Spiritual Discussions
Christian faith according to the Bible and teaching of the Church Fathers. How to fulfil the divine commandments and fight against sin? The Holy Bible and the Sacred Tradition of the Church. How the Church responds to the fundamental questions of human live and how to live according to the faith in the modern world? Faith as a worldview, way of knowing and culture. How to raise children? Spiritual principles of learning and self-knowledge.
Discussion with Fr. Mikayel
What is the difference between spiritual discussions and ordinary conversations? The ability of spiritual discussions to revolutionize lives. What does a clergyman transmit during a discussion? The difference between a sermon and a discussion. Citing Church Fathers, their lives, teachings, and theology in the course of a spiritual discussion. The instruction and conclusion of the spiritual discussion.
- Speaker: Fr. Mikayel Gevorgyan
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan
Eye for an Eye
The law of exact retaliation in various religions and cultures. The new interpretation of the Old Testament law in the Sermon on the Mount. Love and forgiveness instead of antagonism. „Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you“ (Mt. 5:44).
- Speaker: Fr. Arnak Harutyunyan
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan
Where We Come From and Where We Go
What is the cause of human existence? The godlikeness of human as a source for trust and hope. Does human existence have a purpose or there is no purpose at all? “I know where I came from and where I am going” (John 8:14). The immortality of the soul. The necessity of constant remembrance of the final goal of our earthly existence.
- Speaker: Fr. Arnak Harutyunyan
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan
Sunday Teaching
Education in the church. The syllabus and study materials of Sunday schools. The role distribution among clergymen and lay teachers. The necessary pedagogical and spiritual knowledge and qualities for Sunday teaching. The involvement of children and their families in the Church’s life.
- Speaker: Kristine Ghazaryan
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan
Sacred Relics
The Christian understanding of sacred relics. Should we respect relics or worship them? The position of the Armenian Church. Miraculous power of relics and their authority: facts and fabrications. Canonization and the rite of interment of relics. The types of relics and their liturgical importance. The contemporary attitude towards holy relics.
- Speaker: Marianna Apresyan
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan
Parenting
Parents as a gift of the heavenly Father. Biblical commandments about obedience to parents. The obedience of Christ to the will of God the Father and to His earthly parents. Parents and Godfather as responsible persons for the moral and spiritual education. Respecting the freedom of youth.
- Speaker: Fr. Grigor Hovhannisyan
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan
Sacrament of Confession
“Confess your sins to each other” (James 5:16). The power of the priest to absolve from sins. General and personal confession. The difficulty of confessing a sin and the fear of condemnation. The problem of choosing a father confessor. The assigned penance and spiritual instructions.
- Speaker: Fr. Grigor Hovhannisyan
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan
Profession of Faith
What we believe in and how we confess our Christian faith. The pillars of the profession of faith of the Armenian Church. The Creed. The difference of the profession of faith from religious fanaticism and dogmatism. Teaching the profession of faith inside the Church. Primitive faith and theological knowledge.
- Speaker: Fr. Arnak Harutyunyan
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan
Holy Bible
The heavenly inspiration of the Holy Scripture and the human factor. Genre variety and literary peculiarities of the Bible. Systematic and continuous reading of the Bible. The Bible as a guide for life. Non-diminishing importance of the Old Testament. Questions arising while reading the Bible. Bible commentary.
- Speaker: Fr. Arnak Harutyunyan
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan
Ask and It Will Be Given to You
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Lk. 11:9). What do we often ask from God, and what could be His response? Requests in prayer. Climbing out of every hard situation through faith. “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” (Mt. 6:33).
- Speaker: Fr. Grigor Hovhannisyan
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan
Feast of the Holy Translators
The place of the Holy Translators in the calendar of Armenian Church. The selection list of the Holy Translators and Teachers of the Church. Translation as a gift of the Holy Spirit. “To know wisdom and instruction, to perceive the words of understanding” (Prov. 1:2). The heritage of the Holy Translators as a symbol of national identity and values.
- Speaker: Fr. Mesrop Aramian
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan
Helping the Neighbor
Material, spiritual and psychological support. The role of the church in establishing of social service and equality. “Blessed are those who have regard for the weak; the Lord delivers them in times of trouble” (Ps. 41:1). “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27): the Parable of the Good Samaritan, healing the physical and spiritual pain, caring for the sick.
- Speaker: Fr. Grigor Hovhannisyan
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan
The Path of the People of God
What does it mean to be a God’s chosen people? God’s infinite love towards His people and fidelity to His covenant. The periodic apostasy of people and their return to the Creator. The presence of God with His people in times of need. The path of the cross of God’s people and the question of theodicy.
- Speaker: Fr. Mesrop Aramian
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan
Lie and Lying
“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Ex. 20:16): forbidding lying and its forms. How the lie entered the world: sweet lie, white lie, plausible lie. “The truth shall make you free” (Jn. 8:32). “If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body” (Jas. 3:2). “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Mt. 12:37).
- Speaker: Fr. Grigor Hovhannisyan
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan
Pride
Pride as a deadly sin and its derivative sins. The reasons why pride is coming out. Is there a safe portion of pride? “He mocks proud mockers but shows favor to the humble and oppressed” (Prov. 3:34). Love as a remedy for pride. “Learn from Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart.” (Mt. 11:29).
- Speaker: Fr. Grigor Hovhannisyan
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan
Hagiographic Literature
The formation of the hagiographic genre. Vita and martyrology. The repetitive narratives and characters in martyrologies. The hagiographic collections of the Armenian Church. Armenian martyrs of later periods. The influence of the hagiography on our spiritual life and worldview. Koryun’s Life of Mashtots.
- Speaker: Marianna Apresyan
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan
Good and Evil
Good Creator, good creation, so where does evil come from? The levels between good and evil, is there an absolute evil? The definitions of evil and sin. Evil as a result of the wrong use of free will and of acting against one’s own nature. Why God tolerates evil. Will evil be wiped out from the world?
- Speaker: Fr. Grigor Hovhannisyan
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan
Why I Am Not a Christian
The theses of the essay “Why I Am Not a Christian” by Bertrand Russell. Rejecting eternal life and the proofs of the existence of God. Defining the term “Christian.” Criticism of dogmas. Religion as foundation of morality. Identifying the errors of fanaticism. Is religion based on fear? Why we are Christians.
- Speaker: Fr. Mesrop Aramian
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan
Preparation for Holy Communion
The establishment of the Mystery of Communion: the Last Supper and offering. The transfiguration of bread and wine into the Lord’s Body and Blood. The frequency of receiving the Holy Communion. Spiritual and physical preparation. Communion as a spiritual sustenance and a powerful protection. The joint communion of the community as a central mystery of the Divine Liturgy: common and personal confession of sins.
- Speaker: Fr. Grigor Hovhannisyan
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan
Money Usage
The Christian view of wealth. Teachings of Jesus about the usage of money. Captivity of Mammon. The material aspect of any worldly and spiritual endeavor. Material equality. Charity and search for heavenly treasures.
- Speaker: Fr. Arnak Harutyunyan
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan