On Sunday, October 25, 2020, Armenian Apostolic Churches celebrated one of the feasts of the Cross, the feast of the Holy Cross.
On this feast day which was also the annual board of fondness of the Church, Turkey Armenian Patriarch His Beatitude Patriarch Sahak II presided over the Holy Presentation service at the Feriköy Surp Vartanants Armenian Church and attended the church’s annual fondness board.
The Holy Presentation service was presented by the hand of Father Şirvan Mürzyan. The church’s religious comissary and Chairman of the Religious Board, Abbot Tatul Anuşyan, members of the board of the church foundation led by Manuk Öğer, and a limited number of believers were also present during the ceremony. The deacon and readers of the church also served the Lord’s table.
Vartanants Choir members performed the hymns under the conductor Adruşan Halacyan.
His Beatitude the Patriarch spoke on the meanings of the Cross in the sermon of the day. He started his words with the words of Jesus Christ on the Cross: “Oh my God, why did you leave me.”
Some highlights from the sermon are as follows;
“When we look at the Cross after ages, we are happy because the debt of our sins has been paid. Yet Jesus Christ was not pleased at all on that Cross. However, these words of Jesus Christ were not rebellion but prayer words.”
“Why does innocent people suffer and why God doesn’t save them are the biggest question in the history of religions.”
“God is a great being, he exceeds our rational measures, we cannot recognize Him.”
“Saint Augustine says, God does not expect you to know Him, He expects you to love Him.”
“Who knows, maybe God sees another light in our sufferings and hardships that we do not see.”
“God the Father gave Jesus Christ to the Cross with his own hands. If it wasn’t necessary, he wouldn’t. A Light was born from there. A Light was born that will illuminate the ages. “
“When we look closely, we will see that everything we complain about to God is that we as Human created, so we must solve those problems.”
“There may be times that we say these words Jesus Christ said on the Cross.But in the end a light should shime in us and we should say there is hope. Where there is God there is hope. There is hope where human beings are, too, each one of us is a beacon of hope for one another. “
“There is no place for despair in life. Faith, Hope and Love are the 3 great virtues of Christianity.”
“I wish you fertile days filled with the cross. May the power of the Cross be with you.”
At the end of the ceremony, the church commemorated the charity with prayers. Then, due to the pandemic measures, a traditional fondness board was presented in the church hall with limited participation.
