Jesus the Migrant, the Hope of Migrants

October 27, 2015

 ZeYared Zarema (zeyared2007@gmail.com) 

Part One: Introduction

The season which starts on the 26th of the first month of the Ethiopian calendar, the month of Meskerem (or October 6th in the other years and October 7th  in the leap year) and stays for 40 days is a season assigned for the commemoration of the migration of the Holy Family: Jesus, Mary His mother, the old Joseph and Salome. In the Ethiopian Orthodox Church liturgical calendar, the season is known by the name “Season of Flower” (ዘመነ ጽጌ).

 In this season the celebrated Ge’ez hymn poetries “Hymn on the Flower” (ማኅሌተ ጽጌ) and “Lamentation of the Virgin” (ሰቆቃወ ድንግል) get emphasis and sung for, the former, i.e Hymn on the Flower, relates the season and its wealth with the plant, the flower and the fruit, symbolizing Mary, the Mother of God, and her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the later, Lamentation on the Virgin, mostly focuses on the hardship that Mary faced during their fleet, or flight, to Egypt and their wandering with great tribulations of fear, hanger, thirst and fatigue in the wilderness of their migration destination during their stay for three and a half years.

I took the title “Jesus the Migrant, the Hope of Migrants”, translated from the Ge’ez texts “ኢየሱስ ስዱድ   ተስፋሆሙ  ለስዱዳን”,  from  the  15th    century  composition  entitled  “ሰቆቃወ  ድንግል”  (Lamentation of the Virgin). This prayer book is known for its richness of the tribulations that Jesus and His Mother Virgin Mary faced during their migration to Egypt. It has 57 hymn parts, and one of them found in the 14th order reads as follows:

ኢየሱስ ስዱድ ተስፋሆሙ ለስዱዳን፣
ኢየሱስ ግፉዕ ምስካዮሙ ለግፉዓን፣
እግዚአብሔር ማሕደር ዘአልቦ  ከመ ነዳያን፣
ኢየሱስ ነግድ ወፈላሲ እንዘ ውእቱ ሕፃን፣
ወልደ አብ ፍቁር ዘበኀበ ሰብእ ምኑን፣
መኃልየ ብካይ ኮነኒ ዘእሙ ኀዘን።

Jesus the migrant, the hope of migrants;
Jesus the oppressed, the protection/shield of the oppressed;
God, the homeless like the needy;
Jesus the traveler and stranger being a child;
The beloved Son of the Father, but abandoned to men;
His mother’s grief become unto me the lamentation of cry. (ገብረ ሥላሴ ብርሃኑ፣  2000: 686)

I have tried to assess different sources to get the central definition of migration and migrant, but found no unique meaning. Let me put some definitions with their references:

 Human migration is the movement by people from one place to another with the intentions of settling temporarily or permanently in the new location. The movement is  typically  over  long  distances  and  from  one  country  to  another,  but  internal migration is also possible. Migration may be individuals, family units or in large groups. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_migration)

The term migrant can be understood as "any person who lives temporarily or permanently in a country where he or she was not born, and has acquired some significant social ties to this country." However, this may be a too narrow definition when considering that, according to some states’ policies, a person can be considered as a migrant even when she/he is born in the country.(http://www.unesco.org/new/en/social-and-human-sciences/themes/international- migration/glossary/migrant/)

The Amharic Bible Dictionary almost agrees with the above UNESCO and WIKIPEDIA definitions. It states “one who forcefully emigrated from his birth country and resides in another country” for the migrant, but it identifies migration with tribulations and torments. (Ethiopian Bible Society, 1992: 84)
From these all, it is understood that in addition to the non-unique nature of it, migration in the case of man is the movement of man to different places home or abroad, and for different reasons, forced or voluntarily.

Migration or fleet from home is not an odd phenomenon to the human history and it is not new life in the course of time. The first man, Adam, fled from paradise to the earth but with hope of return and his descendants led their life with different migration from that time till now; the Second Adam, Jesus Christ, again made various fleet that He fulfills or to undo the flight of the first. God willing, I will deal with these issues and the like in the coming parts, in the present “Season of Flower”. You may expect more on the history and life of migration, on the duality of migration, on the migration of the first and Second Adam, on Jesus as a hope of migrants, etc. Till then, I beg you for your prayers that I may uninterruptedly witness the word of God.

O Mary! I am in need of your intercession to participate in your and your Son’s flight that I partake in the grant of the return from migration. I heartily venerate you, the Mother of God, and worship your Son, the Savior of the world; as one who owns you and your Son has not and will not be ashamed forever. Amen!

Source: 

•  Holy Bible, King James Version
•http://www.unesco.org/new/en/social-and-human-sciences/themes/international- migration/glossary/migrant/
•  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_migration
•  መጽሐፍ ቅዱስ፣ የብሉይና የአደስ ኪዱን መጻሕፍት፣ 1962 ዓ/ም፡፡
• የኢትዮጵያ መጽሐፍ ቅዱስ ማኅበር (1992)፣ የመጽሐፍ ቅዱስ መዝገበ ቃላት 6ኛ፣ ባናዊ ማተሚያ ቤት፣ አዱስ አበባ
• ገብረ ሥላሴ ብርሃኑ (2000)፣ መጽሐፈ ሰዓታት ከነምልክቱ ምስለ ኵሉ ጸዋትዊሁ ወባሕረ ሐሳብ፣ አዲስ አበባ

The Eyes of All Wait upon Thee

September 1, 2015
By Kassa Nigus 
The period consists of from August 10 – August 29 in Ethiopian Calendar.  This period is the third sub division of the Ethiopian rainy season comes halfway through the rainy season when the level of rainfall decreases and the   ground gets less moist.

 During this time, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church remembers, in her liturgical services, all living things and islands enclosed by water bodies. This is the time when the soil becomes less moist; the volume of water decreases; the clean earth, the clear sky and the clean water appear; and the earth gets decorated with flowers.  

Ethiopians highlight in their sayings that this period almost signals the end of the rainy season. Birds which hid themselves in the warmth of their nests begin to re-emerge as the rain fades away. And as Solomon the Wise mentioned in his Song, this is a moment when the call of birds is heard: “The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.” (Song 2:12)

During this season, the church praises God with different recitals from Psalms:

“The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou gives them their meat in due season. Thou open thine hand, and satisfy the desire of every living thing.” (Psalms 145:15-16); “Who gives food to all flesh: for His mercy endures forever. O gives thanks unto the God of heaven: for His mercy endures forever.” (Psalms 136:25-26)
   Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is very ready to hear and answer the prayers of his people.  God will give us the rain of our land which is a precious gift for the existence of every creature in the due season.  He satisfies the desire of every living thing by the constant supply of all living creatures with their necessary. This period is recognized by the following names:

 

A. Egule Qu’at (The fowl of crow): This is nominated after the teachings of St. Yared in his hymn saying “… the fowl of crow praise God….”, and the church associates it to the fact that when the eagle has incubated her egg, the fowl appears in the form of flames devoid of tresses. So, being afraid of the color of her little fowl, the mother crow runs away from her fowl.
 
During this time, the fowl feels hungry and opens its mouth so that pests and other insects flow towards its mouth, and then it satisfies itself by eating the flying insects through the generosity of God as it is stated in the following readings: “Who provides for the raven his food? When his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat” (Job 38:41); “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds  them. Are ye not much better than they?” (Matthew 6:26).
 
The fowl of crow symbolizes all flying creatures in the teachings of the genesis. Among the common readings of these days are sited from the verse “who executes judgment for the oppressed: who gives food to the hungry. The Lord looses the prisoners” (Psalms 146:7).

 B. Desseyat (Islands): This is also nominated after the teachings of St. Yared in his hymn saying “The islands are delighted in times of winter.”  Even if the islands are surrounded by water bodies, God saves them and all the creatures living in the islands from the calamities of winter, so they provide praise to their Lord. The church prays for the comfort of all creatures of islands as God saves Noah, his family, and a remnant of all the world’s animals from the flood through the ark, which is the symbol of the church.

 C. Ayne Kulu (The Eyes of All): Farmers patiently wait enduring all the temptations of winter to reap their harvest that is sown in pain (cold weather) of the winter, Christian farmers trust in Lord Jesus Christ that their hope of harvest will be fulfilled. So, the eyes of all wait upon the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

During this period, the church also commemorates the passing away of three of the 22 prominent fathers who lived in the era of the Old Testament. The passing away of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is particularly remembered from 27 August to 29.The list of the 22 prominent fathers of the Old Testament are: Adam, Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah, Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah, Eber, Peleg, Reu, Serug, Nahor, Terah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They are called prominent because Jesus Christ was in their lines of generation. (Gen. 5:1-32; 11:10-29)
 
Hence, this period is also named after Abraham, the most prominent of all the fathers.  The church also highlights Abraham’s obedience and the salvation of Isaac after he was taken to a mountain where he was to be sacrificed.

  Source:

• ‘Hamer’ magazine (5th year, No. 2), 1989 E.C. PP. 6-7

• The liturgical year of the Ethiopian church. Fr. Emmanuel Fritsch, cssp.      2001: 304-305.

 

Lightning and Thunder

July 31, 2015

By Welde Gabriel  

The Ethiopian Orthodox Church uses the terms as lightning, thunder, sea, river and dew to refer to the second sub division of the rainy season that extends from 19 Hamle – 9 Nehase (26 July – 15 August). This is apparently related to the features that characterize the rainy season.

The following verses are among the common readings for this time of year:

ቃለ ወሀቡ ደመናት አሕጻከ ይወፅኡ ፡፡ ቃለ ነጐድጓድከ በሰረገላት ፡፡ አስተርአየ መባርቅቲሁ ለዓለም፡፡ርዕደት ወአድለቅለቀት ምድር ፡: (መዝሙር ፸፮ ፡ ፴፫)

“The clouds poured out water; the skies sent out a sound; your arrows also went abroad. The voice of your thunder was in the heaven; the lightning lightened the world; the earth trembled and shook.” (Psalms 76: 33-36); Luke 10:17-24; Matthew 24:36-51; Mark 6:47-56)

During this time, the church also commemorates the 72 disciples of Jesus. It uses the moment to recount their deeds. The lightning and thunder are mentioned to illustrate the teachings of the disciples who were sent to enlighten the world with their teachings. They were the early students of Jesus, whom He sent out in pairs on a specific mission. ( Luke 10:1–24)

Source:

     •  ‘Hamer’ magazine (5th year, No. 4), 1989. PP. 6-7   

    •  The liturgical year of the Ethiopian church. Fr. Emmanuel Fritsch, cssp.      2001: 304-305

The Word of God in the Rainy Season of Ethiopia

July 8, 2015

By Kassa Nigus 

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church uses all seasons of the year and their peculiar features to illustrate its teachings in analogical and simple way. It seizes every moment and relates it to the lives of people so as to help them learn from the seasons and prepare themselves to be worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church likens the summer season to the life of Christianity. Just as the farmer endures the hardships of the rainy season (cold weather, mud, etc), the church also advises its children to be devout Christians even in the face of tribulations. It encourages them to remain steadfast saying “We shall be ready to accept the calamity upon us for the sake of the Kingdom of God; you shall be alert for prayer, fasting and repentance for the body shall be governed for the need of the soul”. 

 

Biblical words related to rain and sowing are frequently read in the rainy/summer season that we are in. The church cites the following biblical words to highlight its message:   
 

 “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goes forth and weeps, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” (Psalms 126:5-6) 

“Blessed is the man that endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempts he any man.” (James 1:12-13). 
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church categorizes the year into four seasons of three months. These are: 

1. Matsaw (Autumn): the windy season from 26 Meskerem to 25 Tahisas  (6 October up to  January 3)

2. Hagay  ( Winter): the dry season from  26 Tahisas  to  25 Megabit (January 4, up to April 3)

3. Balg (Spring): the sowing season (that of the light rains) from 26 Megabit  to 25 Sene; and (April 4 up to July 2) 

4. Kiremt (summer): the rainy season from 26 Sene to 25 Meskerem E.C.  (July 3, up to October 5 G.C.) 

These four divisions are named after their peculiar features mentioned in the Psalms. Each of them is also divided into further sub-divisions. There are many types of divisions of the rainy season but now let us exploit the common and frequently used categories of the church.

  The first sub division of the rainy season is treated as follows:
 

A. ‘Seed’, ‘Cloud’ and ‘kiremt (rainy season)’:  it  extends from 25 Sene – 19 Hamle (July2 up to July 26 ) 
This period is manly named based on its main features. During this season, the church recites biblical readings pertaining to seed and sowing. It draws many verses from the bible to teach her children. Some of the relevant verses of the time are:
 

“And He spoke many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.” (Mathew 13:3-8); 
 

 “For the earth which drinks in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and brings forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receives blessing from God: But that which bears thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.”   (Hebrew 6:7-8) 
 

The church draws analogies between the lives of Christians and farmland, and urges its children to bear fruit like the seed sown on good ground based on the cited verses. The church regularly advices its children to be a good ground to hear Christ’s message. The good ground received the seed, the word, it took root and grew, meaning it was believed and it produced the fruit of righteousness and obedience.

 
Note: The Date is in Ethiopian calendar. 

Source: 

• ‘Hamer’ magazine (5th year, No. 2), 1989. PP. 6-7   

• Fr. Emmanuel Fritsch, cssp  2001: The liturgical year of the Ethiopian church, pp.304-305