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| Material for classes 3-7 Curriculum
Material for curriculum for classes #3,4,5,6 &7 The Symbol of the Orthodox Faith, the Creed: I believe in one God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages, Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten, not created, of one essence with the Father, by whom all things were made. Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. And He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, Whose kingdom shall have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of life, Who proceeds from the Father, Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, Who spoke by the prophets. In one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church; I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the Life of the age to come. Amen God - The word “God” is to be understood in several different ways. It can be rightly used and understood in the following ways:
- God the Father as a person, which is why we start the creed with “I believe in one God the Father Almighty.” It is from God the Father that Christ is eternally Begotten and the Spirit eternally proceeds (is spirated). Thus God the Father is the Head (Arche or Principle) of the Trinity (Scripture states: “The head of Christ is God”.
- “What God is” (His One Divine essence)—just as we are all, male and female collectively “Man” (God made man in his own image—we are all of created human essence), this is after the fact that all three persons who share the eternal being of the Father are all collectively “God”. There are Three eternal Persons which share an uncreated eternal essence—The Father, together with the Son and Holy Spirit—“The Trinity One in Essence, and Undivided” as we say in the Liturgy. Again, this is by God the Father’s will.
- “Who God is” (Three persons who share this one essence) God the Father is God as a person, and entirely in His essence. Because the Son and Spirit eternally and without creation receive their entire being from God the Father, they also by ‘derivation’ (eternal derivation mind you) are rightly called God “individually” as well.
- Know that God the Father is truly God, that He, from eternity shares His Divine (Godly) essence with the Son and Holy Spirit. Because the Son and Spirit come from God the Father eternally, we say that they are “True God from True God”, in the same sense as a human son born from his human father is “man from man” or “man of man”.
- Because of this sharing, although the Son and Holy Spirit are different eternal persons from God the Father, yet they share His being uncreated from all eternity. Thus they are truly also God because they were brought forth from the Father out of His own being, and are both “God from God”, as we also confess in the creed.
- In this sense “one God” referring to three persons indicates the common nature, yet still they remain three persons, which we mean when we say “the Holy Trinity”—we mean the Three that are One.
- The Holy Trinity alone is truly eternal being, and all else that exists (man, angels, etc.) are created beings with a beginning in time, created by God “out of nothing” (ex nihilo), that is, coming into existence by God’s will. The Son and the Holy Spirit were not created out of nothing in time, but rather brought forth from the Father before time, and were not created, but rather
- Know that although Jesus was eternally God in essence, that is, God deriving his being from God the Father from eternity through Begottenness, that He also became one of us men of the Virgin Mary. He became what we are so that we might become what He is through grace. He is truly both God and Man because He is son of God and son of man.
The Church Church means Assembly called out. This means that although we are all individuals yet we are also called to be members of a single Body, the Church. We become part of the Church by uniting ourselves to Christ in the Sacraments and uniting ourselves to Him in our actions (doing God’s work—letting him work through us by doing good rather than doing bad). According to Scripture the Church is - “My (our Lord’s) Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”. Thus it is above our Lord’s Church
- The House of God—the place where God dwells
- The Body of Christ—because each member has Christ’s Body within them through Communion
- The Bride of Christ—Because we are married to Him, also becoming “one flesh and blood” with Him and with each other by eating and drinking Communion.
- The Pillar and Ground of the Truth—although the Truth that saves can be found scattered throughout the world, yet Scripture promises us one place where we are guaranteed Truth when it comes to God and essential matters of Faith—the Church.
The Seven Sacraments There is one Sacrament that is the most important, and is called by the Holy Fathers the “Sacrament of Sacraments” and the “Greatest of Mysteries”—that is - Holy Communion, because we partake of our Lord’s Body and Blood, becoming one with Him and enabling us, if we follow His commandments, to experience the joys of heaven even in this life. Holy Communion is also important because it is the “seal” of all the other Sacraments, and in it they all reach their fullest meaning—the union of God with man.
The second and third most important Sacraments are - Holy Baptism, which washes away our sins. Before we partake of any other Sacrament we must receive Baptism. We go down into the water just as Christ went down into the water in Theophany, and went down into the tomb on Holy Friday. And just as He rose from the waters and God was revealed at Theophany (Epiphany), and just as He rose from the dead on Pascha (Easter), so also we rise from the waters in Baptism. We are Baptized three times in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, just as the Lord Jesus commanded (Matt. 28.18-20). Baptism gives us our first experience of Repentance, or turning of the mind towards God, even when we are infants.
- Chrismation The “seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit” which goes hand-in-hand with Baptism. “Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2.38). St. Ambrose of Milan states “God anointed you, and the Lord sealed you, and placed the Holy Spirit in your heart…You were sealed unto the form of the cross itself unto His passion. You have received the seal unto His likeness, that you may rise again unto His form, and may life unto His stature, who was crucified to sin and lives unto God” (Sacraments 6.2.6).
Other Sacraments, which are all very important include - Holy Repentance (Confession, Penance)—This Sacrament is called a “second Baptism” or “Baptism of tears” or renewal of Baptism, because we repent of our wicked deeds and turn to God for forgiveness according to the instructions that He gave us in the Gospel. 1 John 1.8-9: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
- Holy Unction—Anointment with Holy Oil for healing --St. James and Mark 3.14-15
The remaining Sacraments are extremely Holy, but not all are called to them. - Holy Orders. Without this Sacrament the others could not be performed, but not all are called to this sacrament. On this Sacrament, says St. John Chrysostom, all the other Mysteries hinge upon, for it is a renewal of the Church’s Apostolic nature. “The bishop, together with the presbyters and deacons, with him have been ordained by the will of Jesus Christ, Who established them according to his own will, in security by His Holy Spirit” (St. Ignatius of Antioch)
- Holy Matrimony. This is marriage, and we become a “Little Church” by becoming a family. A good Christian may also choose, however, to become a monk or a nun and in this way fulfill their Christian calling
Other Sacramental Rites 7a. Going hand in hand with holy Matrimony is Monastic tonsure (the becoming of a monk or a nun) 7b. The Greater blessing of waters at Theophany 7c Consecration of Church buildings, blessings throughout the year, the service of adoption, etc. FEASTS: Feast of Feasts (the greatest of all feasts): Pascha, also known as “Easter”, which is the celebration of our Lord’s Resurrection. Every Sunday is reckoned as a feast as well, since it is the Lord’s Day, in memory of His Resurrection, and thus every Sunday is a Feast day and a “little Easter” as it were. 12 Great Feasts: 1. Annunciation (when the Angel Gabriel appeared unto Mary and she conceived by the Holy Spirit) 2. Birth (Nativity) of our Lord according to the flesh—Nine months after the Annunciation comes the Nativity 3. Theophany—or Epiphany, is when the Lord was Baptized by St. John in the Jordan river, and the Holy Trinity was revealed in that the Holy Spirit descended on the Lord and the voice of God the Father was made known when He said “this is my beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased.” 4. “Palm Sunday”—the Entrance into Jerusalem (Sunday before Pascha) 5. The Ascension of our Lord (40 days following Pascha) 6. Pentecost (Trinity Sunday—50 days after Pascha) 7. Transfiguration of our Lord (Our Lord’s appearance was changed and Father and Spirit bore witness to Christ as prefigurement of the Resurrection and Glorious coming) 8. The Exaltation of the Holy Cross 9. The Birth of the Mother of God 10. The Entrance of the Mother of God into the Temple 11. Meeting of our Lord in the Temple by St. Symeon and Anna 12. The Dormition (falling asleep) of the Mother of God, whereby we celebrate her going to heaven and having a special place in heaven and earth
Tradition/Revealed Truth The Lord’s Prayer The Church (Part 1)
The Lord’s prayer, our relationship with God, each other, and the Church. Revealed Truth The Church (also we will discuss the relationship between the Liturgy, Scripture, the Fathers, the Ecumenical Councils, local councils, lives of the Saints, etc.)
God has revealed Himself to us through His Church in many different ways—in the Bible, through the Holy Saints whom we call the Holy Fathers (which means “holy parents in the faith”), the Ecumenical Councils and other councils of the Church, the teachings of the bishops and priests, in icons, and in miracles and signs down through the ages. But above all, he has revealed himself to us by His loving actions in our lives, and especially in the Holy Sacraments. This is especially true in Holy Communion, in which He reveals Himself as food for our Body and Soul, and also reveals Himself as one who wants to be within us—in Body and Soul and Divinity.
He also reveals Himself in Prayer:
The Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6.9ff, Luke 11.1ff) Our Father who art in Heaven (We call upon God the Father as our Father who adopted us and loves us by saying, in other words, “Heavenly Father”) Hallowed be Thy name (This means “Holy is your name”, and this refers also to Jesus, who is called the name of God the Father) Thy Kingdom Come (Our Lord Jesus said “the Kingdom of God is in the midst of you”. God’s Kingdom is His Holy Spirit in our Midst. Therefore, we pray that His Kingdom is present in us as members of His Body, the Church) IN THESE FIRST THREE CLAUSES, WE HAVE FATHER, SON, AND HOLY SPIRIT. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Here we are praying to God by saying “may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”, in other words, “God, may what you have planned for our own good be done”) Give us this day our daily bread (We ask God to give us “daily bread” that is, food for our souls—things that help our souls, as well as food and nourishment for our bodies) And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us (this means “forgive us for what we have done wrong, as we forgive those who have done wrong to us”) And lead us not into temptation (we ask God to lead us away from being put in situations that would tempt us to want to do bad things) But deliver us from evil (from the evil one—we ask God to take us out of the devil’s hands and into his loving arms) The exclamation, normally said by the priest when he is present, is “for Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory, of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages”. This is said so that we know that the prayer is directed toward God the Father, together with the Son and the Holy Spirit.
When we way the Lord’s prayer, then, in old-style prayer language we are saying, what may be understood in modern language: “Heavenly Father, Holy is your name, may your Kingdom come, and may everything be done that you have planned, and give us today things that we have need of, and forgive us for what we have done wrong, even as we forgive those who have done wrong to us, and do not lead us to be tempted to do things we should not do, but, rather, deliver us from the evil one and from every evil.” The Church The Church has many names. The name of the Church is, simply, the “Church of God”. In the Creed is called “One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic”—meaning that it is one Body of Christ, it is Sacred, it is here for the whole world’s benefit and is meant to grow throughout the world until the day Christ comes, and it is Apostolic, that is, founded upon the Apostles and their instructions “by word or writings” as St. Paul says. We are told by many Saints, beginning with St. Clement of Rome (who is mentioned in the Bible in Philippians 4.3) that the Church existed beginning with Adam and Eve and the creation of mankind. All of the righteous Old Testament Saints were part of this Church of God. However, it was not until Jesus became man that the Church became its Highest Calling—the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and the Temple of the Holy Spirit. And, through this, all of us, including those righteous Saints from the beginning, including Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, Rebecca, Ruth, Queen Ester, King David, St. Isaiah, and all the rest together with us became the children—the Family, of God the Father. We have become children of God in a different way than Jesus is the Son of God. He is the Eternal Son of God—having God the Father’s very essence (“makup”), which is also shared with the Holy Spirit. Jesus Himself was begotten of God the Father from all eternity (before time) and was not created. We are creatures of God. “Created” and “creatures” means that God brought us forth into being out of nothing. But we know that Jesus, the Son of God, was brought forth from God the Father’s very Divine essence or nature. But we come from the human nature/essence from our mothers and fathers. Their essence is a human essence, and therefore, we are human as well because we were brought forth in the human nature. But our Lord was brought forth in the Divine Nature. We become children of God by being united to Jesus. The Church becomes His Body by partaking of His Body. It is very important, therefore, to be properly prepared to eat His Body and Drink His Blood, for He—the Son of God Himself, makes us one with Him, and yet we fully retain our individuality and personhood. For just as in the body there can only be one heart, one right ear, left foot, and individual organs, nerves, cells, etc. so also we retain our individual self but in greater form now uniting it with our Lord Jesus Christ. The Church has several orders. The major orders are Bishops, Priests, and Deacons. There is only one Great High Priest in the Church—Jesus Christ. Yet He also established the Apostles and others succeeding as High Priests and Priests, with deacons assisting. A Bishop is otherwise known as a “Hierarch” which means “Chief Priest” or “High Priest”. A Priest also has the title “Presbyter” which means “one with seniority”. The deacon assists the bishops and priests and his title means “minister” or “one who serves.” In the Liturgy we also pray “for all other clergy” meaning Subdeacons, Readers, and Chanters, and tonsured alter servers. Finally comes the Laity, which means “the People”, and are also known as the “royal priesthood of all believers” as it states in Scripture and Church teaching. The clergy do not cease to be one of the People, but also are given a special ordained priesthood within the priesthood of all believers according to the instructions given to us by our Lord Jesus and the Apostles. You may hear some say that Jesus would never want anyone to mediate between you and God. But we know that this is not true, since our Lord Jesus Himself ALWAYS fed and Baptized through the Apostles, and never directly. We are told in the Gospel of St. John chapter 1 verses 1 and 2 that Jesus Baptized, yet “Jesus Himself did not Baptize, but His disciples”. Likewise with the Eucharist or any type of feeding, we learn that “Jesus gave it to His disciples, and the disciples gave it to the people” (Matthew 14.19,15.36; Mark 6.41, 8.6; Luke 9.16, John 6.9-11). Children's Examination of ConscienceAn important part of preparation for confession, whether it is first or fortieth, is an examination of conscience. It is easy though, to be distracted or forgetful while doing an examination of conscience. For this reason, recommended lists of questions or meditations are created. The basic outline always follows the Ten Commandments. These also provide a good framework for teaching your child about confession and teaching a early or simple definition of sin. The following is an examination of conscience created for children, source unknown. Responsibilities to God.- Have I prayed every day?
- Have I prayed my morning and night prayers?
- Have I prayed with my parents and family?
- Have I been moody and rebellious about praying and going to church on Sunday?
- Have I asked the Holy Spirit to help me whenever I have been tempted to sin?
- Have I asked the Holy Spirit to help me do what is right?
Responsibilities to others- Have I been obedient and respectful to my parents?
- Have I lied or been deceitful to them or to others?
- Have I been arrogant, stubborn or rebellious?
- Have I talked back to parents, teachers or other adults?
- Have I pouted and been moody?
- Have I been selfish toward my parents, brothers and sisters, teachers or my friends?
- Have I hit anyone?
- Have I held grudges or not forgiven others?
- Have I treated other children with respect or have I made fun of them and called them names?
- Have I used bad language?
- Have I stolen anything? Have I returned it?
- Have I performed my responsibilities: Have I done my homework? Done my household chores? Have I tidied up my rom and my toys when asked?
- Have I been helpful and affectionate toward my family?
- Have I been kind and generous with my friends?
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