According to the Armenian Church calendar, on Sunday, May 30, 2021, the “Prophet Elijah” week was celebrated.
The Holy Mass (Saint Liturgy), broadcasted on the Patriarchate’s Facebook page, took place at the Galata Surp Krikor Lusavorich Church by the hand of Father Zakar Koparyan. The spiritual trainees of the Patriarchate served the Lord’s Supper. Members of the patriarchate’s Armaş choir sang the hymns. At the end of the ritual, “Hokehankist” prayers were recited for all those who sleep in the Lord.
After the broadcast, the Patriarch of the Armenians of Turkey, Sahak II, gave sermons in Armenian and Turkish about the “Surp Yeghya” week. As he began his Turkish sermon, he explained the inclusion of today in the Armenian Church calendar and interpreted the day’s reading from the Bible (Luke 4:14-30).
Some titles from the Turkish sermon of the Patriarch are as follows:
“Miracle is the Result of Faith”
Miracles are not ordered. Miracles are not used to bring unbelievers to faith. Miracles are the result of faith. Miracles are given to believers and only believers can see the miracle, even if it is in front of their eyes.
And all kinds of arrogance and pride blind people and prevent them from seeing the truth. We must get rid of it.
Jesus came as light, to illuminate all our darkness. The light hurts the eyes accustomed to the dark at first, but then you see, you see the truth.
My dear brothers and sisters, sometimes such arrogance falls into people; I will not believe in God. Let God prove himself to me. Why would God prove himself to you? Do not believe if you want! You are an earthworm. How much is your existence, your mass, the life you live in billions of years of the universe to God to prove himself to you? God already proves himself, you see!
God is here, there, everywhere. He doesn’t need our acceptance. He wants our acceptance because so that we can know the truth and move forward on the paths of truth. Then we will somehow find the truth of God. See, believing in God is not enough. It is not enough to be a member of a religion that believes in God. As individuals, we need to find the true God and accept Him.
Maybe miracles are for strengthen people with weak faith. Maybe it’s there to be a sign, a sign, to what God has sent. But the real thing that will save the world is the miracle that will happen in humanity. What’s that? What is written in the book of Isaiah? <The spirit of the Lord is on me because He anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He sent me to proclaim to the captives, that they will be released, to the blind that their eyes will be opened, to the oppressed to let them be free and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s grace. Christ came to do this. Christ does this. Because without this, humanity cannot be saved.
Yes, dear brothers and sisters, I suggest you take the surplus that Christ wanted to bring into your life. Take the light, receive the truth, know it and with it give a new direction to your life because only today we can escape from the truth. The truth that will one day stand before us with all its bitter nakedness, now let it stand, let us bow down in front of that truth, let’s accept it, even if it tells what we do wrong, shows our mistakes or even if it hurts our eyes. Blessed are those who accept the truth. Stay in the truth, live with the truth and glorify the truth. The truth bless you. Amen.
