In the name of the father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, One God, Amen! "Is not this the fast that I have chosen" (Isaiah 58:6). Saint Isaac the Syrian on Fasting The man who loves the conversation of yoke-mate fasting is a friend of chastity. Just as the satisfaction of the belly […]
In the name of Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, One God, Amen! Why do Orthodox chant for saints? Where the sun never sets in the heavens, let this church’s prayers be heard. One of the orthodox church’s abundant exposition is “giving glory, praise, and honor to Him who is Almighty.” To praise the […]
In the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, One God, Amen! Unworthy “Why don’t you take the holy communion?” I hear this question too often. My first reaction is to run, instead, I hesitate and answer, “I am not ready.” As if the holy communion is a marathon. As […]
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, all in one God. Does God Hate Women? God, I hope you are not reading this and if you are please don’t take it the wrong way. I have always wondered why women are portrayed so badly in the Bible. Why are they […]
In the name of the Father, of the son and of the Holy Spirit One God, Amen! "The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). The facts themselves bear witness and his divine acts of power teach those who doubt that he is true God, and his sufferings show that he is true […]
In the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, One God Amen. Saint Demiana was born in third century Egypt and was the only child to her pious Christian parents. When still young, her mother departed and her father, Mark, became her sole caretaker. Mark loved his daughter dearly and […]
In the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, One God Amen. “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14). As we continue to rejoice with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on the day of His birth, we come to learn a […]
In the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, in One God Amen! Sin is permanent, a forever reminder of your past and the mistakes you have made. The past week, on the commemoration of our Lord Jesus Christ’s birth, I too had the opportunity to be reborn. By his […]
In the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, One God, Amen! What Is The Purpose Of The Nativity Fast (Advent Fast)? Why is the Church concerned with the Nativity Fast, in which her members fast for more than forty days? Undoubtedly, the Incarnation of the Word of God […]
01/01/2019 The Old Lady Dear Sina, I pray to God you are doing well. I pray you are walking in his light, shielded by his love. Oh my beautiful Sina, how I want to tell you everything and shelter you from the world. But as God gave us freedom, I too must give you the […]
Beginning on the 25th of Sene and lasting until the 26th of Meskerem of the Ge’ez calendar is the Rainy Season or Zemene Kiremt. During this time we remember God’s provision of food to all creatures. As it’s written in the Psalms 147:8-9 “Who covers the heaven with clouds, who prepares rain for the earth, who makes grass to grow upon the mountains. He gives to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry.” The rainy season is symbolic to the age that human beings spend on earth. This season is sometimes referred to as winter. St Paul writes in 2nd Timothy 4:21 “Do your best to get here before winter.” During the winter season we see the farmer going through all hardships to prepare his farm during this season. He has faith that he will get adequate rainfall for his crops so he labors tirelessly during this season. This refers to our lives, our faith should be like the farmer--we must tirelessly labor on earth and have faith that God will provide. Our work, though, is for the heavenly kingdom. David in his Psalm 126:5-6 ties this meaning beautifully, “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goes forth and weeps, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” Also our church teaches the formation of rain happens through the evaporation and condensation process. This was clearly stated by Aba Giorgis ze-Gasīcha around 14th century AD (G.C) in his famous book Se’atat, “He who contains the waters, scatters the thin fog. He raises the water from the lakes and brings it down from the heights of the sky.” All the readings of this season show how God provides for His creation.
His Grace Archbishop Abune Basilyos (Basil) was elected to be 6th Patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahdo Church! According to the post-prayer election schedule, from the 85 votes cast by…
We should not participate in any dance because dancing involves bodily movements which are sexually suggestive and can be classified under the heading of "lasciviousness or lewdness" (Gal 5:19-21). Surely a Christian would not want to engage in that type of activity. The close body contact or the erotic movements that characterize so many of the rock-oriented dances would arouse..... Read More »
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Life = Jesus Christ "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him and without Him nothing was made that..... Read More »
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We kiss the hands of bishops and priests because in the context of the Divine Liturgy, the hands hold and distribute the holy Body and Blood of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ! This is an enduring and centuries old tradition in the Eastern Christendom that has a purely metaphorical connotation; of course, this is not to leave out..... Read More »
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The answer to this question is simple as our scholar father John Chrysostom said "The Law of the King [Fitha Negest] - A Christian must not go to a wedding {nuptial banquet] to clap his hand rhythmically or to dance with his feet; rather he shall eat in a quiet way as is proper to saint. Chapter 11. or 446..... Read More »
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Dating, especially at school age or early college life is in itself very much related to lack of maturity. It is a relation not in due time and not according to God's natural laws. Solomon the wise prophet said, "To everything, there is a season and a time to every purpose under the Heaven. A time to be born, and a..... Read More »
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We believe the Virgin Mary is sinless (Free from the sin of Adam) Sin entered the world first when Adam and eve disobeyed God and ate from the tree that was not allowed for them to eat. Gen 2:16-17, Gen 3:1-24, Romans 6:23. After eating the tree of knowledge of good and evil, Adam and eve lost their . As..... Read More »
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The Holy Bible mentions two types of dancing. The first is that in which King David, Miriam the prophetess, and others performed; triumphant type of jumping, skipping, and promenading before the Lord (2 Sam 6:14; Ex 15:20). The second is that in which individuals engaged for pure pleasure. It was done either as a show for others as with Herodias'..... Read More »
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The Jews used the blood of the Calf and the curse of the death of the first born "passed over" them. Exodus 12 explains in more detail but I will put some verses from there here: "For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both..... Read More »
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The Holy Bible teaches us, "We ought to obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29). It amazes me how after attending the beautiful Crowning Ceremony, witnessing the Holy Spirit come upon the couple to unite them to become one flesh and participating in all the prayers to the Lord to bless the couple, Christians turn around and forget all about..... Read More »
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By definition 'Homosexuality' is a predominant, persistent and exclusive psychosexual attraction toward members of the same sex. A homosexual person is one who feels a tendency to direct sexual desire towards another of the same sex. No one is born homosexual, nor is it something over which one has no control. It is a fact that our biological composition has..... Read More »
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To be a Christian is to imitate the Lord Jesus Christ and follow His footsteps. In any situation we should learn to always ask ourselves 'What Would Jesus Do?" Our Lord said, "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me" (Mt 11:29). Do you think if He were with us today would He dance? Dancing is a worldly way..... Read More »
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If kissing did not feel good no one would have the desire to do it. Like everything else in life there is a time and a season for everything. Kissing a guy who is not your husband is definitely wrong no matter how good it felt. Since you felt good this implies that you would not mind doing it again! And..... Read More »
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If you read John 2:1-11 in the bible it states "on the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; 2 and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus *said to Him, “They have no wine.” ….Jesus *said..... Read More »
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"Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge" (Hebrews 13:4). Please rethink these questions as they are grievously erroneous. Marriage is a holy Sacrament, blessed and sanctified, whereby two become one before God, and with God; and vow to live their unified life. When a light is put out in a room,..... Read More »
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St. Ephrem, one of the oldest Fathers of the Church, said this: “Who invented the dances and balls? Was it St. Peter? Was it St. John or some of the Saints? Certainly not, but rather the Devil, the enemy of souls.” Further, he adds, “Where there are balls, the angels are sad and the devils are jubilant.” And also, “It..... Read More »
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There is a difference between betting and assigning a prize in a competition. Having contestants compete to win a prize in a competition is not a sin but betting on who is going to win is like gambling and is a sin. In dealing with each other the Holy Bible says, "Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love,..... Read More »
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One of the beautiful services in our Eritrean Orthodox Tewahdo Church is the Crowning Ceremony where the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony takes place. The readings of this ceremony give specific instructions regarding the role of both the bride and the bridegroom. The following biblical passages tells both the husband and wife how they should love and respect each other: Pauline letter..... Read More »
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From the time of Moses, God not only forbade believers to marry unbelievers, but asked His people to destroy all the inhabitants of the land where they were going to lest they marry from among them; "and you take of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters play the harlot with their gods and make your sons play the..... Read More »
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We see many examples of husbands being older than their wives in the Bible, starting from Adam and Eve and Abraham and Sara. Generally, it is advisable to have an age gap of a couple of years with the male being older. This is because women biologically and emotionally mature faster than men. Mental and emotional maturity is a very..... Read More »
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It means that as the Lord Jesus Christ is the head or governor of the church and the head of man; so is a man the head or governor of a woman. This, however, should not give a husband the license to exercise tyranny nor a woman manipulation. Wives should act under the authority of their husbands as the church..... Read More »
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Infatuation is the emotions one may experience when first meeting someone. Although these feelings are strong, they are temporary, based on physical attraction, unreasonably passionate, and are about self-satisfaction. Infatuation easily allows for sinful behavior and temptations into a relationship and explicitly defy God’s commandments. We can learn this through the story of Samson who’s infatuation led to his downfall...... Read More »
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Let your heart be open to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Marriage is a spiritual act and it is a permanent one as well, so seeking the will of God requires prayer, fasting, and seeking guidance from your father of confession. Be persistent in prayer, fully willing to accept the will of God for you. Additionally, you know someone..... Read More »
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Marriage is one of the 7 sacraments of the church. A sacrament means God is accomplishing a spiritual work. In the marriage sacrament, you go into the church as two people, but you come out United as One Flesh in His eyes. When you put God first and have Him bless your marriage in this way, He will bless and..... Read More »
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In Ephesians 5, (we recommend you read the whole chapter) St Paul writes about the role of the woman and man in a marriage by likening this relationship to the one Christ has with the Church. How beautiful is that? Our ultimate example of a Godly marriage is following the example of our Lord and His Church. In verse 21,..... Read More »
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It depends on what this “past” is. Everyone has a past, and everyone's a sinner. We all have situations that have shaped the person we are. As you are getting to know each other, your main focus should be whether this person will be a partner for you to enter the kingdom, to live a life of repentance and Holy..... Read More »
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Your relationship is your decision, but you cannot exclude your family from that decision. They should always support you in prayer. Also, it can be helpful to listen to advice from your family members especially during the courting stages, but you have to put your needs first because you will be the one living with your spouse. Once you are..... Read More »
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In all things we do, we must pray and seek God first. It is important to seek God’s will and not rely on your emotions. It is recommended to go a period of time without communicating to that person so you can clearly listen to God and know what that connection means. Is it just an admiration, is it meant..... Read More »
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In the name of the Father, the Son, & the Holy Spirit, One God, Amen! What is the significance of the number 41 in the EOTC? According to the law, as written in Deuteronomy 25: 1-3, it was customary for the guilty to be punished 40 hits. “If there is a dispute between men, and they come to court, that..... Read More »
