“Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken.” (Genesis 3:23)

In the Armenian Church, the Sunday of the Expulsion during Great Lent reminds us of humanity’s first painful separation from God. When Adam and Eve transgressed the commandment, there occurred in their lives not merely a change of place, but a change of heart. To be expelled from Paradise meant, above all, to be removed from the presence of God and to lose direct communion with Him. Man, who had been created for love and light, suddenly found himself in estrangement and loneliness.

Yet the story of the Expulsion is not only about the past; it is a mirror of our own lives. Each time we choose to exalt our will above the will of God, whenever pride, indifference, or the illusion of self-sufficiency reigns within our hearts, we too experience small “expulsions.” Separation from God always begins within—through a silenced conscience, the neglect of prayer, and the cooling of love.

Paradise was not merely a place, but a relationship. There, man dwelt in the Fatherly love and providential care of God. When that bond was broken, the world became a field of struggle. Yet even at the moment of expulsion, God did not abandon mankind. His love did not change. The expulsion was not the end, but the beginning of the path toward return.

This Sunday calls us to examine our hearts. Where have we turned away from God? What separates us from His presence? At the threshold of Great Lent, the Church reminds us that repentance is a return to the lost Paradise. When we humbly acknowledge our weakness and draw near to God, He opens His embrace to us.

May the Sunday of the Expulsion be not only a remembrance of sorrow, but also a moment of awakening. To depart from God brings darkness; to return to Him brings light and peace. May our hearts once again long for the presence of God, that we may rediscover the paradisiacal life for which we were created.

Deacon MIKAYEL MARGARYAN