Reflections by Fr. Nareg Terterian

Jesus contrasts seeking praise from other people with seeking praise from God (5:44). When a person does something truly good, it is appropriate that praise be given to that one. The desire for fame and praise from people can be a powerful temptation to sin (Luke 4:5-8; John 7:1-10). At one level, it can lead us to do bad things so that others may approve of us. At a deeper level, the desire for fame can make us so self-absorbed that we lose sight of what is good and important in life: love of God and love of neighbor. 'Ironically, by seeking self-exaltation, we can make ourselves the slaves of others because we allow their opinions to determine how we should live. This temptation to seek human rather than divine approval is especially strong for those in leadership positions of any kind -occupational, political, religious, and so forth. Since the success of such leaders is often measured by how much people like them, it is easy for them to forget that they are accountable first ...

  … for the least among all of you is the greatest. Jesus predicts his passion and crucifixion. His disciples could not perceive it and fear prevents them from asking Jesus any questions. To deflect the conversation they start arguing as to which one of them was the greatest. The disciples haven’t yet learned the lesson of reversal expressed in the Magnificat (1:46-55) and the beatitudes (6:20-49). Jesus corrects them with an illustration, as he places a child next to him. The one who receives such lowly and weak members of the society receives Jesus and the Father who sent Him. Moreover, becoming the least through service of others is the true indicator of who is greatest.  Becoming the least makes us  rely not on our own resources but it’s a deep spiritual insight of our ultimate dependency on God. Only when we recognize this dependency we can open ourselves to hear the call of God.

A year ago around this time, we arrived early Sunday morning to Armenia and soon after my son Hovsep and I attended Badarak at Saint Gregory The Illuminator Cathedral in Yerevan. As soon as we got out of the church we saw the festivities of celebrating Vartavar on the streets of the Armenian capital. Water splashes everywhere. Such a joyous day with a tradition that comes to us from the pre-Christian era of Armenia honoring the goddess Asdghig , some say while others claim that this tradition goes further back to the days of Noah and a remembrance of the flood. It is a beautiful tradition which unfortunately I won’t be able to celebrate this year in Armenia due to the pandemic. But what makes me sadder is that our country Armenia is under attack by the Azeris with the support of Turkey. We stand in solidarity with our soldiers and armed forces and we pray for the safety of our Armenian brothers and sister in the Republic of Armenia and Artsakh. This Sunday the Armenian Church ...

In this essay, I will be sharing a few pastoral and psychoanalytic perspectives on the idea of manhood. As I focus on different events from the life of the prophet Moses, I will explore ideas that can inspire us to reconnect with some of the archetypes of the masculine energy that seems to be long-forgotten. Descent Descent or katabasis is a journey downwards. You may need to descend into hardship, frustration, or even hell, to become a hero. Moses was a prince in Pharaoh’s palace who witnessed injustice done to his kinsfolk by an Egyptian. Moses killed the Egyptian and fled to the Land of Midian. Moses became a fugitive, and in the midst of his katabasis, he encountered God in the burning bush. Moses might have never experienced God if he had stayed in Pharaoh’s palace. We live in a culture that rejects and denies suffering because we are afraid. We prolong the process of embracing adulthood. We start a college program and then change the major and delay graduation. We replace our chi...

The 2 readings on today’s liturgical calendar are deeply interconnected.   In his 2nd letter to Timothy, St. Paul describes our human condition through the analogy of household articles; some made with gold and silver and others made with wood and clay. Similarly, each one of us has parts of our character that we are proud of and others that we are ashamed of. We may have some habits that reflect our maturity and other habits that expose our inner conflicts and struggles. St. Paul exhorts his disciple Timothy and all Christians to engage in the act of self-cleansing to become “instruments for special purposes”. Self-cleansing to St. Paul consists of fleeing the evil desires of youth and pursuing righteousness, faith, love, and peace. Not engaging in foolish and stupid arguments and quarrels and n ot being resentful.  In other words, self-discipline is the first step towards change. Self-transformation happens when we identify the bad clusters of our ...

Some people cling to ways of understanding their faith learned in their childhood. They embrace a childhood notion of a God who will never let anything bad happen and when tragedies strike they abandon God. In today's reading, we encounter the words of Christ that tell about persecutions, imprisonment, trials, and death. We are familiar with the accounts of persecution from the early church. In many countries today, people are being displaced, arrested, tortured, and even executed because of their faith in Jesus. For many of us, however, persecution is a far-off reality. Yet God never promises to give his followers a life that is free from problems. What God promises is that we will not face those persecutions alone. Jesus who experienced the worst kind of suffering and death will be right by our side. Although persecution and death may come, God is in control, and the ultimate outcome will be the eternal victory. "Not a hair of your head will perish" This cannot re...

Accompanying him were . . . many others. (Luke 8:1, 3) Jesus was such a mesmerizing preacher and powerful healer that he could have had a very effective ministry on his own. He was a miracle worker who could command evil spirits, the wind, and the waves. He could call down food, water, or fire from heaven. He didn’t need anyone else’s help. So why did he choose to associate with such an assorted group of people as his disciples? Maybe their diversity can give us a clue. Remember, these were men and women, craftsmen and bureaucrats, educated and illiterate. The only thing they had in common was that they said yes to Jesus. Jesus didn’t expect all his disciples to be the same. He enjoyed each one of them for their own unique quirks. He encouraged the gifts he saw in each of them. One was good at fishing and providing dinner. Another scouted out places to stay. Still another provided financial help and hospitality. He gladly accepted whatever resources they brought, ...

"Therefore take up the whole armor of God" Sunday school children are fascinated by today’s passage because it prompts them to think about their favorite superheroes like spiderman, ironman or some other action heroes. Look at this passage again, and identify the instruments of the battle that Paul lists: a breastplate, boots, a shield, a helmet, and finally a sword. Did you notice that only one is a weapon? The rest are for protection against attack. Notice, too, the posture that Paul tells the Ephesians to take up: They are to "stand firm," ready to "resist" evil when it comes to them and to "stand fast" whenever they are attacked (Ephesians 6:11,13,14). Our calling in life is not to wage war against enemy forces. Our calling is to live our Christian faith, keeping our eyes on Jesus, not on our enemies. We simply need this armor to protect us when the devil tries to wear us down. Now notice the virtues that Paul lists: truth, right...

“You give them something to eat.” (Luke 9:13) If my wife and I let our children pick what they want to eat, they probably will choose unhealthful food that is high in calories from sugar or saturated fat, with little dietary fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals, or other important forms of nutritional value. They will choose junk food because it is readily available and it tastes good. But my wife, who enjoys cooking, prepares well-balanced meals and in the process, we find that our children’s taste and appreciation for different flavors change. As parents, we give our children healthy stuff to eat. In today’s bible reading, we hear Jesus commanding His disciples to “give them (the crowd) something to eat” as a response to the disciples' suggestion of sending them away to buy food. This exchange takes place in the context of the miracle of feeding the five thousand. Nurturing our soul of filling the emptiness inside is an important step in our spiritual journey. ...

“But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Mark 13:13). As I read these words of Christ, I remember a story of a young apprentice who had a summer job in rail tracks maintenance. On the first day of his job, the foreman told him what to do and how to do it and the young apprentice started working with full energy. By that evening he was tired and his hands had blisters. On the second and the third day he wanted to put out the same level of energy but he felt that he was going slower. On the third evening, an old man who had worked on those tracks all his life called the young apprentice and gave him the following advice: "Don't start your day any faster than the way you intend to finish it".  Our journey of faith is kind of the same. Sometimes we experience some initial excitement with the "achievements" we make in our spiritual life. Jesus however, makes it very clear that it is not about occasional excitement that we experience. Our journ...

"But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ... (Ephesians 2:4-5). St. Paul helps us to see God's love for us in a new way. He explains that God loved us when we were sinners and through His mercy made us alive. In other words, God did not wait for us to become better or free from sin before He could love us. God loves us despite our imperfections. This model of love is called unconditional love. When we understand the nature of that Devine love we grow spiritually just as a child develops a secure attachment style when he/she experiences unconditional love from their parents. Through His love, God separates us from our sin. We are no longer identified with our sinful nature but we are called to share His Devine nature (2 Peter 1:3-5).  I try to practice this model of love in my parenting style. I try to separate my children's bad behavior from ...

" Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith"  (Hebrews 13:7).  In the final chapter of the epistle to the Hebrews, the author exhorts the readers to remember their leaders. As I read this exhortation, I remember my leaders, those who have played important roles in my upbringing by sowing the seeds of faith and shaping my character in my years of formation. I consider myself blessed to have had leaders who showed me the way with their life example. I am sure that if you take a moment to ponder, you will also remember the people who influenced you in your journey. But as Christians, we also remember the champions of our faith –the Saints, who lived a righteous life and are living examples for us to follow. The church takes this exhortation seriously. We remember the saints in almost every prayer hour or ceremony in our church because when we pray, we are in heaven with the saints. They...

Ephesus was an ancient Greek city on the coast of Ionia. Ephesus was also an important center for Early Christianity from the AD 50s. From AD 52–54, the apostle Paul lived in Ephesus, working with the congregation and organizing his missionary activities. In today’s reading, Paul records a prayer in his letter to the Ephesians. At the heart of this prayer is his request that “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him” . St. Paul wants the recipients of his letter to come to know God, just like any parish priest or pastor would want his parishioners to know God. - I want my parishioners to come to know God and if I think in earthly ways, then I would focus only on providing the best information on God. St. Paul, however, teaches us that knowing God is actually a divine gift. God reveals Himself to us mankind. The Creation of the universe, the Incarnation of Christ and His salvation, the work...

The 9th chapter of the Gospel of Luke is packed with important events in the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. In this chapter, we read Jesus sends out his 12 disciples for their first missionary experience, Jesus feeds the five thousand, Peter declares that Jesus is the Messiah, the Transfiguration of Jesus takes place and Jesus predicts his death and resurrection. Such an exciting chapter. And as the events of this chapter unfolded the disciples understood that Jesus was not any rabbi that they were accustomed to seeing in different towns but he is “the Messiah of God”. For today’s readers, this chapter makes it clear that Jesus is not a guru or a life coach but he is our Saviour. As Jesus goes on to predict his passion He tells His disciples to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow him. Jesus gives the same message to us today: “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23) . Jesus invites u...

In my tenure as a pastor, I have walked with families in their journey of grief. During those difficult moments, I have witnessed the comfort that comes from listening to the word of God. When we read Psalm 23 - The Lord is my Shepherd at the graveside service, there is a sense of dependency on God that we embrace as we “ walk through the darkest valley ” (Psalm 23:4). In today’s Gospel passage we read the words of Jesus: “I am the good shepherd”. The motif of the shepherd is widely used in the Bible not only because people were familiar with that trade but also shepherding meant leading and protecting  in the Hebrew culture as well as in the Babylonian and the Greek cultures. So when Jesus says I am the good shepherd He reveals His leadership qualities of strength, liability, consistency, and care. He is the shepherd who will always be there for us, no matter how dark that valley can get. The secular world teaches us that we do not need God. Who needs God when you have mo...

Today we read the parable of the sower. This is one of the parables of Jesus that has been imprinted in my mind since early childhood. And sometimes when you know something then you think you know it. There is no need to revisit right? Not always! Let's look at the biblical text:  “A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell on the path and was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it withered for lack of moisture. Some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it. Some fell into good soil, and when it grew, it produced a hundredfold.”  (Luke 8: 5-8) It is clear that Jesus creates 4 categories in this parable. My first way of internalizing the message of this parable was creating categories: The Word of God grows depending on the kind of soil your heart is. and those categories are almost permanent. My more mature sense of spirituality helped me shift my focus from "t...

"They will treat you this way because of my name,  for they do not know the one who sent me" (John 15:21). When I reflect on the words of Jesus from the Gospel reading of today, I can't help it but think of "Life is difficult" - the opening statement of Scott Peck's famous book The Road Less Traveled.  "Life is difficult. This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult -once we truly understand and accept it-then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters. ... Life is a series of problems. Do we want to moan about them or solve them? Do we want to teach our children to solve them?" (The Road Less Traveled, p.15). The words of Jesus, spoken some 20 centuries ago, tell us the same thing in a simple and yet much profound way. The difference, however, is in...

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control" . (Galatians 5:23-24) I n his letter to the Galatians, St. Paul teaches that when we walk by the Holy Spirit, our life changes. The result of that transformation is a life of “joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control”. As followers of Christ, we have received the Holy Spirit at our baptism and therefore the seeds of the fruit of the Spirit have been sown in our hearts. Well-known theologians and Christian thinkers have written volumes on the “fruit of the Spirit”. We can study each attribute individually to grow in our spiritual life. Today I want us to focus on the last attribute - self-control. The gifts of the Spirit are infused in us but if we want to grow spiritually we ought to have a discipline in our life. Discipline may have a negative connotation but if you examine the word you se...

"At that same hour Jesus  rejoiced in the Holy Spirit  and said..." (Luke 10:21) Jesus rejoices when the seventy-two disciples come back from their missionary journeys with news of healings and conversions. When the disciples come to Jesus thrilled with their success in today’s Gospel, Jesus is delighted and he affirms them. Jesus is delighted because he gave authority to the disciples who then went and made a difference in people's lives. They made a difference  in the name of Jesus; for the name of Jesus. This is a great reminder for all Christians and especially for those who are in the ministry of serving the Lord that we are called to make a difference in people's lives in a spirit of humbleness, otherwise, we indulge in self-serving actions and attention-seeking behavior.  As followers of Christ, we ought to give our honest answer to the following question: Does my life express more of a love for the glory that comes from God o...