Yekatit 29 — March 08

A Day for Our Lord Jesus Christ

Every month on the 29th day, we remember our Lord Jesus Christ in a special, happy way. We thank Him for being born and coming to live among us. Just think: God loves us so much that He came to earth as a tiny baby, so He could be close to us.

Jesus is our Savior. That means He rescues us and keeps us safe. He teaches us to love God and to be kind to everyone. When we feel sad or afraid, He is always near, like the best friend who never goes away.

So on Yekatit 29 we say thank you to Jesus. We can sing to Him, pray to Him, and make Him smile by being gentle and loving today. He is glad when we remember Him.

Salutation to Thy Birth, O Jesus Christ.

Saint Polycarp, the Faithful Old Bishop

We also remember a good and gentle man named Polycarp (say it: PAW-lee-karp). He was a bishop in a city called Smyrna long, long ago, a leader who takes care of many churches and the people in them.

Polycarp was a bishop for a very, very long time, until he became a wise old man with white hair. He loved to teach people about God. He wrote many lessons about the birth of Jesus, about heaven, and about our holy Lady the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. Because of his kind teaching, so many people came to love God.

One day, some unfriendly leaders did not want Polycarp to keep teaching about Jesus. But Polycarp was not afraid. He loved Jesus with his whole heart, and he was ready to be brave no matter what. He told his church friends to stay strong and to always trust God.

His friends loved him so much that they cried and did not want him to go. They even tried to keep him safe by hiding him. But Polycarp knew God wanted him to be brave, so he stood up in front of the leader and said out loud that he believed in Jesus. The leaders hurt him, and Polycarp died, faithful to God right to the very end. That is what makes him a martyr. He was not afraid, because he knew he was going home to God in heaven.

His friends gently carried him and laid him to rest. We say a loving hello to him today: "Greetings to you, Polycarp!" He is happy now, forever with the God he loved so well.

Be strong in the True and Holy Faith.— Saint Polycarp to his church