The following are the ten stages/levels to
righteousness / ዐሥሩ ማዕረጋት የሚባሉትም
የሚከተሉት ናቸው፡፡
1. ጽማዌ /Diverting Attention/Ignoring the World and its Chaos
2. ልባዌ/Maturity/Consciousness/Seeking Knowledge and Wisdom
3. ጣዕመ ዝማሬ/The Chants and Hymns
4. አንብዕ(አንብዐ ንስሐ)/ Tears of penance (repentance)
5. ኩነኔ/ The gift of autonomy
6. ፍቅር / The gift of love
7. ሑሰት / The gift of omnipresence
8. ንጻሬ መላእክት / The stage of seeing angels
9. ተሰጥሞ /Complete immersion of the soul into
light/absolute purity of the heart is reached
10. ከዊነ እሳት/ The ability to see God in his
mysterious existence of Holy Trinity (assuming the form of fire/God’s holy fire
of light)
THE TEN LEVELS ARE DIVIDED IN TO THREE MAJOR PARTS/ እነዚህ ቅዱሳን የደረሱበት ዐሥሩ ማዕረጋት በሦስት ዋና ክፍሎች ይከፈላሉ፡፡
I. የንጽሐ ሥጋ/ GLORIOUS
REWARDS FOR THE CHASTITY OF BODY
II. የንጽሐ ነፍስ/RIGHTEOUSNESS/CHASTITY OF THE SOUL
(INTERMEDIATES)
III.
የንጽሐ ልቡና/THE
CLEAN IN THE HEART(THE PERFECT ONES)
I. የንጽሐ ሥጋ
ማዕረጋት ሦስት ናቸው እነሱም/The glorious rewards for the chastity of body
are three;-
1. ጽማዌ/Diverting
Attention/Ignoring the World and its Chaos
2. ልባዌ/
Maturity/Consciousness/Seeking Knowledge and Wisdom
3.
ጣዕመ ዝማሬ
ሲሆኑ/ The Chants and Hymns
Those who made it to this level are symbolized by the farmer who reaped 30 times (Parable of the Sower). /እነዚህ
ማዕረጋት ላይ የደረሱ ቅዱሳን 30 (ሠላሣ) ፍሬ በሚያፈራው ዘር የተመሰሉት ናቸው፡፡
II. የነፍስ ንጽሕና (ማዕከላውያን) ማዕረጋት 4
ናቸው እነሱም/RIGHTEOUSNESS/CHASTITY OF
THE SOUL (INTERMEDIATES)
4. አንብዕ(አንብዐ ንስሐ) /Tears of penance (repentance)
5.
ኩነኔ /The gift of autonomy
6.
ሑሰት/ The gift of love
7.
ጣዕመ ዝማሬ
ሲሆኑ/ The gift of omnipresence
III. የንጽሐ ልቡና
ማዕረጋት 3 ናቸው እነሱም/THE CLEAN IN THE HEART(THE PERFECT ONES)
8. ንጻሬ መላእክት /The stage of seeing angels
9. ተሰጥሞ/ Complete immersion of the soul into
light/absolute purity of the heart is reached
10. ከዊነ እሳት/ The ability to see God in his
mysterious existence of Holy Trinity (assuming the form of fire/God’s holy fire
of light)
አሥሩ ማዕረጋት/መንፈሳዊ የቅድስና ደረጃዎች/THE TEN STAGES/LEVELS TO
RIGHTEOUSNESS
v
[1
Corinthians 15: 41] The
sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars
another; and star differs from star in splendor.
v
[Daniel
12:3-4] Those
who are wise[a] will shine like the brightness of
the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars
forever and ever. 4 But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the
words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and
there to increase knowledge.”
v
[Revelation
12:1-4] A great sign appeared in heaven: a
woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve
stars on her head.2 She
was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth.3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: an
enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven
crowns on its heads. 4 Its tail swept a third of the stars out
of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman
who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment
he was born.
v
[Matthew
13:8] Still other seed fell on good soil, where it
produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever
has ears, let them hear.”
v
[1Corinthians
3:8-9] The one who plants and the one who waters
have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s
service; you are God’s field, God’s building.
v
[Psalm 51:12] Restore to me the joy of your salvation and
grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
v
[Proverbs 14:12]
The house of the wicked will be
destroyed, but the tent of
the upright will flourish. There is a way that appears
to be right, but in the end it leads to death.
v
[Matthew
16:17] Jesus
replied, “Blessed
are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and
blood, but by my Father in heaven. And
I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my
church, and the gates of Hell will not overcome it.
v
[Romans
2:6] God “will repay each person according to what
they have done.”[a] 7 To
those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and
immortality, he will give eternal life.8 But
for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow
evil, there will be wrath and anger. 9 There will be trouble and distress for every
human being who does evil.
I. የንጽሐ ሥጋ
ማዕረጋት/GLORIOUS AWARDS FOR THE CHASTITY OF BODY
The glorious awards for the
chastity of body are የንጽሐ ሥጋ ማዕረጋት ሦስት ናቸው እነሱም
1)
ጽማዌ/
Diverting Attention/Ignoring the World and it’s Chaos
2)
ልባዌ
/Maturity/Consciousness/Seeking Knowledge and Wisdom
3)
ጣዕመ ዝማሬ
ሲሆኑ
Those who made it to this level are symbolized by the farmer who reaped 30 times (Parable of the Sower). እነዚህ ማዕረጋት ላይ የደረሱ ቅዱሳን 30
(ሠላሣ) ፍሬ በሚያፈራው ዘር የተመሰሉት ናቸው፡፡
1) ጽማዌ(ድንቁርና)/DIVERTING
ATTENTION/IGNORING THE WORLD AND IT’S CHAOS
The first stage of the
entire process to righteousness and sainthood is ignoring the chaotic world and
its terror towards the soul.
It is a deliberate shield
formed against the negativity generated in the life environments.
CHARACTERISTICS
Hence when one/saint
achieves this level, then he/she loses interest in the affairs that no longer
matter to that caliber.
Instead they spend their
days with their
- v With their conscious thinking and
contemplating the magnificence of God
- v With their noses smelling the fragrance of
the heavens
- v With their eyes admiring the marvelous nature
and it’s ecosystem
- v With their souls they identify and know and
see when the soul is about to depart from the flesh
- v They’re able to see the invisible fallen
angels and identity them
- v They are enabled to see the Angels of the
Lord whenever they descend to earth to perform their duty
- v Those who made it to this step are not
subject to the ultimate penalty of life struggle hence don’t work in order to
sustain life but are fed by the Holy Spirit the heavily Manaa and Quil. Again,
due to the early stage they must fulfill the biological demands to get energy
by eating. But they can spend days
without meal and water while praying for example Moses went to the Mountain in
Sinai and spent 40 days and nights.......Exodus
9:9, 4:17-18 1John 2:15-17
- v They never seek attention from anyone
anywhere to be seen or heard by hunting podiums to read, sing/chant or talk to
people
- v They completely stop all their secular
desires and transcend
- Those who made it to this level are symbolized by the farmer who reaped 30 times (Parable of the Sower).
2) ልባዌ/MATURITY/CONSCIOUSNESS/SEEKING KNOWLEDGE
AND WISDOM
This is the level where
one/the saint becomes very descent, conscious, knowledgeable and wise.
CHARACTERISTICS
The stage is characterized
by the following attributes of the saints
- v They become fully accountable and answer to
their souls only
- v At times when others wish or plot their
destruction, they pray harder than ever for perseverance
- v They take all the battles to their hearts and
conduct the fight consciously through wisdom and prayers
- v They maintain the GRACE OF GOD GIVEN TO US in
order not to lose it to their infinite secular desires (these include all the
fronts of sin and crime that are commanded to be avoided)
- v Even if they live in a confined environment
where they have dejected themselves from the world, God provides them with
everything they need instantly
- v They are able to see and know where the souls
of departing humans go
- v They see the movement of angels in response
to their duties: they know their destinations and names
- v They see demons and know their purposes as to
why they are at a specific place and time
- v With exception of what only God knows and
does, they have been granted the knowledge of everything under the sun.
Daniel 9:11-13, 2Corintians 12:1-7, Galatians
6:4
3. ጣዕመ ዝማሬ/THE CHANTS AND HYMNS
This level marks the
absolute sacrifice of the new covenant in form of songs, hymns and chants by
the saints to God from earth connecting all the way to the heavens.
CHARACTERISTICS
v
The saints at this stage
know and understand the secrets each and every prayer. They take about 3
decades to decipher the Lord’s Prayer due to its depth.
v
They never get tired of
fasting, praying, QUMET and bowing
v
When they chant their
voices sound like that of the Angels in the heavens
v
They praise, worship and
honor God Day and night
v
They transcend and defy
the orders of nature and hence never sleep, eat, drink and suffer fatigue. But
in order to keep their humility and grace at its peak; whenever they are with
other people they eat, drink and claim to be tired so that they don’t receive
unnecessary praises and admirations that might render them proud hence lead to
their downfall.
v
They are tested to the
limit and challenged to go to people, teach, conduct liturgy and bring people
to Christian principles instead grow more powerful than ever in spirituality
v
The reward is then given
to them since they have defeated the temptations and glories of the secular
world. Most significantly, they have prevented glorification from the crowed,
acquisition of money and properties using the church and the faith.
II.
የነፍስ ንጽሕና (ማዕከላውያን)/RIGHTEOUSNESS/CHASTITY
OF THE SOUL (INTERMEDIATES)
At this state, the flesh
is absolutely free fault and its desires. The soul is then freed and no sin is
attached to it at any possible situation.
The unconditional grace of
God is given to the saints who have achieved this position and the life of monk
hood/nun hood/hermit is approved for rewards.
They are able to see and
feel everything what ordinary humans can’t perceive, feel or see. The
enlightenment and illumination of the secrets of the heavens and the earth is
realized.
Nevertheless, the tests
and temptations grow accordingly.
The temptations and tests
include:-
· Doubting the salvation
· Need to leave the monastery
· Leaving the blessings
· Losing hope
Here, the need for
perseverance, patience and faithfulness is the way out. The strength of faith
is tested to the limit of sailing on high tide waves and making it to the
destination without sinking. The grace of God then stays and continues to
empower and transcend the person.
This level is symbolized
by the farmer/sower who threw the seed on the good ground and reaped 60
folds/times the previous.
THE FOLLOWING ARE THE
STAGES THAT LEAD TO THE CHASTITY/RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE SOUL AND THE
REWARDS የንጽሐ ነፍስ ማዕርጋትየሚባሉት
- እንብዕ (አንብዐ ንስሐ)/TEARS OF PENANCE
(REPENTANCE)
- ኩነኔ/GIFT OF AUTONOMY
- ፍቅር/GIFT OF LOVE
- ሑሰት/THE GIFT OF OMNIPRESENCE
- አንብዕ (አንብዐ ንስሐ)/TEARS
OF PENANCE (REPENTANCE)
The tears of penance is a
gift that enables saints to cry and repent sins of their own and the sins
committed by the people of the world.
CHARACTERISTICS
v
They pray continuously
without any disruption through their hearts and keeping their conscious and
thoughts entirely with God. Hence they don’t involve tiring activities.
v
This is a mystery that
resides in their hearts/conscious/spirit and hence helps them fight and prevent
sins.
v
Their tears flow in
remembrance of Jesus Christ’s passion, sufferings and death that was paid for
our sins how the world is responding to it.
v
When freshly cut wood is
thrown on fire, it burns while exuding the sup/water in it; similarly the
saints at this stage undergo the same situation.
v
They think of the hell
that would consume souls and the ungrateful to the gift of life and blessings
of God by denying and defying His ways.
Mathew 5:4,
Luke 6:11,
Acts 10:1,
Romans 12:11
- ኩነኔ/GIFT OF
AUTONOMY
Autonomy is the ability of
an individual to own, control and govern his/her life without any external
influence
CHARACTERISTICS
v
The autonomous person lets
the soul to rule over the flesh. When the soul rules the flesh, the individual
comes in direct and strong communion with God since the Breathe of God is
activated 100%.
v
In human life, the will of
the soul and the flesh are in constant conflict and battle (Galatians 5:16-17).
v
They are able to avert
hurting others even mentally (thinking to hurt anyone in anyway vanishes).
v
They think of the penalty
of life and the fall of glory which lead to the everlasting death.
v
Our holy fathers of the
church teach us that those who made it to this level are ready to take up the
cross and suffer for their principles.
Romans 7:15-18
1Chorintians 9:17
Galatians 5:14-16
Ephesians 2:1
6. ፍቅር/ THE GIFT OF LOVE
This is a stage where the
award is love given to and by everyone.
CHARACTERISTICS
v
They are able to love
everyone with the level that transcends boundaries and realities
v
They are loved by everyone
since the very grace of God and the presence of the Holy Spirit provide wisdom.
v
They love everyone equally
without discriminating or segregating or dividing the society into various
social, political and economic classes.
v
They always remember the
unconditional love of God through Jesus Christ and try to go accordingly. They
have compassion fore everyone.
v
They pray for everyone and
everything in the world: safety for travelers, faithfulness to those in astray,
from sin to righteousness, healing for the sick, rain .......
v
They are loved and obeyed
by the birds of the sky and beasts of the wilderness. They pet and instruct
them as if they are cats, dogs and hens.
v
The rebellious demons obey
and take instructions without defiance and preconditions.
v
Example: Abune
GebreMenfeskidus, Abune Aklog of the Lionizing
Psalms 90:12
Mathew 5:33-38
Luke 6:16-20, 10:17
1Corintians 13:1-13
7. ሑሰት/THE GIFT OF OMNIPRESENCE
The his of omnipresence is
the ability to be everywhere at one instance and knowing what’s happening
elsewhere.
This is the last stage of
the intermediate level saints.
The omnipresent,
omniscient and omnipotent natures of God are gifted to those who have the
mysterious presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
CHARACTERISTICS
v
The absolute obedience and
dedication to God lead to the gift of divinity. Hence the gift of omnipresence.
v
They are able to know
everything that happens while staying in the monastery.
v
The ultimate love from the
mysterious and preceding Holy Spirit makes them mysterious.
v
They defy the limited
nature of the 3D existence of humans by:-
a) passing through closed doors
b) traveling through space without any device or space shuttles at
a speed of light
v
They go visit the heavens
of Angels, the paradise of Adam and Eve, the World of the Living(The dwelling place of those who never tasted death)(ብሔረ
ሕያዋንን), the World of Saints/Righteous(ብሔረ ብፁዓንን)
v
They are given the mystery
light of shuttle(chariot) and the invisible gracious wings to cruise through
space, the universe and the heavens.
2Kings 6:8-13
Isaiah 30:17-21
Acts 5:1-11
1Corintians 12:1-5
III. ንጽሕ ልቡና (ፍጹማን)/
THE CLEAN IN THE HEART(THE PERFECT ONES)
This is a stunningly
amazing stage where the characteristic person becomes divine since the Sermon
on the Mount says that “The clean in the heart are righteous for they shall see
God.”
CHARACTERISTICS
v
While saint/person is in
the world of the living, the soul goes to the heavens. They flesh is in its
normal function where the eyes see, the blood temperature is normal at the rage
of 37 degrees centigrade. They never close their eyes like the dead.
v
Their souls go to the
heavens, meet the Angels, chant in the praise of the heavenly language, be part
of the eternal joy and return to earth.
v
The Angels rejoice for the
souls and always want them to stay in the heavens.
v
These are symbolized by
the farmer who throws the seeds on the good soil and gets 100 folds(times) the
previous harvest.
THE FOLLOWING ARE THE
DEVELOPMENTAL LEVELS TO BE REWARDED WITH CLEAN HEARTS/የንጽሐ ልቡና ማዕርጋት የሚባሉት
- ንጻሬ መላእክት
- ተሰጥሞ/Complete immersion of the soul into light/absolute purity of the heart is reached
- ከዊነ እሳት
8. ንጻሬ መላእክት
/THE STAGE OF SEEING ANGELS
Children until they start
knowing themselves and start speaking are able to see and communicate with
Angels.
The righteous that have made
it to the level of ልባዌ/MATURITY/CONSCIOUSNESS are enabled to see Angels
but while being on earth.
At this stage, the clean
hearted are enabled to travel through the expanses either physically or with
their soul spiritually.
CHARACTERISTICS
v
They travel through
expanses and go to the cities of Angels in the heavens.
v
They are enabled to travel
through the expanses either physically or with their soul spiritually.
v
They listen to the chants
of the Angels
v
They together with the
Angels praise and chant for God by saying Holy Holy Holy.
v
They see the invisible
Angels in form of physically massive clouds
v
They practically become
like Angels
v
They see the cities of
Angels and admire the creation of God.
v
They speak the language of
Angels
v
They can be able
to become invisible/disappear when evil spirit come to tempt them.
v
They are rewarded by the
knowledge of secrets of the heavens
1 Corinthians 6:3
Revelation 12:8-9
1 Corinthians 13:1
9. ተሰጥሞ/COMPLETE IMMERSION OF THE SOUL INTO
LIGHT/ABSOLUTE PURITY OF THE HEART IS REACHED
The saints at this level
receive the highest honor of the grace of God and behave completely Divine.
CHARACTERISTICS
v
They seize to talk in the
ways of the world and their mouths become completely silent.
v
They achieve extreme
decency and live in the everlasting light of the Most High.
v
They come into real and
complete happiness and joy for they have known and understood all the ways of
life, secrets and mysteries.
v
They drown in the
everlasting light of the ocean of Grace of God that makes us perfect.
v
The everlasting light
washes their hearts in absolute perfection and delivers them to the level of
“The Pure in the heart are righteous for they SHALL SEE GOD”!
2 Corinthians 6:10
Philippians 3-1
Ephesians 5:13-14
Revelation 11:12-17, 12:1-5
10. ከዊነ እሳት(ነጽሮተ ሥሉስ ቅዱስ)/THE ABILITY TO SEE GOD IN HIS
MYSTERIOUS EXISTENCE OF TRINITY(ASSUMING THE FORM OF FIRE/GOD’S HOLY FIRE OF
LIGHT)
This is the last stage of
sainthood and righteousness that leads to the greatest rewards that can not be
defined or explained verbally.
At this level saints
clearly understand The Mystery of Holy Trinity which baffles and is extremely
complex for humanity under no faith and divine connections.
CHARACTERISTICS
- The righteous shine like light on
and around their bodies. Their entire body from head to toes shine.
- They are not vulnerable to any
human weaknesses such as pathogens. Since the fire body repels or consumes
anything that is foreign to the body.
- They ignore their earthly life due
to their understanding and extreme knowledge of everything. This world no
longer amuses them or sway them into any interest.
- They reach the ultimatum of seeing
and understanding the Mystery of Holy Trinity since “The Pure in the heart
are righteous for they SHALL SEE GOD”! And this is the highest form of
honor and reward for humanity. The most complex and complete knowledge,
wisdom and and understanding of the definition of life and the mysteries
surrounding it. But it is clearly impossible to see God by anyone
including the Angels, but by His grace and will
- God has been revealing Himself to
humanity through various ways: as a King, as a Visitor..... and finally He
came directly by incarnation through St. Mary the Mother of God as chosen
by Him.
John 5፥5
Mathew 5፥8
John 1፥18
Isaiah 6፥1-8
Revelation 4፥1-11
ወስብሐት ለእግዚአብሔር!
Glory be to God!
ወስብሐት ለእግዚአብሔር!
Glory be to God!
