Mesqel

video credit: Sybil Patten

Today is the eve before the Universal Exaltation of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross, or mesqel, for short. Though I do not care for the so-called United Nations, UNESCO has deemed the Ethiopian flavor of this holiday worthy of being “on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.” The video above is from 2017 A.D. (2010 amete mihret, in the year of mercy), in Oakland, CA; under the auspices of His Beatitude abune melke’tsédiq, of blessed memory.

He was the spiritual advisor of His Imperial Majesty King of Kings of Ethiopia hayle’silasé, direct supervisor of hieromonks who later became the 4th and 6th patriarchs of the EOTC, and a prolific writer. For many years, I traveled to his parish, and he to mine, and I asked him questions during every opportune-moment I could grasp. He was already a historic figure when my parents were elementary students in Ethiopia, and he would visit them, to make sure the foreigner-educated Orthodox remained as Orthodox as is humanly possible. His The Teaching of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, is the number one book I recommend as a gentle introduction to the faith as developed and found in the highlands of the Horn of Africa.

Blessed be the Lord the God of our fathers, who permits us to celebrate and commemorate this great feast again this year. And may he make us worthy to do likewise next year!

When I came to you, brethren, I did not come proclaiming to you the mystery of God in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. (1 Corinthians 2:1,2 RSV)