The Difference of Years Our

Continued 👇🏾 The Difference of Years Our Ethiopian calendar differs from the European by seven years and eight months. When they say it is 2025, we say it is 2018. After four months, they will say 2026, but we will not yet. Many explanations are given: some say we delayed in recognizing Christ’s birth; others speak of Adam’s seven years in Paradise. But these are mere conjectures. In truth, Ethiopia has never been ignorant of the Lord’s coming. Did not Ethiopian kings bring gifts at His birth? Did not our fathers preserve the knowledge that Adam spent seven years in Paradise? These years are counted within our reckoning, which measures 5500 years from creation until the coming of Christ. Thus the Ethiopian calendar stands correct and true. The Thirteenth Month Unlike the Western world, whose months vary in length thirty one, thirty, and twenty-eight days we have a perfect order: twelve months of thirty days, and a thirteenth month of five or six days in leap years. For here the balance of day and night, each of twelve hours, is preserved. The Naming of the Eras Each era of our calendar is named after one of the four evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John who, though separated in time and place, spoke with one voice under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The Gospel is “the good news”:? salvation of body and soul, the passing from death to life, the liberation from the tyranny of the devil. To know which evangelist marks the age, we add 5500 years to the year of Mercy (2018)and divide by four. A remainder of one is Matthew, two is Mark, three is Luke, and zero is John. Thus even in the order of time itself, the voice of the Gospel resounds. The Difference of Ten Days Why do Europeans begin their new year on Meskerem 11 while we begin on Meskerem 1? The answer lies in the calendar reform of Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. He shortened the year from 365 days and 6 hour to 365 days and 5 hours, thereby removing ten days. Tikmt 5 became Tikmt 15, and so the calendars diverged. But the Ethiopian Church rejected this innovation, keeping the fullness of the year as 365 days and 6 hours. The Spiritual Meaning of the New Year And so, dearly beloved, when Meskerem dawns, it is not only the turning of the earth or the changing of the seasons. It is a sign of the renewal of the soul. The clouds depart, the sun shines, the fields grow green, the air is sweet with blossoms. So too must our hearts be renewed: the darkness of sin cast away, the fragrance of virtue springing forth. Saint Peter exhorts us: “The past is enough for you” (1 Peter 4:3). Enough of sin! Enough of drunkenness, lust, and idolatry! If times change but we remain the same, the change profits us nothing. A new year is a time of repentance: to say, “Forgive us for the past and guard us in the future.” Exhortation Therefore, let us embrace Meskerem as a holy beginning. Let us cast off the darkness of the old year, let us shine in the light of Christ, let us renew our minds and our works. Let us plan afresh with diligence, strengthen what is weak, and fill what is lacking. May this new year be for us a season of peace and prosperity, a time of repentance and renewal, a time of charity and faithfulness. May the intercession of the Virgin Mary, the prayers of the saints, and the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us always. May the name of the Holy God be praised forever and ever in every tongue that He has created, today and always. May the blessings of God's mother, the virgin, and the cross be upon us. Amen. © John's Repentance Reach out to us on our social media platforms and share it with your friends:https://linktr.ee/johnsrepentance