Can you think of somebody you really trust? When you trust somebody you’ve heard what he or she has said in the past. You believe him, because what he said was true!

In today’s Gospel reading, we hear about a time Jesus was with His disciples, walking to Jerusalem. As they were walking, Jesus “began to tell
them what was going to happen to him, saying, ‘Behold we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death,…and they will mock him, and spit upon him, and scourge him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise.’”

Jesus was telling His disciples what was going to happen to Him.

Starting next week, with Holy Week, we will hear about all these things that really happened to our Lord. We will hear how Jesus was condemned to
death, about how they made fun of Him, how they beat Him, and killed Him. Then on Pascha (Easter), we will hear about how He rose from the dead!

Our Lord Jesus Christ knew that all these things were going to happen to Him. We trust His words when we read the Bible, because we know that He
told the truth then. We can read His words in the Gospels, and we can trust
that they are true!

EVEN SAINTS CAN MAKE MISTAKES: ST. MARY OF EGYPT

Did you know that even saints can make mistakes? Today we remember a very special saint who made A LOT of mistakes.

When Saint Mary of Egypt was a young woman, she did not even try to be a good person. She had many, many sins and didn’t even care. But one day, she tried to go into a holy church in Jerusalem, and she felt a
force that would not let her go in! She couldn’t see anybody pushing her out, but as hard as she tried, she still could not enter the church.

St. Mary then knew that she had to change her life. She left Jerusalem
to live in the desert, where she lived for 48 years! She spent her time
there praying and asking God to forgive her. Finally, before she died,
she received Holy Communion from a priest who found her in the desert.

Sometimes, when we think of the saints, we might think they were
born perfect and were perfect all their lives! But then we know that
only Christ lived a perfect life! Today, let’s all remember that nobody
is perfect. But God still wants us to try to be perfect, like He is! St.
Mary of Egypt is a great example of somebody who changed her life
so she could follow Christ.

We celebrate St. Mary today, the fifth Sunday of Lent.

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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