THE FEAST OF HOLY THE TRANSLATORS

Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Translators. When we hear the word “translator,” we might think of someone who takes words from one language and turns them into another, making sure the message is clear. But the work of our Holy Translators goes much deeper than that. It’s not just about words on a page—it’s about taking the living, breathing Word of God and making it come alive, making it real and relevant in the hearts and lives of people.

We remember and honor giants like Sts. Sahag, Mesrop Mashdots, Yeghishé, Movses the Grammarian, and David the Invincible, these heroes from the 5th century who gave us the Armenian alphabet. They didn’t just create letters; they opened the door for us to understand God’s Word in our own language. They made the Scriptures accessible, bringing faith into the hearts of our people. Because of them, our ancestors could read and experience the Word of God for themselves.

Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” These Holy Translators didn’t just give us a new way to write—they gave us access to faith. They gave us the foundation to hear God’s Word, to understand it, and to live by it. What they did was monumental—it shaped our identity as a people, and that legacy has carried us through the centuries.

But here’s something powerful to notice—not all the Holy Translators come from the 5th century, and not all of them sat down to translate languages. St. Gregory of Narek and St. Nersess Shnorhali, from later centuries, didn’t translate one language to another, but they still stand among the Holy Translators. Why? Because they translated the love of Christ through their actions, through their teachings, through the way they led their people. They lived out the Gospel in a way that made it understandable and relevant to their generation and beyond.

Friends, we don’t just celebrate these saints for what they did back then; we honor them because their work continues in us. The Word of God is living, and it needs to be translated, today, in this world that’s hurting, this world that’s lost, this world that’s searching for hope. You and I—we are called to be modern-day translators, taking God’s love and grace and making it real for our families, our friends, and our communities.

And that, my friends, is a translation that will echo through eternity!

Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan
October 12, 2024