The sixth and final session of “Pasta with Our Pastor” concluded on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, wrapping up a spiritually rich and psychologically insightful series led by Fr. Nareg Terterian at St. Sarkis Church. This concluding evening—warmly hosted and catered by Mr. and Mrs. Aline & Levon Kassabian —centered around the theme: “Purpose, Calling, and Mental Flourishing.”
From Psychology to Theology: Discovering Meaning in Life’s Story
Fr. Nareg opened the night by bridging psychology and spirituality, emphasizing that purpose is foundational to mental health, resilience, and fulfillment. He reminded attendees that individuals who wake up knowing “why” they’re doing what they do tend to enjoy greater emotional stability and clarity.
Using psychological tools like narrative therapy and Viktor Frankl’s logotherapy, he explained how people can reframe their life stories—even painful ones—into coherent, redemptive narratives. He urged participants to revisit their autobiographies by asking the deep questions:
Who am I? How did I get here? Where do I go from here?
Fr. Nareg described trauma as something that often disconnects us from our true selves, especially when unresolved. He explained how identity can become tangled with survival roles—caretaker, performer, avoider—and how healing means disentangling from those roles to reclaim one’s core self.
The Danger of Shame, the Power of Purpose
A significant part of the session focused on the distinction between guilt and shame. “Guilt says, ‘I made a mistake.’ Shame says, ‘I am a mistake,’” Fr. Nareg taught, emphasizing that shame distorts God’s image in us. He also addressed how insecure attachments and performance-based identity can block us from hearing God’s voice and experiencing His calling.
He pointed out that real spiritual transformation requires self-examination, personal responsibility, risk-taking, and disciplined living—qualities essential for embracing one’s God-given vocation.
The Spiritual Journey: From the Fall to Theosis
The session then moved into Scripture, revisiting Genesis 3 and the story of the Fall. Fr. Nareg offered a fresh lens on the familiar text: the root temptation in Eden was not just disobedience but laziness and a desire for shortcuts—to become like God without engaging in the hard, transformative relationship with Him.
Connecting this to the New Testament, he cited St. Peter’s words about “participating in the divine nature” and Jesus’ call in Matthew to “be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” He introduced the Orthodox concept of theosis (deification)—that we are called not just to be saved, but to become more and more like God through union with Christ.
Quoting St. Athanasius, he summed it up:
“God became man so that man might become like God.”
Real Faith Is a Journey
Fr. Nareg distinguished between Protestant views of salvation as a one-time decision and the Orthodox perspective of salvation as an ongoing process—a daily walk of repentance, renewal, and openness to God’s grace. “Our goal is not mere redemption from sin,” he explained, “but transformation into Christlikeness.”
The conversation touched on cultural trauma, particularly the legacy of the Armenian Genocide, and the responsibility of each generation to understand, honor, and transform inherited pain rather than transmit it.
Concluding with Gratitude and Vision
The evening ended with thanks to the generous sponsors and cooks who made each Tuesday gathering possible. As attendees scanned a QR code to provide feedback for future programming, Fr. Nareg reminded them: “Without grace, our existence is meaningless. But with grace, there’s flow—there’s love.”
One participant summed it up beautifully: “This series was more than a class—it was a journey of the heart, mind, and soul.”
What’s Next?
The community was invited to share suggestions for future iterations—perhaps “Potluck with the Pastor”—and continue building spaces that blend honest psychological reflection with timeless spiritual truth.
St. Sarkis Church’s Pasta with Our Pastor series has proven that spiritual growth, emotional healing, and even pasta, as a form of breaking bread, can be powerful for community transformation.