NEBAB #8: Lent Week 8- Hosaena

    NEBAB #8

The Orthodox Tewahedo Magazine

LENT WEEK 8: HOSAENA (ሆሣዕና)

The Spiritual Education Unit

Ethiopian Orthodox Church

Archdiocese of the Caribbean and Latin America

8th Week of Lent: Hosaena

In this issue:

Gospel: St Matthew 21:1-13    St Mark 11:1-11    St Luke 19:28-44    St John 12:12-19

    1. Hosaena

    2. "If these should hold their peace..."

    3. Faith and works

    4. “Ask Abba/Kes”

    5. A Miracle of the Holy Virgin Maryam

    6. Children’s corner

    7.ይበል ግዕዝ 

    8. Orthodox Q&A

Commentary on the Gospel:

St Matthew 21:1-7

In Matthew’s account of the entry into Jerusalem, we are told that our Lord sent two of His disciples: we are taught that these were St Peter and St John, the eldest and youngest, representing the Old and New Testaments, to untie a donkey and her colt. And if anyone asks the significance of this, it is as follows: The old donkey represents the Jews, her colt the Gentiles. And here is the first miracle of Hosaena- that our Lord was seen riding on both the mother and the colt at once! So are we taught that the same law and grace of God is given to both Jew and Gentile. And again, our Lord shows us the nature of His union with us: He did not put a saddle of wood or leather on the donkeys- comfortable for the rider but uncomfortable for the wearer- but covered them with clothes- comfortable for both. Our Lord treated that old, abused and worn down donkey with tender care, and did not push the young colt past his ability, but nurtured the young one as a true Father. Come, you who have been abused and worn down by the world! Come, you young inexperienced ones at the beginning of your journey! Come sing Hosanna and greet the Lord who brings you into the heavenly Jerusalem- His church! Hosanna in the highest! Hosanna in the highest! Hosanna in the highest!

May we hear the word of life!

ሆሣዕና/ Hosanna (Ho-sa-e-na) 

The 8 weeks of The Great Fast, also known as Lent, have names and themes laid out in St Yared’s Tsome Digua. The eighth is named Hosaena (written as Hosanna in English)- meaning “Save us!”, literally referring to our Lord as our Medicine or Cure.

 This is the celebration of Our Lord's humble entrance into the city of Jerusalem riding on a donkey, while the crowds were scattering their garments before Him and waving their palm branches. Palm Sunday is significant for all Christians because it marks the beginning of Holy Week. That very important day when Our Lord and Saviour Eyesus Kristos began His journey toward the Cross. On this day according to The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church's tradition, clergies distribute blessed palm branches to the congregation. Believers on the other hand will make small crosses with the blessed palm leaves and tie them to their heads or make them into rings.

-Extract from Keraneyo Medhane Alem

“...the stones would immediately cry out.”

(St Luke 19:40)

Our Lord’s words to the Pharisees are often regarded as a teaching about the miraculous power of God and the inevitability of His will- and this is correct! However, there is another message we must take from this saying, a law for Christians- that we must never be the reason the rocks cry out.

There is a temptation to remain silent, just to see God bring words of praise out of the rocks. Beloved readers, do not test God! What a great shame, what a severe indictment of us it would be, if the rocks cried out! Let us rather make a noise greater than the cry of the rocks, louder than the rumbling of the earth! Let all the nations know that those who serve the King of Heaven and Earth will lift up our voices until He comes again! But how do we know if we are loud enough?

Which of the elders or children of Jerusalem were singing Hosanna in their minds? They opened their mouths and spoke! They joined in the praises, not simply murmuring along while the congregation sang, but each person raised his or her voice high to praise the King of the Highest Heaven- not in competition, but in harmony. Beloved, take these things to heart.

And which of the people stayed in their homes and sang Hosanna? They gathered in the place where our Lord was! Is God everywhere? Indeed He is- and if the God who fills all places sets aside a place to go and worship Him, what will He say to those who did not go? Beloved, do not be deceived, and take these things to heart.

Let us be the babes and infants out of whose mouths God orders praise! Let us be the ones in every generation who call our Holy Lady blessed! Take these things to heart… 

Faith and works:

Live a Hosanna life

Hosanna for us means glorifying God with all we have. It means lifting up our voices and cutting down palms from the trees and even putting down the clothes from our backs to glorify God.

The people of Jerusalem who sang “Hosanna to the King of Israel” on Sunday shouted “We have no king but Caesar” on Friday. Will we be pious and holy during this week and then become worldly after the Resurrection? God forbid!

This week’s challenge is a bit different:

The challenge this time is to come up with an answer to the question: “If I became more holy during the fast, how do I avoid becoming less holy after the fast?” Talk to your priests and your brothers and sisters. Make this your meditation both now and after the fast. Let’s not let our fruitful lives become choked by weeds and thorns.

Ask Abba/Kes

What is the significance of our Lord riding on a donkey? 

In the Old Testament, prophets would demonstrate the state of the nation as such: in times of peace they would ride a donkey and hold a horse-hair fly whisk which we call chira, and in times of war they would ride a horse and carry a spear.

Our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ is the King of Peace, and His riding a donkey teaches us that the war is over and peace has come to stay.

BIBLE QUIZ!

What is the name of the man who rode a donkey and was surprised- not that it talked- but by what it said to him?

 

A Miracle of the Holy Virgin Maryam

There was a certain man in the country of Fenke whose name was Barok. He was a depraved man who performed no good acts of any kind, and all the people hated him. But he loved Our Holy Lady, the Virgin Mary, with a ready heart and a determined mind. He used to keep the fast of Nahase because of his love for her, and on the festival of her death he rejoiced exceedingly. It was his custom to prepare a feast for the poor and the needy, the old and the young, male and female. 

One day certain men who hated him met him on the highway. They stoned him and beat him with cudgels until his body was a mass of bruised and bleeding flesh. But they were not able to drive his soul out of him; and although they attacked him fiercely with swords, he did not die.

Then Barok said to them, “Even if you chop my body into little pieces I shall not die, for my Lady Mary keeps watch over me. She protects me at all times and will deliver me from your hands. When they heard his words, they all took to flight. Then Barok made his way to the priest and received the Holy Mysteries.

At that moment the light of life rose upon him, and he died. Our Holy Lady, the Virgin Mary, received his soul and placed it in the Garden of Joy [i.e., paradise]. Those who had beaten him repented with tears and sorrow [and turned] to Our Lady Mary, Holy Twofold Virgin, the Mother of God.

O Mary, just as you delivered Barok, the “depraved man,” from the spear,

And preserved him for his repentance and obedience,

So too do you preserve me,

Always in a state of safety, O Lady, so that I do not sin—

And even if I commit sin, let your mercy come to me.

O Holy Virgin Maryam, pray for us!

LIJOCH! The Children's Corner

MEMORY VERSE- ST JOHN 12:13:

 THEY TOOK PALM BRANCHES AND WENT OUT TO MEET HIM, SAYING, “HOSANNA!” BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!” BLESSED IS THE KING OF ISRAEL!”

ይበል:ግዕዝ (yibel Ge’ez)

Let's reclaim our forefathers’ language

This week, we focus on a preposition (a word that relates one idea to another). We will learn the word በ. Like ወ, the word for and, በ (pronounced like the ‘be’ in ‘bed’) is attached to the front of a word and means in/of.

ሆሣዕና በዓርያም

Hosaena bearyam

means Hosanna in the highest, while

ሕፃናት በኢየሩሳሌም

Hiṣanat beiyerusalem

means the children of Jerusalem

It's not one word with 2 meanings, it's one word that can be translated differently depending on the context.

Ge’ez words of the day

አዕሩግ (a’irug)     ~     ሕዝብ (hizbi)     ~     ሕፃናት (hiṣanat)

elders people children

ORTHODOX Q&A

Why do you all pray like Muslims?

Prostration is an ancient traditional part of praying to God and long predates Muslims, being practised by Abraham (Gen 18:2). Muslims claim Abraham as their father, so prostration is a part of their practice as well, but given the order of events, it is better to say that Muslims pray like Orthodox Christians! 

 

Why do you all burn incense when you pray? Is that Biblical?

We offer sweet smelling incense to God and with it our prayers, the rising of the smoke is like the rising up to heaven of our prayers. Christians received the order of offering incense from God, it is done in the Old and New Testaments, in heaven and on earth, by men and angels (Lev 10:1, 1 Sam 2:28, Luke 1:9, Rev 8:3-4) 

 

Send us your questions at: seu.eotccarla@gmail.com

References

Hosaena: Keraneyo Medhane Alem (keraneyo-medhanealem.com/post/hosanna-ሆሳዕና-palm-sunday)

Miracle of Holy Virgin Maryam: Princeton Ethiopian Miracles of Mary Project (pemm.princeton.edu/stories/140)

CONTACT US:

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Tel. 868-642-4230.

e-mail: eotc.arch.carla@gmail.com

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