On Good Friday, Der Nareg launched his much-anticipated Good Friday retreat with over 35 participants in attendance. The retreat began at 3pm, the time that Jesus died on the cross. Supported by Veh Bezdikian, Der Nareg and the retreat participants delved into the Biblical accounts of the crucifixion of Jesus, which is recorded separately and distinctly in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Der Nareg’s focus was not just to read the accounts while together, but to convey a deep understanding of the key messages.
The central theme of the discussion was the understanding that Jesus is the Way – and the crucifixion is the ultimate demonstration of God’s love. Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice so that we could be saved. Der Nareg then explained in detail what it means to be saved. The father sent His son Jesus, Jesus goes down very deep into the human experience, Jesus identifies himself with God for our sake and along the way he suffers and does not resist. Matthew 27:46 tells us that Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Matthew is telling us that Jesus experiences Hell on the cross, feeling the depths of human abandonment and the weight of sin, only to then lift us all up as God reaches out and lifts Jesus. In this way, we are taught that salvation is a commitment to the way shown by Jesus – it is a journey of growth and discovery, in which God’s love saves us along the way.
Der Nareg made important parallels throughout the retreat. For example, he relayed that the reference of the wooden manger at the time of Jesus’ birth was an indicator that the crucifixion on the wooden cross was a part of God’s plan from the very beginning of Jesus’ birth. Der Nareg also addressed how Christianity becoming part of our Armenian culture reinforces its divinity, in that we Armenians embraced Christianity as ours by contextualizing into the fabric of our culture.
Der Nareg spoke particularly beautifully about his own journey of faith in terms of “the Beauty, the Good, and the Truth." We start our journey as young Christians, as did Der Nareg, attracted to the beauty and mysticism of the Badarak and sharagans. As we mature, we focus on "the Good" of the church, meaning the good works that we do collectively and individually for others as part of our Christian practice of "doing unto others." Finally, we strengthen our faith in our quest for "the Truth”, gaining a deeper understanding of our faith and God's message by studying and appreciating the complexity of the Gospels. This last phase evolves as we go deeper and deeper into understanding the full breadth of the truth.
The retreat was a deep, spiritual collective experience of faithful parishioners gathering with our shepherd during the holiest of hours to gain a deeper understanding of the most profound tenets of our faith. Thank you, Der Nareg, for your insights and teachings.