HAPPY FATHERS’ DAY!

When I graduated from the Seminary and was ordained a priest, my father would proudly introduce me every time we met someone new. He would say, “Do you know my son, Hayr Mesrop? He graduated from the Gevorgyan Seminary with honors. He’s a priest now, ordained at Holy Etchmiadzin.” His heart was full. He was proud. Proud not just because of the achievement, but because I was his son.

Friends, that’s exactly how your Heavenly Father feels about you. He’s smiling over you. He’s talking about you in Heaven. Not because you’re perfect, but because you’re His.

In the book of Job, God speaks to the accuser and says, “Have you seen my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil” (Job 1:8). God was proud of Job. He was showing him off!

And I believe God still does that today. He’s saying: “Have you seen my daughter Lisa? Life hit her hard, but she’s still standing, still praying, still trusting me.” “Have you seen my son Aram? He’s been through some tough seasons, but he’s still holding on, still trusting my promises.”

God saw you when you fought through the addiction, when you got back up after that disappointment, when you forgave even though it still hurt. He watched you love your family, stay faithful, and keep showing up, when no one else saw but Him. And you made your Father proud.

Maybe you look at your life and think, “I should have done better. I’ve made too many mistakes.” Scripture reminds us in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” God doesn’t focus on your failures. He sees your heart, your desire to walk with Him, and He says, “That’s my child. They belong to me.”

Friends, on this Father’s Day, let us thank God for the fathers who raised us, the mentors who shaped us, and the men of integrity who stood beside us when we needed strength. And above all, let’s lift our hearts in gratitude to the Father of all fathers, our Heavenly Father, who never leaves us, never forsakes us, and never stops loving us.

Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan
June 15, 2025