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

Why God Became Man?

“You must understand why it is that the Word of the Father, so great and so high, has been made manifest in bodily form."

“Christ has been manifested in a human body for this reason only, out of the love and goodness of His Father, for the salvation of us men” 

“It was our sorry case that caused the Word to come down, our transgression that called out His love for us, so that He made haste to help us and to appear among us.

“…the human race was in process of destruction… what then was God, being Good, to do?”

“It was unthinkable that God, the Father of Truth, should go back upon His word regarding death in order to ensure our continued existence.”

“…corruption could not be got rid of otherwise than through death” 

“For by the sacrifice of His own body He did two things: ' He put an end to the law of death which barred our way; and He made a new beginning of life for us, by giving us the hope of resurrection.”



"The word became flesh (that is, man), that the flesh might become God by grace; and He became like us in all things, that we might become like the Word in all of the virtues."
 
Quoted from 'On the Incarnation' by Saint Athanasios the Great. Read the whole treatise here at this link.  The above theology has been adapted for a curriculum located for free at this link. 

My Favorite Orthodox Encyclopedia

I have to say, I am so excited and enthused again by one of the very special and very fat books on my nightstand that it made me get out of bed to convey its value to the rest of you. At 8 months pregnant, trust me, I am not getting paid in any way to tell you these things! I truly enjoy reading theology books of all kinds, and books about the Saints as much as any of you...but one book that has NEVER FAILED ME is this one.

Every time I want to access more info on an upcoming Saint or about relics or history I reach for "Evloyeite." by Mother Nektaria McLees. I don't think there is quite any book or resource like it. No Synaxarion, or compilation of the Lives of the Saints, offers what this book does.

• Detailed stories from the lives of the Saints
• Maps and directions to venerate holy sites
• Miracles from the Ecumenical Councils
• An index of Saints with their corresponding feastdays and location
• Rare pictures of monasteries, relics, special icons
• Chapters dedicated to islands, including Mount Athos!
• Saints from many Orthodox ethinc backgrounds - not just Greek
• Factual historic information about battles, and Emperors
• Modern day healings and miracles
• Actual quotes from the Saints themselves
• Several Apolytikion hymns to the Saints in English
• Simple language that is an absolute joy to read

This is NOT a mere  travel book. This is an extremely valuable resource for our families.


Tonight I thoroughly enjoyed the chapter on Corfu and Saint Spyridon. The author took the effort to include the actual words of Saint Spyridon at the First Ecumenical Council as he stood up to explain the Holy Trinity with a clay brick in his hand. This is the famous miracle of the brick exuding the three substances it was made of - fire, water and clay. A miracle that returned hundreds of Arian heretics back to the Church....all by a simple humble Bishop of the 3rd-4th century. Or, did you know that today they process the incorrupt relics of Saint Spyridon through the island four times a year UPRIGHT, seated on a Bishop's throne? Pretty cool stuff!

This book makes a fantastic gift. Send it to everyone - your Orthodox friends, a godparent, priest, etc. You'll find it for sale in many places.

From my nightstand to yours, I hope it brings you the same joy as it has brought to our family!

Saint Nicholas of Myra

(Initially posted in 2009)

Here is a small book compiled on the life and miracles of Saint Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra. It is my first attempt to extract scenes from "vita" icons of the Church's beloved Saints in order to bring them to life with simple stories for children and teens. I hope this idea can extend into a series, maybe one day even a published collection, to build our libraries with illustrated books for years to come ~ May it be of some small use to you and your families.

A PDF file can be downloaded
from the Scribd.com Orthodox Education Collection here.