HONORING THE LEGACY OF THE HOLY MARTYRS

Today, we commemorate the Holy Martyrs of the Armenian Genocide. As we lift our hearts in prayer and remembrance, we declare to the world that faith is stronger than fear, that love outlasts hate, and that God’s light still shines through the darkest chapters of our history.

The Apostle Paul asked a bold question in the book of Romans: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” He was declaring a truth that generations have held on to in the darkest of times. And no one has held onto it quite like the Armenian people.

Over a century ago, during the years of the Genocide of the Armenians, 1.5 million of our brothers and sisters passed through fire and sword, torture and sorrow. They were driven from their homes, marched through deserts, stripped of their dignity. But what they carried could never be taken; they carried the love of Christ. And they didn’t lay it down, not even at the gates of death.

That’s why the words of Romans 8:39 ring like a victory anthem through our history. From the battle of Avarayr to the deserts of Der Zor, our people have lived that truth: “Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons… nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” That’s not just a promise. That’s our legacy.

They may have been ordinary people—fathers and mothers, teachers, priests, young children—but their faith made them extraordinary. And through that faith, they became more than victims. They became voices. Voices that still speak and witness the Almighty Love of God, a love so powerful that even death couldn’t silence it.

Friends, let’s honor our martyrs by following in their footsteps. Let’s take up their torch and live with the same dignity, boldness, and unshakable trust in the Almighty Love that no power can ever take away. Let’s tell the world they are not forgotten, abandoned, or erased. They rose, and in Christ, they still rise. And so will we. Amen.

Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan
April 24, 2025