If you had a choice, would you choose to be a prince, or would you choose to be close to God? Would you choose to have lots of riches, or would you choose to do what God wanted from you?

Did you know that Moses had that choice? Do you remember how the Pharaoh’s daughter found baby Moses in a basket, and she took care of him? If he had wanted to, Moses could have been a prince!

But the epistle reading today tells us, “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God.” Moses was faithful to God, and he knew that God wanted his help. God wanted Moses to be close to Him, and God wanted Moses to help His people. The Bible tells us that Moses gave up being a prince so that he could be close to God.

Today, on this great Sunday of Orthodoxy, our Church reminds us to always choose to be close to God first. Lots and lots of saints gave up lots of things, just so they could be close to God, so they could do what God wanted them to do, and so they could have the reward that God wanted to give them—joy and peace and life with Him!

SAINT PATRICK: ENLIGHTENER TO IRELAND

Today, at the end of Liturgy, you will hear your priest read some special words. He says, “This is the Faith of the Apostles. This is the Faith of the Fathers. This is the Faith of the Orthodox. This is the Faith which has established the Universe.”

But what is this faith, and why did so many saints risk their lives to tell people about it? Our faith is our love for God, and our faith is how we have learned to worship from Christians who came before us!

One of these Christians was Saint Patrick, a bishop of Ireland. He is a saint we remember today. When St. Patrick was little, he was not a Christian. He was born in about the year 373 in Britain. He wrote about his life, and he wrote that when he was 16 years old, he was kidnapped and brought to the island of Ireland. Well, he escaped, and he went back home to Britain. But when he got home, he somehow knew that God wanted him to be back in Ireland!

Sooner or later, he became a Christian, and he left for Ireland. He knew that he wanted to follow Saint Paul’s example and tell the world about our Lord, Jesus Christ, and what He has done for us! Saint Patrick became a bishop and he worked his whole life to do just that. Today, let’s celebrate the right way and thank Saint Patrick for his good work!

We celebrate St. Patrick today, Sunday, Mar. 17th (March 30th, OC).

Click here to download your free copy of The Children’s Word.

Welcome to “The Children’s Word,” a weekly ministry of the Orthodox Christian Network. Each week, Presvytera Alexandra Houck writes this little newsletter for young parishioners! You will find age-appropriate articles, stories, and activities in every edition. The newsletter is provided in PDF format so that you can easily download and print it, and share it with your parish, church school, homeschool, family, and friends.

Each issue includes a message on the Sunday Gospel lesson and on one of the saints for the week. You’ll also find a coloring page and other activities. It is designed for a 8.5 x 14 page, so it can be printed and folded.

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Presvytera Alexandra Houck

Presvytera Alexandra Houck created The Children's Word bulletin so children will know they are not only welcome in church, but even more, an essential part of the Church family. She hopes the weekly bulletin will be just one more way we can make kids feel at home in church. Presvytera Alexandra is a graduate of Duke University and Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. Her husband, Fr. Jason Houck, is a priest at St. Mary's Greek Orthodox Church in Minneapolis, MN. Presvytera Alexandra and Fr. Jason have five small children: Lydia, Paul, Silas, Philip, and Sarah. Presvytera Alexandra grew up attending Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Asheville, North Carolina with her nine siblings.

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