On Sunday, July 16, Archbishop Anoushavan attended the Divine Liturgy at Soorp Khatch Church in Bethesda, Maryland, on occasion of the Feast of Transfiguration, or Vartavar. Archpriest Fr. Sarkis Aktavoukian, Pastor, was the celebrant.
In his sermon, the Prelate spoke of the mystery of the Transfiguration, which invites the faithful to establish a permanent bond with God, not only to embrace the earthly and temporary blessings, but the heavenly one reserved for us by the Creator, a concept that transcends human understanding and imagination. His Eminence also spoke of the feast of Vartavar, a legacy from the pre-Christian era, saying that the mock water fights symbolize the conviction of the Armenian people that we must always renew ourselves in body, mind, and spirit, as water represents cleanliness.
At the end of the Divine Liturgy, the Prelate met with the group of Homenetmen scouts who left for Armenia on July 18 to participate in the 12th General Pan-Homenetmen Jamboree and blessed them.