C
Cluny
Guest
This February 13th, on our Diocesan Liturgical Calendar, is the Memorial of Mar Abba the Great. In recent centuries, the Seventh Friday after Epiphany has been dedicated to “Hadh Parsopa,” that is, the local patron Saint. But an explanatory note at the beginning of the prayers for that Memorial is quite revealing:
“The Memorial of a Certain Person [Hadh Parsopa], which is known to be of Mar Abba the Catholicos. And know, O reader, that it was inscribed in the ancient volumes by Mar Barsawma of Soba, but the Catholicos Ezekiel set it for the honor of Hadh Parsopa, and it is of Mar Abba the Catholicos, his teacher.”
What kind of man, then, was Mar Abba, in whose honor this liturgy was composed?
Who Was Mar Abba?
Why Name Our Seminary After Him?
The Seminary of Mar Abba the Great is seeking donors of $100 a month (or any amount). If you would like to help, please contact:
St. Peter Diocese
1627 Jamacha Way
El Cajon, CA 92019
(619) 579-7997
“The Memorial of a Certain Person [Hadh Parsopa], which is known to be of Mar Abba the Catholicos. And know, O reader, that it was inscribed in the ancient volumes by Mar Barsawma of Soba, but the Catholicos Ezekiel set it for the honor of Hadh Parsopa, and it is of Mar Abba the Catholicos, his teacher.”
What kind of man, then, was Mar Abba, in whose honor this liturgy was composed?
Who Was Mar Abba?
Code:
Mar Abba was a convert from the ancient Persian religion of Zoroastrianism. During his travels, he came across a Christian monk with whom he conversed for a time. This meeting became the catalyst for his eventual conversion to Christianity. He is most famous for having traveled the world as a monk with a companion monk named Mar Toma. During a time when the Church in Persia may have been viewed as “Nestorian” or “heretical,” Mar Abba and Mar Toma were welcomed in the West, both to teach the Faith and to share in Holy Communion. He became Patriarch in 540, and guided the Church with great wisdom and strength until his death in 552.
Code:
Mar Abba’s influence as a Church writer and theologian are great indeed, but his relevance to us today comes from his reaction to the Church in his time. The Church in Persia was in the midst of terrible turmoil: there were practically two bishops in every diocese because there was such division; the priests and deacons were unqualified for their ministries; the people of God barely knew their faith; all this was from within. From without, there was discrimination and pressure from the Zoroastrian government - even to the point where Mar Abba himself was imprisoned for seven of his twelve years as Patriarch for converting from the national religion.
The courage and hope with which Mar Abba faced this trial is more than remarkable. A weaker man would certainly have despaired, and a less holy man would have become a part of the system of corruption all around him. Contrary to this, Mar Abba calmly and wisely visited every Diocese, creating a kind of “traveling Synod” where he met with (most of the time) both bishops of a Diocese and decided the case between them with fairness and enforced his decision without hesitation; he created universities for the education of the monks and clergy; he established, in every diocese, catechism programs to teach the people the faith that they had begun to forget. Finally, during his Synod in 544, he re-established union and understanding with the Church in the West.
Why name our Seminary after Mar Abba the Great? Because our Church is again in the midst of a dire time, and we need the inspiration and intercession of such a great man to face our own trial with bravery, wisdom and calm.St. Peter Diocese
1627 Jamacha Way
El Cajon, CA 92019
(619) 579-7997
