Pillars of Worship

OBJECTIVE

In the module, students will learn how to both theoretically and practically turn their lives away from the worldly and towards the spiritual. Through the Holy Bible and the sayings of the fathers, they will learn how to engage in reflection upon their thoughts and their actions. They will be taught then to use those reflective tools to make practical changes in their lives that would continually establish them in the Image and Likeness of God.

INTRODUCTION - 10 Minutes

Ask the students, if one wishes to become muscular or fit what should one do? (go work out) If one wishes to become smart, what should they do? (Study)

Why should it be any different in our spiritual lives? If we actually wish to be with God and to become saints, why do we not take action in our spiritual lives.

So what are the three things that we can do to put our faith into practice? What training can we undergo in the spiritual life?

  1. Almsgiving
  2. Prayer
  3. Fasting

David said:

  • One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek (Psalm 26)
    • He knew that it is not enough to just pray, you must also live out and seek that for which you are praying.

St. James said:

  • Faith without works is dead (James 2)

ALMSGIVING - 15 Minutes

  • "To do alms is a work greater than miracles. . . . To feed the hungry in the name of Christ is a work greater than raising the dead in Christ's name. ...When you work miracles, you are God's debtor; when you give alms, God is your debtor." (St. John Chrysostom)
  • "The bread you do not use is the bread of the hungry. The garment hanging in your wardrobe is the garment of the person who is naked. The shoes you do not wear are the shoes of the one who is barefoot. The money you keep locked away is the money of the poor. The acts of charity you do not perform are the injustices you commit." (St. Basil the Great)
  • "Do not grieve or complain that you were born in a time when you can no longer see God in the flesh. He did not in fact take this privilege from you. As he says, 'Whatever you have done to the least of my brothers, you did to me'." (St. Augustine quoting our Lord)

Matthew 25: 34-40

Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'

"Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'

Class Discussion Questions:

  1. Why do you think it is so important for us to give?
  2. Although you are young, what ways do you think you can participate in Almsgiving? What else can you give besides money? Where are some places that you can give? (School, Home, Church, etc.)
    • Time in volunteering in service, donating old toys or clothes that you no longer use, helping someone you see struggling if you are able
  3. Is there a difference between giving from a place of love versus simply giving out of obligation? Or do you think that God finds it all the same?

PRAYER - 15 Minutes

Prayer very simply is communicating with God. The way human beings develop all relationships is through communication. Even silence or doing a silent activity is a form of communication. The quality of one's relationships is directly correlated with the quality of communication within said relationship.

If we claim we wish to have a relationship with God, then one of the most important things to do is to pray, to communicate with Him.

Quotes:

  • "we ought to think of God even more often than we draw our breath; and if the expression is permissible, we ought to do nothing else." (St. Gregory Nazianzen)
  • "Persevere with patience in your prayer, and repulse the cares and doubts that arise within you." (Evagrios)
  • "Abba John said, "I am like a man sitting under a great tree, who sees wild beasts and snakes coming against him in great numbers. When he cannot withstand them any longer, he runs to climb the tree and is saved. It is just the same with me; I sit in my cell and I am aware of evil thoughts coming against me, and when I have no more strength against them, I take refuge in God by prayer and I am saved from the enemy." Sr. Benedicta Ward, "The Sayings of the Desert Fathers,"
  • "Blessed is he who prays with fervor, for the devil never approaches him." (St. Ephraim the Syrian)

There are thousands of quotes from the fathers all throughout Christian history on prayer. Even Christ Himself showed the great love he had for the Father and the Holy Spirit by constantly praying. "He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed." (Luke 5:16)

Prayer can be broken down into four major types according to St. John Cassian:

  1. Supplication
  2. Vow
    1. An example is during baptism when we renounce Satan
  3. Intercession
  4. Thanksgiving

Ways of prayer

  1. Formal
    1. Private (Agpeya)
    2. Public or Communal (Liturgy, Asheya, Etc.)
  2. Arrow Prayer
    1. Jesus Prayer
    2. Reciting the psalms or a short verse from the Bible
  3. Informal
    1. "Talking with God"
      1. This can be done either during our formal prayers or during the day at any time.
      2. Can be done anywhere and in any situation
      3. Must be earnest and from the heart.
    2. Silence
      1. High level of prayer
      2. One simply sits with God
      3. Usually done before an Icon or in a quiet place.

Discussion:

  1. If prayer is so important, why don't we do it more often?
  2. Should we do all the different kinds of prayer? Is there one kind of prayer that is better than the others?
  3. If we are struggling in our prayer life, who can we talk to? How open should we be about our prayer life?

FASTING - 10 Minutes

Fasting is one of the strongest spiritual training tools that the Lord offers us in helping to make our spirits strong. We practice self discipline in little things like which foods we eat, what shows we watch, what we say. Although these seem like small things, they help us to develop that self discipline in the big things as well.

Quotes on Fasting:

  • "Fasting was devised in order to humble the body" (St Timothy 381 AD)
  • "Fasting in respect of food is of no benefit for those who fail to fast with all their senses; for whosoever is successfully waging his battle must be temperate in all things." (St. Isidore)
  • "It is possible for one who fasts not to be rewarded for his fasting. How? when indeed we abstain from foods, but do not abstain from iniquities - when we do not eat meat, but gnaw to pieces the homes of the poor - when we do not become drunkards with wine, but we become drunkards with evil pleasures; when we abstain all the day, but all the night we spend in unchastened shows. Then what is the benefit of abstention from foods, when on the one hand you deprive your body of a selected food, but on the other offer yourself unlawful food?" (St. John Chrysostom)

Fasting is not a new development, but was practiced by Christ and in the early church:

  • And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?" So He said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting." Mark 9:28-29
  • So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. Acts 14:23

Discussion

  1. Why do you believe it to be important to fast? What benefits do you think come from fasting?
  2. What are some challenges of fasting in America? What can we do about these?
  3. If we feel we need to break our fast or modify our fast, is this appropriate? Who should we ask? Should we ever decide these things on our own?

ACTIVITY - 5 Minutes

  • Have each child meet with their father of confession to establish their boundaries and goals for fasting throughout the year.
  • Have the children write down a list of goals that they want to achieve by the end of a fast. This will serve as a reminder that fasting is not only abstaining from food, but also adding to prayer, virtue, knowledge, and deepening their relationship with God.

RESOURCES