NEBAB #16: The Season of Flowers- ዘመነ ጽጌ (Zemene Tsige)- Week 1
NEBAB #16
The Orthodox Tewahedo Magazine
THE SEASON OF FLOWERS- ዘመነ ጽጌ (ZEMENE TSIGE)- WEEK 1
The Spiritual Education Unit
Ethiopian Orthodox Church
Archdiocese of the Caribbean and Latin America
Zemene Tsige- 1st Week
In this issue:
Theme of this week: tiwediso mer'at (the bride praises Him)
1. The Season of Flowers
2. The Hardships Of Our Holy Virgin Maryam
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
The Season of Flowers
“Nahu aster’aye tsige” - Now the flower has been revealed…
Readers, welcome to one of the most beautiful seasons in our church’s liturgical calendar! And what a privilege it is that this year the season of flowers begins on a Sunday! From Meskerem 26 (October 6) to Hedar 5 (November 14).
This is the season which our church dedicates to the flight of the Holy Family from Bethlehem into Egypt (and other countries, including our beloved country of Ethiopia). In the coming weeks we will learn a lot more about this event and its great historical and spiritual significance to us.
Today, let us examine the flower and its significance and symbolism as it relates to our Lady Mary, the mother of God.
What are the traits of the flower?
Beauty: the beauty of flowers symbolises the Virgin Mary. Rather than physical beauty, however (which will be discussed in a later issue), the beauty we admire in our Mother is that of her pure and kind heart, her love for God and for all His creation- including us.
Complexity: Just as flowers are attractive from afar and become more beautiful when studied up close, so too can we appreciate more the love of our Lady Mary by studying her in detail, as Abba Heryacos says,
“When I think of this, my mind likes to soar in the depths of your Son’s seas… to soar and ascend secretly and draw back the curtains of the Living One… to mount the shoulders of the winds to fly to all the ends of the world…”
Fruit: If our Lady Mary is the flower, then our Lord Jesus Christ is the fruit. Flowers attract us by sight and by smell and the sound of the bees, all so that we can eventually taste their fullness, the fruit they produce. Let those who accuse us of worshipping our mother be silenced! We do not eat flowers, but we know that the flower is the only way to the Fruit.
The Hardships Of Our Holy Virgin Maryam
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, One God Amen.
The hardships of Our Holy Lady the Ever Virgin Maryam began with her parents Hannah and Joachim who were unable to bear children. In Israel this was seen as a great misfortune as the people of Israel were always awaiting the coming of the Messiah among them. It therefore meant that if a woman was barren and unable to produce fruit then she was not chosen or loved by God. This sadness was broken when God healed both Hannah and Joachim through the voice of the Angel Gabriel and brought them the good tidings that they would bear fruit and bring forth Our Lady Virgin Maryam. As an oblation, both Hannah and Joachim gave their child Virgin Maryam to God as promised, and at three years old, she began serving in the temple. The word Maryam meaning “Beloved” or “Bitter”, describes the life and hardships that that she would endure. She was both Chosen and beloved by God but her life was filled with sorrow and disdain shown by others.
When Saint Maryam was betrothed to Saint Joseph and with child, not knowing what to do, and being a righteous man, he sought to “put her away” as he could not explain how she was with child. At the time of birth, both Saint Mary and Saint Joseph found no place in the Inn to deliver the God Man, Jesus Christ, neither was there anywhere for them to stay, so they stayed in a stable, delivering God incarnate with the animals. In the wake of the star, news spread of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ and King Herod was determined to kill the Holy Child, thinking that the Lord Jesus Christ was a worldly king, so the family with Salome, fled to Egypt and there endured very many trials for the sake of the Kingdom. When they reached a village called Basta, they sat under a tree to shelter and the Christ Child was thirsty but Saint Mary could not find water or anyone to give her some because the inhabitants of the village were so unkind. Joseph found a piece of iron, dug the ground which immediately revealed a spring of fresh water. On their way, the Holy Family was attacked. Two thieves left them with nothing. As Saint Mary began to weep, the two thieves watching from afar, began to disagree with one of them regretting and returning what they had stolen. The Family kept moving until Herod died and the Holy Angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, Saying “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead”. Thus the prophecy was fulfilled “Out of Egypt I called my Son” was fulfilled
We too, go through many trials in fulfillment of God’s words and promises so that his testament remains certain. “Let us be made worthy of the calling” as Saint Paul describes. “For many are called but few are chosen.” and “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith”. May we never boast “except in the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to us and us to the world”. All of these are advice that our Father Saint Paul teaches us, by example. Christ shows his love for us by dying on the cross for our sins which is never ending and abiding with us forever. Are we made worthy of this calling? We who are Christians by name? Do we do the same for others? Do we remember the poor? Living a life of humility with understanding? Let Christ and His Mother Virgin Mary show us even during the trials that they themselves have endured, how they bore all things for our sakes. Let us remember these sorrows and the Five Sorrows that Our Holy Lady, that she endured on behalf of her Son Jesus Christ.
May the cross remain powerful in our daily lives and may the Holy Prayers and intercessions of the Saints be with us all in this season of Zemene Tsigue
Faith and Works:
Beautify your faith
This season is a reminder to us of the ways in which the natural beauty of creation serves to help us glorify God, and the purpose of beauty in our Christian lives. During this season here are some small ways we can add beauty to our lives:
Floral arrangements/bouquets: Naturally, this is a main focus during this season. Decorate your church, workplace, home even schools and other common areas with floral arrangements! They don’t have to be expensive, your native wildflowers are waiting for you to get to know them!
Arts: Take this time to develop your skill in the arts, whether by singing hymns, drawing/painting icons, making clothes or decorating for feast days.
Stop and smell the flowers: Just what it says. Take the time to appreciate sunrises, clouds, flowers- all natural beauty!
Ask Abba/Kes
"How do I grow in my spiritual life?"
2 Peter 1:2 When we know God and his Son Jesus Christ, grace and peace will be multiplied.
2 Peter 1:3 When we know God and the Holy Trinity then we will receive everything pertaining to life and to godliness. Through the knowledge of the Holy Trinity.
2 Peter 1:4 When we receive everything pertaining to life and godliness, 3 things will happen: (i) Great and precious promises (ii) Partakers of divine nature (iii) Escaping from corruption in the world.
Many of us see the Church and relationship with God as an activity and not a relationship. The word knowledge above means there is a relationship. Like how “Adam knew his wife”. Saint Peter tell us the importance of having this knowledge (relationship) by developing 8 graces shown in 2 Peter 1.
BIBLE QUIZ!
Where do we find (in 2 Peter:1) 8 graces that will help us grow in faith?
A Miracle of the Holy Virgin Maryam
A miracle [performed] by Our Lady Mary, Twofold Virgin, may her prayer be with her servant Simon, forever and ever, amen. A handsome youth named Zacharias lived in the city of Rome. He was from the royal family. One day he entered the church to pray and he looked at the icon of Our Lady Mary, Twofold Virgin. His heart burned with love for her and he thought of what gift he could please her with. So, he took fifty roses and braided them into a crown on top of the icon. He did this every day until the season of flowers had passed and the roses were all gone. He grieved over this and was at a loss for what to do and what gift to give [now]. Then, he offered her his prostration in place of the roses, but, witnessing her great splendor, he was seized with fear at this [lack, having no roses]. He said to her, “My dear Lady Mary, you know that the season of roses has passed. There’s nothing left for me to bring to you. So, instead, I will say to you every morning, in place of the roses, [the Hail Mary,] ‘May the peace of the angel be with you. Rejoice, full of grace.’ ” He kept on saying this[, the Hail Mary,] until he had grown up.
Later, he traveled to another country. While he was on his journey through a great wilderness, he was afraid of wild animals and robbers. Like this, [as he feared,] robbers and thieves found him. They were habitual vicious killers and murderers, surrounding and destroying everyone they came across in the wilderness. They [secretly] followed this good man called Zacharias, stalking him. Suddenly, he began to recite [the Hail Mary,] the Peace of Our Lady Mary. The ringleader of the robbers crept closer in order to see what this man was doing. But then, when Zacharias turned back around, he saw the robbers stalking him on the road through the wilderness. He stood facing East, made the sign of cross, stretched out his hands, and bowed wholeheartedly to the ground, calling out the name of Our Lady Mary with [the Hail Mary,] the peace prayer. The ringleader was watching, heard what he was saying, and looked up at the very moment when Zacharias bowed. The ringleader witnessed a woman, a queen of great glory, descending from heaven. They[, the angels,] brought a throne for her and she sat upon it in front of that good man Zacharias. He did not cease praying [the Hail Mary,] the Peace of Our Lady Mary, he recited it day and night. Every time he said “Peace be to you!” a rose emerged from his mouth. Our Lady Mary plucked each of them, setting them upon her lap, until she had all fifty roses. Having seen this, the ringleader was amazed. He kept count of the roses she had collected from Zacharias’ mouth. When Zacharias had completed his prayer, Our Lady blessed his face [with the sign of the cross] and placed her hands on his head. She said, “May my beloved Son’s blessings be with you forever, amen.” After she said this, the angels in heaven bowed, saying, “Amen!” Likewise, the righteous, the martyrs, the blessed children, the women saints, all those who were with her, responded, saying, “Amen!” Then, she ascended into the heavens with them, to the joyful cries of countless angels. After the ringleader saw this miracle and wonder, he returned to the wilderness and his fellow robbers, who were violent and murderous thieves. When Zacharias reentered the wilderness, the robbers surrounded and grabbed him.
When the ringleader saw this happening, he rebuked the robbers, saying “Don’t grab and hurt him!” The ringleader pulled Zacharias away and asked him to tell him about his way of living, [that is,] how he lived in this world, and his good actions. Zacharias answered, “I am a sinful man, miserable and poor. I am needy and have done nothing good. I don’t know how to be anything other than that. But, every evening and every morning, I never cease from reciting [the Hail Mary,] the Peace of the Angel to Our Lady Mary, the Twofold Virgin. Because of this, she has rescued me from difficulty and distress.” The ringleader said to Zacharias, “I saw you, when you were in the wilderness, and that you were afraid of the violent robbers. So, I trailed you. Then, I heard the words you said and [saw] you bowing a few times, not [even] a lot. Yet, I saw with my own eyes that the gift of grace was given to you by the Queen of Heaven and Earth because of this little act, this trivial labor. So now I declare to you that, from this day on, I will turn toward repentance, I will do good deeds, I will be called a good man, and I will serve Our Lady Mary, the Twofold Virgin, all of my life.” Likewise, his fellow thieves vowed to be servants of the Mother of Light. As for Father Zacharias, they sent him on his way with honor and he returned to his family safely. But, as for those thieves, they hurried to the pure priest, the Nebura Ed, named Aaron. They had the priest examine them and then repented of their sins. After this, they put on the holy monastic garments and took up the struggle with impure spirits so that the spirits would not tear down the buildings of righteousness that the former thieves had built. Our Lady Mary, the Twofold Virgin, helped them with every action and protected them from Satan’s temptations. When they departed from this world, she let them inherit God’s kingdom and righteousness. May her prayers and her blessings be with her servant Simon forever and ever, amen.
O Holy Virgin Maryam, pray for us!
LIJOCH! The Children's Corner
Memory verse : St Matthew 2 : 13
When they had departed, behold the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said “Rise, take the child and his mother , flee to Egypt,
How many words can u make from the letters :
Z E M E N E T S I G E
ይበል:ግዕዝ (yibel Ge’ez)
Let's reclaim our forefathers’ language
In this season, let’s learn some vocabulary from the ሰላም ዘኪዳን selam zekidan (commonly known as the ተሣሃልከ tesahalke) for Sundays during this season.
ተሣሃልከ እግዚኦ ምድረከ ሃሌሉያ
tesahalke igzee’o midreke haleluya
tesahalke- from the verb ተሣሀለ tesahale- have mercy + ke (see Nebab #14) your = You have mercy
igzee’o- Lord
midreke- midr world + ke yours = your land/people (literally ‘your world’)
haleluya- hallelujah (it is understood that the ‘ya’ in haleluya is the name of God, as given in Psalm 68, and ሀለለ halele means to shout for joy).
Next week we’ll cover the next line, ናሁ አስተርአየ ጽጌ nahu aster’aye tsige.
ORTHODOX Q&A
How Old is the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church?
The history of the Church has its root in the Apostolic Age. From the birth of the Church on the day of Pentecost, to the departure of St. John the Apostle around 100 AD. Our tradition holds that the Ethiopian Eunuch, baptized by the Apostle Philip coming from Jerusalem in 34 AD (Acts 8:26-40), returned to his homeland and shared the Gospel, planting the first seeds of faith on Ethiopian soil. In one of the Homilies of St. John Chrysostom, Ethiopians were also present in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. The Arrival of the Nine Saints to Ethiopia and the conversion of King Ezana, further helped to establish the spread of Christianity. The conversion of King Ezana (approx 330 AD) helped to solidify the faith in Ethiopia, marking Christianity as the official state religion of Aksum and one of the first Christian nations, and 9 Saints later helped to translate the Bible into Ge’ez and to establish monasteries.
Send us your questions at: seu.eotccarla@gmail.com
References
Short message on behalf the Spiritual Education Unit:
His Grace Abune Thaddaeus, Head Administrator Archimandrite Abba Gebreyesus, and all clergy and faithful- thank you for the opportunity to share this labour of love with you. Thanks also to the team of the Spiritual Education Unit for their hard work.
-Liqe Teghuan Tekle Mariam Greene
The Hardships of Our Holy Virgin Maryam
The Life of the Saint of Saints Virgin Mary
Ask Abba/ Kes:
How to Grow in My Spiritual Life - HG Bishop Youssef
Miracle of the Holy Virgin Maryam: pemm.princeton.edu/en-us/stories/153
Orthodox Q&A
CONTACT US:
Archdiocese headquarters: Medhane Alem (Saviour of the World), Old Golden Grove Rd. Arouca, Trinidad and Tobago.
Tel. 868-642-4230.
e-mail: eotc.arch.carla@gmail.com
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