"Saints in the Day and Warriors by
Night"
Spiritual Message by Fr. Stepanos
Doudoukjian
April 23, 2015
Today, I am the proudest I have ever been of being
Armenian! I am completely filled with the most powerful diverse emotions. The
canonization of new Saints during the day, brought me to tears on many
occasions. Tears of pain, now replaced with tears of joy. And at nightfall, the
singing of Sadarabad by System of a Down, brought out my fighting spirit.
Our Martyrs had to endure a living hell, and now, as
Saints they inherit God's Paradise. Sadness and sorrow have always filled
April 24th, but The Holy Martyrs of the Armenian Genocide of 1915, bring a new
sense of life, renewal and peace on this day. 1.5 million souls departed and
scattered, now have become a battalion of God's Army. Many felt defeated and
downhearted, even in their unfathomable deaths, but today the 1.5 million Saints
are Soul's Victorious. The Angel of death greeted our forefathers, but today,
the Holy Spirit welcomed them, just as the dove descended on their icon.
Soorp Soorp /Holy Holy was sung with an Angelic voice,
which pierced all souls, dead and alive. The stirring and rousing of bells
ringing in all the churches throughout the world seemed like a grand entry into
His Kingdom. April 23rd, 2015 will be a day etched in every fiber of who I am,
because the Saints are in me as well.
As the sun set on this special day, a different stage
was set in Yerevan, as System of a Down gave a concert to thousands upon
thousands. Their proclamation of Recognition, Justice and Acknowledgement with
every fist pump and every hand raised, resonated in me. My pulse also screams
of the same - Recognition, Justice and Acknowledgement. Why not? We deserve it,
our great grandparents deserve it.Their words haunting… liar, killer, demon.
They bring me to the bloodied prison cell where Der Nerces Nercesian prayed til
his torturous death.
My son and daughter deserve the truth. Their
great-great grandfather, Der Nerces Nercesian, and great-great grandmother,
Yeretzgin Alpesa and two baby nieces, died a death worse then an animal's
passing. They too deserve the truth from a world that has remained mostly
silent. Perhaps a change is coming…but tonight.
Yes, but tonight, many voices are shouting from the top
of their lungs and from the caskets below, from the corners of earth and of the
heavens above. I too, am one of those voices, angry and screaming in silence,
saying and crying --- Turkey: admit, recognize and confess your evil
deeds!
So now, the two sides of my emotions rest in divergent
harmony -- in peace, at peace and still wanting for peace. Today, a New Armenia
was created within me, and I thank God for that.
Park Kez Asdvadz/Glory to God.
Fr. Stepanos Doudoukjian
St. Peter Armenian Church
100 Troy Schenectady
Road
PO Box 196
Watervliet, NY
12189
Tel: (518)
274-3673
Fax: (518)
274-3103
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