In today’s Scripture reading from 2 Corinthians, St. Paul writes this: “Look at what is before your eyes. If you are confident that you belong to Christ, remind yourself of this, that just as you belong to Christ, so also do we.”   Seeing God in those around us, finding...

The Badarak is long because it has grown over the centuries, acquiring new hymns, rituals, psalms and prayers from time to time. The Divine Liturgy is a living and evolving expression of the Armenian people’s Christian faith. It is not a fixed work of art like an opera, which a...

In today’s Gospel reading a father brings his very sick child to Christ for healing. We learn that the boy was suffering from this condition from a very young age. Undoubtedly, the father prayed for a healing and tried many remedies without ever being able to find a cure. And...

On Sept. 9, 1781 Archbishop Hovsep Arghutian consecrated the Armenian Church of the Holy Cross in Moscow. Due to his efforts and leadership, dozens of villages, churches and even entire cities were built in Russia for the immigrant Armenian community. In 1781 alone he consecrated at least three new churches...

There are many ways by which we typify Christ. Some identify and see him as the innocent Child, others as the suffering Savior, the reformer of true faith, the healer, the obedient Son of the Father or the challenging prophet. How we perceive Christ says more about ourselves and our...

When Nelson Mandela embraced his fight against injustice and apartheid, the authorities did everything possible to silence him and break his spirit. He narrowly escaped death penalty, was imprisoned and forced to do hard labor, allowed only one visitor per year and was never allowed to turn off the light...

The liturgical fan that we call the “kshots” in Armenian is also known as the flabellum or rhipidion. It is a round, ornately-embossed plate of silver, bronze or other metal, about twelve or more inches in diameter, with small bells coupled around the perimeter. The disk is attached to the...

Critics and readers have long considered The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald to be the greatest American novel. And indeed, no other work captures and criticizes our understanding of the American dream so elegantly as this novel. At first, the main character, Jay Gatsby appears to be a successful, self-made...