“One Must Strive For Perfection Through Self-Examination,”
H.E. Archbishop Kegham Khacherian
On the morning of Sunday, March 9, 2025, H.E. Archbishop Kegham Khacherian, Prelate of the Western Prelacy of the United States, celebrated Divine Liturgy at Holy Martyrs Armenian Apostolic Church in Encino on the occasion of “Sunday of the Expulsion,” offering reflections on the significance of the Forty Days of Great Lent.
Archpriest Fr. Razmig Khatchadourian, Pastor of Holy Martyrs Armenian Apostolic Church, celebrated the Divine Liturgy. Among those present at the Divine Liturgy were H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian and members of the local faithful community.
In his sermon, H.E. Archbishop Kegham Khacherian emphasized the spiritual significance of the Forty Days of Great Lent, explaining that this sacred period is a time for unity with God, setting aside the temporary and worldly, striving for spiritual purity and perfection, and further strengthening the will to distance oneself and resist the temptations of the physical world.
Speaking on the significance of “Sunday of the Expulsion,” H.E. Archbishop Khacherian elaborated that Adam, the first man, was expelled out of paradise due to sin, passing down the burden of the sin of birth to his descendants. As a result, all of humanity is called to follow God’s commandments to be deemed worthy to regain entry into paradise. The Prelate noted that this is a matter of free will, with love as the ultimate path to salvation, achieved by living in accordance with the commandment, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
H.E. Archbishop Kegham Khacherian urged the faithful to strive for spiritual perfection in their daily lives, stating, “The more we possess clarity of mind and strength of will to correct ourselves through self-examination, the closer we come to fulfilling God’s divine call to renewal. With each step of self-correction and pursuit of perfection throughout our lives, we prepare to stand before the Feast of the Resurrection, soon to be revealed before us, as complete and worthy in the eyes of God.”
