This morning, I woke up to the sound of the bells of Holy Etchmiadzin. I arrived at the Mother See last night for the Supreme Spiritual Council meeting. As the bells chimed, I felt the weight of centuries in their echoes. These bells proclaim the endurance of a people, the unbroken faith of a nation. This is where you realize that faith isn’t just an idea; it’s living, breathing, and holding us together like a mother embracing her children.
Etchmiadzin, this holy sanctuary, has been the soul of our people. She has stood steadfast through the storms of history, watching over her children who have lived through the centuries with many pains and only little joys. She has witnessed our triumphs, but more often, she has wept with us in our suffering. And yet, she has never abandoned her children.
In Isaiah 66:13, God speaks these words: "As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you.” Here at Etchmiadzin, we witness that promise in living color. Holy Etchmiadzin comforted us; she has been our strength when we were weak, our light when the darkness surrounded us, our hope when the world gave us none.
Like a true mother, she has stretched out her arms, gathering her sons and daughters scattered across the world. When her children bled, she felt their pain. When they were hungry, she opened her hands. When they were lost, she called them home. She tore the robe of her own glory to bind their wounds. She gave of herself completely because that is what a true mother does.
And now, how do we honor the mother who has never abandoned us? How do we carry forward the legacy of Holy Etchmiadzin? We do it by standing firm in our identity as Armenian Christians. We do it by being the light of Christ in the world, so that the faith that has sustained our people for generations will continue to shine in the generations to come.
So, let us walk forward with confidence, knowing that the same God who has sustained us through the ages will continue to do so. And let us always return to the embrace of our spiritual mother, who stands at the heart of our faith, calling us home. Let us answer her call—not only with our voices but with our lives.
