On Sunday morning, February 15, 2026, H.E. Archbishop Kegham Khacherian, Prelate of the Western Prelacy of the United States, celebrated Divine Liturgy and delivered a sermon at Holy Martyrs Armenian Apostolic Church in Encino on the occasion of the Eve of Great Lent. At the conclusion of the service, the Prelate offered his fatherly blessings to the faithful who had filled the church.
Serving at the Holy Altar were Archpriest Fr. Razmig Khatchadourian, Pastor of Holy Martyrs Armenian Apostolic Church, along with the deacons, scribes, and the choir.
Archbishop Khacherian began his sermon with the words, “Today, according to the liturgical calendar of the Armenian Church, it is the Eve of Great Lent.” The Prelate explained that each feast carries its own hymn expressing its spiritual meaning. With that spirit, Archbishop Khacherian then reflected, verse by verse, on the hymn chanted from the Holy Altar, which recounts Adam’s life in Heaven, his expulsion as a consequence of his sin, and the closing of Heaven’s gates to humanity, symbolized during Great Lent by the closed curtain of the altar. The Prelate spoke of the coming of Jesus Christ into the world, His suffering, and His death on the Cross, describing them as a second opportunity granted to humankind. Through Christ, he explained, humanity is cleansed of worldly sin and, through the miracle of the Resurrection, restored the right of returning to Heaven.
Turning to the meaning of the Eve of Great Lent, Archbishop Khacherian reminded the faithful that Great Lent begins the following Monday. While the Eve of Great Lent is traditionally a day of enjoyment and celebration before the fast. The Prelate emphasized that the forty-day Lenten journey is a call to spiritual renewal to humanity to return to Heaven. To do so, the Prelate shared, one must live according to God’s will and strive to be worthy of being called His children.
“Great Lent is a spiritual journey,” Archbishop Khacherian stated, “a return to the beginning of humanity, to Heaven where Adam began his life. That Heaven is open to each of us, provided we live these forty days of Great Lent in a way that is pleasing to God, walking toward victory, towards the Feast of the Resurrection. There we encounter our Savior, Jesus Christ, who through His suffering and death conquered death and rose to eternal heavenly life. We are invited into that same eternal life, if we follow the spiritual path God has set before us, reflect deeply, free ourselves from the grip of sin, and seek spiritual renewal.”
Following the Divine Liturgy, Archbishop Khacherian presided over a Lenten fellowship luncheon organized by the Ladies’ Guild of the church.
At the conclusion of the luncheon, the Prelate congratulated the community and the organizers, wishing all a meaningful start to the Lenten season. Archbishop Khacherian encouraged the faithful to devote the coming forty days to prayer, to avoid overindulgence and sinful habits, to guard against negative thoughts, and to practice acts of kindness while cleansing themselves of human weaknesses, so that on the Feast of the Resurrection their communion with Jesus Christ may be pure and whole.
