On Sunday, April 4th, 2021, on the occasion of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ, His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia celebrated a pontifical Divine Liturgy. Serving the altar alongside the Pontiff was H.E. Archbishop Shahan Sarkissian and H.G. Bishop Magar Ashkarian, as well as members from the Cilician Brotherhood. The Seminary’s “Armash” Choir sang the liturgy.

During his sermon, His Holiness Aram I focused on the Son of God’s resurrection and said “The Resurrection of Christ is the glorious victory over evil, over sin, and over death. Christ’s resurrection should be considered as a source of mans’ resurrection as well as an invitation to overcome difficulties and challenges mankind faces. The Apostle states, if Christ had not resurrected, our faith would have been useless. Christ’s resurrection is the foundation of our faith, and the funnel to hope.”

His Holiness continued saying: “To believe in the resurrection of Christ means to live with hope, to turn hope into a quality of life. To believe in the resurrection of Christ means to live in accordance to Christ’s resurrection. To believe in the resurrection of Christ means to eagerly wait for the second coming of Christ, because without hope, in the word of the Psalm, man’s life becomes like grass. To live with Christ means to live with hope.”

Catholicos Aram I ended his sermon by reflecting on the current difficult times the world faces and stated: “We currently live in challenging times. We all are surrounded by difficulties. In our individual, family and collective lives, we’re faced with unprecedented tribulations. But in face of this, we’re called to renew our faith and hope, the only path of a Christian.”