St. Gregory of Narek’s classic, the Book of Lamentations, the Մատեան Ողբերգութիւն/ Matean Oghbergut’ean needs no introduction. It is perhaps the most well-known text written in the Armenian language. Revered for a thousand years, the book is so closely identified …
This week begins the season of Great Lent, in Armenian Medz Bahk, Մեծ Պահք. Lent is perhaps the most well-known season of the Armenian Church: the penitential character is reflected in practices like the closed curtain during Badarak, while Divine …
For many people, the sermon is their favorite part of the Badarak, the Divine Liturgy. Delivered in the vernacular—the language spoken by the average person—it is often the only portion of the service in English (or modern Armenian, or whichever …
Usually, when we think about St. Nersess, it is the beloved twelfth century hymnist and scholar St. Nersess Shnorhali who comes to mind. The alphabetic Առաւօտ լուսոյ (Aravod Luso, known as the “Hymn for the Morning”) or his acrostic Նորաստեղծեալ …
Lent begins this week, the season of preparation for Easter, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the culmination of the economy of salvation. In preparation for the ultimate sacrifice and gift, the death and resurrection of the Son of God …
With the New Year comes promises of personal renewal, the New Year’s Resolutions we may or may not keep much past January 15th. We cast off the old in praise of the new, promising ourselves to look forward rather than …
The King of Armenia, Trdat, did not know that when he threw the son of his Father’s assassin, his own best friend, Gregory, into the bottommost pit, he planted the seed of Christianity in the fertile soil of Armenia. When …
It wasn’t long ago that if someone in an Armenian Church hall in America whispered a phrase like “drug addiction,” “mental illness,” “teenage pregnancy,” or “suicide,” it was met with stunned disbelief, followed by a grateful sigh. “Thank God,” we …
Believing is one of the essential virtues of Christian life. Yet, many people want evidence of God’s existence… The intent of this article is by no means to prove to you that God exists or to provide you with an …