The First Sabbath of “The Great Lent” according to our Holy Church’s teachings is known as “Zewerede” to mean “He Who Comes Down.” Saint Jared’s hymn for this holiday states about The Holy Son Coming from the heavens as He vowed to the first mankind Adam and for the salvation of all human race. (Book of Tsome Deguua)
Mankind’s sins and deceitful act is augmenting as the days go by. People betrayal has become undeniably devious and outrage bringing all sorts of harm, evil and tribulations leading to catastrophic disasters. All the various social, economic and other national or else international chaos, conflicts, flood, earthquake, wildfires and other natural calamitous, are what reveal God’s wrath. His rage upon us, we are on death row.
The mercy of God is enormous; yet, if we are not to hinder our evil and sinful act, so is His fury. Man shall be aware of forsaken deeds in avoiding them and restraining into acting deviously. It was defying God’s word and law what brought death upon humans race to begin with. Still we seize not to contravene the Lord’s order. And now, all our deviousness has reached before Him and brought all the plague on earth.
The people of Nineveh were forgiven for all the sins just by three days fast, and so, we shall fast it in cleansing from all the sins and repenting. We shall understand the mercy of God and hope for His forgiveness and repentance.
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church education states the sixth month “as Yekatit.” Aleka Kidan Wolde Kefilea in his spiritual dictionary says the term is derived from “Ketete” and the phrases “Ketit, Ketitot” and means “the name of a month, the sixth month, the peak of harvest, inclusion, the beginning of autumn.” (Page 515)
Other writers have stated the term as “Yekatit” derived from “Ketit, Ketitot” and says has means “thresh, produce, gather and embed.” They have also said it is the month where the harvest is put into the barn.
Dear Children of God! How are you? How is the second semester final exam? We assume and hope those of you who have been learning and studying well, have passed your exams with good grades. A student does not study at the time of exam or a bit earlier; but, follows the lessons attentively from the beginning, read books, ask teachers questions for something he/she does not understand and also participate at class works and home works.
We forward our caring opinion for those who might have not passed exams or scored poor grades to be active in classrooms, start learning and studying well for the next exams in passing on to the next grade.
Little ones, may we also remind you about the spiritual life that you can live by obtaining Church education attending your local Churches. Good! Now, we will proceed to our lesson which is about love. You might remember our previous lesson on hope. And this section is the following part.
The foundation and culmination of Christian matrimony are rooted in God. In holy matrimony, the two men and woman become one through the holy sacrament. Without entering into a covenant with the One who grants us His Kingdom, starting marriage would be akin to the Old Testament concept of worldly, earthly and fleshly unions. These would exist solely for procreation, fulfilling physical desires, or resolving disputes, making matrimony a mere worldly endeavor. In Christian matrimony, however, these are gifts from God Himself. If we remain steadfast in our faith and live a virtuous life, we are promised the inheritance of the heavenly Kingdom.
Today, the base of earth are shaken; it is now been seen earth full of unbearable tribulations. Like tree that swings, spit fire by being a place unbearable to stand and sleep, and be a horrifying and distressful place. This has become distressful for humans; People are abandoning God and nature. The Lord and nature has raised the whip of their anger.
All these signs are about the end of time; we shall then return back and repent for there is no warrant and bell to wake us up more than these plagues. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the gospel has told us about this time saying, “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Matthew 24:44)
Will is the foundation of thought; a person begins to think about a matter through ones will. In this regard, thought and will are interdependent and share a harmonious and complementary meaning. Matrimony, in its essence, is a covenant, an agreement established between two parties. Managing a household, for example, is a covenant (agreement) based on will. Since the Matrimony covenant is founded on mutual consent, its ultimate purpose transcends this world and finds its fulfillment in the Kingdom of Heaven, where we place our hope.
The word of God’s expansion to the world is the highest and foremost honored service to keep and adhere. Gospel has been expanded in this globe variously accord its historic development in religious order and command of the Lord.
The fifth month of the Ethiopian Liturgical Calendar year is known as “Tir.” Aleka Kidan Wolde Kiflea in his spiritual dictionary has stated the definition of the word Tir. According to the stated definition, the term is derived from the Geeze words “Ter, Teyero, Teyere, (Teriaa, Yiteree, Tsireha), which means “calling, shouting, saying yes.” (Book of Sewasew Wegese Wemezegbe Kalate Hadis, page 510). Tir is the name of the month, which is found between Tahesas and Yekatit.
On this season, “The Age of Aster’eyo” is commemorated. The word of the meaning is “revelation.” Holy Church celebrates this season specifically amongst other feasts. This is occasion that the revelation of Holy Trinity, The revelation of Heavenly Father by the human flesh for the salvation of the world, and heavenly mysteries were revealed and thus is called as such.
Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.”
Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.