Veneration of Saints in Orthodox Christianity- Part II

The Orthodox Church holds a clearly defined viewpoint on the role of individuals who have led exceptionally holy lives. Veneration of Saints (ለቅዱሳን ክብርን መስጠት) is not a simple act of remembrance; it is a vibrant expression of faith that goes beyond death. The Church respectfully acknowledges and preserves the virtues (በጎ ሥራ) of the saints, actively commemorating them, whether living or departed, in recognition of their dedicated service and profound impact on the faith.

The church honors the saints not only through prayers but also by constructing churches dedicated to their names’ memorial. Hebrews 6:10 states that "እግዚአብሔር፥ ቅዱሳንን ስላገለገላችሁ እስከ አሁንም ስለምታገለግሉአቸው፥ ያደረጋችሁትን ሥራ ለስሙም ያሳያችሁትን ፍቅር ይረሳ ዘንድ ዓመፀኛ አይደለምና።." Similarly, Isaiah 56:5 declares, " እግዚአብሔር ሰንበቴን ስለሚጠብቁ ደስ የሚያሰኘኝንም ነገር ስለሚመርጡ ቃል ኪዳኔንም ስለሚይዙ ጃንደረቦች እንዲህ ይላልና:: በቤቴና በቅጥሬ ውስጥ ከወንዶችና ከሴቶች ልጆች ይልቅ የሚበልጥ መታሰቢያና ስም እሰጣቸዋለሁ፤ የማይጠፋም የዘላለም ስም እሰጣቸዋለሁ።" These verses emphasize the importance of remembering and honoring those who have dedicated themselves to God.

The Orthodox Church expresses veneration of the saints through various practices. The Church observes saints' birthdays and feast days with special liturgies, and joyful celebrations, and follows the principles of offering at least a cup of cold water in their honor. Matthew 10:40-42 explains, " እናንተን የሚቀበል እኔን ይቀበላል፥ እኔንም የሚቀበል የላከኝን ይቀበላል።ነቢይን በነቢይ ስም የሚቀበል የነቢይን ዋጋ ይወስዳል፥ ጻድቅንም በጻድቅ ስም የሚቀበል የጻድቁን ዋጋ ይወስዳል።ማንም ከእነዚህ ከታናናሾቹ ለአንዱ ቀዝቃዛ ጽዋ ውኃ ብቻ በደቀ መዝሙር ስም የሚያጠጣ፥ እውነት እላችኋለሁ፥ ዋጋው አይጠፋበትም።” This verse implies that offering hospitality to others in the name of the saints is viewed as serving Christ himself.

Another feature of veneration involves recording the Saints' struggles and triumphs (የተጋደሉትን ተጋድሎ ወይም ገድላቸዉን መጻፍ). Recording their stories, the challenges they overcame and the victories they achieved through faith, serve as a powerful source of inspiration for believers. 2 Timothy 4:7 supports this practice. “መልካሙን ገድል ተጋድዬአለሁ፥ ሩጫውን ጨርሼአለሁ፥ ሃይማኖትን ጠብቄአለሁ፤ወደ ፊት የጽድቅ አክሊል ተዘጋጅቶልኛል፥ ይህንም ጻድቅ ፈራጅ የሆነው ጌታ ያን ቀን ለእኔ ያስረክባል፥ ደግሞም መገለጡን ለሚወዱት ሁሉ እንጂ ለእኔ ብቻ አይደለም።” Similarly, Jude 3 offer testaments to the importance of this tradition. “ወዳጆች ሆይ፥ ስለምንካፈለው ስለ መዳናችን ልጽፍላችሁ እጅግ ተግቼ ሳለሁ፥ ለቅዱሳን አንድ ጊዜ ፈጽሞ ስለ ተሰጠ ሃይማኖት እንድትጋደሉ እየመከርኋችሁ እጽፍላችሁ ዘንድ ግድ ሆነብኝ።"

In conclusion, the veneration of Saints in the Orthodox Church is more than just tradition. It is a testament to the enduring power of faith and a call to action for all believers. By honoring the memory of the Saints and following their exemplary lives, we strengthen our connection to God and deepen our sense of belonging within the Church community.

hashtag