One Mom's Daily Supplications

It's been longer than anticipated since my last post. My excuse is that I'm a first time mom who's overbooked herself with volunteer obligations and parenting expectations... In the last few months I've found myself joining the board of a local moms group and becoming the IOCC parish rep for my church (a blog post on this soon to follow). My husband likens me to a chicken always looking for something shiny to peck. If this is the case, then in this analogy "something shiny" are the volunteer jobs that no one else seems too eager to take on. I enjoy keeping busy, but I also worry such things take away time from my son, so I put blogging on hold for the last two months or so.

Today, I just wanted to share a prayer that has helped me see through some of my more recent parenting struggles. This is the beautifully simple, Prayer of the Optina Elders. When I was a working girl and feeling anxious before an upcoming presentation, I would find a quite corner in the office and say this prayer to help calm my nerves. Now, I say this at the end of the morning prayers I read over my baby boy. When I'm having a bad day yet still have the presence of mind to pray, this prayer serves as a reminder that I can always ask for God's help. So often I fall into the trap of forgetting that God alone is what makes everything possible. Try as I might, I cannot make things happen the way I want them to just by sheer willfulness and I'm not going to achieve "Super Mom" status or super anything without the grace of God.

I first came across this prayer in, "The Orthodox Companion" by Rev. David F. Abramtsov and prefer this translation over others, plus it's the one I first committed to memory.

     Grant unto me, my Lord, that with peace of mind I may face all that this new day is to bring.

     Grant unto me the Grace to surrender myself completely to Thy Holy Will.

     For every hour of the day instruct and prepare me in all things.

     Whatsoever tidings I may receive during the day, do Thou teach me to accept tranquilly, in the firm conviction that all eventualities fulfill They Holy Will.

     Govern Thou my thoughts and feelings in all I do and say.

     When unforeseen things occur, let me not forget that all cometh from Thee.

     Teach me to behave sincerely and reasonably toward every member of my family, that I may bring them no confusion or sorrow. 

     Bestow upon me, my Lord, strength to endure the fatigue of the day, and to bear my part in all its passing events.

     Guide Thou my will and teach me to pray, to believe, to hope, to suffer, to forgive and to love. Amen.

O venerable elders of Optina, pray to God for us!

Orthodoxy on the Road

Holy Trinity Monastery
Jordanville, NY

For many, summer is a time for travel. Before having a baby, my husband and I were fortunate enough to make a number of pilgrimages to Orthodox monasteries in New York and Pennsylvania. We also took a trip to Istanbul, Turkey (the ancient city of Constantinople) in the fall of 2009 primarily visiting sites of historical and religious significance to Orthodox Christians.

Since the birth of our son, I have to admit that it's been hard trying to plan trips like these when our primary objective has been spending time with family when we do get a chance to travel. As my son gets older, my hope is that we can schedule trips to monasteries as well.

Hami the Cat, Greeter & Trail Guide
All Merciful Saviour Monastery
Vashon Island, WA

Last year, when visiting my sister-in-law in Seattle, we went out to Vashon Island (an hour's drive, plus ferry ride) to check out the All Merciful Saviour Monastery. Although it would have been nice to have timed our visit so that we could attend services, we instead went midday during the week to accommodate our sister-in-law and her infant son's schedule. Nonetheless, our visit there was still worth the while and we were rewarded with the beautiful scenary, a lovely conversation with one of the priests, a stroll along one of the monastery's forest trails and some great coffee that we bought from their bookstore (the monastery roasts coffee beans). It may not sound like much, but I have also found that it's trips like these with our non-Orthodox family members that may give them a little more insight into what it means to be Orthodox.

Church Bells & Talanton
Holy Protection Monastery
White Haven, PA

Visiting monasteries while on the road provides a unique opportunity to introduce a child to the life of a monastic which is an intrinsic part of the Orthodox tradition. Activities around the monastery farm or garden, candle, incense or soap making, bread baking, hikes in the surrounding countryside and church services can make for a surprisingly engaging and kid-friendly place... with some advance planning and parental supervision of course! Just keep in mind that all monasteries will want you to call in advance. According to what I've found on the web, there are more than 90 Orthodox monasteries in 29 states. I'm lucky in that my parents and parents-in-law live in a part of Northern California where there are two monasteries located less than a two-hour drive away, the St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood in Platina and the Monastery of St. John of San Francisco in Manton. My husband has visited both with his Dad. Again, these trips give our non-Orthodox family some understanding about our faith. 

Holy Myrrhbearers Monastery
Otego, NY

I'm not advocating that every opportunity one has to travel should be made into a religious retreat, but I believe that it can be an enriching experience for the young, Orthodox and non-Orthodox alike. If nothing else, it can be a welcome reprieve amidst the hustle and bustle that comes with travelling as a family.

For parents looking for a way to explain to younger children what the life of a monastic is all about, here is a simply-written article that's easily relatable:  http://www.theologic.com/oflweb/inhome/monk02.htm.

In order to help children prepare for a visit to a monastery, there are a number of children's books that would be great to read together beforehand. You can find a list of some of them here under "Monastic Life" found on my Children's Literature page.

Happy and safe travels this summer!

Holy New Martyrs of China

Although the story of the Orthodox Christian Martyrs of China is horribly tragic, it is also one that is close to my heart and I believe that it can be presented to children if done so carefully. I think it's important to show children that Orthodoxy is not just the religion of Russia or Greece, but that it can be found in countries throughout the world, even in an officially atheist country such as China. Since the Boxer Rebellion in the early 20th century, Orthodoxy has been greatly diminished, but has recently experienced some growth as has Christianity as a whole. What I find particularly astounding of the Chinese Martyrs' story is that a number of children are included among them who courageously professed their faith in Christ.

Here's my approach for retelling the story of the Martyrs of China which includes a simple activity that focuses on an aspect of Chinese art and culture.

First, have children look at a copy of the icon of the Martyrs of China. A larger, printable version can be found by clicking on the above image.

How many saints are in this icon? Can you count them or make a guess? There are 222 saints that we remembered on June 24/11. 
What else do you notice about this icon? Can you guess where these people are from? You might be able to guess from the Chinese-style church in the background and these people's faces that they are from China. (With the children, find China on a globe or world map).
What else do you see in this icon? There are several children depicted in this icon. Today we are going to learn about who these brave people were and why their story is important. 
What are the saints holding in their hands? When you see an icon of a saint holding a cross like this it means that they died for their Christian faith. These people are called martyrs. 

          In the front of the icon we see Father Mitrophan and his family including his wife Tatiana and his son, John. All of the saints in the icon lived in China during a time when it was very dangerous to be a Christian. About 100 years ago, there were people who hated the Christians and wanted to do them harm. These people started a rebellion where they did horrible things to Christians. What's so amazing though is that many Christians were very brave and didn't hide their faith. Father Mitrophan and his family were among the people who were killed. His youngest son, John, was only 8 years old when he died. Even when he was in great pain and other children taunted him, he did not complain.

          Although you and I are very lucky to have been born in a country where Christianity is accepted, we can still learn from the Chinese Christian Martyrs' example. There may be times when we may feel embarrassed to say that we are Christian. At the same time, we should remind ourselves of the great sacrifice of these Chinese Christian martyrs who were not afraid to say that they believed in the Lord, Jesus Christ.

What are some of the things we can be thankful for as Orthodox Christians in the U.S.? Some examples...

• Orthodox churches and monasteries can be found all over the country
• We don't have to hide our faith. We can openly go to church when we want.
• We can attend church services in English, Greek, Russian (Slavonic) and other languages. We also have lots of books and other resources in our native English language. In fact, there are very few Orthodox Christian books and stories of the saints in Chinese. We can pray that some day more will be made available so that the Chinese people who are interested can learn more about the Orthodox Church. 

Chinese Art & Culture Activities
Children may be interested to see their name written in Chinese. The Chinese use a writing system that is one of the oldest in the world and uses characters (kind of like pictures) with corresponding sounds and meanings. Children may enjoy painting with watercolors over a print-out of their English and Chinese name. The following link includes hundreds of names and their Chinese transliterations available for download.
http://chineseculture.about.com/od/thechineselanguage/a/Chinese-Name-And-English-Name.htm

Please click on the above image for examples of children's names in Chinese and English that can be printed out and painted over with watercolors.

Another activity that's a little more advanced is Chinese paper cutting. In China, these cut-outs are usually done using bright red paper and decorate doors and windows. This traditional art form has been around for approximately 2,000 years. Please click on the image at right for a design template and instructions for making St. Xenia's cross.

Sunday of the Blind Man

Sleep deprivation finally got the best of me last week due to my 6 month old's changing sleep schedule (waking every 1-2 hours through the night), so I'm a little late with this post. Nonetheless, thought I'd share a simple activity that can be done with younger aged children to complement the lesson for the Sunday of the Blind Man. What I love so much about this particular passage in the Book of John read on the sixth Sunday of Pascha is that it's steeped in symbolism. As noted in The Orthodox Study Bible, "The blind man is symbolic of all humanity: all need illumination by Christ, the light of the world." I also found useful the resources on the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America's site, Great Lent, Holy Week and Pascha and Let Us Attend: Sunday's Gospel for Children.  I'm including a simple maze that I created using the Discovery Education's Puzzlemaker. Please click on the below image to download the file. 

Kontakion (Fourth Tone):

I come to You, O Christ, as the man blind from birth. With the eyes of my soul blinded, I cry out to You in repentance, "You are the resplendent Light of those in darkness."

Sunday of the Samaritan Woman

Well, I'm starting to second-guess myself when it comes to maintaining a blog primarily dedicated to Orthodox Christian education resources. As I'm now finding, there are A LOT of such materials already out there and a lot of mommy-blogs as well... so much for having a truly unique idea! However, I still hope to prevail since I am already learning something from the process and it's a great way to organize my thoughts. So, without further ado, I bring to you a lesson for the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman prepared by someone other than myself. The Antiochian Orthodox Department of Christian Education has a wonderful handout, coloring sheet and MP3 audio related to this Gospel story that you can find here.

Now I'm not going to try and reinvent the wheel, but I do think I can add a little to it. This simple origami drinking cup serves as a reminder of how Christ offered living water to the Samaritan woman and includes the verse:

Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.  - John 4:14

The cup really does hold water and the children can color or decorate the outside when they are done folding it. Click on the below picture to download the template. You should be able to print the file and then cut along the dotted line so that you have a square piece of paper for the origami. With the first fold, just bring the two corners with verse together, facing each other, and then follow the basic directions mentioned below.

For printable instructions on how to fold an origami cup, please click here. There are also several how-to videos on YouTube.

The Paschal Troparion

At least in my parish, the Paschal Troparion is sung in both English and Russian. Unfortunately, my Russian doesn't go much farther than, "Gospodi Pomiliu" (Lord have mercy), so I'm fairly certain I sound something like the Swedish Chef from the Muppet Show when singing the latter version... I just hope no one has been listening to me! This year, I thought I'd try to make a more concerted effort to learn a little Russian (Slavonic) and have decided to begin with this hymn. Especially with younger aged children, some may not be so familiar with the words. As a former Kindergarten teacher in China I found that children love music and love to sing which is why I often taught new vocabulary through song. Since we will sing the Paschal Troparion until Ascension (June 2/20), I figured this would complement any lesson for the next two weeks, plus it's just one of those things that makes me happy to sing in any language. Below I've included English transliterations for Slavonic and Greek found on Wikipedia and St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church's website. Of course, I had to include the Chinese version as well... it's in Pinyin (Chinese Romanization). By the way, one needn't worry about tones when singing in Chinese. I was able to find beautiful recordings for each language sung in Byzantine chant. Enjoy!

Fresco painting of the Resurrection
Chora Church, Istanbul, Turkey

ENGLISH
Christ is risen from the dead,
Trampling down death by death,
And upon those in the tombs bestowing life!

RUSSIAN

Orthodox Music - Hristos voskrese (Христос воскресе) MP3 Download

Hrestoss vosskrese ez mertvih,
smerteeyou smert po prav,
Ee suscheem vo grobeh zhivot darovav!


GREEK

Orthodox Music, Divna Ljubojevic - ♫ Hristos Anesti ♫ MP3 Download

Christos anesti ek nekron,
thanato thanaton patisas,
ke tis en tis mnimasi zoin charisamenos!


CHINESE

Boston Byzantine Choir chanting Paschal Troparion in Mandarin Chinese MP3 Download

Jidu yijing cong sili fuhuo,

ta de si shengguo siwang,

ba shengming cigei yi maizang zai muzhong de ren!

The Great Martyr George

On May 6/23 we commemorated The Great Martyr George. As I was browsing online for more information about the International Orthodox Christian Charities I came across the IOCC Children's Prayer Journal. What a fantastic way for children to become involved with humanitarian work around the world! On this site they have a simple lesson and activity on the Republic of Georgia that would be appropriate for children 12 and under. Please click on the icon of St. George to learn more:



St. George lived during the 3rd-century and was a Captain in the Roman Army. Emperor Diocletian ordered the persecution of Christians and in defiance St. George tore up the edict. He battled the devil, symbolized by the dragon, and saved the Holy Church, symbolized by the king's daughter as shown in the above icon (sitting behind St. George). He rides a white horse representing God's grace carrying him to the heroism of martyrdom. Constantine the Great built a church over his tomb in Palestine. The name George means "tiller of the earth" in Greek.

Troparion (Fourth Tone)
''O Great Among the Saints and Glorious Martyr George, since you are a deliverer of captives and a defender of the poor, a doctor for the sick and a noble attendant to kings: intercede with Christ God, that He may save our souls.''