shepherd hepherd serbian orthodox church assumption...

SHEPHERDMonthly newsletter of the Serbian

Orthodox Church of the AssumptionFair Oaks, California

December 2015God be with you

P A S T I R

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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

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May God bless soul,of Fr. Miladin andmay He rest him inHis eternal Kingdom!

We are planning to use the January Is-sue of the Shepherd

as a means of extending Christmasgreetings to each other.

If you are planning to send greet-ings for Christmas, do so in the

ShepherdLast day to send greetings

information isDecember 13, 2015

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Dear Brothersand Sisters inChrist!

In order to dosome task well, toperform any typework successfully, tocelebrate a specialoccasion, we must

occupy ourselves with a period of prepara-tion. The more conscientiously we preparefor an event or duty to be fulfilled, the betterwill be the outcome.

The people have always preparedthemselves for all the major events andmeetings in their lives. The more importantthe event or meeting was, the more thoroughand longer were the preparations. And isthere a bigger and happier occasion, for usOrthodox Christians, then Christmas orEaster? If we prepare ourselves for weeks tomeet our new boss, should not we also pre-pare ourselves to meet the Newborn Son ofGod? If sometimes for months or weeks wethink about what shall we give to someonespecial in our life for his or her birthday,should we not think about our present to theSon of God for His birthday? And the great-est and most beautiful gift we can give Himis our pure heart and sincere soul. A gift to

God are also all those small and big giftswhich we shall give, with happiness and notwith pride, to those who are in need.

Fasting for Christmas. This almostsounds like a contradiction of terms in thethinking of today's society. Preparing forChristmas means feasting, not fasting!Christmas preparation is marked with"overindulging," not depriving oneself! Butalthough Christmas has become synonymouswith "presents," its true significance is in a"presence": a Divine Presence, which tookon human flesh and was born in the hum-blest of surroundings on this day. If we, asOrthodox Christians, are to fully appreciatethe impact of this joyous event, a prolongedtime of preparation is a necessity.

We must first realize why was Christborn? Why did God become incarnate? Weanswer these questions each time we reciteour Nicene Creed: He came down fromheaven for our sake, and for the sake of oursalvation! In simple, uncomplicated termswhich, nonetheless, are theologically pro-found, this is the essence of Christmas.

The Nativity Fast is our designatedtime to ponder this great doctrine of ourHoly Orthodox Church. Throughout thisperiod, we are reminded of our Old Testa-ment roots. We are called upon to recreate

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the feeling of anticipation that envelopedand consumed our biblical ancestors andforefathers as they eagerly awaited the com-ing of the Messiah, Who would be the Sav-ior of the world. We are urged to "searchthe Scriptures" and study the words of thesaintly and God inspired Prophets, whoforetold this magnificent moment in greatdetail. As we approach the day of ourLord's Birth.

Is there a better way to clean one'ssoul and heart, thoughts and body then fast-ing, praying and Communion? It never wasand it never will be. It is hard to be an Or-thodox today. Has it ever been easy? NotOrthodox only by traditions and customs,not Orthodox only to go to slavas andwhen we are being wined and dined, butOrthodox with a pure heart, Orthodox inlove for God and one’s neighbor, Orthodoxin praying and fasting. Those should be thecharacteristics of the true Orthodox, andall that, we have to admit, is not easy toachieve. And just because it is not easy, theChurch - the Body of Christ - wants to helpus, but it helps those who seek the help andwho also are willing to accept that help.Christ did not say for nothing: "Come toMe, all of you who are tired from carryingyour heavy loads, and I will give you rest.Take my yoke and put it on you, and learnfrom Me, because I am gentle and humblein spirit, and you will find rest. The yoke Iwill give you is easy, and the load I will puton you is light." (Mt. 11:28-30). So, if wetake the fasting as a help, as joy, as an "easyyoke” we shall find it easy to deprive our-selves of something. When we deprive our-selves of something it is important to know

the reason why we do it. Not eating certainfoods and changing our diet is certainly notthe goal of these 40 days. If we abstain notonly from the heavy food, but also fromheavy - bad thoughts, intentions and deeds,then we will experience the fasting in a totallynew light. If fasting, the Holy Mystery of Re-pentance and Confession and Holy Commun-ion prepare us for the joy of Christmas - andthey will if we try - then there is no room leftfor questions like: - why should we keep thefasting while nobody around us does it?

Every new day of Christmas fastbrings us closer and closer to the cave ofBethlehem and the Newborn Christ. If theSon of God - our Lord - is not born first ofall in our souls, all our customs and all giftswe shall give and receive are in vain. And Hewill be born in our souls and hearts if Hefinds them pure, or at least ready to becleansed and changed.

If we can find the time in the next fewweeks to seriously approach Christmas fromthis theological and scriptural perspective - ifwe can give more than a passing thought tothe far reaching effect Christ's birth has hadon the human race - then we will have usedthe days of the Nativity Fast wisely. It will notmatter, then, if our decorations are in place,our cards written out, and our gifts all pur-chased: we will really be prepared for Christ-mas!

May we remember that the joy ofBethlehem that silent, holy night 2011 yearsago was truly the culmination of centuries ofuncertainty. God had kept His Covenant, andthe "hopes and fears" of so many generations,both past and future, now rested with a Child,

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Draga Bra}o isestre u Hristu.

Da bismo uradili ne{to kako treba, da bibilo koji posao biouspe{an, da se pro-slavi poseban doga|aj

moramo se potruditi da se pripremimoza to. [to se bolje pripremimo zadoga|aj ili posao to }e mo biti uspe{niji.

Ljudi su se oduvek, na posebanna~in, pripremali za sve va`nije doga| Isusrete u ìvotu. I {to je doga|aj ili sus-ret, va`niji, pripreme su temeljnije Iduè. A ima li ve}ih I radosnijihdoga|aja od Ro|enja Hristovog iliVaskrsenja? Ako se za susret sa novim{efom na popslu i novom random sred-inom pripremamo danima, zar se nijepotrebno pripremati i za susret saSpasiteljem sveta - novoro|enim SinomBo`jim? Ako nedeljama, a nekad I me-secima, razmi{ljamo o tome {ta bismonekoj dragoj osobi poklonili zaro|endan, zar nije onda potrebno raz-misliti I o tome {ta bismo Sinu Boìjemmogli dati za Njegov ro|endan? A na-jve}i i najlep{i poklon koji mu moèmodati jeste ~isto i nezlobivo srce. Ali pok-lon Njemu su i svi oni mali ili velikidarovi, koje }emo s rado{}u a ne sa

gordo{}u dati onima koji su u nevolji.Boì}ni post…Ovo skoro zvu~i kao

ne{to {to se protivi mi{ljenju dana{njezajednice -drustva. Pripreme za Boì}zna~i u dana{njici uìvanje u jelu a neuzdràvanje od jela. Pred Boì}no vremeje obeleèno “prejedanjem a neuzdràvanjem! Boì} je postao symbol“poklona” a istina je Boì} je symbol“prisistva” Boànskog prisustva, koji jeuzeo ljudsko telo i bio ro|en u najskrom-nijoj okolini. Ako mi kao Pravoslavni Hri{}ani zaista cenimo I razumemo ovaj ra-dosni doga|aj, duè vreme za peripremauje zaista potrebno.

Kao prvo, moramo shvatiti za{to jeHristos ro|en, za{to se Ovaplotio? Odgo-vor na ovo pitanje nalazimo svaki putkada govorimo Simvol Vere: “koji si{ao sanebesa radi nas I na{eg spasenja”! U ovojobi~noj recenici saèt je zna~aj Hristovogro|enja.

Boì} Post je predvi|eno vremeza nas da razmislimo o ovoj velikoj istiniSvete Pravoslavne Crkve. Kroz ovaj pe-riod, podse}amo se Starozavetnog korena.Pozvani smo da oìvimo i osetimo kao na{i biblijski preci i oci koji su sa nestrpljen-jem o~ekivali dolazak Mesije, koji }e bitiSpasitelj sveta. Potrebno nam je da“pregledamo Sveto Pismo” I prou~imore~i Svetih i Bogom nadahnutih Proroka,koji su predskazali ovaj ~udesni doga|ajdo detalja. înomo ovo dok se


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pribliàvamo ro|enju Hristovom.Ima li od Posta i Pri~e{}a boljeg

na~ina da se o~iste du{e i srca i misli itelo? Za Pravoslavne htri{}ane, niti je biloniti ima, niti }e biti! Te{ko je danas bitipravoslavac! Ali, da li je ikada to i bilolako? Ne da budem pravoslavan po tra-diciji i obicajima, ne da budem Pravosla-van kada idem na slave, ne pravoslavanu jelu i picu, ve} pravoslavan po ~istotisrca, pravoslavan u ljubavi premabli`njima, pravoslavan u postu I molitvi!Ovo bi trebale da budu vrline istinitogPravoslavca. Pomenute vrline, prizna}ete,nije lako posti}i. I ba{ zato {to nije lako,Crkva, Telo Hristovo, nam izlazi u susreti pomaè. Pomaè, naravno, onima kojitu pomo}, pre svega traè a zatim je Iprihvataju. Nije Gospod Hristos uzaludrekao:”Hodite k meni svi koji ste umorniI optere}eni I ja }u vas odmoriti. Uzmitemoj jaram na sebe I nau~ite od mene, jerja sam krotak I smiren u srcu I na}i}eteodmor svojim du{ama. Jer je moj jaramblag I moje breme je lako”Mt.11:28-30).Ako dakle post doìvimo kao pomo} kaoradost, kao “lako breme”, onda }e namsve lak{e I lak{e biti da se I odreknamone~ega. Kada se ~ovek ne~ega odre~eonda je pre svega va`no znati motiv od-ricanja: za{to I radi ~ega se odri~emo?Odricanje od odre|ene vrste hranesvakako da nije cilj posta. Ali, ako odri-canju od te{ke hrane pridodamo odri-canje od te{kih (lo{ih) misli, namera Idela, onda }e mo post doìveti u sasvimnovom svetlu. A ako }e nas post, Svetatanja Pokajanja I Ispovest I Sveta TajnaPri~e{}a, najdostojnije I najbolje pripre-

miti za Boì}nu radost, a ho}e, onda vi{ene bi trebalo da bude mesta pitanjima,kao na primer: Za{to da postimo, kada sesvi oko nas ni~ega ne odri~u? Svaki novidan Boì}neg posta, korak je bliÌ vitle-jemskom vertepu I novoro|enom Hristu.Ako se sin Bo`ji, Gospod na{ Isus Hris-tos, ne rodi prvenstveno I pre svega u na{im du{ama, uzalud su nam onda I sviobi~aji I svi pokloni, koje }e mo I dati Iprimiti. A rod}e se Bogomladenac u na{im du{ama samo onda ako ih na|e ~iste,ili bar za ~istotu spremne I ~istote èljne!

Ako moèmo prona}i vremena unastupaju}im nedeljama da ozbiljnoraazmislimo o Boì}u kroz teolo{ku I Bib-lijsku perspektivu; ako poklonimo mnogovi{e vremena od samo pomislo ozna~enju Hristovog Ro|enja na ljudskirod– onda }e mo zaista upotrebiti nastu-paju}e dane mudro. I ne}e biti va`nodali su Boì}ni ukrasi na mestu, boì}ne~estitke poslate, pokloni kupljeni: mi }emo zaista biti pripremljeni za Boì}.

Setimo se te radosne I tihe vitle-jemske svete no}I pre dve hiljade godina,koja je bila puno}a vekovnog i{~ekivaanja. Gospod je ispunio Njegovzavet “ nade I straha” mnogih pokolenja,kako pro{lih tako I budu}ih. Sa ovim de-tetom koji uprkos Njegovim pravim do-laskom a opet nazvanim od prorokaIsaije “Kojemu je vlast na ramenu, Iime }e mu biti: divni, savetnik, Bog silni,otac ve~ni, knez mirni.. Otac budu}egasveta”. Dete nam se dade. Dete je ro|enoa samim tim ~oe~anstvo je dobilo noviìvot..


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When the Most-holy Virgin Maryreached the age of three, her holy parentsJoachim and Anna took her from Nazarethto Jerusalem to dedicate her to the serviceof God according to their earlierpromise. It was a three-dayjourney from Nazareth to Jeru-salem but, traveling to do a God-pleasing work, this journeywas not difficult for them.Many kinsmen of Joachim andAnna gathered in Jerusalem totake part in this event, at whichthe invisible angels of God werealso present. Leading the pro-cession into the Temple were virgins withlighted tapers in their hands, then the Most-holy Virgin was led on one side by her fa-ther and on the other side by her mother.The virgin was clad in vesture of royalmagnificence and adornments as was befit-ting the "King's daughter, the Bride ofGod" (Psalm 45:13-15). Following themwere many kinsmen and friends, all withlighted tapers. Fifteen steps led up to theTemple. Joachim and Anna lifted the Vir-gin onto the first step, then she ran quicklyto the top herself, where she was met bythe High Priest Zacharias, who was to bethe father of St. John the Forerunner. Tak-ing her by the hand, he led her not on intothe Temple, but Into the "Holy of Holies,"the holiest of holy places, in which no onebut the high

priest ever entered and at that only onceeach year. St. Theophylact of Ohrid saidthat Zacharias "was outside himself andpossessed by God" when he led the Virgin

into the holiest place in the Tem-ple, beyond the second curtain—otherwise, his action could not beexplained. Mary's parents thenoffered sacrifice to God accord-ing to the Law, received thepriest's blessing, and returnedhome. The Most-holy Virgin re-mained in the Temple and dweltthere for nine full years. Whileher parents were alive, they vis-

ited her often, especially Righteous Anna.When God called her pare from this world,the Most-holy Virgin was left an orphanand did not wish to leave the Temple untildeath or to enter into marriage. As thatwould have been against the Law and cus-tom of Israel, she was given to St. Joseph,kinsman in Nazareth, after reaching the ageof twelve. Under the accepts role of onebetrothed, she could live in virginity andthus fulfill her desire and formally satisfythe Law, for it was then unknown in Israelfor maidens to be virgins until the end oftheir lives. The Most-holy Virgin Marywas the first of such life-vowed virgins, ofthe thousands and thousands of virgin menand women who would follow her in theChurch of Christ.


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This saint, famed throughout the entireworld today, was the only son of his emi-nent and wealthy parents, Theophanes andNona, citizens of Patara in Lycia. Theydedicated to god the only sonHe gave them. St. Nicolas wasinstructed in the spiritual lifeby his uncle Nicolas, Bishopof Patara, and became a monkat “New Sion”, a monasteryfounded by his uncle. On thedeath of his parents, Nicolasdistributed all the property heinherited to the poor and keptnothing for himself. As apriest in Patara, he was knownfor his charitable works, ful-filling the Lord's words: "Letnot thy left hand know whatthy right hand doeth” (Matt.6:3). When heembraced a life of solitude and silence,thinking to live in that way until his death,a voice from on high came to him:“Nicolas, set about your work among thepeople if you desire to receive a crownfrom Me.” Immediately after that, by God'swondrous providence, he was chosen asarchbishop of the city of Myra in Lycia.Merciful, wise, and fearless, Nicolas was atrue shepherd to his flock. He was cast intoprison during the persecutions of Dio-cletian and Maximian, but even there hecontinued to instruct the people in the Lawof God. He was present at the First Ecu-menical Council in Nicaea in 325, and in

his zeal, struck Arius with his hand. For thisact, he was removed from the Council andfrom his Episcopal duties until some of thechief hier archs had a vision of our LordChrist and His most holy Mother showingtheir sympathy with Nicolas.This wonderful saint was a defender of the

trout of God, and was even aspirited champion of justiceamong the people. On twooccasions he saved three menfrom undeserved sentences ofdeath. Merciful, trustworthy,and loving, he walked amongthe people like an angel ofGod. People considered him asaint even during his lifetime,and invoked him when in tor-ment or distress. He wouldappear both in dreams and inreality to those who calledupon him for help, responding

speedily to them, whether close at hand or faraway His face would shine with light asMoses' did aforetime, and his mere presenceamong people would bring solace, peace, andgoodwill. In old age, he sickened of a slightillness, and went to his rest in the Lord aftera life full of labor and fruitful toil. He nowenjoys eternal happiness in the Kingdom ofheaven, continuing to help the faithful onearth by his miracles, and to spread the gloryof God. He entered into rest on December6th, 343.


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Three Sundays before Christmasare celebrated among Serbianpeople.

First Sunday (CHILDRENSSUNDAY) is a day when childrenshould give little gifts to their par-ents. Parents tie them slightly andthey free themselves with gifts. Itis wrong to think that childrenshould always receive not to give.

Sunday after is (MOTHERSSUNDAY) when mothers givegifts to their children. Childrenwill slightly tie mothers and theywill free themselves with gifts.

Same procedure is on athird Sunday (FATHERS SUN-DAY) when fathers give gifts.

The meaning of tying is thatas a family we are tied to eachother and we should do goodthings to each other. This is abeautiful tradition to keep familytogether to share love for eachother and get ready for Christ-mas.

Po starom srpskom obicaju tri nedeljepred Bozica se proslavcaju sledećimredom;

Prva nedelja posvećena deci(DETINJCI) kada deca spremaju malepoklone da obraclujn svoje roditelje.Roditelji blago vezuju svoju decu a onase osloba|aju poklonima. Decu trebaučiti da i ona treba malo da sežrtvuju a ne sano roditelji.

Sledeća nedelja je posvećenamejkama (MATERICE) kada majkespremaju male poklone deci a decablago veziju majke a one se olobadajupoklonima.

Treća nedelja je posvcećenaOčevima (OCI) kada deca vezuju očevea oni se oslobadaju darujući decu pok-lonima. Simbol vezivanja je da smo mikao familija vezani jedni za druge i datreba da činimo dobro jedni drugima.Ovo je lepa tradicija koja nas uči dafamilija bude bliža, da deli medusobnuljubav i tako dočeka Božić, dan ro-denja Isusa Hrista.


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. Kada se Presvetoj Devi Marijinavr{i{e tri godine od ro|enja, dov-edo{e je roditelji njeni sveti,Joakim I Ana, iz Nazareta u Jeru-salim, da je predadu Bogu na slu`buprema ranijem obe}anju svome. Tridana puta ima od Nazareta do Jeru-salima; no idu}I na bogougodno delotaj put ne be{e imteàk. Sabra{e se Imnogi srodnici Joaki-movi I Anini, da uzmuu~e{}e u ovojsvetkovini, u kojojuzimahu u~e{}enevidljivo I angeliBo`ji. Napred i|ahudevice sa zapaljenimsve}ama u rukama, paonda Presveta Deva,vo|ena s jedne straneocem svojim a s drugemajkom. Be{e Deva ukra{ena car-skim blagoljepnim ode}ama I ukra-sima, kako I prili~I k}eri carevoj,nevesti Bo`joj. Za njima posledova{emnoìna srodnika I prijatelja, svi sazapaljenim sve}ama. Pred hramombe{e 15 stepena. Roditelji digo{eDevu na prvi stepen, a ona ondasama brzo uzi|e do vrha, gde jesrete prvosve{tenik Zaharije, otacsv. Jovana Prete~e, I uzev{I je zaruku uvede je ne samo u hram negou Svetinju nad svetinjama, u kojuniko nikada ne ulaà{e osimarhijereja, I to jedanput godi{nje.

Sv. Teofilakt Ohridski veli, da je Za-harija “van sebe bio I Bogomobuzet” kada je Devu uvodio unajsvetije mesto hrama, iza drugezavese, ina~e se ne bi mogao ovajpostupak njegov objasniti. Tada ro-ditelji prineso{e `rtvu Bogu, prema

zakonu, primi{e blagoslov odsve{tenika, i vrati{e sedoma, a Presveta Deva ostapri hramu. I prebiva{e onapri hramu punih 9 godina.Dok joj behu roditelji ìvipose}ivahu je ~esto, anaro~ito blaèna Ana. Kadapak roditelji njeni behu Bo-gom odazvani iz ovogasveta., Presveta Deva ostakao siro~e, i ne èlja{e ni-kako do smrti udaljavati seiz hrama niti stupati u brak.

Kako to be{e protivno i zakonu iobi~aju u Izrailju, to ona po navr{etku 12 godina bi data Sv. Josifu,srodniku svome u Nazaret, da podvidom obru~nice ìvi u devst-venosti, te tako i da svoju èlju is-puni i prividno zakon zadovolji. Jeru to vreme ne znade se u Izraijlu zadevojkee na devstvo do kraja ìvota.Presveta Deva Marija be[e prvatakva doìvotno zave[tana devojka,i njoj posle sledovahu u crkvi Hris-tovoj hiljade devstvenica i devst-venika.


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Овај славни светитељ, слављен иданас по целоме свету, би јединац син усвојих знаменитих и богатих родитеља,Теофана и Ноне, житељаграда Патаре, у Ликији. Каојединца сина, дарованог имод Бога, они опетпосветише Богу, и тимедадоше га Богу као уздарје.Духовном животу научи сесвети Николај код свогстрица Николаја, епископапатарског, и замонаши се уманастиру Нови Сион,основаном тим истимстрицем његовим. По смртиродитеља Николај раздаденаслеђено имањесиромасима незадржавајући ништа за себе.Као свештеник у Патарибеше се прочуо својим милосрђем, мада онбрижљиво скриваше своја милосрдна делаиспуњујући реч Господњу: "Да не зналевица твоја што чини десница твоја" (Мт6, 3). Када се предаде самоћи и безмолвију,смишљајући да тако до смрти проживи,дође му глас свише: "Николаје, пођи наподвиг у народ, ако желиш бити од Менеувенчан". Одмах потом чудеснимПромислом Божјим би изабран заархиепископа града Мира у Ликији.Милостив, мудар, неустрашив, светиНиколај био је прави пастир добри стаду

своме. У време гоњења хришћана подДиоклецијаном и Максимијаном бачен утамницу, но и у тамници поучаваше људе

закону Божјем. Присуствовао Првомвасељенском сабору у Никеји, и, из великеревности према истини, ударио руком

јеретика Арија. Због тога дела би уклоњенса Сабора и од архијерејске службе све доксе неколицини првих архијереја на Саборуне јави сам Господ Христос и Пресвета

Богородица и не објавишеСвоје благоволење премаНиколају. Заштитникистине Божје овај дивнисветитељ био је вазда иодважан заштитник правдемеђу људима. У два махаспасао је по три човека однезаслужене смртне казне.Милостив, истинит,правдољубив, он је ходиомеђу људима као ангелБожји. Још за животањегова људи су гасматрали светитељем ипризивали га у помоћ умукама и бедама; и он сејављао, у сну и на јави,

онима који су га призивали, подједнако лакои брзо наблизу и надалеко, и помагао. Одњеговог лица сијала је светлост као од лицаМојсијева, и он је самом својом појавомдоносио утеху, тишину и добру вољу међуљуде. У старости поболе мало и упокоји сеу Господу, многотрудан и многоплодан, дасе вечно весели у Царству небескомпродужујући да чудесима на земљи помажевернима и прославља Бога свога. Упокојиосе 6. децембра 343. године (в. 9. мај).


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Farewell toFr Miladin Garicat his Funeral ser-vice in Sacra-mento 2015

By Bishop Maxim

The true Christian dedicateshimself to Him who is the Passover,the way, the passage to life andabundance of life. And he/ goesaway. “It is expedient for you that Igo away”, says Christ to His disci-ples (Jn 16:7). He sanctifies and illu-mines departure and arrival. Hefills all things with his presence.

It is the Saint, the true Christianwho can say: ‘When I depart, I willbe with you even more.’ And sothis happens with our belovedones.

Christ’s incarnation was atheophany and a manifestation ofHis love. And His departure, His as-cension, when He vanished – thiswas and is the true theophany andsojourn with us: “After His Resurrec-tion, Jesus was not limited by anyword, or by any place or time orquantity or quality”.

With the passage of time whichbrought him to the sunset of his life,our beloved Fr Miladin felt within

him, waiting to be born, a desire toarticulate as an expression of grati-tude the words, “Lord, now lettestThou Thy servant depart in peace.”To die, to be buried, to depart. Notto trouble anyone, not to interruptanyone when they are speaking,nor to usurp their position no mat-ter what that might be. And yet tohave lived and died in such a waythat your presence, discretely andfrom a distance as if a fragrancefrom someone absent, can giveothers the possibility to breathe di-vine fragrance! To grant someoneelse the possibility of living, of be-ing invigorated, of having the nau-sea dispelled; to give another theability to love life, to acquire self-confidence and stand on his owntwo feet, so that from within himthere arises spontaneously a “Gloryto Thee, O God!”

The Church is always and eve-rywhere the Place of the Uncon-tainable, where man can live; it isan assembly and a mission, an ar-rival and a departure.

Our life in the Church beginswith baptism into a death: “Asmany of us as have been baptizedinto Christ have been baptized intoHis death” (Rom 6:3).

For us, Fr Miladin’s departure becomes an occasion for the descent

of. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


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grace and comfort.His life was marked by big and

small miracles: how he survivedthe war, how he worked as aminer in England, how he built thischurch, how he fulfilled the twocommandments: love thy Godand love thy neighbor: his wife, hisrelatives, his parishioners, hisChurch! You loved your neighboras yourself, dear fr Miladin!

Био је Син Српскога рода иуважен од америчког друштва.

The miracle is that death is con-quered through death. This is theChurch's message. You live it, youbelieve it, you proclaim it. “Deathhas been put to death.” You do notsay it in words. You do not main-tain it because you have read itsomewhere. Rather, you live it asa truth and a force that supportsand regenerates you.

The true Christian lives andstruggles all his life in order that,after his personal Gethsemane, hemay reach a moment when hecan consciously say the words,“Thy will be done” (see Mt 26:42).Then he grows inwardly calm. Hebecomes all sense, all thanksgiv-ing. He is constantly being bornbecause he is constantly being of-fered, dying.

Fr Miladin’s life in the last 5years was marked by this miracle:

he was new-born and at the pointof death, simultaneously. This washis secret: when he survived war,face in face with death. From thenon, he know that he was and is inthe hands of the love of the Invisi-ble. You could see it in him –as aloving priest – how he felt in his in-ner physical and spiritual struggle,that there is no difference betweenbody and soul, moving and beingstatic, action and stillness.What is “all in all” (cf. Col 3:11) isthe “One [who] is holy, one [who] isLord, Jesus Christ.” And this isplainly transmitted in silence bytrue Christians, by their very exis-tence.

Fr. Miladin was more than abrother in Christ, he was truly ser-vant of God in a best possibleway. He will be greatly missed bymany of us.

We are not abandoned and un-protected; we are not obliged to im-provise, falling victim to repeatedwaves of panic.

Something has already hap-pened before this, and has takenflesh as the coming of a blessingwhich stands by man in his trialsand tribulations, without takingaway his freedom or depriving himof the capacity to participate in thepain and tragedy of history.The point is to live in the grace of


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Call Before Dec. 15 for Greetings

the Orthodox Church, so that youenjoy life and departure. To live,and for your presence to be a bless-ing for all, both while you live andafter your passing. The point is thatwhat remains after your passingshould be food to eat and drink todrink, so that the other, your friendand your enemy, may live.

That you do not leave somethingvoid and empty. Nor something pol-luted which is sickly. But somethinghealthy, which fortifies and nour-ishes the other.

It does away with enmity andbrings people into unity.

Our great comfort: Fr Miladinpassed away on the day of the HolyKing Stefan Decanski and buriedthe same day when St Sebastian ar-rived in Jackson: in “good time” – atthe pouring of the Grace on theChurch in Jackson.

My the Holy Spirit equip him withHis breath! May his memory be eter-nal!

Уредник парохијског листа

May God bless his soul, andmay He rest Fr. Miladin in Hiseternal Kingdom!

We are planning again to use theJanuary Issue of the Shepherd

as a means of extending Christmasgreetings to each other. If you are

planning to send greetings forChristmas, do so in the Shepherd

Planiramo da i

ove godine uJanuarskom Pastiru objavimo va{eBo`i}ne ~estitke upu}ene vama iva{im dragim prijateljima i rodbinipreko crkvenih novina. Ako `eliteda po{aljete ~estitku u~inite to

Wishing you abeautifulChristmas andNew Year ofpeace andhappiness

MERRY CHRISTMAS ANDA HAPPY NEW YEAR

# 3

1/4page

$15.00;

1/2 page$30:00;

Full page$50:00;


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То have faith is to be sure ofthe things we hope for, to be certain of thethings we cannot see.

It was by their faith that people ofancient times won God’s approval.

It is by faith that we understand that theuniverse was created by God’s word, sothat what can be seen was made out ofwhat cannot be seen.

It was faith that made Abel offer to Goda better sacrifice than Cain’s. Through hisfaith he won God’s approval as a righteousman, because God himself approved of hisgifts. By means of his faith Abel stillspeaks, even though he is dead.

It was faith that kept Enoch from dying.Instead, he was taken up to God, and no-body could find him, because God hadtaken him up. The scripture says that be-fore Enoch was taken up, he had pleasedGod.

No one can please God without faith,for whoever comes to God must have faiththat God exists and rewards those whoseek him.

It was faith that made Noah hear God’swarnings about things in the future that hecould not see. He obeyed God and built aboat in which he and his family weresaved. As a result, the world was con-demned, and Noah received from God therighteousness that comes by faith.

It was faith that made Abraham obeywhen God called him to go out to a coun-try which God had promised to give him.

He left his own country without knowingwhere he was going.

By faith he lived as a foreigner in thecountry that God had promised him. Helived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, whoreceived the same promise from God.

For Abraham was waiting for the citywhich God has designed and built, the citywith permanent foundations.

It was faith that made Abraham able tobecome a father, even though he was tooold and Sarah herself could not have chil-dren. He* trusted God to keep his promise.

Though Abraham was practically dead,from this one man came as many descend-ants as there are stars in the sky, as manyas the numberless grains of sand on theseashore.

It was in faith that all these persons died.They did not receive the things God hadpromised, but from a long way off theysaw them and welcomed them, and admit-ted openly that they were foreigners andrefugees on earth.

Those who say such things make it clearthat they are looking for a country of theirown.

They did not keep thinking about thecountry they had left; if they had, theywould have had the chance to return.

Instead, it was a better country theylonged for, the heavenly country. And soGod is not ashamed for them to call himtheir God, because he has prepared a cityfor them.

It was faith that made Abraham offer hisson Isaac as a sacrifice when God putAbraham to the test. Will continued….


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OrthodoxChristianspreparespirituallyfor theFeast of theNativity ofJesusChrist. The

Nativity Fast begins November 19 (28 n.c.) andcontinues until December 24 (January 6 n.c.)

Fasting is an integral part of the OrthodoxChurch. In addition to the Nativity Fast, major fastsinclude the fast of Great Lent, the Apostles Fast andthe Dormition Fast. Generally speaking, Wednesdayand Fridays throughout the year are days of fasting.Also certain specific holidays are fast days. Theseinclude the Exaltation of the Life-Giving Cross andthe Beheading of St. John the Baptist.

Fasting is a purposeful practice of the Churchwhich is well established historically.Moses fasted forty days and forty nightsat the time of the writing of the Ten Commandments when he was on MountSinai. This is documented in Exodus34:28.

The Holy Prophet Elijah fasted for forty daysand forty nights when he was on Mount Horeb andthe word of the Lord came to him. Elijah's experience of fasting is documented in the First Book ofKings 1:8.

Jesus Christ fasted in the wilderness for fortydays and forty nights. At the time Jesus wastempted by the devil and He said: "Man shall notlive by bread alone, but by every word that proceedsfrom the mouth of God." (Mt 4:2-4)

When Orthodox Christians join in the life of theChurch at this time in a period of fasting, a collec-tive effort is experienced to focus on the importanceof Christ's Nativity. Jesus Christ came into the

world as the Son of God to redeem and save theworld. Each year we celebrate as a present day real-ity, God’s coming into the world. With enthusiasm,we sing S’nami Bog —God is with us!

Fasting is a way we individually and collectively focus on the importance of God in ourlives. We redirect our efforts along the path of lifewe began at Holy Baptism. The whole world meas-ures time according to the birth of Jesus Christ. Weneed to measure our efforts in celebration of HisNativity.

Fasting is more than abstaining from meat anddairy products. It is a disciplining and refocusing ofthe self. For parents, participating in the fasts of theChurch is a way to direct the whole family in theway of the Church.

Raising children is a major responsibility. Children are a blessing which are prayed for at the Sac-rament of Matrimony. (Hapgood, p.297) Parents arecharged with providing for the material and spiritual

needs of their children. A safe and se-cure home is needed for each child. Loveand warmth, direction and discipline areessential ingredients for child growth.

The home is the first school, the firstcommunity, the first church of each child. Childrendevelop their framework of life as they learn athome. Parents who stress the importance of the reli-gious life at home and in their lives set an examplefor their children to follow.

The Nativity Fast is a time to direct attention toChrist's birth and to direct our lives to make room

for Christ inour hearts.

TheNativityFast is atime toclean ourphysical and

In America today, the time before Christmas is a time of frantic celebration and parties which often exhaust us and satiate usbefore the day even arrives. The Orthodox, on the other hand, have always kept the time before Christmas as a time of fastingand spiritual preparation: the feasting was left to the feast day. In this article, Protodeacon Rodney Torbic explains the Christ-mas Fast to us, and encourages us to enter into this Orthodox Christians way of life for this holiday season


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spiritual homes for residency by the WonderfulCounselor, God the Mighty, the Father of the worldto come, the Prince of Peace. (Is.9:6)

Children go through various cycles of growth.

Parents also grow in their roles of being husbandsand wives, mothers and fathers. Changes are neededthroughout the life of the family to ensure that spiri-tual growth continues. The constant linking of thefamily to the life of the parish church is of majorimportance throughout the growth process.

Children need to be brought to church as infantsto be Baptized and Chrismated. They need to attendchurch and church school throughout their younglives. Holy Confession and Communion need to bepracticed by all members of the family.

Church attendance and church school attendancemust be a priority. In the Book of Proverbs we aretold: “Train up a child in the way he should go,and when he is old he will not depart from it"(Prov.22:6).

As families go through the Nativity Fast, therewill be many distractions and challenges to drawaway from the life of the Church. These must befaced with resolve and conviction. Secular activi-ties, peer pressure, gluttony, inertia, sports, badweather, personal goals and interests, illness...theseall and more can sap the energy we have and pull usaway from the Church.

It is important to keep our goal clear. AtHoly Baptism we renounced Satan and expressedour belief in Jesus Christ as King and as God. Weembarked on the road of the Kingdom of God. Weneed to avoid fatal detours along the way.

Children need to see their parents at church withregularity. They need to be in church when, theweather is cold and the roads are bad. Church atten-dance needs to be a top priority. We don't fail to goto work and we don't fail to send our children toschool in the winter time. There is no reason to keepthem from church.

Monday through Saturday provide more than

ample opportunities for sports and other secularactivities. When church and other activities conflict,church should take priority in order to strengthenthe family life.

During the Nativity Fast, we should increase ourreading of Holy Scripture. We should increase ourchurch attendance. An effort should be made to helpout the less fortunate and needy. Almsgiving shouldbe coupled with our fasting. Our prayer life willneed to be revitalized and the time spent in prayerrequires an increase. Until we are praying everymoment of our lives, we will not have reached thepoint when we pray enough.

Our homes are small churches. Life at home canreflect the church of which we are a part. Our dailyactivities can be held to the standards of the Chris-tian Church. Our books and entertainment can be ofhigh moral standards. Our bodies are to be treatedas the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26).At home, we can join in the prayer life of theChurch. We can read the daily Scripture readings ofthe Church. We can say the prayers which are ap-propriate throughout the day and for the tasks weface in life. The lives of the saints can become part

of our lives through prayer, reading and ico-nography.

Living the religious life as parents sets an ex-ample for children, will enrich a marriage and willstrengthen children for life as they grow older. Be-ing active in the church nourishes the person andhelps the person to grow in Christ.

Family traumas, personal setbacks, illnesses anddisappointments in life, all can be more readily han-dled if the family is inextricably linked with the lifeof the Church. The support and care of the Christiancommunity is readily available in time of need.Necessary direction and help comes through theChurch when we are in distress.

As our children grow older, we do not know theworld they will face. We do know that God created

Thy Nativity Fast is a time to direct atten-tion to Christ’s birth and to direct ourlives to make room for Christ in ourhearts.

Fasting is a way we individually and col-lectively focus on the importance of Godin our lives.


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It's that time ofyear again.......

if you haven't done so al-ready, please send your

2016 Shepherd

Contribution...

Your gift of $50.00 or

this world and that when our lives are grounded inGod and His Church, we can face the world withconfidence. We can be certain that if our childrenare raised in the Church, they are being fully pre-pared for the adulthood they will encounter.

If our childrendevelop a strong spiri-tual orientation, if wegive them the oppor-tunity for solid Chris-tian education. If theyknow that the Church is the priority of our lives,they will incorporate this into their lives as theygrow older and develop. The examples we set asparents will carry over to our children.

There is another element of life we need toconsider. The children in juvenile correctional fa-cilities and the adults in jails and prisons seldomcome from homes which have parents who tookthem to church with regularity and had them inchurch school each week. Certainly there are ex-ceptions to this assertion, but by and large, there is agreat deal of crime control and prevention practicedwhen families live according to the ways of theChurch.

Being a parent in contemporary times is diffi-cult. Parents worry about their children's education.They worry about their jobs. They worry aboutcrime and personal safety. Long term economicsecurity is a concern. The costs of higher educationand job training face the struggling family. Raisingchildren to have good moral standards and personaldiscipline is a challenge. Keeping families togetherin the face of all the stresses and strains of modemlife is an ongoing struggle.

Parents must balance their daily responsibilitiesof raising children with other responsibilities theymay have. Other responsibilities may include work-ing outside the home, caring for or providing sup-port for other family members in need, attending topersonal goals in life and engaging in activitieswhich are recreational and relaxing. Home mainte-nance and homemaking are time consuming.

As Orthodox Christians, we need to ensurethat our lives are built with God at the center to giveus direction and to hold us together. Fasting and

prayer will fortify us for the long road of life.Church attendance and participation in the HolySacraments of Confession and Communion willenable us to renew the relationship we establishedwith God at Holy Baptism.

We areblessed to bemembers of theSerbian Ortho-dox Churchwhere we can

worship in freedom and peace with regularity.Through the year, we can come to church and learn.We can come to find solace and comfort. We cancharge our spiritual batteries and light up our lives.

As the Feast of the Nativity draws near, let usensure that this year, we will make an extra effort tobe in church more, to pray more, to read the HolyScriptures more and to fast more. When the timecomes for us to greet each other with the wordsMir Bozi Hristos Se Rodi, let us have taken the fullopportunity to prepare for Jesus Christ to live per-manently in our hearts.

As Orthodox Christians, we need to ensure that ourlives are built with God at the center to give us directionand to hold us together. Fasting and prayer will fortifyus for the long road of life.

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

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CHARGES FOR RELIGIOUS RITES - TREBESteward Non-Steward

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

Parish StatisticsPARASTOS: November 9, For Radojka Vujicic Mijovic , Memory Eternal! Vjecna ja pamjat!

FUNERAL: November 19, Oresta Latyuk Memory Eternal! Vjecna ja pamjat!November 24, Proto Miladin Garic, Vecni pomen! Memory Eternal !

Expression of Sympathy: We express our sympathy to Latyuk family and Garic familyWEDDING : NOBAPTISM: NOKRSNA SLAVA;—November 8, St. Demetrius – Mitrovdan

Bryan Gonzales family, Ilija Kentera family, Slobodan Jovanovic family.November 16, St. George– DJURDJIC

Nikola Urosevic familyNovember 21, St. Archangel Michael –ARANDJELOVDANKolo of Serbian Sisters, Stojan Mirkovic family, Svetlana Maksimovic family,

Danica Nikcevic family, Vojislav Nikolic family, Aleksandar Radenkovic family, ZoraCrnoglavac family, Fr. Dane Popovic family.

Happy Krsna Slava– Sre}na Slava!

BECOME A SHEPHERDSPONSOR FOR 2016

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.

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

D E C E M B E R 2015 D E C E M B A RSunday

NedeljaMonday

PonedeljakTuesdayUtorak

WednesdaySreda

Thursday^etvrtak

FridayPetak

SaturdaySubota

1 2

AKATIST at 6:00p.m.

3 4Entry of theTheotokosVavedenje

5

Vespers- Ve-cernje6:00 p.m.

627th Sunday after Pentecost

Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.27ma Nedeqa po Duhovima

Gospel. Lk. 13:10-17;

7 8 9Ven. Alypius

the StylitePrep. Alimpije9:00am Liturgy

10 11 12




Gospel. Lk.17:12-19;;

14 15 16

AKATIST at 6:00p.m.

17 18Ven. SabbasPrepodobni

Sava Osveceni9:00am

19St. Nicholas-NIKOLJDAN

9:00amLiturgy


Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.29ta Nedeqa po Duhovima

Gospel. Lk. 17:12-19;

21 22 23

AKATIST at 6:00p.m.

24 25St. SpyridonSv. Spiridon

Divine Liturgyat 9:00am

26



Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.30-ta Nedeqa posle Duhova

Gospel. Lk . 14:16-24;

28 29 30

AKATIST at 6:00p.m.

31

This is time of Christmas Fast Nov. 28-Jan. 6Ovo je vreme posta Nov.28 –Jan.6,

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

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ALL ALTAR BOYS ARE ASKED TOSERVE WHEN ATTENDING CHURCH

Reader Schedule

Message to all readers:Please make note of the days you are toread and make plans to come to church

before 10:00 a.m.

December – Decembar 6Reader: Theodor Hadzi-Antich

Gospel. Lk. 13:10-17;Epistle: Ep.6:10-17;

December – Decembar 13Reader: Dimitri Karnaookh

Gospel. Lk.17:12-19;;Epistle: Col. 1:12-18;

December – Decembar 20Reader: Natalie Fitzpatrick

Gospel. Lk. 17:12-19;Epistle: Col. 3:4-11;

December – Decembar 27Reader: Jeff Gray

Gospel. Lk . 14:16-24;Epistle: Cal. 3:4-11;Januar3 – Januar 3

Reader: Theodor Hadzi-Antich

INFORMATION FOR DECEMBERSHEPHERD

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

day to send information isDecember15th.

INFORMACIJE ZA DECEMBARSKIPASTIR

Ako imate ne{to da bi èleli dadate za mese~ni Pastir, zadnji danza to je 15 Decembar. NazoviteProtu Dana ili po{aljite po{tom.

D E C E M B E R 2015 D E C E M B A RSunday

NedeljaMonday

PonedeljakTuesdayUtorak

WednesdaySreda

Thursdayêtvrtak

FridayPetak

SaturdaySubota

1 2

AKATIST at 6:00p.m.

3 4Entry of theTheotokosVavedenje

5




Gospel. Lk. 13:10-17;

7 8 9Ven. Alypius

the StylitePrep. Alimpije9:00am Liturgy

10 11 12




Gospel. Lk.17:12-19;;

14 15 16

AKATIST at 6:00p.m.

17 18Ven. SabbasPrepodobni

Sava Osveceni9:00am

19St. Nicholas-NIKOLJDAN

9:00amLiturgy


Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.29ta Nedeqa po Duhovima

Gospel. Lk. 17:12-19;

21 22 23

AKATIST at 6:00p.m.

24 25St. SpyridonSv. Spiridon

Divine Liturgyat 9:00am

26



Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.30-ta Nedeqa posle Duhova

Gospel. Lk . 14:16-24;

28 29 30

AKATIST at 6:00p.m.

31

CHANGING YOUR ADDRESS? - MENJATEADRESU?

If you’re planning to move, please let us know before changing your address.Ako èlite da se preselite na drugu adresu obavestite nas pre nego se preselite.

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

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STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM 2016Stewardship 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 na{a obaveza 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 blagoslova nam datih 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 2016

THE FOLLOWING PARISHIONERSHAVE RETURNED THEIR 2016

Ilija & Anna BradaricDragoljub & Andja CvjetkovicJeffery & Lindsey GrayTheodore & Diana Hadzi-AntichYuliya & Chris JohnsonDimitri & Luba KarnaookhEthan LivingstonBarbara LobodovskyIlinka MeglemreSavo & Bosiljka Petrovic

Draginja PetrovichGene PlecasProto & Protinica PopovicMilena PopazivanovInna TelfordJohn & Linda TershayNebojsa Tosich FamilyProto & Protinica WeirConnis Ziacan

In Christianity truth is not a philosophical concept nor is it a theory, a teaching,or a system, but rather, it is the living theanthropic hypostasis - the historical JesusChrist (John 14:6). Before Christ men could only conjecture about the Truth since theydid not possess it. With Christ as the incarnate divine Logos the eternally complete di-vine Truth enters into the world. For this reason the Gospel says: "Truth came by JesusChrist" (John 1:17).

St. Justin Popovich

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Marko Jefti}, Jerej

Prvi Deo

Премудрост је једно од Божијихсвојстава. „Бог је једини премудар“ (Рм 14, 26;1 Тим 1, 17). Једино Он даје праву мудростљудима, а земаљска мудрост је де- монскамудрост (Јак 1, 5; 3, 15; 1 Кор 12, 8). Поштосвако својство Божије, осим личних, припадасваком од Лица Свете Тројице, премудар јеОтац, премудар је Син и премудар је СветиДух. Али када се реч Прему- дроступотребљава као властито име, под њом сеподразумева Друго Лице Свете Тројице наоснову бого- надахнутих речи апостола Павлада ми проповедамо„Христа, Божију силу иБожију премудрост“ (1Kop 1,24).

Од првих векова хришћанство јеПремудрошћу Божијом називало Друго ЛицеСвете Тројице и Њему је приписивало светекстове Светог Писма у којима се оПремудрости Божијој говори не само као освојству, већи као личном начелу.Овај чланак ће бити подељен у четирипоглавља: прво, Христос, Премудрост Божија;друго, цркве које носе име Свете Софије;треће, празник Преполовљења Педесетнице;и четврто, пут од Васкрсења до Педесет-нице.

1. Христос, Премудрост БожијаПо учењу Отаца Цркве једна од разлика

између Старог и Новог Завета је да СтариЗавет бележи појављивања ПреоваплоћенеРечи, Анђела Великог Савета, ПремудростиБожије, док у Новом Завету бележиоткривење Оваплоћене Речи. Из тог разлога,једно од имена којима називамо Христа је иПремудрост Божија. Према оцу Георгију

Флоровском, „име Премудрост јебиблијско име употребљавано најпре одстра- не апостола Павла јасно инедвосмислено указајући на Христа“.1Заиста, апостол Павле, говорећи оЈеврејима и Грцима свог времена, каже дасу Јевреји тражили знак, а Грци мудрост,„а ми проповедамо Христа распетога,Јудејцима саблазан, а Јелинима лудост,онима пак позванима, и Јудејцима иЈелинима, Христа, Божију силу и Божијупремудрост“ (1 Кор 1, 22-24). Даље пише:„из Њега сте и ви у Христу Исусу, који нампостаде премудрост од Бога и праведности освећење и избављење“ (1 Кор 1, 30).Обично се каже да се у Старом ЗаветуХристос на- зива Месија. Али, то није употпуности тачно, јер у Старом ЗаветуМесија је био, како текст потврђује, по-мазаник, што се односи на цареве ипророке, који су из- абрани од стране Богаи помазани за одређену мисију уИзраиљу. Дакле, Месија је у СтаромЗавету био човек. Но, Друго Лице СветеТројице у Старом Завету је био познат каоАнђео Великог Савета, ПремудростБожија. Изнад свега, име ПремудростБожија налазимо у књигама Старог Заветапознатим као Приче Соломонове иПремудрости Соломонове, и тај термин,који се јавља у овим књигама се односи наХриста.

Дакле, Христос није био Месија уСтаром Завету или човек рођен од МаријеДеве, већ је Он Пре-егзистентна Реч којаје преузела људску природу рођењем.Постао је Месија да би спасао људски роди отео га од ђавола, смрти и греха. ОтацГеоргије Фло- ровски примећује да је:„прихватање Премудрости, као једног одимена Другог Лица Свете Тројице по-

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Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .стало уобичајено у патристичкојхерменеутици и теологији. Ориген је сматраоиме Премудрост првим и најистакнутијимименом Сина. Премудрост и Моћ се помињу уИсповедању вере Светог Григорија Чу-дотворца. У четвртом веку православни иаријанци су се сложили да се СветаПремудрост како је описана у књизи ПричаСоломонових односи на Сина Божијег.“2Када се моли Богу наших отаца и милостивомГо- споду, мудри Соломон између осталогкаже: „Боже Отаца и Господе милости Који сисве створио речју Својом и који сиПремудрошћу својом саздао човека да владаТобом створеним тварима и да управља све-том светошћу и праведношћу и у правотидуше да суд суди! Подари ми ТвојимПрестолима сапрестолну Премудрост и неодбаци ме од деце своје. Јер, ја сам слугаТвој и син слушкиње Твоје, човек немоћан икратка века и премален за поимање Суда изакона. Пошто, макар и савршен био некомеђу синовима људским ако је без ТвојеПремудрости ништа не представља. Ти си меизабрао за цара народа Твога и за судију сино- ва Твојих и кћери. Рекао си да саградимхрам на Гори Светој Твојој и у градуобиталишта Твога жртвеник по узору наШатор свети који си припремио од почетка. Аса Тобом је Премудрост која зна дела Твоја;присутна, када си стварао свет, којој јепознато шта је угодно у очима Твојим и штаправо у заповестима Твојим. Ниспошљи њу сасветих небеса и са трона славе Твоје пошаљије, да би била са мном и помогла ми дапознам шта је Теби угодно. Јер она све зна иразуме па ће ме трезвено водити у делимамојим и сачувати ме славом својом; и бићепримљена дела моја и судићу народу Твомеправедно и бићу достојан престола оцамојега“ (Прем 1, 1).3 Јасно је да мудриСоломон овде говори о Другом Лицу СветеТројице, које је Премудрост Бога Оца и које јесапрестолно трону славе Божије од постанкасвета. Соломон моли Бога да му подари Пре-мудрост и да га води кроз искушења током

царевања.

Логос Божији се Премудрошћуназива не само у Светом Писму ипатристичким делима, већ и набогослужењима: Премудрост, смерностојмо! – на малом входу и пре читањаЈеванђеља, где је видљива јасна везаизмеђу Речи Божије садржане уЈеванђељу и Премудрости, а свештеникили ђакон гласно изговарају Премудростпре читања Апостола, на крају јутрења,вечерња итд. Из тог разлога, хришћани суод најранијих времена позивани да устануна ма- лом входу и одају поштовањеПремудрости Божијој, односно РечиБожијој – Христу. Ова реч, Премудрост,такође се изговара пре читања Апостола иЈеванђеља, јер су у њима садржане какоречи самог Господа, тако и СветихАпостола, који су чланови Тела Христовог.Из истог разлога Премудрост се помиње уЛитургији Пређеосвећених Дарова пре„Светлост Христова обасјава све“, а токомвечерње пре „Светлости тиха“, деловабогослужења који се такође односе наХриста.

С озиром на то да смо ПремудростБожију описа- ну у Старом Завету, као икод апостола Павла, пове- зали са РечјуБожијом, Другим Лицем Свете Тројице– који је истинска Премудрост Божија –осврнућемо се и на најважнија питањаСофиологије, философско- теолошкогучења са елементима гностицима, које јебило заступљено у учењима одређенихруских мислилаца. Док су Оци Цркве јасноодредили Премудрост Божију као ДругоЛице Свете Тројице, група рускихмислилаца/теолога говорила је оПремудрости или Софији на другачијиначин.

Најпре, Владимир Соловјов је описаоПремудрост као „жену врховне лепоте“,као „вечно женско“, као „најистинскија,најчистија и најкомплетнија људскост,

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Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .највиши и свеобухватни облик живе душеприроде и универзума, вечно уједињена утоку времена са Богом, уједињујући са Њимсве што јесте/ постоји.“

Павле Флоренски, говорећи оПрeмудрости, каже да је то духовна лепота,четврта ипостас која учествују у животуСвете Тројице.

Међутим, Сергеј Булгаков иде многодаље од оних пре њега и не повезујеПремудрост Божију са Христом, већ сасуштином Божијом која је заједничка за светри Личности.

Према његовим речима, Прему- дрост јеиста као и идеја Бога, вечни прото- типстварања света од стране Бога, а понекад сејавља као посредник између Бога и творе-вине, а понекад се поистовећује са Богомили створеним.

Учење, које је Булгаков преузео одФлоренског и додатно разрадио, измеђуосталог да је Премудрост четврта ипостасСвете Тројице је осуђено као јерес од странеРуске Православне Цркве и Руске загранич-не Цркве, јер ово учење доводи до опасностиод гностицизма, пантеизма и др.

Према утврђеном учењу Светих ОтацаЦркве, као што смо раније видели, Прему-дрост Божија је Друго Лице Свете Тројице,Реч Божија која је постала човек и победиласмрт, ђавола и грех. Дакле, Христос је Пре-мудрост Божија. Карактеристично је оно штоСвети Никола Кавасила каже о Христу: „Онрађа хришћане, Он их подиже и негује, Он јењихова светлост и дах. Христос дарује ду-ховно око, осветљава га и даје му моћ давиди. Хри- стос је наш опстанак,обезбеђујући нам хлеб живота, али Он јетакође и наша храна. Он је пут. Он нам дајеснагу да корачамо, али Он је и одредиште накрају тог пута. Када се боримо, Он се бори санама. Он одређује такмичење, а кадапобедимо Он постаје венац наше победе“.

2. Храм Свете СофијеЗбог тога што је Премудрост Божија

Христос, преутеловљена Реч СтарогЗавета и Оваплоћена Реч Новог Завета,хришћани су градили храмове у частПремудрости Божије, називајући их СветаСофија или Света Премудрост. Ти храмовинису посвећивани му- ченици по именуСофија, већ Христу – Очевој Речи.

Георгије Флоровски пише да је првихрам у Цари- граду посвећен СветојСофији, вероватно осмишљен од странесамог цара Константина Великог, али је доизградње тог Храма дошло касније и он јебио завршен и освећен 360. године.

Није познато када је овај храм извремена цара Константина назван именомСвете Софије. Ипак, ова прва црква СветеСофије доцније је постала највећа црквапод Јустинијаном.

Не смемо заборавити да је након Првогвасељенског сабора, који се суочио сааријанском јереси и потврдио да је РечБожија „Светлост од Светлости, Бог истини- ти од Бога истинитог; рођен, а не створен,једносуштан Оцу, кроз Кога је све постало“,било природно да дође до изградње храмау славу Божије Премудрости каоцентралном месту главног града новедржаве и да се тако у пракси покаже вераизражена у одлукама Првог васељенскогсабора. Цариград је био посвећенПресветој Богородици, као што певамо узнаменитом Кондаку: „Теби, Богородице,војвоткињи која се бори за нас, ми, слугеТвоје, узносимо победне захвалне песме,јер смо се избавили од зала...“

У центру града је био храмПремудрости Божије. Иконографски пандановој карактеристици Константинопоља јеикона Богородице која у наручју држиХриста изнад панораме града. У текстуСвете заједнице Свете Горе под називом„Света Гора и образовање наше расе“,пише следеће о храму Свете Софије:„Христос је средиш- те нашег живота, ацентар друштва је Црква. Центар нашегнарода је Света Софија, NASTAVI}E SE...

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

What Can We Give Our Children for Christ-mas?

According to the Gallup polls of the last dec-ade, over 85 percent of parents believe that thehome is the most important influence in the reli-gious and spiritual development of a child. Onlyten percent of the parents felt that the church wasthe most important and only two percent felt thatthe schools were most influential in their chil-dren's spiritual development. What transpires inour homes is critical to the needs of children ac-cording to these parents. It appears that most par-ents are willing to acknowledge their responsibil-ity to provide this training for their children.

The holiday season is an opportunity to con-tinue to give our children this gift. Each Christmasseason, the media presents a barrage of new prod-ucts we can consider for our gift-giving on Christ-mas Day. On Saturday mornings, our children aredeluged with new, electronic games and toys tomake their lives more exciting. As parents, it isoften difficult to choose which new item to give asa gift. Guilt often forces us into trying to keep upwith our neighbors, to make sure our children arenot left out in our efforts to provide all the mate-rial goods we can possibly afford to make theirlives more meaningful. However, we might con-sider what it is our children need that will last formany years to come.

In our family setting, we can provide our chil-dren with gifts that will last, provide enjoymentand reflection in years to come, and allow them toknow that during their growing years they wereloved and valued as human beings. Have you con-sidered a larger dose of a sense of, tradition, se-curity, morality and spirituality? The cost can bemeasured only in time spent to help them develop

these senses, but the gift might last a life-time and hopefully continue on to the nextgeneration.

A sense of family is a strong tie thatbinds us to those we love. Yet today, we arefaced with responsibilities as parents thatdivide us from our family life. We musthold jobs outside the home, provide for ca-reers by becoming active in the workplaceand community. We are constantly bom-barded with tasks that keep us away fromone another during the course of the week.Many authorities claim that the extendedfamily is extinct, and the nuclear family[comprised of a father, mother and children]is about to become a notion of the past. Yet,when we remember our childhood, it is thatsense of family that brings the smile to ourlips and warmth to our heart. It is the qualityof time we spend with our family that givesus a strong sense of family. It is the holidayseason that offers us the time to build on oursense of family. Cherish this time together!

A sense of tradition is natural withinthe context of our Orthodox faith, and formany of us, our ethnic backgrounds. Theopportunity to share the sacraments duringthe Liturgy, feast day celebrations, and join-ing with our parish family in [times of] joyoffer us many opportunities to strengthenour sense of tradition. The hustle and bustleof Christmas preparations can only cloudthe beauty of these family traditions if wetake them for granted. It is not until wemove to another city or a family memberpasses away that we realize how familymembers truly [fill and enrich] our lives.This Christmas perhaps we can make a


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commitment to share and savor those specialtraditions with our children for later yearswhen memories will become more precious.

Children must cope with so much morethan we did when we were young and theyneed a sense of security. Our experience aschildren was at a much slower pace. Today,children experience life so rapidly and theyencounter scientific advances that change theirlives year by year. With so many choices andopportunities — but without guidance — theybecome confused and lost in the maze ofgrowing into adulthood. Parents who can givetheir children a sense of security that helpsthem to make good choices and provides theknowledge that they will be there to help themunravel life's puzzle, will raise children betterequipped to handle life as adults.

Adults who are disciplined and ready tolead in our homes and parishes [should] havea strong sense of morality. It is foolhardy tothink we can allow our children to be exposedto choices without parental guidance to deter-mine what is right and wrong. The media,again, offers our children a wide variety ofsituations to explore vicariously, but it alsoprovides a norm for morality that is false andharmful. We can give our children a strongfoundation for moral development by our ex-ample and communication so that theirchoices in life will bring them confidence andsupport in their pursuits as Orthodox Chris-tians.

Our greatest gift to our children is thesense of spirituality that revolves around ourOrthodox beliefs. It cannot be bought,wrapped, and placed under a tree only to beused on special holidays each year. If this giftis used only until the seasonal feeling passesand then packed away with the Christmasdecorations for next year, we are deprivingour children of a way of life. How can the

Birth of Our Lord become a joy and celebrationfor the other days of the year? Perhaps, by see-ing this sense of spirituality as a precious giftthat — like fine gold — becomes more preciousas it is used.

This Christmas, we can expose our childrento a major feast day that epitomizes the Chris-tian spirit of giving and sharing and minimizesthe commercial meaning of receiving. To givethese gifts to our children takes a lot of patience,perseverance, and strong adherence to those be-liefs of love and faith we know to be worthwhileas adults. Christmas is a wonderful time to en-joy children, family, and the traditions we haveshared in our families since our parents [orgrandparents] started them. We need only con-sider offering these special senses as diligentlyas we pursue our shopping for that special giftfor Uncle John, Grandma Mary, or Aunt Helen.

These gifts need not be ordered ahead of time;there are no colors or sizes to be concernedabout; and they meet the individual needs of allchildren.

When our children are grown, perhaps theirgift will be to share with us that all their Christ-mas gifts were special to them as children, butthey sensed most our love, security, family, tra-dition, morality, and faith. And, God willing, wewill live long enough to see these gifts reflectedin our grandchildren. Christ is Born! GlorifyHim!

Dr. Violet Leathers is Associate Professor Emeritus inEarly Childhood Development at the University of Akron.As a mother of three and grandmother of three more, herinterest has focused on development in children from birthto age 8. Dr. Leathers and her family attend Presentationof Our Lord RomanianOrthodox Church (OCA),


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...from the writing of St.Nicodemus the Hagiorite,Bishop Nikolai and St. Ignatius Brianchaninov...from Orthodox Christian Journey: A Collection ofWritings of the Ancient Christian Faith

WE MUST BE ON OUR GUARD atall times against the enemy waiting to rob usof our great treasure - inner peace and still-ness of soul. The enemy strives to destroythe peace of the soul because he knows thatwhen the soul is in turmoil, it is more easilyled to evil. We mustguard our peace. Anadvance of the enemyis a self-reliantthought. We must re-gard as clearly comingfrom the enemy everythought which tends todecrease our convic-tion that all goodcomes from God, thatwe can succeed in nothing without the helpof His grace.

Peace of the soul is precious to all.When we .have attained peace of soul, thebody can be in constant motion, at work, orin pain, but the soul, clinging to God, re-mains always in unshakable peace. St.Seraphim of Sarov teaches: “We must en-deavor by every means to keep peace ofsoul. Do not be troubled by the insults of

others. It is necessary at all costs to re-strain oneself from anger and, by watch-fulness over oneself, keep the mind andheart from vain movement.”

To guard this peace of mind andsoul it is also necessary to give up judg-ing others. To accomplish this, we mustbe vigilant over ourselves and not listento evil words or gossip. We must be asone dead before all that is of this w'orld.We must tirelessly keep our hearts fromvain thoughts and impressions (Proverbs

4:23). When weattain peace, wereceive divinerevelation.

If we do nottram ourselvesto pray fre-quently, we willnever receiveunceasingprayer (I Thes-

salonians 5:17). Unceasing prayer is agift given by God to a slave and servantof His of proven loyalty. “It is impossibleto draw near to God without unceasingprayer” (St. Isaac the Syrian). Unceasingprayer is a sign of God’s mercy towardus; it is a sign that all the powers of thesoul are bent on God (Psalm 86:3).

The essential, indispensable prop-erty of prayer is attention. True grace-

Where Does StewardshipBegin?

In the quietness andpeace of our own Soul!


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given attention comes from the completesubjection of ourselves to God, denyingtemptations of the world. With the union ofthe mind and heart, the sincere believer re-ceives the power to resist all sinfulthoughts and feelings. Can this be the resultof technique? No! It is the result of grace;it is a fruit of the Holy Spirit Who over-shadows the unseen labor of the Christian -the mind, with the spiritual feelings of theheart.

Since the Fall, when sin entered theworld, thoughts and feelings have changedfrom spiritual into sinful and earthlythoughts and feelings. By obeying the com-mandments of the Gospel, the mind andspirit can be elevated to spiritual thoughtsand feelings. When mind and spirit arehealed they are then united in the Lord.Strictly speaking, by “prayer” the holy Fa-thers mean the Jesus Prayer: “Lord JesusChrist, Son of God, have mercy on me, asinner!”

How is Stewardshipsimilar and how isit different fromdues system?

Attending churchPartaking of the Holy SacramentsGiving of our time by working at the dif-ferent church functions.Financial support of our church

Stewardship is not a “club” with man-dated dues

Stewards have a commitment to JesusChrist and not to a building or a person

Stewards reverently and regularly at-tend church and partake of the Holy Sac-raments

Stewards are caretakers of the churchfor future generations

Stewards must offer to God what isalready His - and all belongs to God

Stewards give of their time and talentslovingly, joyfully, and regularly

Stewards give of their treasures pro-portionately and regularly based on theirmeans.

Differences

Similarities

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE

The man who smiles when things go wrong hasthought of someone to blame.

A village doctor saw one of his patients. Hesaid to the farmer, “By the way your checkcame back. ”The farmer looked at the doctorwith a wry smile and replied,“That’s funny so did my lumbago.

Patient: “Doctor, what I need is something to stirme up-something to put me in fightingtrim . Did you put anything like that in this pre-scription?”Doctor: “No. You will find that in the bill.”

Dad” a little boy asked. “Did you go to Sundayschool every week?” I sure did, son,his father replied. “I’ll bet it won’t do me anygood either,” the boy said. ’


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Tambakis from Holy Trinity Greek OrthodoxChurch in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

As we will soon be embarking on theAdvent season, preparing for the day ofthe Christ's birth, let's examine ourselvesclosely. One summer a tailor visited Romeand when he returned to work, his friendasked him, "what kind of man is the Pope?"The tailor answered him, "he's a 39 short."

So, it is very accurate to say thatwe see the world as we are... the paintersees the world in color, the sculptor seesthe world in form, and the tailor sees theworld in pant sizes. When a man sees hiswife taking physical therapy, he asks thePhysical Therapist how she is doing be-cause they see her as a mechanical being.They can measure her in a way to know ifshe is improving. The man sees her as hiswife and as a woman struggling to heal.

So if you show 2 people the verysame picture, they will see something reallydifferent. We tend to see and hear thingsnot as they are, but as we are. He who isfilled with hate only sees hateful people. Ifwe feel insecure inside, we always see otherpeople as trying to threaten us. We areconstantly judging others by our selves. Athief is far more suspicious of fellow man

than an honest man; we see as we are.And we see only what we have pre-

pared ourselves to see. An astronomerwill see far more in the sky than you or

me. An artist will see more in a paintingthan we will. Why is it that the Wise Mensaw the Star? Because they were lookingfor the Star. Why is it that Simeon andAnna recognized Jesus as the Savior ofthe world and brought Mary to the templeon the 40th day? Because they were expec-tantly looking for Him.

There was a priest who gave a ser-mon; a man came up afterward and toldhim of the 5 grammatical errors he heard;another man came up to him and told thepriest he found God, listening to the ser-mon. Both men listened to the same ser-mon; both found what they were preparedto find. We see as we are.

So what's inside is all important. Ifwe don't have God on the inside, we'll neversee Him on the outside. If we have Him onthe inside, we can't help but to see Himeverywhere. ..in every bird, in every sunset,in every tree, and in every human being whohungers and thirsts. Jesus once said, "Theeye is the lamp of the body. So if your eyeis sound, your whole body will be full of light.But if your eye is not sound, your wholebody will be full of darkness. If then thelight in you is darkness, how great thedarkness." The eye is the window of thewhole body. By eye, Jesus means the soulof man. If the soul is unclean, if it's ob-


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scured by hatred, prejudice, lust, self-conceit; if it is obsessed by envy andjealousy, it will distort our entire visionon life. We shall see people and thingsnot as they are, but as distortions ofour hatred.

"Eyes and ears are bad wit-nesses to people if they have barbariansouls," said Heraclitus 25 centuriesago. In this pithy statement Heraclitusof Ephesus (c. 535 - c. 475 BC) was apre-Socratic Greek philosopher whoprovides a vivid metaphor meant to il-lustrate the fundamental importance ofunderstanding the logos (God). Withoutan understanding of the logos, or thedivine law or plan within nature, obser-vation is absolutely useless. To try toinvestigate nature without understand-ing the logos, is like trying to gainmeaning from words without under-standing the language to which theybelong: all that you perceive, in boththese cases, is meaning

shepherd hepherd serbian orthodox church assumption...

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