SILENCING FALSE ALARMS

Have you ever reached for your phone because you were certain it vibrated—only to find your pocket empty?

Doctors have a name for this: phantom vibration syndrome. Our minds grow so accustomed to the hum of incoming messages that sometimes they invent one. The brain fires a false alarm because it has been trained to expect a signal.

It seems like a small, harmless quirk of modern life, but it points to something profound about the human heart: what we give our attention to most often will eventually shape us. We condition our hearts the same way we condition our thumbs to swipe across a screen.

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NO STONE TOO HEAVY FOR THE RISEN LORD

Before the sun had even risen… before the city had awakened… before the world knew what was about to happen, something miraculous was already underway. The Gospels tell us that on the first Easter morning, a few faithful women who cared for Jesus made their way to His tomb. It was a tomb cut into a solid rock, sealed with a massive stone.

Their hearts on that morning were heavy with grief. The tears of Good Friday were still fresh on their cheeks. They were still carrying the pain of loss, the sting of disappointment, the crushing weight of despair. It felt like the weight of the world was pressing down on their hearts like a heavy stone blocking out all hope.

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THE EASTER MESSAGE OF BISHOP MESROP PARSAMYAN

On the first Easter morning, the women who cared for Jesus made their way to His tomb: a tomb cut into rock, with a great stone sealing its entrance. Their hearts on that morning were heavy with grief. The tears they had shed on Good Friday were not yet dried. The pain of loss, the ache of disappointment, the crushing weight of despair: it all weighed on them like a great stone, pressing down on their hearts. And as they walked, they asked a question that many of us have asked in our own lives: Who will remove the stone?

That stone represented finality. It marked the end of Jesus’ story—or so it seemed. He who had healed the sick, who had opened blind eyes, who had spoken words of Life—He was gone. The One who had lifted burdens was now sealed behind a burden too heavy to move.

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THE MOTHER WHO HEALS AND UNITES

This morning, I woke up to the sound of the bells of Holy Etchmiadzin. I arrived at the Mother See last night for the Supreme Spiritual Council meeting. As the bells chimed, I felt the weight of centuries in their echoes. These bells proclaim the endurance of a people, the unbroken faith of a nation. This is where you realize that faith isn’t just an idea; it’s living, breathing, and holding us together like a mother embracing her children.

Etchmiadzin, this holy sanctuary, has been the soul of our people. She has stood steadfast through the storms of history, watching over her children who have lived through the centuries with many pains and only little joys. She has witnessed our triumphs, but more often, she has wept with us in our suffering. And yet, she has never abandoned her children.

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HOLY MURON: SIGN OF OUR UNION IN CHRIST

Last Friday, [October 4, 2024] I had the great honor of bringing the newly blessed Holy Muron from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin to our beloved Eastern Diocese. In a special service at St. Vartan Cathedral, I gathered with our clergy to distribute this sacred anointing oil, which will be shared with parishes across the diocese. This was a powerful reminder of the unity of our worldwide Armenian Church.

Think about this: all the different kinds of perfumes, incenses, and flowers gathered from the four corners of the world in Holy Etchmiadzin, blessed by our Catholicos…

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KEEP SWINGING

Sometimes in life, we feel like we’re up against impossible odds. We’ve given it our all, but the breakthrough seems far off. We’re like a baseball player who keeps swinging but can’t seem to hit that home run. It’s in those moments that we need to dig deep, trust in God’s plan, and remember that victory might be just one swing away.

Last Saturday, with the parishioners of Holy Virgin Mary and Shoghagat Armenian Church we had a day out at the ballpark to watch the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals are a team that knows something about perseverance…

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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.

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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.

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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).

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PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY 2024

On Thursday, January 25, 2024, Diocesan Primate Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan welcomed distinguished faith leaders from throughout New York City to gather in prayer. “It was a night that not only celebrated the diversity and unity of our Christian faith but also marked a significant milestone in the journey of the Armenian Church in America — the 125th anniversary of its establishment.”, Bishop Mesrop wrote on his Facebook page. He continued “I am deeply grateful to all who joined us, …

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