SHEPHERDMonthly newsletter of the Serbian

Orthodox Church of the AssumptionFair Oaks, California

May 2014God be with you

P A S T I R

SHEPHERDMonthly newsletter of the Serbian

Orthodox Church of the AssumptionFair Oaks, California

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

SHEPHERD

A monthly publicationof the

Serbian Orthodox ChurchAssumption of the Blessed

Virgin Mary

7777 Sunset AvenueFair Oaks, Ca 95628

Very Rev. Stavrophor Dane PopovicVery Rev. William Weir

Church: 916-966-5438Fax: 916-966-5235

Priest: 916-966-6276Cell: 916-606-8808

Shepherd Staff

Editor: V. Rev. Stavrophor Dane Popovic

Written contributions are welcome;Editorial discretion reserved. Please

Submit articles and ideas to:

V. Rev. Stavrophor Dane Popovic7777 Sunset Ave

Fair Oaks, Ca 95628

2

SUBSCRIPTIONS FORSHEPHERD

YEAR $ 24:00Monthly $ 2:00

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3

3

DEARLYBELOVEDWe celebrate

Jesus' Ascension toheaven forty daysafter His Resurrection.

Jesus had completed His mission on earthand returned to His Father in heaven. Hismission was foretold and outlined ingraphic lines in the Old Testament. TheProphets pointed to His coming. Sometimesthey hinted to, and other times they spokeclearly about His person and work.The New Testament developed the themeof "Promise and Fulfillment" as it pro-claimed the life of Jesus: His Birth, HisTeaching and His Miracles, His Sufferingand Resurrection and Ascension intoHeaven. St. Matthew, and the other authorsof the New Testament Books emphasizedthis fact: "This was done to fulfill what wassaid by the Scriptures."

Jesus was goal-oriented and knewprecisely what was His purpose in life. Hefollowed His Father's Plan for our salvationand knew when "His hour" to glorify HisFather had come. When He had fulfilledeverything, He said on the Cross, "It fin-ish." everything is completed! Mission ac-complished!

What is our mission in life? Whatgoal are we striving to achieve?

The secular world limits our life toearth: birth, education, profession, family,achievements, retirement, death. Is that allthere is in life? God created us for heaven.He has a better vision for us. We live onearth, but we are created for heaven. Ourmortal life is limited on earth, but our des-tiny is eternal. "We don't have here a per-manent city; we are eagerly seeking ourfuture heavenly city." Our destiny is hiddenin the life of our Risen Lord. As He "wasascended to heaven and sat on the righthand of His Father," so will we if we areunited with Him. Jesus as God's naturalSon; we as His redeemed brothers andsisters. He is the Head of the Church andwe are His members. "I no longer live my-self," said St. Paul, "Christ lives in me."Christ's life and victory is our life and vic-tory.

As human beings we look up toheaven. We receive our inspiration andguidance not from the earth but from God.The angels told the Apostles who werelooking up to see Jesus as He was as-cending into heaven, "He will return inglory." The Holy Spirit will come upon youto enable you to preach thegospel to the whole world. "As for you,receive the Holy Spirit and preach HisGood News to the whole world."

After the Ascension of Jesus Christ,

Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

the Holy Scriptures tell us that the disci-ples "returned to Jerusalem with greatjoy" (Lk 24:52). They were joyful becausethe words of God's messengers (Acts 1:10-11) were to them an echo of the won-derful promise that their beloved Masterhad just said to them before His holyPassion and glorious Resurrection: "I willnot leave you orphans; I will come toyou. A little while longer and the worldwill see Me no more, but you will see Me.Because I live, you will live also... Andwhen the Day of Pentecost had fullycome, they were all with one accord inone place ... And they were all filled withthe Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:1 & 4a).

To understand the real importanceof what the Spirit brought mankind on theDay of Pentecost, we must first becomefully aware of the disordered condition ofthe world. It seems senseless and disor-ganized, like the scattered pieces of agigantic puzzle whose from can no longerbe discerned because its unity has beendestroyed.

And so we are now scattered allover the world, separated from eachother. We no longer understand eachother. Races and nations, social classesand ideologies, hate, fight, and kill oneanother. There is no communication evenwithin the family itself; men and women,parents and children often feel that thereis a barrier separating them form eachother. Each one is imprisoned by his ownegotism and feels that no one under-

stands him ... The pride of Babel has de-stroyed unity among us and the harmonyof the universe...

Man has separated himself fromGod, but God does not abandon him. Heallows man to discover the consequencesof his pride and egotism and to experiencethe depths of anguish and despair; but Hehas also undertaken the re-creation of thefallen world... which is accomplished in twostages:

1. He sent down His Son, who be-came man in the Incarnation. The vices ofthe 'old man' were nailed upon the CrossFallen human nature was resurrected andraised up to heaven at the Ascension. Hehas created a New Man, a new Adam, Je-sus Christ, God and man.

2. He sent His Holy Spirit at Pente-cost so that each one of us individuallyand all of us together might be graftedonto this New Man and ‘attain to the unityof the faith and of the knowledge of theSon of God. To mature manhood, to themeasure of the stature of the fullness ofChrist’ (Eph 4:13).”

May 11, 2014Special lunch in honor ofMothers for Mothers day

After Divine Liturgy

Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

DragaBra}o I Sestre

Mi pro-slavljamo Hristovo

Vaznesenje na nebo ~etrdesetog danaposle Njegovog Vaskrsenja. Hristos jeispunio Njegovu misiju na zemlji ivratio se Ocu na nebo. Njegova misijaje prore~ena i opisana u StaromZavetu. Proroci su ukazali na Njegovdolazak. Ponekad su nagovestavali aponekad su govorili ~isto o Njemu iNjegovoj misiji.

Novi Zavet je stvorio zadatak“obe}anja i ispunjenja” kao {to je Ibio `ivot Hristov: Njegovo ro|enje,Njegovo u~enje, Njegova ~uda, Nje-govao stradanje, Vaskrsenje i Vazne-senje na nebo. Sv. Matej i drugi pisciNovoga Zaveta ukazuju na ~injenicu:“Sve je ovo u~injeno da bi se ispuniloono {o je Sveto Pismo govorilo.”

Hristos je imao ta~an cilj svog`ivota na zemlji. On je sledio planOca Svoga za na{e spasenje i znao jekada }e do}i “Njegov ~as”, kada }eproslaviti Oca Svoga. Kad je ispuniosve, On re~e na Krstu “Svr{i se” sve

je ispunjeno. Misija je zavr{ena![ta je na{a misija u `ivotu!

Koji su na{i ciljevi koje `elimo da is-punimo! U ovom svetu na{ `ivot jeograni~en na ra|anje, u~enje, zani-manje, porodica, uspeh, penzija, smrt.Dali je zaista samo ovo `ivot? Bognas je stvorio za nebasko carstvo. Onima bolje planove za nas. Istina je, mi`ivimo na zemlji ali smo stvoreni zanebo. Na{ `ivot je ograni~en na zemljiali ipak smo stvoreni za ve~nost. Minemamo stalno mesto, mi stalnotra`imo taj ve~ni Grad. Na{a sudbinaje skrivena u Hristovom Vaskrsenju.Kao {to se on Vazneo na nebo dasedne sa desne strane Oca tako }e moi mi ako se sjedinimo sa Njim. Hristoskao prirodni Sin Boga i mi kao isk-upljena bra}a i sestre. On je glavaCrkve a mi smo ~lanovi njegovi. “Jane `ivim vi{e” rekao je apostol Pavle“Hristos `ivi u meni”. Hristov `ivot ipobeda je u iso vreme I na{ `ivot ipobeda.

Kao ljudska bi}a mi gledamona nebo. Sa neba od samog Bogadobijamo inspiraciju I putokaz a ne sazemljene. An|eli reko{e apostolimakoji su gledali Hristovo Vaznesenje

Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“da }e On ponovo do}i u slavi” SvetiDuh }e do}i na vas i omogu}iti vamda propovedate Eevan|elje po celomsvetu “Primi}ete Duha Svetoga ipropoveda}ete radosnu vest celomsvetu”

Posle Vaznesenja Hristovog,Sveto Pismo nam govori da su seapostoli vratili u Jerusalim sa velikomrado{}u (Lk.24:52). Bili su radosnizbog re~i an|ela Bo`jih (Dela Apos.1:10-11) gde su im jo{ uvek odzvan-jale re~i obe}anja njihovog voljenogU~itelja pred Njegovo stradanje iveli~anstvenog Vaskrsenje “Ne}u vasostaviti sirote; do}i }u vam. Jo{ malo isvet me ne}e videti, ali vi }e te mevideti. Zato {to ja `ivim I vi }e te`iveti… I kada je dan Pedesetnice do{ao svi su bili zajedno na jednommestu… I svi se ispuni{e DuhomSvetim”. (Dela Apost. 2:1 i 4a).

Da bi smo razumeli {ta je DuhSveti doneo ~ove~anstvu na danPedesetnice, prvo moramo da posta-nemo svesni stanja u svetu. Svetizgleda neorganizovan i bez cilja kaorazbacani komadi}i ogromne slagalice~iji se oblik nemo`e vi{e razaznatizato {to je njihovo jedinstvo uni{teno.Sada smo i mi rastureni po celomsvetu odvojeni jedni od drugih i vi{ene razumemo jedni druge. Rase inacije, socijalno stanje, ideologije,mr`nja, borba i uni{tenje jedni drugih.Ne postoji jedinstvo ~ak ni u samoj

porodici; izme|u mu`a i `ene, ro-ditelja i dece koja ~esto imaju ose}ajda ih razdvaja neki zid. Svako je zat-voren sam u sebe i ~ini mu se da ganiko ne razume, gordost je uni{tilajedinstvo i harmoniju vaseljene…

^ovek se odvojio od Gospoda,ali Gospod ne ostavlja ~oveka. Bogdozvoljava ~oveku da otkrije posledicegordosti i sebi~nosti i oseti dubinubola i nesposobnosti; ali opet Bog sebrine o propalom svetu i to u dvana~ela:

1. Bog je poslao Sina Svoga uliku obi~nog ~oveka. Lo{e navike“starog ~oveka” su zakovane naKrstu. Pala ljudska priroda jeVaskrsnuta i vazneta na nebo saVaznesenjem Hristovim. On je stvorioNovog ^oveka, Novog Adama, IsusaHrista, Boga i ~oveka.

2. On je poslao Svog DuhaSvetog na Pedesetnicu tako da svakood nas pojedina~no i zajedni~ki mo`epostati novi ~ovek u jedinstvu vere ipoznanju Sina Bo`ijega. “U ~ovekasavr{ena, u meru rasta visine Hris-tove” (Efe. 4:13)

Proto Dane

Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Fr. Michael Makridis

Tithe, coming from "tenths," is the offer­ing of thefaithful for the support of the cler­gy and the organization ofthe Church. Originally, it meant one tenth of one's in-come.Tithes were obligatory of the Jews of the Old Testament for thesupport of the priesthood and the Temple. They usually con-sisted of grains or animals.

Although the words "tithe" and "tithing" frequentlyappear in the New Testament, they are predominantly used todenote the Old Testament practice of the Israelites. The NewTestament does not explicitly pro­mote or encourage tithing perse, that is, the offering of one tenth of one's income to theChurch.

Instead, the New Testament promotes the concept of"proportionate giving," which may even exceed the ten percentlimitation denoted by the word "tithe." A glimpse at two NewTestament passages will attest to this.

Regular and proportionate giving is em­phasized bySt. Paul in I Corinthians 16:2 whereby "on the first day ofevery week, each of you is to put something aside and store itup, as he may prosper..." St. Luke relates to us the incidentduring which a poor widow offered two mites, "all the liv­ingthat she had," an offering which far ex­ceeded the gifts of therich men because she cast in all that she possessed, not merelythe "required" one tenth. (Luke 1: 14)

On the basis of this precept of "propor­tionate giv-ing" our Orthodox Church, in recent years has adopted theprinciple commonly referred to as Christian Stewardship. Chris-tian Stewardship refers to an attitude, our attitude towardourselves and our world. It has to do with all that we are andhave. Most basically, the understanding of Christian Steward-ship begins with our understanding of life to mankind andholds man responsible for the use of His creation. This is pre-cisely what is meant each time the priest recites the wordsfrom the Old Testament while pouring the dirt over the remainsof the deceased during the funeral service: "The earth is theLord's and the fullness thereof; the world and all that dwelltherein. You are dust and to dust you will return."

Christian Stewardship requires that:1.We recognize ourselves and our world as belonging to

God (Psalm 24:1)2.We affirm all life, possessions, talents, gifts — both

actual and potential — are en­trusted to us for our lifetimeuse and management (Genesis 1: 26-28)

3.We acknowledge that we are not only responsible,but also accountable for how we exercise this Stewardship.(Malachi3: 7-11)

4.We share a portion of God's gifts to us with therest of His creation, out of gratitude for his first loving us. (IICorinthians 9:7)

Having digested the full meaning of Christian Stew-ardship, two major points become significant. First, ChristianStewardship is no longer limited to just current and ac­cumulated monies and properties as implied by the Old Testa-ment. It also connotes the proper and proportionate use of ourtime and talents. Everything we have is given to us by God. AChristian Steward serves God out of love and gratitude forthese gifts knowing that it is not how much we have, butwhat we do with what we have that is important.

This leads us to the second observation. If we trulyunderstand the principles of Christian Stewardship, we wouldnever again pose such questions to our local parish priest orParish Council: "How much do I have to give to be a memberof this parish?" or "What are your parish dues?"

Instead, we will begin to abide by Scrip­turaldirection, setting aside our "first fruits," offering to God thefirst portion, not the "leftovers." When we understand fullythat our whole life is a partnership with God, we will realizethat we cannot "give" anything to God, but we can "fulfill"God by us­ing our gifts wisely and sharing with others.

No longer will we carelessly share a bit of ourtime, talents and resources and use the balance without regardfor the needs of others. The question will no longer be aboutten percent, but about one hundred percent. To discover thosethings most earnestly believed in, we need only look at howwe ex­pend our resources.

For our Lord said, "Where your treasure is, therewill your heart be also." For the Christian, the practice ofChristian Steward­ship is in reality an autobiographical state­

Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

This glorious andvictorious saint wasborn in Cappadocia. Hewas the son of wealthyand virtuous parents.His father suffered forChrist and his mother

moved to Palestine shortly after. WhenGeorge grew up, he entered the military,where in his twentieth year, attained therank of a Tribune and was in the service ofthe Emperor Diocletian. When Diocletian be-gan the terrible persecution against Chris-tians, George came before him and coura-geously confessed that he is a Christian. Theemperor threw him into prison and orderedthat his feet be placed in a stockade ofwooden hobbles and that a heavy stone beplaced on his chest. After that, the emperorcommanded that George be tied to a wheelunder which was a board with large nails.He was to be rotated until his entire bodybecame as one bloody wound. After that,they buried him in a pit with only his headshowing above the ground and there theyleft him for three days and three nights.Then George was given a deadly poison todrink by some magician. But, through all ofthese sufferings, George continuously prayed

to God and God healed himinstantly and saved himfrom death to the great

astonishment of the people. When he resur-rected a dead man through his prayer, manythen accepted the Faith of Christ. Amongthese also was Alexandra, the wife of theEmperor Athanasius, and the chief paganpriest and the farmers: Glycerius, Valerius,Donatus and Therinus. Finally the emperorordered George and his wife Alexandra be-headed. Blessed Alexandra died on the scaf-fold before being beheaded. St. George wasbeheaded in the year 303 A.D. The miracleswhich have occurred over the grave of St.George are without number. Numerous are hisappearances, either in dreams or openly, tothose who have invoked him and implored hishelp from that time until today. Enflamedwith love for Christ the Lord, it was not dif-ficult for this saintly George to leave all forthe sake of this love: rank, wealth, imperialhonor, his friends and the entire world. Forthis love, the Lord rewarded him with thewealth of unfading glory in heaven and onearth and eternal life in His kingdom. In ad-dition, the Lord bestowed upon him the powerand authority to assist all those in miseriesand difficulties who honor him and call uponhis name.

Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

9. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sv. Vasilije OstroskiRood iz Popova sela u Her-cegovini, od roditeljaprostih no blago~estivih. Odmalena be{e ispunjenljubavlju prema CrkviBo`joj, a kada poodrasteode u Trebinjski manastirUspenja Presvete Bo-gorodice I primi mona{ki ~in. Kao monahubrzo se pro~u zbogsvog ozbiljnog I retkogpodvi`ni~kog `ivota.Jer nalaga{e na sebepodvig za podvigom,sve te`I od te`ega. Docnijebi izabran I posve}en zaEpiskopa Zahumskog ISkenderiskog mimo svojevolje. Kao arhijerej najprestanova{e u manastiruTvrdo{u I odatle kao pastirdobri utvr|iva{e stado svojeu veri pravoslavnoj ~uvaju}Iga od svirepstva turskog Ilukavstva latinskog. A kadbi suvi{e prite{njen nepri-

jateljima, I kada tvrdo{ birazoren od turaka, preseli seVasilije u Ostrog gde setvrdo podviziva{e ogra|uju}Istado svoje neprestanimmolitvama. Prestavi semirno Gospodu u 16. vekuostaviv{I svoje cele Icelebne mo{ti, neistrulele I

~udotvorne do danadana{njeg. ^udesa nagrobu Sv. Vasilija subezbrojna. K njegovimmo{tima priti~u Hri{}ani I Muslimani Inalaze iscelenja u na-jte`im bolestima u

mukama svojim. Velikinarodni sabor u Ostrogubiva svage godine o Troi-cama.

Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

We already have some ideas about thenature of God. The world that exists tells usHe is mighty and great. Man,the crown of creation, re-minds us that God creatednot only physical things, butmoral beings as well. Andthen Christ, by His life anddeath, tells us God is love.But in this lesson we want togo deeper into this topic ofthe nature of God. What isGod like?

1.God is a Person.This is the first thing we must know aboutGod. He wills, He plans, He acts. He is notan "influence," or "force," or "idea," as somepeople propogate today. The Unity Schooland Rosicrucians teach this sort of thing. ButGod has reveal­ed Himself as a true, realPerson. He is a personal God. God speaks ofHimself as a Person. He can be griev­ed, Hecan be lied to, He intercedes and pleads, Hestrives to win men's soul's, He comforts,loves' reproves, testifies, bears witness andpunishes. All this could be said only of a Per­son. You cannot say it of a physical law or astone. God is Personality; God is a Person.Because He is a Person, we can have fellow-ship with God, we can speak to Him inprayer.

2.God is a Spirit. As soon as wesay that God is a Person we begin to think ofHim as an old man with a beard sitting on athrone somewhere in the great beyond. Allthis is picture language; it is not so. God hasno body, He is not material. A spirit-be­ing isthe opposite of material things. When wespeak about God's eye, His almighty hand,His voice, we are using figurative languageto show God's knowledge, God's power and

law. God has no eyes, hands or voice. Aspirit is a being without a body.

Think of yourself fora moment. The most essen-tial part of you is not yourphysical body, but your spiritor soul. It is the invisibleYOU that dwells in and ex-presses your "self" throughthe body without being iden­tical with it. If you stealsomething, you don't say:"My hand stole," rather yousay, "I stole." The hand was

simply an agent for you. Again, your physi-cal body changes every several years. There-fore, the hand that stole something tenyears ago has vanish­ed, has disappeared,and has been replaced by new flesh andbone. Yet, you still know you stole. YOU arethe same and have not changed in es­sence.YOU are a spirit, a spirit with a body. Godis a Spirit, Spirit without body. He is pureSpirit. As Spirit, God is everywhere present.Why, then, do we speak about God's eyes,arms, face and the like? Be­cause it is sohard for us to describe anything that is notmaterial or vis­ible. We even give hurri-canes names of people! We have to use thelangu­age and the ideas we have.

3. God is One in Trinity. God is a Tri-une Person: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.The Holy Trinity does not mean that thereare three gods, for there is but One God.The Trinity means, in its simplest terms,that God has manifested Himself in threeways. We see something of God's naturewhen we look at His work of creating andsustaining the universe as Father. We seeGod within the conditions of human life as

Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

11. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Son.-We experience God's presence withinour lives as the Holy Spirit.

That there are three Persons in theone and indivisible God is a mystery, verydifficult to understand. It is only in the lightof faith that we can know anything about it.Until Christ came to earth to complete God'srevelation to man, there was no clear teach-ing about the Blessed Trinity. There aresome parts of the Old Testament which referto it, such as Genesis 1:26. After Christcame, how­ever, the idea of the Trinity wasclearly expressed. Jesus instructed His Apos-tles to baptize people in the "Name of theFather, and of the Son, and of the HolySpirit."

The clearest revelation of God as aTrinity is given at the Baptism of Jesus inthe Jordan River. This great holyday in ourChurch is called Divine Manifestation, therevealing of God, Epiphany. The scene is atthe Jordan: God the Son is in the water, be-ing baptized; a Voice (representing God theFather) is heard saying, "This is My belovedSon"; and the presence of the Holy Spirit ismade known by the appearance of a doveover the head of our Lord. (The dove is asymbol of the Holy Spirit. Other symbols ofHim are fire and wind).

The Nicene Creed, too, is divided intothree parts \to show the triune character ofGod. The Creed speaks of God the Creator(Father), God the Saviour or Redeemer (Son),and God the Sanctifier (Holy Spirit).

Various means are employed to try toexplain the Trinity. None of them are perfect.It might help us to understand the Trinity ifwe look at ourselves. We are just one person,but we can think of ourselves just as if wewere outside looking at our­selves. This isconsciousness within us. So we may thinkthat within the Consciousness of the OneGod there is a distinction between Father,Son, and Holy Spirit.

Or, we might consider a person in thelight of this difference; a girl is the daughterof her parents; she be­comes the wife of herhusband; she becomes the mother of herchild. The girl was three in one — child, wife,and mother.Various artificial explanations or explana-tions or examples are also given: the three-leaf clover, a tree, a triangle, intertwinedcircles, and the like. All such symbolism fallsshort of explaining the Trinity. At best theymight give us an insight into that mystery.4. The Attributes of God. Attributes are char-acteristics or traits about God. They arequalities in God. God revealed them to usabout Himself, and in His dealings with menwe can see these attributes functioning.God is Eternal By this we mean He is with-out beginning or end. We think of everythingas having a begin­ning. People have birth-days. Cars are dated by year of model. Thisis because of time. But there is no time withGod. He is always the self-same. He ischangeless. When God com­manded Moses tolead His people out of Egypt, He gave Him-self the name "I Am Who Am."God is Love. God not only loves mankind, Heis love. Love is the very essence of His being.Perhaps we are thinking of love as some-thing soft and sentimental, a kind feeling to­ward others. God's love is not like that.When God loves, He acts . . , giving, sending,helping, saving. It is because God is love thatHe sent His Son to die on the cross. God's isa selfless, giving love. He thinks not of whatHe can get but what He can give.

God is Perfect. God is often spok­enof as holy, just, merciful, good, all-knowing,all-powerful. He has all these attributes tothe highest degree. In people we find somemercy, some justice, knowledge, and the like;but in God all these are found in their total-ity or fullness.

Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

12. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Nepoznati autor jerekao jednom “Bogne mo`e biti svudaprisutan zato jestvorio majke” Mnogicarevi, guverneri ipesnici su izrazilisvoju ljubav predanosti zahvalnost prema

majkama govore}i prelepe citate. Na-poleom Bonaparta je rekao “Budu}nostdeteta je rad majke”. Abraham Linkolnje rekao “Sve {to sam i {to se nadamda }u biti dugujem mom an|elu ma-jci”. Daniel Webster je rekao da majkene slikaju na platnu koje bledi niti namermeru koji se tro{I u pra{inu ve}na razum i duh koji traje do veka.Tomas Edison je rekao “ona je bilaistina, sa puno poverenja u mene i jasam se ose}ao da imam razloga da`ivim za nekoga koga nesmemrazo~arati”.

SVake godine druge nedelje uMaju slavimo praznik tako blizu srca.Kao porodica mi praznujemo u ~astdragog ~lana porodice majke koja dajetako mnogo od sebe sa mnogo ljubavi iposve}enosti svim ~lanovima porodice.Deca pokazuju ljubav prema majkamatokom cele godine na razne na~ine alije ipak ova nedelj posve}ena njoj spe-cijalno sa ljubavlju.

U petoj Bo`joj zapovesti Bognam govori kroz proroka Mojsija da

“po{tujemo Oca i Majku da bi smodugo po`iveli na zemlji”. Hristostako|e tra`i od nas da po{tujemo ocai majku i obja{njava va`nost po{tovanja i brige za roditelje. IzEvan|elja vidimo veliku Hristovuljubav prema majci kad je sa krstapoverio brigu o majci svom u~enikuJovanu sa re~ima “Evo ti majke”.Dan majki nije crkveni praznik ali jeduboko ukorenjen u u~enju Pra-voslavne crkve kao {to se i vidi izgore navedenog primera iz svetogpisma.

1907 godine gospo|a Ana Jar-vis iz Filadelfije Pensilvanije je `elelada oda po~ast svojoj majci te je najavnom skupu dala predlog da se od-voji jedna nedelja u godini i posvetimajkama {to je i usvojeno i pro{irilose svuda.

Pravoslavna Crkva podsti~e dase majkama posveti specijalna mo-litva za zdravlje tog dana a tako|e imolitva umrlim majkama kroz pomenza du{e njihove. I zaista nije va`nona koji na~in mi dajemo po~ast ma-jkama dali kroz, poklone, poruke,spomenare ili na bilo koji drugi na~inako se ta po~ast ne kruni{e molitvomGospodu i Njegovoj crkvi, po~ast ma-jkama onda nije kompletan.

Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

13. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Millions of sentimental cardsare being opened today. TheMother's Day offerings fromschool are on the refrigerator intheir pasted, crayoned glory.Merchants reap the profits ofthe love, duty, and guilt thatsend children to the store for aonce-a-year tribute.

And at the center of this celebrationare the real mothers. If anyone can explain themeaning of motherhood, mothers should bebest qualified. Yet they are often strangelyreticent.

It is easier to get them to talk of theproblems. They can tell you that sometimesbeing a mother means coming home tired fromwork to cook dinner with a crying childwrapped around your legs. Sometimes itmeans sitting in isolated boredom, driftingnumbly between the diaper changing and theTV soaps.

Sometimes it means resenting howmuch pregnancy took away from your figureand child rearing from your independence.Sometimes it means longing to quit the world'sonly vacation less job, to leave behind the sac-rifices of caring for and protecting other hu-man beings. Sometimes it means a deep senseof inadequacy in trying to live up to the stan-dard of loving motherhood represented bytreacly Mother's Day messages.And every day, in myriad small ways, it meanspaying the price of parental love in anxiety andempathy. A news story about a missing childor a teen auto crash sends a stab of ice into theheart.

An article on a childhood diseasesparks fear about similar symptoms. Learning

that there is PBB inthe milk or dioxin in the water causes a senseof importance and outrage. The failings of theschools were never so infuriating. The specterof nuclear disaster sometimes escapes thecloset in the back of the mind. But what ofmotherhood's rewards?

It's not strange that even mothers findthem hard to explain, falling back on the samegreeting-card sentiments that seem so inade-quate and trite.

The relationship between a mother andchild is so personal and unique. Indeed, moth-erhood, from the beginning, is one of the mostintimate experiences in a woman's life. Sodeeply physical and emotional are the reactionsto that first soft flutter of life within or the bondwith the baby at the breast, that words fail theidea.

Each child's long odyssey from firststeps to adulthood, from diapers to parenthood,are filled with moments whose significancecomes from the mother's private heart.There is no more demanding job than one re-quiring the skills of guardian, lover, nurse,teacher, friend, and judge. There is no otherlove relationship whose success requires such adifficult movement against the yearnings of thehuman soul, from unity to separation.

Thus, a respect for the sacrifices ofmotherhood, a toleration for its failure, andmost of all an understanding of its joys arethings few children understand until they them-selves take on the humbling and exalting roleof parenthood.Then they prove what each generation teachesthe next about motherhood, without the needfor words or cards on Mother's Day.

HAPPY MOTHERSDAY !!!!!

Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

14. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Stogodi{wica Prvogsvetskog rata i

samoukidawe srpskedr`ave

Ogwen Vojvodi} from Isto~nik

Ове године се навршава и обиље-жава стогодишњица Првог свјетског рата;првог рата свјетских размјера, највећихстрадања и раз-арања. Рата који је срушиодотадашње "старе" и одредио нове формедруштвеног устројства. Срушене су великемонархије и царевине - Царска Русија иаустро-мађарска царевина, које су одређи-вале политичке смјернице међуна-роднеполитике и осигуравале стабилностмонархистичких државних уређења.

На рушевинама великихуниверзалних држава - монархијаформиране су националне државе. Убрзопосле рата је срушен и турски султанатпобједом турског револуционарног покрета.Урушене су и преостале краљевине подударима револуционарног и анархистичкогтерора, или је у демократским републикамаулога династија сведена на форму државногпротокола. Нестала је глобална равнотежаизмеђу држа-ва сталешко-религиознехијерар-хије и америчко-францускогреволуционарног демократског друшт-веногпоретка.

Први свјетски рат је донио човј-ечанству револуционарне плодове, а таквису били и његови узроци. Здравинационалистички мотиви сузлоупотребљени. Национализам је

претворен у револуционарни псеудоним заспровођење свјетске револуције. Данас јепознато су масонерија, као иреволуционарни покрети, у 19. и почетком20. вијека преко националних покретарушили монархије, а затим обезглављененароде и националне државе рушила увавилонском пројекту глобализма.Револуционарна и масонскаинтернационала су били, као и данас, у томциљу истовјетан политички процес,протагонисти месијанске идеологијепрогреса. Што се у вавилонском вртлогуВеликом рата десило са Србијом и ЦрномГором, српским православнимкраљевинама? Међу свим источним изападним народима и државама, вјерама инацијама, које су установиле националнедржаве, или одржале монархије, једна јесама себе укинула - као монархију ирепублику, државу и народност, своје име игрб, а то је Краљевина Србија. Чији јепрестолонаследник по окончању Великограта први у историји српске државе из својетитуле уклонио придјев српски и назвао сеКраљ Југославије -вансрпске иванправославне нове државне творевине.Већ на почетку рата, док српска војска гинена Церу и Колубари српска Влада и Краљ уНишу 1914. године 7. децембра доносеНишку декларацију, којом се за ратнециљеве проглашаве нове државна творевинаи заједница троименог народа, Срба, Хрватаи Словенаца - Југославија. У којој поредоста-лог пише: „Влада Краљевине смат-ракао свој најглавнији и у овим судобоноснимтренуцима једини задатак да обезбедиуспешан свршетак овог великог војевањакоје је, у тренутку кад је започето, посталоуједно борбом за ослобођење и уједињењесве наше несло-бодне браће Срба, Хрвата иСловенаца".

Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

15…. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Нишка декларација је потврђена Крфском1917. године, и оконча-њем рата јеспроведен југословенски пројекат. Отворенаје европска перспектива, а напуштенопредање Косовског завјета и отачаства. Усрпско-масонском фантазму, у вавилонскивртлог југословенства са Србијом јеповучена и краљевина Црна Гора. СрбиБосне и Херцеговине, Крајине и Далмације,који су у вјековном ропству исчекивалиослобођење и уједињење са Србијом иЦрном Гором дочекали су југословенскеинтеграције. И погубније, римокатоличкуотворенију офанзиву, која кулминиралаЈасеновачким геноцидом. Срби Косова иМетохије, и српске Македоније, ујугословен-ској београдско-загребачкојполитичкој орјентацији били су препуштениарнаутском терору и протјеривању. Докни званичници свјетских сила нисуслутили исход рата, на првом мјесту онакоја га је започела, неко јесте, и свој јереволуционарне планове са сигурношћуспроводио. Свјетским ратом су уклоњенеглав-не препреке са пута спровођењудемократских и комунистичкихреволуција. Срушена је руска и аустро-мађарсак царевина, погубљен је рускиЦар Николај II Романов са својомпородицом, (који је 1916.године 15.јануара дао ултиматум европским силама,да прихвате српске рањенике и војску илиће склопити пакт са Њемачком иАустријом.) Укинуте су двије православнесрпске монархије Србија и Црна Гора, каостратешка упоришта Царске Русије наБалкану, а формирана масонско-монархистичка Југославија.

Онда када се могло и требало воје-вати за српско право, када је српски војникбио кадар да јуриша од Крфа до Триглава,поведен је српски сељак од „ јањичара

Сорбоне", како их је назвао ВладикаНиколај Велимировић, на стратишта туђихинтереса и стра-тешких циљева. Лишениполитич-ког знања о геополитичким про-мјенама које су се одиграле у свијету завријеме српског петовјековног робовања,српски национали-сти су били идеалнооруђе за манипулацију револуционарнимидејама али и српским средњовј-ековниммитовима, у циљу спро-вођењареволуционарних циљева, под покрићемпатриотизма.

СРПСКА ГОЛГОТА ЗАЈУГОСЛАВИЈУ

У пировој побједи Првог свјетскограта Срби нису само поднијели највећастрадања у свовој дота-дашњој историји,већ и изгубили државу. Србија је као земља

побједница већ билабез столице намировнимпослератнимпреговорима, јер јеушла у КраљевинуСХС. Укинуте су двијесрпксе кра­љевине, аформирана двафедерал-на субјектаХрватска и Словенија.

И ако у оквирима Бановина, али каоаутохтони чиниоци и консти-тутивниримокатолички народи државе троименогнарода.

Добијајући статус какав никад нисуи не би имали у оквиру Хазбуршкемонархије, југословенским споразумом суизједначене са Србијом као земљомпобједницом. Притом, хрватски исловеначки представници су пристали најугословенски споразум само зато што суСрби Босне и Херцеговине хтје-ли директно

Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

16. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

уједињење са Србијом, као и данас.Хрватски и словеначки официри који суратовали у аустр-мађарској војсци, добијалису више положаје у југословенској војсциод српских официра, што је наилазило нанегодовања и самоубиства појединхсрпских официра. Злочинци из хрватскогтабора који су учествовали у аустро-мађарским злочинима над српскимстановништвомм Југославијом суамнестирани и прикривани до Јасеновца.Краљевина Југославија је постала полигонза одмјеравање снага међународнихорганизација, римокатоличанства,слободног зидарства, социјализма.Прекинуто је српско државотворно иправославно Предање, а српски народдоведен на југословенско беспуће.Репрограмирање српске свијести иисторијиског памћења који је започеорежим Краљевине СХС, режимсоцијалистичке Југославије је самонаставио. Југословенски матрикс, оковеликог брата надсрпске и надотаџбинскеприсмотре, до данас мотри на Србе уСрбији, прати сваку појаву српскогправославног патриозизма.Двадесет година после избијања рата ИвоАндрић у инервјуу за лист МилошаЦрњанскох Идеје каже: „Година 1914. нас јетолико распршила и покосила, тако итолико да се више никад нисмо моглисабрати и придићи". Међутим, оно шточини српску југословенску трагедијуВеликог рата нису само небројенеиизгубљени животи најбољих српскихсинова, већ нешто још горе.Неразумијевање својих поднесених патњи ижртве у рату -губљење смисла српске борбеи жртвовања, смисла српског страдања, атиме и смисла српског постојања.

Али, погибељно обесмишљавања

српског живота и смрти није оно коједолази с поља, из Америке и Европе,пропагандом о историјиском ревизионизмуПрвог свјет-ског рата и проглашавањемГаврила Принципа за терористу. Оно серађа код нас, и међу Србима, са призивањемјугословенског злодуха српског само-уништења. Данас прометнутог у неку новуванисторијиску, ван-хришћанску,апстрактну, утопистичку визијуванправославног земаљског раја.Југословенском идеолошком инерцијом, иданашњи српски политичари и површнипатриотизам могу да поведу српски народпутем нестајања, жртвовања за "виши циљ"од отачаство и ближњих својих.

Зато у обиљежавању стогодишњицеПрвог светског рата треба тражитиизгубљени смисао српског страдања ижртве. Разрешење српске југословенскетрагедије, српске голготе за васкрслуСрбију, пробоја Солунског фронта каоповратка у Србију и Црну Гору, а неЈугославију. Да нађемо српски смисаопостојања, живота и умирања за српскуствар, српску слободу, срспки сан ибудућност, српску круну, Српскуправославну Цркву, срспку државу,монархију или Републику Српску.

Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

17. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

By Annslsa Boyd

I heard it said once that mother-hood is a type of asceticism. Like the as-cetics, mothers find themselves in a situa-tion that requires their utter devotion, self-denial, daily emotional exercises, facingextreme challenges, and much prayer. Ihave read about the lives of many saintswho became brides- of Christ and lived asmonastic's. The idea of being able to spendsustained time in prayer or the reading ofthe Holy Scriptures made me wonder howon earth a lay person - a mother - couldpossibly contend with this world and reachthat heavenly finish line St. Paul talksabout. After expressing this concern tothe Mother Abbess of a monastery, I wasrelieved when she responded with thisquote.

"You greatly delude yourself anderr, if you think that one thing is de-manded from the layman and another fromthe monk; since the difference betweenthem is in that whether one is married ornot, while in everything else they have thesame responsibilities... Because all mustrise to the same height; and what hasturned the world upside down is that wethink only the monk must live rigorously,while the rest are allowed to live a life ofindolence. "(St. John Chrysostom) .

When we accept a little child (orbig­ger one) in His name, we are acceptingthe ascetic life of motherhood. The "rules"

of motherhood include the two command­ments Christ gave: "The first of all the com­mandments is: 'And you shall love the Lordyour God with all your heart, with all yoursoul, with all your mind and with all yourstrength.' This is the first commandment.And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall loveyour neighbor as yourself.' There is no othercommandment greater than these" (Mark12:29-31).

How do we apply these command­ments to the mothering of our children?Consider the virtues taught by the Churchand how they apply to your own life.These are spiritual habits we can pursue atany time. They are tools to help us as weendeavor to "work out our salvation withfear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12), both forthe salvation of our own souls and so thatwe may be light-bearers for our childrenas we help them walk along the way.

Each "rule" is given with the un-der­standing that you will seek out theguidance of your own spiritual advisor, theperson who knows you and your life andfamily situation, for the specific ways towalk for­ward in Christ.

The Virtues Humility

Humility is the weapon used againstpride. It is thinking of others before your­self. You might be thinking, "Wait, I'm amom. I'm always thinking of others beforemyself!" I agree. We do spend a lot of time

Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

18. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

thinking of our children and providing forthem day in and day out. Humility is tied inwith the virtue of happiness. When Christendured the cross, it was "for the joy setbefore Him" (from Heb. 12:2). Letting ourjoy be evident as we serve in our homes orin our churches shows our children theblessing that comes from service.

LiberalityLiberality is living generously; it

serves as a weapon against greed. Givefreely to others when it is within yourpower to do so. without any expectationof getting something in return. This in-cludes giving to the homeless, friends, ene-mies, neighbors, and those in our ownfamilies.

ChastityChastity is a weapon against lust; it

isn't only for virgins. Chastity is purity ofheart, mind, and body. This means beingmindful of what we watch, read, listen to,and say. We don't want to hide our headsin the sand or make some alternate realityfor our children, but we do want them tounderstand the world around them in aloving and godly context.

MildnessMildness is used to fight wrath and

anger. It consists of kindness, gentleness,and calm in word and action. Whether youhave one child or many children, home canbecome a chaotic place. Mildness is closelyrelated to temperance and humility be-cause it requires a lot of self-control and

humility to address the myriad of issueseach home faces with kindness, gentle-ness, and calm. Of course there will bethose days you are tempted to lock your-self in the closet and curl up in the fetalposition, but the God of the universe isthere on those days, too. As we seek theLord, through prayer and the observanceof the sacraments, we can be the calm inour homes. His power is that big!

TemperanceTemperance is a weapon against glut­tony. Practicing self-control, moderation,and restraint as a mother sets a good ex­ample to your children in how theyshould approach life. These lessons aretaught each church year through the ob-servation and celebration of the fasts andfeasts. Learn­ing to celebrate withoutgorging ourselves helps us to appreciatethe sacrifice of the fast and embrace theblessing of the feast.

HappinessHappiness protects us from envy. Thereis a time for great rejoicing and a time forsorrow. For Christians, even the times ofsorrow are tempered with joy, becausewe know this world is temporary and wepress on toward the world to come. Wecan help our children embrace happinessby being, well, happy. We can be happybecause we are thankful to the Lord forall His blessings, for our family and forhow He provides for us. We can also behappy for how He provides for others.The Bible tells us to rejoice in the Lordalways. Because of His great sacrifice for

19 Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

us, we can truly rejoice even in the midstof trials.

DiligenceWe use diligence to fight against sloth orlaziness. Diligence is doing any task ■(work/chore/job/responsibility) until it iscompleted to the very best of our ability.Of course, as mothers, we have timeswhen emergencies come up and plansmust change, but if we strive to set theexample of managing our time well so wecan be diligent in our responsibilities, wewill find it time well spent.

A few years ago I had the rare op-portunity to visit a monastery. This wasmy first visit to a monastery and I wasnervous.

Reading about the lives of thesaints, the monastic's, made me wonder ifI would feel discontent with my life afterspending time there, longing for the a fo-cused life of prayer and service to Christ.

Standing in the newly built churchI was drawn to the icon of the Annuncia­tion. There was Mary in the presence ofthe Archangel Gabriel willingly acceptingthe call to be the mother of Christ! She

was called and her response made it possiblefor mankind to be saved! At that moment Irealized that my responsibility as a Christianwife and mother was to be an imitator of theTheotokos. Of course I would not be calledupon to bear the God of all creation, but, Irealized, I had been called upon to be motherto the children the Lord had blessed me withand He daily awaits my answer. Will I surren-der my will and follow Him as our ownBlessed Mother did?Each of us, mother or not, has a calling toembrace the life Christ has called us to. Weare not forced to submit or coerced intoobedience. We are presented with a ques­tion. We are each asked if we will followHim. He leaves the answer to us.

Annalisa Boyd is an Orthodox writerwhose books are sold by the Department ofReligious Education, Orthodox Marketplace.com and Holy Cross Bookstore. In additionto "The Ascetic Lives of Mothers, "her booksinclude: "Hear Me" and "Special Agents ofChrist." They are published by Ancient FaithPublishing (formerly Conciliar Press).

KSSSunday lunch on March 13, 2014 was prepared and donatedby the Rob Gojkovich family in memory of Jovan Peyovich andGordan Gojkovich.

20Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

M A Y 2014 M A JSundayNedelja

MondayPonedeljak

TuesdayUtorak

WednesdaySreda

Thursday^etvrtak

FridayPetak

SaturdaySubota

1 2 3Vespers- Ve~ernje

6:00 pmConfession—Ispovest

-

43rd Sunday of Pascha

Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.3}a Nedeq—MironosicaGospel. Mk. 15:43-47, 16:1-8;

Epistle: Acts. 6:1-7;

5 6St. George

DjurdjevdanDivine liturgy

9:00am

7

AKATIST at 6:00 p.m.Catechism Class 6:20pm

8St Mark

Sv. Marko

9 10Burning of Relics

of St. SavaVespers- VE^ERNJE

6:00 p.mConfession—Ispovest

114th Sunday of Pascha

Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.4ta Nedeqa —Raslabqenog

Gospel. Jn. 5:1-15.Epistle: Acts. 9:32-42;

12St. Basil

of Ostrog-Vasilije Ostroski

Liturgy at 9am

13 14

Prophet Jeremiah

15 16 17

Vespers- Ve~ernje6:00 p.m.

Confession—Ispovest-

185th Sunday of Pascha

Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.5ta Naedeqa - Samarjanke

Gospel. Jn. 4:5-42;Epistle: Acts. 11:19-26,29-30;

19 20 21

AKATIST at 6:00 p.m.Catechism Class 6:20pm

22St. Nickolas

Nikoljdanliturgy at 9;00

23 24St. Cyril & Methodius-Sv.

Cirolo I MetodijeDivine Liturgy at 9:am

Vespers- Ve~ernjeat 6:00 p.m.

256th Sunday of Pascha

Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.6ta Nedeqa—Slepog

Gospel. Jn. 9:1-38;Epistle: Acts 16:16-34;

26 27 28 29ASCENSION

VaznesenjeDivine Liturgy

at 9:00am

30 31

Vespers- Ve~ernje6:00 p.m.

Confession—Ispovest

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

CHANGING YOUR ADDRESS? - MENJATE ADRESIf you’re planning to move, please let us know before changing your address.Ako `elite da se preselite na drugu adresu obavestite nas pre nego se preselite.

Write to –Pi{ite nam naAssumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

7777 Sunset Ave. Fair Oaks, Ca. 95628

KSSMeeting

Is your home blessed this year or not. Still can bedone please let father Dane know.

Ako vas dom nije jos blagoslovljen ove godine josima vremena. Pozovite Protu Dana.

21Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

ALL ALTAR BOYS ARE ASKED TOSERVE WHEN ATTENDING CHURCH

Reader Schedule

Message to all readers:Please make note of the days you

are to read and make plans to cometo church before 10:00 a.m.

May — Maj 4Reader: Protinica Maryann

Gospel. Mk. 15:43-47, 16:1-8;Epistle: Acts. 6:1-7;May — Maj11

Reader: Natalie FitzpatrickGospel. Jn. 5:1-15.

Epistle: Acts. 9:32-42;May — Maj 18

Reader: Nick BrownGospel. Jn. 4:5-42;

Epistle: Acts. 11:19-26,29-30;May — Maj 25

Reader: Theodor Hadzi-AntichGospel. Jn. 9:1-38;

Epistle: Acts 16:16-34;June — Juni 1

Reader: Dimitri KarnaookhGospel.

Jn. 17:1-13;Epistle: Acts. 20:16-18,28-36;

INFORMATION FOR JuneSHEPHERD

If anyone has anything they wouldlike to add to the Shepherd, the last

day to send information isMay 15th.

INFORMACIJE ZA JUNSKIAko imate ne{to da bi `eleli da

date za mese~ni Pastir, zadnji danza to je 15 Maj. Nazovite Protu

Dana ili po{aljite po{tom.

M A Y 2014 M A JSundayNedelja

MondayPonedeljak

TuesdayUtorak

WednesdaySreda

Thursday^etvrtak

FridayPetak

SaturdaySubota

1 2 3Vespers- Ve~ernje

6:00 pmConfession—Ispovest

-

43rd Sunday of Pascha

Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.3}a Nedeq—MironosicaGospel. Mk. 15:43-47, 16:1-8;

Epistle: Acts. 6:1-7;

5 6St. George

DjurdjevdanDivine liturgy

9:00am

7

AKATIST at 6:00 p.m.Catechism Class 6:20pm

8St Mark

Sv. Marko

9 10Burning of Relics

of St. SavaVespers- VE^ERNJE

6:00 p.mConfession—Ispovest

114th Sunday of Pascha

Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.4ta Nedeqa —Raslabqenog

Gospel. Jn. 5:1-15.Epistle: Acts. 9:32-42;

12St. Basil

of Ostrog-Vasilije Ostroski

Liturgy at 9am

13 14

Prophet Jeremiah

15 16 17

Vespers- Ve~ernje6:00 p.m.

Confession—Ispovest-

185th Sunday of Pascha

Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.5ta Naedeqa - Samarjanke

Gospel. Jn. 4:5-42;Epistle: Acts. 11:19-26,29-30;

19 20 21

AKATIST at 6:00 p.m.Catechism Class 6:20pm

22St. Nickolas

Nikoljdanliturgy at 9;00

23 24St. Cyril & Methodius-Sv.

Cirolo I MetodijeDivine Liturgy at 9:am

Vespers- Ve~ernjeat 6:00 p.m.

256th Sunday of Pascha

Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.6ta Nedeqa—Slepog

Gospel. Jn. 9:1-38;Epistle: Acts 16:16-34;

26 27 28 29ASCENSION

VaznesenjeDivine Liturgy

at 9:00am

30 31

Vespers- Ve~ernje6:00 p.m.

Confession—Ispovest

CHANGING YOUR ADDRESS? - MENJATE ADRESIf you’re planning to move, please let us know before changing your address.Ako `elite da se preselite na drugu adresu obavestite nas pre nego se preselite.

Write to –Pi{ite nam naAssumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

7777 Sunset Ave. Fair Oaks, Ca. 95628

22Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM 2014Stewardship is our financial response to God and His Church. Through our financial

commitment our Parish will be able to carry on its programs for all its members. Please fillyour stewardship card and mail it to the Church office. “ God has given us everything we

have. He expects from us a generous portion of our blessings for the needs of His Church.”Starateljstvo je ne{ finansiski odgovor prema Bogu i Njegovoj crkvi. Kroz na

{a nov~ano obavezivanje na{a parohija bi}e u mogu}nosti di ispuni sve njene pro-grame prema svim parohijanima. Molimo vas popunite KARTU STARATELJSTVA ipo{aljite je u crkvenu kancelariju. “Bog nam je dao sve {to imamo. On i o~ekuje odnas dobar deo od blagoslov nam dati za potrebe Njegove crkve”.

We are grateful to the following Stewards of our parish family for their pledge of support to theChurch and her ministries for 2014

THE FOLLOWING PARISHIONERSHAVE RETURNED THEIR 2014STEWARDSHIP COMIMITMENT CARDS

Radomir AntovichRadmila BogdanichIlija & Anna BradaricNicholas BrownJoe & Annette ChinnMargaret CherayAnna CipaPavo & Bosiljka CvjetkovicLjubinko & Nevenka CurchinBiserka DelicKim GlazzardLeo & Aleksandra GlebovDesa DonahueDaisy FreemanAndjelka GojkovichJohn GojkovicRobert & Zorka GojkovichHoria & Joanna GrozaTheodore & Diana Hadzi-AntichChris & Yuliya Johnson

Dimitri & Luba KarnaookhEve KatichGladys KatsikisSilvia KenteraJohn & Nevenka KordicPaula KordicMilos KovacBarbara LobodovskyLila LukichBorka MalkovichBill MamikaMile MarjanovichMirjana MarkovicIlinka MeglemerCarlyn MetzkaRobert MillerPeter K MilovichDragan & Katarina MirkovicDesa MojsichGail Mraovich

Elsie C. MrvosVelika PejovicDraginja PetrovichProto & Protinica PopovicSavo & Bosiljka PetrovicZoran & Milena PopazivanovMilanka RadosavljevicDanica Gojkovich RyderJelena & Keith SimmonsDave & Frances SokitchNikola & Zorka TicaMilan & Betty TicaZorka TeodorovichSteve & Kathleen VickersDragan & Michael VidovichCristian & Christina ViduProto & Protinica Weir-PlefkaConnie Ziacan

Amount Pledged Monthly Weekly Daily$1200 100 23.07 3.28$1000 83.33 19.23 2.73$800 66.66 15.38 2.19$600 50 11.53 1.64$500 41.66 9.61 1.36$300 25 5.76 0.82

How to calculate my financial commitment

23Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Cash One day, I woke early in the morning to watch the sun-rise. Ah! ... the beauty of God's crea­tion is beyond description.As I watched, I praised God for His beautiful work. As I sat there,I felt the Lord's presence with me. He asked me, "Do you loveme?" I answered, "Of course, God! You are my Lord and Sav-iour!" Then He asked, "If you were physically handicapped,would you still love me?" I was perplexed. I looked down uponmy arms, legs and the rest of my body and wondered how manythings I wouldn't be able to do and thought about the things that Itake for granted. I answered, "It would be tough Lord, but Iwould still love You." Then the Lord said, "If you were blind,would you still love my creation?" How could I love somethingwithout being able to see it? Then I thought of all the blind peoplein the world and how many of them still loved God and His crea-tion. So I answered, "It's hard to think of it, but I would still loveyou." The Lord then asked me, "If you were deaf, would you stilllisten to my word?" How could I listen to any­thing being deaf?Then I understood. Listening to God's Word is not merely usingour ears, but our hearts. I answered, "It would be tough, but Iwould still listen to Your word." The Lord then asked, "If youwere mute, would you still praise My Name?" How could I praisewithout a voice? Then it oc­curred to me, God wants us to singfrom our very hearts and souls. It never matters what we soundlike. And praising God is not always with a song, but when we arepersecuted, we give God praise with our words of thanks. So Ianswered, "Though I could not physically sing, I would stillpraise Your Name." And the Lord asked, "Do you really loveMe?" With courage and a strong conviction, I an­swered boldly,"Yes Lord! I love You because You are the one and true God!" Ithought I had answered well, but God asked, "Then why do yousin?" I an­swered, "Because I am only human. I am not per­fect.""Then why in times of peace do you stray the furthest? Why onlyin times of trouble do you pray the earnest?" I had no answers ...

only tears. The Lord continued. "Why only sing at fellow-ships and retreats? Why seek Me only in times of worship?Why ask things so selfishly? Why ask things so un­faithfully?" The tears continued to roll down my cheeks."Why are you ashamed of Me? Why are you not spreadingthe good news? Why in times of per­secution, you cry toothers when I offer My shoulder to cry on? Why make ex-cuses when I give you op­portunities to serve in My Name?""You are blessed with life. I made you not to throw this giftaway. I have blessed you with talents to serve Me, but youcontinue to turn away. I have revealed My Word to you, butyou do not gain in knowledge. I have spoken to you but yourears were closed. I have shown My blessings to you, butyour eyes were turned away. I have sent you servants, butyou sat idly by as they were pushed away. I have heard yourprayers and I have answered them all. Do you truly love me?I could not answer. How could I? I was embarrassed beyondbelief. I had no excuse. What could I say to this? When myheart had cried out and the tears had flowed, I said, "Pleaseforgive me Lord. I am unworthy to be Your child." The Lordanswered, "That is My Grace, My child." I asked, "Thenwhy do you con­tinue to forgive me? Why do You love meso?" The Lord answered," Because you are My crea­tion.You are my child. I will never abandon you. When you cry, Iwill have compassion and cry with you. When you shoutwith joy, I will laugh with you. When you are down, I willencourage you. When you fall, I will raise you up. When youare tired, I will carry you. I will be with you until the end ofdays, and I will love you forever." Never had I cried so hardbefore. How could I have been so cold? How could I havehurt God as I had done? I asked God, "How much do Youlove me?" The Lord stretched out His arms, and I saw Hisnail- pierced hands. I bowed down at the feet of Christ, mySaviour. And for the first time, I truly prayed. ~

24

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . …..

Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

If you are a Lutheran, your religion wasfounded by Martin Luther, an ex-monk of theCatholic Church, in the year 1517. If you belongto the Church of England, your religion wasfounded by King Henry VIII in the year 1534 be-cause the Pope would not grant him a divorce withthe right to re-marry. If you are a Presbyterian,your religion was founded by John Knox in Scot-land in the year 1560. If you are a Congregational-ist, your religion was originated by Robert Brownin Holland in 1582. If you are Protestant Episco-palian, your religion was an offshoot of theChurch of England, founded by Samuel Senburyin the American colonies in the 17th century. Ifyou are a Baptist, you owe the tenets of your relig-ion to John Smyth, who launched it in Amsterdamin 1606. If you are of the Dutch ReformedChurch, you recognize Michelis Jones as founderbecause he originated your religion in New Yorkin 1628. If you are a Methodist, your religion wasfounded by John and Charles Wesley in Englandin 1774. If you are a Mormon (Latter Day Saints),Joseph Smith started your religion in Palmyra,New York, in 1829. If you worship with the Sal-vation Army, your sect began with William Boothin London in 1865. If you are Christian Scientist,you look to 1879 as the year in which your relig-ion was born and to Mary Baker Eddy as its foun-der.

If you belong to one of the religious or-ganizations known as "Church of the Nazarene,Pentecostal Gospel," "Holiness Church," or"Jehovah's Witnesses," your religion is one of the

hundreds of new sects founded by menwithin the past hundred years.

If you are Roman Catholic, your churchshared the same rich apostolic and doctrinalheritage as the Orthodox Church for the firstthousand years of its history, since duringthe first millennium they were one and thesame Church. Lamentably, in 1054, thePope of Rome broke away from the otherfour Apostolic Patriarchates (which includeConstantinople, Alexandria, Antioch andJerusalem), by tampering with the OriginalCreed of the Church, and considering him-self to be infallible. Thus your church is1,000 years old.

If you are an Orthodox Christian,your religion was founded in the year 33 byJesus Christ, the Son of God. It has notchanged since that time. Our church is nowalmost 2,000 years old. And it is for thisreason, that Orthodoxy, the Church of theApostles and the Fathers is considered thetrue "one Holy Catholic and ApostolicChurch." This is the greatest legacy that wecan pass on to the young people of the newmillennium.

by Rev. Dr. Miltiades Efthimiou

25

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .DIUS, and to their disciples.Cyril and Methodius, born in Salo-nika, learned the Slavic languagefrom the many Slavs in the city andsurrounding areas. Cyril, theyounger of the two, was given thisname on becoming a monk; hereto-fore, he was called Constantine.

Erudite men, both brotherswere especially qualified to dis-seminate Christianity among thepagans. Thus prepared, they madeready to preach Christ's knowledge

to the Slavic peoples, also.Prior to this, the

Slavs had no books nor let-ters, and for this reason,Cyril compiled a Slavic al-phabet, which was calledGlacolitic. The brothers thenproceeded to translate theHoly Scriptures and otherliturgical texts from Greekinto the Slavic language.With this, they departed, in

863, to the Slavic land of Moravia,christening many people and intro-ducing the Divine Liturgy in theSlavic tongue. Selecting giftedyouths, they trained them to be-come priests and preachers, withthe result that the people were veryhappy in that they were now able tohear the words of God in their na-tive tongue, and in place of foreignpriests, now had their own.

Upon coming to the land which theyat present occupy, the Southern Slavs foundthemselves among Christians. The Christianpriests -Greek, Latin and German - con-cerned themselves with the conversion of theSouthern Slavs to Christianity.

However, the Southern Slavs did notreadily accede to the wishes of these foreignpriests, because they preached to the slavs inan unintelligible language,and in like manner, were un-able to comprehend the Di-vine Service, which was cele-brated in the Greek and Latintongue. For this reason, theChristianization of the South-ern Slavs progressed slowlyand with difficulty.

The first attempt to-ward the christening of theSerbs was made by the Latinpriests, followed by the Greeks. But, in theend, the majority of Serbs accepted Christi-anity from the Greeks. However, unable tounderstand completely this new knowledge,they adhered greatly to their old polytheisticbeliefs, in fear lest in this new faith their owntongue and nationality would be lost.

The Southern Slavs received Christi-anity more quickly and willingly upon thepreaching of the Divine Service and Chris-tian sermons in the Slavic language. The suc-cess of this achievement was attributable tothe saintly brothers, CYRIL AND METHO-

26

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Calendar of EventsWe are publishing a calendar of events

so that you and your familycan join us for these events. All are welcome

and we hope to see you at Church,as well as these events.

More details will follow.

June 29 VidovdanJuly 20, Drazin danAugust 28, Church SlavaAugust 29-31, Diocesan days at JacksonSeptember 13, Evening of Live Music

(Dragica Gaga Filipovic)September 21 , Church picnicOctober 11, Serbian Festival Ewing

entertainment (Live music– Baja Mali Knindza)November 9, Stewardship Sunday

Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

27. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

CHARGES FOR RELIGIOUS RITES - TREBESteward Non-Steward

Wedding $50 $500Baptism Donation DonationChurch Funeral Donation $300Chapel $50 $300Parastos—Panihida $25 $100Pomen $15 $ 50Certificates $10 $ 20

Parish StatisticsWEDDING: No

BAPTISM: April 26, Marko Gambetti Son of Kyle and Branka Gambetti.

FUNERAL: NO

PARASTOS: April 13, for Mery SmilaanickApril 28, for Ilinka Cubrilo

Vecnaja Pamjat – Memory eternal!

To Mane Garic, RadeCubrilo & Milan Cubrilo for

repainting the lobby of the hall...ANDfor the beautiful baseboards! Such an

improvement to our property.

THANK YOU

It’s that time ofyear again….

If you haven’t done soalready, pay subscrip-tion for Shepherd for

2014, please do so writeaway!

Year $25.00

Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

28. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE

- The patient is not likely to recover who makes thedoctor his heir.

- An archeologist is the best husband a woman canhave; the older she gets, the more interested he is inher.

- Ninety-eight percent of the adults in this countryare decent, hard-working, honest Americans,. It'sthe other lousy two percent that get all the publicity.But then-we elected them.

- It's amazing how quickly the kids learn to drive acar, yet are unable to understand the lawn mower,snow blower, and vacuum cleaner.

- Why does getting ahead always have to involvegetting up early?

- I find television very educational. Every timesomebody turns on the set, I go into the other roomand read a book. Grocho Marx

- About the only thing that comes to us without ef-fort is old age.

-The best way to measure people is to watch theway they behave when something free is offered.

- A burglar broke into a house late one night.Sneaking through the living room, he froze in histracks when he heard a loud voice say: "Heavensees you." Nothing happened so the burglar creptforward again. But then the voice repeated. "Heavensees you!" The burglar stopped again and looked allaround. Then he spotted a parrot in a corner of theroom. "Was that you who said Heaven can seeme?"asked the burglar. "Yes," said the parrot. Theburglar sighed with relief. "What's your name?""Clarence," said the parrot. "Clarence? That's adumb name for a parrot, sneered the burglar. "Whatidiot, named you Clarence?" "The same idiot whonamed the Rottweiler Heaven," answered the parrot.

- If your dog was barking at the back door andyour wife was knocking on the front door, whowould you let in first? The dog, because at least hewould shut-up once he was in.

- What do you instantly know about a well-dressedman? His wife is good at picking out clothes.

- Why is psychoanalysis quicker for men than forwomen? When it's time to go back to childhood,he's already there.

- I think men who have pierced ears are betterprepared for marriage. They have experienced painand bought jewelry.

ПРАЗНИЦИТата, шта је то Дан жена - пита малени Филипоца.То ти је, сине, исто што и Ноћ вештица, самошто је по дану.

ОД ДЕТИЊСТВА НА СТАНИЦИКонтролор у трамвају прегледа карте, а једнабакица му пружа ђачку месечну.Извините, али ово је ђачка карта - упозори јеконтролор.Е, сад знате колико сам чекала аутобус! -одбруси бакица.

ОД ДЕТИЊСТВА НА СТАНИЦИКонтролор у трамвају прегледа карте, а једнабакица му пружа ђачку месечну.Извините, али ово је ђачка карта - упозори јеконтролор.Е, сад знате колико сам чекала аутобус! -одбруси бакица.

ProporcijeАнина пуначка мајка пита дијететичара:Докторе, колико треба да сам висока на овутежину?Пааа, око четири метра - процењује доктор.Ето, Ана! Ја тати кажем - ниска сам, а он запео- дебела, па дебела!

Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

29. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Parishioners hospitalized, sick at home or in nursing homes…Proto Miladin Garic Greta Ljubisavljevic Danilo PavicevichNikola Dragovic Ana Bozinovic Milli MatacicDusko Pesevic Djorge Janjic Persa Dragovic

Sandy Tobe Nada Kosanovic Milos KovacAna Mileusnich Daisy Freeman Michael SadovnikovValentina Stivens Ana Lisnich Francis SokitchMilanka Miladinocvic Mihailo Kruska Olivija TasoZorka Theodorovic Drazenka Kruska

Dear Brothers and Sisters, please remember these people in your daily prayers. If you know anyonewho is sick please let Father Dane know. He would like to visit them and pray for them. His telephone number is966-6276 or 606-8808.

We pray for your return to health and well-being.

When your are making a donation to our Church, please noteon the check (under the memo field) what it is for. This is becausewe have no way of knowing your intent for the donation. Other-wise, if there is no such notation, and if you are already a steward,the donation will automatically apply towards your stewardship. Ifyou are not a steward, it will be applied as a church donation.

BECOME A SHEPHERDSPONSOR FOR 2014

Please consider becoming a Shepherd Sponsor. For$ 25 you will become abronze Sponsor, for $ 50 a Silver Sponsor an for $ 100.00 a gold Sponsor.

Your name or the name of a loved one will be listed.You could advertise your business thru our SHEPHERD

MEMO TO ALL OUR SENIOR PARISHIONERS:

Have you prepared all of your end-of-life wishes and documentedthem, notarized them and made them available in case of an medicalemergency? In emergencies, if you are unable to communicate withanyone, it is important that your family members and others intendingto help you are aware of your wishes

Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

By СлободанМишљеновић

Један од највећихпроблема који ми

данашњи хришћани имамо јесте погрешандоживљај Цркве. Из овог корена извирумноге саблазни и недоумице које се намећукао битне, док је у сушти-ни стварпромашена јер је дожив-љај Цркве -промашен.

По учењу Светог писма и светихотаца, Црква је тело Христово (Кол 1, 18 и1, 24, Еф. 4, 11-16). Ово није метафоричкоописивање Цркве већ у најстварнијемзначењу речи, као што су вино и хлеб којеузимамо током Причешћа заиста Тело и КрвХристова, а не у прене-сеном значењу [1].Црква је једин-ство у Христу, Божјапородица створена речју и крвљу ИсусаХриста, а руковођена и надахнута БогомДухом Светим [2]. Црква се састоји одделова на земљи и на Небесима. Део наземљи назива се „војинствујућа" (борбена)Црква, а део на Небесима„торжествујућа" (победничка) Црква.

Црква никако није институција,нити организација, како се то често данасможе чути, нажалост и од самих хришћана.Један наш брат хришћанин, недавно је јавнонаписао како је СПЦ скупина немихстараца, вероватно фру-стриран што некицрквени насто-јатељи не дижу свој глас кадон мисли да би требало. С друге стра-не,често се овде код нас, у Канади, може чутикако хришћани једни друге саветују да се не

укључују у парохијски живот Цркве, јер„видиш шта се тамо ради", алуди­рајући натобоже неке мутне радње управног одбораЦШО, прање новца, лични интерес,неморал свештеника или одборни-ка итд.Нека опросте браћа, али држим да је овосве плод лукаве подвале ђавола, који јеотац лажи и човекоубица од почетка (Јн. 8,44). Једна од демонских стратегија јесте дакроз трачеве и полуистине оцрни некогсвештника, владику или патријарха, а кадахришћани загризу мамац и крену даосуђују, демон довршава напад тако штотог свештенослужитеља поистовећује саЦрквом, иако он као појединац са својимманама није Црква, подстичући такохришћане да у ствари осуђују Цркву, Тело

Христово.Тимехришћанинкоји јеухваћен уову мрежу,несвеснодиже језиксвој противЦркве,убеђен да ону ствариревнује заверу, истину

и правду, служећи тако демонима заподсмех а анђелима за плач.

Прво је неопходно за хришћане дазнају да ми, „војинствујућа" Црква, „нератујемо против крви и тела... него против

Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

31 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

духова злобе у подне-бесју" (Еф. 6, 12).Узмимо, примера ради, да је све што сепише у жутој штампи против нашихепископа и свештеника истина, иако смочесто сведоци да бива управо супротно.Они су на првој борбе-ној линији, поднајјачим ударом духова злобе из поднебесја,јер највеће чинове имају. Зар ми осуђујемооне војнике који гину на првој линијифронта зато што су били грешни или лошеистренирани ? „Нека многи од њих будугрешни и порочни, али ми ћемо имопростити ради битке у коју су бачени, радионог ризика којем се подврга-вају", одговраСвети Климент, епископ римски [3]. Нико уЦркви (војинствујућој) ни ван Цркве нијеимун на грех; код неких се грех појављује умањој код других у већој мери, али нисветитељи нису били потпуно безгрешниљуди.

Друга неопходна ствар коју требазнати јесте да Божија благодат (енергија)свештени-ку није дата ради самог свеш-теника, већ ради народа [4]. Ма какав да јесвештеник у свом приватном животу, доклегод је у чину, благодат Божија делује крозњега и он је канал кроз који ми упијамо бла-годатне силе Божије, учествујући у светимТајнама (крштења, испове-сти, причешћаитд). Поредећи свету Тајну коју вршидостојан и недостојан свештеник, СветиГригорије каже да је „отисак злат-ног иоловног печата исти" [5].

Трећој битној ствари за правиландоживљај Цркве учи нас Свети ТеофанЗатворник, велики руски светитељ новијегдатума. У једном писму, неки мирјанин(цивил) жали му се како су имали доброгсвештеника, па га владика преме-стио ипослао им новог „од којег су невоље удуши". Свети Теофан на то одговара: „Самисте криви. Рђаво сте се користили добрим

свештеником и Господ га је узео. Реците,јесте ли постали бољим од пређашњегдоброг свештеника?... А ја ћу и из даљинерећи да нисте постали бољи - судим по томешто осуђујете новог свештеника, не умејућида држите своја осећања према њему какотреба...Видећи ово, требало је обратитипажњу и на себе, покајати се и исправитисе, а ви само судите и оговарате. Постанитеисправни и тада ће се свештеник одмахпроменити... Свештеници, ако бивајунемарни и брзи у служењу, а у беседамапраз-норечиви, то се већим делом можеприменити на саме парохијане." [6]. Евоправилног доживљаја Цркве, а не оно штоми доживља-вамо. Ми уместо Светог писмаданас читамо жуту штампу, па нам уместосветих отаца црквену свест креирају разнитаболиди и „верски аналитичари". Онда сепитамо зашто десет година идемо у Цркву аплодова никаквих нема, па онда по истојстратегији демонској, крив је, наравно, некодруги.

Да је лако гледати тешко стањенашег народа - није. Саблазан односи својежртве, као што нам је и рекао Господ да ћебити (Лк 17, 1). Али није нам Господ рекао„саблажњавајте се", већ „ово сам вам казаода се не саблазните" (Јн 16,1). Ако желимода допринесемо препороду нашег народа,прво се побунимо против себе, како учиСвети владика Николај [7]. Покајање исмирење привлаче на себе Божију благодат,а не оно што ми мислимо. „Срце скрушенои смирено Бог неће одбацити" (Пс. 50).

Почнимо прво да постимо, јер многимеђу нама хришћанима не посте, илидржимо неке дијете а од греха се не уздржа-вамо; затим читајмо Свето Јеванђељередовно; молимо се ујутро и увече свакидан и уче-ствујмо редовно у Светој ТајниПричешћа. Тада ће све да добије другу

Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

32. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

There are manypeople who exerciseweekly and even daily.Some are really fanati-cal about it. I know peo-ple who spend hours inthe gym every day. Iadmire them, becausefor me, even taking adaily walk can feel likea burden. But I do it,because the doctor hasrecommended that I

should take a walk as often as possible, since itis good for my overall health.

While we do so much for our physicalhealth, it seems to me that we do very little forour spiritual health. We tend to forget that weare both body and soul.We have souls that need as much care as ourbodies, if not more. If it is good for the body tobe fit, it is also good for the soul. Let's alsoremember that the fitness of the body yields atemporary profit, while the fitness of the soulprovides an everlasting benefit.

We spend so much time, energy, andmoney taking care of our bodies, but at thesame time we may com­plain that the service atthe church on Sunday - which benefits oursouls - is too long. Many times, we do not eventake the time to be in the Lord's house on Hisday, Sunday.

There is nothing wrong with caring forour bod­ies. However, it would be best if weworked towards benefiting both our bodies andour souls. This work for our complete fitness is

a combined effort, both physical and spiritual.The Church offers instruction and suggestionson how we can accomplish this type of fitness.The life of the monk/nun in a monastery is theprime model, since it exemplifies the intertwin-ing of prayer and work as one activity.

While I take my walk, I try to combinephysical and spiritual exercise, through prayer.One of the best prayers to use during a walk isthe Jesus Prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ. Son ofGod. have mercy on me, a sinner!" I try to saythe praver as the spiritual fathers of the Churchtaught us. with the taking of each breath. Saythe first part - Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God—when inhaling, and the second part - havemercy on me a sinner! - when exhaling. Thus,with each breath and each step, I try to connectwith my body and soul with God, who spiritu-ally feeds and waters us, through the JesusPrayer. Of course, my mind wanders some-times, but then I bring my chaotic thoughtsback through the prayer, by starting my prayeranew. Another benefit of this type of exerciseis that I never feel alone when I take my walks:because. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is withme when I call on and converse with him in myprayer.

Doing the utmost for the fitness of ourbodies is a valuable endeavor, but if we neglectthe soul by doing so, what's the gain? Jesussaid: "For what profit is it to a man if he gainsthe whole world and loses his own soul? Orwhat will a man give in exchange for hissoul?" (Matthew 16:26*.

Romanian Orthodox EpiscopateFr. Cornel Todeasa

Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

33. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I remember when I was newlymarried and had just started attendingan Orthodox church. People wouldcomplain about how their childrenwere refusing to come to church anymore, and how when they left the fam-ily home, they often left the churchentirely. So this is far from a new prob-lem, and there must be hundreds ifnot thousands of articles written notonly by Orthodox authors, but also bywriters in many other religiousgroups, who are facing the same prob-lem: children are not following theirparents' footsteps in faith.

This is clearly a critical issue.No young people means no future forour churches. So I started doing a littlethinking about it, and I hope this arti-cle will start you thinking about it, too;and perhaps it will start a discussion inyour family or in your parish.

There are lots of reasons whychildren choose to leave the church asthey grow up. Some of them are re-lated to the church practices - per­hapsthe services are in a language the chil-

dren don't understand; perhaps even ifthey understand the language they stillfeel bored or unconnected during theservices; perhaps they never learn whycoming to church and participating inthe Sacraments are essential for ourspiritual life; perhaps the priest andother adults don't listen to their ques-tions, much less answer them.

All of these are serious problemsthat we need to face and address hon-estly. Are we doing all we can to makethe children's time at church (not onlyin the services but also in ChurchSchool, in other church groups, in theirinteractions with other parishioners) apositive reason for them to want to stayand keep coming back?

However, I was thinking aboutother more fundamental reasons thatthe children might choose to leave thechurch as they grow older, and this in-volves the family. From a very earlyage, children pick up on the parents'attitude about going to church. Is it areally meaningful and important com-mitment for the parents, or is it some-

By Psa. Nicole Mitescu

Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

34. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

thing they do from time to time as itfits into their busy schedule? Is it im-portant to arrive on time for the ser-vices, or is it okay to come in towardthe end of the services, whenever it'scon­venient for them? Are the servicesand Sacraments the fundamental rea-son to come to church or does it simplyprovide more of a social time withfriends and acquaintances the familydoesn't see during the rest of the week?Does the family pray, or read the Scrip-tures and Lives of Saints at home? Allof these give a basis for the impressionsthe child might have about church.

But (in my opinion at any rate),perhaps the most important elementfor the child is how the fami­ly "feels"about going to church. Is it an"obligation" with the children pushedand scolded to get ready for church,behave themselves in church, and notbother the adults otherwise? If this isthe "feeling" the parents communicateto the children about church, surely thechildren will remember it in a rathersad way.

The families I've seen over thelast thirty years whose children have re­mained in our churches and have be-come the next gen­eration in our par-ishes, seem to share some commontraits. For one thing, their faith is animportant part of their lives, not only

on Sunday but also during the rest ofthe week. They pray together, they tryhard to apply the lessons from the ser-mons and from their spiritual readingsto their lives, and they share their faithwith their children. And even morethan that, they enjoy their faith and arehappy and eager to come to church -for them it is a positive experience, andthey look forward to it. They encouragetheir children and help them to findways to learn and participate in the ser-vices.

We need to be honest aboutwhat we are asking of our children.There are enormous societal pressureson families these days not to attendchurch - organized sports activities, in-vitations from non-church-goingfriends, just the opportunity to stayhome and relax after a busy week. Andlet's not sugar-coat a basic issue: manyyoung adults just hit a time when theyneed to break away from the parentsand "leaving the church" is a pretty easyway for them to make a statement. Andas they get older, the possibility of a"mixed marriage" with the other spousebeing non-Orthodox is quite high, lead-ing to a pull in other directions.

There are also sad situations inchurch where members find them-selves in bitter disputes with other pa-rishioners. Even if they don't know the

39Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

PASCHA– VASKRS

40Serbian O

rthodox Church of the A

ssumption

7777 Sunset Avenue

Fair Oaks, C

alifornia 95628

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Subscriptions for

ShepherdY

ear $24:00M

onthly $ 2:00

Year 2014

NO

NPR

OFIT

OR

G.

US PO

STA

GE

PAID

PER

MIT

NO

. 576

If yo

u w

ou

ld

lik

e to

be t

he

spo

nso

r o

f th

en

ext

issue o

ft

he

Shep

her

d P

lea

selet

us k

no

w