01 - Nairouz

Lesson No. ( 1 )
Nairouz

ST. Mina the Miracle Maker

References
Synaxarium Hator 15.

 

Notes for Servants
- In this blessed occasion we remember our fathers the martyrs, how they loved death and offer
themselves sacrifice for whom they loved.
- They had faith in their hearts in the Resurrection and the eternal life so they had courage to face
death that astonished the unbelievers, which cause many of them to believes in Christ.
- As we light candles for them, as we read their stories and hear about their miracles withlove and
admiration we should try to live their lives and to follow their footsteps.

 

Objectives
General: Standing firm in faith till death.
Specific:
The children will be able to:
A. conclude the reason that we honouring the saints.
B. tell what should they do to be like them.
C. Develop the sincerity attitude in declaring faith.

 

Bible Verse

"For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."
Philippians 1:21

Teaching Aids
A picture ofSt. Mina should be set in the class and candles should be fixed before the picture. At
the end of the lesson, the boys and girls carry the picture and make a small procession and say,
"Axios, Axios, Axios, Ava Mina inta ni vaiat" i.e. Worthy, Worthy, Worthy St. Mina.

 

Introduction
(1) Review last week's lesson.
(2) Who remembers the verse?
(3) Remind the children about the church occasions for the coming week.

 

Story Time

Long time ago, there was an old man named Odexius ruled over a great city. He was a kind man,
full of faith, and very rich, but he had no children. So. every day he used to lift his eyestoward the heaven
and pray that God may give him a child. His wife Ofomia also used to pray warmly and with a stricken
heart. One day she prayed in front of a picture of the Virgin Mary whom she loved so much and said : "Oh,
Mother of Saints who is full of kindness, if a child is born unto me I will offer him to the Lord. I will not keep him to myself." Suddenly she heard a sound coming out ofthe picture saying "Amen." And she was
certain that Virgin Mary will answer her prayer.

After some time Virgin Mary sent her a gift, truly she sent it to all of us through Odexius and his
Ofomia. Odexius and Ofomia have a baby, they named him Mina. He used to sleep in there midst like an
angel, his tiny mouth was as sweet as the honeydew, his face and eyes glittered with light. The little child
Mina was like a rose planted in the Church, the house of Christ. Fromhis mouthcame the sweetsmell of
prayers and praises to fill the whole place. He would enter the Church humbly with eyes lowered to the
floor, because he knew that the Church is the house of God. There he learned and served and partakes
of the holy communion, and there he wanted to stay forever. The boyMina was fed by the words of our
Lord. He read the Bible with great joy and he tasted the sweetness of every word he read. The words
filled him with wisdom and were the light which gave him direction. He read them with respect, and
kneeling down, he would pray and pray late into the night.

When Mina became a young mane he joined the Army. He was a brave soldier and a hero. And
the blessings ofChrist wasshininguponhim. He was very active, had a strong will, and always succeeded
in everything he did. He was honest inhis work. He defended his country. He was loved by all because
he loved to help everyone. As Mina was a different soldier. He was shining like a star among his fellow
soldiers. He never mocked or laughed at others astheydid, he would tell those who did about our Lord
and commandmentsto us. They all loved and respected him. He entered their hearts and they entered his.
That was because his eyes were simple, his touch was kind, and his words were comforting. Mina loved
Christ so much that he would give up everything in the world for him. So he left the Army and the world,
giving all his money and everything he had to the poor. He went to the wilderness and there he started a
heavenly life. The place was so quiet and Mina prayed, recited hymns, and read in the Bible, and nothing
could stopped him.

One day while Mina was kneeling down praying, he saw three crowns in the sky and he heard an
angel saying : " If you speak about Jesus Christ when you go back to town, you will prove your love of
Christ and you will receive these crowns. When Mina heard these words he returned to town quickly and
with a loud voice he bravely raised his hand and he said to the King, to the Soldiers and to the crowd : "I
ama Christian, myhome isinheaven not here." The King became veryangryand ordered his mento beat
Mina and throw him into the fire. "Scare him and make him change his faith," he shouted. The soldiers
inflicted severe pain on Mina. They tried money with him and tried to talk him out of his faith. But they
were not successful because he had Jesus Christ inside him. His heart leaped with joy when the soldiers
decided to kill him. In a moment his body rose to heaven, above the clouds. The angels dressed him all
in white. They put three crowns upon his head, each crown more beautiful and splendid then the other.
How lucky he is! With his wide, beautiful eyes he sees Christ all the time.

 

Discussion
1 - Follow up the story by talking about it with the children.
2 - Continue the discussion while the do the activity.
Learning Activities
Activity Sheet.