Spring Cleaning

"Clean up - Clean up,
everybody everywhere,
Clean up - clean up,
everybody do their share."

The lyrics to this catchy Barney song might have more use to our Orthodox faith than we've considered before because if there's one concept kids understand, it's cleaning! Whether they are imitating our motion with a vacuum or grumbling about household chores, kids can distinguish dirt from sparkle! Let us use this opportunity then on "Clean Monday" to introduce our families to the idea that Lent is a period of cleansing, and everyone benefits from participating. Because Clean Monday is a strict fast day, it should be kept holy thru holy activities. I'd say, tidy up the house only in conjunction with a lesson about cleaning both the outside of the cup, as well as the inside.

* A clean bedroom is inviting to the angels
(tidy up your icons)

* A clean body can be achieved through a clean belly
(observe the fast)

* A clean mind is able to think of God rather than other worries
(spend quiet time with God)

* A clean mouth is filled with sweet words
(sing together)

* A clean hand is one that has helped others
(pitch in on a group project)

* A clean conscience is achieved only through tears of repentance and forgiveness (learn to make a prostration)

and ultimately

* ONLY A clean soul can become a suitable place for our Lord to dwell (read Communion prayers before and after receiving)

As we embark on the most important "spring cleaning" of our lives over the next 40-days, let us remember that with each small effort we make, God is wiping away the layers of crud to make us radiant with His glory.

"Wash yourselves, and ye shall be clean; put away the wicked ways from your souls before mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well; diligently seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, consider the fatherless, and plead for the widow. Come then, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: and though your sins be as scarlet, I will make them white as snow; and though they red like crimson, I will make them white as wool. If then ye be willing, and obedient unto Me, ye shall eat the good of the land; but if ye desire not, nor will obey me, the sword shall devour you, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it." (Is 1:1-20, First Monday of Great Lent, the Sixth Hour)

SONG ACTIVITY "Create in me a clean heart, O Lord, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away, from Your presence O Lord, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me, restore unto me, the joy of Your salvation, O Lord, and renew a right Spirit within me."

CRAFT ACTIVITY There is a tradition in Greece to fly kites from the tops of hills on Clean Monday. Kites have traditionally been a handmade hexagon. Narrow strips of wood are used and tied together in the middle by string. A large piece of paper is then stuck to the hexagonal shape and individually decorated. Fringes and tails of colored shiny paper are then added and an extremely long ball of string attached. Complete this activity by discussing how we are like the kite - taking a journey closer to God.

Holy Photini

Here are several handouts for a lesson on St Photini, who earned the title "Equal to the Apostles." The Church celebrates her life this Thursday and on the Sunday of the Samaritan Women during the Paschal season. Her encounter with Christ is so very important to us because we find Christ clearly declaring Himself to be the awaited Messiah. ~ There is no longer any question about His identity ~

Therefore, begin by reading this encounter in the Gospel of John 4: 1-30 or page 12 in the recommended book by Dr Maria Khoury "Christina's True Hero's" (see previous post on resources for the Saints)

Pay special attention to the way Christ transforms the understanding of St Photini. He truly reveals Himself to her, in a very gentle way, and afterward, her life is never the same. This is our calling. Once we experience Christ, we can no longer live in darkness for we have seen the light. This is true metanoia: to turn and go in the other direction. Like St Photini, we can openly share with others the many wonders God has shown us through His gracious mercy.



Search beyond holy Scripture, and discover her name, her life and witness, and her martyrdom also at a well. What special details that our Church preserves!


Play the game of Telephone to see if your children and young adults can pass along the message of Christ accurately, as did St Photini. Or print out her icon to color or decorate a small clay water jug with. Here is a nice online account of her life.

A CLOSING PRAYER

When through your inexpressible dispensation, Christ God, you appeared on earth, the woman of Samaria, having heard your word, full of love for mankind, left her bucket at the well and ran saying to those in the city: Come, see the one who knows the heart: is not this the expected Christ, who has great mercy?

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Both now and forever and to the ages of ages. Amen.-from the Vespers of Samaritan Woman

Lenten Boardgame

Search the toy store aisles, and there's no Orthodox games to be found! So, let's develop our own ~ Just think of the possibilities! We could develop gamepieces in the form of Saints, and move along the board to get them from earth to heaven, encountering persecutions and wild animals along the way! Maybe a set back or two. It's the game of Life, only Orthodox!

For the Lenten season, here's a simple boardgame to follow along with, but there's room for you to make up the rules. Roll dice, develop cards, land on a dark blue square and do something charitable - land on a light square and memorize a Scripture verse.

For other Lenten resources check out the following links:

www.lent.goarch.org

Journey through Holy Week for Kids

Phyllis Onest Resources

Lenten Resources at Monachos.net

The Mind as an Airport

(see the Philokalia)

A unique analogy within Orthodoxy and the writings of the Church Fathers is the idea that our mind is likened to an airport. The spiritual warfare that we, and our children, live amongst is as the numerous planes flying overhead at any given moment. These thoughts, or airplanes, can land in the mind, which is the entry point to our soul. Our task is not to allow the harmful planes to fuel up and stay parked at our airport! We must use the God-given discernment we have to dismiss the planes before they take root and darken our soul.

We do not blame ourselves strictly for the planes flying over us, for example, to say that anyone is created evil, or a bad person because of them. Rather, a person can be taken hostage to harmful ideas, which when rooted in the person, only then become their responsibility. This is what we mean when we say, a person has the capacity to sin, and fall to the passions. The passions themselves do not originate from within us. We were created good. We only live within a fallen world, and when we fall, we are offered the medicine of repentance and metanoia that only Christ's Church can offer us.

Simply put: Standing watch is being ready to tell those negative thoughts to fly away and we must teach our children to ignore them. Here's how I used this idea with a young girl.

During the Divine Liturgy one day, at the time of the holy consecration of our Lord's Body and Blood, a beautiful God-fearing young girl in our community was next to me and became quite frightened and distracted by the thought that she saw a spider. I am not certain if the spider was indeed there, but regardless, it took her and my attention away from our Lord for that brief moment.

So, I ask, was the evil one victorious in his attempt to steal our thoughts away from Christ? When explained, I believe this young girl understood. Not because of any extraordinary analogy, but because her mother has equipped her with the necessary tools for battle, and combined with the grace of God, she's prepared to struggle for the Kingdom.

Holy Numbers

Learning to Count:
The Orthodox Numbers

For children learning to count, or even teens who need a good challenge, this activity opens our eyes to the many ways our Lord sanctifies numbers.

This idea was inspired by an Orthodox Saint who during his martyrdom, brought to mind something holy for each horrible act against him. While they cut off each toe or finger, he praised God according to the number, finding a way to glorify our Creator. Can anyone help me remember this Saint's name?

Here's how the activity works: Begin by explaining that as the adult or leader, you will call one number at a time, and ask for your children/teens to respond with a correlating event from the Bible, a Saints life, or element from our faith. You can go in order, or be more spontaneous. However, don't move on until your group has thought of everything it can for that number! Here are a few examples...

1 - One God, One Church, One Faith, One Messiah, One leper healed who thanked God, Prayers of 1st Hour

2 - Mary & Joseph, Paul & Silas, Two animals of every kind in Arc, Brothers James and John, Parable of Two Sons

3 - Holy Trinity, The Hebrew Children, Noah's 3 sons, 3 Fathers Abraham-Isaac-Jacob, 3 Angels visited Abraham, Days of Jonah in the belly of the whale, Days of Christ in the depths of hades, 3 Magi, 3 Stars of Panagia's ever-virginity, Prayers of 3rd Hour, Peter denied Christ 3 times, Christ breathed His last breath on the cross at 3:00pm, 3 Apples picked by St Euphrosynos, 3 Apples given to St Irene Chrysovilantou, 3 Daughters of St Sophia, Newly baptized child/adult receives Body & Blood 3 times in a row

4 - Gospels, 4 Corners of the Earth,Lazarus in the tomb for 4 Days

5 - Holy Virgins who made it into the Kingdom with enough oil, Jesus fed 5 thousand with 5 loaves

6 - Days to work, Stone Jars at Wedding at Cana, Prayers of 6th Hour, 6 Winged Angels

7 - Days of Creation, Sacraments, 7 angels 7 plagues, 7 Fruits of Holy Spirit,7th Day of Rest, 7 Ecumenical Counsels

8 - 8th Day after Pascha symbolizing eternity, 8 Byzantine Tones to Chant

9 - Lepers who didn't return to thank God, Prayers of 9th Hour, Holy Spirit descended at 9am, 9 months of Panagia carrying Christ in her womb

10 - Virgins waiting for the Bridegroom, # of Lepers cleansed, 10 Commandments

12 - Tribes of Israel, Apostles, Prayers of the 12th Hour, Christ crucified at 12:00 noon, Jews led out of Egypt at midnight, Maybe Christ would come as thief in the night at midnight, 12 baskets of leftover bread from miracle with loaves

40 - Days of Flood, Days Moses ascended Mountain, Years of Jews wandering the desert, Years of reign of King David, Days Elijah traveled until he reached Horeb, Years of Reign of Saul,Years of reign of Soloman, Days Christ was tempted in desert, Days Christ appeared after Resurrection before Ascension, Days of Fast before Christmas, Days of Fast before Pascha, 40-Days of mourning(Memorial Service), 40 Martyrs of Sebaste, 40 Day Churching of Baby

50 - Days after Resurrection for Pentecost

Millions - the Saints!

You can use this game to compete in small groups, with each answer earning a point, or just play for fun on a road trip! Either way, it should encourage our learning and hopefully remind us of the many wonders of our Lord and God. (tip: use a Bible search engine online for assistance)

Choosing a School

Training Up a Child: Educational Options for Orthodox Christians

Excerpts from online article by
Bishop THOMAS (Joseph), Ed.D.,
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America

"Before you examine the school’s ability to teach academics, however, it is absolutely necessary that you determine whether the school is Christian-friendly, Christian-tolerant or anti-Christian. If you find the school to be Christian-friendly and capable of teaching academics, you may want to utilize it as part of your responsibility to rear and educate your children. If, however, the school is merely Christian-tolerant or is anti-Christian, it behooves you to look for other choices. Let me stress that in raising your children, it is their eternal salvation which should be at the top of your priorities. This is your responsibility before God."

"Whatever teaching method you choose, Christ must be at the head of the classroom. The icon of Christ is what your children must view in you, in their teachers, on the screens of their computers, and in the faces of their peers."

“As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).

*** Special thanks to Ashley who first posted this article ***

Uprooting Passions

"Do not neglect to uproot from the hearts of children the tares of sins, impure, evil and blasphemous thoughts, sinful habits, inclinations and passions; the enemy and the sinful flesh do not spare even children; the seeds of all sins are to be found in children too; show them the danger of sin on the path of life; do not hide sins from them lest through ignorance and want of comprehension they should be confirmed in sinful habits and attachments, which grow stronger and stronger and bring forth corresponding fruits when the children grow up." - St. John of Kronstadt

As parents and youth workers we face a common task to raise the children that God gave us in a holy manner. But correcting bad behaviors, and offering discipline is one of the areas most difficult, especially when we ourselves are struggling with our own passions like anger, lack of compassion, and little patience.

The good news is that every child created in His image has His grace, which acts as a checks and balance system within the conscience. However, children who grow up without confirmation from parents or other adults can become very confused. They test the waters, but cannot swim in the deep end of the pool without a few lessons.

Elder Porphyrios taught that, "Our religion wants children to learn the truth from an early age." He stated, "You must tell the truth for a person to learn it. Otherwise you sustain him in ignorance... so to a child you must tell the truth and scold it so that it knows what it is doing is not good."
He offers these suggestions as well, "The medicine and great secret for children's progress is humility... The children who come from humble parents do not get angry when their error is pointed out, but rather they try to correct it and pray that God may help them not to become egoists...Children should learn to seek God's help in everything."
_________________________________________________________

For further reading, check out these 6 (edited) steps listed by St Tikhon in more depth at http://fr-d-serfes.org/orthodox/parents.htm


1. Remind them often of holy Baptism and that at that time they promised God to live decently and steadfastly, to serve Him with faith and righteousness, and to keep away from every evil and sin.

2. Repeat to them that we live not for this temporal life, for honor, glory, and riches in this world.

3. Let them understand Who is the God of Christians, and what He requires of us, that He hates evil and loves good...and to do what is pleasing to Him.

4. Enlighten their inward eyes as to Who Christ is and to our own sinfulness.

5. Teach them the Law of God, and tell them what the Law demands of us: That is, that we should love God and every man; and truly repent and correct ourselves for the day of Judgment.

6. Set before them the last things: death, Christ's judgment, eternal life, and eternal torment, that the fear of God may so abide in them and preserve them from every evil. Pour these and other things like milk into their young hearts, that they may mature in piety.
_________________________________________________________

"Lord Jesus Christ, give Your light to my children. I entrust them to You. You gave them to me, but I am weak and unable to guide them, so, please illuminate them." - Prayer by Elder Porphyrios

Graveyard Cleanup

Most American cemeteries have maintenance workers, but I've been thinking that this would make a fantastic service project. Take your kids, your teens, or your youth group and go spend the afternoon amongst the tombs!(Especially if you know where many fellow Orthodox faithful are buried)Did you know the early Christians celebrated the Divine Liturgy underground with the bodies of the reposed alongside the worshipers.(catacombs) Can you imagine that!

Prayer for those fallen asleep is an ancient tradition of the Church. Since we believe that life continues after death, we say the members of the Church that have reposed maintain spiritual communication with those of us that remain on earth. As St Paul says in Romans 14:7-8, "Whether we live or die we belong to the Lord."

* Pick a Saturday or Sunday
* Copy prayers of Memorial Service
* Pack rakes,shovels,flowers,garbage bags
* Select an area of the graveyard to tidy up
* Spend time reading the tombstones
* Read the Trisagion prayers for the person buried there
* Teach the following (taken from a text by New Skete, Mt Athos)

The one, holy, and universal Church is divided into two parts: the Church Triumphant and the Church Militant. To the Church Triumphant belong all those who ended their struggle in earthly life victoriously; they await their crown of righteousness (the Saints). To the Church Militant belong all those still struggling on earth against sin in order to attain perfection.(saints, with a lowercase "s") It is by the love of Christ, which is eternal, that we are bound to one another as His creation.

St John Chrysostom stated, "Let us help these souls as much as we can, and offer them a small assistance. We ourselves should pray and we should ask others to pray for them. We offer charitable acts together with supplications for those departed so that they may receive consolation. For, if Job's children were cleansed by their father's sacrifice, then why doubt that the dead do not gain benefit from our prayers and charity?"

Lastly, if time permits, consider discussing the significance of Kollyva, the traditional mixture of boiled wheat and fruits which dates back to the 4th century and is usually offered on 40-Day and One Year Memorials. Get your hands dirty preparing this tasty treat if you can and end the day with this quote from St Simeon of Thessaloniki,

"The kernels of wheat and fruits of the earth show that human beings are also seeds. When they are cast down on the ground they want, with the power of God, to rise up again like grain, and after they manage to sprout up, then full grown and alive, they want to be offered to Christ. For just as what is now a seed will be buried in the earth and after that will germinate and come to fruition and bear forth its ample fruit, so too a human being that is now delivered to the earth on account of death wants to rise up again."

For Christ is the resurrection, the life, and the repose of all, and to Him do we ascribe glory, together with the beginningless Father, and the all-holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Lives of the Saints

St. Clement of Rome wrote: "Come to the saints, for they who cleave to them shall be made holy."

There are no greater stories to share with our children and teens than from the lives of the Saints. No movie could compare! You want adventure, encounters with
wild animals, travels to foreign lands, superhuman feats, and miracles unbelievable to the human eye?
Look no further!

Unlike fictional characters, the Saints exist, and ARE real. Children never have to stop believing in them like the tooth fairy, santa, or the boogy man! The Saints, whom make up the Church Triumphant, serve the Church militant, us, who are still marching along in this world fighting against the passions. They illumine the way for us to follow, and when we share their lives with our young people, the same seeds of virtue will be planted in our souls. We will be drawn to imitate them with great conviction to change our lives according to a more holy path.

Take a look at these resources

Saints for specific needs

Online Lives of the Saints

www.abbamoses.com

OCA Saints

www.orthodox.net

Saints by Name & Month

www.orthodoxchristian.info

Father Serfes Saints

Greek Archdiocese Calendar

In Print Resources

Daily Lives Calendar (My Favorite)

A Child's Paradise of Saints

Christina's Hero's

40 Saints: Teachers Text

Prologue of Ohrid

St Dionysios (Others like this also available)

Synaxarion Series (Many volumes, but worth it)

"Our Church honors saints not as gods, but as faithful servants, holy men and friends of God." - St.Nektarios Metropolitan of Pentapolis (+1920)

Ticket for the Game

Today, my husband used a great analogy while speaking with a new catechist. He explained Orthodoxy to him like this. We, in the true Church, have the ticket for the SuperBowl. However, we've still got to travel there and the journey is where we face the truest test. It's a narrow path and not easy to follow. (Anyone who struggles to fast, pray and give up worldly conveniences understands this)

We also don't know who else may make it inside. There will be others who show up, and get in at the last hour, or even others who come from around the world. This is up to our Lord.

But lastly, there are those with a ticket but they don't do anything with it. For them, having the title "Orthodox" won't be enough.

So, to all of us with tickets in hand, on the correct path of salvation, let us show up for the game, having worked diligently to get there. May our Lord in His great mercy grant us entrance. Kali Dynami