Reflections by Fr. Nareg Terterian

"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...