On Thursday, February 13, 2020, the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord to the Temple was celebrated in Prelacy Churches with a special eve of the feast service which featured the Blessing of the Four Corners of the World (Antasdan), blessing of infants and children, and lighting of the bonfire symbolizing the Light of Christ.
In keeping with a long-standing tradition, H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate, conducted the service and delivered his message at St. Mary’s Church in Glendale. Clergy members participated in the service. Among the capacity crowd of faithful in attendance were Executive Council Secretary Elizabeth Boyajian, representatives of Homenetmen Western Region Executive, scouting leaders, and scouts.
The Prelate delivered his message. He noted that Joseph and Mary, out of obedience to God’s commandment and the law, presented the 40-day-old Jesus to the temple, and Christ, as the fulfillment of prophecy, throughout his entire earthly life remained obedient and faithful to the will of God and His law. He posed the question as to how obedient and faithful we are to God today and if we follow the traditions and rules of our Church, urging all to keep and heed the traditions of our centuries-old Church.
“Christ came to this earth as Light and illuminated the world. But do we truly receive His Light and allow it to illuminate our spirits?” asked the Prelate, and beseeched the Lord to open the eyes of our heart and light up our entire being so that we become light and brighten our surroundings. “Simeon the elder became worthy of God’s promise and was rewarded because he was just, devout, and faithful to the law. The Holy Spirit was upon him and had assured him that he would not die until he saw the Lord’s salvation. Thus, he who lives a life of faith, keeping God’s commandments and obeying the law will receive the fulfillment of his requests,” stated the Prelate, and concluded by blessing the scouts and urging the parents to raise their children to be faithful and obedient to God.
Thereafter, Archpriest Fr. Vazken Atmajian brought forth a candle from the altar symbolizing the Light of Christ and presented it to the Prelate, from which the faithful lit their candles. Parents presented their children to the altar for blessing, after which clergy and faithful processed to the Church courtyard where the Prelate ignited the bonfire with a candle lit from the altar, around which patriotic songs were sung. The celebration concluded with the Homenetmen anthem, Cilicia and the Armenian national anthem.
DINNER
The traditional dinner with the Homenetmen family followed at “Armenak Der Bedrossian” Hall. Rev. Fr. Ardak Demirjian delivered welcoming remarks, and Raffi Varjabedian spoke on behalf of the Homenetmen Western Region Executive. Scout leaders Sharlene Gozalians and Shahan Atmajian expressed gratitude to the Prelate for uphold and presiding over this traditional dinner for over twenty years.
The Prelate once again commended the scouts and urged them to continue their service to our church and nation with utmost sense of responsibility, and presented mementos on this occasion.
The evening closed with the Homenetmen anthem.