Graduation Speech
Growing up in the Armenian Church, a topic certainly covered in great depth was the Armenian Genocide. Throughout each year of my Sunday School career, I have learned of the gruesome stories of death and starvation during the genocide. These horrific stories have certainly been imprinted in my mind and have allowed me to gain a further understanding of Armenian culture. The 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide occurred this year, and was recognized during an enormous gathering at St.Patrick's Cathedral in New York. Taking place at the end of April, thousands of Armenians flocked to one city to remember our ancestors who were punished for their beliefs. Through a Badarak service along with speeches and protests, respects were paid to the Armenians who lost their lives in horrible circumstances. These forefathers possessed a strong faith for what they believed in, and for many of them, death was the ultimate punishment because of their devotion.
While learning of the persecutions in the Armenian Genocide, I have gained enlightenment which has solidified by beliefs and faith in God. This past year in Sunday School has been a period of great seeking and understanding of my own personal faith. Our teacher, Mrs.Donoian, has done a great job demonstrating to me how to let God into my life even more than ever. Our weekly class was aided by the popular novels, The Five People You Meet in Heaven and The Purpose Driven Life. Through these books I have been able to recognize and ensure my connection with God. Mrs.Donoian has shown a tremendous amount of guidance while helping me solidify these beliefs.
During my final year of Sunday School I have made a strong connection with God which I feel very confident about. While recalling the manner in which our forefathers were put to the test during the genocide, I am now certain that I too have a strong faith that I cannot turn my back on. Thinking back on my past years in Sunday School, I can recall sitting in the third grade class with Mr. and Mrs.Whenman as our teachers. A certain poster hung on the classroom wall that read, "You can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?" I remember reading that poster and wondering if I would ever be able to feel confident enough in my beliefs to "walk the walk" as our ancestors did during the Armenian Genocide. Thankfully I have had tremendous guidance especially from my mom and grandmother throughout the years which helped me solidify my beliefs. I now know that no one can ever make me deny or change the strong faith I have in God. Although I have concluded my Sunday School years, I have built a strong connection with God which I will carry throughout the rest of my life.
Graduation Speech
Ninety years ago, our forefathers were forced from their homes, families, and livelihoods simply due to their faith. The atrocities of the Armenian genocide were so severe it is nearly inconceivable that such a group of people could have the will to endure. Nevertheless, it is evident that the reason why our people were able to endure, survive, and ultimately prosper was due to their faith and devotion to our lord and savior Jesus Christ.
Faith is a vague word; it can mean different things in different contexts. According to Webster’s Dictionary faith is: “A sense of trust in the truth and value of a person, thing, or idea.” To me, faith is much more than this. To have faith is to have confidence and assurance in a value that you hold to be true. Over the course of ten years in Sunday School my faith has grown exponentially. I have come full circle from the seven year old that would rather be at home watching cartoons to the sixteen year old that would rather be sitting in church than sleeping in bed. I owe a lot to my teachers and pastor who have cultivated my faith and turned me into the Christian that I am today.
Faith is the single most important aspect of a Christian’s belief in almighty God. For the Armenians that were enduring the genocide of 1915, faith played a very significant role. According to the Bible: “Faith is not believing God can; faith is knowing that he will.” The Armenians that remained true to Christianity rather than betraying God showed their faith in Him; in doing so many of them survived the genocide. Those that didn’t survive, though remained true to God, are now in heaven.
Faith is a noble virtue that can be seen first hand. On a day-to-day basis, faith is used to endure difficult situations of all kinds. A prime example of this is our soldiers fighting in the Middle East. They call upon their faith in freedom and knowing that what are doing is right for the world. They then use this faith to sustain themselves through toughest of times. Faith can be seen far back in history as well. Saint Gregory, the Illuminator, called upon his faith in God to sustain himself as he was starved in a pit for thirteen years. Faith in God was also very prevalent during the Armenian Genocide. As Armenians were given the choice between death or the renunciation of Christianity, they called upon their faith in God and made the Christian decision. One week ago, Mrs. Donoian posed the question to me whether my faith would be strong enough to endure religious prosecution. This was a very hard question for a sixteen year old to answer. However, following the examples of my forefathers and applying the faith which I have been taught, I can now say that my faith is strong enough to endure the challenges that God will present to me.