Super Saints Our Children Can Emulate-Great Lent 2020-Week 2
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One week ago I shared with you how much Moses likes cartoons, especially the PJ masks. Whenever Moses wants to pretend play, it almost always revolves around him being a super hero (most of the time Cat Boy). He has a lot of fun playing these games and of course watching the show. But as we begin another time of fasting and preparing for Pascha, I often like to refocus him in the direction of Christ. During Great Lent I really like for all of us to practice a little less watching cartoons and television shows and practice a little more reading about the Saints.
An idea I had to do with Moses was to share with him every week two Saints that are ‘super’ and lived a life that we can learn from, their mistakes and their triumphs. Now I want to share that I am not saying that Saints are Superheroes, who are not human. Rather, they are models of how to live a life with Christ at the center, heroes of the Faith, and super in their love for Christ. Instead of my sons only hearing about these fake superheroes in movies and cartoons, I want them also to hear about the super saints that we have that are real in our Orthodox Christian faith.
In addition to sharing these stories with you, I invite your whole family to listen in and learn about super saints that we can emulate. Each Saint will have a specific trait that we can learn from them and put into use in our lives.
St. Nina Enlightener of Georgia
Last week we spoke about St. Melangell & Prophet Daniel. This week we will speak about St. Nina & St. Patrick.
So let us begin with St. Nina.
St. Nina was born in Cappadocia in the late third century, St. Nina was the only daughter of a Roman general, Zabulon, and his wife, Susanna. On her father's side, she was related to St. George, and on her mother's, to the Patriarch of Jerusalem. When Nina was twelve, her family traveled to Jerusalem, where with the Patriarch's blessing, her father became a monk; her mother became a church worker; and Nina became the foster child of Nianfora, a pious old woman. Under the care of her foster mother, Nina quickly learned the rules of the Church.
At fourteen, Nina questioned her mentor about the location of Christ's robe; Nina felt that such an important relic could not have been lost. Nianfora told her that it was in Iberia (now Georgia), a land not yet completely illumined, meaning it had not become Christian yet. When the apostles had drawn lots to determine who was to preach where, the Theotokos had received the lot for Iberia, but she had been held back from going and was assured that someone would later enlighten it. In a dream, the Theotokos came to Nina and urged her to preach the gospel in Georgia. The Mother of God assured Nina that she would protect her and as a pledge, left a cross of grape vines.
The patriarch, her uncle, was delighted with the news of her vision. He eagerly gave her his blessing. When the time arrived for her departure, the patriarch led Nina into the church and up to the holy altar, and placing his hands on her head, he prayed the following words:
Lord God, Our Saviour! As I let this young girl depart to preach Your Divinity, I commit her into Your hands. Condescend, O Christ God, to be her Companion and Teacher everywhere that she proclaims Your Good Tidings, and give her words with such force and wisdom that no one will be able to oppose or refute them. And You, most Holy Virgin Mother of God, Helper and Intercessor for all Christians, clothe with Your strength against all enemies, visible and invisible, this girl whom You Yourself has chosen to preach the Gospel of Your Son and our God among the pagan nations. Be always for her a shield and an invincible protection, and do not deprive her of Your favour until she has fulfilled Your holy will.
Nina joined the party of Princess Ripsimia, which was traveling to Georgia to escape the persecution of Diocletian. All but Nina, who was sheltered in a crevice, were martyred in Armenia after Ripsimia declined to marry the king, Tiridat.
Living as pilgrim, by the grace of God and on the bounty of strangers, Nina once became weary. She wondered briefly where she was going, what she was doing. She fell, exhausted, asleep and had a vision of a majestic man who handed her a scroll in Greek, which she read upon waking:
Verily, I say unto you, Wherever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman has done, be told as a memorial of her. [Matt. 26:13]
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus. [Gal. 3:28]
Then said Jesus unto them (the women), be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me. [Matt. 28:10]
He that receives you receives me, and he that receives me receives Him that sent me. [Matt. 10:40]
For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. [Luke 21:15] (find these from the bible, dont have her translate them)
And when they bring you into the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: for the Holy Spirit shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say. [Luke 12:11-12]
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. [Matt. 10:28]
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. [Matt. 28:19-20]
Strengthened and reassured, Nina continued until she arrived in Georgia, where she witnessed the worship of the local gods. Praying that the idols might be destroyed, she also witnessed a downpour that washed the idols into the river and out of sight.
Nina settled in Mtskheta, the capital, where she lived in a hut near the royal gardener and his wife, Anastasia. There Nina gained a reputation for holiness both because of her daily piety and her miraculous healings. She cured Queen Nana of a disease no doctor had been able to relieve. King Mirian was converted when he was saved from a rain storm similar to the one that had destroyed his idols.
After preaching to and converting many Jews and pagans, Nina learned the story of Christ's robe: a local Jew, Elioz, had obtained the robe from the soldier to whose lot it had fallen and had carried it home to Georgia. His sister, Sidonia, had clasped the robe to her breast and had died. No one could take the robe from her, and it had been buried with her. A cedar, now part of the royal garden, was said to have grown from her grave. Nina had doubts about the identification of the particular tree, but she knew from her visions that the ground was holy.
Nina died in the early fourth century, after she had seen Christianity spread throughout Georgia and had, through her preaching, converted a neighboring queen, Sophia of Kakhetian and her kingdom. Nina was buried, near the place where she had died, in Bodbi. The church built by her grave was dedicated to St. George and became the Bodbi Metropolis. Her cross was sent to the cathedral in Mtskheta. During wars between the Byzantine and Persian empires, the cross was taken to Armenia and eventually to Moscow. Tsar Alexander I returned it to Georgia at the beginning of the 19th century.
Icons of St. Nina are written with her holding her grapevine cross, the pledge of her relationship with the Theotokos. St. Nina is called Equal-to-the-Apostles because she preached the Gospel in Georgia and her preaching led many people to become Christian. Since the 17th century, iconographic tradition has revealed the scroll which she received in her second vision. Her title, her cross, and her scroll are the manifestations of her working with God to spread His word and to bring into His Church a new land.
What can we learn to emulate from St. Nina?
An important lesson our children can learn from St. Nina is she was always trying to learn more about the Church and God, which is how she went to Iberia. Children are natural born explorers. I remember when Moses went through a phase and to everything I said to him, he would respond: “why Mommy?”
Now it’s so easy to say “well, because.” But being curious and inquisitive is a great quality to have. Our children will know about the Church because they come with us. But we need to teach them to ask questions about what they see or how something is done.
This spirit of learning is not something to just be fostered in our Children.
Our Archbishop Anastasios often reminds us that we must remain ‘students’ throughout our entire lives.
An example of how to foster curiosity is how do we respond to our children's questions… As we were preparing for Great Lent Moses mentioned that we already had Pascha and why do we have it again. Instead of just responding that we have it every year… end of story… my husband began to explain that 1,987 years ago Holy Week, the crucifixion, and the resurrection happened historically. But… each year we go through the liturgical calendar and as we celebrate all of the major feasts of the Church, all the events in Christ’s life, including Pascha, we are living our life in the Church and in Christ and preparing ourselves for the Kingdom of God.
A few ways to encourage your children to be curious and inquisitive is to ask them questions. They will learn to also do this. When you’re in church or praying at home take a few minutes to ask why do you think we pray this prayer, or why are things done this certain way. Ask you children do you understand what this means?
A lot of times I’ll ask Moses a question or he asks me a question and we have to look up the answers up… or ask my husband. That’s okay and it’s beautiful to learn more as a family!
St. Patrick Enlightener of Ireland
Now let us speak about St. Patrick.
Saint Patrick, apostle of Ireland, was born in Britain around 386 A.D.
His father, Calphurnius, was a deacon from a Roman family. Patrick's mother, Conchessa, was a close relative to Saint Martin of Tours. Patrick's grandfather, Pontius, was also a member of the clergy.
Surprisingly, Patrick himself was not raised with a strong emphasis on religion. Education was not important during his childhood.
When Patrick was 16 years old, he was captured by Irish pirates. They brought him to Ireland where he was sold into slavery in Dalriada. There his job was to take care of sheep.
Patrick's master, Milchu, was a high priest of Druidism, a Pagan, someone who did not believe in Christ.
Patrick came to view his enslavement as God's test of his faith. During his six years of captivity, he became deeply devoted to Christianity through constant prayer. In a vision, he saw the children of pagan Ireland reaching out their hands to him and grew increasingly determined to convert the Irish to Christianity.
Around 408 A.D., the idea of escaping enslavement came to Patrick in a dream, in which a voice promised him he would find his way home to Britain. Eager to see the dream materialize, Patrick convinced some sailors to let him board their ship.
After three days of sailing, he and the crew abandoned the vessel in France and wandered, lost, for 28 days — covering 200 miles of territory in the process, with Patrick ultimately becoming reunited with his family.
A free man once again, Patrick went to Auxerre, France, where he studied and entered the priesthood under the guidance of the missionary Saint Germain. He was ordained a deacon by the Bishop of Auxerre around 418 A.D.
As time passed, he never forgot that he wanted convert Ireland to Christianity. In 432 A.D., he was ordained as a bishop and was soon sent by Pope Celestine I to Ireland to spread the gospel to non-believers while also providing support to the small community of Christians already living there.
Upon his arrival in Ireland, Patrick was initially met with resistance, but managed to spread Christian teachings far and wide, along with other missionaries, through preaching, writing and baptisms.
Throughout his missionary work, Patrick supported church officials, created councils, founded monasteries and organized Ireland into dioceses.
An important lesson our children can learn from St. Nina is she was always trying to learn more about the Church and God, which is how she went to Iberia. Children are natural born explorers. I remember when Moses went through a phase and to everything I said to him, he would respond: “why Mommy?”
Now it’s so easy to say “well, because.” But being curious and inquisitive is a great quality to have. Our children will know about the Church because they come with us. But we need to teach them to ask questions about what they see or how something is done.
This spirit of learning is not something to just be fostered in our Children. Our Archbishop often reminds us that we must remain ‘students’ throughout our entire lives.
An example of how to foster curiosity is how do we respond to our childrens questions… As we were preparing for Great Lent Moses mentioned that we already had Pascha and why do we have it again. Instead of just responding that we have it every year… end of story… my husband began to explain that 1,987 years ago Holy Week, the crucifixion, and the resurrection happened historically. But… each year we go through the liturgical calendar and as we celebrate all of the major feasts of the Church, all the events in Christ’s life, including Pascha, we are living our life in the Church and in Christ and preparing ourselves for the Kingdom of God.
A few ways to encourage your children to be curious and inquisitive is to ask them questions. They will learn to also do this. When you’re in church or praying at home take a few minutes to ask why do you think we pray this prayer, or why are things done this certain way. Ask you children do you understand what this means?
A lot of times I’ll ask Moses a question or he asks me a question and we have to look up the answers up… or ask my husband. That’s okay and it’s beautiful to learn more as a family!
What can we learn to emulate from St. Patrick?
We can learn a very important lesson of perseverance from St. Patrick.
Moses has really loved to play board games recently. One of his favorites is the Noah’s Ark game from the children’s office. It’s a lot of fun playing but he always gets VERY angry if he doesn’t win the game. Even if one person gets ahead he really doesn’t like it. Just the thought of losing makes he so upset he quits the game.
Now my first reaction, as his mom, is to try and let him win and make sure he has a good time. But, my husband, bless him because he teaches me so much, is just as competitive. But what he is trying to teach Moses is that he should not give up. He should try his hardest until the end. He teaches him perseverance-that he needs to work hard even if he fails or loses. It’s okay to let our children fail. But we need to teach them that it doesn’t end there. They need to continue and persevere until the end.
So what super saint qualities do St. Nina and St. Patrick have?
1-to be inquisitive and to always be a student.
2-to have perseverance and to never give up.
3-our super saints in the Orthodox Church are also known by a symbol in their stories. For St. Nina, she is known by her vine cross. For St. Patrick, he is known by the three leaf clover.
Let's allow our children to be more open showing that they are Christians by wearing a cross, a prayer rope, or another symbol that shows that we love and follow Christ.
I want to encourage you as a family to memorize the following prayer. Write it down, put it at your prayer corner, and say it daily with your children. That way when they are faced with any type of difficulty or success our children will turn to God.
Breastplate of St. Patrick
I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
of the Creator of creation.
I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth with His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion with His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection with His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.
I arise today
Through the strength of the love of cherubim,
In the obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs,
In the predictions of prophets,
In the preaching of apostles,
In the faith of confessors,
In the innocence of holy virgins,
In the deeds of righteous men.
I arise today, through
The strength of heaven,
The light of the sun,
The radiance of the moon,
The splendor of fire,
The speed of lightning,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of the sea,
The stability of the earth,
The firmness of rock.
I arise today, through
God's strength to pilot me,
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's host to save me
From snares of devils,
From temptation of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and near.
I summon today
All these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel and merciless power
that may oppose my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom,
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul;
Christ to shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that there may come to me an abundance of reward.
Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
Note that people sometimes pray a shorter version of this prayer just with these 15 lines about Christ above. Then conclude with:
I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
of the Creator of creation.
I look forward to our time together as we Journey through Great Lent. Let us make a clearing in our life and in the lives of our family to let God shine through. Let us teach our children how to emulate the super saints of our beautiful Orthodox Church.
