Moved by the desire to renew religious life, while still a Coptic monk, he set out in search of the book Manual of Perfection or Book of the Monks, whose purpose was to adapt Monophysite ascetic life to the true state of perfection sought by the soul. This search led him to encounter science, for which he had a great appreciation, especially astronomy, on which he eventually wrote a work. His intense search for the truth and for the One who is Truth deepened over time, receiving ever greater light as he drew closer to the mystery of Jesus Christ and encountered his person. Indeed, only “the encounter with Christ, the Word made Flesh, strengthens the dynamism of reason that seeks the meaning of reality and opens itself to the Mystery. It is expressed in a serious reflection, constantly renewed through study, which opens the intellect, with the light of faith, to the truth” (Aparecida Document, no. 280).
When he found the book he was looking for in Gondar, he assimilated it to such an extent that he even convinced some monks of the need to progress ever further and better in the pursuit of holiness. However, his search did not stop there. With an ardent spirit and a thirst for perfection, in the face of the difficulties that arose within his Monophysite Church, he decided to seek the truth he so deeply desired. He could no longer find it there, because his attentive meditation on the Gospels and the great books of Christian Tradition began to point him toward another Christological perspective: that of the two natures, divine and human, perfectly united in Jesus Christ, as preached by the Roman Catholic Church.
In 1840, Ghebra met the man who would become his teacher and lead him to the encounter with the truth, Justin de Jacobis, who was travelling to Cairo, Egypt, protecting the caravan that was going to ask the Patriarch for a new bishop for the Coptic Church of Abyssinia. Through this friendship, he drew ever closer to the Catholics. After four months of countless conversations, Ghebra converted to Roman Catholicism. United by faith and with a heart overflowing with missionary zeal, he dedicated himself, together with Bishop Justin, to the theological instruction of all those who sought enlightenment, consolation and protection in the Church. Amid caring for Christian communities and the daily service of those who were suffering and persecuted, Justin and his most fervent disciple still found time to provide formation and accompaniment to converted Monophysite priests, preparing them especially for the valid reception of the Sacrament of Holy Orders.
Together with Saint Justin, Ghebre Michael, who was ordained a priest on January 1, 1851, also embraced the Vincentian spirit and even asked to enter the Congregation of the Mission. However, he was unable to begin the Internal Seminary because of the persecutions, his arrest and his subsequent condemnation. Indeed, once arrested, he was severely tortured. During the torture, his body was completely lacerated by stab wounds and blows of every kind. After being sentenced to beheading and, in a second trial, to be shot, he was transferred in chains toward the south of the country. Halfway there, on July 13, 1855, a cholera epidemic decimated the group, killing a large number of soldiers as well as the imprisoned priest.
An unwavering seeker of the truth and a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ, Ghebre Michael is considered “the most precious fruit of the missionary apostolate of Saint Justin de Jacobis.” Embracing martyrdom in his own Abyssinian homeland, our Blessed seemed to be deeply convinced of the same truth that Saint Vincent de Paul shared with the first Missionaries:
“Can there be anything more reasonable than to give our life for Him who so freely gave His life for all of us? If Our Lord loves us to the point of dying for us, why should we not desire to have that same disposition toward Him, to die indeed if the occasion arises?” (ES XI, 259).
He was beatified on October 3, 1926. His liturgical memorial is celebrated on August 30.
Vinícius Teixeira, CM
