SAINTS VARTANANTZ YESTERDAY AND TODAY

Today, the Armenian Church worldwide is celebrating the feast of Saints Vartanantz, who in 451 A.D. sacrificed their most precious lives on the altar of their Christian faith and their homeland. The grains of wheat which fell into the soil on the battlefield of Avarayr were not sown in vain. Indeed, they bore much fruit in 484, when the Treaty of Nvarsag, preceding the Magna Carta, consecrated freedom of conscience.

It is true that this feast commemorates a historical event, yet it brings an eternal message to each and every generation. No matter how grave the threats that surround us, as long as our lives are deeply rooted in God-given values, we can preserve our identity by facing challenges and surviving and also, as the Psalmist says, we become purer and more precious, “like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times” (Ps. 12:6).

The declaration by Armenian lay and spiritual leaders to their powerful neighbor was very clear: a peaceful relationship is based on mutual respect for faith and cooperation in all aspects of life. Quoting Paul the Apostle, Armenians reasserted their conviction and said: “Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 8:38-39)

Since the days of our admirable forefather Hayk, it is obvious that freedom is part of our DNA. Hard-won freedom preserves our religious and civil rights despite the predicaments our nation endures, the very homeland where, by providential order, Noah’s Ark landed, turning it into the cradle of mankind.

With this understanding, by refreshing our Armenian Christian identity with the message of this sacred feast, let us remain steadfast in our devotion to our faith, homeland, culture, traditions, and values wherever we live. Let us consciously say that nothing can separate us from this faith and let us make the world realize that we are and always will be “children of light and children of the day” (1 Thess. 5:5) now and forever.