Prayer for Peace Service was Offered in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin
11.10.2020
On October 11, led by His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; the Brotherhood of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin participated in the Divine Liturgy in the St. Gayane Monastery. Following the Divine Liturgy, the Armenian Patriarch presided over the Special Prayer for Peace Service, which, on the same day, under the presidency of His Holiness, was to be offered in all the churches in Armenia and in the dioceses of the Diaspora.
The Pontiff of All Armenians, the Brotherhood of the Mother See and the faithful delivered their joint prayer asking that the Lord keep Armenia and Artsakh safe in peace, our borders strong, the Armenian soldiers powerful and brave. The attendees raised their prayers to God for the recovery of the wounded, for the peace of the souls of the brave Armenian soldiers who were martyred and the victims of the war.
The Catholicos of All Armenians delivered His massage to the attendees.
MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS KAREKIN II SUPREME PATRIARCH AND CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS AT THE PRAYER FOR PEACE SERVICE
“For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace”
(1 Corinthians 14:33)
Our Beloved Armenian Sons and Daughters,
Today, we have united to raise our joint prayer to ask for the Blessings and support of Almighty God; for the peaceful, secure, and independent life of our people and our Homeland, for Armenia and Artsakh.
We have lived the last 14 days full of anxiety, pain, and frustration; while at the same time, lived in historic days with the courage and patriotism of our children - the Homeland defenders. With the open support of Turkey; Azerbaijan is continuing its militant policy, using mercenary terrorists brought from Syria, and has launched large-scale military operations against Artsakh. Hundreds of young people have been killed; civilians, including women and children who have become victims in the heavy battles caused by the hostilities unleashed by Azerbaijan. The St. Ghazanchetsots Church (Holy Saviour Cathedral) in Shushi was also shelled. This once again demonstrates the anti-Armenian policy of the Azerbaijani authorities, which has been ongoing in Azerbaijan for decades with the aim of seeing Artsakh devoid of Armenians and many testaments of our God-gifted faith, which are everywhere throughout the land of Artsakh, built over centuries. Indeed, for centuries, our enemies have also known that our faith strongly binds us strong to our land, strengthens us to live with hope and love, and to create and win.
“God is not the God of trouble, but of peace”, _states the Apostle. We have lived our lives with the messages of our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave as peace; and we have strived for the stable peaceful coexistence with the countries and nations around us; such as the angels evangelized on the occasion of the Savior's Nativity: “Peace to world, in pleasure of people”. Indeed, our choice between war and peace is peace based on truth and justice. But we have often had to fight for peace, for our righteous cause to live freely and independently. Once again, in this war imposed on us, our brave children, as peace fighters, went to the battle of life and death without hesitation, heroically facing the hardships and tribulations, with the vision of a bright and prosperous future of our Homeland. The example of their faithfulness and patriotism encouraged and united all our people, filling our souls with pride.
Dear ones, we all have a duty and responsibility to always be united and unified in the mission of defending our Homeland, and strengthening our Statehood, for the prosperity and vibrancy of Armenia and Artsakh. We have a duty and responsibility to remain faithful to the cherished national goals, to the sanctuaries, for which the praiseworthy children of our people fought and died. The path guided by the courage and glorious heroism of our brave soldiers of the Armenian Army leads us to unconditional patriotism, commitment, and unshakable devotion towards the Nation.Because the source of the power of our homeland defenders is the unity, solidarity, strength, and reliability of those who are behind. Today, in our prayers and wishes for peace, with the words of the hymn writer, let us praise our new heroes, who bravely drove away the enemy, crowned their native land with pink blood, and offered themselves as spoken liturgy on the altar of the defense of the Homeland. Our fallen heroes are our modern-day martyrs, who will yield many results through the evangelical sacrament of a grain of wheat fallen into the ground; for the sake of the strength and invincibility of the homeland, inspiring us and future generations with their shining example of patriotic deeds.
Eternal glory, honor and prayer in the memory of our sacred martyrs. Peace to their immortal souls in the luminous Kingdom of Heaven. Glory and honor to the parents of our heroes, who, with pain and angst in their souls, inspired their children with deeds of courage in the battlefield, and with commitments of defending the Homeland.
We believe, dear ones, in the vision of the prophet, according to which there will come a time when the nations “shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more (Isaiah 2:4). With this wish and vision, we offer our appreciation for the great efforts of the Co-Chair nations of the OSCE Minsk Group, in particular the Russian Federation, in establishing a ceasefire and resuming negotiations, which, we hope, will establish peace in the region and ensure the international recognition of the Artsakh Republic. In the tense and fragile situation of the ceasefire constantly violated by Azerbaijan, the brave fighters of the Armenian Army continue to constantly guard the Homeland borders, and the spirit and firmness of both they and our people are unshakable in the sacred task of defending the Homeland and an independent life.
Let us jointly pray to Almighty God for the recovery of the wounded sons and daughters, for the peace of the souls of the brave Armenian soldiers who were martyred, and the victims of the war. May the Lord keep our Homeland - Armenia and Artsakh in peace, persecute all their enemies with His Holy Cross, protect our people from evils, and strengthen our victorious faith and spirit. And let the peace of God that is above all thoughts; keep our hearts and minds with Jesus Christ (Philippians 4:7), for now and forevermore. Amen.
