NEBAB #38: Lent Week 8: Hosanna/Palm Sunday
NEBAB #38
The Orthodox Tewahedo Magazine
LENT WEEK 8: ሆሳዕና - HOSANNA (PALM SUNDAY)
The Spiritual Education Unit
Ethiopian Orthodox Church
Archdiocese of the Caribbean and Latin America
In this issue:
Gospel:
St Matt. 21:1-17
St Mark 11:1-11
St Luke 19:28-44
St John 12:12-18
1. Let us go also that we may die with Him
2. From His Hosanna
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 21:5
Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.
Our Lord Jesus Christ- let babies and infants perfect the praise of His name- sat on a donkey as He entered Jerusalem. This unassuming donkey, a humble animal, was suddenly the most honoured beast in all creation! [In that moment the donkey became like the cherubim who carry the throne of God in the kingdom of heaven]. In the centuries to come, Christians would be known to put terror in the hearts of kings by the unwavering courage with which they endured abuse for His name's sake. Their courage was not a product of their own greatness, but it was by the greatness of the One who sat on them.
He sat not on a horse- galloping along faster than we can follow- but on a donkey, so that we can catch up to Him, be with Him and follow Him. He sat not on a great horse- high above the heads of even the tallest people- but on a small donkey, putting Himself at eye level with us. He sat not on a horse- charging in for war- but on a donkey, declaring that now is the time for Peace to reign. He sat not on a magnificent horse- but on a lowly, humbled donkey, so that if we are meek and lowly like the donkey, He will sit on us and we will inherit the earth. He sat on a donkey, not so that He would benefit from being carried- He who in his hand carries all of creation- but so that the donkey would benefit, being glorified by her Master.
May we hear the words of life!
Let us go also that we may die with Him
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 Sunday is named Hosanna, and it begins the week of our Lord's suffering or Passion Week. Let us prepare for the coming week.
At the end of the Palm Sunday festivities, Tselote Fihtat - The Prayers for the Dead are done, because during Passion Week there are no prayers for the dead. Anyone who dies during Passion Week is prayed for on Palm Sunday (in this way you can attend your own funeral- since you do not know when you will die, those prayers could be for you!)
After the joyous feast of Hosanna we enter the week of suffering- Semune Himamat, during which we gather in church as much as possible to pray special prayers from the book of Gibre Himamat (The Works/Acts of [His] Suffering). Gibre Himamat contains prayers, readings and hymns for every hour of the day. There are many other works which comprise our Passion Week prayers such as Te'amire Iyesus - The Miracles of Jesus, Leha Mariam - The Sorrows of Mary, Melk'a Himamat - [praises offered to] The Image of The Suffering.
During this week, the long fasting and many prostrations weaken our bodies, and by this we participate in the suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ. We sing κύριε ελέησον / ኪርያላይሶን / Kyrie Eleison - Lord have mercy!
The Divine Liturgy is not done from Monday, after Palm Sunday, instead the prayers of each hour include many prostrations and readings, until Thursday, when Holy Communion is celebrated again.
Stay tuned for the next magazine in which we will discuss the traditions of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Unobserved Saturday.
From His Hosanna
As the Bible is the Liturgy concealed, and the Liturgy is the Bible revealed, let us learn the significance of our Lord's triumphant entry into Jerusalem from the Anaphora of St Gregory (of Nyssa):
The priest says-
"From His hosanna He showed miracles and wonders which have never been done before and will never happen again"
Elijah raised Jonah and Elisha's bones raised the man thrown into his grave, but who has risen from the dead by His own authority, will and power- except our Lord? Peter was released from jail by an angel, Paul and Silas were freed by an earthquake, but who has broken the chains of death and thrown open the doors of Sheol/Hades/hell- except our Lord?
"From His hosanna He showed grace and power, came down from His great throne without being moved from the foundation of His house"
Our Lord showed them a great miracle, riding in both the mother ass and her colt at the same time, showing His omnipresence. He walked among us, hungered and slept, while at no time did He cease to be the Sustainer and Director of the universe.
"From His hosanna He granted the sinners a spring of tears so He may justify the wicked and purify the filthy and bring back those who sinned through ignorance"
The old donkey- a symbol of the Jews who knew Him before and sinned against Him (as we baptised Christians do), and the new donkey- a symbol of the Gentiles who never knew Him and sinned in ignorance (like those unbelievers who are not baptised); our Lord unites both in His church.
"From His hosanna He granted the blind light which cannot be extinguished again and which the world cannot find. He knows before one thinks, examines before one thinks, and nothing is hidden from Him"
He knew that many who cried 'Hosanna' on Sunday would cry 'Crucify Him' on Friday. Yet on Friday on the cross He said 'Father forgive them'.
And the people say-
"Hosanna in the highest, hosanna in the highest, hosanna in the highest"
Faith and Works:
Toward the cross
Passion Week is the most solemn time of the Christian calendar. During this week, we increase our prayer, fasting and prostration. All of it connects us to our Lord and His suffering. As one of the major themes of this week is remembrance/memorial, let us keep these things in mind.
Prayer: Our Lord, perfect God and perfect man, spent much time in prayer for His creation, the children of men. Being Himself the Unity of the nature of God and the nature of humanity, He still prayed to God the Father, to teach us that we should never tire of talking to our God. When we stand in prayer, remember that our Lord was made to stand before Pilate on our behalf, no one offering Him a staff to lean on or a bench to sit on. When we kneel, remember that our Lord's knees were bruised and bleeding on our behalf when He walked to Golgotha. When we are uncomfortable in the heat, remember that our Lord's sweat fell like drops of blood in Gethsemane.
Fasting: When we fast, we are supposed to taste the bitter bile of an empty mouth, to remind us of the gall mixed with myrrh which our Lord was given to drink. When our stomach growls, let us remember how the earth herself cried out and shook violently when her Creator was crucified. When our stomach pains us, let us remember that our Lord was pierced with a spear on our behalf.
Prostration: When we go down in prostration, let us remember how our Lord fell when He carried His cross, how He was made to stand again, and how He fell again. When we rise up, let us hope to rise with Him in the resurrection on the last day. When we cross ourselves, let us remember our father Adam, whose arms were crossed in death, waiting for the Hope of Life to come and bring him out of the grave.
Ask Abba/Kes
"Was Christ literally riding on both the ass and the colt at the same time?"
Yes, He was. He did this to show Jerusalem His omnipresence. He did this to show even the little children His divinity (Anaphora of St Gregory v. 46). He did this great miracle, and it condemned the Jews who continued in unbelief- surely seeing this miracle should have been enough to convince the Jews that He was truly the Messiah!
BIBLE QUIZ!
Which Old Testament king prefigured the Hosanna, as people put down their clothes for him to walk on, declaring him king? (Check 2nd Kings 9)
A Miracle of the Holy Virgin Maryam
A miracle performed by Our Lady Mary Mariham, the Twofold Holy Virgin, may her prayer and her blessing be with us, amen.
In the city of Sebkahad in the land of Egypt there was a church dedicated to Our Lady Mary Mariham, the Twofold Holy Virgin. One day thieves came [to the church] at night. They broke the windows of the church and took the treasures. Carrying the treasure, they left the city.
The thieves reached the outskirts of the city to cross the Nile. While they were crossing the river, the floodwaters rose up against them because this was the rainy season and the Nile was not full, rather it was dry. When the waters rose up against them, the thieves were terrified. They discussed the situation. They wanted to cross the river from the island before midnight, but their hearts faltered. Then [instead] they wanted to take another route. So they went to see the judge in his house, carrying the church treasures. The judge tricked them. He asked them: “What is this that you are carrying?”
When he interrogated the thieves, they confessed [to their deed]: “We have stolen from the church of some city.”
Then the judge took all the treasures from them. But he wanted to keep the treasures for himself.
One of the thieves had been separated from the rest. He walked around carrying his portion of the church treasures. While he was walking, Our Lady Mary Mariham, the Twofold Holy Virgin, led him to the church that he had robbed earlier. He was carrying a silver platter and a chalice. He entered the church without noticing it. When he realized [what had happened], he wanted to flee. At once, Our Lady Mary Mariham, the Twofold Holy Virgin, grabbed him and hung him upside down from the palm trees in the church courtyard. She hung the platter and the chalice by the thief’s neck. He shouted loudly.
Then the people of the city heard his shouts. The Muslims and the Christians gathered together. They all saw him hanging upside down, with the platter and chalice dangling from his neck. As soon as they saw them, they recognized them as the church treasures. The priests and deacons entered the church with haste. They found the windows broken and the church treasures gone.
When the Muslims saw what had happened, they were amazed and said: “Truly, the lady of this church is in this house.”
Once morning came, the people lowered that thief and brought him to the judge who had previously arrested his fellow thieves. The judge took the [remaining] church treasures from him. The people said to the judge: “ Interrogate him for us to see what remains of the church treasures.”
The judge took the thief from them, saying: “ I will interrogate him. As for you, take the platter and the chalice, and go. Don’t be upset.”
The people went in peace, unaware of the judge’s deceit, because it was him who had taken the treasures the thieves stole from the church and he had appropriated things from others as well. The judge left all of this out. The people left, but the Christians among them stayed. Turning back to the judge, they said: “Interrogate this thief for us and make him return the church treasures.”
But the judge retorted: “I will certainly question him thoroughly.”
Though he spoke to them like this, the affair lingered.
Then, one night Our Lady Mary Mariham, the Twofold Holy Virgin appeared to that judge and poked in his right side. She said to him: “I am Mary, the Lady of the church from which the thieves stole the treasures. The people brought the thieves to you to condemn them for me and to return my treasures. Also previously you have glorified yourself. So now return my treasures to their place and make the thieves describe everything that happened to them. If you do not do what I have told you then I will bring terrible punishment upon you and the people of your house.”
When the judge heard her, he was terrified and trembled, saying: “My dear Lady Mary Mariham, the Twofold Holy Virgin, I will do everything you have commanded me.”
After she had spoken to him, she disappeared. That judge [stayed awake and] waited until morning. When morning came, the judge and his children got up, took all the treasures and went to the church. They also took the thieves with them. They entered the church and summoned the Christians and Muslims. The judge told them everything that had happened to him about taking the previously confiscated church treasures.
Then he told the thieves: “Tell everything that has happened to you.”
And the thieves described everything that had happened to them, from beginning to end. After the Muslims heard this, they were astonished and amazed. They said: “Truly you are the Mother of Light, just as the Christians say.”
As for the judge, he had [previously] sold the church treasures, but [now] he surrendered them to the Christians. They entered the church rejoicing and celebrating. They were praising, signing, and prostrating in front of the icon Our Lady Mary Mariham, the Twofold Holy Virgin, Mother of God. They praised her a great deal.
The Muslims also stayed to venerate that church. They found rest in it.
May the prayer and blessing of Our Lady Mary Mariham, the Twofold Holy Virgin, be with us forever and ever amen.
O Holy Virgin Maryam, pray for us!
LIJOCH! The Children's Corner
Memory verse: Psalm 118: 26
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. We have blessed you out of the house of the Lord.
ይበል:ግዕዝ (yibel Ge’ez)
Let's reclaim our forefathers’ language
This week, let us explore a very important word-
ደለወ
delewe
In its primary sense, delewe means to weigh. Developing from this, it can take on another less literal sense, meaning to be suitable, correct, useful, or even necessary. When an object pronoun is added, it means to be worthy of, due to or entitled to. This gives us words we might recognise like:
ይደልዎ yideliwo - worthy
ኢይደልዎ eeyideliwo - unworthy (see Nebab #34)
ይደልዎሙ yideliwomu - it is fitting (to them) as in ይደልዎሙ ለአብ ወወልድ ወመንፈስ ቅዱስ yideliwomu le'ab we weld we menfes qidus - it is fitting to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit
Delewe also gives us the word አስተዳለወ astedalewe - to make ready or worthy, to prepare or establish. Ge'ez has an interesting property where sometimes the letter ወ we can become the vowel ኦ o. In this case, አስተዳለወ astedalewe can become አስተዳሎ astedalo (this is a simple sound change, it doesn't affect meaning or grammar) Adding the suffix -ከ -ke (see Nebab #14), we get አስተዳሎከ astedaloke - you prepare/establish. This word is found in the ምስባክ misbak - Psalm before the Gospel of Palm Sunday.
እምአፈ ደቂቅ ወሕፃናት አስተዳሎከ ስብሐተ።
በእንተ ጸላኢ።
ከመ ተንስቶ ለጸላኢ ወለገፋዒ።
Im'afe deqiq wehitsanat astedaloke sibhate
Be'inte tsela'ee
Keme tensito letsela'ee welegefa'ee
From the mouths of children and infants You have prepared glory/established strength
Because of the enemy
In order to silence the enemy and the oppressor/tyrant
ORTHODOX Q&A
"Why do you walk around your church on Palm Sunday?"
This procession- or going around- is an order of heavenly worship which Our Lord Jesus Christ taught His disciples. We can see it in heaven in Revelation 7:9-11, and while the English Bible says that the people clothed in white with palms in their hands cried 'Salvation', we can see that the Greek word St John used- σωτηρία soteria - deliver, heal, save, is the same as the cry of 'Hosanna', a Hebrew word with the same meaning. In our liturgy we remember how our Lord showed this great heavenly worship to His disciples, in the Anaphora of St Gregory v. 47.
Priest: He showed His disciples the manner of going around with the Hosanna; and the Blessed said unto them, Say, crying with a loud voice, Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the highest, hosanna in the highest, hosanna in the highest. The people shall repeat his words while going round.
Send us your questions at: seu.eotccarla@gmail.com
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
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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