Christian Online Services - East Africa: April 2021

Bagamoyo ni mlango wa imani Afrika Mashariki!

Askofu mkuu Josephat Louis Lebulu wa Jimbo kuu la Arusha katika mahojiano maalum na Radio Vatican wakati huu Kanisa Katoliki nchini Tanzania linasherehekea Miaka 150 ya Uinjilishaji anasema, Bagamoyo ni alama ya ukinzani kwani ni kielelezo cha watu waliokata tamaa ya maisha, kiasi hata cha kubwaga moyo wao! Bagamoyo unabaki kuwa ni Mlango wa Imani kwa Kanisa Katoliki Afrika Mashariki. Hapa ni mahali ambapo wamissionari wa kwanza walitua nanga ya: imani, matumaini na mapendo na huo ukawa ni mwanzo wa kuenea kwa Ukristo Afrika Mashariki. Bagamoyo ni alama ya ukombozi, mahali ambapo mwanadamu amepata tena fursa ya kuinua moyo wake kwa imani na matumaini yanayobubujika kutoka kwa Kristo Yesu. Askofu mkuu Lebulu anakaza kuseama Bagamoyo ni chemchemi ya uhuru wa kweli na mlango wa imani. Ni alama kinzani ya watu kukata tamaa, lakini hapo hapo Bagamoyo umekuwa ni mji wa mwanga wa matumaini na mlango wa imani.

Kwa upande wake, Askofu Michael Msonganzila wa Jimbo Katoliki Musoma, katika Barua yake ya kichungaji “Upendo kwa Utume” kama sehemu ya maadhimisho ya Jubilei ya miaka 150 ya Uinjilishaji Tanzania Bara, Miaka 100 ya Upadre Tanzania na Miaka 60 ya Jimbo la Musoma anagusia hatua mbali mbali za Uinjilishaji Barani Afrika: awamu ya kwanza inahusishwa na mafundisho ya Mwinjili Marko na awamu ya pili inawahusisha wavumbuzi wa Kireno. Hatua ya tatu ya uinjilishaji Afrika ilianza katika karne ya kumi na tisa. Hii ilikuwa ni hatua ya ujio wa wamisionari mbalimbali kutoka bara la Ulaya. Ni katika hatua hii ambapo wamisionari walifika Tanzania, wa kwanza wakiwa ni Mapadre wa Shirika la Roho Mtakatifu.

Wamisionari wa Shirika la Roho Mtakatifu, wakitokea Zanzibar, walifika Bagamoyo na kuanzisha misioni tarehe 4 Machi 1868. Tunaikumbuka na kuienzi kazi kubwa waliyoifanya waanzilishi wa misioni hii, Pd. Anthony Horner, C.S.Sp, Pd. Eduard Baur, C.S.Sp pamoja na wenzao. Mazingira ya utume wao hayakuwa rahisi. Magonjwa ya mara kwa mara, hasa Malaria yaliwashambulia sana. Ndani ya miaka tisa tu ya uwepo wao Bagamoyo, tayari mapadre kumi na wawili, masista saba na mabruda watano walikuwa tayari wamepoteza maisha.

Jubilei ya miaka 100 ya upadre katika Tanzania inatupa kwa namna ya pekee zaidi sisi mapadre wasaa wa kujitathmini. Hapa tunaliona bayana mbele yetu swali ambalo Kristo aliwauliza wanafunzi wake “watu hunena Mwana wa Adamu kuwa ni nani?” (Mt. 16:13). Katika swali hii ni sisi tunasimama mbele ya wanafunzi wetu na kuwahoji “watu husema sisi mapadre ni akina nani?” Swali hili la msingi kwetu kujitathmini linagusa undani wa utambulisho wetu kama mapadre.

Katika Mausia ya Kitume Pastores Dabo Vobis, Mt. Papa Yohane Paulo II anaelezea dhana ya Utambulisho wa Mapadre kwa maneno haya: “Mapadre ni wawakilishi wa kisakramenti wa Yesu Kristo - kiongozi na mchungaji ambao kwa mamlaka waliyopewa hutangaza neno lake na huendeleza kazi yake ya ukombozi hasa kwa njia ya sakramenti za ubatizo, Kitubio na Ekaristi wakiyatolea mapendo yao kama zawadi ya nafsi zao nzima kwa kundi walilokabidhiwa ili walikusanye na kulipeleka kwa Baba kwa njia ya Kristo katika Roho Mtakatifu” Wengi wetu tunaifahamu simulizi inayovutia sana kumhusu Mtakatifu Maksimiliano Kolbe, Padre na Mfiadini. Katika siku ya kifo chake alipokuwa gerezani Auschwitz, Poland alijitolea auawe badala ya mfungwa ambaye angeacha mke na watoto. Katikati ya kilio cha mfungwa huyo ghafla Mt. Kolbe anasema “Mimi hapa najitolea kuuawa badala yake”. “Wewe ni nani?” aliuliza Askari. Mt. Kolbe alijibu bila kusita “Mimi ni Padre Mkatoliki”, akakipokea kifodini.

Utambulisho alioukiri Padre mwenzetu, Mt. Maximilian Kolbe, ni utambulisho anaopaswa kuushuhudia kila Padre, kila siku ya maisha yake. “Dhana hii” kama anavyofundisha Papa Mstaafu Benedikto wa XVI “ni ya msingi katika kutekeleza wajibu wetu wa kipadre sasa na hata baadaye”. Nawaalika mapadre kuhuisha utambulisho huu katika tathmini ya Upadre wetu mwaka huu wa Jubilei. Fikra zetu, maneno yetu, kazi zetu na maisha yetu yote kwa ujumla yawe ni ungamo la utambulisho wetu - sisi ni mapadre wakatoliki.

Huu ndio wosia ambao tunapenda kumpatia Shemasi Dominic Mavula, C.PP.S anayetarajiwa kupewa Daraja Takatifu ya Upadre, Jumatano tarehe 12 Julai 2017 kwenye Parokia ya Mtakatifu Francisko Xaveri, Mandera, Jimbo Katoliki la Morogoro, mikononi mwa Askofu Msaidizi Eusebius Nzigilwa wa Jimbo kuu la Dar es Salaam. Hii ni Parokia ya Pili kuundwa nchini Tanzania kunako mwaka 1881. Utajiri wa historia ya Jubilei ya Miaka 150 ya Uinjilishaji Tanzania Bara na Miaka 100 ya Upadre Tanzania, ziwe ni kumbu kumbu hai kwa Mapadre wote nchini Tanzania! Ili kweli sadaka na majitoleo ya Wamissionari waliowatangulia, iwe ni chemchemi ya miito mitakatifu ndani ya Kanisa la Tanzania. Vijana wengi wavutwe kwa ari, moyo, sadaka na majitoleo yao, ili kuwatumikia watu wa Mungu ndani na nje ya Tanzania.

Na Padre Richard A. Mjigwa, C.PP.S.

Idhaa ya Kiswahili ya Radio Vatican.

Maeneo matakatifu ya kidini Jerusalem

Kumekuwa na mzozo wa muda mrefu kuhusu udhibiti wa mji wa Jerusalem kati ya Waisraeli na Wapalestina.

Mji huo kwa sasa huwa umegawanywa mara mbili, Jerusalem Mashariki na Jerusalem Magharibi.

Jerusalem ya Magharibi hutazamwa na Israel kama mji wake mkuu nayo Jerusalem Mashariki hutazamwa kuwa mji mkuu wa taifa la Wapalestina (litakapoundwa), ingawa eneo hilo bado kwa kiwango kikubwa limetawaliwa na Israel tangu vita vya 1967.

Tangu wakati wa vita hivyo, Israel imejengwa nyumba za walowezi wa Kiyahudi takriban 200,000 ambao huishi Jerusalem Mashariki, hatua iliyoshutumiwa na jamii ya kimataifa. Eneo hilo huishi Wapalestina takriban 370,000.

srael ilitangaza 1980 Jerusalem yote kuwa mji wake mkuu wa milele, lakini nchi nyingi duniani hazikubali azimio hilo.

Hivyo basi, balozi za nchi za kigeni katika Israel ziko nje ya Jerusalem, katika mji wa Tel Aviv.

Mzozo huo umefufuliwa tena kutokana na hatua ya Rais Donald Trump wa Marekani kutarajiwa kuutambua mji huo kama mji mkuu wa Israel.

Mataifa mengi ya Kiarabu yameshutumu hatua hiyo ya Bw Trump na kusema itazidisha uhasama Mashariki ya Kati.

Lakini ni kwa nini mji huu huzozaniwa hivyo? Mwandishi wa BBC Erica Chernofsky anachambua.

Dini tatu

Mji huu huwa na umuhimu mkubwa kwa dini tatu kuu - Ukristo, Uislamu na Uyahudi. Dini zote tatu humuangazia Abraham anayetajwa kwenye Biblia na Koran kama mmoja wa waanzilishi au mababu wa imani.

Ni mji ambao umedhibitiwa na dini hizo kwa vipindi mbalimbali katika historia.

Kwa Kiebrania, mji wa Jerusalem hufahamika kama Yerushalayim na kwa Kiarabu al-Quds. Kwa Kiswahili, jina lake halisi ni Yerusalemu. Mji huo ni miongoni mwa miji ya kale zaidi ambayo ipo hadi sasa duniani.

Ni mji ambao umetekwa, ukabomolewa na kuharibiwa na kisha kujengwa tena.

Kila sehemu ya ardhi yake ukichimba kwenda chini hufichua enzi fulani katika historia yake.

Ingawa umekuwa chanzo cha ubishi na mzozano kati ya dini mbalimbali, dini zote huungana kwa pamoja kuungama kwamba ni eneo takatifu.

Ndani yake kuna Mji Mkongwe, ambao una njia nyembamba, vichochoro na nyumba za kale. Kuna maeneo manne makuu na kila eneo, majengo huwa tofauti. Kuna eneo la Wakristo, Waislamu, Wayahudi na Waarmenia. Eneo hilo huzungukwa na ukuta mkubwa wa mawe. Hapo, kunapatikana baadhi ya maeneo yanayoaminika kuwa matakatifu zaidi duniani.

Kila eneo kati ya maeneo hayo manne (unaweza kuyaita mitaa) huishi watu wa aina moja. Wakristo wana maeneo mawili, kwa sababu Waarmenia pia ni Wakristo. Eneo lililotengewa Waarmenia, ambalo ndilo ndogo zaidi kati ya hao manne, lina vituo vya kale zaidi vya Waarmenia duniani.

Jamii ya Waarmenia imehifadhi utamaduni wake wa kipekee ndani ya Kanisa la St James na nyumba kubwa ya utawala. Maeneo hayo mawili yamechukua sehemu kubwa ya mtaa huo wa Waarmenia.

Scene outside Damascus Gate, Jerusalem (file photo) — Maelezo ya picha,
Nje ya Lango la Damascus

Kanisa

Ndani ya mtaa wa Wakristo, kuna Kanisa Kuu la Kaburi na Ufufuo wa Yesu Kristo, ambalo ni muhimu sana kwa Wakristo kote duniani.

Hupatikana katika eneo ambalo lina umuhimu mkubwa katika kisa cha kusulubiwa, kufariki na kufufuka kwa Yesu.

Kwa mujibu wa utamaduni wa Kikristo, Yesu alisulubiwa hapo, katika Golgotha, au mlima wa Calvary. Kaburi lake linapatikana ndani ya kanisa hilo la kaburi na inaaminika kwamba hapo ndipo alipofufuka.

Kanisa hilo husimamiwa kwa pamoja na madhehebu mbalimbali ya Kikristo.

Sana huwa ni wahudumu wa kanisa la Kiothodoksi la Ugiriki, watawawa na mapadri wa Francisca kutoka Kanisa Katoliki la Roma na wengine kutoka kanisa la Waarmenia.

Kuna pia wahuudmu kutoka kanisa la Waothodoksi kutoka Ethiopia, Coptic na Syria.

Ni eneo ambalo mamilioni ya mahujaji wa Kikristo husafiri kila mwaka kwenda kuliona kaburi wazi la Yesu na kutafuta ufunuo na kuomba katika eneo hilo.

Msikiti

Mtaa wa Waislamu ndio mkubwa zaidi kati ya maeneo hayo manne na ndani yake kunapatikana madhabahu ya Dome of Rock (Kuba ya Mwamba) na Msikiti wa al-Aqsa kwenye eneo linalofahamika na Waislamu kama Haram al-Sharif, au Mahali/Hekalu Patakatifu.

Msikiti huo ndio eneo la tatu kwa utakatifu katika dini ya Kiislamu na husimamiwa na wakfu wa Kiislamu ambao hufahamika kwa Kiarabu kama Waqf.

Waislamu huamini kwamba Mtume Muhammad alisafiri kutoka hapo hadi Mecca usiku na aliomba pamoja na roho za manabii wengine wote. Hatua chache kutoka hapo kunapatikana Dome of the Rock (Kuba ya Mwamba) ambapo kuna jiwe la msingi. Waislamu huamini kwamba ni kutoka hapo ambapo Mtume Muhammad alipaa mbinguni.

Waislamu hutembelea eneo hilo takatifu kila wakati katika mwaka, lakini kila Ijumaa wakati wa mwezi mtukufu wa Ramadhan, mamia ya malelfu ya Waislamu hufika kuomba kwenye msikiti huo.

Ukuta

Katika mtaa wa Wayahudi, kunapatikana Kotel, au Ukuta wa Magharibi ambao ni masalio ya ukuta wa nje uliozunguka lililokuwa Hekalu Takatifu.

Ndani ya hetalu hilo kulikuwa na Patakatifu pa Patakatifu, eneo takatifu zaidi katika dini ya Kiyahudi.

Wayahudi huamini kwamba hapo ndipo kulikuwa na jiwe la msingi ambapo kutoka kwake dunia iliumbwa.

Kadhalika, wanaamini ni hapo ambapo Abraham alikuwa amejiandaa kumtoa kafara mwanawe Isaac. Wayahudi wengi huamini kwamba Dome of the Rock ndipo lilipokuwa eneo takatifu zaidi ndani ya hekalu lililofahamika kama Patakatifu pa Patakatifu.

UNESCO lapitisha azimio linaloikera Israel

Leo hii, Ukuta wa Magharibi ndilo eneo la karibu zaidi ambalo Wayahudi wanaweza kufanya maombi yao.

Husimamiwa na Rabbi wa Ukuta wa Magharibi na kila mwaka hutembelewa na mamilioni ya mahujaji.

Wayahudi kutoka kila pembe ya dunia hutembelea eneo hilo kuomba na kukumbuka utamaduni wao, hasa nyakati za siku kuu za kidini.

Ukuta huo pia hufahamika kama Ukuta wa Maombolezo.

Ethiopia was among the first nations to adopt Christianity as its official religion.

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The “Last Christian Emperor” is an almost forgotten description of Haile Selassie, late Emperor of Ethiopia. More usually he is known as the “Lion of Judah” or “King of Kings” or “Elect of God.” Much is made of his lineage, which claims descent from a brief encounter between King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Despite their biblical forebears, it was the Christian faith that Ethiopia’s rulers embraced. This huge but little-known nation was among the first to adopt Christianity as its official religion, possibly even before Armenia.

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Christianity was central to the life of Haile Selassie, whose name means “Power of the Trinity.” For the hundreds of thousands of Rastafarians who worship the last Emperor of Ethiopia, his birth name is more important: Ras Tafari. This devout follower of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church never sought the adulation of the Rastafari community, although he was perhaps flattered by it.

The reason that so many in the African diaspora still worship Haile Selassie is straightforward. For decades, he was the most visible symbol of African resistance to Western colonialism.

These days his memory is a paradox, except for his staunch Rastafarian followers. An autocrat who cared deeply about his people, he could be aloof and paternalistic. A modernizer who didn’t work fast enough for many, he upset his country’s aristocracy with the speed of his reforms. Amid all the praise and criticism, few have ever doubted his Christian devotion. His coronation, exactly 90 years ago, was a scene of imperial Christianity that would not be seen again. Crowned heads and presidents around sent representatives to attend an event that gave the whole of Africa a profile that has never been so high.

It was not a purely symbolic occasion for the 38-year-old emperor. Throughout his life Haile Selassie made faith integral to his personal life. He had become a deacon before reaching the age of 10, and attended church services almost every day. Despite being an Orthodox Christian, much of his education was provided by a Catholic priest from France. To promote the faith that had existed in Ethiopia since the 1st century, when the kingdom was mentioned in the New Testament, he built an astonishing number of churches. He also built bridges with other Christian denominations, trying to strengthen the faith in his corner of Africa and the Middle East. A typical act for him was adopting 40 orphans of the Armenian Genocide when he visited Jerusalem. They later formed an amateur brass band for a ruler with a rare gift for music. Duke Ellington was one of his favorites, playing for the emperor in 1973, just before he was deposed. It was also one of Ellington’s last performances.

It is seldom Haile Selassie’s religious or artistic accomplishments that are remembered; it is his attempts to make Africa matter. He helped Ethiopia become a founder member of the League of Nations and warned the world about the dangers of fascism before Mussolini invaded his country in 1935. It was not the first time this dynasty had stood up to European aggression. Ethiopia was the only African country to defeat colonizers looking for easy pickings. In 1896, Haile Selassie’s father won a victory over Italy that still hurt Mussolini’s pride many years later.

In the end, Haile Selassie won back his throne, only to be removed by a Marxist military coup in 1974. He was probably murdered soon after, and his remains put in an unmarked grave. No other nations came to his defense. Worst of all, the UK continues to hang on to some of Ethiopia’s most important religious treasures – looted by British soldiers in 1868. Among the few concessions the late emperor received was a gold crown, returned by the UK government in 1924 after the Lion of Judah had presented King George V with two Ethiopian lions as part of a goodwill tour of Europe. According to some reports, it is possible that Haile Selassie is the only person that George V’s granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II, has ever bowed to in her 67 years as monarch. If this is true, it would have to be because the Emperor of Ethiopia was more than just an earthly ruler, but a Solomonic descendent of King David, according to tradition.

King Menelik I of Ethiopia, the Son of Solomon of Israel

Menelik I (originally named Ebna la-Hakim, "Son of the Wise"), first Jewish Emperor of Ethiopia, is traditionally believed to be the son of King

Solomon of ancient Israel and Makeda, Queen of Sheba and ruled around 950 BC, according to traditional sources. Tradition credits him with bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Ethiopia, following a visit to Jerusalem to meet his father upon reaching adulthood.

According to the Kebra Nagast, King Solomon had intended on sending one son of each of his nobles and one son each of each temple priest with Menelik upon his return to his mother's kingdom. He is supposed to have had a replica made of the Ark for them to take with them, but the son of Zadok the High Priest secretly switched the replica with the real Ark, and brought it into Ethiopia where it is said to remain to this day in the ancient town of Axum.

Upon the death of Queen Makeda, Menelik assumed the throne with the new title of Emperor and King of Kings of Ethiopia. According to legend, he founded the Solomonic dynasty of Ethiopia that ruled Ethiopia with few interruptions for close to three thousand years and 225 generations later ended with the fall of Emperor Haile Selassie in 1974. However, the medieval incarnation of the Solomonic dynasty didn't come into power until 1270, claiming descent from the Kings of Aksûm, while their predecessors, the Zagwe dynasty, were said to not be of "the house of Israel" (i.e. of Solomon and Menelik). The claims of descent of the Aksûmite Kings preceding the Zagwe dynasty are uncertain, though early pagan inscription denote the King as "son of the unconquerable [god] Mahrem" (translated in Greek as Ares), while medieval Ethiopian sources ascribe them a similar claim of descent. This is consistent with the earliest records that testify that one half of Ethiopians followed the laws of Moses, while the other half worshipped pagan gods.

Explore the origins of the church in Greece and Turkey. All three of Paul’s missionary journeys were centered in ancient Turkey and two of them ended in Greece. Moreover, the apostle John’s ministry was located in Ephesus where he wrote his gospel, three letters and the book of Revelation. Travel by deluxe motorcoach to the ancient cities of Athens, Corinth, Thessalonica, Philippi, Ephesus, Priene, Hierapolis and Assos. At these sites we will discuss the birth, growth, trials and development of the earliest Christian congregations as they struggled not only to understand their new faith in Christ, but also as they dealt with false teachers and hostile forces opposed to the church. At the end of the first century, John wrote letters to the seven churches of Revelation which were coping with similar problems of false teaching and persecution. Thus, we will also visit the seven churches of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamon, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. We will include a tour of time–honored Istanbul, where you can enjoy its rich culture, historical sites and impressive archaeological museum.

- Dr. Mark R. Fairchild

Where is Golgotha? Was the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the traditional site where Jesus was crucified, located within or outside of the city walls when it was built in the fourth century C.E.? The drawing here depicts the present-day Old City of Jerusalem (shaded in gray) as well as the proposed location of the so-called Second Wall that would have stood during Jesus’ time. Drawing: Leen Ritmeyer.

According to the New Testament, Golgotha was the name of the site where Jesus was crucified. Where is Golgotha located in Jerusalem? In their Archaeological Views column “Golgotha: Is the Holy Sepulchre Church Authentic?” in the May/June 2016 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, Marcel Serr and Dieter Vieweger discuss past and current investigations into the site where Jesus was crucified.

Where is Golgotha today? The exact location where Jesus was crucified is disputed. In the fourth century C.E., the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was built at the site of Golgotha as identified by Roman emperor Constantine’s mother, Helena. However, scholars began to question this identification in the 19th century, since the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is inside the city walls of the present-day Old City of Jerusalem. Golgotha would have to have been located outside the city in accordance with Roman and Jewish customs of the time. The Gospels, too, seem to suggest that Jesus was crucified outside of the city (Mark 15:20; Matthew 27:31ff; John 19:17ff). So where is Golgotha located?

In our free eBook Easter: Exploring the Resurrection of Jesus, expert Bible scholars and archaeologists offer in-depth research and reflections on this important event. Discover what they say about the story of the resurrection, the location of Biblical Emmaus, Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb, the ancient Jewish roots of bodily resurrection, and the possible endings of the Gospel of Mark.