Christians in the Holy Land

Even though you and I may live far away from the Holy Land, as Christians and as Orthodox Christians we must stay educated about the situation there. Everyday life is VERY hard for the faithful people who remain there. We can keep them in our prayers and also do more for them by educating others about the injustices that occur. The images of the wall that Israel has erected are just horrifying. Bethlehem is completely trapped. Try getting across to see a doctor, or go to school...practically impossible and life-changing overnight. It reminds me of other ancient walls, like that in Berlin which I visited and saw how people who tried crossing were killed. Not exactly peaceful co-habitation.

View this 60 Minutes special that aired on Sunday, April 22, 2012. Click here.

The producers are correct - this is sacred space for us. Christians should not be squeezed out. We must peacefully proclaim the land where Christ was born, crucified, and resurrected as Holy Ground.

Please view this video and pass it along to others you know. There is a second video on Taybeh, the last village that Christ visited before His crucifixion. I remember fondly Dr. Maria Khoury and her children. We must do all that we can to support them and encourage them not to leave Palestine! They are the hope of future generations!

Click here to view a friend's album of pilgrimage pictures of the Holy Land

St George Skit & Coloring Page

While enjoying the light of  Pascha for 40 days, don't forget that there are still many great Saints on the calendar to learn about! Coming up this Monday, April 23rd is the great martyr Saint George, who bears the title trophy-bearer in English.
The Dragon
Traveling on a white horse (Saint Demetrios is on the red horse), the soldier Saint George met a young girl, a local princess chosen by lot, who was about to be offered as food for the hungry dragon who threatened a certain town in Libya. He encouraged the maiden to have faith in Christ whom she did not know yet, and dropped to his knees in prayer, asking God to use that opportunity for others to believe in Him as the One True God. Upon meeting the dragon face to face, he made the sign of the cross, and the dragon fell like a meek puppy at the feet of the Saint. He instructed the girl to take her belt off and use it as a leash for the dragon
His Suffering
The Saint openly confessed himself as a Christian, and for that faced many tortures. He bore the weight of a large stone on his chest, was stretched on a wheel of knives, was buried in a pit with only his head above ground for three days and three nights, and was given a poisonous potion to drink from a magician. From all this, God healed and preserved him. When the Saint raised a boy from the dead through his prayer to God, the Empress Alexandra, wife of Diocletian, converted to Christianity. The furious Emperor imprisoned the Saint and beheaded Him in 303 AD.
His Appearances
God continues to work miracles through the Saint, even until today. About fifteen years ago a generous man in Syria came to Germany to build a "home" as he was instructed for someone whom he saw in a vision. The Syrian man met our priest on the street corner who was exhausted and ready to give up building our Church because the money ran out. After an explanation and a large gift from the Syrian, the Church was completed, bearing the name and icon of Saint George. The man finally recognized who spoke to him in the vision when he came face to face with the icon!

Video located here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu6egtZcun0

Skit Script located here:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/90523467

The Red Egg

Here's a look at the pious custom of red eggs in the Orthodox Church for you and your families to enjoy. Where did the tradition come from anyway? It seems there are a few possible answers to this question...of which I prefer to believe in the miracle that God worked through His handmaiden, Mary Magdalene (whom by the way is often wrongly attributed as the prostitute who anointed Jesus' feet and wiped them with her hair - See Orthodox Wiki for a well cited clarification).

Other symbolism, not as dogma, but as tradition includes:

*The egg as the new life in Christ through His resurrection

*Red for the color of our Lord's blood but also for His divinity

*The outer shell to be cracked as the doors of Hades are shattered

Since children enjoy decorating the eggs, why not encourage them to display their faith on them, as the picture shows! Be sure not to throw away any icons if you use them, but certainly include symbols like ~ icxc, fish, crosses, tree of life, the Trinity, 4 Greek Letters for Mother of God...etc

This worksheet is available in PDF format here

Holy Week Scrapbook Craft

For all you creative folks out there, consider putting your talents to use to create a Holy Week Scrapbook for your family or parish. Fill it with fun icons, Scripture verses, symbols, various languages, or photos as the week progresses. Use this as a learning tool, or a memory keepsake for 2009.


Here are a few suggested "call outs" to use with the icons:

Entry into Jerusalem:
Can you find Zaccheus? Why is Christ seated side-ways on the donkey? Did you know in colder countries the faithful use pussy willows instead of palm branches?

Washing the Disciples' Feet:
How many disciples were present? Who asks Jesus to wash his whole body? What is so special about feet?

Mystical Supper: Can you find St John resting on the bosom of Christ? How about Judas? He's usually the only one reaching for the food and is shown in profile, which signifies his two-faced betrayal.

Christ on the Cross:
What were the last words of our Lord? Can you find the blood and the water that spilled out from Christ's side? Who was crucified with Jesus? What was written above His head? In which three languages?

Christ being taken down from the Cross:
Can you find St. Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea? They cared for Christ's body and received permission to take Him down from the cross. Who is holding Jesus' head? How will they bury Christ?

The Empty Tomb:
Which women were first to the tomb of Christ? What did they take with them? What is left behind where Jesus was laid?

The Resurrection:
Can you find Adam and Eve being raised from their tombs? How about those departed who are standing to the sides of Christ - Saint John the Baptist (right) and King David (left). Abel, the son of Adam (left) and the first man to die, is present and depicted wearing a shepherd's robe. Why are there keys and broken locks under the Cross?

Use google image search to save and print your own icons

For a FREE Journey to Pascha Handbook click here

Pascha Poem & Orthodox Craft Idea

With a long white piece of paper, we made three folds and created our very own accordion Pascha card with original poem to accompany the Passion and Resurrection of Christ icons cut out from Orthodox catalogs. This simple craft turned out to be a nice way to reinforce the meaning behind each day for young and old. Especially for godchildren and penpals far away, it helps us stay in touch spiritually since we will not be able to celebrate together. Here are the words to our poem:

1. To Christ our God, Who raised Lazarus from the dead...
2. You traveled to Jerusalem with the people you led...
3. Teaching all to be servants rather than trying to get ahead...
4. Your Body and Blood for eternity us you fed...
5. Then nailed to the Cross, You conquered death for three days dead...
6. As we wait to proclaim with our eggs dyed red...
7. "I am the Resurrection and the Life,
     he who believes in me shall never die." Jesus said.

Holy Week for Teens and Children

If you are looking for ideas for Holy Week in your parish, here are two of my favorites.

One idea was posted back in 2008 which leads young people to the Sacrament of Confession, often for the first time. Another idea is to teach our young people about the miracle of the Holy Fire in Jerusalem.

1) CONFESSION ACTIVITY
http://orthodoxeducation.blogspot.com/2008/06/weight-of-our-sins.html

Pair everyone up (with same gender) for a "piggy-back" contest.
For younger ones, use backpacks instead and add heavy items like staplers, stones.

The idea is to get them to try carrying around a lot of weight, to see how long they can go...before needing to release the "burden of our sins" They are not moving around, but rather standing in one place in one large room.

During the time period, you could ask various teens to read aloud the Gospel accounts of Christ's judgment before Pilate, Crucifixion, and burial in the Tomb. After the final pair has surrendered to sitting down, you discuss how it felt, what their thoughts were, how heavy was the weight for them, and at what point did they want help? What delayed them surrendering? Often, it is our pride that keeps us away from God, because we want to go about life on our own, until we finally accept God's help because we have reached or limit.

Explain that Confessing our sins is exactly this same concept...of finding relief in the sacrifice that Christ made once and for all. When we experience the weight of sin in our lives,
there is nothing to help us remember God's love for us better than experiencing Confession.

When I did this activity, I showed them the Prayer of Absolution from the Sacrament of Confession, where our priests, through the grace bestowed on them from their ordination, with the stole over our head, and us kneeling, absolves our sins.

This activity lead into a personal reflection time to prepare to confess their own sins troubling them. See the 10 Tools for preparing, or print this reflection list located here...http://orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/selfexam.aspx. Ask if your priest is available during the afternoon to hear their confessions. I would encourage everyone to go to a personal Confession, however, even if only 5 teens go, it's absolutely worth it.

During down time, young people could help decorate the Tomb with flowerings and crawl under it
in the shape of a cross (which is an old custom)

2) HOLY FIRE IN JERUSALEM

A second idea is to watch a collection of videos of the Holy Fire in Jerusalem.  That miracle is one many of our kids have never heard..and the miracle continues each year!


On the Eve of the Resurrection, inside the tomb of Christ in Jerusalem, the Holy Fire descends on the Patriarch of Jerusalem from within the Holy Sepulcher and believers pass the light around to all the faithful, who usually hold 33 candles bound together, to signify the 33 years of Christ's ministry on the Earth. The fire is miraculously given but also miraculous in nature, because it does not burn, just as Moses and the Burning bush. Believers have proved this by passing their hands through the fire, and faces...as many photos show. It's color is different than normal too, with more of a white-blue hue. The Holy Fire also bounces around like no light show ever manipulated by machines! Pilgrims have seen the Fire ignite unlit oil lamps on It's own.

There are many articles available as well, some better than others...

http://www.holyfire.org/eng/

http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2007-04-07-holyfire_N.htm

Search YouTube for videos and compile the best clips for your own presentation.

I hope one year to have the great blessing to be there in person - since I have only heard firsthand experiences from friends. The faith of the person has also contributed to many miracles that some see and others don't. Glory to God!