Feast of the First Armenian Illuminators Celebrated in the Mother See
28.11.2020
On November 28, the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church celebrated the Feast of the first Armenian Illuminators - the Apostles St. Thaddeus and St. Bartholomew. Yet in 2015, according to the Pontifical Encyclical of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; the feast was proclaimed as Pilgrimage Day of Holy Lance ‘Geghard’. On that day, the Holy Lance ‘Geghard’ is taken from the Mother See.
On the occasion of the feast, a Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the St. John the Baptist and St. Vardan Chapel-baptistery. The Celebrant was Rev. Fr. Asoghik Karapetyan, Director of Museums and Archives of the Mother See. The Divine Liturgy was attended by the Brotherhood of Mother See and many Armenian pilgrims.
During the Divine Liturgy, the ecclesiastical solemn procession, under the presidency of His Holiness, brought the Holy Lance ‘Geghard’ to the Cathedral. Blessing the attendees, His Holiness granted the faithful opportunity to kiss and receive blessings from the miraculous Holy Lance.
During the Divine Liturgy, Fr. Asoghik reflected on the sacrament of the feast and stated in part: “Especially in these days of despair, difficulties, uncertainty, I want to be sure and convince you again, that the word of God is true, that God has not left us, that God is always with us, as His Gospel says – He is with every human being. However, I want you make sure that God is with His small flock – the Armenian Nation. And it is providential, that in this tragedy and disaster, we stand before the sacrament of the feast of our first illuminators – the founder Apostles of our Church; so that we do not lose ourselves as a nation in this uncertainty, pain, despair, but will able to find strength in ourselves, rise up, and continue our eternal path, relying on the true promise of God. These words of Christ have empowered us for about two thousand years, and will strengthen us until the end of the world; individually and collectively.The apostles appeared in the Armenian world by the order and providence of God the Creator, so that they would establish the truth both in the life of an individual, and for the whole nation collectively. Sometimes, collective individuals, nations deviate from the path of their aims; in particular, they are being distracted. But our Armenian nation, no matter how many times was tried to be distracted, to be stopped from the path; it had broken every wall, crushed every force and moved forward.Why? and how? For the sake of God, and the power of God; as God Christ promised His Apostle, and what God promises, it is not a human promise, and cannot be a lie; God keeps His promise: “I will make you my own people, and alter with my Divine hope by strengthening and protecting”. Thus, we must have this consciousness individually, and became powerful through it, as a collective individual, as a nation”.
Fr. Asoghik also emphasized, that the Holy Apostles strengthen the Armenian sons with their spiritual presence; again conveying the words of the Gospel to them, so that they may be empowered with Christ, transfigured with love, expel all the evils and continue their eternal path.
“The Holy Apostles are constantly interceding for us now and always; but that intercession will have a good impact on each of our lives, if our consciousness is always stable, if we never differ, never despair, do not be discouraged by the hardships of life we are facing; and analyzing the history, I assure you, that those difficulties will rise more and more. But our hope is God, and with the power of God, the Armenian nation will be invincible, unshakable as God promised our fathers; and just as Ararat stands in high, so our nation will also stand in high with Holy Etchmiadzin and its numerous churches”, - stated in part Fr. Asoghik; urging the faithful never knee as a spiritual church; and affirming that their Mother Church, with its mission, its prayers, always does everything for this spiritual church not to bow down.
At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, His Grace Bishop Hovnan Hakobyan, Grand Sacristan of the Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin, blessed the faithful people with the “Protector” prayer and Holy Lance 'Geghard'.
