St.Cyril and 3rd Council at Ephesus

OBJECTIVE

This module aims to educate the students on the lives and stories of the Church Fathers to help them develop fundamental knowledge of Church history. Also, the students should be able to identify how these Fathers developed a strong relationship with God, which aided them in trials and tribulations when defending the Orthodox Faith.

The purpose of this lesson is to teach the students the importance of learning and solidifying our knowledge about our faith. We need to create a strong relationship with God to be able to stand firm when our faith is questioned.

INTRODUCTION & HOOK - 05 Minutes

Please review the previous week's lesson. (5 minutes)

Pepper and Water Experiment:

Materials:

A bowl
A cup of water
Dishwashing soap
And ground black pepper

Instructions:

This activity is a science experiment to demonstrate what knowledge can do.

Fill a bowl with a thin layer of water.
- Ask the kids "Is the water clean or dirty?"
Add the ground black pepper to the bowl of water
- Ask them the same question again "Is the water clean or dirty?"
Dip your finger in the pepper/water mixture
- Ask the kids if anything happened. The answer should be no because nothing should happen just yet.
- If you get pepper on your finger ask them "is my finger dirty or clean now?"
Now dip your finger in some dishwashing soap
Touch the surface of the water gently. Observe how the pepper moves to the sides of the bowl.
- Ask the kids what they observed.

Explanation:

Explain that the water is our faith. At first, it is pure and clear. The pepper are heresies and false ideas, when we add them into the water they make the water dirty and impure. The finger represents a person. Without the soap, the finger gets dirty with the impurities and debris in the water. The dishwashing soap represents our knowledge and faith. When we put the soap in the water it pushes away all of the impurities. Without learning and becoming concrete in our faith we are like the finger without the soap, we adopt bad ideas, but if we take the time to learn and build a relationship with God we not only keep our thoughts and minds pure but we also push away all the wrong ideas and people.

HOLY SCRIPTURE - 05 Minutes

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves." (Matthew 7:15)

CONTENT (KEY POINTS) - 15 Minutes

Saint Cyril was a very holy man. He was born into a Christian family. He was an intelligent man and studied many difficult topics, but he was interested in learning about Church scriptures and the Orthodox faith. He loved God so much and wanted to dedicate all of his time to Him, so he went to the monastery and stayed there for six years. Pope Theophilus, the Patriarch, passed away, and St. Cyril was chosen to take his place as the 24th Patriarch (Pope) of Alexandria. Ask the children if they know the current pope -- Pope Tawadros II, 118th Pope of Alexandria.

During this time there was a man named Nestorius, and he was the Patriarch of Constantinople. Nestorious created a heresy against the Orthodox Church. He was preaching that Christ is two Persons, God and human, acting together.

Take some time to explain to the students what a heresy is.

St. Cyril sent out a letter to Nestorius explaining that what he was preaching was incorrect and that Christ is one Person, with Humanity and Divinity united. However, Nestorious refused to listen and continued to spread his ideas. St Cyril then wrote another letter to all of the priests and bishops explaining how Nestorius's claims were false and for the clergy to be aware. Nestorius didn't like this so he started saying bad things about St. Cyril and trying to convince others that St. Cyril was the one spreading heresy. The problem got out of hand and they decided to call a Council in Ephesus, which was the third Ecumenical Council. See if the children remember discussing the council of Nicea and Athanasius.

St. Cyril continued to defend the faith against Nestorius's teachings while presiding over the Council, and the Council decided that Nestorious was the heretic. However, Nestorious did not accept the Council's decision because St. Cyril had started the council without waiting for some Bishops to arrive. Another council was formed, and at that time, St. Cyril was thought to be a heretic. Eventually, Papal recognition of St. Cyril's council was obtained, and Nestorious was deranked from his See in Constantinople and was exiled where he later died. St. Cyril wrote many books that we still read in our church today. St. Cyril is commonly known as "The Pillar of the Faith" as he continuously defended the faith against heretics and restored unity. We commemorate his departure on January 18.

DISCUSSION (Challenge) - 10 Minutes

Review the lesson by asking the following questions:

How many years was St. Cyril in the monastery?
- Answer: Six years.
What was the name of the man who started the heresy?
- Answer: Nestorious
What is the name of the Council?
- Answer: The Council of Ephesus
Who defended the Orthodox faith during the council?
- Answer: St. Cyril

LIFE APPLICATION - 05 Minutes

The students should be able to take away that it is important for our spiritual lives to create a strong relationship with God like St.Cyril and to learn about the Faith and not be easily swayed by false teachings. Encourage the students to start building a prayer routine and reading The Holy Scripture, and Saint stories or make a schedule as a class to read one chapter and/or passage every week.

ACTIVITY - 10 Minutes

Option 1: Bible Drill

Have a Bible drill with the children, where you give them verses or Books in the Bible and have them find the reference. Use simple Bible books to find easy verses if the children are not used to finding verses in the Bible. Let children know how important it is to STUDY God's Word every day and to know where the Bible verses are in the Bible.

Option 2: Measuring Up

(Display an object you brought for the following activity.)

How much do you think this object weighs? (Have everyone guess.)
How did you decide how heavy the object is? Who is likely closest? How can we tell who is closest? (An accurate scale.)

(Display a scale and weigh the object.)

Would you trust the scale as an accurate instrument for weighing something? Why or why not? Having a recognized standard is necessary for weighing objects as well as for evaluating truth in our world. God's Word is the only standard of truth we have.

SERVANT RESOURCES

St. Cyril | LA Copts

PARENTS CORNER/HOMEWORK

Parents should encourage the kids to create a calendar and a reading log to log in scriptural reading every week.