Addis Ethiopia Weblog

Ethiopia's World / የኢትዮጵያ ዓለም

  • June 2023
    M T W T F S S
     1234
    567891011
    12131415161718
    19202122232425
    2627282930  
  • Archives

  • Categories

  • Recent Posts

Posts Tagged ‘Genna’

Something Unknown Dropped From The Roof at The US Capitol | Fallen Angel? | Christmas Day Mystery

Posted by addisethiopia / አዲስ ኢትዮጵያ on January 9, 2023

የሉሲፈራውያኑ ነፃ-ግንበኞች/ ፍሪሜሰኖች ማዕከል በሆነችዋ ዋሽንግተን ዲ.ሲ፤ በዩኤስ ካፒቶል ሕንፃ ውስጥ ከጣሪያው ላይ ያልታወቀ ነገር ወረደ | የወደቀ መልአክ? | ወደ 666ቱ የሚጠቁመን የገና ቀን ምስጢር በአሜሪካ

የኦርቶዶክስ ገና፣ ፳፰፳፱ ታኅሣሥ ፳፻፲፭

  • ያልታወቀ ነገር በዩኤስ ካፒቶል ካለው ጣሪያ ላይ ወድቋል
  • የኬቨን ማካርቲ ጨረታ ለሃውስ አፈ ጉባኤ ታሪክ ሰራ
  • ብራዚል፡ የቀድሞው ፕሬዚደንት የቦልሶናሮ ደጋፊዎች የብራዚሊያን ካፒቶልን ወረሩት

የኦርቶዶክስ ገና፣ ፳፰፳፱ ታኅሣሥ ፳፻፲፫

  • የትራምፕ ደጋፊዎች የዩኤስ ካፒቶልን በመውረር ከፖሊስ ጋር ግጭት ፈጠሩ

❖ Orthodox Christmas, 6-7 January 2023

  • ☆ Unidentified Object Falls From The Roof at The US Capitol
  • ☆ Kevin McCarthy’s Bid For House Speaker Made History
  • ☆ BRAZIL: Bolsonaro supporters STORM CAPITAL

❖ Orthodox Christmas, 6-7 January 2021

  • ☆ Trump Supporters Storm U.S. Capitol, Clash With Police

😈 Freemasonry and the Spirit World

👉 Inside The Dome of Capitol Building Washington’s Apotheosis

Freemasonry is based on symbolism, the chief one being the square and compass. Nearly everyone knows that it represents Freemasonry and is often included on signboards at the entrances to towns and cities. It is comprised of two chevrons, a ‘V’ pointing down, which apparently represents a female, and a ‘Λ‘ pointing up, which represents a male.

This was brought to my attention when I received a ring from my grandmother that was quite a peculiar shape. It is a diamond ring in the shape of a diamond. It has a diamond top and bottom and two diamonds side by side in the middle. I had actually started to wonder if it had some significance. I suspect the ring may have belonged to my great-grandmother whose husband was very probably a Freemason in the 1800s. His father was premier of Queensland and a Freemason.

While drifting around a bookshop one day, I came across the book The Secret Power of Masonic Symbols by Robert Lomas, who is a Freemasonry historian. He actually had a section of Freemasonic jewellery with pictures of jewellery in the same shape as my ring, the same shape as the square and compass. I was surprised, but I was glad of the confirmation. He suggests that there are about sixty symbols that Freemasons are introduced to during their ascent through the degrees. He goes on to say:

For over 500 years, the symbology of Freemasonry has fostered a secret stream of radical ideas running just beneath the surface of popular culture. These ideas, illuminated by public symbols hidden in full view, have influenced and shaped the society we live in.

Obelisks and pentagrams, the two pillars, truncated pyramids, and the all-seeing eye are some other symbols of Freemasonry. Some of these are depicted on the currency notes of the United States of America. Obelisks are found in cities across the globe, and some of these symbols are laid out in the patterns of streets such as in Washington, DC.

💭 Thomas Horn, in his book Apollyon Rising 2012, explained the significance of the obelisk and the dome of the Capitol building in Washington DC, which was built specifically to catch the sun on 21 June and 21 December, the summer and winter solstices.

The Dome and the Obelisk facing it—facilitate important archaic and modern protocols for invigorating supernatural alchemy.

He goes on to say,

In ancient times, the Obelisk represented the god Osiris’“missing” male organ, which Isis was not able to find after her husband/brother was slain and chopped into fourteen pieces by Seth. Isis replaced the missing organ with an Obelisk and magically impregnated herself with Horus, the resurrected Osiris.

Words cannot describe my disgust and revulsion at the realisation that people in positions of power actually chose to erect these gross depictions of Egyptian mythology in the capital cities of nations, drawing power from the revolting occult energy they emit.

Thomas Horn also makes reference to the number 72 and the alchemy associated with it. In sacred literature and within Masonic Gnosticism, stars represent angels, and it is believed that seventy-two is the number of fallen angels that currently administer the affairs of the world.

These angels became disloyal to God at the time of the Tower of Babel and were worshipped as gods led by Nimrod/Osiris/Apollo.113 In Washington, the number 72 has featured with seventy-two stars circling the Apotheosis of Washington in the Capitol dome.

The obelisk was dedicated seventy-two years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and there are seventy-two stones on the Great Seal’s uncapped pyramid. The occult numerology associated with these three sets of 72 symbolise Satan and his angels’ influence over America and the world.

To loose bind and control these seventy-two demons for the purpose of re-establishing a pagan order on earth has been an important part of the secret doctrine of the high-degree Masonic Illuminatus since its inception.

They get away with this because of the secret nature of their societies. Most people don’t know or understand what they are doing, and unfortunately, most Christians don’t know what they are up to either. The release of these demons produces things like financial disruption and misinformation, like the hysteria associated with global warming.

It is designed to bring fear so that eventually when the leader of the one world government appears (the Antichrist), he will no doubt be seen to be doing something about these issues. This ‘loose, bind, and control’ is a direct counterfeit of Jesus’ keys to the kingdom, which are binding and loosing (Matt. 18:18).

💭 PETRUS ROMANUS: THE FALSE PROPHET AND THE ANTICHRIST ARE HERE PART 14

👉 By Thomas R. Horn

🐷 Magic Squares, 666, and Human Sacrifice?

While finding the body of Osiris and resurrecting it—either figuratively or literally—is central to the prophetic beliefs of Freemasonry, until Apollo/Osiris return, formal procedures will continue in secret for installing within America’s national leader the divine right of Kingship through the raising of Osiris ceremony.

But it is very important to note how, when this ritual is carried out in the Temple Room of the Heredom, it unfolds below a vast thirty-six-paneled skylight that forms a stylized Magic 666 Square. Around the four sides of the skylight can be seen the Winged Sun-Disc. This positioning above the altar is in keeping with historical occultism. Egyptian magicians employed the same symbolism above the altar for invoking the sun deity. In the St. Martin’s Press book Practical Egyptian Magic it is noted: “Emblematic of the element of air, this consists of a circle or solar-type disk enclosed by a pair of wings. In ritual magic it is suspended over the altar in an easterly direction and used when invoking the protection and co-operation of the sylphs.” The Renaissance occultist Paracelsus describes these sylphs as invisible beings of the air, entities that the New Testament book of Ephesians (2:2) describes as working beneath “the prince [Lucifer/Satan] of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.” In applied magic, the “magic square of the sun” itself was associated in antiquity with binding or loosing the sun god Apollo/Osiris and was the most famous of all magical utilities because the sum of any row, column, or diagonal is equal to the number 111, while the total of all the numbers in the square from 1 to 36 equals 666. In the magical Hebrew Kabbalah, each planet is associated with a number, intelligence, and spirit. The intelligence of the Sun is Nakiel, which equals 111, while the spirit of the Sun is Sorath and equals 666. It makes sense therefore that Freemasons built the Washington Monument Obelisk to form a magic square at its base and to stand 555 feet above earth, so that when a line is drawn 111 feet directly below it toward the underworld of Osiris, it equals the total of 666 (555+111=666)—the exact values of the binding square of the Sun God Apollo/Osiris installed in the ceiling above where the Osiris raising ceremony is conducted in the House of the Temple.

Magic Squares

36-Paneled Magic Skylight above the Altar in the House of the Temple where the raising of Osiris is conducted.

Freemason and occultist Aleister Crowley practiced such Kabbalah and likewise connected the number 111 with the number 6, which he described as the greatest number of the Sun or sun god. He employed the magic square in rituals to make contact with a spirit described in The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, a work from the 1600s or 1700s that involves evocation of demons. In Book Four of the magic text, a set of magical word-square talismans provides for the magician’s Holy Guardian Angel who appears and reveals occult secrets for calling forth and gaining control over the twelve underworld authorities including Lucifer, Satan, Leviathan, and Belial. In addition to Crowley, the most influential founding father and Freemason, Benjamin Franklin, not only used such magic squares, but according to his own biography and numerous other authoritative sources even created magic squares and circles for use by himself and his brethren. Yet the gentle appearance and keen astuteness of America’s most famous bespeckled Freemason might have hidden an even darker history than the story told by those magic squares, which his strong, deft hands once held. Award-winning filmmaker Christian J. Pinto explains:

One of the most influential founding fathers, and the only one of them to have signed all of the original founding documents (the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Paris, and the U.S. Constitution) was Benjamin Franklin. Franklin was…without question, deeply involved in Freemasonry and in other secret societies. He belonged to secret groups in the three countries involved in the War of Independence: America, France, and England. He was master of the Masonic Lodge of Philadelphia; while over in France, he was master of the Nine Sisters Lodge, from which sprang the French Revolution. In England, he joined a rakish political group founded by Sir Francis Dashwood (member of Parliament, advisor to King George III) called the “Monks of Medmenham Abbey,” otherwise known as the “Hellfire Club.” This eighteenth-century group is described as follows.

The Hellfire Club was an exclusive, English club that met sporadically during the mid-eighteenth century. Its purpose, at best, was to mock traditional religion and conduct orgies. At worst, it involved the indulgence of satanic rites and sacrifices. The club to which Franklin belonged was established by Francis Dashwood, a member of Parliament and friend of Franklin. The club, which consisted of “The Superior Order” of twelve members, allegedly took part in basic forms of satanic worship. In addition to taking part in the occult, orgies and parties with prostitutes were also said to be the norm.

Pinto continues this connection between Benjamin Franklin and dark occultism:

On February 11, 1998, the Sunday Times reported that ten bodies were dug up from beneath Benjamin Franklin’s home at 36 Craven Street in London. The bodies were of four adults and six children. They were discovered during a costly renovation of Franklin’s former home. The Times reported: “Initial estimates are that the bones are about two hundred years old and were buried at the time Franklin was living in the house, which was his home from 1757 to 1762 and from 1764 to 1775. Most of the bones show signs of having been dissected, sawn or cut. One skull has been drilled with several holes.”

The original Times article reported that the bones were “deeply buried, probably to hide them because grave robbing was illegal.” They said, “There could be more buried, and there probably are.” But the story doesn’t end there. Later reports from the Benjamin Franklin House reveal that not only were human remains found, but animal remains were discovered as well. This is where things get very interesting. From the published photographs, some of the bones appear to be blackened or charred, as if by fire… It is well documented that Satanists perform ritual killings of both humans and animals alike.

While many students of history are aware of the magic 666 square and its use by occultists down through time to control the spirit of Apollo/Osiris, what some will not know is how this magical binding and loosing of supernatural entities also extends to the testes of Washington’s 6,666 inch-high phallic Obelisk, dedicated by Freemasons seventy-two years following 1776 (note the magic number 72), where a Bible (that Dan Brown identified as the “Lost Symbol” in his latest book) is encased within the cornerstone of its 666-inch-square base. One wonders what type of Bible this is. If a Masonic version, it is covered with occult symbols of the Brotherhood and Rosicrucianism and the purpose for having it so encased might be to energize the Mason’s interpretation of Scripture in bringing forth the seed of Osiris/Apollo from the testes/cornerstone. If it is a non-Masonic Bible, the purpose may be to “bind” its influence inside the 666 square and thus allow the seed of Osiris/Apollo to prevail. The dedication of the cornerstone during the astrological alignment with Virgo/Isis as the sun was passing over Sirius indicates a high degree of magic was indeed intended by those in charge.

The First American Osiris

Through Masonic alchemistry, presidential apotheosis—that is, the leader of the United States (America’s Pharaoh) being transformed into a god within the Capitol Dome/womb of Isis in sight of the Obelisk of Osiris (the Washington Monument to those whom Masons call “profane,” the uninitiated)—actually began with America’s first and most revered president, Master Freemason George Washington. In fact, Masons in attendance at Washington’s funeral in 1799 cast sprigs of acacia “to symbolize both Osiris’ resurrection and Washington’s imminent resurrection in the realm where Osiris presides.”[3] According to this Masonic enchantment, Osiris (Horus) was rising within a new president in DC as Washington took his role as Osiris of the underworld. This is further simulated and symbolized by the three-story design of the Capitol building. Freemasons point out how the Great Pyramid of Giza was made up of three main chambers to facilitate Pharaoh’s transference to Osiris, just as the temple of Solomon was a three-sectioned tabernacle made up of the ground floor, middle chamber, and Holy of Hollies. The U.S. Capitol building was thus designed with three stories—Washington’s Tomb, the Crypt, and the Rotunda—capped by a Dome. Each floor has significant esoteric meaning regarding apotheosis, and the tomb of Washington is empty. The official narrative is that a legal issue kept the government from placing Washington’s body there. However, just as the tomb of Jesus Christ was emptied before His ascension, Washington is not in his tomb because he has travelled to the home of Osiris, as depicted high overhead in the womb/Dome of Isis.

When visitors to Washington DC tour the Capitol, one of the unquestionable highlights is to visit the womb of Isis—the Capitol Dome—where, when peering upward from inside Isis’ continuously pregnant belly, tourists can see hidden in plain sight Brumidi’s 4,664-square-foot fresco, The Apotheosis of George Washington. The word “apotheosis” means to “deify” or to “become a god,” and explains part of the reason U.S. presidents, military commanders, and members of Congress lay in state in the Capitol Dome. The womb of Isis is where they go at death to magically reach apotheosis and transform into gods.

Those who believe the United States was founded on Christianity and visit the Capitol for the first time will be surprised by the stark contrast to historic Christian artwork of the ascension of Jesus Christ compared to the “heaven” George Washington rises into from within the energized Capitol Dome/womb of Isis. It is not occupied by angels, but with devils and pagan deities important to Masonic belief. These include Hermes, Neptune, Venus (Isis), Ceres, Minerva, and Vulcan (Satan), of course, the son of Jupiter and Juno to which human sacrifices are made and about whom Manly Hall said brings “the seething energies of Lucifer” into the Mason’s hands.[4]

Beside those pagan gods which accompany Washington inside the Capitol Dome, the scene is rich with symbols analogous with ancient and modern magic, including the powerful trident—considered of the utmost importance for sorcery and indispensable to the efficacy of infernal rites—and the caduceus, tied to Apollo and Freemasonic Gnosticism in which Jesus was a myth based on Apollo’s son, Asclepius, the god of medicine and healing whose snake-entwined staff remains a symbol of medicine today. Occult numerology associated with the legend of Isis and Osiris is also encoded throughout the painting, such as the thirteen maidens, the six scenes of pagan gods around the perimeter forming a hexagram, and the entire scene bounded by the powerful Pythagorian/Freemasonic “binding” utility—seventy-two five-pointed stars within circles.

Much has been written by historians within and without Masonry as to the relevance of the number seventy-two (72) and the alchemy related to it. In the Kabbalah, Freemasonry, and Jewish apocalyptic writings, the number equals the total of wings Enoch received when transformed into Metatron (3 Enoch 9:2). This plays an important role for the Brotherhood, as Metatron or “the angel in the whirlwind” was enabled as the guiding spirit over America during George W. Bush’s administration for the purpose of directing the future and fate of the United States (as also prayed by Congressman Major R. Owens of New York before the House of Representatives on Wednesday, February 28, 2001).

But in the context of the Capitol Dome and the seventy-two stars that circle Washington’s apotheosis in the womb of Isis, the significance of this symbolism is far more important. In sacred literature, including the Bible, stars are symbolic of angels, and within Masonic Gnosticism, seventy-two is the number of fallen angels or “kosmokrators” (reflected in the seventy-two conspirators that controlled Osiris’ life in Egyptian myth) that currently administer the affairs of earth. Experts in the study of the Divine Council believe that, beginning at the Tower of Babel, the world and its inhabitants were disinherited by the sovereign God of Israel and placed under the authority of seventy-two angels (the earliest records had the number of angels at seventy, but this was later changed to seventy-two) which became corrupt and disloyal to God in their administration of those nations (Psalm 82). These beings quickly became worshiped on earth as gods following Babel, led by Osiris/Apollo. Consistent with this tradition, the designers of the Capitol Dome, the Great Seal of the United States, and the Obelisk Washington Monument circled the Apotheosis of Washington with seventy-two pentagram stars, dedicated the Obelisk seventy-two years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and placed seventy-two stones on the Great Seal’s uncapped pyramid, above which the eye of Horus/Osiris/Apollo stares. These three sets of seventy-two (72), combined with the imagery and occult numerology of the Osiris/Obelisk, the Isis/Dome, and the oracular Great Seal, are richly symbolic of the influence of Satan and his angels over the world (see Luke 4:5–6, 2 Corinthians 4:4, and Ephesians 6:12) with a prophecy toward Satan’s final earthly empire—the coming novus ordo seclorum, or new golden pagan age. [P. 353 Thomas Horn, ZENITH 2016]

______________

Posted in Ethiopia, Faith, War & Crisis | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

የሩሲያ መሪዎች በቤተክርስቲያን | አንድ የአገራችን መሪ ግን ለመጨረሻ ጊዜ ቤተክርስቲያን የሄደው ከ፵፭/ 45 ዓመታት በፊት ነበር

Posted by addisethiopia / አዲስ ኢትዮጵያ on January 13, 2019

እስኪ አስቡበትአብረን እናስብበትአንድ የኢትዮጵያ መሪ የክርስቶስ የሆነችውን እናት ቤተክርስቲያን የጎበኘው ከአርባ አምስት ዓመታት በፊት ነበር። ዋው!

የኮሙኒዝምን ሥርዓት ሲያገለግሉ የነበሩት የሩሲያው ፕሬዚደንት ቭላዲሚር ፑቲን የሉሲፈራውያኑን ርዕዮተ ዓለም እርግፍ አድርገው በመተው ወደ ክርስቶስ መጥተዋል። በሶቪየት ኮሙኒዝም ጊዜ የቭላዲሚር ፑቲን እናት በቅዱስ ፒተርስቡርግ ከተማ ወደሚገኘው ቤተክርስቲያን በድብቅ ቭላዲሚር ፑቲንን አምጥተዋቸው አስጠምቀዋቸው ነበር። (ቤተክርስቲያን የሚሄዱ ሩሲያውያን ክትትልና አድሎ ይደረግባቸው ነበርና)

በአንድ ወቅት፤ “አንገቴ ላይ ያደርግኳት ይህች መስቀል ሕይወቴን አድናታለች” በማለት መስክረው የነበሩት ፕሬዚደንት ፑቲን በዚሁ በተጠመቁበት ቤተክርስቲያን ነበር ባለፈው እሑድ የገና በዓልን ተመስጠው ሲያከብሩ የሚታዩት። ጠቅላይ ሚንስትር ሚድቪዴም ለፀሎት ሦስት ጊዜ ሲያማትቡ ይታያሉ።

ወደ አገራችን ስንመጣ፤ ቪዲዮው ላይ እንደሚታየው፡ አንድ የአገራችን መሪ ለመጨረሻ ጊዜ ኢትዮጵያዊቷን ቤተክርስቲያን የጎበኘው ከአርባ አምስት ዓመታት በፊት ነበር። እንዴት ነውይህ ክስተት እርርይ! ! ! አያሰኘንምን። ምን ዓይነት ኃጢዓት ብንሠራ ነው ኢትዮጵያን እና አምላኳን የሚጠሉ መሪዎች የተሰጡን?! እንደ መስቀል፣ ገና እና ጥምቀት በመሳሰሉት አንጋፋ የኢትዮጵያውያን ክብረ በዓላት (ሰባ ሚሊዬን ኢትዮጵያውያን የሚያከብሯቸው) ላይ ለመሳተፍ ፈቃደኛ የሆኑ መሪዎች እንኳን የሉንም። በመስከረሙ የመስቀል ደመራ በዓል ወቅት ዶ/ር አብይ በመስቀል አደባባይ ይገኙ ይሆናል የሚል ጭምጭምታ ነበር፤ ነገር ግን እርሳቸውም ያው ከ666ቱ ስለሆኑ ሳይሳተፉ ቀሩ።

ባለፈው ጊዜ፡ በዚምባብዌ፡ ለገዳዩ መንግስቱ ኃይለማርያም የሰገዱት የቀድሞው ጠ/ሚንስትር ኃይለማርያም ደሳለኝ ከስልጣን ከመውረዳቸው በፊት በኢየሩሳሌም የምትገኘውን የኢትዮጵያ ቤትከርስቲያን በእስራኤል መንግስት ግፊት ለመጎብኘት ሲገደዱ ጫማቸውን እንኳን ሳያወልቁ ነበር የገቡት፤ አቤት ድፍረት! አቤት ትዕቢት አቤት ቅሌት!

! ለሉሲፈራውያኑ ወኪሎች፤ ሕዝባችንን ኋለኞች ለማድረግ ተግተው ለሚሠሩት፤ ዋ!

እኛ የተዋሕዶ ልጆች ግን በገዢዎች ተስፋ ከማድረግ ይልቅ በእግዚአብሔር ተስፋ ማድረጉን እንመርጣለን፦

[ ፪ኛ ወደ ቆሮንቶስ ሰዎች ምዕራፍ ፮፥፩፡፲]

አብረንም እየሠራን የእግዚአብሔርን ጸጋ በከንቱ እንዳትቀበሉ ደግሞ እንለምናለን፤ በተወደደ ሰዓት ሰማሁህ በመዳንም ቀን ረዳሁህ ይላልና፤ እነሆ፥ የተወደደው ሰዓት አሁን ነው፤ እነሆ፥ የመዳን ቀን አሁን ነው። አገልግሎታችንም እንዳይነቀፍ በአንዳች ነገር ማሰናከያ ከቶ አንሰጥም። ነገር ግን በሁሉ እንደ እግዚአብሔር አገልጋዮች ራሳችንን እናማጥናለን፤ በብዙ መጽናት፥ በመከራ፥ በችግር፥ በጭንቀት፥ በመገረፍ፥ በወኅኒ፥ በሁከት፥ በድካም፥ እንቅልፍ በማጣት፥ በመጦም፥ በንጽህና፥ በእውቀት፥ በትዕግሥት፥ በቸርነት፥ በመንፈስ ቅዱስ፥ ግብዝነት በሌለው ፍቅር፥ በእውነት ቃል፥ በእግዚአብሔር ኃይል፥ ለቀኝና ለግራ በሚሆን በጽድቅ የጦር ዕቃ፥ በክብርና በውርደት፥ በክፉ ወሬና በመልካም ወሬ ራሳችንን እናማጥናለን፤ አሳቾች ስንባል እውነተኞች ነን፤ ያልታወቁ ስንባል የታወቅን ነን፤ የምንሞት ስንመስል እነሆ ሕያዋን ነን፤ የተቀጣን ስንሆን አንገደልም፤ ኀዘንተኞች ስንሆን ዘወትር ደስ ይለናል፤ ድሆች ስንሆን ብዙዎችን ባለ ጠጎች እናደርጋለን፤ አንዳች የሌለን ስንሆን ሁሉ የእኛ ነው።”

__________________

Posted in Curiosity, Ethiopia, Faith | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

ኮፕት አባታችን በላሊበላ የገና በዓል | “ግሩም ታሪክና ሃይማኖታዊ ሥርዓት ስላላችሁ ልትኮሩበት ይገባል”

Posted by addisethiopia / አዲስ ኢትዮጵያ on January 6, 2019

ይህን ያሉት በጀርመን የኮፕት ኦርቶዶክስ ቤተክርስቲያን ጳጳስ የሆኑት አንባ ዳሚያን ናቸው። (ቪዲዮው ላይ “ዳንኤል” ያለው በስህተት ነው)። ግልጽና ቀጥተኛ የሆነ ቃል የሚናገሩና የማደንቃቸው አባት ናቸው። ቃለ ሕይወት ያሰማልን! ለኮፕት ወገኖቻችንም ይህን የልደት በዓል በሰላም እንዲያከብሩት እንመኝላቸዋለን!

ብሩክ ገና!!!

______________

Posted in Ethiopia, Faith | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

ድንግል ፈጣሪዋን ወለደችው | ብሩክ የልደት በዓል

Posted by addisethiopia / አዲስ ኢትዮጵያ on January 5, 2019

ይህ የልደት በዓል ታኅሣሥ ፳፰ / ጃንዋሪ 7 በ፤

  • + ኢትዮጵያ (ኤርትራን ጨምሮ)

  • + እስራኤል

  • + ግብጽ

  • + አርመኒያ

  • + ጆርጂያ

  • + ሩሲያ

  • + ዩክሬን

  • + ቤላሩስ

  • + ሞልዶቫ

  • + ካዛክስታን

  • + ሰርቢያ

  • + ማኬዶኒያ

  • + ሞንቴኔግሮ

በቆንጆ መልክ ይከበራልእንኳን አደረሰን!

________________

Posted in Ethiopia, Faith | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

እግዚአብሔር አምላክ ዓለምን ከፈጠረበት ጥበቡ ይልቅ ዓለምን ያዳነበት ጥበቡ ይበልጣል

Posted by addisethiopia / አዲስ ኢትዮጵያ on January 6, 2018

በዓለ ልደት፣ በሰውና በእግዚአብሔር መካከል እርቅ የተፈጸመበት በዓላችን ነው፡፡ ለሞት ከመገዛት የዳንበት፤ ጨለማው ተወግዶልን የብርሃን ልጆች የኾንበት፤ የእባብ ራስ የተቀጠቀጠበት፤ ከምድር ወደ ሰማይ ያረግንበትና ከመላእክት ጋር ኾነን ለእግዚአብሔር ምስጋና ያቀረብንበት፤ ከነቢያት ኅብረት ጋር አንድ የኾንበት በዓል ነው፡፡

የጌታችን ልደት እና የመላእክት አገልግሎት

ለአምስት ሺሕ አምስት መቶ ዘመን በዓለም ላይ ሠልጥኖ የነበረውን ጨለማ ያስወግድ ዘንድ እግዚአብሔር አምላክ ሰው ኾነ፡፡ ከቅድስት ድንግል ማርያም የተወለደው አማናዊው ብርሃን ፀሐየ ጽድቅ ክርስቶስ በሥጋ ተገለጠ፡፡ ‹‹ብርሃን ዘበአማን ዘያበርህ ለኵሉ ሰብእ ለእለ ይነብሩ ውስተ ዓለም፤ በጨለማ ውስጥ ለሚኖር ሕዝብ ታላቅ ብርሃን ወጣላቸው›› እንዳለ ቅዱስ ኤፍሬም በውዳሴው (ኢሳ. ፱፥፪)፡፡ ቀዳሚ ቃል ኢየሱስ ክርስቶስ ከእመቤታችን ከሥጋዋ ሥጋ፣ ከነፍሷ ነፍስ ነስቶ ሰው በኾነ ጊዜም ቅዱሳን መላእክት በቤተ ልሔም ተገኝተዋል፡፡ ይህንም ቅዱስ ሉቃስ ‹‹ወግብተ መጽኡ ብዙኃን ሐራ ሰማይ፤ የሰማይ መላእክት በድንገት መጡ›› በማለት ገልጾታል (ሉቃ. ፪፥፲፫)፡፡ በድንገት መባሉም አመጣጣቸው ግሩም በመኾኑ ነው፡፡ ቅዱሳን መላእክት ቀድሞ አመጣጣቸው ጻድቃንን ለመርዳት፣ ሰማዕታትን ከስለት ለመታደግ፣ የተቸገረውን ለማጽናት ነበር፡፡

ዛሬ ግን ስለ ሰው ፍቅር ከሰማይ የወረደውን፣ በጎል (በበረት) የተጣለውን፣ በጨርቅ የተጠቀለለውን አምላክ ከሰው ልጅ ጋር በአንድነት ለማመስገን መጡ፡፡ ‹‹ዮም አሐደ መርዔተ ኮኑ መላእክት ወሰብእ ከመ ይሰብሕዎ ለክርስቶስ ንጉሥ፤ ሰውና መላእክት፣ ንጉሥ ክርስቶስን ያመሰግኑ ዘንድ ተባበሩ›› እንዲል፡፡ መላእክት በተፈጥሯቸው የማይሞቱ (ሕያዋን) ሲኾኑ ሰው ደግሞ ሟች ነው፤ ሞት ይስማማዋል፡፡ በጌታችን ልደት ግን መላእክትና የሰው ልጆች በአንድ ማኅበር፣ በአንድ ቃል ‹‹ስብሐት ለእግዚአብሔር›› እያሉ እግዚአብሔርን አመስግነዋል፡፡ በአዳም ኀጢአት ምክንያት ፈርሶ የነበረው የመላእክትና የሰው ልጆች ማኅበር ከተቋረጠ ከብዙ ዘመን በኋላ በኢየሱስ ክርስቶስ ልደት እንደ ገና ተጀመረ፡፡ ይህ የምስጋና ኅብረትም ምድር እንደ ልብስ ተጠቅልላ ስታልፍ ወደ ፊት በምትመጣዋ በአዲሲቷ ዓለም፣ በአዲሱ ሰማይ፣ በአዲሱ ቤተ መቅደስ ይቀጥላል (ራእ. ፳፩፥፩)፡፡

አንድነታችን እንደማያቋርጥና በሰማይም እንደሚቀጥል አረጋዊ መንፈሳዊ ሲገልጥም ‹‹እሉሂ ወእልክቱሂ በአሐዱ ኁባሬ አልቦ ማዕከሌነ ወማዕከሌሆሙ፤ በእኛ በደቂቀ አዳም እና በቅዱሳን መላእክት መካከል ልዩነት የለም›› ይላል፡፡ ይህም የኾነው በጌታችን መወለድ ምክንያት ነው፡፡ በጌታችን ልደት ምክንያት እኛም ዳግመኛ ተወለድን፡፡ የጌታችን ልደት የእኛም የክርስቲያኖች ዅሉ ልደት ነው፡፡ ከሦስቱ የቀጰዶቅያ አባቶች (The three Cappadocian Fathers) አንዱ፣ ታላቁ የቤተ ክርስቲያን አባት ሊቁ ቅዱስ ባስልዮስ ዘቂሣርያ ይህን ምሥጢር ሲገልጥ ‹‹The nativity of Christ is the birthday of the whole human race – የክርስቶስ ልደት የመላው ሰው የልደት ቀን ነው›› ሲል መስክሯል (Hyman of praise to the mother of God)፡፡

ሊቃውንት እንዳስተማሩን እግዚአብሔር አምላክ ዓለምን ከፈጠረበት ጥበቡ ይልቅ ዓለምን ያዳነበት ጥበቡ ይበልጣል፡፡ ጌታችን መድኀኒታችን ኢየሱስ ክርስቶስ የተወለደበት እና ዓለምን ያዳነበት ምሥጢር ከምሥጢራት ዅሉ በላይ ነው፡፡ ይህን ምሥጢር ከማድነቅ ሌላ ሊናገሩት አይቻልም፡፡ ሊቁ ቅዱስ ዮሐንስ አፈወርቅም በመገረም ይህን ጥበብ እንዲህ ሲል ይገልጸዋል፤ ‹‹ምን እላለሁ? ምንስ እናገራለሁ? ከዘመን አስቀድሞ የነበረው እርሱ ሕፃን ኾኗልና፡፡ እኔ ፈጽሜ አደንቃለሁ፡፡ ከሰማየ ሰማያት በላይ የሚኾን፣ በዘለዓለማዊ ዙፋን የሚኖር እርሱ በበረት ተጣለ፡፡ ከሥጋዌ አስቀድሞ አይዳሰስ የነበረ አንዱ እርሱ በምድራውያን እጅ ተዳሰሰ፡፡ ኀጢአትን የሚያስተሰርይ እርሱን በጨርቅ ጠቀለሉት፡፡ ይህን ወዷልና፤›› (ሃይማኖተ አበው ዘዮሐንስ አፈ ወርቅ፣ ፷፮፥፲፯)፡፡ ቅዱስ ዲዮስቆሮስም በቅዳሴው የእግዚአብሔርን ሰው የመኾን ምሥጢር እንዲህ በማለት ገልጾታል፤ ‹‹በጐለ እንስሳ ተወድየ አሞኀ ንግሡ ተወፈየ ወከመ ሕፃናት በከየ እንዘ ይስእል እምአጥባተ እሙ ሲሳየ፤ በእንስሳት በረት ተጨመረ፡፡ የንጉሡንም እጅ መንሻ ተቀበለ፡፡ ከእናቱ ጡቶች ምግብን እየለመነ እንደ ሕፃናት አለቀሰ፤›› (ቅዳሴ ዲዮስቆሮስ ቍ. ፲፯)፡፡

በዚህ ታላቅ በዓላችን የምናደንቀው ሌላው ምሥጢር እግዚአብሔር ወልድ በቅድስት ድንግል ማርያም ማኅፀን፣ በኅቱም ድንግልና ተፀንሶ በኅቱም ድንግልና የመወለዱ ረቂቅ ምሥጢር ነው፡፡ ሊቃውንተ ቤተ ክርስቲያን ይህን ድንቅ የሥጋዌ ምሥጢር ግሩም፣ ዕፁብ እያሉ ያደንቁታል፡፡ ሐዋርያውያን አበውን ተከትለው ከተነሡ የቤተ ክርስቲያን ጠባቆች (Apologists) መካከል አንዱ ቅዱስ ሄሬኔዎስም ፩ኛ የእመቤታችን ዘለዓለማዊ ድንግልና፣ ፪ኛ ድንግል ማርያም አማኑኤል ጌታን መውለዷ እና ፫ኛ የማይሞተው አምላክ መሞት በእግዚአብሔር የዝምታ ሸማ የተጠቀለሉ ሦስት ምሥጢሮች መኾናቸውን ይናገራል፡፡ ኢትዮጵያዊው ቄርሎስ የተባለው አባ ጊዮርጊስ ዘጋሥጫም በመጸሐፈ አርጋኖን ድርሰቱ ይህን ድንቅ የተዋሕዶ ምሥጢር በሚከተለው መልኩ ይገልጠዋል፤

‹‹ሦስቱን ደጆች ያልከፈተ የአብን ልጅ ጥበብ አደንቃለሁ፤ ያለ መለወጥ በኅቱም ድንግልና በመወለዱ፣ የመቃብሩን ደጅ ሳይከፍት በመነሣቱ፣ ደቀ መዝሙርቱ ተሰብስበው ወዳሉበት ቤት በተዘጋ ቤት በመግባቱ እና በሩን ሳይከፍት በመውጣቱ ስለነዚህም ሦስት ደጆች ልቤ አደነቀች፡፡ ከሁለቱ ይልቅ የመጀመሪያው እጅግ ያስደንቀኛል፡፡ ምክንያቱም ሁለቱን ከዚህ በፊት በመጽሐፍ ቅዱስ አውቃቸዋለሁ፡፡ የመቃብሩን ደጅ የሚመስለው ነገር አለ (ዮሐ. ፳፥፲፱)፡፡ ብልጣሶር የተባለ ዳንኤልን በአንበሶች ጕድጓድ ውስጥ በጣሉት ጊዜ ጕድጓዱን በታላቅ መዝጊያ ዘጉት፡፡ ዳንኤልም በረሃብ እንደ ተጨነቀ ልዑል እግዚአብሔር ባየ ጊዜ መልአኩን ወደ ነቢዩ ዕንባቆም ላከ (ዳን. ፮፥፲፮፲፯)፡፡ በራሱም ፀጕር አንሥቶ ተሸክሞ ወስዶ ዳንኤል ወዳለበት ጕድጓድ አገባው፡፡ ዳንኤልና ዕንባቆም እንጀራውንና ንፍሮውን በልተው እግዚአብሔርን አመሰገኑ፡፡ ዕንባቆምም ደጅ ተዘግቶ ሳለ ወጣ፡፡ ስለ ቤቱ ደጅም የሚመስል ነገር አለ፡፡ የእግዚአብሔር መልአክ ከሰማይ ወርዶ ጴጥሮስን ከግዞት ቤት እንዳወጣው በሐዋርያት ሥራ ተጽፏል፡፡ ጴጥሮስንም ካወጣው በኋላ ደጁ ተቈልፎ ዘበኞች በዅሉ ወገን ይጠብቁ ነበር (ሐዋ. ፲፪፥፮)፡፡ ለእነዚህ ለሁለቱ ደጆች ለቅዱሳን የተገኘውን ምክንያት አገኘሁ፡፡ ስለ ድንግልናሽ ደጅ እጠናለሁ፤ ግን ምክንያት አላገኘሁም፡፡ በድንግልና የኖረች ሴትም አላየሁም፡፡ እንደዚህ ዓይነት ነገር ኾኖ አያውቅም፡፡ ኢኮነ እምቅድመ ዝ ወኢኮነ እምድኅረ ዝ – ከዚህ በፊት አልተደረገም፤ ከዚህ በኋላም አይደረግም፤›› (አርጋኖን ዘቀዳሚት)፡፡

በአጠቃላይ በዓለ ልደት፣ በሰውና በእግዚአብሔር መካከል እርቅ የተፈጸመበት በዓላችን ነው፡፡ ለሞት ከመገዛት የዳንበት፤ ጨለማው ተወግዶልን የብርሃን ልጆች የኾንበት፤ የእባብ ራስ የተቀጠቀጠበት፤ ከምድር ወደ ሰማይ ያረግንበትና ከመላእክት ጋር ኾነን ለእግዚአብሔር ምስጋና ያቀረብንበት፤ ከነቢያት ኅብረት ጋር አንድ የኾንበት በዓል ነው፡፡ ድንቅ የተዋሕዶ ምሥጢር የተፈጸመበትን ይህን ልዩ በዓል በመንፈሳዊ ሥርዓት ማክበር ይገባናል፡፡

ወስብሐት ለእግዚአብሔር ወለወላዲቱ ድንግል ወለመስቀሉ ክቡር፡፡

ምንጭ

______

Posted in Ethiopia, Faith | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

ብሩክ ልደት – Merry Christmas

Posted by addisethiopia / አዲስ ኢትዮጵያ on January 6, 2016

GENNA2008

We don’t have Santa Claus here. We never saw him in the streets carrying big sacks and presenting Christmas gifts for our kids. We never saw the snow falling down on our roofs or on the ground. It doesn’t matter though. We have our own Christmas; a Christmas on which we share big smiles that you wouldn’t see the rest of the year afterward. Let’s just flip through few pages of the Good Book and see how we came to own our own Christmas.

የገና ጨዋታ == YegenaChewata (the game on Gena)

Carry the clubs and set out to the field for waiting you is the ancient game Gena! Here we have a very interesting story on how we came to have the game.

On the days of Herod, according to the books we were able to consult during the preparation of this writing, the Wise men who travelled in search of Jesus the Son were not just three. There were twelve tribes each with 100, 000 people. But, on their way they had to fight with ‘armenewoch’ destroying 9 of the tribes. Only three of them were able to survive the battle and keep their journey. Mantusimar, Bedidasphar and Melku were the names of the three leaders of the tribes. (in Western Christian tradition) their names are listed as Balthazar, Caspar, and Melchior; they were the three leaders of the tribes. The Bible knows them as the (3)Three Wise Men.

Now, as they cross his land Herod met the wise men. He asked them what they were in search of. Innocent in heart, they told him that they were looking for the king that had been prophesied to be born on those days. Herod asked of them again that they would tell him where the child was born on their way back home. They agreed. On the journey to Bethlehem Herod sent a spy named Roor. He was supposed to go with the wise men to Bethlehem and bring the news of Jesus’ whereabouts to Herod so that he could go there and kill the child for prophesy said that he was the king of Israel.

A star in the sky served the wise men as a guide. But after they met Herod the star was difficult to be seen. This happening vexed the wise men that they cast a lot amongst the leaders of the tribes. It fell on the tribe lead by Melku where the secret agent Roor was brought in to.

The stranger was found to be the cause for the disappearance of the guiding star. They cut off his head and played with it hitting and passing it amongst them.

Now, the angel of God appeared in the wise men’s dream and told them to change their route when they went back. They listened to the Angle of the Lord and went back to their land without telling anything about the Child’s whereabouts to Herod. He was so wrathful that he sent soldiers to the land of Bethlehem and slaughtered all the children under two years old.

As a memory for this happening a game called Yegena Chewata has been played by Ethiopians since Christianity was introduced. The game is played with a stick much like a golf club and a little wooden ball named after the spy – Roor.

YegenaChewata in the olden times of the nation grants a special democracy. It was the rare occasion where a slave and his owner play with equal status. As the saying goes,

በ ገና ጨዋታ

አይቆጡም ጌታ

Be GenaChewata

AyekotumGeta

The literal meaning of which is that on the game of Gena the servant’s owner no matter what happened would not get angry at anyone.

Source

Ethiopian Christ Icon Found 500 Years On

EthiopianJesusIcon

An 15th century Ethiopian icon of the infant Christ child sitting on his mother’s knee was discovered after it was cleaned by a British charity.

The central panel of the triptych had over the centuries become blackened with the sprinkling of perfume that the monks use as they worship.

The hugely important and stunning painted wood panel is now visible in its original coloured glory, showing a pale-faced Jesus with black curly hair and rosy cheeks.

His hand has three digits raised and two down as if blessing the person looking at him.

He has a halo and is wearing a gown and is perched on his mother’s knee and she too has a halo.

The monks at the Monastery of St Stephen on an island in Lake Hayq in the north of the African country believe the icon, known as The One Who Listens, to be miraculous.

The central panel of the triptych had over the centuries become blackened with the sprinkling of perfume that the monks use as they worship.

The hugely important and stunning painted wood panel is now visible in its original coloured glory, showing a pale-faced Jesus with black curly hair and rosy cheeks.

His hand has three digits raised and two down as if blessing the person looking at him.

He has a halo and is wearing a gown and is perched on his mother’s knee and she too has a halo.

The monks at the Monastery of St Stephen on an island in Lake Hayq in the north of the African country believe the icon, known as The One Who Listens, to be miraculous.

The artist had great skill, which is particularly obvious in the detail of Mary’s robes.

In the central panel are three other figures, two archangels, Michael and Gabriel, armed with swords ready to protect the saviour and the third, St Stephen, after whom the monastery is named.

The side panels have 12 figures upon them all looking inwards towards the central picture.

They include Abuna TeklelyesusMoa, who sponsored the work, various saints including St Peter and St Paul, and abbots from the monastery.

It is one of the most celebrated icons in Ethiopia and is now housed in a special museum with other ancient relics.

The British charity The Ethiopian Heritage Fund sent experts to preserve the painting that had previously been covered with varnish.

Blair Priday from the charity, said: “This icon is one of the most celebrated in Ethiopia and because of its veneration, over time, the central panel had become blackened and was later painted over with thick layers of varnish as protection.

“The faces of the mother and child were barely visible.

“The varnish was carefully removed so it regained the original luminosity.

“The icon’s repair was undertaken by Laurie Morocco, a foremost icon restore, who camped in the monastery’s grounds while he did the work.

“In the mid 15th century a new technique of painting on wood with an undercoating of Gesso was introduced resulting in a much more luminous effect.

“When the varnish was removed by Laurie, one of the glories of Ethiopian art was visible once more.

“St Stephen’s was a very important monastery and seat of learning, and although it was raided and lost some of its relics, many remained including a beautiful cross, manuscripts and this icon.

“This ancient seat of learning now has a museum where these incredible treasures are displayed in a small museum within the monastery

“We could not have carried out the work without the support of the Bureau of Culture and the Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Church and our expert advisor Jacques Mercier.”

Christianity was adopted by the Ethiopians in the fourth century when King Ezra, ruler of the Axumite kingdom, was converted.

The country boasts one of the world’s oldest illustrated Christian manuscripts – the Garima Gospels – which the charity has also conserved.

The charity has also been working on the rock churches of Tigray in the highlands of north east Ethiopia.

These are built high in the sandstone cliffs that dominate the landscape.

The churches are carved out of the rock and contain many beautiful paintings of Christian saints many of which are indigenous to Ethiopia.

In a church in Bahera, the saints on the church pillars had been splashed with lime wash which has now been cleaned off.

The frescos that cover the walls of Debta Tsion are currently being conserved.

Source

___

Posted in Ethiopia, Faith | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

A Wise Man’s Cure: Frankincense is For Life, Not Just For Christmas

Posted by addisethiopia / አዲስ ኢትዮጵያ on January 4, 2015

At this time of year it is hard to escape the Three Wise Men, riding their camels across Christmas cards and appearing in miniature form in countless school nativity plays across the world, bearing their gifts for the infant Jesus. Whilst we are all familiar with gold, it is the mention of frankincense and myrrh that really says “Christmas” to us and and takes our imaginations back to ancient times. But you might be surprised to learn that these two fragrances are still big business today; for example, Ethiopia alone trades around 4000 tonnes of frankincense every year. This is all the more remarkable because a single tree from which the resin is harvested will typically yield about 200g per year. The main international trade comes from a tree called Boswellia papyrifera, and Ethiopia is the main exporting country.

Frankincense is harvested by wounding the bark of trees and collecting the resin that is subsequently released from the wound, a process known as tapping. Tapping is carried out at several spots along the stem, using a traditional type of tool that resembles a chisel. The procedure is repeated in 8 tapping rounds during the dry season, which lasts about 8 months. But high demand means that many trees are being over-exploited and populations are at risk of dying out, threatening the livelihoods of villagers who depend on them.

But help may be on hand as the results of a new study by botanists from Ethiopia and the Netherlands led by Motuma Tolera, which could secure a future for the trees by revealing the anatomy of the resin secretory system.

Motuma Tolera explains, “In some areas, the high demand for frankincense is causing over-tapping, which is bad for a couple of reasons. Tapping the tree creates wounds in the stem that take resources to be healed, and more wounds create more opportunities for insects to attack the tree. It’s not a surprise that some trees die. This is bad for the tree but also for the people living in those areas, since they depend on the resin production, both economically and culturally.

One of the problems is the lack of knowledge of the type, architecture and distribution of resin producing, storing and transporting structures in the tree. Such knowledge is needed for improved tapping techniques in the future.”

The study, published this month in the Annals of Botany, provides this detailed knowledge for the first time.

Motuma Tolera said, “What we found was a 3-D network of inter-connected canals in the inner bark. Most of these canals are within a very narrow region of the inner bark, in a zone that is less than 7 millimeters thick. These allow for the transport of resin around the tree. We also found a few canals connecting deep into the xylem, the heart of the tree.”

Boswellia6

The findings will have practical applications for the people of Ethiopia and other frankincense producers. Traditional tapping starts with a shallow wound, from which a relatively small amount of resin is released. The wound is then re-opened later with a cut that goes a bit deeper and more resin is collected – a process that is repeated over and over again. The amount of resin collected peaks after about 5 rounds of tapping, which the study suggests is the point at which the wound reaches the main region of resin canals.

Motuma Tolera says, “Our results suggest that tapping can become more efficient. A cut that goes deeper, earlier in the tapping cycle, may drain the resin more effectively. Since the 3-D resin canal network may allow for long distance movement of resin when it is intact, this would be an option to reduce the number of cuts, and reduce the damage to the trees. New studies will be needed to show how such improvements may keep trees healthy but still productive for resin production. This opens new ways for a more sustainable frankincense production system.”

It’s nice to discover something new, but here we also have the opportunity to give something back to the people who helped us with the study. I hope everyone in Lemlem Terara, but also elsewhere in Ethiopia, will benefit from what we have found in the future.” Tolera says.

The team hope the results mean more Boswellia trees will live to see next Christmas.

Source

__

Posted in Curiosity, Ethiopia, Faith, Infos | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Why nonChristians Are Drawn to Christmas

Posted by addisethiopia / አዲስ ኢትዮጵያ on December 24, 2013

 

One curious trend in the global economy is how many countries with few Christians now enjoy aspects of Christmas – the giving of gifts, an exchange of cards, even singing “Last Christmas” by Exile. What other religion has had its holiday traditions transcend so many borders?

Christmas has become the world’s most widely celebrated religious holiday, even if it is more commercially exploited than religiously observed in nonChristian countries – and even if the Santa Claus fantasies overshadow the day’s real meaning: the coming of Christ to humanity.

To be sure, the spread of Christmas is driven in large part by retailers – and governments – trying to find new reasons to drum up consumer spending. (Halloween and Valentine’s Day are becoming popular, too.) In many Muslim countries, it is this materialistic aspect that is often decried by Islamic preachers.

And sometimes, the Christian part gets lost in translation: Foreigners in Japan tell the tale of a Tokyo department store that once decorated a window with a Santa Claus on a cross.

But not all imports of Christmas are purely secular or for profit. In Pakistan, where Christians comprise less than 2 percent of the population, Muslim families welcome Christian carolers singing door to door. In mainly Hindu India, where Christmas Day is a state holiday, many schools hold Christmas celebrations and people give sweets to neighbors.

The most explosive growth in celebrating a secular Christmas has been in China. Since the 1990s, the Communist Party has loosened its control over this “Western holiday.” Urban youth have embraced it, seeing Christmas as an opportunity to give gifts, celebrate with friends, and tie up a romance with a wedding. Stores often record their biggest sales around Christmas. Many Chinese can be seen wearing reindeer antlers or Santa hats. Some give specially wrapped apples as gifts (the Chinese word for apple sounds like “Silent Night.”)

As long as Chinese see only the commercial aspects, the government may not worry about the religious meaning. Still, in 2006 a group of university students started an online petition to boycott Christmas, claiming it is a Western plot to erode Chinese culture.

The Santa-esque commercialism may achieve that. But certainly not the universal message of Christmas as seen in its practice. The giving of gifts, for example, serves as a reminder to think of others rather than be thought well-of. The lights, sounds, and colors of Christmas are symbols of universal joy. Joining with family and friends at Christmas provides a moment to celebrate tenderness, kindness, and forgiveness. However crudely Christmas is exported around the world, its practices can sometimes put its eternal meaning into action. Who doesn’t want to be merry and bright?

Source

Merry Christmas ’till Genna!

__

Posted in Curiosity, Ethiopia, Faith | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

እንኳን ለጌታችን የልደት በዓል በሰላም አደረሰን — Merry Ethiopian Christmas

Posted by addisethiopia / አዲስ ኢትዮጵያ on January 6, 2013

እነሆ ድንግል ትፀንሳለች ልጅም ትወልዳለች ስሙንም አማኑኤል ትለዋለች” ማቴ.123

BerukGennaየዛሬ ሁለት ሺ ዓመት ገደማ ነው፡፡ በኢየሩሳሌም ሀገር ንጉሡ ሄሮድስ ሕዝቡን ሁሉ ቤተልሄም ወደምትባል ከተማ ጠራቸው፡፡ እመቤታችንም በዚያ ጊዜ የአሥራ አምስት/15/ ዓመት ልጅ ሆኖ በሚጠብቃት በአረጋዊው /በሽማግሌው/ ዮሴፍ ቤት ትኖር ነበር፡፡ እመቤታችን ድንግል ማርያም ሕፃኑን ኢየሱስ ክርስቶስን ፀንሳ ልትወልድ ደርሳ ሳለ ወደ ቤተልሄም ከተማ ከአረጋዊው ጠባቂዋ ዮሴፍና ከቅድስት ሰሎሜ ጋር ሄደች፡፡

በዚያ ሲደርሱ ምን ሆነ መሰላችሁ? እናታችን ማርያም ቅድስት ሰሎሜና አረጋዊው ዮሴፍ ማደሪያ ፈልገው በየቤቱ እየሄዱ “የእግዚአብሔር እንግዶች ነን ማደሪያ ስጡን፣ እባካችሁ አሳድሩን…” ብለው ቢጠይቋቸው ሁሉም “ቦታ የለንም፣ አናሳድርም፣ አናስገባም ሂዱ፡፡” እያሉ መለሷቸው፡፡ በጣም መሽቶ ስለነበረ ጨለማው ያስፈራ ነበረ፣ ብርዱ ደግሞ በጣም ከባድ ነበረ፡፡ ማደሪያ አጥተው የት እንሂድ እያሉ ሲያስቡ በድንገት አረጋዊ ዮሴፍ “ኑ ተከተሉኝ” ብሎ በመንደሩ ውስጥ ወዳለ አንድ የከብቶች ማደሪያ ቤት ወሰዳቸው፡፡

ከከብቶቹ ቤት ሲደርሱ በዚያ አህዮች፣ በሬዎች፣ በጎች፣…. ብዙ እንስሳት ተኝተው አገኙዋቸው፡፡ የበረቱ ሽታ በጣም ያስቸግር ነበረ፡፡ ነገር ግን ማደሪያ ስላልነበረ በዚያ ሊያድሩ ተስማሙ፡፡

ወደ በረቱ ሲገቡ እንስሶቹ ከተኙበት ተነሥተው በደስታ እየዘለሉ ተቀበሏቸው፡፡ በዚያም እመቤታችን ቅድስት ድንግል ማርያም ሕፃኑን ኢየሱስ ክርስቶስን ወለደችው፡፡ ይህም ታላቅ ሕፃን የሁላችንም አምላክ ነው፡፡ ወዲያውኑ የከብቶቹ ቤት በታላቅ ብርሃን ተሞላ፡፡ ቅዱሳን መላእክት ተገለጡ፤ በእመቤታችንም ፊት ሆነው በደስታ ከበሮ እየመቱ፣ እያጨበጨቡ መዘመር ጀመሩ፡፡ መዝሙሩም እንዲህ የሚል ነበር፡

ለእግዚአብሔር ክብርና ምስጋና በሰማያት ይሁን፣ በምድርም ሰላም ለሰውም በጎ ፈቃድ

ምንጭ

Do Children in Materially Rich Countries Know It’s Christmas?

No, they don’t! How could they? Little Abby and little Billy don’t know it’s Christmas because their parents, their kindergartens and schools don’t have enough time to teach them about God, and they are not happy because of it. The parents and teachers discipline their children their way, instead of God’s way, and they are sad. They are sad, because their parents and teachers have fallen so far away from God’s teachings that they deny their children God, drive away the Angels who could give them inner warmth, comfort and happiness. Little Abby and Billy are sad, disturbed and unsafe because their parents and teachers are to busy collecting the guns, the knives, the grass…and, yes! Little Abby cries, because they took away from her the images of Jesus, The Virgin Mary, and The Angels to replace them with the images of Barbie Dolls, Bart Simpson and Barack Obama.

So, dear Ethiopians, this Christmas – children of Ethiopia know it takes place on the 7th of January – don’t forget to pray for the materially rich children of the West who have nothing else but to play with man-made dolls that are just like them — pray for them that The Lord could fill them with his compassion, give them His eyes to see, give their parents and teachers boldness and selflessness and wisdom, so that they too might cry out for justice and feed the spiritually hungry, so that His light might shine throughout the earth — life them up because they are in a very terrible state of spiritual poverty, often marginalized, finding themselves in challenging circumstances they did not choose and helpless without our prayers to change. So, let’s all pray for them:

It’s Christmas time, and there’s no need to be afraid
At Christmas time, we let in light and we banish shade
And in our world of plenty, we can spread a smile of joy
Throw our prayers around the world at Christmas time

And there won’t be Frankincense in Europe and America this Christmas time
The greatest gift they’ll get this year is life
Where there is no joy, no light or Angels appear
Do they know it’s Christmas time at all?

So, let’s pray for the Children of the West
At Christmas time, it’s hard, but when you’re celebrating
There’s a world outside our window
And it’s a world of fear and sadness
Where the only unholy-water flowing is the bitter sting of tears
And the Christmas bells that ring there
Are the clanging chimes of doom
Well, tonight, thank God it’s them instead of you

Here’s to you, raise a glass for everyone
Here’s to them underneath that cold winter
Do they know it’s Christmas time at all?

Let’s free the world from bondage of materialism
Free the world

Free the world, let them know it’s Christmas time
And free the world
let them know it’s Christmas time
And free the world
let them know it’s Christmas time
And free the world
let them know it’s Christmas time…

It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. [Luke 17:2]

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. [Hosea 4:6]

For these are rebellious people, deceitful children; children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction. They say to the seers, “See no more visions!” and to the prophets, “Give us no more visions of what is right!Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions.[Isaiah 30:9-10]

Materialism Breeds Unhappiness

My note: Worldwide surveys have consistently ranked the Scandinavian countries — with their generous family-leave policies, low crime, free health care, rich economies and, yes, high income taxes — as the happiest places on earth. But this happiness has always been accompanied by a paradox: the “happiest” countries also seem to have the highest suicide rates.

Is it the long, dark winters facing Norway, Sweden Finland and Denmark that cause the problem? Or some kind of Nordic depression gene? Or is it because those nations become more and more atheists by turning their backs on The Almighty God, Yahweh? (Suicide Rate 2011)

It is, perhaps, a simple fact of life in the West: we expect to be happy. The right to pursue happiness is part of America’s Declaration of Independence, after all. The feeling has been heightened by the booming field of “happiness studies”, which has produced a flow of news stories and books about what will and will not make us happy, about the happiest places to live, and about how to structure our lives so we can be happy almost all the time.

Some important findings have emerged. Too many choices lead to dissatisfaction. Chronic pain has a more negative impact than a single accident. We habituate quickly to our acquisitions. A good marriage is worth about $100,000 a year in terms of how happy it makes us.

But this headlong rush towards happiness might backfire. Could our constant worrying about why we are not happy be making us more miserable than if we simply accepted some occasional unhappiness as part of life? In viewing unhappiness as a problem to be solved, might we not miss what a little sadness has to offer us? Are we trading long-term satisfaction for feeling good now? Buying our present-day enjoyment at the cost of future meaning?

Source

So, what’s better, to be materially wealthy and unhappy or materially poor, but spiritually rich and happy?

Follow My Photoblog here and judge for yourselves:

SpiritMatters7

Posted in Ethiopia, Faith | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Lalibela Among The World’s 9 best places to spend Christmas

Posted by addisethiopia / አዲስ ኢትዮጵያ on December 12, 2012

CNN has picked nine of the most Christmassy places around the world.

Lalibela, Ethiopia

LalibelaMagicLalibela was conceived as a paradise on earth. And its 11 churches, cut from living volcanic rock, are literally anchored in the earth. In scale, number, and variety of form there’s no architecture or sculpture quite like them anywhere. They’re on the global tourist route now, though barely. To Ethiopian devotees they’ve been spiritual lodestars for eight centuries, and continue to be.

Declared a “new Jerusalem” after the real Jerusalem was captured by Muslim forces in 1187 and Ethiopian Christians could no longer go there, Lalibela remains a very religious place.

Ethiopian Christmas (January 7) mass at Bet Medhane Alem – the largest monolithic church in the world – is an occasion on which hundreds of priests in white turbans, adorned with red sashes and gold scarves chant, sway, and pray, surrounded by trenches flooded with some 50,000 worshipers, for whom this is a sacred place of pilgrimage.

See also: Five real life winter wonderlands

The other 8 destinations are:

  • Lapland, Finland

  • Strasbourg, France

  • Quebec, Canada

  • San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

  • Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, New York

  • Barcelona, Spain

  • Manila, Philippines

  • Queenstown, New Zealand

Source: CNN

__

Posted in Ethiopia, Faith | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

 
%d bloggers like this: