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Form III
Set 3: Recitation & Copywork
Set 3: Recitation & Copywork
Term 1:
“We are praying for you; and do you, according to your strength, acquire humility and submission. Do not insist on any occasion that it should be done according to your will, for from this anger is born; do not judge and do not belittle anyone, because from this the heart grows faint and the mind is blinded, and from this negligence appears and unfeelingness of heart is born. Keep ceaseless vigil, learning in the law of God, for through this the heart is warmed by heavenly fire; do not be despondent and do not weaken. God does not demand of you what is beyond your strength, but demands labor to the extent possible.”
Elders Barsanuphius and John
Term 2:
The ladder seen of old by the great Patriarch Jacob is an example, O my soul, both of ascent through action and of ascent through spiritual understanding. If, therefore, it is thy desire to live by thy works, with understanding and contemplation, be thou made new
Bearing the burning heat by day and the frost by night because of his privation, Jacob endured making daily gains, shepherding, struggling and slaving in order to win two wives.
By the two wives, understand that one is action and the other is spiritual understanding in contemplation. Leah represents action, for she had many children; and Rachel spiritual understanding, for she endured great toil. For without labor, O my soul, neither action nor contemplation will succeed.
Canon of St. Andrew, Ode 4
Term 3:
Come all you children
From the west to east,
Come all you children
Celebrate the feasts.
The feasts of the Church
Show God’s mercy and His might,
Throughout the year,
Turn the darkness into light.
There are 12 major feasts in the liturgical year,
Four for Mary, Let us hear…
The Nativity of Mary,
Her entry in the temple,
Into the altar with steps so simple.
Annunciation, yes she will,
Her Dormition, holy, still.
Listen up well to the next big eight,
The feasts of our Lord are holy and so great.
The cross is elevated high,
Christ’s birth, a gift no one could buy.
Theophany, His glory shown,
His entry in the temple, God’s presence known.
Palm Sunday comes, the children cheer,
Ascension of Jesus, the day drew near.
Pentecost after 50 days,
The Transfiguration, His glory ablaze!
The feasts of the Church
Show God’s mercy and His might,
Throughout the year,
Turn the darkness into light.
Song “Celebrate the Feasts” Written by Fr. James & Gigi Shadid
Find a printable document of all Set 3 Recitation pieces here.
Set 2: Recitation & Copywork
Set 2: Recitation & Copywork
Term 1:
As the Prophets beheld,
As the Apostles have taught,
As the Church has received,
As the Teachers have dogmatized,
As the universe has agreed,
As Grace has shown forth,
As Truth has revealed,
As falsehood has been dissolved,
As Wisdom has presented,
As Christ has awarded:
Thus we declare, thus we assert, thus we preach Christ our true God,
and honor His Saints in words, in writings, in thoughts, in sacrifices, in churches, in Holy Icons;
On the one hand worshiping and reverencing Christ as God and Lord; and on the other hand honoring as true servants of the same Lord of all, and accordingly offering them veneration.
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!
From the Sunday of Orthodoxy, THE SYNODICON (copywork sheets)
Term 2:
The parents of the Holy Virgin
Lead her to the holy Temple,
And according to their promise
They give her to the Lord.
They lead the Temple to the Temple,
While angels chant,
And chant with joy
To the young Virgin in purest attire.
The virgins accompany our Virgin,
With hymns and tapers;
Zacharias leads her
To the Holy of Holies;
And into the Holy Place he takes her,
Where the awesome mystery is hidden.
Where the Ark of the Covenant is,
Where the golden lampstand is,
Where the staff and the manna are,
Into the guarding place of all mysteries;
There the pure Virgin is led--
The Mystical Ark of the Living Christ.
“Hymn of Praise” from the Prologue of Ochrid for November 21, The Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple
Term 3:
It is the Holy Spirit who makes us find joy in each flower, the exquisite scent, the delicate colour, the beauty of the Most High in the tiniest of things. Glory and honour to the Spirit, the Giver of Life, who covers the fields with their carpet of flowers, crowns the harvest with gold, and gives to us the joy of gazing at it with our eyes. O be joyful and sing to Him: Alleluia!
How glorious art Thou in the springtime, when every creature awakes to new life and joyfully sings Thy praises with a thousand tongues. Thou art the Source of Life, the Destroyer of Death. By the light of the moon, nightingales sing, and the valleys and hills lie like wedding garments, white as snow. All the earth is Thy promised bride awaiting her spotless husband. If the grass of the field is like this, how gloriously shall we be transfigured in the Second Coming after the Resurrection! How splendid our bodies, how spotless our souls!
Glory to Thee, bringing from the depth of the earth an endless variety of colours, tastes and scents
Glory to Thee for the warmth and tenderness of the world of nature
Glory to Thee for the numberless creatures around us
Glory to Thee for the depths of Thy wisdom, the whole world a living sign of it
Glory to Thee; on my knees, I kiss the traces of Thine unseen hand
Glory to Thee, enlightening us with the clearness of eternal life
Glory to Thee for the hope of the unutterable, imperishable beauty of immortality
Glory to Thee, O God, from age to age
From Kontakion and Ikos 3 of the Akathist of Thanksgiving
All Set 2 Recitation pieces may be printed from this document.
Set 1: Recitation & Copywork
Set 1: Recitation & Copywork
Note that, as with all resources provided here, it is not necessary to do everything recommended. If your family already has recitation pieces planned (poetry, speeches, lines from Shakespeare, etc.), perhaps you will only use one of the recommended quotations below in a school year. In that case, each year of work we provide can last you for three years. Doing work consistently is more important that trying to fit in all the things.
Term 1:
Tremble, O man, as thou beholdest the deifying Blood,
For it is a burning coal consuming the unworthy.
The Body of God both deifieth and nourisheth me;
It deifieth the spirit and wondrously nourisheth the mind.
Thou hast smitten me with yearning, O Christ
And by Thy divine love hast Thou changed me.
But with Thine immaterial fire,
Consume my sins and count me worthy to be filled with delight in Thee,
That leaping for joy, O Good One,
I may magnify Thy two comings.
Into the splendor of They Saints
How shall I, the unworthy one, enter?
For should I dare to enter the bridal chamber,
My vesture doth betray me,
For it is not a wedding garment;
And as one bound, I shall be cast out by the Angels.
Cleanse, O Lord, the defilement of my soul,
And save me, since Thou are the Friend of man.
- verses from a prayer book to say to oneself before partaking of communion
Term 2:
You cannot be too gentle, too kind.
Shun to even appear harsh in your treatment of each other.
Joy - radiant joy - streams from the face of him
who gives and kindles joy in the heart of him who receives.
All condemnation is from the devil.
Never condemn each other…
Instead of condemning others, strive to reach inner peace.
Keep silent, refrain from judgment.
This will raise you above the deadly arrows
of slander, insults, and outrage
and will shield your glowing hearts against all evil.
- St. Seraphim of Sarov
Term 3: (also available as an individual printable)
O Lord, how lovely it is to be Thy guest:
breeze full of scents;
mountains reaching to the skies;
waters like boundless mirrors,
reflecting the sun’s golden rays and the scudding clouds.
All nature murmurs mysteriously, breathing the depth of tenderness.
Birds and beasts of the forest bear the imprint of Thy love.
Blessed art thou, mother earth, in thy fleeting loveliness,
which wakens our yearning for happiness that will last forever,
in the land where, amid beauty that grows not old,
the cry rings out: Alleluia!
Thou hast brought me into life as into an enchanted paradise.
We have seen the sky like a chalice of deepest blue,
wherein the azure heights the birds are singing.
We have listened to the soothing murmur of the forest
and the melodious music of the streams.
We have tasted fruit of fine flavor and the sweet-scented honey.
We can live very well on Thine earth.
It is a pleasure to be Thy guest:
Glory to Thee for the Feast Day of life;
Glory to Thee for the perfume of lilies and roses.
Glory to Thee for each different taste of berry and fruit;
Glory to Thee for the sparkling silver of early morning dew.
Glory to Thee for the joy of dawn’s awakening;
Glory to Thee for the new life each day brings.
Glory to Thee, O God, from age to age!
- from Kontakion and Ikos 2 of the Akathist of Thanksgiving
Access a printable document of all three terms for Set 1 here.
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