"By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion".

In these words of the Psalm, we Orthodox Christians, the New Israel, remember that we are in exile. For Orthodox Tewahedo Ethiopians, living far from Ethiopia, the Psalm has a special meaning; but all Orthodox Christians, too, live in exile in this world, longing to return to our true home, Heaven.

For us the Great Lenten Fast is a session of exile ordained for us by our Mother, the Church, to keep fresh in us the memory of Zion from which we have wandered so far. We have deserved our exile and we have great need of it because of our great sinfulness. Only through the chastisement of exile, which we remember in the fasting, prayer and repentance of this season, do we remain mindful of our Zion..."If I forget thee, O Jerusalem..."

Weak and forgetful, even in the midst of the Great Lenten Fast we live as though Jerusalem did not exist for us. We fall in love with the world, our Babylon; we are seduced by the frivolous pastimes of this "strange land" and neglect the services and discipline of the Church which remind us of our true home. Worse yet, we love our very captors - for our sins hold us captive more surely than any human master - and in their service we pass in idleness the precious days of Lent when we should be preparing to meet the Rising Sun of the New Jerusalem, the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

There is still time; we must remember our true home and weep over the sins which have exiled us from it. Let us take to heart the words of Abba Yohannes of the Ladder: "Exile is separation from everything in order to keep the mind inseparable from God. An exile loves and produces continual weeping." Exiled from Paradise, we must become exiled from the world if we hope to return.

This we may do by spending these days in fasting, prayer, separation from the world, attendance at the services of the Church, in tears of repentance, in preparation for the joyful Feast that is to end this time of exile; and by bearing witness to all in this "strange land" of our remembrance of that even greater Feast that shall be when our Lord returns to take His people to the New Jerusalem, from which there shall be no more exile, for it is eternal."

The Scripture readings appointed for this First day of Great Holy Lent can be found under "Sunday & Feast Scripture Readings."

The Feast of Saint Abba Paul of Thebes

Greatest of the Anchorite Monks

TUESDAY

Yekatit 02 - February 09

On the Second day of month of Yekatit (Ethiopian Calendar), the Ninth of February (Western Calendar) the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church commemorates the greatest of the Desert Monastics, Saint Abba Paul of Thebes.

Born in the City of Alexandria, Abba Paul and his older brother, whose name was Peter, grew up in a wealthy family. After the death of their parents and the days of mourning for them were ended, the two brothers began to divide their inheritance from their Parents estate. When his brother took the greater share, Paul's feelings were hurt by his brother's action. He said to his brother, "Why don't you give me my rightful share of the inheritance of my father?" Peter responded, "You are a young man, and I am afraid that you might squander it. As for me, I will keep it for you." When they did not agree with each other, they went to the governor to judge between them. On their way, they saw a funeral procession. Paul asked one of the mourners about the deceased man. Paul was told that he was one of the noble and rich people of the city, and that he left his riches and his wealth behind, and that they were taking him to bury him with only his garment. St. Paul sighed in his heart and said to himself, "What do I have to do then with all the money of this temporal world which I shall leave naked?" He looked to his brother Peter and said to him, "My brother, let us return, for I shall not ask you for anything, not even for what is mine." On their way back, Paul left his brother and went on his way until he came out of the city. Paul found a grave where he stayed for three days praying to the Lord Jesus Christ to guide him to what pleases Him. As for his brother, he searched for Paul diligently and when he did not find him, he was very sorry for what he had done.

Almighty God sent St. Paul an Angel who took him out of this place, and walked with him until they reached the eastern inner wilderness. He stayed there for 70 years, during which he saw no one. He put on a tunic made of palm tree fiber. The Lord sent him a raven every day with a half loaf of bread.

When the Lord wanted to reveal the holiness of St. Paul and his righteousness, He sent His Angel to St. Anthony (Antonius) the Great, who thought that he was the first to dwell in the wilderness. The Angel told St. Anthony, "There is a man who lives in the inner wilderness; the world is not worthy of his footsteps. By his prayers, the Lord brings rain and dew to fall on the Earth, and bring the flood of the Nile in its due season."

When St. Anthony heard this, he rose right away and went to the inner wilderness, a distance of one day's walk. God guided him to the cave of St. Paul. He entered, and they bowed to each other, and sat down talking about the greatness of the Lord.

In the evening, the raven came bringing a whole loaf of bread. St. Paul said to St. Anthony, "Now, I know that you are one of the children of God. For 70 years, the Lord has been sending to me everyday, half a loaf of bread, but today, the Lord is sending your food also. Now, go and bring me back in a hurry the Tunic that Emperor had given to Pope/Patriarch Athanasius of Alexandria. So St. Anthony went to St. Athanasius, and brought the Tunic from him and returned to St. Paul. On his way back, he saw the soul of St. Paul carried by the Angels up to heaven. When he arrived to the cave, he found that St. Paul had departed from this world. He kissed him, weeping, and clothed him in the Tunic that he asked for, and he took St. Paul's own palm fiber tunic.

When St. Anthony wanted to bury St. Paul, he wondered how he would dig the Grave to bury the Saint of God. Two Lions entered the cave, bowed their heads before the body of the Hermit St. Paul, and shook their heads as if they were asking St. Anthony what to do. St. Anthony knew that they were sent from God. He marked the length and width of the body on the ground, and they dug the grave with their claws, according to St. Anthony's directions. St. Anthony then buried the body of the Saint, and went back to Pope/Patriarch Athanasius and told him what had happened. St. Athanasius sent men to bring St. Paul's body to him. They spent several days searching in the mountains, but they could not find the place of his grave. St. Paul appeared to the St. Athanasius in a vision and told him that the Lord would not allow the revelation of the location of his body.

Pope Athanasius used to wear the palm fiber tunic of the Hermit St. Paul three times a year during the Eucharistic Sacrifice - Qiddasie. One time, he wanted to let the people know about the holiness of the owner of that tunic. He put it over a dead man, and the dead man rose up instantly. The news of this miracle spread all around the land of Egypt and to the rest of the known Christian world.

The Scripture readings appointed for this Feast or Commemoration can be found under "Sunday & Feast Scripture Readings."

WISDOM FROM THE CHURCH FATHERS

"When the soldiers of the emperor are standing at attention, they cannot look to the right or to the left. It is the same for the man who stands before God and looks towards Him in fear at all times; he cannot then fear anything from the enemy."

St. Abba Serapion - Desert Father

A graced filled Elder of the Desert once wrote: ..."Joy comes from one's relationship and union with God. Mankind has been created to be joyful, not sad. When you enjoy the wrong things, you will inevitably pay back for all this pleasure you have had. But God's joy demands no repayment. For instance I, who own nothing in this world, cannot pay for the happiness I have. I am not the only one proclaiming this truth. My brother monks, who also have nothing else besides God, are filled with joy. I have emptied myself for Christ's sake. I have nothing but my Lord - and joy. Poverty is beautiful for it sets you free. One should empty himself to make room for Christ to enter his heart. When the Lord is with me, there is my happiness also. In each ascetic cave you will find spiritual joy."

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The Monastery Webpage was last updated: Sunday, February 7th