Not long ago, I was talking to one of our parishioners and this person was sharing how exhausted he felt from not being able to help enough, make a real difference, from the scope of grief, disaster and misery all around us. “Der Hayr’, he said, “I just sent a check for Artsakh, then there […]

I fail. I fail meeting my own expectations, hopes and dreams. It does not mean there is a grand conspiracy against me, that God is judging or punishing me or that the universe is against me. We all fail. Everything great and beautiful in life, everything we cherish, everything we live for at some point […]

In the 1920s a group of archeologists from Yale University made a stunning discovery. In the heart of the Syrian desert they located the ancient city of Dura-Europos. The city was abandoned in the third century after the Partian army captured the city and deported its population. They never returned; the city was never to […]

“Grant, Lord that I may know myself that I may know thee.” – Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D. The lectionary of the Armenian Church invites us to reflect on the parable of the Lost Sheep. In the parable, the shepherd does something seemingly irrational and foolish. He leaves the ninety-nine of his sheep and goes […]

Hundreds of thousands of Christian pilgrims visit Israel every year with a hope to retrace the footsteps of their Lord and Savior. They want to touch the stones he touched, walk the paths he walked, see, feel and experience everything He saw and felt. All in the hope to gain spiritual closeness and connection with […]

This Sunday the lectionary of the Armenian Church invites us to study and reflect on the story of the feeding of five thousand. It is a very well known Biblical story, we recognize and recall it as the story about Christ miraculously multiplying a few pieces of bread and two fishes. But the context within […]

In 1495 Leonardo da Vinci received an important request from the Duke of Milan. The Duke wanted Leonardo to create a fresco of the Lord’s Last Supper in the refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. We are fascinated with Leonardo da Vinci due to the fame and mystery surrounding […]

If you are like me, then you find yourself increasingly dependent on your smartphone. To be honest, I find them really helpful for scheduling, planning, following up, reading a quick research and also for navigating in an unfamiliar area. There are layers and layers of complex technologies used by a navigation app – various sensors […]

We know from the Gospels that there was some tension and conflict between Pharisees and Christ. They could not comprehend and justify within their religious tradition and understanding, the authority with which Christ was boldly teaching in the name of the heavenly father, forgiving sins, healing and challenging many accepted religious traditions and teachings. The […]