Do you like birds? Do you ever wonder how they find food to survive the winter? Or how they can fly thousands of miles to get to their summer homes? Or what they are doing when it’s raining or windy or snowing or very cold or hot?

In today’s Gospel reading, Christ tells us, “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” The birds don’t worry about the things people worry about! They don’t store up food or worry about next year’s meals!

If you love to watch birds, you know how much you want to take care of them. Maybe you put out bird seed or a bird bath for them. You’d never hurt them! God provides for us too. He loves us more than He loves the birds, so He will take care of us even more! God gives us this special passage in the Gospel reading today to comfort us. He wants us to know He will provide for us. He doesn’t want us to worry, but He wants us to trust in Him!

Printable: This Week’s Children’s Word

ST. EUPHEMIA AND ST. PAISIOS: A HOLY FRIENDSHIP

Have you ever wanted to do time travel? Maybe you wanted to meet somebody from long, long ago! Of course, time travel is just a fantasy, but this week we remember two saints who lived many years apart. But God brought them together to meet each other!

Saint Paisios knew that the saints are still alive in Christ, so he prayed to her. He asked Saint Euphemia for help. And once, when he was praying, he actually saw this special saint! He wanted to make sure that she was a real saint who loved God, so they prayed together, and they talked. These two saints lived many years apart, but they had a holy friendship, and they really knew each other!

And another connection? Saint Paisios died just one day after Saint Euphemia’s feastday. That’s why we celebrate the two feastdays one after another (today and tomorrow). Isn’t it amazing that God can bring people together? —here on earth and in heaven! We remember St. Euphemia on July 11th and St. Paisios on the 12th (OC: July 24 and 25)


avatar

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.

0 Comments

Leave a Reply

Avatar placeholder