BISHOP MESROP PARSAMYAN, DIOCESAN PRIMATE

Messages Written by Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan

Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan is the Primate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, one of the main branches of the Armenian Apostolic Church in the United States. Born in Yerevan, Armenia, he studied at the Gevorgian Theological Seminary of Holy Etchmiadzin and later pursued advanced theological education in Europe. Ordained as a celibate priest in 2003, he served Armenian communities in Armenia, France, Switzerland, and eventually the United States, where he became known for his pastoral leadership, teaching, and outreach work.

As Primate, Bishop Mesrop oversees Armenian churches and clergy across the eastern United States, guiding religious, cultural, and educational programs for Armenian Americans. Since his election in 2022, he has focused on engaging younger generations, strengthening Armenian Christian identity in the diaspora, and expanding the Church’s presence through media and community outreach. He also represents the Armenian Church in interfaith and public settings, helping preserve Armenian spiritual and cultural traditions in American society.

BELIEVE AGAIN

Children and Christmas just seem to go together, don’t they? There’s something about their wonder, their excitement, the way their eyes light up, that reminds us what faith is supposed to feel like. Jesus once said, “Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it” (Mark 10:15). He wasn’t talking about age. He was talking about attitude.

Children don’t analyze God; they just trust Him. They don’t worry if the plan looks uncertain; they hold on to the promise. They don’t stand back with arms crossed waiting for proof—no, they run forward believing the best. When a child asks, they expect to receive. When they pray, they believe God hears. When they dream, they imagine without limits…

ABOVE THE FENCES

Have you ever noticed how many fences there are: wire fences, wooden fences, boundary markers that define limits and control movement? They quietly tell us, “You can go this far, but no farther.” And then, almost without effort, a bird flies overhead.

That bird doesn’t slow down. It doesn’t circle back. It doesn’t even notice the fences below. It keeps soaring, free and unbothered. Why? Because the fences were never meant for the bird. They were built for those who walk on the ground, not for those created to fly.

Many of us who were created to soar are living as if fences have authority over us. We let limits, labels, opinions, past mistakes, disappointments, and fears tell us how far we can go. We live cautiously, always checking the boundaries, always afraid of crossing a line…

GUARD YOUR MIND

People often ask me, “Srpazan, why don’t you use a case for your phone?” I usually laugh and reply, “Because I like to live dangerously!” But their question always makes me reflect on how cautious we are with the things we own. We wrap our phones in cases, add screen protectors, buy insurance, and polish away every smudge. Some people won’t even put their phone down without a soft cloth beneath it.

We’re so protective of the items that can be replaced… but how careful are we with the things that can’t?

You can always buy a new phone or replace a car, a house, even a job. But your mind—your thoughts and inner life—is your most precious possession…

GOD’S WORD NEVER FAILS

In 2002, during my last year at the Etchmiadzin Seminary, I had a disagreement with the deputy dean. It wasn’t just a small misunderstanding—it was serious. He was trying to expel me. In my mind, everything I had worked for was slipping away. I had given my heart to serving God, yet here I was, facing a battle I didn’t know how to fight.

One day, after a tough conversation with him, I went to a friend’s room, simply needing to speak, to breathe, to make sense of what was happening. And there on his wall was a verse—Isaiah 41:10: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”…

HEALING STARTS WITH KINDNESS

A famous American psychiatrist, Karl Menninger, was once asked what he would tell a person who felt like they were on the edge of a breakdown. People expected him to say, “Go find a doctor. Take care of yourself. Take this or that medication.” But his answer was surprising: “Lock up your house, cross the tracks, find someone in need, and help that person.”

Modern science has proven that when we help people, and they thank us, our bodies respond. Stress decreases. Inflammation goes down. Our immune system gets stronger. We sleep better. Our relationships deepen. Even our motivation increases…

THE HEALING POWER OF GRATITUDE

Friends, a few weeks ago, early in the morning, I was driving from Boston to New York. The sky was still waking up, the roads were quiet, and I had a long stretch of time to think, pray, and listen. Somewhere between Massachusetts and Connecticut, I tuned into a podcast by Dr. Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist from Stanford.

He was talking about how gratitude can literally change your brain. It can rewire your neural circuits to choose joy instead of anxiety, peace instead of stress. He said when you practice gratitude, inflammation …

THERMOMETER OR THERMOSTAT?

In almost every home, there is a thermostat and a thermometer. Though they may sit on the same wall, they serve very different purposes.

A thermometer only reflects the temperature around it. If the room is cold, it registers cold. If the room is warm, it registers warm. It simply mirrors whatever atmosphere it is placed in.

A thermostat, however, does something far more active. It sets the temperature. It shapes the atmosphere. It brings the environment into alignment with the setting it carries within.

In the same way, we often act like thermometers. Someone is in a bad mood, and we pick it up. Work is stressful, and we start feeling that stress…

WHEN GOD OPENS THE DOOR

In 2003, when I was still a deacon, I remember one Sunday during Holy Badarak at Etchmiadzin, while I was watching the celebrant at the Altar, something stirred inside of me. I felt a strong, unshakable desire—almost a pull—to be on that Altar myself, to celebrate the Badarak one day.

A few weeks later, I was with His Holiness Karekin II when he suddenly turned to me and asked, “Are you ready for ordination this coming Sunday?” It was like the voice of God confirming what He had already planted in my heart. This is how God works in our lives: He places a desire in your heart, then provides signs, confirmations, and opens the right doors at the right time…

KEEP GOING

Life often feels more like a marathon than a sprint. There are days when the journey stretches on endlessly, the climbs feel overwhelming, and the weight of obstacles presses hard against you. In those moments, it’s easy to want to slow down, step aside, or even give up.

But when exhaustion or discouragement sets in, Scripture speaks a steady word of hope: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders, and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1).

KEEP YOUR SHINE

If you’ve ever stood before The Bean in Chicago — that great, gleaming mirror of steel in Millennium Park — you know how breathtaking it is. You can’t help but be amazed at how it reflects everything around it — the skyline, the clouds drifting above, the people walking beneath. It’s so bright, so clear, so perfect.

But what most people don’t realize is that it doesn’t stay that way on its own. Every morning, workers come to clean it. They remove the fingerprints, the dust, the smudges that gather through the day. …