There are moments in life when God leads us in a direction we would not have chosen for ourselves. A door opens, and instead of feeling immediate excitement, we feel hesitation. We look at what we may have to leave behind. We think about what feels familiar, comfortable, and dear to us. We wonder whether this new path can truly be the right one. In the fall of 2019, while I was serving at St. Vartan Cathedral, I received a call from His Holiness asking me to return to Armenia

Have you ever noticed how often we speak to ourselves? Sometimes it happens almost without thinking. We say, “Get up.” “Keep going.” “Do not be afraid.” “You can do this.” What seems like a simple habit is often something much deeper. One part of the soul is speaking to another. Many of our deepest struggles take place within, where one part of the soul reaches for peace while another clings to fear. One part wants to trust God, while another remains tired and uncertain. The

Last week in Lowell, Massachusetts, I was taken to City Hall to see a memorial khachkar, a cross-stone called “A Mother’s Hands”. As I reached up and touched the bronze hands above the cross, my thoughts immediately turned to my grandmother Eva, a survivor of the Armenian Genocide. I remembered her steady, patient hands making needle lace, and how, when I was a teenager, she taught me to lace. Needle lace is delicate work. It requires patience, attention, and care. You do not