LIGHT THAT BRINGS LIFE

The first time I ever went to a movie theater was back in the early 1990s—to watch King Kong. I remember walking in with a sense of wonder. The big screen in front of me was blank—just a plain white surface. No image, no sound, no story yet. Then the lights went down, and for a moment, everything was dark.

Suddenly, a single beam of light appeared from the back of the room. That empty screen came to life—colors, motion, music, emotion. What had been just a flat surface became a window into another world.

And in that moment, I realized something: the power wasn’t in the screen. The screen was only the surface. The real power came from the projector—the source of light behind me. Without that light, the screen had nothing to give.

Friends, that’s the picture of our lives without God. How often do we try to “fill the screen” ourselves—through work, success, possessions, or even relationships? But just as the screen is empty without the projector, our lives are empty without God.

St. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:6: “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Christ.” God shines His light into the darkness of our souls. He brings color to our story, movement to our lives, and hope to our days.

And that light is the very presence of Christ Himself, the Light of the World, who stepped into our darkness so we would never walk alone. When you feel lost, His light gives direction. When your life feels empty, His presence fills you with purpose. When you’re in the darkness of fear and uncertainty, His love illuminates the path forward.

Here’s the key: we are not the source of the light. We are the screens. And just like the screen can only show what the projector sends, we can only shine when we stay connected to the One who fills us.

So, stay connected to Him. Turn your heart toward the source. And as His light shines on you, your life will tell a beautiful story of His goodness and grace.

Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan
October 23, 2025