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THE COPTIC ORTHODOX PATRICHARCATE ST. GEORGE AND ST. RUEISS CHURCH SUNDAY SCHOOL PROGRAM
GRADE TWO
Revised Edition 2005
PREPARATION AND WRITING Father Rueiss Awad St. George and St. Rueiss Coptic Orthodox Church Toronto, Canada.
To Order Write To St. George and St. Rueiss Coptic Orthodox Church 141 Bond Avenue Toronto, Ontario, CANADA M3B 1M1 (416) 444-1092 or (416) 447-0108
Copyright © 2005 by St. George and St. Rueiss Coptic Orthodox Church All rights reserved No portion of this book may be reproduced or copied in any form without a written permission from St. George and St. Rueiss Coptic Orthodox Church, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
To my blessed two sons: Hegomain Fr. Marcous Elias Abdel Massih and Hegomain Fr. Tadros Yacoub Malaty.
Peace and love be with you.
Dr. Mahfouz has visited me and brought with him the suggested Sunday school curriculum for the land of immigration. I have studied with him the basic topics of the curriculum without getting into details. Although that I have pointed out some concerns on the doctrine and dogma curriculum, it is clear that the amount of work spent on preparing the curriculum is huge and worth thanking. Nonetheless, the Bible study part of the curriculum needs to be increased. God willing, I will also send you additional details on this curriculum.
May the Lord bless all the effort that our son Mahfouz has done in preparing the Sunday school curriculum, in collecting the relevant topics, and in performing the translation of subjects. May the Lord also bless all those who have joined him in preparing this project and those who revised the topics.
Let our goal be performing our best to try and arrive at perfection given what we have from abilities. Lastly, I would also suggest the addition of different recognized pictures according to our doctrine, dogma and history to the Sunday school curriculum.
May the Lord be with you. Be in peace.
Signed
Pope Shenouda III 22 August 1986 The feast of St. Mary
TABLE OF CONTENTSINTRODUCTION TO THE SUNDAY SCHOOL PROGRAM THE LORD JESUS OBEYED HIS PARENTS We are thankful to be Christians “ The Parable of the Prodigal Son ” “The Story of Peter, the Jewelry Maker” "St. John the Dwarf and the Fruit of Obedience" THE FEAST OF ARCHANGEL MICHAEL ARCHANGEL GABRIEL AND ZECHARIAH THE BIRTH OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST IS ANNOUNCED THE VISITS OF THE SAINTS: ST. MARY’S VISIT TO ST. ELIZABETH THE BIRTH OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST LESSONS BENEFITED FROM THE BIRTH OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST LESSONS BENEFITED FROM THE FEAST OF EPIPHANY WAS FULFILLED WHEN BABY JESUS CAME TO THE ALTER THE PREPARATION FOR THE DIVINE LITURGY THE LORD WAS WITH JOSEPH AND HE WAS A SUCCESSFUL MAN THE LORD WAS WITH JOSEPH AND HE WAS A SUCCESSFUL MAN “BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD” THE CENTURION SAID, “TRULY, THIS WAS THE SON ARCHANGEL MICHAEL ANNOUNCED THE RESURRECTION OF THE LORD PENTECOST: THE START OF THE WORK OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH “SAUL, SAUL, WHY ARE YOU PERSECUTING ME?” THE MIRACLES OF ST. MARY (PART I) THE MIRACLES OF ST. MARY (PART II)
INTRODUCTION TO THE SUNDAY SCHOOL PROGRAM
Principal Goal of Christian Up-Bringing. The child had and still has, first as a person and second as a child, a special importance to our Lord Jesus Christ. He called the children and considered them models of perfection, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me. But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea" (Matthew 18:3-5). Therefore, children are beloved ones to Christ and are His friends with their simplicity and purity of heart. Christ called them, blessed them and asked His Disciples and Apostles after Him to take care of bringing up children and prepare the suitable environment for their spiritual growth. St. Paul advises parents saying, "Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged", (Colossians 3:21). From a Christian point of view, the general principal goal of religious up - bringing is the formation of the perfect man of God who is following the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). Also, our Lord said, "For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you" (John 13:15). Hence, a Christian up-bringing is not merely an education to be given or a curriculum to be taught, but it is rather a life that is given through example and behavior through teaching and discipleship. The saintly Fathers of the church have emphasized this fact. St. John said about his practice of life with the Lord "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life-the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us - that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ" (1 John 1:1-3). The same fact was emphasized by St. Paul when he was talking to his disciple Timothy "But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, long-suffering, love, persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium ... But as for you, continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 3:10-15). Also in the letter of St. Paul to the Philippians 3:17, "Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern". Therefore, the principal goal of the Christian up-bringing is to change the life of our children to the life of Christ in them, i.e. to a life based on the work of Christ in them as true Christians and not just religious persons who fear God but deny Him. The Starting Point in Achieving the Goal of Religious Upbringing. The teacher should not start with the student from power Zero. The student comes equipped with many social and religious experiences. His religious experience, although it is limited, it has a strong basis that is ready for spiritual growth. In the Sacrament of Baptism, the student has already obtained the spiritual birth i.e. he became spiritually re-born. After his baptism he was anointed with the Holy Myroun (Chrism) and the Holy Spirit dwelt in him. St. John said "But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you; and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him" (l John 2:27). Therefore, by obtaining these two Holy Sacraments and the Sacrament of Eucharist, the student becomes a member in the body of the Lord and a living part of the body of the Holy Church. This means that religious up-bringing is not something foreign with respect to the student. The student is a temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells in him. This means that it is not the teacher who makes the student live a life for Christ, but it is the inside work of the Holy Spirit that makes the whole difference. The role of the teacher is to make the student aware of the effect and the work of the Spirit. In this sense the student becomes aware of the secret grace inside him and as a result the divine word inside him grows as the seed grows inside the earth. The Difference Between Religious Education and Religious Upbringing. We should not aim at providing lessons in the form of giving information, i.e. a mere religious education. In this case religious experience will never exceed the circle of the mind and will never affect the heart and practice of the student. If we consider religious education as an element in religious bringing-up, we are in this case following Christ's plan in the development and building of the Christian personality. Christ with His example and His perfection gave us a model which should be followed and achieved. As for His teachings, they are meant to clear the way for us in order to follow them as examples and models. The Need of our Church for a Coptic Orthodox Sunday School Program. There is one basic difference between Eastern and Western theology; the latter depends on study, analysis and using scientific means, whereas Eastern theology is based on experience and depth which is mainly lead to true Christian life. The Eastern Church respects the role of the mind but it works under the supervision of faith. The majority of recent Western Sunday School programs follow a pure analytical way of explaining the Bible. For example, miracles are explained through psychological and scientific factors. The man of God must accept miracles and believe them as they are. St. Athanasius said, "Our knowledge must not control (or have authority over) the word, but the word itself must have the control and authority over the mind". Another basic difference is that our traditional Church uses the rites in education as a key in the process of living what is being taught. Over and above what was mentioned before in relation to the basic differences in religious education between Eastern and Western churches, there are also basic differences in the various beliefs and the way Christianity is lived by in actual life. We, as parents, teachers and clergy, are responsible in front of God to bring up our children according to the same spiritual Orthodox principles that we received from our saintly Fathers who shed their blood to perpetuate the perfect Orthodox faith. Therefore, our children must learn from the same source from which we learned before them. The Sunday School program in your hands is a fruit of love granted by our Lord Jesus Christ to our children and a gift from Him to them. This program is purely Coptic Orthodox. All its references without exception are Coptic Orthodox (please review the reference list at the end of the book. In this manner all the information that is in this book (as well as all the books in this series) can be used with total confidence as it is devised according to our glorified church. The spirit of the lessons is indeed the same spirit of the Coptic Orthodox Church. About the Books in Your Hands. These books in your hands are integrated series of books which were written for children from age 4 to 18. With the grace of the Holy Spirit, if the child at age 4 follows this series of lessons until age 18, he will obtain an all-rounded spiritual background. The books (covering the teachings from pre-schoolers to grade 12) cover a study of most of the major Biblical subjects of the Old and New Testaments, the celebrations of the church of our Master's feasts, the life of the Saints and their feasts, the divine liturgy with its rites and spirituality, the true Christian life and Christian behavior, church sacraments, fasting, prayers, the creed and its explanation, the Ecumenical Councils, the difference between the various major Christian sects, the Christian family, the history of our church, the major personalities in the Holy Bible, ... etc. The program is indeed comprehensive and it covers all the key areas of our Orthodox church. If these lessons were given in the spiritual way that was emphasized before, great results will be expected with the work of the Holy Spirit. General Rules and Principles to be Followed by the Sunday School Teachers. 1) The teacher must know the stage and the characteristics of growth of the children that he or she is teaching. A child who is 12 years old is different than a child who is 8 years old. The teacher must know the level of his/her students, their abilities to receive information that he/she is giving and the differences between the various abilities in the same class. 2) The positive participation of the students is very important during the lesson and the effectiveness of teaching. One of the key incentives for the student is to give importance to the lesson and have an effective communication with the teacher and, above all, to define clearly the purpose behind it and present the lesson in the form of problems that attract their attention. 3) The teacher must follow a psychological order of the facts he is presenting. Our Lord Jesus Christ used effectively the psychological method of teaching through His parables. The parables in their simplicity are drawn from the daily life of the people. We must emphasize here that the psychological method is not the only method of spiritual teaching. We should mention this method as one of the methods used. It is quite important to note that spiritual teaching must be imparted with certain goals in mind which are connected with the life of the children and related to the problems they face. We should provide guidance that is mostly needed for them. 4) The teacher must present the lesson and illustrate it with relevant information and present it as a coherent unity without ambiguity or contradiction. He may use illustrations to help him explain what he means. 5) Application of Christian principles to the actual social life must be emphasized in every lesson. The teacher should use stories (from the Old or New Testaments or from church history or church books) to attract the attention of the students and show the Christian principle in an applied manner. The teacher also may divide the subject into stages or small subjects. A good practice is to summarize the lesson or better still, ask the students themselves to summarize it. 6) The manner of expressing the lesson to the students is also very important. A teacher who is living by what he/she teaches will definitely be more effective in giving his/her message across. A teacher who is teaching under spiritual influence with compatible emotions to what he/she teaches will be definitely more effective than a teacher who is giving information.
ACKNOLEDGEMENTS On behalf of the Coptic Orthodox children and youth, who are going to benefit a great deal from this revised Sunday School Program, I would like to express a word of appreciation and gratitude to: His Holiness Pope Shenouda III This program leans quite heavily on the writings of His Holiness Pope Shenouda III. The majority of the contents of the lessons and their attachments are based on His Holiness' writings. This is a very bright and important aspect of this program. In 1986, during the time in which there was no Coptic Orthodox Sunday School program in the land of immigration, His Holiness reviewed the general contents of the program, commented and modified many key subjects, and then authorized the use of this program in all churches outside of Egypt, on a preliminary basis. I can safely say that, if it was not for His Holiness Pope Shenouda III's support, wisdom, and writings, this book would not exist. The whole generation is in debt to His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, not only because of his great teachings and writings, but also because of his love and leadership. His Grace Bishop Reweiss His Grace Bishop Reweiss has been behind us all the way with his love and guidance. He wrote the forward for our previous version of the program in 1986. His Grace Bishop Moussa His Grace Bishop Moussa has provided constant support and encouragement in the completion of the previous program. Of course, His Grace's writings for the youth have been utilized in all the subjects directed towards the youth, in this book. Fr. Tadros Malaty and Fr. Marcos Marcos These Beloved Fathers reviewed thoroughly all of the contents of the first six books of the previous version of the program. Their dedication, experience, and wisdom have been an important factor in the quality of all the material. They contributed greatly towards setting up the lessons, in that sense. Father Tadros Malaty's deep writings, without any doubt, have been a key reference in the majority of the lessons. His latest advice to revise and enhance the previous version of the program has been held in the highest regards.
Dr. Fayek M. Ishak Dr. Fayek Ishak (head of the English Department at Lakehead University) reviewed the first six books of the previous version of the program. He contributed, immensely, towards the setup of the lessons. Fr. Gawargious Michael and Fr. Mikhael Armanios These two beloved priests chose the proper songs to match the subjects of the lessons. They also arranged the proof-reading of all the books with a chosen group of youth. Fr. Makary Silwanis This beloved priest made all of the arrangements for revising the previous Sunday School Program. He single-handedly arranged to have the new program available online. His computer skills were a key factor in all areas. Tassoni Ragaa The continuous support and encouragement of Tassoni Ragaa played an essential role in the write-up of the previous version of the program, as well as in this revision. One of the aspects that kept this program centered and on track was her continuous reminder that this program is for generations to come and every effort is worthwhile for the sake of the upbringing of the children and youth. The Youth of St. George and St. Rueiss Coptic Orthodox Church There was a key participation from Heba Khattas in this revised version. She in total love and joy contributed with great efforts in typing, checking, proof reading and commenting. All these things by her own initiative despite all the other responsibilities that she had to do towards her family, her work and her study. There was a key contribution from Marian Awad in this revised version. She proposed that the lessons for Grades 11 and 12 be totally redone in order to prepare the youth to face the challenges at the university level. This idea resulted in a huge change in the curriculum for these two grades, as well as in the writing of the "Contemporary Issues" book. Ninette Bishay sang over 100 songs in order to make sure that all the lessons were accompanied by beautiful songs in a great language and tone. Caroline Yassa typed many lessons for the author, mostly dictated over the phone, at times when his eyes were very sore from reading. Her efforts are greatly appreciated. Comments and proof-readings of many of the youth are greatly appreciated.
Fr. Rueiss Awad
TEACHER'S GUIDELINES: HOW TO USE THIS PROGRAM? 1. The teacher should realize that each lesson has been prepared to cover a specific point; starting from the title of the lesson to the end of it. 2. The teacher should read all the materials referred to in the lesson (i.e. the Holy Bible as well as any articles attached to the lesson), and then proceed by emphasizing all the points. 3. The teacher should enlarge the picture ahead of each lesson and use it as a visual aid as he or she is teaching the lesson. 4. The teacher should discuss the practical applications as he or she proceeds with the lesson. 5. The teacher should summarize the main points of the lesson with the students and give prizes.
FEATURES OF THIS SUNDAY SCHOOL PROGRAM A COMPREHENSIVE SUNDAY SCHOOL PROGRAM
1. This Sunday School program was the very first program to be written in the lands of immigration. This work was initiated in 1974, and the first version was published in 1986. We thank our heavenly Father, Who has given us the opportunity to extensively revise and improve it, in 2005. 2. In this version of the program, any repetition that was in the previous program, has been removed, all lessons were upgraded in both coverage and depth. Moreover, a whole new book, on contemporary issues, has been added. 3. The contemporary issues book covers subjects that are important for children and youth in today's world. These lessons are optional. For churches with regular youth group meetings, these issues would best be discussed during those meetings. On the other hand, for churches that do not hold regular youth group meetings, those issues could be discussed as part of the Sunday School program. 4. This version of the program also includes lessons, which form a basis for a missionary service, a service that should in the ideal situation be practised by every member of our congregation. The objective is that each child, every youth, and in the long run each Coptic individual can behave and act in a way, which is an embodiment of the teaching and tradition of the Coptic Orthodox Church. In other words, our congregation would become role models in their communities, who attract people to our Lord Jesus Christ through their good practices: sincerity, commitment, hard work and dedication, tolerance, forgiveness, and all the other good qualities that differentiate a good practising Christian from those who merely have a Christian education. 5. In this Sunday School Program, we depended heavily on the writings of H.H. Pope Shenouda III as a reference for most of the presented material. 6. The lessons in this version of the program have already been tried in Sunday School classes, reviewed, improved and tried again. This ensures that the lessons are relevant and suit the level of the students. 7. In this version of the program, efforts were put forth to ensure that every aspect of the Christian life in the Coptic Orthodox Church is covered. 8. This Sunday School Program is not merely about giving specific education on Christianity to our children and youth but it is rather an attempt to deeply affect their feelings and spirituality. It is believed that such an approach will facilitate the practical application of the various aspects involved so that Christianity becomes a way of life for the individual, with deeply rooted Christian values, that are manifested as behaviour and attitude. 9. All copyrights of other Sunday School programs, and other writers, have been fully respected. 10. In this version, each lesson comes complete with pictures and songs that are suitable for the lesson. 11. This Sunday School program comes in various formats, for convenience. In addition to being available on this website for widespread use, it is also available, upon request, in hard copy format or on CD. 12. It is our strong belief that this Sunday School program will play a vital role in the spiritual upbringing of our children. May the Lord bless this Sunday School program and all other programs, for the growth of His Kingdom in us.
THE PREPARATION OF SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS
A. What is a Sunday School Lesson? 1. It is not a record of events that we convey to the students with the hopes of appearing to satisfy the required preparation process in front of other people. Neither is it a lecture that we deliver to our audience or student regardless of their interest in the matter. 2. However, it is, on one hand, a fruit of the live reaction between the servant and the lesson and, on the other hand, between the servant and the students. The Holy Spirit maturates this fruit and directs this service towards the salvation of the students and towards the glory of God. For if the servant who teaches the people does not teach himself, the voice of the Lord rebukes him saying, " You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself ? " (Romans 2:21), and again in James 3: 1: "My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment." Therefore, the servant should engage himself in the lesson through prayers, relevant spiritual readings, and practical application, so that when the servant speaks with his students from experience and true knowledge, he says, with St. John the Beloved, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life-" (1 John 1:1) If a servant is not aware of the spiritual level of his students, he may burden them with instructions and lessons which they cannot handle nor apply and this, in turn, may cause the students to go astray and lose their eternal life. Therefore, it is crucial for the servant to establish a healthy, trustworthy, and fruitful relationship with his students, as well as to share in their joys and cheers, and their sadness and fears, all towards Jesus Christ. This is what St. Paul refers to in his epistle to the Galatians when he says, "My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you..." (Galatians 4:19). This close relationship with the students allows the servant to choose the most appropriate lesson that applies to their needs. Hence a Sunday School lesson is: A live mixture between the personal lives of the servants and the students through the lesson; the Holy Spirit creates this mixture and allows it to result in the bearing of fruit. B. The Requirements for Sunday School Lessons 1. Humility in prayer before God. God said, "...for without Me you can do nothing." (John 15:5) My beloved brethren, sit down in peace and tranquility with the Lord and talk to Him about your personal need for Him in your service. Ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit and pray saying, " Guide me dear God. What would you like my students and I to learn this week ? " Be obedient to His voice. It would be suitable to maintain a prayer time which equals that of the lesson. 2. Accurate knowledge of the meanings contained within the lesson. This is achieved through: a) Occupying yourself throughout the week with understanding the new lesson, beginning from the end of the previous lesson until the beginning of the new one. It is wise to use your free time, time before sleep, and time with fellow servants to increase and enhance your understanding of the lesson. b) Resorting to spiritual and religious references and literature to help you develop the right understanding and concepts behind the lines. c) Resorting to general educational references and literature to embody this understanding and these concepts, making them clear in the minds of your students. 3. Aids of presentation. It is important that you transform your understanding of the lesson into a simple and clear presentation. It has been stated and proved that 85% of knowledge acquired is acquired through the sense of sight and visual learning as opposed to the 10% that is acquired through the sense of hearing. The rest of the knowledge acquired is done so through the other three senses. In reality, the least effective way of transmitting knowledge to others is by merely talking; this has the weakest influence on the students. In contrast, the most effective way to teach is to use the "Learning by Doing" method, which requires enough time as well as sound experience. What differentiate between the effectiveness of the two means of presentation are the tools used in the presentation. These tools aid the students in effectively understanding and retaining the purpose of the lesson by engaging both senses of sight and sound. These tools may include audio-visual devices such as pictures and movies, spiritual trips and outings, role playing during class, intellectually stimulating games, etc. C. Recording the lesson. It is recommended that the servant records the following during the preparation of the lesson:
Purpose of the lesson: It is necessary for the servant to clearly understand the purpose of the lesson at the beginning of his preparation. It is also necessary that the purpose of the lesson should agree with the maturity level of the students. For example, it is more appropriate for children to learn about God's love; on the other hand, learning about the power of God in their lives and in the lives of the saints is more appropriate subject matter for youth. As for young adults, learning about Christian virtues and spiritual practices is most appropriate. Most importantly, the purpose of the lessons should agree with Coptic Orthodox Christian teachings, whether in specific occasions or in general. References: References could include: a. Stories, examples, verses, etc. from the Holy Bible. b. Spiritual books and literature. c. General educational books and literature. Recording the references is very useful for the servant because it helps the servant to refer back to them, if forgotten. Preface: The preface is the background of the lesson. It cultivates the thoughts of the students and directs their thoughts towards the lesson. This allows the lesson to be implanted in their minds and to, eventually, bear fruit. It is important that the preface remain simple, short, and concise. The introduction could be in the form of focused questions, but should not be in the form of stories. Several stories in one lesson may deteriorate its effectiveness. The Lesson: The lesson could be divided into the following sections: 1. Introduction - it should be quick and concise and related to the preface. It should introduce the lesson smoothly without interrupting the chain of thoughts. 2. Body of the lesson - it contains the principle subject of the lesson, and follows these guidelines: a. You must be accurate and careful when explaining theological concepts. b. You must be careful when relating events and examples to elucidate the subject of the lesson, in order to properly guide the students' imagination without restricting it. c. You must diligently expose the Coptic Orthodox doctrine in the lesson. d. You should not use more than one story during the lesson and the story used should be relevant to the subject matter. 3. Focal Point - the point during the lesson at which the purpose of the lesson is clearly defined. (Examples: The Lord responds to the prayers of a needy person, or the angels come to give the saints their heavenly crowns and take them to heaven after many trials and persecutions.) 4. Conclusion - it should be, like the introduction, short and concise. It can summarize the purpose of the lesson, without introducing any new concepts.
Inferences: Inference is a method used to determine how much the students have absorbed and retained from the lesson. It should be in the form of questions with the following guidelines: a. They should clearly show the purpose of the lesson. b. They should suit the maturity of the students. c. They should be simple and direct. d. They should link to each other. e. They should not be `Yes' or `No' questions. f. They should each have one correct answer. Bible Verse: The memorization of a Bible verse is an excellent way to help the students remember the purpose of the lesson. The chosen Bible verse should meet the following guidelines: a. It should show the purpose of the lesson clearly. b. It should be short which allows it to be easily memorized. c. Children can easily memorize, as well as understand it. Homework: The height of your diligence in preparing the lesson is in choosing the proper and effective homework or application. The homework should have the following characteristics: a. It should contain practical applications that apply to everyday life. b. It should suit the maturity level of the students. c. It should help in mastering the comprehension and retention of the lesson. d. It should not include more than one instruction, in order to simplify the application of the lesson.
INTRODUCTION
Teaching in Grade 2 (ages 7 to 8 years)
This age range is characterized by an important mental developmental stage. A sense of cause and effect is developed, as well as an ability to organize and classify, and an interest in simple planning and carrying out a plan. We can see this reflected in their daily life.
There is now a far clearer consciousness of “justice” compared with previous experiences. The instinct of ownership was already present at an earlier age, but now there is a fairly clearer understanding of what is “mine” and “not mine”. Along with the sense of “law” and the conscious of “law breaking”, there is a growth, a development of finer feelings, compassion, the desire to protect someone weaker than oneself, and acceptance of certain moral standards.
Children at these ages will show interest in cause and effect, and, upon listening to Bible stories, will show interest in God’s plan for the world.
The story must be given without too many comments. Lessons should be accompanied by relevant hymns and class activities such as colouring, cutting and pasting pictures, etc.
Though it is too early to discuss with children the problem of suffering, and especially the sufferings of the innocent, it is sometimes unavoidable. We can establish in their minds the image of the Lord Jesus Christ as the one who was innocent and accepted suffering, but His suffering and death were not the end, because He rose from the dead. If the children have really assimilated the Passion and the Resurrection, we would have provided them with a basis for a Christian approach to the problem of suffering. They will have to deal intellectually with it at a later age.
In addition to all the above, the teacher should start with the simplest known facts, to lead the children discover the unknown. Children will end up loving the teacher, the class, the lessons and come eagerly to class.
For the success
of this Sunday HOLY BIBLE
in his/her preparation
SEPTEMBERFIRST SUNDAY
THE LORD’S PRAYER
Please read Mathew 6:9-15 and give the lesson with emphasis on the points below.
To make sure that the whole class knows the “Lord’s Prayer” by heart.
V The Lord Jesus used to pray on the mountaintop. The Disciples noticed that His prayers were different from those of the Pharisees. The latter wanted to pray in public to get recognition from the people.
V The Disciples asked Jesus, “Lord teach us how to pray”. They wanted to learn the spiritual way of praying.
V Do we all know the “Lord’s Prayer” by heart? Please go around the class and ask some children to recite it, ask them if they also know it in Arabic.
V The Lord’s Prayer starts with “Our Father who art in Heaven”. God is our heavenly Father. He loves us. He looks after us. He guards us and provides us with all our needs. We must feel and believe that God is our Father. Please fully emphasize this point in class. David said, “The Lord is my shepherd”.
V The Lord’s prayer is the most important prayer. It is the beginning of all the personal prayers or prayers at home with the family and prayers in the church.
What do we learn from this lesson?
1. Always include “The Lord’s Prayer” at the beginning of every prayer.
2. Pray slowly.
3. Think carefully about what we are saying.
Colouring
Songs
O MY CHILDREN
“Let the little Children come to Me, and do not forbid them: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” (Mat 19:14)
O my little dear children You are so precious come to me.
Dear Lord Jesus Our God We love You and praise you Our Lord.
I hear you praising and bless you My eyes upon you all the time.
Recitation Curriculum:Please look at the recitation curriculum at the end of this book.
NOTES _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
Second Sunday
THE LORD JESUS OBEYED HIS PARENTS
Please read Luke 2:41-52 and give the lesson with emphasis on the points below.
To learn that we should obey our parents as the Lord Jesus did.
V St. Mary, St. Joseph and the Lord Jesus went to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. It is the greatest feast for the Jews. Jesus was left behind among a crowd of people. After three days His worried parents found Him in the temple, discussing with some Pharisees. Jesus obediently left the temple and followed His parents to Nazareth.
V Jesus is God, yet He wants to teach us a lesson by example. We must obey our parents.
Why should we obey our parents?
? Because they love us. Whatever they ask us to do is for our benefit even if we do not understand it at first.
? Because God told us to obey and honour our parents.
? Because when we obey our parents, we receive God’s blessings. Isaac obeyed Abraham when he told him to carry wood for the offering. Isaac did not know where they were going or what the offering was for, but he obeyed. Hence, he deserved to get the blessing of his father Abraham.
V Ask the children if any one of them has disobeyed their parents even once. If they say they have always obeyed and never disobeyed their parents, verify if indeed they are telling the truth. If one of them admits to disobeying their parents sometimes, the teacher should praise that student for being truthful.
V The consequence of disobedience is that we loose hope in God’s help.
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THIS LESSON?
We must take the Lord Jesus as our example in everything that we do. As He was obedient to His parents, so we should be to ours.
Songs AM A CHRISTIAN
“ And they shall reign forever and ever.”
I am a C. I am a C.H. I am a C.H.R.I.T.I.A.N. And I have C.H.R.I.S.T In my H.E.A.R.T. And I will L.I.V.E. E.T.E.R.N.A.L.L.Y.
Recitation Curriculum:Please look at the recitation curriculum at the end of this book.
SEPTEMBER Third Sunday
El-Nayrouz Feast - “ESNA” AND ST. DOLAGY
Please read the attached material entitled “In Memory of our Martyrs”. Please take also the colouring story, “Esna”, with you to the class and provide copies to the children to colour at home and bring it back the next class.
To know the history of celebrating the new year called the “Coptic year”, in memory of all the people who loved the Lord Jesus and sacrificed everything for Him.
V The Julian calendar has 12 months. The Coptic year (Nayrouz) has 13 months, and starts in September or about the beginning of the school year.
V Tell the children the story of Esna and let them colour the pictures.
V Several things happened in Esna - a city in Egypt- that showed that the people loved God and had faith. They wanted to earn the crown of martyrdom.
V The most important thing for us is to have a place in heaven. We learn from the martyrs that we must be ready to obey all the commandments to maintain our place in heaven.
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THIS LESSON?
1. We must love our Christianity and our Lord and Master Jesus Christ. . Even if the whole world wants us to abandon our Christianity and our faith, we must say NO.
Colouring
Songs AM A CHRISTIAN
“ And they shall reign forever and ever.”
I am a C. I am a C.H. I am a C.H.R.I.T.I.A.N. And I have C.H.R.I.S.T In my H.E.A.R.T. And I will L.I.V.E. E.T.E.R.N.A.L.L.Y.
Recitation Curriculum : Please look at the recitation curriculum at the end of this book.
The El Nayrouz Feast is the beginning of the Egyptian year, which is a very old one. The ancient pharaohs created this system 5000 years before the birth of Jesus, naming its months after the names of their ancient Egyptian gods. The Egyptian year has 13 months, namely: Tout, Baba, Hatour, Kyahk, Touba, Amsheer, Baramhat, Baramouda, Bashense, Baouna, Abib, Messra and El-Nassey. Each month is 30 days in length, except for the last one, El-Nassey, which is only 5 days long.
Until now, the Egyptian farmers use the Coptic year system in their time frames for agricultural activities.
Egypt only used the Egyptian year system until the French came to Egypt in the era of Ismail Pasha. They introduced the Western year system (January February…). In the years of Diocletian, the numbers of martyrs increased tremendously. The year 284 A.D., in which over 200,000 Copts received the crown of martyrdom, was called “Anno Martiri”, or “Martyrs’ year”.
Today the church celebrates this special period “NAYROUZ FEAST,” which is also the MARTYRS’ FEAST. . This celebration goes on for 17 days until the “Feast of the Cross”. During the Coptic year (which is the Egyptian year), the church system, e.g., the feasts, fasting, and readings, are divided into the following rounds: ROUND #1
This is the Nayrouz round in which the church celebrates the memory of the martyrs who established the church on the basis of their faith and blood (Tout).
ROUND #2
The church celebrates the mystery of the birth of Jesus, from our Lady St. Mary (Kyahk). This ends at Christmas.
ROUND #3
The Baptism of Jesus and the unity of the Holy Trinity Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Tout).
ROUND #4
The Younan Feast and the preparation for the holy forty-day fast (Touba).
The Holy Fast (Amsheer-Baramhat).
ROUND #6
The Easter celebration (Baramouda- Bashense).
Mission month and the Disciples’ fast (Abib).
ROUND #8
ROUND #9
The short month (El-Nassey), and all the readings in the church in this month are about the end of the world.
I hope you are constantly aware of these occasions as the church celebrates these nine rounds during the year. Live in the system; remember it, learn from it and get its blessings.
NOTE ________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
SEPTEMBER Fourth Sunday
"David and Goliath"
Please read 1 Samuel 17:26-50 and give the lesson with emphasis on the points below.
To know that God gives strength to every one of us.
V Tell the story of David in detail as described in the Bible. Emphasize that David took five stones from the valley and only one of them was enough to destroy Goliath. He kept the rest as a reminder of God’s support for him and for all the believers.
V Goliath was very strong in the eyes of all people. He posed a big problem for King Saul because no one could out-power the giant. Goliath insulted the people of God and challenged all of God’s believers to fight him.
V There were a lot of people in King Saul’s camp who were bigger, stronger and older than David. However, David relied completely on the arm of God.
Who was fighting Goliath?David was fighting with the strength and the help of God. If it were not for God’s help, it would have been impossible for David to defeat Goliath. David was a prophet and also became king of Israel. He was a man of prayer and he wrote the Psalms.
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THIS LESSON?
1. There is nothing too difficult for us to do if we ask the help of God. We only have to pray and take the proper steps as He guides us.
2. As God helped David, He can help us against the devil.
Colouring
Songs GOD IS DWELLING IN MY HEART
“ For our heart shall rejoice in Him because we have trusted in His holy name." (Ps 33:21)
REFRAIN
God is dwelling in my heart He and I are one All His joy He gives to me through Christ his Son.
And with Jesus in my heart what have I to fear? For He is the Son of God in my heart, He is near.
Christians who are baptized have you ever realized The great mystery God dwells in you and me.
This joy God gave to you share it then with others too Show them that God is love lift their hearts above.
Recitation Curriculum :Please look at the recitation curriculum at the end of this book.
NOTE ________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
SEPTEMBER Fifth Sunday
"The Feast of the Cross" - We are thankful to be Christians
Please read the attached material, and give the lesson with the emphasis on the points below.
1. To familiarize the children with the finding and the celebration of the Cross. 2. To realize the power of crossing ourselves.
V The miracles made through the Cross appearance in the sky.
V Crossing ourselves We cross ourselves in our prayers and in the Holy Sacraments of the church because it is very beneficial to us and agrees with what is mentioned in the Holy Bible. V The Cross is the subject of glory (Galatians 6:14), “But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ”.
V The Cross is the subject of strength (1 Corinthians 1:18) “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God”. St. Paul mentioned here that only “the word of the Cross” is the power of God. Therefore, when we mention the word of the cross, or cross ourselves, we are filling ourselves with strength. The sign of the Cross is the shield of the soul.
V The devil is very scared of the sign of the Cross Every time we cross ourselves the devil becomes very afraid because he remembers that on the Cross, Jesus Christ defeated him and gave salvation to His people. The devil then escapes from the Sign of the Cross.
V The Cross-Day Feast in the Coptic Church The Coptic Church observes two feasts in honour of the Holy Cross of Christ. . The first feast is celebrated, on 17th Toot (about 28th Sept.), and it commemorates the consecration of the Church of the Holy Cross which was built by the Empress Helena, the mother of Constantine. The second feast is celebrated, on 10th Baramhaat (about the 19th of March), to commemorate the discovery of the Holy Cross by the same empress.
V STORY:
One time the bad people caught St. George and they wanted him to worship the idols. He refused and made the sign of the cross on these idols and they fell down in pieces. So they gave him a drink filled with poison, he made the sign of the cross on it and drank it. No harm came upon him. Then they tied his hands at his back and gave him a bad drink filled with poison to kill him. St. George made the sign of the cross on the drink with his head and drank. Once again he was unharmed.
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THIS LESSON?
1. We are thankful to be Christians, to belong to the Lord Jesus Christ and the Cross.
2. We love the Lord Jesus who died for us on the Cross and rose from the dead making the cross always a source of strength for us.
3. We must always make the sign of the cross on ourselves before we sleep and after we get up in the morning… etc.
Colouring
Songs
My cross, my cross my glory is in you! I place you on my bosom and in my bedroom too.
REFRAIN
My cross, my cross you’re made of lowly wood But in my heart, my cross you’re more precious than gold
My cross, my cross is with me everywhere I sign you every morning and whenever I fear
My cross, my cross My victory’s in you the pledge of my success in whatever I do
Recitation Curriculum :
Please look at the recitation
curriculum at the end of this book.
The Cross’ appearance happened three times, as follows:
First time, when it appeared in the sky for Emperor Constantine the Great, to give him encouragement before he went to the war. He and his officers saw it as a pillar of light in the sky surrounded by the following words: “With it (the Cross) you will conquer. Constantine was encouraged, became a Christian, went to the war, and was victorious.
The second time, the Cross appeared for Aaelius Caesar at the doors of the city of Natakia. It appeared in the east like a pillar of light, which startled all those who saw it.
The third time, the Cross appeared to all the people of Jerusalem. This happened in the sacred days of the Fifties’ Feast, on the 8th of May in the year 351 A.D. at the third hour (about 9 a.m.). The Cross appeared in the sky on Golgotha stretching up to the Mountain of Olives. It was very clear and seen by all the people of the city. It stayed many hours shining brighter than the sun’s rays. All the city people, old and young, men and women of all ages, Christians and non-Christians from all places, came out to see the apparition. They were astounded and even scared. However, they felt great joy witnessing that heavenly apparition and every one of them praised Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Feast of the Cross
On the Feast of the Cross we remember the appearance of the glorious Cross of Jesus Christ our Lord. The Jews got angry because of the large number of miracles performed by Jesus. They asked everyone in the Jewish country to collect waste matter and put it on top of Golgotha, where Jesus died on the Cross. The Jewish people continued to do that for over 200 years until it formed a very large pile of dirt.
St Helena went to the place the Jews put the garbage, which used to be called Golgotha, and where our Lord Jesus was crucified in the same time with two evil doers. St. Helena had brought a big bag of gold coins. She then asked her servants to find some people who will be willing to dig in the pile of dirt for her. Her servants found some people who- for some gold- accepted to do the work. They started to dig and the story goes that deeper they dug more money the asked for. They found three crosses and they brought them to St. Helena. The crosses looked more of less the same. St. Helena did not know which one was the Lord Jesus’ cross.
It is said that at precisely that moment a burial convey was passing by, and a young man, the only son of a widow, was to be buried. St. Helena inspired by the Holy Spirit, asked the widow for permission to touch only the casket with the crosses. They received permission and the servants holding each cross touched the margin of the casket. Only when they touched the casket’s margin with the third cross, the young man who was dead was raised from the death. St. Helena then knew which cross was Jesus’ and she took it with her. St. Helena did that because she loved the Lord Jesus Christ and believed in the power of the Cross. It appeared to her and to King Constantine before he went to the war, which he won.
OCTOBERFirst Sunday
The Lord Loves Us -“ The Parable of the Prodigal Son ”
Please read Luke 15:11-32, and give the lesson with the emphasis on the points below.
Purpose of the lesson
To realize that if we did something wrong and came back to God, He joyfully accepts us back. But we have to be quick to say sorry and repent whenever we do something bad.
Memory verse
V Please act out the parable of the prodigal son in class. Try to tell it in an expressive, dramatic way.
V The Lord Jesus taught the people using parables. What is a parable? It is an illustration of an idea in a way that people will easily understand.
V Let us clarify the role of every person in the parable: The father represents God. He is kind. He loves His children. He wants His children to be near Him all the time. The father is also very rich.
The young son wanted money, pleasure and desired to live on his own. He did not listen to his father. He went away and committed many sins. After some time, he starved and his life was in danger. He came back immediately (see memory verse).
The elder son thought only of himself. He did not appreciate the return of his brother, who was dead in sin but alive in the flesh. Do we love our brothers and sisters? Let us not do as the older son did. Let us care for our brothers and sisters.
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THIS LESSON?
1. Our Lord Jesus loves us. When we do something bad we must ask for forgiveness from Him, confess to Abouna and then Jesus will accept us back and bless us. Do not delay repentance. The effect of sin on us is very severe. It makes us miserable. But living with God will make us very peaceful and happy.
2. We must learn to say sorry whenever we do any mistake to anyone
Songs O BE CAREFUL LITTLE EYES
“The lamp of the body is the eyes. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.” (Mat 6:22)
O be careful little eyes what you see (2) For the Father up above is looking down in love So be careful little eyes what you see.
O be careful little mouth what you say (2) For the Father up above is looking down in love So be careful little mouth what you say.
O be careful little hands what you do (2) For the Father up above is looking down in love So be careful little hands what you do.
O be careful little feet where you go (2) For the Father up above is looking down in love So be careful little feet where you go.
Recitation Curriculum :Please look at the recitation curriculum at the end of this book.
For the success
of this Sunday HOLY BIBLE
in his/her preparation
OCTOBER Second Sunday
“The Lord Loves Us”“The Story of Peter, the Jewelry Maker”
To learn that God loves us and protects us from bad things. Hence, we should glorify the name of the Lord.
V The Lord loves every one of us. We must correct our notion of the Lord. He does not want or like to punish us. He is our heavenly Father who wants us to be with Him. He protects us from all evil powers.
V Peter, the jewelry maker who was saved by his wife’s strong faith.
V There was a good Christian man named Peter. He worked as a jewelry maker. He made chains, crosses, and a lot of other things. He used to go to church regularly. He loved God and took communion every Sunday.
V There was a bad man who worshipped idols. He hated Peter and wanted to hurt him because Peter loved God. That bad man was the secretary of one of the ministers of the government. The minister wanted to add a top to his ring. He gave it to his secretary (the bad man). The man thought, “This is a good chance to do a trick and get rid of Peter, the jewelry maker”.
V He went to Peter and gave him the ring and told him that it belonged to the government minister and that Peter had to do it well and fast. . Peter took the ring and put it on the desk. While Peter was talking to other customers, the bad man stole the ring and left the shop. He then threw the ring into the river. When Peter found out the ring was gone he became very upset and worried of what the minister’s reaction might be. He closed the shop and went home.
V He told his wife about what had happened. She told him the power of the Lord was with them and told him not to be afraid. The next day, he went to his shop but he was too distraught to do any work. A man who sold fish regularly came by Peter’s shop to sell him fish. Peter said, “No, not today”. The fisherman told him he had good fish and insisted Peter should buy some. Peter refused again. The fisherman went to Peter’s house and sold the fish to his wife. When she opened up the first fish something was shining inside of it. It was a ring! When her husband came home from the shop he could not believe what happened. God had saved his life!
The power of God protects us. So let us praise His name for His mighty acts.
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THIS LESSON?
1. God looks from up above and watches over us to protect us and nothing can hurt us if we belong to Him.
2. The bad people cannot hurt the church because the “gates of Hades” cannot over-power us or the church congregation.
Songs O BE CAREFUL LITTLE EYES
“The lamp of the body is the eyes. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.” (Mat 6:22)
O be careful little eyes what you see (2) For the Father up above is looking down in love So be careful little eyes what you see.
O be careful little mouth what you say (2) For the Father up above is looking down in love So be careful little mouth what you say.
O be careful little hands what you do (2) For the Father up above is looking down in love So be careful little hands what you do.
O be careful little feet where you go (2) For the Father up above is looking down in love So be careful little feet where you go.
Recitation Curriculum :Please look at the recitation curriculum at the end of this book.
For the success
of this Sunday HOLY BIBLE
in his/her preparation
OCTOBER Third Sunday
Our Love for the Lord -"St. John the Dwarf and the Fruit of Obedience"
Please read the attached material entitled “St. John the Dwarf”.
· To learn about obedience from St. John the Dwarf as our church celebrates his departure on the 20th of Baba. If we love God we must obey his commandments.
V At the age of eighteen St. John the Dwarf wanted to live all his life with God. He loved God very much. Do we love God? How do we show our love for God? (Let the children answer).
V He went to Abba Ammos who, at first, did not accept him as a disciple. One time Abba Ammos gave John a stick and told him to plant and water it. Can a stick really bear fruit? Of course not. But John obeyed anyhow. He took the stick and did what Abba Ammos told him to do. After three years the stick became a tree and brought forth fruit. Abba Ammos picked some fruit and showed it to the people saying, “This is the fruit of obedience”.
V Can we obey our parents even if we do not agree with or understand them sometimes? We should learn to do that. We can discuss matters with our parents but we must also obey them. V St. John the Dwarf performed several miracles. When he was ordained a priest a voice came from heaven saying: “Axios, Axios, Axios,” which means “he deserves, he deserves, he deserves”. He knew when he was giving communion to people who deserved it and who did not.
V One very hot day the monks entered his room. There they found three angels blowing some cold air on John.
V When God already wanted St. John to leave this world, He sent to him St. Anthony and St. Paul to comfort and assure him of having a life with Jesus, who is waiting for him. May His blessings be with us.
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THIS LESSON?
1. If we love God we must listen to His commandments. He asked us, for our own benefits, to be obedient.
2. God gave us His commandments out of His love. He does not want to give us orders. He cares only about our benefits.
Songs O BE CAREFUL LITTLE EYES
“The lamp of the body is the eyes. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.” (Mat 6:22)
O be careful little eyes what you see (2) For the Father up above is looking down in love So be careful little eyes what you see.
O be careful little mouth what you say (2) For the Father up above is looking down in love So be careful little mouth what you say.
O be careful little hands what you do (2) For the Father up above is looking down in love So be careful little hands what you do.
O be careful little feet where you go (2) For the Father up above is looking down in love So be careful little feet where you go.
Recitation Curriculum :
Please look at the
recitation curriculum at the end of this book.
John the Dwarf, son of poor parents in Tesse, was born around 389 A.D. This story tells us about his youth at home before he became a monk, while he was living with his family. At the age of eighteen he went to Scetis and was trained by Abba Ammos for twelve years. Being one of the most visible characters in the desert, he attracted many disciples. In order to preserve his solitude he dug a cave for himself. After he was ordained priest, a number of his sayings, recorded and preserved showed how important he was to his disciples. After 407 A.D. he went to Suez and to the mountain of Anthony.
Abba John the Dwarf was known to be withdrawn from public life and lived in the desert at Scetis with an old man of Thebes. His Abba, taking a piece of dry wood, planted it and said to him, “Nourish it everyday with a bottle of water until it bears fruit”. The water source was so far away that he had to leave in the evening and return the following morning. At the end of three years the wood came to life and bore fruit. The old man then took some of the fruit and carried it to the church, saying to the brethren, “Take and eat of the fruit of obedience”. Abba John the Dwarf was also known to have one day said to his elder brother, “I would like to be free of all care, like the angels who do not work, but ceaselessly worship God”. So he took off his cloak and went away into the desert.
After a week he came back to his brother. When he knocked on the door, he heard his brother saying from inside, “Who are you?” He said, “I am John, your brother,” but the brother replied, “John has become an angel, and henceforth he is no longer among men. Then John begged him, saying, “It is I”. However, his brother did not let him in, but left him outside, forlorn, until morning.
Opening the door that morning, the brother told John, “You are a man and you must once again work in order to eat”. Then John lay prostrate before his brother, begging for his forgiveness. Some old men were entertaining themselves at Scetis by having a meal together. Abba John was one of them. A venerable priest got up to offer a drink, but nobody, except John the Dwarf, accepted it from him. Surprised, they said to him, “How is it that you, the youngest, dared to let yourself be served by the priest?” He replied to them, “When I got up to offer a drink, I am glad when everyone accepts it. That is the reason why I accepted it, so the priest also might gain his reward and not grieve by seeing no one accept anything from him”. When they heard this, they were filled with wonder at Abba John’s discretion.
Abba Poemen told Abba John the Dwarf that he had prayed to God to take Abba John’s passions away from him so that he might become free from care. Abba John then went and told an old man this: “I find myself in peace, without an enemy”. The old man said to him, “Go beseech God to stir up warfare so that you may regain the affliction and humility that you used to have, for it is by warfare that the soul makes progress”. So Abba John beseeched God and, when warfare came, he no longer prayed that it might be taken away, but said, “Lord give me strength for the fight”.
Fourth Sunday
Our Love for the Lord -"The Life of Abba Rueiss"
Please read the attached material entitled “Abba Rueiss”, and give the lesson with emphasis on the points below.
· To learn that we must not ask for too many things; Abba Rueiss had nothing. If we truly love God we must not fall in love with materialistic things.
V Abba Rueiss had a very simple life. He was born in a village in Egypt. His parents called him Freig. He owned a camel on which he used to carry salt to sell. He named his camel Rueiss. The camel obeyed him and was loyal to him. The saint humbly called himself by the name of his camel.
V He traveled on foot to Cairo from his village because he was very poor. When he became tired, two angels came and carried him to a church in Cairo where he was given communion.
V He had two goals in life: to dedicate his life to God whom he loved and to strengthen the faith of the harassed Copts. At the same time he worked with his hands, as he was very poor. He was very careful in taking communion. He always felt unworthy to take communion. Who is worthy in this class to take communion? None. We must be pure in order to be worthy to take the Body and Blood of Jesus inside us. We must be very careful before taking communion.
V Some people stoned Abba Rueiss but he remained still. Why? He wanted to do as Jesus did. Do we hit back when we are hit by people? We must never hit back as God is always there to save and protect us. But we must avoid this kind of people who can hit us.
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THIS LESSON?
1. Even if the whole world gives first priority to money and possessions, we must give first priority to our spiritual life as Abba Rueiss did.
2. We must not be demanding a lot of toys, clothes, candy, etc. from our parents.
O BE CAREFUL LITTLE EYES
“The lamp of the body is the eyes. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.” (Mat 6:22)
O be careful little eyes what you see (2) For the Father up above is looking down in love So be careful little eyes what you see.
O be careful little mouth what you say (2) For the Father up above is looking down in love So be careful little mouth what you say.
O be careful little hands what you do (2) For the Father up above is looking down in love So be careful little hands what you do.
O be careful little feet where you go (2) For the Father up above is looking down in love So be careful little feet where you go.
Recitation Curriculum :
Please look at the recitation curriculum at the end of this book.
Abba Rueiss was born in the village of Miniest Yamin (130 km north of Cairo). His parents named him Freig. Because they had a very frugal and simple life, he had to labour at his tender age. At times he tilled the earth, at others he carried the harvest. . He owned a small camel on which he used to carry salt to sell. A touching friendship linked him to his camel, because it responded to him by bowing its head. He called it Rueiss, meaning a small head. The camel used to put its head against Freig’s cheek as if kissing him. Later on the saint, in his humility, took the name of his camel. It is the name by which he is now known.
Early in Abba Rueiss’ life, persecution was so rampant that many Copts weakened and denounced their religion. Among them was Freig’s father. This greatly saddened Freig. He kept praying for his father with groaning and tears until his father repented with much remorse. Freig was twenty then, and decided to flee to Cairo. Being poor, he journeyed on foot. After walking two days, at the end, he felt so weary that he lay on the ground and slept. He had a dazzling dream: two men in shining clothes carried him up to heaven and entered into a church filled with celestial beings.
He heard a voice telling him, “You are hungry. Come, eat of the food of life”. His two luminous guides led him to the altar, and he partook of the Holy Eucharist. . Thus refreshed, his friends brought him back to earth.
When he woke up, he decided to travel south. For several years he moved from town to town and from village to village in the Upper Egypt. He had two objectives: To free himself from blood ties, and to struggle and strengthen the faith of the harassed Copts. At the same time, he worked with his hands. Thus, like his Lord, he had nowhere to lay his head on, and like St. Paul he earned his living through the sweat of his labour. He satisfied himself with very little food and spent his wages on others, oftentimes sending some of them to this father. Also, he was like John the Baptist in that he only covered his loins. He went about bareheaded and barefoot with a naked trunk. In his extreme asceticism, he trained himself in abstinence, to the extent of being able to live without food for twenty-six days in a row. He was faithful in partaking of the Holy Eucharist although he was filled with awe as he approached the altar. The administering priest used to see him go back a step or two before coming forward to partake of the Eucharist. On being asked, he admitted that he was unworthy of this perfect food that he also could see the angel with outstretched wings watching over the offering.
One day as he stood beside a priest who was baptizing a baby, he exclaimed, “Worthy indeed”, for he saw the Seraphim and the Cherubim hovering over the baptismal pool. Soon his sanctity became known to all as he settled at Deir El-Khandaq (Cairo). Many disciples gathered around him, and some of them followed him wherever he went. Often the rabbi threw stones at him because of his outward appearance. But he had trained himself to be silent in the face of any disdain.
One day while on an errand, some evil people stoned Abba Rueiss. As usual he remained silent. Mistaking him for being dead the stoners, so they left him lying wounded on the ground. His disciples found him and carried him to a nearby store to care for him. As they were tending to him, they saw a fire in one corner of the store and were frightened. He smothered away their fears, saying, “Think not of it as a fire, it is the Light of our Lord Jesus Christ who appeared now because it is said, “The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing.” PS (4 1:3)”.
The Almighty God also endowed Abba Rueiss with another very rare talent, that of being able to transport himself from one place to another, transcending time and space. One day the wife of Frisee Mintash’s secretary was worried over her husband’s travel delay. He had gone with the prince to Syria, and had to stay more than the time he had told her he was going to be gone for. In her worry she went to the man of God and said, “I am very upset because my husband should have come home days ago from Syria I have had no word from him”. He stood up to pray and seemed in a deep trance. A whole hour passed. Then he came and said to the woman, “Be at peace, your husband was in danger but is safe now”. She went home feeling reassured.
When her husband came back, she asked him what had happened. He said, “On our way back, the prince went ahead of us. The soldiers, knowing that the prince had entrusted me with his money wanted to take it from me, threatening to kill me. Suddenly I saw a man bareheaded and barefoot with only a goat skin on his shoulder, come to my rescue with his men. They surrounded me and accompanied me until we arrived at the gates of Cairo, then, they disappeared even before I had a moment to thank them or know who they were”. The woman said with joy, “I know him, come with me that we may thank him together”. As soon as the man saw Abba Rueiss, he exclaimed, “Indeed this was my rescuer!” They offered him some money after thanking him, but he said, “Keep your money for yourself. Be assured that the Sultan will appoint you in his dismay for six years”. His words came true. When Prince Sadon tyrannized Abba Matheous, he went to Abba Rueiss and questioned him on his life and works, but received no answer. So he ordered his soldiers to beat him with four hundred lashes. As usual he kept absolute silence. Sadon, infuriated by his silence, ordered the men to stop, tie him to a camel’s back after dressing him up as a clown, and parade him through the streets of Cairo, abusing him and throwing bad eggs and pebbles at him. In spite of all that abuse, Abba Rueiss remained silent. The abusers, finding him almost unconscious, untied him and threw him in prison with one of his disciples. But the Lord of Glory appeared to him and healed him.
Abba Rueiss found eighty Copts in prison. They had been there for months. Seeing the saint, they fell at his feet and implored him to pray for their delivery from bondage. He lifted up his eyes toward heaven and prayed in secret. Hardly had he said Amen”, when Abba Matheous came in bringing them the order of release.
When the patriarch of St. Mark’s Church himself was in prison, Abba Rueiss was at the time in his usual retreat. One of the Patriarch’s disciples went to reproach him, saying, “What are you doing, O man of God, when the Father Patriarch is in jail? Are you not praying for him?” At these words, the saint stood up, lifted his eyes up to heaven and said in a whisper. “Our Blessed Lady will save him”. At that instant, the disciple saw a cross of light in the sky from which a white dove emerged and spread her wings over the head of Abba Matheous. He also heard Abba Rueiss saying, “O Matheous, rest assured that the Beautiful Dove, whom you serve has gone out to save you”. The disciple went to prison and related to the patriarch all that he had seen and heard. Even while he was yet speaking, a prince who was antagonistic to Sodom broke open the prison gate and released Abba Matheous and all those who were with him. They all went straight to the church of the Blessed Virgin and offered their prayer of thanksgiving.
Abba Rueiss did not only foretell the Patriarch’s release, but he was able to foretell many other things as well. One of the incidents he foretold was famine. Had the people not believed him and not stored enough seeds on time, the famine would have been fatal for them.
Abba Rueiss’ protective care showed itself in his spiritual gift of curing the sick and comforting the troubled. Among many, he regained was a youth called Fakhr ad-Daola ibn Motamen or “Pride of the state, son of the trustworthy”. This youth was both handsome and prominent. The Sultan tempted him with wealth and marriage. Consequently he renounced Christ, married a princess and lived the life of ease and luxury in the Sultan’s palace.
A year later, he felt as if he were being entangled in a mesh. Remorse filled his soul. In his anguish he went to Abba Rueiss and confessed to him, ending with the words, “O man of God! Have mercy on me, for the evil one has vanquished me and I do not know how to free myself”. The saint replied, “Fear not, for he shall have no sway over you. I have seen you wrestling with him and overthrowing him. Therefore, I support you and wrestle with you until your final triumph. Go live in the monastery of St. Anthony and I shall implore God to make the Sultan forget you”. Fakhr ad Duola obeyed with confidence. He strove valiantly to gain spiritual perfection. When the youth heard of the Sultan’s death he went and thanked Abba Rueiss. He then returned to the monastery where he lived in peace until his last breath.
Providence gave Abba Rueiss a long life in spite of all the beatings and sufferings he sustained and the hardships he endured. The last nine years of his life, however, were spent lying on the ground because of his weakness. But the people continued to flock around him seeking his comforting words, his counsel or healing prayers, which he continued to give without hesitation. He was both a solicitous father and a sympathetic doctor. When he saw the approach of his death, Abba Rueiss called his disciples and advised them to love and serve one another. Then he rested in the peace of the Lord and was buried in Dia.
Such was the love of Abba Rueiss for his disciples that they felt his care for them even after his death. One of them, named Soliman, was particularly attached to him and used to go with him to church at dawn. After his teacher passed away, he got up at dawn as usual, went to church, knocked at its door and said, “O man of god, open the door for me please and the door was opened for him promptly”.
Abba Rueiss spent the rest of his life in the region, which had originally been known as Doir al Kadq, but came to be known as the Abba Rueiss Ground.
When Djawhec was building Cairo, the Copts had a monastery, which used to be known as the Monastery of the Saints because several Saints were buried in it. The plot of land, on which it stood, lay within the circumference of the inland plan of the city’s builders. Djawhec drove them out of it and built on it the Husseiny Mosque. But, wanting to be just, he compensated them by giving them another plot of land on which they built the Monastery of Khandaq. Thus, that land came into the possession of the Copts ten centuries ago. Three hundred years after Djawhec had given the land to the Copts, eleven churches stood within its boundaries. These churches remained standing for over a century but were destroyed in 1341 during the reign of the Sultan.
The Copts built two churches; one named after the Archangel Gabriel and the other after St. Mercurious. The latter became known as the Abba Rueiss Church after his burial in it. The Archangel Church was destroyed in 1313 A.D. and was replaced by a new one named after the Holy Virgin.
As the years sped by, the church ground was used mainly as a cemetery. When Cairo’s population grew- and the inhabited sections extended beyond the original spot -the Egyptian government asked the Coptic Patriarch at the time to stop using it as a cemetery. And it offered the Copts the plot of land known as Al Gabel al Abram in the desert outskirts of the city to serve that purpose. The government also asked that the bodies of those buried be removed and the ground leveled.
After that the government presumed that the spot should belong to it. The Coptic patriarch asserted his right and, in 1937, Habib El Masri (chief lay leader then) registered the defense of the church’s right. From 1937 to 1943, he continued his defense: he wrote three memoranda, one to the Prime Minister, one to the Minister of Public Health and the third to the Minister of interior. After discussing all the documents proving the Copts’ right of possession, the government agreed that it could be used for public service. As a result, the Higher University for Coptic studies was built in 1953, comprising a hail, which held nine hundred people. Then in 1962 the new Theological seminary was completed: it now stands next to the institute bearing the name of Abba Kirillos VI (16th Patriarch).
For the success
of this Sunday HOLY BIBLE
in his/her preparation
NOVEMBERFirst Sunday
“Jesus Calms A Storm; He is God”
Please read Mark 4:35-41, and give the lesson with emphasis on the points below.
· To know that the Lord Jesus is capable of saving us from every danger; we must have faith. The Lord Jesus is God who came to our world to bless us.
V After Jesus taught the people from the ship, He took His disciples in the ship to the other side of the lake.
V As they were sailing along in the dark, the wind became so strong and the water started to fill the ship. They were about to get drowned.
V The disciples went to Jesus, who was sleeping at the rear of the ship, and said to Him, “Don’t you care about us? We are drowning.
V Jesus woke up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea “Peace be still!” The wind stopped immediately and the danger of drowning disappeared.
V Jesus criticized His disciples because they did not have enough faith in His ability to save them..
How Come You Are Afraid? Do You Not Have Faith?
V If we have faith in God, we must not worry about anything. He takes care of us.
V If we have faith in God, we must ask for help because we know that He can help us and that He loves us.
V The faith of the Disciples increased after this and other miracles. They were able to accept any kind of suffering for the name of Jesus, and they did not care. They reached that level of faith that enabled them to put all their trust in Jesus.
What do we learn from this lesson?
1. As long as God is in the ship of our lives, we should not care about anything in this life. He takes care of us and we should not fear anything.
2. The Lord Jesus is God. He tells the wind to stop and it does.
Songs King of Kings
“ And His name will be called…Prince of Peace.” (Isa 9:6)
King of kings and Lord of Lords Glory, Alleluia.
Jesus, Prince of Peace Glory, Alleluia.
Recitation Curriculum :Please look at the recitation curriculum at the end of this book.
NOTES _________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
Second Sunday
“Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man; He is God”
Please read Mark 2:1-12, and give the lesson with emphasis on the points below.
· To acknowledge Jesus’ healing of the Paralytic. The Lord Jesus is God who came to our world to heal us. He is Christ the healer.
V Describe this miracle in detail explaining-in a story-like fashion- every item in it, verse by verse.
V There was a great multitude of people around and inside the house where Jesus was. They came for various reasons. Some came to hear His word and benefit from it, some to catch Him with a word to complain about Him and some to see Him perform a miracle.
V What is a paralytic? A paralytic is a person who cannot move some or all parts of his body. He needs help on a daily basis.
V There were four men who were kind enough to care about one such man. They loved him enough to exert all those efforts for his sake.
V When they arrived at the place where Jesus was, they could not find a way to get in. The four men showed that they had complete faith by transcending all the difficulties that faced them. They removed part of the ceiling and lowered the paralytic in front of Jesus from the top of the ceiling.
V Do we have faith? If we have faith we must show it through actions. First, we must trust all of what Jesus tells us in the Bible without questioning it. Then we must love God and ask Him to supply our needs, making sure that whatever He does will be for our pure benefit.
V These four men represent the saints in our church who present to Jesus the people who have various afflictions that only Jesus can heal.
V Jesus wanted to heal the paralytic, first from the inside where the real cause of his sickness lay. It was sin that caused him to be sick, and Jesus healed him both in body and spirit.
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THIS LESSON?
The Lord Jesus is God. He can heal any sickness we may have. We must be helpful to others who are suffering.
Songs FATHER I ADORE YOU
“ for there are three bear witness in heaven: the father, the word, and the holy spirit, and these three are one.” (1Jn 5:7)
Father I adore you Lay my life before You How I love You.
Jesus I adore you Lay my life before You How I love You.
Spirit I adore you Lay my life before You How I love You.
Three in one I adore you Lay my life before You How I love You.
Recitation Curriculum :
Please look at the
recitation curriculum at the end of this book.
Third Sunday
“The Healing at the Pool; Jesus is God”
Please read John 5:1-18, and give the lesson with emphasis on the points below.
· To know that the Lord Jesus is the true healer in our life, because He is God who created us and who loves us very much.
V Please read the story of the miracle at the pool and explain it verse by verse to the children as you go along.
V A man was sick for 38 years. Every time he wanted to go into the pool to be healed, he missed his chance because another person got in ahead of him. But the Lord Jesus is so kind. He is God. He can heal without the need to put the sick into the water when the angel comes to move the water. Jesus can heal a sick person just by His word. The Lord Jesus is God.
V I find that Jesus has a special look suited for every situation in life. When I am searching for my salvation, as Zachious did, Jesus looks at me and says, “I will be at your house today”. He encourages me.
V When I am repenting, He observes me with a loving eye and hugs me as the father did with his prodigal son.
V When I deny Jesus, as Peter did once, He looks at me so that I can remember my Lord and cry for forgiveness.
V The Lord Jesus Christ asked the sick man by the pool, “Do you want to be healed?” Jesus did not want to talk to him about his sins, nor his sickness but started to talk to him about his healing.
V The sick man said, “I have no one” Many people around us need our help. We must help one another. We must pray for other people, the needy, the sick, the oppressed, and the orphans. Praying and helping will help us acquire a treasure in heaven.
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THIS LESSON?
1. The Lord Jesus is God, who came to our world to show us clearly the love, power and kindness of God.
2. The Lord Jesus is our true healer.
Songs FATHER I ADORE YOU
“ for there are three bear witness in heaven: the father, the word, and the holy spirit, and these three are one.” (1Jn 5:7)
Father I adore you Lay my life before You How I love You.
Jesus I adore you Lay my life before You How I love You.
Spirit I adore you Lay my life before You How I love You.
Three in one I adore you Lay my life before You How I love You.
Recitation Curriculum :
Please look at the
recitation curriculum at the end of this book.
Fourth Sunday
IN COMMEMORATION OFTHE FEAST OF ARCHANGEL MICHAELPlease read Joshua 5:13, and Joshua 6:2, and give the lesson with emphasis on the points below.
· To know some of the miracles that Archangel Michael performed as we celebrate his feast.
V On the 12th of Hatour our church celebrates the feast of Archangel Michael. He is always standing in front of God interceding on our behalf.
V Please mention – in a story-fashion - his help to Joshua as referred to above.
V He helped so many saints until they received their place in the eternal life.
V One of the many miracles that he performed There was a man and his wife who were good believers in God. They loved the poor and they used to invite some of them as well as their friends to eat in their house to celebrate Easter. One year they did not have enough money to celebrate.
V They were just about to sell their clothes to buy something for the poor and celebrate the feast, Archangel Michael appeared to the man and told him not to do it. He told him to go and get a loan to be paid later. Using the money that he got from the loan, he bought fish and some flour. Archangel Michael also told the man not to open the mouth of the fish until he was told to do so.
V The man invited the people as usual. When he entered his kitchen he found everything was well prepared and it was better than usual. After the poor people ate and were satisfied, they went home.
V Archangel Michael appeared to the man again and told him to open the fish. He found in it 300 Dinar (dollars), a lot of gold indeed! Archangel Michael told him to pay back all that he had borrowed.
V Archangel Michael told the man that since he was a nice man who cared for the poor, he would never need anything anymore.
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THIS LESSON?
1. The angels are spirits who are sent by God, who love us, and help us in difficult circumstances.
2. We should celebrate with the church the feasts of the angels and saints and seek their intercession on our behalf.
FATHER I ADORE YOU
“ for there are three bear witness in heaven: the father, the word, and the holy spirit, and these three are one.” (1Jn 5:7)
Father I adore you Lay my life before You How I love You.
Jesus I adore you Lay my life before You How I love You.
Spirit I adore you Lay my life before You How I love You.
Three in one I adore you Lay my life before You How I love You.
Recitation Curriculum :
Please look at the
recitation curriculum at the end of this book.
For the success
of this Sunday HOLY BIBLE
in his/her preparation
DECEMBERFirst Sunday
ARCHANGEL GABRIEL AND ZECHARIAH
Please read Luke 1:5-25, and give the lesson with emphasis on the points below.
· To illustrate the preparation for the birth of the Lord Jesus through the birth of St. John the Baptist. Let us rejoice and praise the Lord.
V John the Baptist was to be born first before the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. His role was to tell the people that Jesus was coming and that He is the Son of God.
V Describe the circumstances involving Zechariah and Elizabeth. They were old, he was a priest and they did not have children, whom they kept praying for. Then at the right time the Lord sent His angel, Gabriel, to give them the good news.
V Describe the vision at the altar Archangel Gabriel was the first angel in the New Testament to come with good news. This was the start of a series of happy news. Elizabeth hid herself for five months, saying, “Thus, the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked at me to take away my reproach among people.” Please explain the above to the children.
V The personality of John the Baptist is described in Luke 1:15-17. List all his personal characteristics and let the children know them by heart. Ask two or three children to repeat the story.
V Describe what Zechariah was doing at the altar St. Mark started his Gospel by saying, “Behold. I send my messenger before Your face, who shall prepare Your way. The voice of one crying in the wilderness prepares the way for the Lord.” Mark 1:2-3.
V There is always a preparation for everything that is important. If you had a birthday party, you would prepare for it. It was very important to prepare the way for the birth of Jesus, the God incarnate, who came to save us.
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THIS LESSON?
1. The birth of John the Baptist was announced, bringing with it the good news for the preparation for the birth of the Messiah, our Saviour who came to save us.
2. Let us sing for the Lord Jesus and praise God’s name.
Songs FATHER I ADORE YOU
“ for there are three bear witness in heaven: the father, the word, and the holy spirit, and these three are one.” (1Jn 5:7)
Father I adore you Lay my life before You How I love You.
Jesus I adore you Lay my life before You How I love You.
Spirit I adore you Lay my life before You How I love You.
Three in one I adore you Lay my life before You How I love You.
Recitation Curriculum :
Please look at the
recitation curriculum at the end of this book.
SECOND SUNDAY
THE BIRTH OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST IS ANNOUNCED
Please read Luke 1:26-38, and give the lesson with emphasis on the points below.
· To show that we are rejoicing today because of this happy meeting between Archangel Gabriel and St. Mary.
V First tell the story of the birth of the Virgin Mary from her parents, Hanna and Youakim. Then describe the story of St. Mary and Joseph. The Virgin Mary used to see angels during her prayers, but one time she was troubled by an angel’s greeting. “Rejoice, highly-favoured one” Luke 1:28.
V One of the main characteristics of the Virgin Mary is her obedience to the message of God. For example, “Love one another, honour your father and your mother”.
V The difference between Jesus’ date of birth and St. John the Baptist’s is six months. Please explain why.
V If possible, let the children act out the conversation between the angel and the Virgin Mary. The angel told the Virgin Mary that the baby was to be named “Jesus,” which means, “He is our Saviour”. The angel left the Virgin Mary after she replied humbly “I am the handmaid of the Lord”. Please explain this statement.
V Hundreds of years before Christ was born, the prophet Isaiah said, “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and His name shall be called Emmanuel” Isaiah 7:14. Explain that the prophets in the Old Testament predicted everything about Jesus before His coming.
V We are proud of St. Mary. In her meeting with Archangel Gabriel she represented the whole world. She succeeded in accepting the good news from the Archangel in full trust, happiness and obedience.
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THIS LESSON?
1. We should obey and say “YES” to God, to our parents and to our father of confession. On the other hand, we should say “NO” to the devil and all his bad ideas.
2. We must be happy with St. Mary and proud of her. She is our spiritual mother.
Songs “ Holy , Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isa 6:3) Agios O theos Agios Ees-shiros Agios Athanatos Amen. Alleluia
Holy, God, Holy Holy, Mighty, Holy Holy, Immortal, Holy Amen. Alleluia
Alleluia is a word that means praise ye the Lord Everywhere it is heard Amen. Alleluia
In all the universe in heaven and on earth They praise Him with this verse Amen. Alleluia
Michael and Gabriel Raphael and Souriel They all praise Him as well Amen. Alleluia
The heavenly Cherubim and the mighty Seraphim They too glorify Him Amen. Alleluia
And the twenty four priests seated on golden seats And the four incorporeal Beasts Amen. Alleluia
And all of God’s from every race and nation Animals and vegetation Amen. Alleluia
Recitation Curriculum :
Please look at the
recitation curriculum at the end of this book.
THIRD SUNDAY
THE VISITS OF THE SAINTS: ST. MARY’S VISIT TO ST. ELIZABETH
Please read Luke 1:39-56, and give the lesson with emphasis on the points below.
· To know that the visit of the saints to one another brings great joy. Our visits to one-another must be filled with love and joy.
V Describe the loving visit that St. Mary paid to St. Elizabeth to help her out, and the happy conversation that took place between them. Also describe St. Mary’s song of praise.
V Describe the feelings of the following In this visit we can see the love and respect between St. Mary and St. Elizabeth. Love and respect also prevail in our visits to one another.
V In this visit there was no judgment of other people or lies or fights. They were very nice to each other. Our visits to one another should also be nice with no fights or lies or judgment of other people.
V In this visit when St. Elizabeth started to praise St. Mary, she interrupted her and changed the praise and glory to God. We must also give all the praise to God.
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THIS LESSON?
1. When good Christians visit one another, they enjoy true happiness together and love between them prevails.
2. We must be very happy these days because we are going to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.
COLOURING Songs “ Holy , Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isa 6:3) Agios O theos Agios Ees-shiros Agios Athanatos Amen. Alleluia
Holy, God, Holy Holy, Mighty, Holy Holy, Immortal, Holy Amen. Alleluia
Alleluia is a word that means praise ye the Lord Everywhere it is heard Amen. Alleluia
In all the universe in heaven and on earth They praise Him with this verse Amen. Alleluia
Michael and Gabriel Raphael and Souriel They all praise Him as well Amen. Alleluia
The heavenly Cherubim and the mighty Seraphim They too glorify Him Amen. Alleluia
And the twenty four priests seated on golden seats And the four incorporeal Beasts Amen. Alleluia
And all of God’s from every race and nation Animals and vegetation Amen. Alleluia Recitation Curriculum :Please look at the recitation curriculum at the end of this book.
NOTES _________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
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