The message of the Transfiguration shone brightly throughout the much loved feast of Vartavar. His Eminence Archbishop Haigazoun Najarian was the celebrant and the homilist on this special day, Sunday 16 July 2023.
The Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ is one of the five main “Tabernacle” feasts of the Armenian Apostolic Church. It commemorates the transformation or the “transfiguration” that came over Jesus while He was praying. Christ’s face shone like the sun and His clothes became a radiant and gleaming white.
It was a powerful demonstration of His divine nature and the manifestation of His glory, which Jesus possessed prior to coming to earth in the human body.
Of course the celebration of Vartavar is not complete without the involvement of water. After the traditional Antasdan service, the clergy joyfully blessed the congregation by sprinkling them with water.
While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” Matthew 17:5
