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.

ROOTED IN LOVE

Roots are essential for a tree’s survival. They provide anchorage, but more importantly, they are the tree’s source of nourishment. They absorb water and minerals from the soil, which the tree needs to grow and thrive. And just like these trees, our spiritual lives need to be rooted. But not in anything; we need to be rooted in love—God’s love.

God’s love is like the fertile soil that nourishes our roots. It’s rich and endless and provides everything we need to grow spiritually. Remember what John tells us: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that whoever …

ANNUNCIATION OF MARY

Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation of Mary, the Mother of God. This is the day the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would bear the Son of God: an ordinary girl, in an ordinary town, receiving an extraordinary message. And Mary’s response to this unfathomable news was one of humble acceptance. She said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).

Friends, St. Mary’s story is not just a beautiful beginning to the greatest story ever told; it’s also a lesson for all of us. In that instant, …

THREE LESSONS FROM THE THIRD APPARITION

Gospel of John 21:12 reading recounts the third apparition of our risen Lord Jesus Christ to His disciples, a moment that contains powerful lessons of hope, renewal, and divine provision.

Picture the scene: The disciples, having faced the turmoil of their Master’s crucifixion and the wonder of His resurrection, find themselves at the Sea of Tiberias. Peter decides to fish, and though they work hard all night, they catch nothing. But as the sun rises, a mysterious figure on the shore tells them to try the other side of the boat. When they listen, they’re blessed with an incredible catch—153 fish!

PRIMATE’S EASTER 2024 MESSAGE

For weeks now, throughout the Armenian Church, our faithful have prepared for Easter with great anticipation, from Holy Etchmiadzin, to St. Vartan Cathedral, to every local parish. But wherever you are on that day, we all stand together as witnesses to the glory of our Lord’s Resurrection. On Easter Sunday we all proclaim with the apostle: “Glory to God—the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! For in His mercy, He has given us a new birth into a living hope, through the resurrection of Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).

CHRIST IS RISEN FROM THE DEAD!

Today is Great and Holy Saturday, and we sing our resurrectional hymn: “CHRIST IS RISEN FROM THE DEAD! He trampled down death by death, and by His Resurrection, He granted life unto us.”
Today is a day for new beginnings! The good news of our Lord’s glorious Resurrection offers each of us an opportunity to see life from a fundamentally new perspective and begin life with a fresh and new start!

GREAT AND HOLY WEDNESDAY

In the Gospel of Matthew 26:6-16, we see the unknown woman’s salvation contrasted with the chosen disciple’s tragic fall. The woman offered her precious gift to the Lord Jesus and was saved through her repentance, while the chosen apostle betrayed Christ for only thirty pieces of silver and, instead of repenting, took his own life. One received the inheritance of the Kingdom, while the other was condemned.

According to the Gospel, the apostles (possibly including the money-loving Judas) criticized the woman for wasting the precious oil by anointing Jesus; they suggested that the oil could have …

GREAT AND HOLY TUESDAY

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten young women took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those young women got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps …

GREAT AND HOLY MONDAY

In St. Matthew’s account, Jesus, after spending the night in Bethany, returns to Jerusalem in the morning and feels hungry. On the way, he saw a fig tree and approached it but found nothing but leaves on it. Jesus then said to the fig tree, “Henceforth bear no fruit forever,” and the tree withered immediately (Matthew 21:18-22).

This fig tree with leaves but no fruit symbolizes those who outwardly pretend to be pious and religious but do not have the fruit of good deeds. Nominal and formal Christianity is unworthy of the Kingdom of God. “Faith without works is dead,” the Apostle James says (James 2:26).

PALM SUNDAY | ԾԱՂԿԱԶԱՐԴ

Our Lord Jesus Christ, like all believers of his time, went to Jerusalem as a pilgrim to participate in the Easter celebration. However, the difference was that he went as a “New Passover Lamb” to sacrifice his life on the Cross and free humanity from the captivity of sin through the shedding of his life-giving blood. He entered Jerusalem as the “Lamb of God,” who, through the sacrifice of his person, would tear the veil of sin between man and God and open the doors of the kingdom leading to God.

LAZARUS SATURDAY

On Saturday before Palm Sunday, we commemorate the Resurrection of Lazarus, the seventh and last sign of our Lord Jesus Christ described in the Gospel of John (John 11:1-46).

Jesus Christ freed Lazarus, who had been dead for four days, from the grasp of death and restored him to life through the power of His word: “Lazarus, come out!” The same voice that brought the universe to life now called Lazarus from the darkness of death to the light of life.