Signs of the Times
Signs of the Times
[L] Americans at Target on Black Friday: Waiting for Goods;
[R] Russians at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior: Waiting for God?
[R] Russians at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior: Waiting for God?
HaileSelassie's Band of Armenian Orphans
HaileSelassie's Band of Armenian Orphans A bond forged through a common Orthodox faith left a lasting imprint on Ethiopia’s music Irina Costache | October 10, 2025 The 40 Armenian orphans with their leader, Kevork Nalbandian , in the middle holding a violin. (From the archives of St. George Armenian Apostolic Church in Addis Ababa , Ethiopia) In the spring of 1924, Ras Tafari Makonnen, Ethiopia’s crown prince, regent plenipotentiary and de facto ruler, embarked on a diplomatic world tour. His country had just become the first African nation admitted to the League of Nations, and the prince (later to become Emperor Haile Selassie ) wanted to thank the countries that had supported Ethiopia’s candidacy, display his country’s modernity and ensure its sovereignty would be respected. Before continuing toward Europe, Tafari made a stop in Jerusalem. Back home, the Ethiopian Church questioned the prince’s religious devotion, so the visit was meant to be a symbolic demonstra...
Your "waiting" questions are good questions. It would be interesting to know what motivates the two different groups of people. Some of the shoppers might be driven by greed and some by our economic crisis. They want technological items (a necessity these days) and toys for the kids. However, the best gift they could give their kids (and perhaps they have done this) is a Bible and to worship as a family. Bibles are cheap, and nobody is standing in line for them. As for the Russians standing in line at the Cathedral: I will assume they are motivated by faith. I cannot imagine any other reason for waiting to enter a house of worship. Let us hope everyone will find their way out of the darkness.
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting us again Aunt Melanie. We hope your beautiful quilts are helping out in fending off the cold weather.
ReplyDeleteIn regard to the post, one of the things that struck me was that 75 years of Russian State atheism could not extinguish human yearning for the Transcendent. To view the Church of Christ the Savior in the background and a sea of humanity waiting in deep freezing weather for days on to see, touch an object of veneration is simply amazing. Another question it raised for me was whether the object indeed represented Christ the Savior.
In the US scene, it is true people do need those gadgets and that in these economically trying times a bargain of any sort is welcome. I also think you would agree with me that materialism often gets in the way of our need to connect with the true God. Hence, the comparison. God bless.