St. Antony and St. Paul

OBJECTIVE

Though monasticism is a path chosen by few, all of us can learn from those who choose it.

Through the stories of St. Antony and St. Paul, we learn of true friendship and how to bring our friends along with us to Christ.

INTRODUCTION & HOOK - 10 Minutes

This week, we will start learning about monasticism. Specifically, we will learn about the lives of the great monks St. Antony and St. Paul. Here is a short video about St. Antony's life.

HOLY SCRIPTURE - 2 Minutes

As we look at the stories of St. Antony and St. Paul, remember this verse.

Memory Verse
"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God." (1 John 4:7)

Meaning: Christ wants us to love one another so we can grow closer to Him.

CONTENT (KEY POINTS) - 10 Minutes

The most important thing for Christians to do is love. God wants us to love Him and to love each other. We can see the love that God wants us to have in the lives of St. Antony and St Paul. As shown in the video, St. Antony loved God with all his heart, and St. Paul did too. These two saints also loved each other as if they were brothers.

St. Antony was a young man whose parents died early leaving him a very big inheritance and a lot of wealth. One day he went to church and heard the verse, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasures in heaven; and come, follow me." (Matthew 19: 21) This verse touched his heart and he decided that he would take all that he had and give it to the poor and go search for Christ as the verse said to do. He left his younger sister in the care of nuns and then gave all he had and went to live a solitary life. He would then spend all of his time praying and building a strong relationship with God. The devil tempted him a lot, but St. Antony kept his eyes on God and kept moving to even more solitary places like the desert.

One day St. Antony met St. Paul. St. Paul was the first hermit, which means he lived completely by himself and cared only for God. St. Paul was a very holy man who had a great relationship with God. God took care of St. Paul and sent a raven with half of a loaf of bread every day for him to eat. He trusted God and didn't worry about where he would find food because of his great faith. On the day when St. Antony met St. Paul, God sent a raven with a whole loaf of bread for St. Antony and St. Paul to share instead of just one half for the both of them. St. Antony and St. Paul became very good friends and loved God and each other very much. When St. Paul was close to the time when he would go to heaven, he asked St. Antony to go bring a cloak from St. Athanasius the pope for him to be buried in. St. Antony listened to his friend and traveled very far in order to get the cloak because of his great love. St. Antony buried St. Paul with the help of two lions that were sent by God. St. Antony continued to live in solitude in the desert, loving God with all his heart until he was 105 years old. St. Antony's relationship with God was so strong that he was able to know when he would depart to heaven. Before his departure, he gave his sheepskin cloaks to St. Athanasius and his disciple St. Serapion, and his staff to St. Macarius.

DISCUSSION (Challenge) - 5 Minutes

What are some examples of how St. Antony and St. Paul loved each other and loved God?

Each other: St. Antony went all the way to St. Athanasius to get a cloak to bury St. Paul in. This was a very long journey, but St. Antony did it out of his love for St. Paul.
God: Both saints left the world in search of God. St. Antony had great wealth, but he gave it away so he could put all his focus on God and so he could spend all his time serving and praying to God.

LIFE APPLICATION - 5 Minutes

Though we do not live the lives that monks choose to, we can still show God's love to each other everyday. As God loves us, we can also show love to Him as the two saints did. We saw the love that St. Antony and St. Paul had for each other and for God. Now let's see how we can express that love everyday.

We can sacrifice our time when a friend asks us for help and we can make sure to put our friends' happiness ahead of ours.
We can do acts of service for our friends and our family members.
We can show God's love to him everyday by spending more time with him through praying and reading the bible.
We can keep God on our minds throughout the day, and thank Him or say a short prayer whenever we get the chance to.

ACTIVITY - 10 Minutes

Coloring Page:

Materials: Picture, Markers/Crayons/Colored Pencils
Discuss how the icon depicts the story of St. Antony and St. Paul, then give the kids time to color it in.

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COPTUNES+ VIDEO

St. Antony

PARENTS CORNER/HOMEWORK

Parents can encourage their kids to do acts of service for their friends. They can encourage them to bring a friend to church with them or go and pray or read the bible with a friend.