By: George Kiraz

No dragon!

Today is the feast of St. George (in the Syriac Orthodox churches of the former Maphrianate of the East, April 24).

Syriac preserves the oldest (almost) complete text in a manuscript from around 600. And there is no dragon.

Simply, the king who is persecuting George is called in the story ܚܶܘܝܐ ܓܳܪܣܐ /ḥewyo gorso/, a snake that fatally kills. Satan, for example, is the "great gorso" in Syriac literature. Early Syriac iconography depicts a large snake rather than a dragon.

It is only around the 11th century where the story of a dragon appears (in Georgian, if one is to believe Wikipedia). The crusades took the story to Europe and the dragon becomes bigger and bigger.

When I arrived in Oxford in 1990, the £20 note had St. George and shortly after the note changed (so I kept one or two as a souvenir).

Symbolism

2026-03-06T02:00:55Z

Admin: /* Videos */

Explaining the symbolism that we see throughout the Church with emphasis that everything is an expression of our worship to God. Include in the lessons explanations of the sacred artifacts used in Liturgy, iconography, Church architecture, numbers, Sacramental ornaments (e.g., minh), Liturgical rubrics (e.g., memorial prayers), & gestures during Liturgy.

==Teacher Training and Resources==
* Share your resources! Please email [mailto:resources@talmido.org resources@talmido.org]

==Reference Materials==
''A reference is a referral to another's text or information and can refer to written sources (books, reports, articles), videos, Internet sites, images, etc. It can also refer to personal communication in the form of letters, e-mails or interviews. A reference is synonymous with a literary citation or citing a source.''

''The following materials are offered as sources for information and ideas but please remember to properly give credit if material is used in your writing! If you forget to use references, or your references are incomplete, your work can seem like an empty postulation or create suspicions of plagiarism.''

===Articles===
* Share your resources! Please email [mailto:resources@talmido.org resources@talmido.org]

===Videos===
* [https://youtu.be/Scns5Sq3pQc?si=Rjga-XLNjOwZs5i4 Christian Imagination], sermon by Dr. Annah Kuriakose (Saints Basilios-Gregorios Orthodox Church) - September 7, 2025
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEtjj7MoYYU Parts of Indian Orthodox Church & Equipment Used], OSSAE

===Podcasts===
* Share your resources! Please email [mailto:resources@talmido.org resources@talmido.org]

==Scripture==
''In order to help our children grow in the Orthodox Faith in North America, a decision was made to standardize all materials to the [https://smile.amazon.com/dp/0718003594/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_VBWSSEXESG00134293GH?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 Orthodox Study Bible] (DSWA Kalpana DSWA/C/016/2010, October 28, 2010). Please continue to pray and support the development of a fully approved translation based on the Peshitta, and our textbooks will educate on the various translations and historic development of Scripture.''

* Share your resources! Please email [mailto:resources@talmido.org resources@talmido.org]

==Liturgical Resources==
''The Ministry of Liturgical Resource Development (LRD) was created in July of 2015 (DSWA Kalpana DSWA/C/10/2015, July 24,2015) to promote the translation, versification, and publication of vital English liturgical resources. Today most of our Sacramental offices are available and the "Service Book of the Holy Qurbono" and "Shehimo: Book of Common Prayer" are available in print. Wherever possible references will be made using LRD resources given the easy access to these materials to the faithful in North America.''

===Holy Qurbono===
* Share your resources! Please email [mailto:resources@talmido.org resources@talmido.org]

===Other Hymns===
* Share your resources! Please email [mailto:resources@talmido.org resources@talmido.org]

===Other Prayers===
* Share your resources! Please email [mailto:resources@talmido.org resources@talmido.org]

===Promion and Sedro===
* Share your resources! Please email [mailto:resources@talmido.org resources@talmido.org]

==Quotes==
===Patristic Quotes===
* Share your resources! Please email [mailto:resources@talmido.org resources@talmido.org]

===Other Quotes===
* "For it is the very nature of symbol that it reveals and communicates the ‘other’ as precisely the ‘other,’ the visibility of the invisible as invisible, the knowledge of the unknowable as unknowable, the presence of the future as future. The symbol is means of knowledge of that which cannot be known otherwise, for knowledge here depends on participation—the living encounter with and entrance into that ‘epiphany’ of reality which the symbol is. But then theology is not only related to the ‘mysterion’ but has in it its source the condition of its very possibility…The ‘original sin’ of post-patristic theology consists…in the reduction of the concept of knowledge to rational or discursive knowledge or, in other terms, in the separation of knowledge from ‘mysterion.’" - Fr. Alexander Schmemann
* "Symbolism is not metaphor. It's not just a saying 'this means that.' It's how meaning appears in the world; how the invisible is joined to the visible." - Jonathan Pageau

==Syriac and Greek Words==
* Share your resources! Please email [mailto:resources@talmido.org resources@talmido.org]

==Icons==
''These icons are either approved for publication or the Curriculum Committee is in the process of gaining approval. If you do not see the icon you'd like to use for your writing, please submit the image to the Committee so that we can do the necessary follow-up.''

* Share your resources! Please email [mailto:resources@talmido.org resources@talmido.org]

The Joy in Worship

2026-03-06T01:49:04Z

Admin: Created page with "===The Joy in Worship=== '''''by: Mathew Samuel''''' Respected Fr. Bijesh Philip, former Principal of our Seminary in Nagpur, India, once used the example of a honeybee to ma..."

===The Joy in Worship===
'''''by: Mathew Samuel'''''

Respected Fr. Bijesh Philip, former Principal of our Seminary in Nagpur, India, once used the example of a honeybee to make a great point about worship. The honey bee flaps its wings vigorously and continuously as it flies, making a buzzing sound as it hastily zigs and zags in its path, looking fervently, searching impatiently - for a flower. When it finally finds the flower something very beautiful happens: Descending on the flower, the busy bee is suddenly at complete rest, not a sound is heard from it – it is calm and silent – as it draws nectar from the flower. It is in a state of tranquility, at perfect peace with itself, it is in a '''state of joy''' as it rests on the flower, renewing itself and energizing itself. Once thus refreshed and energized, and having taken its rest in the bosom of the flower, the bee once again resumes its busy life in the air. Citing this example, Bijesh achen remarked “This must become our experience on Sunday when we come to Church for worship”.

In our life, we are busy with so many things. Our schedules are packed with acitivites from school, from work, and elsewhere. We often do not find the time to organize ourselves as we run restlessly hither and tither during the week. Between our homework, our extra classes, between our deadlines, meetings and appointments - we hardly find time to think about anything else during the week – we hastily go through life, zig zagging through life, much like the honey bee.

And then on Sunday, we come to Church hoping to find rest in the Lord, hoping to find joy, like the honey bee does. Sunday is our Sabbath, supposedly our day of rest, when we put aside other things and head to Church for worship. But are we able to take rest in the Church on Sunday?

Sadly, our answer is usually - No!! '''Why?''' We have managed to fill our Church life on Sundays with so many activities that it is easy for us to forget the main purpose of why we are in Church. We have food, small talk, Sunday School, different meetings, and so many other seemingly important tasks all stuffed into the limited time we are in Church: Perunnal is coming up. Christmas carols need to be practiced. Picnic needs to be planned, a committee meeting needs to be organized, and so many other activities! We are so caught up with different kinds of preparations for all of these that at times we find ourselves just running through Divine Liturgy mechanically and mindlessly.

Does the Liturgy seem to you like a necessary hassle that needs to be done with to get to the main part of the day?

A new couple has come to the Church for the first time. Hardly anyone notices. No one spares a moment to reach out to them, to meet them, introduce themselves to them or welcome them.

We are often so caught up in the short-term activities that we lose sight of the long-term vision; we lose sight of our purpose.

Then, we are so tired by the time we reach home. Unsurprisingly then, we often end up wondering - where is the rest? Where is the joy? '''''So unlike the bee!'''''

If this is your experience in Church, then you need to take a deep breath and say to yourself – '''this ought not to be so!'''

Our worship is intended to be at the '''''center''''' of our Church life. The Lord teaches the first of the 2 greatest commandments: ‘you shall love your Lord your God '''with all your heart''', all your mind and all your soul’ (St. Matthew 22:37) We are asked to love God first and foremost – with all our heart. ''Loving God in your entire being is worship.''

The love of God dawns in us with the realization that He loved us first. The love of God dawns in us when we begin to comprehend the love on the Cross. The love of God dawns in us when we begin to understand His sacrifice for our salvation.

In biblical usage, the heart is the center of a person’s being1. The heart of a parish then should be totally given to God. It exists to praise, bless and adore God, to ceaselessly glorify Him. And when we give priority to worship over everything else in Church, when the worship truly becomes the center - as the heart is, we then (and only then) find rest and joy. '''''Like the bee!'''''

All the rest of the activities in Church, while having their own importance, should be structured around the true and complete focus first and foremost on the worship. We may need to realign our priorities for this to happen. This change will not be easy, with all the distractions, and the weight of habit, in and around us. But if our efforts are genuine, and with divine guidance, slowly but surely, we will be able to get ourselves oriented for worship. Then we will be able to say like the prophet Nehemiah – '''“The joy of the Lord is your strength”(8:10)''' and we will truly begin to enjoy our time worshipping Him. Then we will experience the tranquility, the peace and the joy experienced by the bee as it rests on the flower. Our Sabbath then will truly become our day of rest – in the Lord! Glory to God for all things!

'''Reference:''' 1 - The Orthodox Parish in North America – Very Rev. Thomas Hopko

'''Review Questions:'''
# What do you mean by loving God with ‘all your heart’?
# The Divine Liturgy is the most important reason for coming to Church – Explain.
# What lesson can we learn about life and worship from the honey bee?

Worship as our Response

2026-03-06T01:42:46Z

Admin: Created page with "===Worship as our Response=== '''''by: Mathew Samuel''''' '''Worship''' of God has different aspects in it. Adoration of God, confession of our sins, intercession, meditation..."

===Worship as our Response===
'''''by: Mathew Samuel'''''

'''Worship''' of God has different aspects in it. Adoration of God, confession of our sins, intercession, meditation, submission etc., are important elements of worship. The Holy Eucharist (Divine Liturgy\Holy Qurbana) is our primary form of worship. We often have heard that the Holy Qurbana is a Sacrament [Latin] or Koodasha [Malayalam]. By ‘Sacrament’ we mean, a way to receive (the mysterious) grace from God. This is indeed true. All Sacraments are understood as visible acts involving human beings to experience the invisible grace of God.

'''As a response:''' At the same time, the Holy Eucharist is also a response: The Holy Eucharist is, in its essence, us giving back to God - for His love for us. God created us out of love. He then redeemed us when we fell into sin, out of love. In the Holy Eucharist, we respond to that amazing love. “We love, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). According to Metropolitan Dr. Paulos Mar Gregorios of blessed memory, world renowned theologian and thinker “The Eucharist is fundamentally a response of love and gratitude, not a means of getting something free called grace from God.” 1
We receive a multitude of blessings as a result of the Holy Eucharist, but if we participate in it focusing only on what we get out of it, “we miss more than half the point”1 It is essentially not about what we receive, but about what we give – what we bring to offer - in response to God’s love. It is possibly the most meaningful way we can respond to God’s love.

'''A response in totality:''' As a response then, the Divine Liturgy is not just expressing thanks through words. It is not just some ritual performed by the priest. It involves everyone, using the entirety of all our senses, each of us in our entire being – body, mind and soul – completely surrendering ourselves and offering ourselves to the Lord, in love. It is thus aptly called by Mar Gregorios as “An Act of Love”. Agape or the highest form of love is inseparable from the experience
of the Holy Eucharist.

'''A representative response:''' We are never alone in this act of response. The Holy Eucharist is an action of the entire community of believers. It includes not only everyone gathered on the day in the Church, but also those who could not. Those present represent those who are not. Also present is the whole Church including the departed and the saints, and also those yet to come. At the same time, the Church represents the entire humanity and the entire created order before the Holy Throne. The entire creation is indebted to the Creator. The bread and wine we use is gathered from the creation. It is on behalf of the entire Creation that we stand in the presence of God, fulfilling our priestly role of representing all before God in the Eucharist, to respond to God’s love.

'''The perfect response:''' While it is a response, the Holy Eucharist is not something accomplished by man alone. If it was brought about by man alone, it would have had its imperfections. However, the Second person of the Holy Trinity, by virtue of His Incarnation has identified Himself with man forever. He has assumed our nature and has become a part of us in order to redeem us. It is He who offers the Holy Eucharist, using the hands of the priest. Thus Christ Himself is the offeror and the offered at the same time. The offering is made to God the Father while the Holy Spirit sanctifies, completes and fulfills the Sacrament, transforming it into the perfect Body and Blood of the Christ. “The Eucharist is thus an act of and in the Holy Trinity, into which we are caught up by grace.”1 The presence of God Himself as the celebrant, the offering, the receiver and the sanctifier all at the same time, through the participation of the Church, makes the mystery of the Eucharist the perfect response to God’s love. The free-will given to us is a gift of God as part of the image of God in us. In the Holy Eucharist, we use our free will to give back love to our Lord in a perfect worship.

The Psalmist finds joy in the Lord making Him go to the Lord by His own free will (Psalm 43:4). To Him we also go, in order to give thanks and offer ourselves to Him, presenting ourselves as “living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God” (Romans 12:1) - in a perfect and total response to His love – the Holy Eucharist.

'''Reference:''' 1 - The Eucharist – An Act of Love – Metropolitan Dr. Paulos Mar Gregorios.

'''Review Questions:'''
# List some of the elements of worship.
# Why is worship a ‘perfect’ response to God’s love?
# How does the Son become the offeror and the offered at the same time in the Holy Eucharist?

'''Exercise:''' Can you discuss and list a few ways in which we can make our response to the love of God better in our Church?

Freedom in Worship

2026-03-06T01:40:23Z

Admin: Created page with "===Freedom in Worship=== '''''by: Mathew Samuel''''' '''Freedom:''' “I will go to the altar of God, To God my exceeding joy “– says the Psalmist (Psalm 43:4). Note the..."

===Freedom in Worship===
'''''by: Mathew Samuel'''''

'''Freedom:''' “I will go to the altar of God, To God my exceeding joy “– says the Psalmist (Psalm 43:4). Note the words - I will go to my Lord, as opposed to - I have to, or I am constrained to or I will be forced to - go to the altar of God – the verse is as much an expression of our free will as it is an expression of our joy. And what do we do when we “go to the altar of God”? We adore Him. We worship Him. Worship is the expression of our freedom.

Rev. Fr. (Dr.) Baby Varghese, an outstanding scholar in liturgical studies, says that it is through prayer that we truly understand the meaning of freedom. 1“True Freedom is freedom from evil. Prayer leads us to true freedom, which is freedom from evil”. Thus when we pray, when we are in the presence of God - we find freedom. On the other hand, when we wander far away from the presence of God, from acknowledging His sovereignty over us, from worshipping Him - we find ourselves in slavery – to sin. Then as the Scripture points out, we experience the “hardening of hearts” like in the case of the Pharaoh. “The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh” (Exodus 9:12). St. Gregory of Nyssa explains that it is not God who is the cause of the hardening of the heart in us; rather it is our own refusal to repent and turn to God that causes this. Blaming God for our refusal to repent is like someone who has not seen the sun blaming the sun for the darkness causing him to fall into the ditch2 - says St. Gregory. By our choice, by our free will, we move away from God; but that journey leads us away from freedom and into bondage of sin. Thus worship makes us free, while lack of it binds us into sin, enslaves us in evil passions, makes us unrepentant and hardens our heart. When we surrender ourselves before God in worship, we experience freedom. The surrender actually leads to freedom – one of the many paradoxes of Christian living!

'''Born to worship:''' Baby Varghese achen further teaches that worship is our primary vocation. This means that while we may have the ambition to grow up to be an engineer or doctor or lawyer or business person or whatever else may give us a good life – none of that will be what we are most suited for. The things that we feel we are naturally drawn to do -- like being a singer, painter, musician, orator, motivator or whatever else we do well –those are still not what we are naturally created for. Our charity works, our good deeds -- all these, however important they are in our life - are not what we are primarily "called" to do. Rather, as achen rightly points out, primarily our vocation as human beings, as the crown of creation - men, women, old, young, rich, poor, everyone - as the only created ones in the “image of God" - as the representative of all creation, is to worship the Creator. No wonder then that we as a Church are called a "Eucharistic" society and the Holy Qurbana is at the center of our Church life (which is supposed to be at the center of our secular life). These other vocations we engage in throughout our life, however important and critical they might be for our daily sustenance in this fallen world, we ought not to forget our primary vocation to adore and worship the Lord.
So, since we are created to worship God, since that is our primary calling, worship comes most naturally to us. In worship alone do we find complete freedom. Everything else we do does not compare to our experience in worship.

'''Realign our priorities:''' Worship is not worship if it is forced on us. Worship should come out of our free will. But sometimes we just feel too burdened to go to Church. When this happens, we must recognize that something is wrong. It might be a cue for us to reexamine our priorities. Maybe we are focusing on the wrong things in Church? Probably this happens when we do not have the right attitude towards worship, when we do not recognize or are not aware that this is what we are fundamentally made for – like the angels and the spiritual beings, along with the saints and departed ones, together representing the rest of creation - to worship God. Once we begin to orient our body, mind and soul in this truth, then we also, like the Psalmist will be able to cry out “I will go to the altar of God” because in Him is ultimate freedom and for this purpose (of worship) I am fearfully and wonderfully made.3

'''Reference:'''
# Abba Father – Divyabodhanam P.O.C.E., Fr. (Dr.) Baby Varghese
# Life Of Moses – St. Gregory of Nyssa
# Psalm 139:14 (NKJV)

'''Review Questions:'''
# True freedom is freedom from evil – Explain.
# Why is worship important?
# Why does ‘hardening of heart’ happen in us?

'''Exercise:''' Have you ever felt constrained or burdened at the thought of coming to Church?

If so, list 3 reasons why you think this happened. List 3 changes we can make to remedy this.

If not, list 3 reasons why you think you are always keen to come to Church.

Holy Qurbana

2026-03-06T01:34:44Z

Admin: /* Articles */

Meaning of Holy Qurbana, symbolism and meaning behind the items used (holy altar, holy cross, candles, kasa, peelassa, marbahasa, dhupakutti, holy vestments etc.), the parts of HQ and what they symbolize (Ex- in the beginning of the service the deacon who holds the candle in front of the priest is symbolic of John the Baptist paving the way), Thooyobo; Liturgy of the Word; Liturgy of the Upper Room; Procession of the Holy Elements and Expression of Thankfulness, Post Communion; Preparation for Holy Qurbana for the faithful and Participation of the living and the departed

==Teacher Training and Resources==
* [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_sSupiv9X-oghiLJHZOl4S7CBvV2hPXz/view?usp=sharing Structure of the Holy Qurbana], Basali Mathew (Talmeedo 2020 Presentation)

==Reference Materials==
''A reference is a referral to another's text or information and can refer to written sources (books, reports, articles), videos, Internet sites, images, etc. It can also refer to personal communication in the form of letters, e-mails or interviews. A reference is synonymous with a literary citation or citing a source.''

''The following materials are offered as sources for information and ideas but please remember to properly give credit if material is used in your writing! If you forget to use references, or your references are incomplete, your work can seem like an empty postulation or create suspicions of plagiarism.''

===Articles===
# [[Malankara Orthodox Liturgy]], by Fr. Baby Varghese (MOSC website)
# [[Eucharist, The Act of Love]], by H.G. Paulos Mar Gregorios
# [https://www.schmemann.org/byhim/theologyandeucharist.html Theology and Eucharist], Fr. Alexander Schmemann
# [https://mosc.in/the_church/liturgy/holy-qurbana Holy Qurbana], MOSC
# [[Reflection on Isaiah 6]]
# [[Freedom in Worship]], Mathew Samuel (St. Paul's Indian Orthodox Church, Albany NY)
# [[Worship as our Response]], Mathew Samuel (St. Paul's Indian Orthodox Church, Albany NY)
# [[The Joy in Worship]], Mathew Samuel (St. Paul's Indian Orthodox Church, Albany NY)

===Videos===
# [https://youtu.be/utMP5z4_SeI Holy Things for the Holy & Pure (Part I): The Preparatory Service], NEAD
# [https://youtu.be/X44ukRdNCLc Holy Things for the Holy & Pure (Part II): The Liturgy of the Word], NEAD
# [https://youtu.be/A_b1zUBsBDQ Holy Things for the Holy & Pure (Part III): Liturgy of the Faithful], NEAD

===Podcasts===
* Share your resources! Please email [mailto:resources@talmido.org resources@talmido.org]

===Book Excerpts===
# [[Eucharistic Renewal]] (from "The Eucharist: Sacrament of the Kingdom Paperback" by Fr. Alexander Schmemann)
# [[St. Ephrem's Hymns#Holy Qurbana|St. Ephrem's Hymns]]

===Other Resources===
# [https://drive.google.com/file/d/13aXRvqVxqCny-dD6lx09tFQ3YwDiV5n1/view?usp=sharing Orthodox Resource Guide], Fr. Abey George (pages 80-90)
# [https://drive.google.com/file/d/196dxVdkDqzk1KN6DQK23sZxwMkF4eLGS/view?usp=sharing A Devotional Study of the Holy Qurbana], HG Mathews Mar Barnabas
# [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1I1O_S6m9cUWnhf0Tdkg9WuwVKQQqmiRu/view?usp=sharing In Spirit, In Truth], A Study of Orthodox Worship by Fr. Baby Varghese
# [https://indianorthodoxireland.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Holy_Qurbana_Notes.pdf Notes on Holy Qurbana], By Rembachen Lazarus (shared with the St. Mary's Orthodox congregation, Calgary)

==Scripture==
''In order to help our children grow in the Orthodox Faith in North America, a decision was made to standardize all materials to the [https://smile.amazon.com/dp/0718003594/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_VBWSSEXESG00134293GH?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 Orthodox Study Bible] (DSWA Kalpana DSWA/C/016/2010, October 28, 2010). Please continue to pray and support the development of a fully approved translation based on the Peshitta, and our textbooks will educate on the various translations and historic development of Scripture.''

* [John 6:53-58] <blockquote>Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed,a and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”</blockquote>

==Liturgical Resources==
''The Ministry of Liturgical Resource Development (LRD) was created in July of 2015 (DSWA Kalpana DSWA/C/10/2015, July 24,2015) to promote the translation, versification, and publication of vital English liturgical resources. Today most of our Sacramental offices are available and the "Service Book of the Holy Qurbono" and "Shehimo: Book of Common Prayer" are available in print. Wherever possible references will be made using LRD resources given the easy access to these materials to the faithful in North America.''

===Holy Qurbono===
* Share your resources! Please email [mailto:resources@talmido.org resources@talmido.org]

===Other Hymns===
* Share your resources! Please email [mailto:resources@talmido.org resources@talmido.org]

===Other Prayers===
* Share your resources! Please email [mailto:resources@talmido.org resources@talmido.org]

===Promion and Sedro===
* '''''Great Friday - Morning Prayer Etro'''''
:: Christ our God, we offer this fragrant incense to You and entreat Your loving kindness to make us worthy that with purity, we may celebrate the feast of the conclusion of the Old (Covenant) and the beginning of the New, and Your Holy Body and Your Innocent Blood be mixed with our souls, and it may be for the remission of all our transgressions, and for the rest of our faithful departed. We and they will offer You glory and praise and to Your Father."
* '''''Prayer done during the Fraction by St. Dionysius Bar Salibi'''''
:: Thus truly the Word of God did suffer in flesh, and was sacrificed and broken on the Cross, and His soul separated from His Body, while His Godhead never separated neither from His Soul nor from His Body. And He was pieced in His side with a spear, and there flowed out of Him blood and water, the atonement of the whole world. And his Body was stained with them. And for the sin of the whole world, the Son died on the Cross, and His Soul came and united with His Body. And He turned us from the work of the left to that of the right. And by the Blood of His Person, He reconciled, united and combined the heavenly with the earthly, the people with the gentiles and the Soul with the Body. And on the third day, He rose from the tomb. One is Emmanuel, and cannot be divided into two natures after the indivisible unity. Thus we believe and thus we confess and thus we confirm that this Flesh is of this Blood and that this Blood is of this Flesh.

==Quotes==
===Patristic Quotes===
* [St. Philoxenus] "I carry you, living God, who is incarnate in the bread, and I embrace you in my palms, Lord of the worlds whom no world has contained."
* [St. Ignatius of Antioch] "the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, the flesh which suffered for our sins and which the Father in His graciousness raised from the dead."
* [St. Justin Martyr] "For we do not receive these things as common bread or common drink; but as Jesus Christ our Savior being incarnate by God's Word took flesh and blood for our salvation, so also we have been taught that the food consecrated by the Word of prayer which comes from him, from which our flesh and blood are nourished by transformation, is the flesh and blood of that Incarnate Jesus."
* [St. Irenaeus of Lyons] ".. the mixed cup and manufactured bread receive the Word of God and become the Eucharist, that is to say, Blood and Body of Christ, which fortify and build up the substance of our flesh ... When the bread from the earth receives the invocation of God, it is no longer common bread but Eucharist, having both an earthly and heavenly reality ... the bread and wine are the Body of the Lord and the cup of His Blood."
* [St. Basil the Great] "The Lord clearly says, 'The man who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life.' Who then can doubt that to partake of this Life continually is really to have life in abundance?"
* [St. Cyril of Jerusalem] "Without the Lord's flesh, it is impossible to live ... Let us share in the Body and Blood of Christ with complete conviction. The Body is given to you in the likeness of bread and the Blood is given in the likeness of wine, so that by sharing in the Body and Blood of Christ you may become one body and one blood with Christ."
* [St. Ambrose of Milan] "Let you understand, therefore, that as often as the Sacrifice is offered, the death, Resurrection, and Ascension of our Lord is signified, and likewise the forgiveness of sins, and that this Bread which you receive is the Bread of eternal life, not daily bread."
* [St. Cyril of Alexander] "Chris said indicating, 'This is My Body' and 'This is My Blood,' in order that you might not judge what you see to be a mere figure. The offerings by the hidden power of God Almighty, are changed into Christ's Body and Blood, and by receiving these we come to share in the life-giving and sanctifying efficacy of Christ."
* [St. Philoxenos of Mabbug] "Make me worthy, Lord, to eat you in a holy manner and to taste the food of Your Body as a taste of Your Life."
* [St. Severus of Antioch] "... it is Christ who still even now offers, and the power of his Divine Words perfects the things that they are provided so that they may become His Body and Blood"
* [St. Severus of Antioch] ".. Christ completes it through the words uttered by the offerer and changes the bread into flesh and cup into blood by the power, inspiration, and grace of the Holy Spirit."
* [Moses Bar Kepha] "The Holy Spirit descends upon the bread and wine on the altar and makes the the Body and Blood of God the Word."
* [Dionysius Bar Salibi] "As by the will of the Father, by His Holy Spirit, the Word was incarnated from the Virgin without change, so by the will of the Father, by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit, He perfects the bread as His Body and the wine as His Blood."
* [St. Jacob of Serugh] "He broke the bread, and made it the Body, and gave to His Apostles; and the taste of the Body, wherein was life, was in their mouths ... They eat His Body, and He is reclining with them at the table; and they drink His Blood, and they hear the voice of His teaching"
* [St. Gregory of Nyssa] “What then is this remedy? Nothing other than that glorious body which showed itself stronger than death and has become the source of life for us. Just as a little leaven, according to the Apostle’s words, is mixed with all the dough, so the body that was raised by God to immortality, once it is introduced into our body, wholly changes it and transforms it into his own substance…”
* [St. Irenaeus] "The cup likewise, which is part of that creation to which we belong, He confessed to be His Blood, and taught the new oblation of the New Covenant; which the Church receiving from the apostles, offers to God throughout all the world"
* [St. Jacob of Serugh] "The Lord Whom the seraphs fear to look at, the Same you behold in bread and wine on the altar. The lightning clothed hosts are burned if they see Him in His brilliance. Yet the contemptible dust partakes of Him with confidence."
* [St. John of Kronstadt] "The Divine Liturgy is truly a heavenly service on earth, in which God Himself, in a particular, immediate and most close manner is present and dwells with men, for He Himself is the invisible celebrant of the service; He is both the Offerer and the Offering. There is on earth nothing higher, greater, more holy, than the liturgy; nothing more solemn, nothing more life-giving.”
* [St. Philoxenos of Mabbug] "That is why we confess that we receive “the living body of the living God,” and not the ordinary body of a mortal human being, as well as “the living blood,” which grants life through all the holy sips we receive and not the ordinary blood of one corruptible human being among us. Indeed, that is what is preached by the heretics. And He did not call His body sanctified bread nor His holy blood mere wine, made great by a blessing; rather, He spoke about each of them truthfully: that they were His body and blood. “Jesus took the bread,” it says, “and blessed it, broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat – this is My own body, broken for you for the forgiveness of sins.’ He also took the cup, gave thanks over it and said, ‘Take, drink from this, all of you. This is My blood, which for you will be shed for the forgiveness of sins.’” He called the bread the body and the wine the blood, not those of some other person but His own."
* [St Clement of Alexandria] “The blood of the Lord is twofold. There is His blood of flesh by which we are redeemed from corruption, and there is the spiritual by which we have been anointed. And to drink the blood of Jesus is to partake of the Lord’s incorruption. The Spirit is the power of the Word, just as blood is of the flesh. Just as wine is mingled with water, so the Spirit is with men. The one mixture nourishes faith, while the other, the Spirit, leads to corruption. The mixture of both, the drink and the Word, is called the Eucharist. It is lauded as grace and beauty, and those who partake by faith are sanctified in body and soul. By the Father’s will, the divine mixture mystically mingles men with the Spirit and the Word.”

===Other Quotes===
* [Fr. Alexander Schmemann] "The only real fall of man is his non-eucharistic life in a non-eucharistic world."
* [Fr. Alexander Schmemann] "But Christ did not come to us so that we may set apart a small segment of our life for our “religious obligations”. He claimed the whole of man and totality of this life. And he left with us the Sacrament of Communion with Himself so that it may sanctify and purify our whole existence and relate all aspects of our life to Him. A Christian is thus one who lives between: between the coming of Christ in the flesh and His return in glory to judge the quick and the dead; between the Eucharist and the Eucharist - the Sacrament of remembrance and the Sacrament of hope and anticipation.”
* [Fr. Alexander Schmemann] "I propose we turn our attention to the Sacrament of the Eucharist and to the Church, whose very life flows from that Sacrament ... it is not reform, adjustments and modernization that are needed so much as a return to that vision and experience that from the beginning constituted the very life of the Church."
* [Matthew Gallatin] “When I was a Protestant, I judged the quality of worship by what it did for me, not what it did to exalt God. The question, “Did I offer to God every obedience that He asked of me today?” almost never entered my mind. Having no specific understanding of how God’s people had always worshiped, I could not have answered it anyway. Rather, I gauged the effectiveness of my worship experience by how inspiring it was for me. Given my rationalism—which is driven by the desire for new information—I couldn’t measure it any other way. Liturgical worship is like a refining fire. It never goes out. God shines forth in it, in all His glory. When I come to it, I must yield to the God who is revealed in it. I speak the words He commands. I sing the songs He calls forth. I pray the prayers He enjoins me to pray. What He desires, I must adhere to. What He wants done, I must do. There is no room for concern over myself or my wants. What is this worship, other than an opportunity for me to become like Christ?“

==Syriac and Greek Words==
* Word (Syriac) - text

==Icons==
''These icons are either approved for publication or the Curriculum Committee is in the process of gaining approval. If you do not see the icon you'd like to use for your writing, please submit the image to the Committee so that we can do the necessary follow-up.''

* Share your resources! Please email [mailto:resources@talmido.org resources@talmido.org]

Grade 1 Lesson 13

2026-03-06T00:12:33Z

Admin: /* Textbook Lesson */

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<h1 id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading">Grade 1 Lesson 13: Beyond the Walls of the Church</h1>

==Learning Outcomes==
===[[Church]]===
* G1.LO23 - Understand that the Church is a worshiping community filled with the love and peace of God.
===[[Blessing of the Home]]===
* G1.LO28 - Understand how the blessing of the house makes it into a home.
* G1.LO29 - Recognize that home is where God lives and with God we live to become like God.
* G1.LO30 - Understand that the home is the mini Church.

==Textbook Lesson==
* USA & Canada: [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sNWnFZOJGE4dM46E2CX4M1x-mxNmAS9H/view?usp=drive_link Lesson 13 Textbook PDF]
* UEA: [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cRowsJ7eTwKlA9RXhs4_gspwahz5uGXv/view?usp=drive_link Lesson 13 Textbook PDF]

===Expanding Thoughts on Lesson===
* Share your resources! Please email [mailto:resources@talmido.org resources@talmido.org]

===Lesson Resources===
* Share your resources! Please email [mailto:resources@talmido.org resources@talmido.org]

== Connecting Materials==
* Share your resources! Please email [mailto:resources@talmido.org resources@talmido.org]

Tonsuring and Its Non-Sacramental Character in the Syriac Orthodox Tradition

2026-03-04T19:40:40Z

Admin: Created page with "===Tonsuring and Its Non-Sacramental Character in the Syriac Orthodox Tradition=== '''''By: Rev. Fr. Dr. Jacob Mathew''''' In the Syriac Orthodox Tradition, tonsuring (the ce..."

===Tonsuring and Its Non-Sacramental Character in the Syriac Orthodox Tradition===
'''''By: Rev. Fr. Dr. Jacob Mathew'''''

In the Syriac Orthodox Tradition, tonsuring (the ceremonial cutting of the hair of a monastic or clerical aspirant) is a venerable liturgical act expressing voluntary self-offering, renunciation, and dedication to God. While profoundly symbolic and spiritually meaningful, tonsuring is not counted among the Mysteries (Roze, Sacraments) of the Church. This distinction arises from the Syriac Orthodox understanding of what constitutes a Mystery and how divine grace is communicated within ecclesial life.

'''1. The Nature of the Mysteries (Rose)'''

In Syriac Orthodox theology, a Mystery is not merely a sacred ceremony but a divinely instituted action through which salvific grace is objectively communicated to the recipient. Through the reception of a sacrament, the recipient is incorporated more deeply into the saving economy of Christ.
The Mysteries affect the recipient by what they signify: Baptism communicates new birth and membership among the children of God; the Holy Eucharist communicates participation in the Body and Blood of Christ; and the priesthood communicates apostolic ministry through the invocation and indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Tonsuring, by contrast, does not communicate a distinct mode of salvific grace nor establish a new ontological ecclesial state. Rather, it is a visible sign of an interior disposition—the offering of the self to God through unchallenged obedience. Thus, tonsuring belongs to the category of holy rites that accompany and manifest the Mysteries symbolically, not to the category of the Mysteries themselves.

'''2. Tonsuring as Symbolic Self-Offering'''

The cutting of hair signifies the laying down of one’s natural honor, strength, and self-determination before God. It is an enacted confession that life is no longer possessed as autonomous property but offered as a living sacrifice and as an expression of servanthood to God and man.
St. Ephrem the Syrian expresses this ascetical logic when he writes: “The body becomes an altar, and upon it the soul offers its own will as a sacrifice to God.”

Here, the act is sacrificial and responsive, not causative of grace in itself. Tonsuring embodies this offering physically but does not generate grace as a Mystery does. Similarly, St. Jacob of Serug describes bodily signs as outward garments of inward repentance: “The body speaks by its silence, and the flesh proclaims by its lowliness what the heart has resolved within” (Memra on Repentance). Tonsuring, in other words, proclaims outwardly what has already been embraced inwardly—repentance, surrender, and obedience. Tonsuring, as a liturgical derivative, is not a sacramentally generative action.

'''3. Tonsuring and Ecclesial Identity'''

A defining mark of a Mystery is that it establishes or transforms one’s ecclesial mode of existence: for example, from layperson to priest or from unmarried to married. Seen from this perspective, tonsuring alone does not establish monkhood, priesthood, or any ecclesial rank. These identities arise from vows, blessings, and ordination, not from hair-cutting. Hence, tonsuring expresses intention and dedication, and does not, in itself, constitute identity. Syriac Fathers consistently emphasize that external signs become spiritually meaningful only insofar as they manifest interior conversion. St. Ephrem states: “If the heart has not been purified, the fast is a shadow; and if the mind has not been humbled, the bowing of the body is empty” (Hymns on Repentance). By extension, if tonsuring were performed without inner surrender, it would remain an empty gesture. This confirms that its theological meaning is symbolic and ascetical rather than sacramental.

'''4. Conclusion'''

Tonsuring in the Syriac Orthodox Tradition is a sacred, symbolic rite that expresses voluntary self-offering, humility, and dedication to God. It is not counted among the Mysteries because it does not itself confer salvific grace nor establish a new ecclesial state. Rather, it manifests the believer's inner repentance and surrender. It accompanies the true Mysteries through which divine life is communicated. In this way, tonsuring belongs to the ascetical and symbolic language of the Church, while the Mysteries belong to her salvific and ontological action.

Grade 11 Lesson 6

2026-03-04T19:38:49Z

Admin: /* Expanding Thoughts on Lesson */

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<h1 id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading">Grade 11 Lesson 6: Another Path to Holiness (Monasticism)</h1>

==Learning Outcomes==
===[[Monasticism]]===
* G11.LO58 - Reiterate and reinforce Monasticism and Marriage as two different paths towards salvation.
* G11.LO59 - Argue that asceticism allows us to battle our vices, and directs us toward our virtues.
* G11.LO61 - Evaluate the misunderstandings of monasticism.
* G11.LO64 - Deconstruct the Service of Tonsuring of the monk

==Textbook Lesson==
* USA & Canada: [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YzVvO0yfyhBWX2uNELnLX3NvNMAGasSz/view?usp=drive_link Lesson 6 Textbook PDF]
* UEA: [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1U01SpxLgjqTVe5jtYKHZmMK_PCYnCBZv/view?usp=drive_link Lesson 6 Textbook PDF]

===Expanding Thoughts on Lesson===
* [[Tonsuring and Its Non-Sacramental Character in the Syriac Orthodox Tradition]], Rev. Fr. Dr. Jacob Mathew

===Lesson Resources===
* Share your resources! Please email [mailto:resources@talmido.org resources@talmido.org]

== Connecting Materials==
* Videos
** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPpumAzqcm0&t=312s&ab_channel=Y2AM Pray Simply, Pray Always], Be the Bee Episode #81, Y2AM, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
** [https://youtu.be/egiCEmx9JKY Marriage and Monasticism], Rev. Fr. Abey George (FOCUS Nation 2017)
* Articles
** [https://www.neamericandiocese.org/feasts/feasts_details/15 St. Anthony the Great], North-East American Diocese

Synergism: The Heart of Orthodox Theological Vision

2026-03-04T19:29:09Z

Admin: Created page with "===Synergism: The Heart of Orthodox Theological Vision=== '''''Rev. Fr. Abin Sunny''''' Within Orthodox theology, Synergism occupies a foundational and integrative place, art..."

===Synergism: The Heart of Orthodox Theological Vision===
'''''Rev. Fr. Abin Sunny'''''

Within Orthodox theology, Synergism occupies a foundational and integrative place, articulating the dynamic relationship between divine grace and human freedom. Far from being a peripheral concept, Synergism represents the very heart of Orthodox soteriology and anthropology, illuminating the depth and mystery of communion between God and the human person.

The term Synergism derives from the Greek words syn (“together,” “with”) and ergon (“work,” “action,” “deed”) . In its original Greek form, synergeia literally denotes “working together.” In the classical Greek context, the term was used both philosophically and practically to describe the cooperative activity of multiple agents producing a single outcome. The New Testament preserves this usage, most notably in the writings of Saint Paul, who speaks of believers as synergoi—“co-workers with God.” This expression signifies not equality of agency but communion in action, wherein divine initiative and human response are inseparably united.

In Orthodox theology, Synergism is not merely a descriptive term but a doctrinal principle that shapes the Church’s understanding of salvation. Divine grace is always primary: it is the origin, power, and sustaining force of salvation. Yet this grace neither negates nor coerces human freedom. Rather, it awakens the human will, heals it, and invites it into free cooperation with God. This voluntary and conscious participation constitutes the inner meaning—the ethos—of Synergism.

The Orthodox vision of salvation does not separate divine grace from human freedom, nor does it reduce salvation to a balance of competing contributions. Instead, salvation is revealed as a divine–human mystery, in which God and the human person cooperate without confusion, division, or coercion. Salvation is never understood as the autonomous achievement of human effort, nor as a unilateral act in which the human person remains passive and inert. God acts first, always, and decisively; yet His action bears fruit only through the free assent and participation of the human person.

Accordingly, the Orthodox Church rejects any notion that portrays God as compelling salvation by force or overriding human freedom. God calls the human person in love; He does not enslave the will. Therefore, the human response—whether assent or refusal—possesses genuine moral and spiritual significance. The human “yes” or “no” is neither illusory nor predetermined but a real and weighty act within the salvific economy.

The patristic tradition consistently presents the human person as a co-worker with God. When Saint Paul declares, “We are God’s co-workers,” he articulates the very spirit of Synergism. God works unfailingly, yet His salvific action becomes efficacious in human life only through consent and participation. Where the human will resists divine grace, grace does not violate freedom by force. This restraint reveals not weakness in grace, but the profound dignity accorded to human freedom within Orthodox theology.

This synergistic understanding of salvation is inseparably linked to the Orthodox doctrine of Theosis (deification). The Church does not regard salvation as a merely juridical declaration, nor as a legal pronouncement by which sins are forgiven in abstraction. Forgiveness, though real, is not the totality of salvation. Rather, salvation is a lifelong process of transformation, by which the human person is drawn into participation in divine life and becomes a partaker of the divine nature.

Saint Athanasius’ well-known affirmation—“God became human so that the human might partake in the divine”—expresses this reality with theological precision. Theosis does not imply that the human person becomes God by essence, nor that the human is absorbed into the divine being. Instead, it signifies participation in God’s uncreated energies, not in His essence. This participation is ontological yet relational, transformative yet non-identifying. Such communion is impossible without Synergism.

Divine grace effects transformation, but the human person must respond freely—with openness, obedience, and perseverance. Prayer, fasting, repentance, ascetical struggle, and participation in the sacramental life of the Church are concrete manifestations of this cooperation. These practices do not earn salvation; rather, they express and enact the human response to divine grace already given.

When contrasted with certain Western theological developments, the Orthodox position becomes especially clear. Some traditions incline toward Monergism, emphasizing divine action alone and denying any meaningful human participation. Others, historically exemplified by Pelagianism, assert that salvation can be achieved through human effort apart from divine grace. The Orthodox Church rejects both extremes. It affirms unequivocally that nothing can be accomplished without divine grace, while simultaneously insisting that grace never nullifies or bypasses human freedom. This balanced and patristic vision is Synergism.

In Orthodox spiritual life, Synergism is not confined to doctrinal formulation; it is a lived and experiential reality. Each day, as the human will is consciously aligned with the will of God, and as the prayer of Christ—“Not my will, but Your will be done”—becomes the prayer of one’s own life, Synergism is actualized. Even amidst human weakness, divine grace operates powerfully, provided that the human heart remains open and responsive.

In conclusion, Synergism, as understood within Orthodox theology, is a sacred mystery that simultaneously safeguards the primacy of divine grace and the dignity of human freedom. Salvation is wholly God’s gift, yet it attains fulfillment only through the free and willing cooperation of the human person. This synergistic journey constitutes the very essence of Christian life. God works, and the human person works—yet the source, foundation, and sustaining power of all remains divine grace alone. Such is the true spirit of Orthodox Synergism.