On Sunday His Holiness Aram I celebrated the Holy Liturgy and preached at the St. Stephen’s Church in Boston. Archbishops Oshagan Choloyan and Moushegh Mardirossian served on the altar and more than a thousand Armenians residing in the area attended the Holy Liturgy.

In his sermon, the Catholicos referred to the command of Jesus, “As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34). His Holiness described this command as the core of Christian faith; he said, “God expressed his love to humanity through the Creation and further demonstrated His love by becoming flesh through His Son, and showing humanity the road to Salvation through the life and teachings of Jesus.” The Catholicos went on to say, “From the beginning, the Armenian church has expressed God’s love through the teachings of its saints, teachers and spiritual leaders. Showing that life is empty without love, their teachings also helped Armenians to turn to God and live out His love.” His Holiness then concluded, “Our Church carries the same message forged by our ancestors. Although we may sometimes differ in opinion, method or approach, we should love one another because we belong to the same church, the same nation and the same homeland and we are all engaged in the struggle for justice and the restitution of our rights. Love has kept our people united historically and it should sustain our unity and continue to guide our lives.”