss cantons united to form the Conference of Swiss Committees of Aid to Armenians, presided by Prof. Georges Godet, and send assistance to be distributed in place by American missionaries. In the same meeting, another initiative saw the light, which would last about half a century: to move Armenian orphans to Switzerland, where they would be received by families who would take care of the financial and educational burden. Krafft-Bonnard, who chaired the committee in charge, received the first orphan in 1897.

THE IMPERFECT HEROES OF SCRIPTURE

One of the reasons we find the Bible so believable and so relatable is because it refuses to gloss over its heroes. It doesn’t present them as flawless, unattainable icons of virtue. Instead, it shows us their humanity, their struggles, their mistakes. And in that, we find hope for our own lives.

Think about Moses, for example. Here was a man chosen by God to lead His people out of slavery. But Moses was also a murderer. He made a terrible decision that haunted him.

LISTENING WITH THE HEART

There’s an Armenian proverb that says, “We have three ears: one on the left side of the head, the other on the right, and the third in the heart.” We often forget about listening with the heart, while this kind of listening can make all the difference in our relationship with God.

We all go to church, sit side by side, and participate in the same Badarak, but some of us leave feeling the presence of God deeply in our hearts, while others feel nothing. Why is that? It’s because some hear with the heart, and others only with the ears.

DISCOVERY OF THE RELICS OF ST. GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR

The Armenian Church observes three feast days dedicated to St. Gregory the Illuminator (Krikor Lousavorich) St. Gregory is considered to be the “Apostle of Armenia,” and the patron saint of the Armenian Church. He preached throughout Armenia, built churches, including the great cathedral in Etchmiadzin, established the first canon laws, wrote many prayers, and organized the liturgical services.

SOARING ON GOD’S WINGS

An eagle is a majestic and powerful bird soaring high in the sky. It returns to its nest, where its young ones are nestled. The eagle begins to stir up the nest, encouraging its young to take flight. At first, they might be afraid and unsure of their own abilities. But the eagle knows something they don’t—within them lies the power to soar.

In the same way, our almighty God is like that eagle. He stirs up our nests and our comfort zones and leads us to the edge of new challenges and opportunities. Sometimes, it feels like we’re being pushed off a cliff into nothing but air.

CONSTANTINE AND HIS MOTHER HELENA

On Tuesday, June 11, 2024, the Armenian Church remembers Constantine the Great and his mother, Helena. Constantine was the first Christian emperor of Rome. In 330 he founded Constantinople as a “second Rome,” and considered himself to be a servant of God. He was buried amid the apostles in the basilica he founded in their honor in Constantinople