The Covenant of Mercy Kidane Mehret (ኪዳነ ምሕረት)

Yekatit 16 / February 23 – The Covenant of Mercy – Kidane Mehret (ኪዳነ ምሕረት)

Kidane Mehret is a Ge'ez phrase meaning the Covenant of Mercy, which is celebrated on 16 Yekatit / February 23. According to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church tradition and order, the Feast of Kidane Mehret is one of the 33 Feasts of Holy Virgin Saint Mariam. On this day Our Holy Mother received the Covenant of Mercy from her Son Eyesus Kristos as was written in the Holy Book of Te'amire Mariam.

Psalm 89:3

“ I have made a covenant with my chosen”

The Covenant of Mercy From the Book of the Miracles Saint Mariam

(Te’amire Mariam)

One day our Lord and Savior Eyesus Kristos said unto Holy Virgin Mariam, "What sorrow can be greater than that which came upon thee for My sake?" And our Lady Mariam said unto Him, "O my Lord and God, there were Five Sorrows that came upon me for Thy sake, and they overcame me mightily.

1. The First of them was that which came upon me when Simeon prophesied concerning Thee in the Sanctuary, saying that the Jews would slay Thee.

2. The Second was the sorrow I endured when I lost Thee in the Sanctuary, and I was seeking for Thee for three days.

3. The Third was the sorrow I endured when I remembered how they had bound Thee hand and foot, and how Pilate's men scourged Thy back.

4. The Fourth was the sorrow I endured when they crucified Thee between two thieves on the day of the Eve of the Sabbath, and Thou wast naked, and they drove five nails through Thy flesh.

5. The Fifth sorrow I endured when I remembered how Joseph and Nicodemus took Thee down from the Cross, and swathed Thee in fine linen, and laid Thee in the tomb."

And our Lord said unto her who had given Him birth, "Thus saith our Father Who is in heaven: Whosoever shall keep in remembrance the sorrows and sufferings which have come upon thee for My sake, and the salutation of Gabriel, I will remit to him his sins. And whosoever shall give an offering for thy name's sake I will remit to him his sins, and I will make him to inherit the kingdom of heaven. And I will come unto him with thee, O thou who didst give Me birth, and I will appear to him three days before his death." This was the Covenant, which Christ made with His Holy Mother, and She told it unto Dexius, who wrote it down, together with Her Miracles, so that all believers might read it.

May Kidane Mehret's prayer and blessing be with us forever and ever. Amen!

Simeon The Elder [ስምኦን አረጋዊ]

On the island of Faso, near Alexandria, at 80 years old, Simeon was one of the scholars elected to translate the Old Testament books from Hebrew into Greek. Simeon was a devote old man assigned to translate the Book of Isaiah. When he arrived at the seventh chapter of the fourteenth verse it stated;

Isaiah 7:14

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel.”

He wondered how a virgin would conceive and bare a Son! He thought; "If I do interpret saying a virgin shall conceive and bare a son, the king of the Gentiles will not trust and believe what is described in this book." Then he instead wrote down “a daughter(maiden) of Israel would conceive and bear a Son!” But the Holy Angels came twice and changed the words back to "a Virgin shall conceive and bare a Son." When Simeon woke up from his sleep for the third time and tried to change the words back again, he learnt from the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he has seen the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy.

On Yekatit 8 / February 16, baby Eyesus Kristos was brought into the temple by His Mother, the Holy Virgin Saint Mariam and Saint Joseph to offer a sacrifice according to the law of the Lord [Leviticus 12:1-6].

As soon as the 330-year-old Simeon took baby Eyesus Kristos up in his arms, he became a 30-year-old young man and then he started praising God.

Luke 2:29-30

“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss[a] your servant in peace.

For my eyes have seen your salvation,”

The Fast of Nineveh - የነነዌ ፆም

The Fast of Nineveh is a three-day fast recognized by the Orthodox Tewahedo Church. This fast lasts from Monday to Wednesday, two weeks before the beginning of the Great Lent. The dates of this fast vary every year according to the date of Easter(Fasika).

The scriptures not only teaches us to fast and pray but also provide us examples of people who fasted and prayed and received their reward.

The Ninevites trembled at the voice of Jonah the son of Mattay, and took refuge in penitence. They admitted their sin and humbled themselves before God with fasting and prayer.

Jonah 3: 5-9

"5 The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.

6 When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. 7 This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh:

“By the decree of the king and his nobles:

Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. 8 But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. 9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”

10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened."

Our Lord Eyesus Kristos spoke of Jonah’s time spent in the belly of a large fish as the only sign he was prepared to give to the unbelieving Jews when they seek from him answers and to show them more miracles.

Matthew 12: 38-40

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Glory be to Medhanealem Our Lord and Savior forever, amen!

Aster’eyo Mariam - አስተርዮ ማርያም

The commemoration of the death of Our Holy Mother Saint Virgin Mariam

Aster’eyo - አስተርዮ is a Ge’ez word meaning appearance or manifestation. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church commemorates the death of Our Holy Mother Saint Virgin Mariam. The Apostles commanded that, “all Christians should celebrate her commemoration in the month of Terr; on the day of her death, Terr 21 / January 30. The term ‘Aster’eyo’ is related more to the fact that God came with thousands of His Holy Angels to comfort Our Holy Mother Virgin Mariam at the time of her death, as is recorded in the Synaxarium. Here are some details of her life:

• Born on Genbot 1 / May 9

• 3 years and 7 months in her parents house

• 12 years spent in the temple serving God

Psalm 45:10

“Listen, O daughter, consider and incline your ear; forget your own people also, and your father’s house; ”

• 34 years and three months in Saint Joseph's house

• 14 years lived with St. John the Divine

John 19:27

“Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home”

In total, Our Holy Mother Virgin Mariam's life on earth was 64 years.

As the Holy Spirit informed Our Holy Virgin Mariam that she was about to depart from this world, she prayed saying, "My Lord and my God, Eyesus Kristos, hearken unto my prayer, and accept my petition and bring unto me thy disciples so that I may see them and be blessed by them before I go out from this world.” Before her prayer was ended, a cloud of light snatched them away in the Holy Spirit wherever they were. Some while they were preaching and some of them from being asleep! They were set before the holy and pure Virgin Mariam; and the blessed Disciples of Our Lord and Savior said to her, "Rejoice, O holy Virgin, for our Lord and God Who was born of thee shall translate thee from this world with great glory."

When her only son, Our Lord and Savior Eyesus Kristos, came with thousands of Holy Angels to receive her soul, a great light filled that place. There came forth a beautiful sweet fragrance and a voice came from heaven saying, "Blessed art thou, O blessed Queen of women."

The Holy Spirit said unto the Apostles, "Take Holy virgin Mariam, and carry her to Gethsemane.” They took her and seated her upon the couch and sang hymns.

Many Jews who saw the miracles gathered together and said unto Tafonya, “We know that you are strong. Now go and seize the couch of Mariam. Throw it on the ground and we will burn her body in the fire so that the disciples may not imagine that they have overcome the men of Jerusalem.” Then Tafonya rose up and stretched out his hand to break the couch. At that moment, the Angel of God came down and smote him with a sword of fire, and cut off his two hands and arms up to the shoulders, and they were hanging upon the couch. Tafonya regretted his evil deed. He wept bitterly and cried out to the Apostles, saying to them, "Have mercy upon me.” The Apostles answered, “Ask the Mother of God, whose couch you wish to break.” Tafonya said, “O Holy Virgin Mariam, Mother of God, have compassion upon me.” Our Merciful Mother answered and said unto Peter, “Let these limbs be restored to him.” Then Peter reattached his hands to his body in the name of Our Lord Eyesus Kristos, and in the name of Our Mother Virgin Mariam, the Holy woman.

Our Lord did not leave the body of His Holy Mother in this world but brought her with clouds of light into Paradise; the Garden of Delight with Saint John the Divine. There, He laid her down until the time of her resurrection (Nahashi 14 / August 20) and ascension (Nahashi 16 / August 22).

Psalm 45:9-11

“Kings' daughters were among thy honourable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir”. Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father's house; So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him.

Saint John the Divine returned to the Mount of Sinai, being carried upon the clouds to the Apostles. And the Apostles commanded in one voice that all Christians should celebrate her commemoration in the month of Terr, on the day of her death.

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church honors and venerates Our Holy Virgin Mariam as more honorable than the Cherubim and more glorious and without compare to the Seraphim. Our Holy Mother Mariam's name is mentioned in every service, and her intercession before the throne of God is requested.

Our Holy Mother Mariam is preeminent in honor and intercession from all saints. Other women are honored for giving birth to prophets, saints and martyrs. But Our Holy Mother Mariam is honored as the Mother of God. Therefore, the honor accorded to Saint Mariam is below the Creator and above all His creations. As the Blessed Elizabeth witnessed "filled with the Holy Spirit".

Luke 1:42

“And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb”.

In the story of Jacob, Saint Mariam is a symbol of the ladder; who by giving birth to Christ, made the inhabitants of the earth reach heaven.

Genesis 28:12

“And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.”

The Golden Censer of Aaron: The censer symbolizes the womb of Our Holy Mother Mariam. The fire symbolizes Our Lord and Savior Eyesus Kristos.

Hebrews 12:29

“Our God is a consuming fire”

As Noah’s Ark became the cause of saving the human race from extinction, our Lady is also the cause of God’s act of redemption by giving birth to the Savior Messiah.

The prayer and intercession of Holy Virgin Mariam, Mother of God, be with us now and at the hour of our death. AMEN.