seeds of faith summer 2015
DESCRIPTION
Assyrian Church of the East Quarterly Magazine Published by Saint Andrews Assyrian Church committee Glenview, ILTRANSCRIPT
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SUMMER- 2015 QUARTERLY MAGAZINE VOLUME 6, ISSUE 2
A Publication of Saint Andrews Assyrian Church of the East-Glenview, Illinois
Copyright 2015 by Assyrian Church of the East Page 1
Blessed Mary in
the Nicene Creed
Who for us men and
for our Salvation de-
scended from heaven
and was incarnated
by the Holy Spirit and
became man, and
was conceived and
born of the Virgin Mary.
The time Adam and Eve ate from the fruit
of the forbidden tree the Lord God drove
them out of the Garden of Eden. At the
east side of the Garden of Eden God
placed the cherubim, and a sword flam-
ing and turning to guard the way to the
tree of life. It is written:
Therefore the LORD God sent him forth
from the garden of Eden, to till the ground
from which he was taken. He drove out the
man; and at the east of the Garden of Eden
he placed the cherubim, and a sword flam-
ing and turning to guard the way to the
tree of life. (Genesis 3:23- 24) After Adam and Eve had confessed their
sin, God the father promised them a hope
for salvation. It is written:
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and
hers; he will strike your head, and you
will strike his heel. (Genesis 3:15)
This prophetic utterance was fulfilled in
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Son of
the Second Eve, the eternally blessed
Virgin Mary, who had crushed the head
of the serpent under his feet by His death
upon the Cross, and thus humankind was
delivered once and for all from the grasp
of sin, death and Satan.
It is written in the Holy Bible that Jesus
Christ in His humanity was born from the
seed of the woman. This was said about
Jesus because He was born as a man, of
the Holy Virgin Mary, by the Power of the
Holy Spirit, without the benefit of an
earthly father. So, therefore, Jesus had an
earthly mother; with a heavenly Father.
The promise of God regarding the Salva-
tion of mankind enabled the human race
to believe in the forth coming of the re-
demptive message of Jesus Christ our
Lord and Savior. As, now we who are
believers know for certain that the
promise has been fulfilled by the com-
ing of Him who is Messiah (mshikha), while awaiting His second coming from
Heaven.
In the times past some people believed
in the coming of the Messiah, but the
greater number of humankind forgot
that God had made a promise to send a
savior.
In the course of history, God reminded
people of His forgotten promise. The
recorded history of the salvation of
mankind clearly indicates to the read-
ers of the Sacred Scriptures that God,
indeed, reminded His creation of His
promises. To Abraham a promise was
made, and elaborated upon it: it is writ-
ten:
And by your offspring shall all the na-
tions of the earth gain blessing for
themselves, because you have obeyed
my voice. (Genesis 22:18) To the King David a promise was made:
It is written:
The LORD swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back:
One of the sons of your body I will set on your throne. (Psalm 132:11) God the word came down from heaven
and took upon Himself the human body
and became man. This operation of
taking the human body, theologically,
is called the Mystery of Incarnation of
the divine word of God. So by the word
incarnation we mean that God the Word, the Second Qnuma (person) of
the Holy Trinity took upon Himself a
human body which is without sin, and
was made man, without ceasing to be
God. Jesus Christ (The mshikha) is the perfect man and the perfect God. It is
written: And the Word became flesh and live among us, (John 1:14) We confess in the creed and say: He God the word became man. This
emphasis the importance of the role of
our Lord as a perfect man and perfect
God (in so far, as we understand in Mo-
nophysite setting), there is no recogni-
tion of Him in both the human body and
in His divinity. It is written:
For there is One God and One Mediator between God and men, The Man Christ Je-
sus . . . (I Timothy 2:5) We, as the Assyrian Church of the East con-
fess that there are two natures in Jesus
Christ; His human and His Divine nature.
These natures are not mixed, nor are co-
mingled, nor confused, but they are eternal-
ly united in one person of the son of God.
Thus in Jesus Christ both natures the human
and the Divine nature are eternally united.
Jesus Christ the Son of God and the son of
Man is one person not two persons. The
Holy Church confesses that the two natures
of Jesus Christ are maintained and kept
each in His Qnuma. Briefly the Holy Church
confesses that Christ has two natures and
two Qnumeh in one person of the Sonship.
It is written:
One is Christ, the Son of God, worshiped
by all in two natures, in His Godhead, be-
gotten of The Father without beginning in
the fullness of time, in a united body. In His
manhood, born of Mary, in the end of time,
in the body which was united. Neither His
Godhead was of the nature of the mother,
nor His manhood of the nature of the Father.
The Natures are preserved in their qnumeh,
in One Person of one Sonship. And as the
God head is three qnuma, One Essence,
likewise the Sonship of the Son, is in two
natures, One Person, so the Holy Church
has learned to confess the Son who is Christ,
we worship, O my Lord, your Godhead, and
your manhood, without division, One is the
Power, One the Majesty, One the Will and
One the Glory, Father, Son and Holy Spirit
forever: Amen (Mar Bawai the Great) When we confess two Qnumeh in Jesus
Christ we do not mean two persons. The
Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of
the East has always confessed Jesus Christ,
two qnumeh, two kyaneh (natures), eternal-
ly united in One Person of one Sonship.
The Holy Bible teaches and explains to us
this unique mystery of the birth of Jesus
Christ, from the Virgin Mary, by the Power
of the Holy Spirit. It is written:
Continue on page 6
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Copyright 2015 by Assyrian Church of the East Page 2
ISIS TAKES AIM
AT IRAQS AN-
CIENT PAST
The Islamic State, or
ISIS, is using every-
thing from sledge-
hammers to bull-
dozers to rewrite
Iraqs cultural histo-ry, a priceless lega-
cy of art and archaeology that they con-
sider inappropriate according to their
interpretation of the Quran.
A recent video released by ISIS showcas-
es their destruction of historical objects in
Mosuls museum, some dating back to as early as the 7th century B.C. According to
Iraqs Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, ISIS bulldozed the ancient site of Nim-
rud, a capital of the Assyrian Empire in
the 800s B.C.
The grass around the Lamassu is too
green for July-
August. [Their vid-
eo] had to be
[filmed] during the
winter there, said Christopher Jones,
an ancient Near
Eastern history doc-
toral student at Co-
lumbia University in
New York City.
It is unclear when the video was pub-
lished. Some believe the video was rec-
orded last summer, but others disagree.
In the video, a power tool mutilates the
millennium-year-old face of the Lamassu,
or Assyrian winged bull. The militants
said they associate the pieces of art with
polytheistic worship.
Jones, although concerned with what oc-
curred to the artifacts at the hands of ISIS,
believes that human lives are more valua-
ble than ancient art.
Im more concerned about people get-ting massacred, raped, beheaded, [and]
burned alive by ISIS than I am about the
antiquities. Those are the people I want
protected before anything is done to save
the archaeology, he said.
MEMRI, a nonprofit organization based in
Washington, D.C., translated the video
released by the Islamic State into English
from Arabic.
The Prophet Mohammad commanded us to shatter and destroy statutes. Since Al-
lah commanded us to shatter and destroy
these statues, idols, and remains, it is
easy for us to obey, and we do not care
(what people think), even if this costs
billions of dollars, the unidentified man said in the video.
The United Nations cultural agency UNESCO has accused ISIS of selling Iraqs ancient artifacts on the black market as a
way to fund itself, according to
Newsweek.
Diana Zaya Passarelli, a Crystal Lake
mother who works in hospitality, said she
is concerned not only about the ancient
art but also about the minorities in the
region.
Her Assyrian relatives were kidnapped
by ISIS in Syrias Khabour region, but were recently released, she said.
Every link to our history is being demol-ished. Yet nobody does anything, she said. We have no ownership over [our
art]. It is heartbreaking to see it be de-
stroyed. Were going extinct.
Iraqs antiquities are on display in muse-ums across the globe. One institution that
houses a large number of Near Eastern
arts is the University of Chicagos Orien-tal Institute Museum. The museum has
more than 300,000 objects in its collec-
tion, and also has a designated Assyrian
gallery.
These barbaric and cowardly acts of
book burning from Mosuls libraries, fol-lowed by the vandalism of the monumen-
tal statues from Hatra and Nineveh, seek
to glorify the destruction of these objects
as so-called idols, but in reality, ISIL seek
to eradicate knowledge of the past of
Iraqs people and the heritage of the world, said Jack Green, chief curator of the University of Chicagos Oriental Insti-tute Museum. Without the past, we can-not understand our present, and without
understanding our present, we cannot
then plan for our future. It is the heritage
of the world and part of the history of civi-
lization.
Greens sentiments reverberated through the art world.
Speaking with great sadness on behalf of the Metropolitan, a museum whose
collection proudly protects and displays
the arts of ancient and Islamic Mesopota-
mia, we strongly condemn this act of cata-
strophic destruction to one of the most
important museums in the Middle East, Thomas P. Campbell, director of New
York Citys Metropolitan Museum of Art, wrote in an email.
The Association of Art Museum Directors,
Archaeological Institute of America, Soci-
ety for American Archaeology, and the
American Schools of Oriental Research
issued a joint statement in February:
Pillaging of archaeological sites and cultural repositories to destroy irreplace-
able cultural heritage and to disperse
rare and important artifacts is re rehensi-
ble. This has caused irreparable damage
to the heritage
of the people of
Iraq and hu-
manity world-
wide.
Another Assyri-
an in Chicago
said that break-
ing a cultures art, as terrible
as that is, still
cannot break a
peoples spirit.
If history is any indicator of humanitys relentless will to persevere, then we shall
prevail even from this recent situation, said Paul Khio, an order manager at a
photography company.
..The Yelda Khorsabad Court recre-ates part of the interior of a palace court-
yard of King Sargon II of Assyria (ca. 721705 BC), dominated by the 16-foot tall, 40
-ton, human-headed winged bull, the
Lamassu. The Lamassu and the adjacent
reliefs were excavated by the Oriental
Institute between 19281935 at Sargons
capital city Khorsabad. (Oriental Institute
Museum/Courtesy)
By Ramsen Shamon
HOLY APOSTOLIC CATHOLIC ASSYRIAN CHURCH OF THE EAST
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HOLY APOSTOLIC CATHOLIC ASSYRIAN CHURCH OF THE EAST
Page 3 Copyright 2015 by Assyrian Church of the East
The Late Mar Dinkha IV Catholicos Patriarch
The late Mar (Khanania) Dinkha was born to his parents Andrius Soro and Pana Kako on September 15 th, 1935 in the
village of Durbandoke. He was subsequently baptized and confirmed in the Holy Faith by his grandfather Rever-
end Benjamin, at Mar Quriakos Church. Mar Dinkha was reared in the Diocese of Arbil, where many great leaders
of the church of the East were born and reared, such as Mar Odeshoo and Mar Qardaq.
Mar Dinkha had been reared as a Nazarite from the moment of his conception. He was
offered as a lamb to serve the Holy Church even before his birth. His mother Pana,
lived in piety and free from the consumption of flesh meats while carrying him in her
womb. Nazarite Vow is taken by individuals who have voluntarily dedicated them-
selves to God. The vow is a decision, action, and desire on the part of people whose
desire is to yield them to God completely.
In 1947, at the age of 12, the late Mar Dinkha was entrusted to the blessed hands of the
late Metropolitan Mar Yousip Khananisho. From that time forward, Mar Yousip became
the spiritual guide and teacher to His Holiness.
When the late Revd Fr. Benjamin, held the hand of young Khanania, and in turn offered him to His Beatitude Mar
Yousip, saying: your Beatitude, I am now offering to you this young lamb, you rear
him as you know and wish to do in order to work for the Holy Church. Thus from this
moment forward, he doesnt belong to us, he belongs to the Holy Church.
Ranks in the Clergy:
September 12th, 1949, Ordained as a Deacon Shamasha.
July 15th, 1957, Ordained as a Priest Qasha.
February 11th, 1962, Ordained as a Bishop.
October 17th, 1976, Ordained as a Catholics Patriarch, Mar Dinkha IV.
The late Mar Dinkha was privileged with a unique ability to recall those whom he had
met. He always amazes the faithful, for he could call them by their names. Therefore, as the story of the Holy Gospel
relates: the good shepherd knows those who belong to Him. And He calls them by their names, and they recog-
nize his voice and they follow Him. In his role as the Supreme Head of the Holy Church, he had initiated and com-
pleted many Apostolic visits, bringing comfort, healing, encouragement, hope, inspiration and strength to the scat-
tered flock of the church throughout the world.
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HOLY APOSTOLIC CATHOLIC ASSYRIAN CHURCH OF THE EAST
Page 5
The mission.
Honor and glorify God the father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and make Him known. Preach His word (The
Gospel) through the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian
Church of the East, established by the teachings of our
Lords Disciples and the Churchs Saints, Patriarchs, Bishops and Priests, as the source of the good news.
Teach the Assyrian Language (Neo-Aramaic), one of our Lords main Languages, to our Children and edu-
cate them on the importance of speaking and preserv-
ing it.
Saint Andrews Church Committee
Copyright 2015 by Assyrian Church of the East
Saint Andrews Committees:
Church Senior Pastor Father George Toma. Deacons: Norman Israel, Elbron Odisho, Adnan David,, Edison
Youkhana, George Antar, Yousef Mikhael, Sabir, George Baezo, Thompson Esho, Alfret Shamoun, Elie Antar. Committees Chairman (David Arkis). Building Director/Manager (Interim-David Arkis): Younes Zaia,
Namrood Khamis, Louzan Odisho, Rema Shamoun, Paul Rehana, Peter Amaden, Ray Kando, Youkhana Youkhana, Zaya Youkhana, Saliba Abraham, George Elia Co-Chairman (Jack Youna).
Secretary (Ban Youna). Treasurer Chairman (Gilbert Khosrabowdi): Sargon Yosip, Najla Mikhail, Diana Shamoun, Karolin Moshi Accountant (Julie Kako). Memorial wall: Al Puccinelli, Nadia Warda.
Youth Directors: Nina Youabb, Karolin Moshi, Robert Thomas. Ladies Auxiliary Chairwoman (Catrina Khamou): Doreen Haider, Sonia Khammo, Layla Youkhana, Bassima Sorisho, Magie Zaya, Jane Hana, Jenny, Nada Younan, Mariam. Choir Chairwoman (Najat Marcos): Saad Yalda, Elie Antar, Jena Kena.
Education Karolin Moshi, Deacon Adnan David, Souad Timatyos, Nirona Shino, Dr. Michael, Juliana Thomas, Mike Micho, Youbert Bahram, Helen Yousif, Nwyia Garmo, Bronica Amrahi, Connie Shakro, Kristy Andrews, Queen Ishay, Raquel Youkhana, Stephanie Andrews, Claudia Shakro, Neeran Shmoel, Hewi Arkis, Jackie Aoraha, Jennifer Younan, Youth Choir- Jena Kena.
Sports (Vacant). Public Relations (Vacant). Ushers Chairman (Michael Michael): Albert Youel, Youkhana Youkhana, Ramzi Odich, George Danyel, Gilbert Gewargis, Abrahim Lazar, Robert Thomas, Zaya.
Visitation Chairman (Deacon Norman Israel): Anderious Youkhana. Special Events Chairperson (Vacant): Suzana Yalda, Julie Kako, Hewi Adaay, Sargon Yalda, Neeran Shmoel, Tanya Khamo, Doreen Haider, Diana Esho. Maintenance Chairman (Musa Moshy): William Younan, Anderious Youkhana, Ashor Tamo (IT), Manny Yalda (IT), Yalda Kako (IT), Ashor Khoshaba (Sound System), Tony Atou (Sound System), Mounir Shamoon (Sound System).
Media Chairman (Billy George): Hani Shawel, Robert Thomas, Hewi Arkis, Ramsin George, Amer Kasso, Albert Lazar, Benyamin
Odisho, Saliba Abraham.
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Page 6
...continued from page 1 Mary said to the angel, How can this be, since I am a virgin? The angel said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshad-
ow you; therefore the child to be born will
be holy; He will be called Son of
God. (Luke 1:34-35) The holy Virgin Mary the mother of Christ
is of the lineage and The House of Abra-
ham and David; (that is from the same
line), the Redeemer Jesus Christ, was to
come according to the Promise of God.
Blessed Mary was betrothed to Joseph, a
man from the same lineage, so that he
might fulfill his ministry to the Holy Fami-
ly as its guardian. Ever Virgin Mary dedi-
cated her entire life unto God through her
vow of preserving her perpetual virgini-
ty. It is written:
. . . the book of the generation of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Son of Abraham . . .
Jacob begot Joseph, the husband of Mary,
out of whom was born Jesus, who is called
Christ . . . (Matthew 1:1-17) The Virgin Mary preserved her virginity
before and after the birth of Jesus Christ.
Blessed Mary stayed pure and virgin for
the rest of her life. There are many exam-
ples of this unique role of the perpetual
Virginity of the blessed Mary in the book
of the Old Testament. Adam remained a
complete man even after the creation of
Eve from one of his ribs. The rays of sun
enters through the glasses of windows
without breaking the glass, the glass re-
mains complete. The rock in the desert
land which Moses struck for giving water
to the thirsty Israelites brought forth wa-
ter without being divided. The virginity of
the second Eve, blessed mother was not
defiled by the birth giving of Him who is
her Lord.
In addition to the perpetual Virginity,
blessed Mary is named by the following
titles: The Mother of Christ, The Mother
of our Lord, The Second Heaven, The
Mother of The Church, The Daughter of
Zion, The Burning Bush, The Mother of
Immanuel, The New Ark of the Covenant,
The Second Ark, The Second Eve, etc. In
the Prophets it is written:
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child
and shall bear a son, and shall name him
Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14) Again it is written:
She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from
their sins. (Matthew 1:21) Elizabeth called her the mother of my
Lord. It is written:
Mary said to the angel, How can this be, since I am a virgin? (Luke 1:43)
The Assyrian Church of the East recogniz-
es blessed Mary as the bearer and the
begetter of Emanuel who is God with us;
however, in order to avoid miss under-
standing we prefer to address her as the
mother of Christ, who is a perfect God
and perfect man rather than the mother of
God.
Some sister apostolic churches address
the ever Virgin Mary as The Mother of God for example the Orthodox position will declare this: The Blessed Mother did
not give birth to His Godhead, which is
from eternity; but rather she had given
birth to His manhood. These churches still
believe that it is perfectly right to call
blessed Mary as the Mother of God. They
believe that blessed Mary is entitled to
be called the mother of God because He
who is born of her is at once God and
Man. By way of example: The mother of
the President of the United States did not
give birth to his presidency, she gave
birth to the man; and indeed we call her
the mother of the President; and again,
the Catholicos Patriarch of the East re-
ceived his office from The Church, and
not from his mother who bore him, and
we do call her the mother of the Patriarch.
The Assyrian Church teaches that the Vir-
gin Mary, being the Mother of our Lord
she surpasses in dignity, graces and
nearness to God. The Holy Church honors
blessed Mary far above the Angels, Cher-
ubim, Seraphim, and the whole of the
Angelic Hosts. She comes before the
Saints in honor. Many mothers name their
daughters after the name of the blessed
Mary. Many churches are built to her
honor. Many institutions of healing
(hospitals) are dedicated to the name of
the blessed Mary. Blessed Mary is com-
memorated in the Liturgical calendar of
the Holy Church at least 3 times through
the year. Many prayers and petitions are
offered to the Lord in her name. It is writ-
ten:
. . .. The Angel came in unto her, and
said, hail, you who are highly favored, the
Lord is with you, blessed are you among
women . . . for He has regarded the low
estate of His handmaiden; for, behold,
from henceforth, all generations shall call
me blessed . . . (St Luke 1:28; 48). During the course of history God has pro-
vided many signs for mankind in order to
recognize the birth of Jesus Christ our
Lord and Savior. Many signs in the Old
Testament declare His coming, by way of
example the Prophet Isaiah declares in
foretelling the birth of Jesus from a Virgin
(see, Isaiah 7:14)
Again it is written: Asking, where is the child who has been born king of the Jews?
For we observed his star at its rising, and
have come to pay him homage. When King Herod heard this, he was frightened,
and all Jerusalem with him; and calling
together the entire chief priests and
scribes of the people, he inquired of them
where the Messiah was to be born. They
told him, In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the proph-
et: (Matthew 2:4-6) Following the completion of the 2nd tem-
ple, in Jerusalem, Malachi states that at
the coming of the Lord, a forerunner
would be sent before Him, like that of the
prophet Elijah; this shows the coming of
John the Baptist the forerunner of Jesus. It
is written:
See, I am sending my messenger to pre-pare the way before me, and the Lord
whom you seek will suddenly come to his
temple. The messenger of the covenant in
whom you delight indeed, he is coming,
says the LORD of hosts. (Malachi 3:1) Read Malachi 4:5. The Prophet Zechariah
foretold of the triumphant entry of our
Lord into Jerusalem. It is written:
. . . rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion, shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold thy
King comes to thee; He is just, and having
salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass;
upon a colt a foal of an ass . . .
. (Zechariah 9:9) The incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ
affected our salvation. By His dogma
(teachings), His Earthly life, His suffering
and death on The Cross, burial, and res-
urrection Jesus taught the world the Gos-
pel of Love, the Gospel of the Kingdom of
Heaven, the meaning of the Kingdom of
Heaven, the doctrine of salvation and life
after death.
Cor- bishop George Toma
Saint Andrews parish priest
HOLY APOSTOLIC CATHOLIC ASSYRIAN CHURCH OF THE EAST
Copyright 2015 by Assyrian Church of the East
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TSAE EHT FO HCRUHC NAIRYSSA CILOHTAC CILOTSOPA YLOH
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)DETELPMOC( gnissecorp noitacilppa 3c105
17:20
!! .
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. 10 07 :
. . . . . .
.
tsaE eht fo hcruhC nairyssA yb 5102 thgirypoC
,duormaN fessuoY ,samahS rohsA ,ayahsI kifaR :R-L gnidnatS
.sikrA divaD ,amoT eissO ,azriM notlaW ,kilaM treblA
narizihK inaH ,maharbA ecarG ,sigraweG heveniN :R-L gnittiS
okaK eiluJ ,ijaH arolF ,sbocaJ eoJ ,)P( bbauoY ,anahkuoY ,)PV(
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Page 8
THE MEANING OF THE ASSYR-
IAN FLAG
At the center of the Assyrian flag is a golden
circle, representing the sun. Symbolically, it
generates heat and light to sustain the earth and
all living things. The star surrounding the sun
stands for the land, its light blue color repre-
senting tranquility.
The three major rivers of our homeland are
represented by the wavy stripes that extend
from the center of the flag to its four corners.
The dark blue is for the Euphrates river, which
stands for the Assyrian word peruta meaning
abundance. The red stripes symbolize the Tigris
river, its crimson color honoring courage, glory,
and pride. The white lines between the two
represent Zawa, as tranquility and peace. Many
view the three stripes as roads that will lead the
dispersed Assyrian people back to their home-
land. Above the blue star, at the top of the flag,
sits the ancient Assyrian God Ashur, who
guards the people the flag represents. It is an
ancient symbol.
On top of the flagstaff is the standard of King Sargon I, who established the first Assyrian empire. During the ancient times this insignia stood by the king's side to let everyone know his whereabouts.
Source: http://www.ninevehlives.com/history/one-nation-one-flag/
Waiting!
In the midst of our
thoughts to the
deepest places we
may travel or the
highest we may
reach, the Holy
Spirit will talk to
us and direct us to
the right path; it
could be in English, Assyrian or any
other language that our conscious
will recognize. From that point comes
the unimaginable that makes us won-
der and say, "Oh Lord, how great you
are!". With those thoughts I was
among my Assyrian Christians peo-
ple who are abducted and persecut-
ed everywhere for the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ, standing with fear
in our eyes and unspeakable ques-
tions on our lips and the beating of
our hearts that was telling me to raise
my voice and cry to the Lord, "SAVE
US!"
HOLY APOSTOLIC CATHOLIC ASSYRIAN CHURCH OF THE EAST
Copyright 2015 by Assyrian Church of the East
-
TSAE EHT FO HCRUHC NAIRYSSA CILOHTAC CILOTSOPA YLOH
9 egaP
tsaE eht fo hcruhC nairyssA yb 5102 thgirypoC
.
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In His Footsteps
Ever wondered
what it takes to be
like Jesus? Well, I
have! Its the most difficult thing to con-
template.
As I read the bible
time and again it con-
firms to me the fact
that Jesus had some-
thing strongly compelling about him. Jesus
was no mere man like *Napoleon Bona-
parte once said. He was God with all His
patience, love, forgiveness and compas-
sion. He invested His entire life preparing
for three years, and with His wisdom and
life-altering words has literally transformed
billions of lives for the past 2000 years. The
bible that portrays His teachings, journey
and life style is the best-selling book of all
time.
Jesus was born to religious Jewish parents.
He was ingrained in the Jewish teachings,
and steeped in their scriptures. Every year His parents went to Jerusalem for the
Passover festival. When He was twelve He
stayed behind at the festival unnoticed by
His family who traveled without Him for a
day. When they came back to get Him they
found Him in the temple courts, sitting
among the teachers, listening to them and
asking them questions. Everyone who
heard Him was amazed at His understand-
ing and His answers. (Luke 2:41-52) Jesus Transcended racial and cultural barri-
ers with his wisdom. His followers are of all
races, colors, backgrounds and ethnicities,
while His roots were Middle-Eastern Jew-
ish. He captivated the hearts of billions of
people all over the world. He demonstrated
forgiveness, giving, and righteousness for
both Jews and gentiles.
Jesus was authentic in his loving obedience
to the laws of God. He respected and
obeyed His mother, which is one of the Ten
Commandments. When she asked Him to
perform the wine miracle He told her My hour has not yet come, yet He still convert-ed the water into wine. In John 14:15 Jesus
says If you love me you will keep my com-mandments. He always surrendered His thoughts and actions to God the Father at all
times. Before crucifixion He went with his
disciples to the Mount of Olives, knelt down
and prayed Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not
what I will, but what you will. Mark 14:36 No one can come close to Jesus, but we
should always strive to follow in His foot-
steps!!
Page 10
HOLY APOSTOLIC CATHOLIC ASSYRIAN CHURCH OF THE EAST
Copyright 2015 by Assyrian Church of the East
*I know men and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of compassion. Alex-
ander; Caesar: Charlemagne and I have founded empires. But on what did we
rest the creations of our genius? Upon force! Jesus Christ founded his empire
upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for him. Napoleon Bona-parte
By: Mariam Amro
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HOLY APOSTOLIC CATHOLIC ASSYRIAN CHURCH OF THE EAST
Copyright 2015 by Assyrian Church of the East
1.
2. .
Created by Hewi S. Arkis
-
Published by Saint Andrews As-syrian Church of the East. 901 N. Milwaukee Ave. Glenview, Illi-nois.
Articles reflect point of view of writers in a positive encouraging way. Editing staff reserve the right to reject any article that dont represent the view of the Church.
Edited by: Hewi S. Arkis
Chief editor: David Arkis
Printed by: Niles Express Copy & Printing, 7542 W. Oakton, Niles, IL.
For more information, comments or suggestions email us at:
If you want to sponsor seeds of faith, please stop by Saint An-
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Page 12 Copyright 2015 by Assyrian Church of the East
S t . J o h n s C h u r c h
1 4 2 1 W . L a w re n c e
C h ic a g o , IL 6 0 6 4 0
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S t . M a r y s C h u r c h
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F a x ( 6 3 0 ) 2 9 5 - 5 9 7 8
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Are you in High School or College
and want to join youth?
If so, join us every Friday at 8:30
PM in Saint Andrews Church.
Classes will be lead by Cor-Bishop
Dr. Gewargis Toma.
Register your Child at St. Andrews
the Apostle School Assyrian Lan-
guage and Bible study classes for
all ages on Fridays at 7:00 p.m. and
Sundays at 9:00 a.m.
Matthew 21:21-22 And Jesus an-swered them, Truly, I say to you, if
you have faith and do not doubt,
you will not only do what has been
done to the fig tree, but even if you
say to this mountain, Be taken up
and thrown into the sea, it will
happen. And whatever you ask in
prayer, you will receive, if you
have faith.
Two things we will never com-
promise, our faith as Christians
and our nationality as Assyrians
H.H Mar Dinkha IV Sept 1935
Mar 2015