Saint Michael the Archangel - ሊቀ መላእክት ቅዱስ ሚካኤል
Saint Michael the Archangel
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church celebrates the Feast of St. Michael on 12th day of each month of which two of them are great annual feasts – on Hidar 12 (November 21) and Senie 12 (June 19). The word Michael means ‘who is like God?’.
Senie 12 (June 19)
• It is the day that the Archangel St. Michael saved Aphomia from the hand of Satan
• It is the day that the death certificate of Bahrain was changed to great honor by the miracle of Archangel St. Michael
• Once again, it was the day that St. Alexander demolished a temple of idol, built a church on the site, put the Ark of Arch Angel Michael, and celebrated the festival with great rejoicing.
Melake "angel" is geez word which means messenger. This is the name given to Holy Angels because they are the ones who presents to God the sacrifices offered by man and who brings down God's mercy to man. On the same Sunday after the Most High God created the seven heavens He created the angels and made them intelligent and wise.
St. Michael is the Archangel for the 99 tribes of Holy Angles and lives in the heavenly city called Eyore. He is an angel who has taken up his army and fought against the Devil, when Satan said, "I am the Creator".
Revelation 12: 7-9
7 And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
The prophet Daniel testified to the intercession and help of Saint Michael
Daniel 10: 13
13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.
Daniel 10: 21
21 But I will tell you what is noted in the Scripture of Truth. (No one upholds me against these, except Michael your prince.
Daniel 12: 1
“At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people;
Archangel Michael, whose clothes are lightning, his lips are fire is our protector and watches over us day and night. He also delivered Moses from Pharaoh, Joshua from Amalek, David from Goliath, Hezekiah from Sennacherib, Daniel from the power of the lions; St. Aphomia from the hand of Satan and Bahrain from the hand of evil rich man.
King Lalibela - ንጉሥ ላሊበላ
Saint Lalibela was born on December 29 (on the day our Lord was born), on 1101 A.D., in Rota, Lasta Bugna Woreda from his father Jean Seyoum and his mother Kirworna. Saint Michael had already told his mother about her son's birth. When he was born, many white bees came and landed on his body like honey, so his mother called him Lalibela. In Agaw Lal means bees. Even though his mother didn’t understand at the time the bees, however, they were angelic bees. The angels came to him like bees to prophesied that the honey of religion and morality is going to be taken from him.
The last Axumite King, Dil Naod, employed a famous general from Lasta Roha named Mera Teklahaimanot, who married his daughter, Mesobe Work. When Dil Naod died without a male successor, Mera Teklahaimanot became king and moved the seat of the empire to Lasta. Here, he founded the Zagwe Dynasty 11 kings who ruled Ethiopia for 333 years. King Lalibela was the most famous of the 11 Zagwe monarchs.
Saint Lalibela from younger age used to drink kosho (bitter leaf) every Friday in remembrance of the bitter gall that our Lord and savior Eyesus Kristos drank on the cross. One day Saint Gabriel took King Lalibela to Jerusalem and showed him all the monasteries and saints live there. Then He took him to heaven, showed him the seven heavens where angels and saints greeted him with reverence and joy. At the seventh heaven, Our Lord and Savior appeared before Lalibela and told him, my people are traveling to Jerusalem from Ethiopia to see the place of my suffering and they are dying on their way, but now you are ordained to build Jerusalem in the city of Roha, Ethiopia. Then Our Lord and Savior Eyesus Kirstos described the detail of the rock buildings to Lalibela.
After Lalibela became king, he prayed to find out the place where the temple was to be built. When he was in his prayer King Lalibela saw a golden pillar of light being placed at the site now called “Bete Mariam” the house of Mariam, and he saw angels ascending and descending. Knowing that the place was God's will, Lalibela began to work. Our Lord and Savior again told to King Lalibela at the time of his prayer “Lalibela remember, I am the one who builds the temples, not you, but I let it to be called by your name.” When Lalibela built the ten temples, he found that if he built one inch today, He found it ten-inch-long in the next morning. During the day also the Holy Angels was helping him in the form of strangers. Bete Mariam (House of Mary) was the first church to be built by King Lalibela. The salutation to the church saying “May peace be upon you Holy Place, the likeness of Heavenly Jerusalem” started at this time.
Finally, after king Lalibela finished building the churches according to the instructions of our Lord the King fasted and prayed for 7 years, carrying ten kilograms of rock on his right, and left hand. Our Lord appeared to him reaffirmed His promise to him. Anyone who gives salutation to the temples that you have built; I will accepted him as he saluted Jerusalem. King Lalibela departed from this world on the day of Saint Michael Sene 12 (June 19).
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, One God, Amen !