shepherd sh rd - sacserbchurch.orgsacserbchurch.org/sac/wp-content/uploads/file/may...

SHEPHERDMonthly newsletter of the Serbian

Orthodox Church of the AssumptionFair Oaks, California

P AS T I R

May 2012God be with you

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

SHEPHERD

A monthly publication of theSerbian 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 $ 20:00Monthly $ 2:00Many Thanks.

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

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

3

3

When we beganthe preparation forGreat Lent with the Sun-day of Zacchias, Paschaseemed far distant. Aswe went through thedaily services of the firstweek, time seemed tostand still and Paschaseemed light years

away. On Palm Sunday we again faceda week filled with one or more servicesmaking Pascha seem “So close, yet sofar.” But as the days of Holy Weekpassed, even with the many services,time seemed to fly as did the services,even the longer ones. Then, Saturdaynight at 11:55PM we began our proces-sion around the Church to sing “Christ isrisen from the dead, trampling downdeath by death; and to those in thetombs bestowing life.” We entered thesanctuary, now bright with white vest-ments, flowers and light from the radi-ance of the Resurrection of our Lordnow upon us. What a glorious way tobegin the day and to greet the RisenChrist.

Looking back on the weather ofHoly Week we can see a correlationbetween the nature of the services andthe weather itself as a backdrop. Holy

Thursday was dark and misty. HolyFriday was dark and rainy, so much sothat our procession was inside. HolySaturday remained overcast with signsof brightness showing promise. Then,on the day of glorious Pascha, the skywas clear and the sun shining brightly.What an amazing parallel!

Starting at 4:30 AM EasterSunday morning the BBQ fires were litand the lambs and pigs were placedon the BBQ racks. Later, the kitchencrew completed preparation of theside dishes. Around 12PM the BBQchefs began slicing the meat and plac-ing it in serving trays.

Our celebration of Pascha thisyear was unique in spiritual ways aswell as expedient. First, we thank allparishoners for attending a confessionand absolution before Pascha morn-ing. There have been years where wehave delayed the Divine liturgy for30 to 45 minutes because of thosewho waited until the 11th hour. Thisyear there were no delays becauseeveryone had taken care of their spiri-tual needs during Holy Week. Therewere minor exceptions, but nonewithout good reason and there wasno delay. Hopefully this will continueinto the future.

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

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

The significant aspect ofour Paschal service was the factthat there were two chalices andboth Proto Dane and Proto Billserved Holy Communion duringthe Divine Liturgy and both distrib-uted the Antidoran and Paschaleggs at the end of the service. Thisis the first time in the history of ourChurch that two chalices havebeen used. Everything was or-derly, reverent and was completedin a timely manner. It was helpfulthat all communicants cooperatedwith this way of doing things with-out complaint and in a cooperativeand reverent manner. The onlyperson who got confused was analtar server who was tasked withcounting the communicants! Poorguy, too many people, too littletime. Don't we all wish that this"problem" occurred more often?

The Divine Liturgy wascompleted around 12 noon andthe Holy Bread and Paschal eggswere distributed by Proto Daneand Proto Bill. Eggs were crackedwith exclamations of “ChristosVoskrese!” “Christ is Risen!” Theywere answered: “Vaistinu Vosk-rese” “Indeed He is risen!”. We allshared happily in the celebration.

As we moved to theSocial Hall in anticipation of theluncheon feast we could not helpbut observe the many children

laughing and running in pursuit ofhidden Easter eggs with baskets andbags for their bounty.

The Paschal repast(feast) was nothing short of spec-tacular. In addition to good organi-zation and many helpers the mealwas delicious and there was plentyfor all. Happily, an additional sixtables needed to be set up. Thismeans there were about fifty morepeople present than expected. Thefeeling of happiness and comraderiecontinued through the celebrationwhich did not conclude until late inthe day.

Our congratulationsand thanks to all of you who cameand participated in the services,preparation, and celebration whichaccompany this joyous time. Ourrole as Priests for this family in Christseems especially fulfilled when wesee so many praying, working to-gether and celebrating as a largefamily. Thank you again! ChristosVoskrese! Christ is Risen! VaistinuVoskrese! Indeed He is Risen!

Your intercessors before ourLord Jesus Christ,

V. Rev. Protopresbyter Wil-liam Weir

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

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

Kada smopo~eli da sepripremamo za ve-liki post sa nedel-jom o Zakeju,Vaskrs je izgledaotako daleko.Prolaze}I krozslu`be prvenedelje ~inilo se

kao da vreme stoji a do Vask-rsa kao godina. Cvetna nedeljasa vi{e nego jednomslu`bompribliìla nas Vask-rsenju “Tako blizu a takodaleko”. Ali kako su dani Svetenedelje dolazili bliè ~ak I samnogobrojnim duìmslu`bama vreme je letelo.Subota no}u 11:55 pre pono}Ipo~eli smo obilazak oko crkveuz pesmu “Voskresenije TvojeHriste spase” I u nastavku“Hristos Vaskrse iz mrtvi, smr}u smrt pobedi, a onim ugrobovima ìvot daova”. Uslismo u crkvu svetlu sa beli mpokriva~ima , cve}em I svetlo{}u Vaskrsenja Gospoda Isusa

Hrista. Kakav veli~anstven na~inza po~etak dana HristovogVaskrsenja

Dledaju}I unazad navreme tokom Velike Nedeljekao da je se priroda sagla{avalasa slu`bama. Veliki êtvrtak ta-man I vlaàn, Veliki Petak ta-man I ki{an tako da smoumesto obilazka oko crkve tou~inili unutar crkve. VelikaSubota obla~no sa obe}avaju}imdoaskom sunca, a onda SvetaPasha, nebo je bilo ~isto sunceje sijalo. Kakav predivan prizor.

Rano ujutro u Vaskr{njuNedelju vatra je nalozena I ja-gaci I prasi}I stavljeni da sepeku. Oko 12 sati sve je bilospremno uklju~ujuci I ostalespecijalitete kuhinje. Vaskr{njaslu`ba se zavr{ila oko 12 sati upodne sa podelom uskr{njihjaja I naforom od Prote Dana Iprote Bila.

Proslava Vaskrsa ovegodine u duhovnom smislu je


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

bila izuzetna. Zahvaljujemo sesvim parohijanima koji su uzeliIspovest pre Vaskr{njeg jutra.Predhodnih godina smopo~injali Sv. Liturgiju za zaka{njenjem od 30-40 minuta zbogonih koji su ~ekali ispovest uzadnji ~as. Ove godine Liturgijaje po~ela na vreme pa senadamo da }e se ovako nastavitiI narednig godina.

Na Vaskr{njoj Liturgiji kori{tena su dva putira oba sve{tenika i proto Dane i protoBill su pri~e{}ivali ljude kao Idavai Vaskr{nja jaja I anaforu.

Ovo je prvi put u istoijina{e crkve da su kori{tena dvaputira za vrme Liturgije. Sve jeproteklo u najboljem pobo`nomredu bez pridika. Samo jejedan od de~aka koji je sluìo uoltaru a imao zaduènje da brojipri~asnike napravio komentar“mnogo ljudi a malo vremena”Kako bi smo svi èleli da ovaj“problem” imamo {to ~e{}e.

Kucala su se Vaskr{nja jajauz prazni~n pozdrav “HristosVaskrse uzodgovor “Vaistinu

Vaskrse. Svi smo delili rad slav-lja. Slavlje se nastavlja u na{ojcrkvenoj Sali gde se moralo zap-ziti mnogo dece koja su sa os-mesima na liu Tr~ala sa korpi-cama I kesicama sakupljaju}IVaskr{nja jaja. Vaskr}nja trpezaje bila bogata I u izobilju za sve.Organizacija je bila dobra ~ak suse postavila dodatna sest stola Isvi su bili zadovoljni, slavlje senastavilo do kasno predve~e.

êstitamo I zahvaljujemosvima koji su uzeli u~e{}e uslu`bama I pripremama okoslavlja za ovaj radosni dan. Kaosve{tenstvo ove velike porodiceu Hristu bilo nam j zadovoljstvovideti mnoge na molitvi I raduzajedno slave}I ovaj dan kao ve-lika porodica.

Hvala jo{ jednom!

Hristos Vaskrse!Vaistinu Vaskrse!

Va{ molitvenik pred Hristom

Prota William Weir


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

MEMORANDUMFrom the Meetings of the Diocesan Clergyheld on March 29 and June 20,2000

+JOVANBy the Grace of God Serbian OrthodoxBishop of Western America Together with theclergy of the God-Protected Diocese in West-ern America.

TO all of the church school congrega-tions, executive boards, Church SundaySchool Directors and Administrators, SchoolTeachers, Parents, children and faithful of theWestern American Diocese:

"Let the little children come to me anddo not forbid them, for of such is the kingdomof God. Truly I say to you, Whosoever shallnot receive the Kingdom of God as a littlechild, shall not enter intoit." [Mark 10:14-15]

This admonition of our Lord gives usthe incentive to write this Memorandum in theform of a Pastoral letter to the faithful of ourDiocese. Ail of us, who are energetically SERV-ING the Church whether as priest, teacher,leader, or parent find that our local parish isnot built completely new or in ISOLATION fromthe rest of the Church, for together we makeup the One Body of Christ. There is a certainfoundation which precedes both the physicaland spiritual structures of our parishes. Thatfoundation is Christ who has given us HisChurch with the primary purpose of salvation.

In other words, we have been given the seedsof Eternal Life and when functioning well, ourlocal parishes become the agent by which theseeds of faith can be planted in persons, par-ticularly those whom God loves most, our chil-dren. For a long time however, we have ob-served that there is often some confusion con-cerning the kind of seeds and the best way toplant them. The Holy Apostle Paul describesthe situation well when he spoke about peoplewho "have a zealfor Cod? but it is not enlight-ened" [Romans 10:2]. One can attend thecountless parish bazaars and programs, hearabout culture, traditions, music, food and allthe rest which have been handed down to us,and yet miss any references to the real contentof the faith. It seems clear in such тз1шсез,that we have invested our time and energy inseeds that will produce plants unable to bearany fruit. This is precisely our assessment ofthe cultural programs such as kolo and tam-bura, when they are separated from the churchschool program of the parish; when parents andchildren regularly participate in folklore activi-ties without regularly participating in thescheduled liturgical services and church schoolprogram. Yet we know that culture and localtraditions do have their places and deserve tobe preserved, but they must not be allowed tooccupy the primary, or worse yet, only role inour ministry to our children or adult communi-ties.

The renown and saintly theologian Fr.Justin Popovic said, "Orthodox Christianitythrough Svetosavlje is seeing the world as theepiphany of God and seeing man in that worldas the *servant of Cod." Likewise, our holyBishop Nicholai [Velimirovic] said, "A true


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

Serb is a good Orthodox Christian. To say 'be agood Serbian but your faith is unimportant/is thesame as if you said to a sheep} 'be well fed and fat-tened, but the pasture is not important!"'This meansthat man is to serve God ceaselessly in his thoughts,feelings, words, and works, with his whole life, aslived according to Christfs Gospel.

Since the I940fs our Serbian Orthodoxparishes in this country have adopted a pattern ofSunday Schools, to relate this Orthodox Christianlife and teaching. The goal of this Orthodox Chris-tian education has always been "to introduce thechild or adult into the Church, to integrate him intoits life- the life of grace, communion with God,love, unity and spiritual progress towards eternalsalvation-for such are the essential aims of theChurch." This means that everything that we do inthe parish from worship to educational programs;from meetings to luncheons; from music and folk-lore dancing, to sports and recreation— all becomeone sacred task. This challenge is an enormous re-sponsibility, and we have now clearly recognizedthat our efforts to meet it have, on the most partbeen feeble and tardy. The reality today is that thegreat majority of our younger Serbian Orthodoxgenerations will be lost to the Church or only nomi-nal members of it, if our educational standards donot improve and if we continue to believe naively inthe inevitable success of good intentions* The taskbefore us must be faced seriously* There are thou-sands of men and women, children and young adultswho have the potential of becoming good OrthodoxChristians if the parishes of which the are membersor where they reside, will make the effort to trainthem properly in the sacred nature of their work*We find however, the problem really boils down tothe question of how seriously we take our faith* Dowe really believe in the salvation of the soul? Do wereally believe in the need to learn about God? Dowe realljr believe that a spiritual education is supe-rior to a secular one? Too often in our parishes wefind people who are stubbornly content with whatthey know about their faith* As a result, for all toomany, priorities are confused

The purpose of this memorandum is tofulfill our sacred task and state clearly before God

and man, that with regard to the relationship be-tween worship, church school and cultural/folklore programs in bur parishes, the time hascome for change. We must be willing to makethis change* However, first and foremost we rec-ognize that the changes that we refer to here can-not begin in the externals of parish life, such asprograms and kolo lessons, but must first begin inthe inner lives of all believers* This will insurethat the other necessary changes we are now mak-ing come about through purity of heart and a firmdesire to seek and do what is true. This is ourcommon responsibility. To seek and do what istrue means to seek and do not what we want, butwhat God wants. It means in humility, in prayer,we ask God not so much to do what we want todo, but what He wants us to do, for that is muchmore constructive and useful for the future of theChurch. It means that we must once and for allcome to terms with who we really are and whowe really want to be.

Based upon the clear assessment that wehave made of the relationship between the wor-ship, church school and cultural programs of ourparishes over the years but most systematicallyduring the past school year 1999-2000, we herebycall all our faithful to understand and accept theneed to grow and progress, but only in the truespirit of our Holy Serbian Orthodox faith. There-fore, in fulfillment of our sacred responsibilitybefore God and His Holy Church, and for thesake of the salvation of all, especially that of ourchildren, and after careful and prayerful consid-eration, we announce the following modificationsand changes to be made in all of the parishes ofour Diocese:

* We call upon everyone to rediscoverpersonal prayer and the worship services of thechurch. It has been said that the creation of goodhabits equals the creation of good character-in ourcase, of good Christians, Training in the habit ofprayer, both by our schools and most importantlyby the parents, is far from what is should be. Ourreview shows that in general, the great majorityof our children do not practice prayer in their


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

homes at all! Faith has not yet been awakened intheir hearts- If a youngster between the ages of 13and I 7 years does not yet lift up his heart inprayer, then when, if ever, is he going to start?

*Likewise, we ask our parishes to spendthe Summertime this year rediscovering the im-portance of the church school Christian educationand build even better and more fruitful programs.There can be no greater definition of what weseek here than that expressed in the words of thefamous Serbian poet, Jovan Jovanovich-Zmaj:

“Build the schools, children beg you!For there is no greater shame and disgrace;than having your child be blind in ignorance!Look, the world is prepared for knowledge; andyour children live in dullness. Build the schools;children beg you! Seed the field of future days.Work on it from all sides. Dont look at hardship,think of the good fruit to come. Else you are notthe sons of the Serbs. Our wounds need thefaster remedy, Open the spring of a happier fu-ture!"

• We are grateful that for the most part inour Diocese, "Sunday schoolsff are not conduct-ing classes at the same time as the Liturgy. How-ever, we have repeatedly noticed that all toomany of our faithful do not come to church ontime. Plainly, all too many people come to churchlatei For some, it has become a rule! Sunday isprimarily a liturgical day; it should be church-centered and liturgy-centered. It is in church thatchildren must hear the word of God for the firsttime. Furthermore, those parishes where the timeof the church school or cultural programs conflictwith the worship services must no later than thebeginning of the next school year, September2000, conform to the emphasized and repeateddecisions of National Church Sabors and Dioce-san Assemblies held in the 70fs. 80fs and 90fs, aswell as the Regulations on Religious Education ofthe Serbian Orthodox Church in the United Statesof America and Canada [promulgated on August20, 1981] which state that "The time of the cul-tural and language programs will neither conflict

with the worship services of the church, nor with theregular church school program." The Liturgy is themost sacred act of communion with God and HisSaintsf held in order to sanctify, instruct andstrengthen the spiritual powers of the people of Godin that locality, and yet, in a few parishes, childrenare still routinely- being deprived of nearly all of it. Itis important that at least on Sunday morning, chil-dren awaken with the call: "Time to go to Church,"and not "Time to go to Sunday school" If our chil-dren become accustomed to the latter, they are sureto ask themselves why get out of bed on Sundaymornings once they have graduated?!

• In accordance with the Uniform Regula-tions on Religious Education, and following repeatedappeals over the years, beginning September 2000,all cultural, language, kolo dancing, tambura andyouth programs organized, supported and affiliatedwith the parishes and congregations of the WesternAmerican Diocese must be an integral part of thechurch school program, and not separate entities,'and as such are under the direct supervision of thechurch school as specified by the Regulations onReligious Education in the Serbian OrthodoxChurch* Furthermore, hereafter, all students of thecultural and language programs [such as kolo andtambura] must without exception regularly partici-pate in the Sunday worship services and scheduledchurch school Christian Education program of theparish*

In conclusion, with these changes, we be-lieve that we will increase the experiential knowl-edge of Orthodoxy within our communities. We aregiven the many possibilities that this land has to of-fer, however, one thing is essential: For us individu-ally as priests, and for our parishioners as well, it isvital that we rediscover that miracle of faith, so thatno matter who we are, a priest or a teacher, a boardmember or kolo dancer, an old widow or a youngchild, the first thing of all is to discover that which isthe depth of our faith. It is praying, standing beforeGod; it is immersion in that Heaven and earth thatmake us Serbian Orthodox Christians and nothingless. This cannot be reached without such change. Itcannot be reached without asceticism, withoutprayer, without fasting, without truth, and without


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

such courage with which we author and submitthis memorandum. If we do all these things,then together, strong with that experience,strong with that personal faith and commit-ment, we will address the issues and concernsof our time. We will learn what is real in ourfaith and what is" decoration. We might haveto loose some of that decoration, but what we'llkeep is exactly the faith which is victorious.Sure we are attacked, from inside and outside.But this victorious faith will be ours only if youand we decide that together we want to hear thevoice of God speaking to us.Finally, all of us, clergy andlaity alike, must not rest inour efforts to ensure that wedo everything we can for thesalvation of the souls ofthose among us whom Christloves the most, our children.

Guided by the HolySpirit, having in mind ourresponsibility as shepherdsof the Church, and with con-cern and love for the flockentrusted to us, we place thisMemorandum on your heartsand souls. We do this withhope that in return, you re-ceive it with the samewarmth and love with whichit was written. We remindyou of the words the HolyApostle Paul, to continue inlove "until we all come to theunity of the faith and theknowledge of the Son ofGod, to be a perfect man, tothe measure of the stature ofthe fullness ofChrist." [Ephesians 4:13]

"Blessing and glory

and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor andpower and might be to our God forever and ever.Amen" [Revelation 7: 12]


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

Овајславни ипобедоноснисветитељ бешерођен уКападокији каосин богатих иблагочестивихродитеља. Отацму пострада заХриста, и мајкаму се пресели у

Палестину. Када порасте Ђорђе оде увојску, где доспе у двадесетој својојгодини до чина трибуна, и као такавбеше на служби при царуДиоклецијану. Када овај цар отпочестрашно гоњење на хришћане, ступиЂорђе пред њега и одважно исповеди,да је и он хришћанин. Цар га баци утамницу, а нареди да му се ноге ставе укладе а на прси тежак камен. По томнареди, те га везаше на точак, подкојим беху даске са великим ексерима,и да га тако окрећу, док му цело тело непоста као једна крвава рана. По том газакопа у ров, тако да му само главабеше ван земље, и остави га у рову тридана и три ноћи. По том преко некогамађионичара даде му смртоносниотров. Но при свим овим мукама Ђорђесе непрестано мољаше Богу, и Бог гаисцељиваше тренутно, и спасаваше одсмрти на велико удивљење народа.Када и мртваца једног молитвомваскрсе, тада многи примише веру

Христову. Међу овима беше ижена царева

Александра, и главнижрец Атанасије, и земљоделацГликерије, и Валерије, Донат и Терина.Најзад осуди цар Ђорђа и своју женуАлександру на посечење мачем.Блажена Александра издахну нагубилишту пре посечења, а св. Ђорђе бипосечен 303 год. Чудесима, која седесише на гробу св. Ђорђа нема броја.Нема броја ни његовим јављањима у снуи на јави многима, који га споменуше ињегову помоћ поискаше од онда до данаданашњега.

Разгоревши се љубављу премаХристу Господу светом Ђорђу не бешетешко све оставити ради те љубави: ичин, и богатство, и царску почаст, ипријатеље, и сав свет. За ту љубавГоспод га награди венцем неувеле славена небу и на земљи и животом вечним уцарству Свом. Још му дарова Господсилу и власт да помаже у бедама иневољама свима онима који га славе ињегово име призивају.

MEASURING WEALTHHow much money do you have to have to be

considered rich in today's society?Some say you must have about $5 million per

family member, with unearned income of about$500,000 per year to be considered rich.

But I keep thinking of how many people Iknow with far more than that who do not seem happy.On the other hand, I know people who have trouble pay-ing their bills, yet are really well-off emotionally.

If you can share any problem with your wifeor husband, you're rich. If you can face your parents andbelieve you have given back to them even a hint of whatthey gave you, you're rich.

Benjamin Stein


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

A friend of mine told methat last week he took his son for a HappyMeal. They were sitting at the table whenthe father reached over to sample one of hisson’s fries. He asked: “Son, may I haveone?” To which the boy surprisingly said,with a harsh glare, “No! Those are mine!”Surprised and unhappily the father reactedwith three thoughts about his son.

One. He is sad and doesn’t under-stand from where these fries come. Two.He doesn’t realize that I could take all ofthe fries away from him or I could smotherhim with buckets of fries. Three. He does-n’t know that I can get my own fries anddon’t need his.

Later, in spiritual reflection, I seethe father’s observations and glean somespiritual lessons. First. We frequently failto know the source of our bounty, and wedo not recognize the true source. Second.We frequently believe that we are in com-plete control of our possessions, forgettingGod’s sovereignty. Third. We believe thatwhat we have is really our own, completelymissing the fact that everything is God’s.We need Him! He doesn’t need us, al-though He wants us to be with Him.

Returning to the father and his son,we must realize that the father wanted aloving, willing and giving heart in his sonmuch more than he wanted a French fry.This is just the way it is with God. Hewants our willingness to see that He is thesource of everything, He is sovereign, andHe doesn’t need anything from us, but, He

wants us to be willing to give.Giving is the essence of God Him-

self. Giving is a pure expression of love.Recall the words of St. John: “For God soloved the world that He gave His only be-gotten son, that whosoever should believein Him shall have everlasting life.” Givingis the core of God’s character. When wegive, we reflect that character.

Commitment is a promise that onemakes with the expectation of doing thebest to fulfill that commitment. We all rec-ognize that things happen and we, unex-pectedly, may fall short of living up to ourcommitments. This truth is understand-able. Unfortunately, there are those amongus who refuse to make a commitment re-garding stewardship. I am certain thatthere are various reasons and justifications.Simply stated, the refusal to make anycommitment at all is more egregious thanto make a commitment and fall short due tocircumstances beyond our control.

The essence of this message is notto ask for money, specifically, but to askthat those of you who have not made anycommitment of stewardship, do so. Thereasons should be obvious. They are spiri-tual and practical. Those of you who arenot making as much of a commitment asyou know you are able, please reevaluateand “raise the ante”.

The unworthy Priest, Fr. Bill(Adapted from article by John C. Maxwell, St. Arch-angel Michael Bulletin, April 2012)


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

Nepoznati autor jerekao jednom “Bogne moè biti svudaprisutan zato je

stvorio majke” Mnogi carevi, guvern-eri i pesnici su izrazili svoju ljubavpredanost i zahvalnost prema ma-jkama govore}i prelepe citate. Napo-leom Bonaparta je rekao “Budu}nostdeteta je rad majke”. Abraham Lin-koln je rekao “Sve {to sam i {to senadam da }u biti dugujem moman|elu majci”. Daniel Webster jerekao da majke ne slikaju na platnukoje bledi niti na mermeru koji setro{I u pra{inu ve} na razum i duhkoji traje do veka. Tomas Edison jerekao “ona je bila istina, sa punopoverenja u mene i ja sam se ose}aoda imam razloga da ìvim za nekogakoga nesmem razo~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 ljubavii posve}enosti svim ~lanovimaporodice. Deca pokazuju ljubav premamajkama tokom cele godine na raznena~ine ali je ipak ova nedelj posve}ena njoj specijalno sa ljubavlju.

U petoj Bo`joj zapovesti Bog

nam govori kroz pro-roka Mojsija da “po{tujemo Oca i Majku da

bi smo dugo poìveli nazemlji”. Hristos tako|e traì od nasda po{tujemo oca i majku i obja{njava va`nost po{tovanja i brige zaroditelje. Iz Evan|elja vidimo velikuHristovu ljubav prema majci kad jesa krsta poverio brigu o majci svomu~eniku Jovanu sa re~ima “Evo timajke”. Dan majki nije crkvenipraznik ali je duboko ukorenjen uu~enju Pravoslavne crkve kao {to se ividi iz gore navedenog primera izsvetog pisma.

1907 godine gospo|a Ana Jar-vis iz Filadelfije Pensilvanije je èlelada 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.


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

S TEWARDSHIP—STARATELJSTVO?

Stewardship - Establishing'Right’ Priorities In

Life!THE STEWARDSHIP OF THE

PROPHETSStewardship takes all shapes and

forms. It is not limiting, but all embracing,incorporating all the means by which thefaithful can offer their Time, Talents, andTreasure unto the Lord.

In the Old Testament, we learn of agroup of Stewards that were not well re-ceived by the people, yet stood steadfast infaith and served the Lord. St. Paul writes,"They received trial of mockings and ofscourgings, and, moreover, of bonds and ofimprisonment. They were stoned, they weresawn asunder, were tempted; they died bymurder of the sword. They went about insheepskins, in goatskins, being in need, af-flicted, ill treated - of whom the world wasnot worthy. They were made to wander indeserts, and in mountains, and in caves,and in the holes of the earth." (Hebrews11:36-38) These servants of the Lord werethe prophets.

A prophet is generally considered tobe someone who speaks on behalf of some-one else. In the Old Testament however theprophet was the mouthpiece of the Lord,preaching in word and in deed. Most com-monly clustered around times of crisis(between the 9th century and the 5th cen-tury before Christ), the prophets were called

by God to offer guidance to His people.Each prophet came with a message

from God that he was to communicate to thepeople. There were four major kinds of mes-sages or oracles used: 1) Indictment Oracles -description of offense; 2) Judgment Oracles -describing the sentence of their sinful behav-ior; 3) Instruction Oracles - how the recipientswere to conduct themselves and; 4) Aftermathor Hope Oracles - developments after thejudgment or hope for deliverance and restora-tion. The audience and the revelation of Goddetermined the messages that were to be em-phasized and employed by the prophet.

The New Testament Church calls tomind the prophets as selfless Stewards of theLord who lent themselves to His will. Yes,sacrifice was associated with this path of holi-ness, but should that not be the case withStewardship in any shape or form? Remem-bering the prophets, let us pray that we maywith the same commitment communicate theWord of God through our words and deeds,as His Christian Stewards.

THEACHING OUR CHILDREN TO BEGOOD STEWARDS

One of the greatest lessons OrthodoxCliristian parents are called upon to teachtheir children is to be good stewards.

Christian stewardship means thatChristianity has its own principle of econom-ics. The capitalist, for example, believes thatindividuals should own the wealth of theworld. Socialists believe that all people shouldown the wealth of the world and create agreat commonwealth. The Christian believesthat God owns the world and that man ismerely the custodian , the steward of its


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

wealth, and that everything belongs toGod. "The earth is (lie Lord's and the ful-ness thereof." When we give something toGod, we're like (lie little boy who says tohis father, "Daddy, give me some moneyto buy you a present."

The ancient Jews gave God thefirst and the best thing they had. The bestof the oil, the best of the wine, and the firstfruits of their crops were set aside for God.The animals set aside for sacrifice had tobe of the finest quality. God deserves to befirst on our list of giving. He deserves ourvery best-not what is left over after we havespent everything on ourselves.

Because everything we have be-longs to God we cannot really "give" Godanything. We can only share with Himwhat is His in the first place. As Dag Ham-marskjold writes in his book "Markings":"In the last analysis, what does the word'sacrifice' mean? Or even the word 'gift'?He who has nothing can give nothing. Thegift is God's-to God."

The widow of the Gospel gave eve-rything she had and Jesus saw her. Jesuswatches us and knows what we give for thework of His Church. St. Paul praised theChristians in Macedonia because they gavethemselves first to Christ and then theyhelped the poor Christians in Jerusalem.Church giving should be proportionate towhat we earn. The Bible recommends tith-ing.

God asks us to give because He firstgave us His Son to ransom us and save us.

Fr. A. ConiarisDid you returne you pelage

Card for 2012

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE

* A minister and a taxi cab driverdie and they go to the pearly gates to getinto heaven. The taxi cab driver is admittedand is given a beautiful room to rest hissoul. The minister, on the other hand is giv-ing a very small and unattractive room. Theminister complains. Why did the taxi cabdriver get a better room than me? I'veworked all my life trying to save souls onearth. St. Peter than says: the taxi cabdriver made more people pray while hewas driving them than you. When youpreached in church people slept.

Losing o Losing his fatherwas bad enough for this man.But, imagine his surprisewhen he spotted his ownname in the obituaries in-stead of his fathers. He had tophone a friend. "Did you seethe report of my death in thepaper?" he asked. Yes hisfriend replied," but, whereare you calling from?”

Once you pass forty, your "big break"

You know you're getting olderwhen "Happy Hour" is a nap!


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

This gloriousand victorioussaint was bornin Cappadocia.He was the sonof wealthy andvirtuous par-ents. His fathersuffered forChrist and his

mother moved to Palestine shortlyafter. When George grew up, he en-tered the military, where in his twenti-eth year, attained the rank of a Trib-une and was in the service of the Em-peror Diocletian. When Diocletian be-gan the terrible persecution againstChristians, George came before himand courageously confessed that he isa Christian. The emperor threw himinto prison and ordered that his feetbe placed in a stockade of woodenhobbles and that a heavy stone beplaced on his chest. After that, the em-peror commanded that George be tiedto a wheel under which was a boardwith large nails. He was to be rotateduntil his entire body became as onebloody wound. After that, they buriedhim in a pit with only his head show-ing above the ground and there theyleft him for three days and three

nights. Then Georgewas given a deadlypoison to drink by

some magician. But,through all of these sufferings, Georgecontinuously prayed to God and Godhealed him instantly and saved him fromdeath to the great astonishment of thepeople. When he resurrected a dead manthrough his prayer, many then acceptedthe Faith of Christ. Among these alsowas Alexandra, the wife of the EmperorAthanasius, and the chief pagan priestand the farmers: Glycerius, Valerius, Do-natus and Therinus. Finally the emperorordered George and his wife Alexandrabeheaded. Blessed Alexandra died on thescaffold before being beheaded. St.George was beheaded in the year 303A.D. The miracles which have occurredover the grave of St. George are withoutnumber. Numerous are his appearances,either in dreams or openly, to those whohave invoked him and implored his helpfrom that time until today. Enflamedwith love for Christ the Lord, it was notdifficult for this saintly George to leaveall for the sake of this love: rank, wealth,imperial honor, his friends and the en-tire world. For this love, the Lord re-warded him with the wealth of unfadingglory in heaven and on earth and eter-nal life in His kingdom. In addition, theLord bestowed upon him the power andauthority to assist all those in miseriesand difficulties who honor him and callupon his name.


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

"The Roman Catholics may do away withthe tradition of fasting from meat on Fridays, anda question arises:TWas fasting ever really neces-sary in glorifying God? Protestants don't have anysystem of fasting. Why then do we Orthodox notchange the rules if they no longer have any pur-pose ?"

The Original Sin was caused becauseman refused to obey a law of fas ting :n But ofthe tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thoushalt not eat of it: for in that day that thou eat-est thereof thou shalt surely dieM (Gen. 2:17).

In both the Old and New Testaments,devout men and women always felt obligatedand duty bound to fast. Early,they discoveredthat fasting helped in worshipping God, andgradually fasting became a p a r t of worship0 Ineed not mention the many Biblical events dur-ing which the religious community fasted. Thefollowing texts are brought out to establish apoint: DAVID:MWhen I w e p t , a nd c h a s -t e n e d my so u l w i t h f a s t i n g . . . n

(Psalm 69:10).DANIEL: "And I set my face unto the

Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplica-tions,with f a s t i n g , a nd sackcloth and ashes.n (9:3).

ANNA: "And she was a widow ofabout fourscore and four years,which departednot from the temple,but served God with f a s t -i n g s and prayers night and day. "(Luke 2:27).

CORNELIUS: "And Cornelius said,four days ago I was f a s t i n g until this hour;and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, andbehold, a man stood before me in bright cloth-

ing!T (Acts 10:30). The vision of course,broughtsalvation to his house.

PAUL and BARNABAS: "When theyhad fasted and prayed, and laid their hands onthem, they sent them away.ST0 PAUL: Approved himself an apostle ofGod, "In labors,in watchings,in fastings.... Inweariness and painfulness,in watchings often,inhunger and thirst,in f a s t i n g s o f t e n , in coldand nakedness. " (2 Cor. 6:5; 11:27).

MOSES FASTED; CHRISTFASTED; THE APOSTLES FASTED EACHWe dne s da y and F r id a y - " Bu t the dayswill come,when the bridegroom shall be takenaway from them, and then shall they fast int h o s e d a y s . " ( Mk. 2 , 2 0 ; Mt. 9 , 1 6 ;Luke 5, 35). Note: Christ was taken from theApostles on a Wednesday and Friday: Wednes-day he was betrayed by Judas and on FridayHe was Crucified... Christ said:"This kind cancome forth by nothing but by prayer and fast-ing. " (Mk. 9:28).

Fasting especially on Fridays, was nevera purpose in itself. It was or should be used toremind us that Christ was Crucified on a Fri-day, to set our mind to p r a y e r a n d r e p e n t a n c e , Fasting is a method for fervent anddevoted action. An action to better our way oflife. There is little religious meaning of fastingw i t hou t prayer and a sense of repentance.Even a little feeling of amending the wrongs ofthe week on a Friday with one "Our Father"will give true meaning to the fast. Festing neversould be used as a means of “showing off”.When this it’s not true fasting but hypocrisy.


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

One day, I woke early in the morning to watch thesunrise. Ah! ... the beauty of God's creation is beyond descrip-tion. As I watched, I praised God for His beautiful work. As Isat there, I felt the Lord's presence with me. He asked me, "Doyou love me?" I answered, "Of course, God! You are my Lordand Saviour!" Then He asked, "If you were physically handi-capped, would you still love me?" I was perplexed. I lookeddown upon my arms, legs and the rest of my body and won-dered how many things I wouldn't be able to do and thoughtabout the things that I take for granted. I answered, "It wouldbe tough Lord, but I would still love You." Then the Lord said,"If you were blind, would you still love my creation?" Howcould I love something without being able to see it? Then Ithought of all the blind people in the world and how many ofthem still loved God and His creation. So I answered, "It's hardto think of it, but I would still love you." The Lord then askedme, "If you were deaf, would you still listen to my word?" Howcould I listen to anything being deaf? Then I understood. Lis-tening to God's Word is not merely using our ears, but ourhearts. I answered, "It would be tough, but I would still listento Your word." The Lord then asked, "If you were mute, wouldyou still praise My Name?" How could I praise without avoice? Then it occurred to me, God wants us to sing from ourvery hearts and souls. It never matters what we sound like.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 answeredboldly, "Yes Lord! I love You because You are the one and trueGod!" I thought I had answered well, but God asked, "Thenwhy do you sin?" I answered, "Because I am only human. Iam not perfect." "Then why in times of peace do you stray thefurthest? Why only in times of trouble do you pray the ear-

nest?" I had no answers ... only tears.The Lord continued. "Why only sing at

fellowships and retreats? Why seek Me only in times ofworship? 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. ~


19. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM 2012Stewardship 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 blagoslova 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 2012

THE FOLLOWING PARISHIONERS HAVE RETURNED THEIR 2012 Pledge CardsRadomir AntovichIlija & Anna BradaricMaria BuricPaul & Irine ButenkoMargaret ChurnayAnna CippaLjubinko & Nevenka ChurchinPatricia CuljakDragoljub & Andja CvjetkovicPavo & Bosiljka CvjetkovicBiserka DelicPava DjordjevicDaisy FreemanKim GlazzardLeontiy & Aleksandra GlebovJohn & Mary GojkovichRobert & Zorka GojkovichHoria GrozaDanica HalversonChris & Yuliya JohnsonDanica JohnsAngelia JovanovicLori Ajax Jovovich

Michael & Trina JovovichDimitri & Luba KarnaookhIgor & Ariadna KaporEve KatichGladys KatsikisIlija KenteraSilvia KenteraPaula KordicSteve & Gail KosachMarcia Lloyd-KovacMilos KovacAnna LisnichBarbara LobodovskyLila LukicMilena MaksimovicMirjana MarkovicIlinka MeglemereMihaela Badea-MicRobert MillerGeorge & Mary MileusnicSavka MileusnicDesa MojsicBetty Moomey

Elsie MrvosHierodeacon PantaleimonVelika PejovichAleksandar & Zorana PetrovicDraginja PetrovichMirko PetrovicProto & Protinica PopovicMilanka RadosavljevicTodor & Milena RajakDanica Gojkovic RyderDave SokitchIvanka StefanovicPetar StojadinovichZlatko & Kim TheodorovicSlavko & Milica TurjacaninSteve & Kathy VickersDragan & Michelle VidovichCristina & Cristian ViduHelen VukasovichProto & Protinica WeirMilan & Betty TicaConnie Ziacan

How to calculate my financial commitmentAmount 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


20

M A Y 2012 M A J

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

SundayNedelja

MondayPonedeljak

TuesdayUtorak

WednesdaySreda

Thursday^etvrtak

FridayPetak

SaturdaySubota

1 2AKATIST at 6:00pm

Bible Study at 6:20pm

3 4 5Vespers- Ve~ernje

6:00 p.m.Confession—Ispovest-

St. George 64th Sunday of PaschaDivine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.4-ta Nedeq posle Vaskrsa

Gospel. Jn.5:1-15; 15:17-27,16:1-2;Epistle: Acts. 9:32-42; 12:1-11

7 8Apostle andEvangelist

MarkAPOSTOLMARKO

9

AKATIST at 6:00 p.m.Bible Study 6:20 p.m.

10Burning of the

Relics of St. SavaSpaljivanje Mostiju

Sv. Save

11 12St. Basil of Ostrog.

Sv. Vasilije OstroskiDivine Liturgy at 9:00 a.m.Vespers- Ve~ernje

6:00 p.m.

135th Sunday of Pascha

Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.5-ta Nedeq posle Vaskrsa

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

14

Prophet JeremiahProrok Jeremija

15 16

AKATIST at 6:00pmBible Study at 6:20pm





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

21 22Transfer of the

Relics ofSt. Nicholas

Mladi Sv. NikolaDivine Liturgy

at 9:00am

23


24Ascension

SPASOVDANSts. Cyril and

MethodiusLiturgy at 9:00am

25 26Vespers- Ve~ernje


--



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

28 29 30AKATIST at 6:00 p.m.Bible Study 6:20 p.m.

31 --

KSS MEETING

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.


21. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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.

May — Maj 6Reader: Kristina MojsichGospel. Jn.5:1-15; 15:17-27,16:1-2;Epistle: Acts. 9:32-42; 12:1-11

May — Maj 13Reader: Daniela Vidovich


May — Maj 20Reader: Rade Radulovich

Gospel. Jn. 9:1-38;Epistle: Acts 16:16-34;May — Maj 27

Reader: Brankica MojsichGospel. Jn.17:1-13;

Epistle: Acts 20:16-18; 28-36;June — Jun 3

Reader: Dimitri KarnaookhGospel. Mk.15:43-47;16:1-8;

Epistle: Acts 6:1-7; Eph.5:8-19;

INFORMATION FOR JUNESHEPHERD

If anyone has anything they would like toadd to the Shepherd, the last day to send

information isMay15th.INFORMACIJE ZA JUNSKI

Ako imate ne{to da bi èleli da dateza mese~ni Pastir, zadnji dan za to je

15 Maj. Nazovite Protu Dana ilipo{aljite po{tom.

M A Y 2012 M A JSundayNedelja

MondayPonedeljak

TuesdayUtorak

WednesdaySreda

Thursdayêtvrtak

FridayPetak

SaturdaySubota

1 2AKATIST at 6:00pm

Bible Study at 6:20pm



St. George 64th Sunday of PaschaDivine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.4-ta Nedeq posle Vaskrsa

Gospel. Jn.5:1-15; 15:17-27,16:1-2;Epistle: Acts. 9:32-42; 12:1-11

7 8Apostle andEvangelist

MarkAPOSTOLMARKO

9


10Burning of the

Relics of St. SavaSpaljivanje Mostiju

Sv. Save

11 12St. Basil of Ostrog.

Sv. Vasilije OstroskiDivine Liturgy at 9:00 a.m.Vespers- Ve~ernje

6:00 p.m.




14

Prophet JeremiahProrok Jeremija

15 16

AKATIST at 6:00pmBible Study at 6:20pm





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

21 22Transfer of the

Relics ofSt. Nicholas

Mladi Sv. NikolaDivine Liturgy

at 9:00am

23


24Ascension

SPASOVDANSts. Cyril and

MethodiusLiturgy at 9:00am

25 26Vespers- Ve~ernje


--



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

28 29 30AKATIST at 6:00 p.m.Bible Study 6:20 p.m.

31 --

CHANGING YOUR ADDRESS? - MENJATE ADRESUIf you’re planning to move, please let us know before chang-ing your address. Ako èlite da se preselite na drugu adresu

obavestite nas pre nego se preselite.Write to –Pi{ite nam na

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary7777 Sunset Ave. Fair Oaks, Ca. 95628

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

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

Take a moment to think about a joy-ous occasion in your life. Some of those mo-ments happen only once in a lifetime, so wedo a lot of things to remember those specialevents. We take pictures, we hold on to sou-venirs, we reunite with peoplefro m that special day, or wereturn to the location of thatspecial event to reminisce.Ultimately, we never want tomemory of that joyous eventor moment to fade in ourminds and hearts.

On, April 15, Ortho-dox Christians around theworld celebrate the most joy-ous event of the year... theglorious Resurrection of ourLord! With a powerful and emotional voice,each one of us proclaimed "Christ is Risen"to announce the Good News that JesusChrist "trampled death by death... bestowinglife to those in the tombs." Nothing com-pares to that moment when we lift up the,candle and sing.

Unfortunately, Bright Week comesalong and we are ALREADY back to “life asusual." We get back to work, school, sendingemails, text messages, posting on Facebook;gossip, jealousy, arguments... If Pascha is themost joyous event of our lives as OrthodoxChristians, how are we keeping that joy inour hearts and minds? How can we remem

ber the Resurrection EVERYDAY?Here are just a few Simple ways that wecan remember this feast throughout theyear and keep the joy of the Resurrectionalive in our hearts.

REMEMBERTHE RESUR-RECTION byattending Di-vine Liturgy

Some-times we forgetthat we have «anopportunity tocelebrate andremember the

Resurrection of Christ every weekthrough the Divine Liturgy in ourChurches. What better way to rememberthe joyous Resurrection than by goingback weekly to the place where we cele-brate it every year! From beginning toend, the prayers, hymns, and Holy Scrip-tures guide our hearts and minds towardthe Resurrection.

REMEMBER THE RESUR-RECTION by Keeping an Icon of theResurrection.

We often have pictures of thosespecial moments in our lives. We keep

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

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

photo albums and framed photos to remindus of those occasions. An excellent way toremember the Resurrection of our Lord is tokeep an icon of the Resurrection with you.Start by having an icon of the Resurrectionin your room... at your desk, on your wall?or on your nightstand. You will begin andend your day by seeing an icon that remindsus of Pascha. You might also choose to keepa laminated icon in your school bag, locker,or your car. In times of joy or sorrow, youwill always have the joyous Resurrectionwith you.

REMEMBER THE RESURREC-TION by Serving and Loving YourNeighbor.We know that Christ gave His life willingly,so that we may be free and we can inheriteternal life. The Resurrection of our Lord isa result of His selflessness and uncondi-tional love for every single person in theworld. One way that we can remember theResurrection every day is to love our -neighbor and to give to those in need. Wecan donate food^ clothing, monetary assis-tance to the poor, donate our time at schooland church, help out a friend by listening totheir concerns and much more.

Ultimately, giving of our time andour resources in even the smallest ways forour friends and foes honors the sacrifice thatGod made for all mankind.

Eva Kokinos , Director of Youth and YungAdult Ministries for the Greek Orthodox Metropolis ofDetroit

Prilog Narodnoj kuhinji uKosovskoj Mitroviciod Nase Crkve i KSS

24

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

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

DONATIONS FORMARCH 2012

Draginja Petrovich ……………..$ 25.00

Greta Ljubisavljevic …………….$ 450.00

William & Annette Schlecht ……..$ 20.00Robert & Zorka Gojkovich…………...$ 25.00Danica Gojkovich Ryder……………...$ 30.00Michael Lorton ………………………$ 40.00Paul & Kathy Melnikov ……………...$ 40.00Paul & Kathy Melnikov ……………...$ 50.00

Ray & Adriana Radulovich…………...$ 100.00

Dolores Milicevich-Colich …………...$ 100.00

Milan & Betty Tica ……………..$ 20.00Slavko & Milica Turjacanin …….$ 20.00Milorad & Jagoda Slavnic …….$ 20.00Anne Cippa ……………………...$ 20.00George & Ilinka Meglemere ……. $ 25.00Walter & Rexene Plecas ……………..$ 25.00

Ljubomir & Jeanne Velickovic …….$ 40.00Milorad Slavnic ……………………...$ 100.00

Other Church Donations

Pastir - Sheperd Donation

Prayer is the most unique instru-ment in the world. With it man enters intocooperative action with God, It can be saidthat this cooperative action can be, and manytimes is, superior to the act of procreation inwhich both God and man are actively in-volved. For through prayer the laws of theuniverse are interrupted, days lengthened andnights shortened. The elements of earth, fire,aod water are rendered helpless. Men rise fromthe dead, walk on water and stand in the midstof fire. All laws of nature become subject tothe fervent prayer of him in Communion withGod.

The praying man is the godly man. Heis the man who always finds a safe harbor inthe stormy sea of life. He never feels lost orforsaken. For his prayer is like a radar beam,directing his ship to safety. Truly blessed isthe man who knows how to pray, for he shallnever suffer want.

The praying man is he who seeks towalk with his God whose express image he is.He wishes to reach out and to grasp God'shand which first reaches out to him. The pray-ing man wants to be with God, his naturalFather.

Prayer, then, is that means by whichman seeks to recapture his original calling.Through it the body, together with the soul,experience tears and laughter, pain and exhila-ration, sorrow and joy.Prayers will assist you in experiencing thejoy, the inspiration, and desire for regularprayer. Your success will identify you notonly as a person of prayer, but as a faithfulchild of God.

In Memory of Boro Ilich

In Memory of Our Beloved Brother John Mi-chael Milicevich

In Memory of Jovan Radulovich

In Memory of Bosko Ljubisavljevic

In Memory of George Melnikov

25

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


Imena Primaoca pomoci na Kosovu

26

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


Претходне напомене

"Суду Божијем над појединачним душама послерастанка душе с телом претходи, по учењуправославне Цркве, њихово истјазавање утакозваним митарствима кроз која оне, пењући сеса земље у пратњи анђела,пролазе кроз ваздушнипростор где их зли дусизадржавају и приказују свењихове грехе у животу".

Правосуђе Божије извршавасуд над душама које суизашле из тела преко анђела -како светих, тако и злобних.Први, за време земаљскогживота човека, памте свањегова добра дела, а други свењегове грехе. Кад душа почне да се пење к небувођена од стране светих анђела, духови мрака јојразоткривају непокајане грехе као жртве сатани,као залог везе и једнаке с њима вечне судбине.

За истјазавање душа у ваздушном простору силемрака су установиле посебне судове и страже уодређеном поретку. Од земље до самог небаналазе се свуда страже палих духова. Свакојпосебној стражи одговара једна врста греха и тусе душа мучи. Те ђавоље страже и судови усписима отаца називају се митарства, а духовикоји им служе - митари.

У Христово време и у првим вековимахришћанске Цркве митари су били сакупљачипореза. С обзиром на то да је та дужност уследједноставности древних обичаја била повераванаособама без нарочите одговорности иповерљивости, митари су примењивали свасредства насиља, разне врсте лукавстава,

ситничарења, безбројне злоупотребе инељудско разбојништво. Они су обичностајали на градским јавним местима и никоније могао да побегне од њиховог погледа.Због свог понашања постали су страх итрепет за народ. Сам појам митар означаваоје човека без осећања, правила, способног насвако злодело, низак поступак, речју, усваком погледу изопаченог човека. У томсмислу Господ пореди упорно непослушнеЦркви са незнабошцима и митарима (Мат.

18,17). За старозаветнепоклонике истинскогБога није било ничегаодвратнијег одидолопоклоника, а истотако омражен им је биои митар. Назив митар јепренесен с људи на зледухове који чувају подужности прелаз одземље к небу. Каосинови и повереницилажи, демони оптужујуљудске душе не само за

стварно извршене грехе, већ и за оне које овиникад нису учинили. Они прибегавајуизмишљотинама и преварама, користе секлеветом и безобразлуком да би отели душуиз руку анђела и повећали број адских слугу.

Господ Исус Христос Који Сам невидљивоизвршава суд над појединачним људскимдушама уз помоћ анђела пушта на њега и"опадаче браће наше" (Отк, 12,10) - зле духеда би се сва дела душе беспристраснооцењивала. "И треба, каже св. ВасилијеВелики, Суд Божији да буде ненасилан, и даличи на оне људске судове, у којимаоптужени има право на оправдање, да бивидевши своја дела јасно и добившизаслужену казну потврдио непобитностсудова Божијих, признавши да је казнаправедна, или да, будући помилован, види даму је опроштено по закону и реду".


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

"Немој ме дати на вољу непријатељима мојим;јер усташе на ме лажни свједоци; али злобаговори сама против себе" (Пс. 26, 12) - такоговори Дух Свети у име људске душеописујући њену невидљиву борбу сневидљивим непријатељима.

Учење Цркве o митарствима

Учење о ваздушним митарствима сепрви пут среће у чувеном делу св. АтанасијаАлександријског - у његовом "Житију св.Антонија Великог" које је написано око 365.године, када је и преведено на латински језик(око 365-370 г.) и уживало је поштовање уцелом хришћанском свету, како на Истоку,тако и на Западу. Св. Златоуст саветује свимхришћанима да читају то житије; а блажениАвгустин каже да га је "читање житија св.Антонија Великог упутило на прави пут".

Св. Атанасије Велики приповедаследеће: "Једном су га (Антонија) око осамсати, пошто се помолио пре него што је узеохрану, анђели узнели на висину. Ваздушнидемони су се томе противили: анђели су,препирући се с њима, захтевали да наведуразлоге своје побуне, јер Антоније није имаоникаквих грехова. Демони су се трудили даизложе грехе које је он починио од самогрођења; али анђели су им запушили устарекавши им да не треба да му броје сагрешењаод рођења која су већ опроштена благодаћуХристовом, већ, ако имају, нека наведу грехекоје је починио после тога како је одласком умонахе посветио себе Богу. Демони су уоптужбама изговорили много безобразнихлажи; али пошто су њихове клевете биленеосноване, Антонију се отворио слободанпут. Истог часа се освестио и видео да стоји наоном истом месту на којем је стајао у молитви.Заборавивши на храну, целу ноћ је провео усузама и уздасима, размишљајући о мноштвунепријатеља човекових, о борби с њима, отешкоћи пута ка небу, кроз ваздух и о речимаАпостола: "Јер наш рат није с крвљу и с

тијелом, него с управитељима таме овогасвијета, с духовима пакости испод неба" - који(тј. Апостол), знајући да ваздушне власти самото и траже, само се о томе и брину, томе теже итруде се да нас лише слободног пролаза на небо,саветује: "узмите све оружје Божије, да бисте семогли бранити у зли дан" (Еф. 6,13), "да сепосрами онај који се противи, не имајући ништазло говорити за нас" (Тит. 2, 8).

Св. Јефрем Сиријски каже: "Када сеприближе зле силе, када надолази страшнавојска, кад душа мора да напусти тело и пође нанеизбежни суд, тад се јадни човек тресе, као даје земљотрес, сав дрхти. Узевши душу оне јеодносе у ваздух где су управе, власти исветодршци сила зла. То су наши злиоптужитељи, страшни порезници, клеветници;они нас дочекују, описују, осматрају и бројегрехе тог човека из младости и старости,хотимичне и нехотимичне, учињене делом, речјуили помишљу. Јадна душа ће тамо доживетивелики страх и ужас од безбројног мноштванепријатеља који је окружише тамом и који јеклевећу да не би отишла на небо и населила се усвету живих, у земљи живота. Али свети анђелије узимају и одводе".

Св. Макарије Велики учи: "Кад седуша човека растаје од тела извршава се некавелика тајна. Јер ако је она крива за грехе ондадолазе војске демона, злих анђела и сила мракада је узму и одведу на своју страну. Овоме никоне треба да се чуди. Јер ако се човек, док је још уживоту на овоме свету, покорио, предао њима,зар га још више неће поробљавати и управљатињиме кад оде из овог света? Што се тиче другог,бољег дела људи, с њима се друго дешава. Тесвете слуге Божије још у овом животу се налазестално уз анђеле, свете духове који их окружујуи чувају. А кад се њихове душе растану од тела,анђеоски ликови их примају у своју заједницу, усветли живот, тј. доводе их Господу."

Св. Јован Златоуст, рекавши дасамртника, ма ко био на земљи, обузимазбуњеност, страх и недоумица када угледастрашне власти анђеоске и мрачне силе које судошле да би одвојиле душу од тела - додаје:


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

"Тада су нам потребне многе молитве, многипомоћници, добра дела, заступања за нас оданђела приликом проласка кроз ваздушнипростор. Ако нам је кад путујемо у туђу земљуили туђи град потребан водич, колико нам јеонда потребно водича и помоћника да наспроведе поред невидљивих власти исветодржаца ваздуха који се зову гонитељи,митари, цариници!" - У име почившехришћанске одојчади св. Златоуст овакоговори: "Свети анђели су нас мирно одвојилиод тела, и ми смо слободно мимоишливаздушне власти. Имали смо поуздане водиче.Лукави дуси нису нашли у нама оно што сутражили, нису видели оно што су хтели давиде. Видевши неоскрнављено тело, они су сепостидели; видевши чисту душу, страну злоби,посрамили су се; не нађоше у нама порочнихречи и умукоше. Дошли смо и уништили их;прошли смо кроз њих и нестали су: "замка сераскиде, и ми се избависмо. БлагословенГоспод, који нас не даде зубима њиховијем данас растржу" (Пс. 124, 7, 6). Када се тозавршило анђели који су нас водили су сеузрадовали; почели су да нас љубе, јер смооправдани и да нам говоре веселећи се:"Агнеци Божији! Радујемо се вашем доласкуовамо: отворио вам се прародитељски рај;предато вам је наручје Авраамово. Примила васје десна рука Владике, глас Његов вас јепризвао на десну страну. Благонаклоним очимавас је погледао, у књигу живота уписао". А мирекосмо: "Господе, праведни Судијо! Лишио синас земних блага, немој нас лишити небеских.Одвојио си нас од отаца и мајки - не одвој насод твојих Светих. Знак крштења се цео на намасачувао; тело своје ти враћамо чисто, јер јеостало чедно". И још: "Или не знате како мучедушу греси на дан смрти? Како узнемиравајусрце? У оваквим тренуцима сећање на добрадела попут сунца за време буре смирујеузнемирену душу. Јер ако будемо будни, овајстрах ће бити стално с нама и за живота; кадпостанемо без осећаја, онда ће он несумњивода се испољи када се будемо растајали с овимживотом. Јер и роб највише тугује кад га

изводе на суд: тад највише стрепи, кад сеприближава суђењу, кад треба да поднесе рачун.Зато, много ћеш чути прича о ужасимапоследњег тренутка и о страшним привиђањимакоја су неиздржива за самртнике, тако да дрхтена одру и страшне погледе упућују онима окосебе, док се душа труди да остане у телу и нећеда се растане од њега уплашена оним што види.Јер ако ми, гледајући страшне људе дрхтимо,како ли ћемо се мучити кад видимо страшнеанђеле и неумољиве силе како се приближавају,кад нам повуку душу да је одвоје од тела, и онаће много плакати, али узалуд и без користи."

Исто пишу, мање или више подробно:св. Григорије Нисијски (о крштењу), св.Епифаније (о јересима, LXXY), ЕвсевијеКесаријски (Demonstr. Evangel III, 5; Praeparat.Evang. XI, 20), Паладије Еленопољски(Лавсаик гл. 24), Макарије Александријски(Слово о исходу душе).

Св. Василије Велики на једном месту каже:"Нико да се не вара празнијем ријечима" (Ефес.5, 6), јер "онда ће изненада напасти на његапогибао" (1 Сол. 5. 3) и захватиће га као бура.Доћи ће мрачни анђео, насилно ће повући иодвести твоју душу обремењену гресима, која сечесто враћа ономе што оставља овде и тихорида, јер јој се већ затворило оруђе плача". А надругом месту каже: "Поразмисли (о последњемдану), јер несумњиво, нећеш ти једина живетивечно; замисли пометњу, прекидање даха и чассмртни, Божију пресуду која се приближава,анђеле, душу која се страшно мучи, јер имагрешну савест и упућује жалосне погледе на онајсвет".

Евсевије, епископ Галикански, поучава: "Утренутку кад душа треба да напусти тело касноје за кајање за своја безакоња. Авај! Шта ће битис њом када је виновници смрти (зли дуси) почнувући по широком ваздушном простору имрачним путевима?"

Uzeto od Svetosavlja— NASTAVICE SE……..


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

St. Paul the Apostle knew trouble well In preach-ing the Gospel he had often been scourged and imprisoned.He was stoned, shipwrecked, endangered by floods androbbers. He suffered hunger and thirst, cold and nakedness.But, besides all this, he was also afflicted by what he called"a thorn in the flesh". Some Biblical scholars interpret thisas meaning some type of sickness which interfered with hiswork. At any rate, it bothered him so much that he said,"Three times I begged the Lord that it might leave me"

Did God remove that affliction in response to Paul'sprayer? No, Instead, He answered: "My grace is enough foryou, for in weakness, power reaches perfection." (II Corin-thians 12:1-9). In other words, God told him, go on workingin spite of your sickness, and realize that it is not your ef-forts but My power which will bring you success.

A Deaf Ear?From time to time, we are all more or less in a situation

similar to that of St Paul Sickness, temptation, worries aboutmoney or job security, difficulties with co-workers, troublesin the family — the list could continue on almost endlessly.We go to God in prayer with these problems, but He seemsto turn a deaf ear. The same old troubles are still there.“What’s the matter?” we think. “My request is reasonable.Doesn’t God hear me? Doesn’t God love me?”

God always hears our prayers in accordance withHis many promises in the Scriptures. However, He doesn'talways answer them all at the time or in the way that weexpect, for God's viewpoint is eternal. He gives us what, inthe long run, He knows is best for us. St. John assures us:"We have this confidence in God: that He hears us wheneverwe ask for anything according to His will. And since we knowthat He hears us whenever we ask, we know that what wehave asked Him for is ours.” (2 John 5:14)

Our Shortsightedness

the contrary, our prayer- requests may be short-sightedones, concerned with purely temporal affairs, not concernedwith those things that will make us better persons or lead usto our true peace, holiness and eternal salvation. This isbrought out very well in the words of an unknown poet: Heasked for health that he might achieve; God made him weakthat he might obey. He asked for riches that he might behappy; God gave him poverty that he might be wise. He askedfor all things that he might enjoy life; God gave him eternal lifethat he might enjoy all things.Prayer is like sowing seed in a field. We scatter it and thenwait in patience for it to germinate. St. James expresses thiswell: "Be patient, therefore, my brothers, until the com-ing of the Lord. See how the farmer awaits the precious yieldof the soil. He looks forward to it .patiently, while the soilreceives the winter and the spring rains. You too must bepatient." (James 5:7).

Doing Our PartOf course, when we pray for something, we must

also do our part to bring about its accomplishment. We cannotjust sit lazily and expect God to magically take over for us. Wepray for a fertile harvest; but we cannot expect it unless wefirst sow the seed! In the "Our Father" we ask God to "giveus this day our daily bread"; but we also must get out and tryto earn our living! Thus, when we have done our part as bestwe can, we can leave the rest to God with confidence in Hispower and goodness and love. We can abide secure in Hisunfailing promise:"If you live in Me, and My words stay part of you —you may ask what you will — and it will be done foryou." (John 15:7).Fr. Thomas J.Kadlec


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

One day, I woke early in the morning towatch the sunrise. Ah! ... the beauty of God's creation is beyond description. As I watched, Ipraised God for His beautiful work. As I sat there,I felt the Lord's presence with me. He asked me,"Do you love me?" I answered, "Of course, God!You are my Lord and Saviour!" Then He asked,"If you were physically handicapped, would youstill love me?" I was perplexed. I looked downupon my arms, legs and the rest of my body andwondered how many things I wouldn't be able todo and thought about the things that I take forgranted. I answered, "It would be tough Lord, butI would still love You." Then the Lord said, "Ifyou were blind, would you still love my crea-tion?" How could I love something without beingable to see it? Then I thought of all the blind peo-ple in the world and how many of them still lovedGod and His creation. So I answered, "It's hard tothink of it, but I would still love you." The Lordthen asked me, "If you were deaf, would you stilllisten to my word?" How could I listen to anything being deaf? Then I understood. Listening toGod's Word is not merely using our ears, but ourhearts. I answered, "It would be tough, but Iwould still listen to Your word." The Lord thenasked, "If you were mute, would you still praiseMy Name?" How could I praise without a voice?Then it occurred to me, God wants us to singfrom our very hearts and souls. It never matterswhat we sound like. And praising God is not al-ways with a song, but when we are persecuted,we give God praise with our words of thanks. SoI answered, "Though I could not physically sing, Iwould still praise Your Name." And the Lordasked, "Do you really love Me?" With courageand a strong conviction, I answered boldly, "YesLord! I love You because You are the one andtrue God!" I thought I had answered well, butGod asked, "Then why do you sin?" I answered,"Because I am only human. I am not perfect.""Then why in times of peace do you stray the

furthest? Why only in times oftrouble do you pray the earnest?" I had no an-swers ... only tears. The Lord continued. "Why onlysing at fellowships and retreats? Why seek Me onlyin times of worship? Why ask things so selfishly?Why ask things so unfaithfully?" The tears contin-ued to roll down my cheeks. "Why are you ashamedof Me? Why are you not spreading the good news?Why in times of persecution, you cry to otherswhen I offer My shoulder to cry on? Why makeexcuses when I give you opportunities to serve inMy Name?" "You are blessed with life. I made younot to throw this gift away. I have blessed you withtalents to serve Me, but you continue to turn away. Ihave revealed My Word to you, but you do not gainin knowledge. I have spoken to you but your earswere closed. I have shown My blessings to you, butyour eyes were turned away. I have sent you ser-vants, but you sat idly by as they were pushed away.I have heard your prayers and I have answered themall. Do you truly love me? I could not answer. Howcould I? I was embarrassed beyond belief. I had noexcuse. What could I say to this? When my hearthad cried out and the tears had flowed, I said,"Please forgive me Lord. I am unworthy to be Yourchild." The Lord answered, "That is My Grace, Mychild." I asked, "Then why do you continue to for-give me? Why do You love me so?" The Lord an-swered," Because you are My creation. You are mychild. I will never abandon you. When you cry, Iwill have compassion and cry with you. When youshout with joy, I will laugh with you. When you aredown, I will encourage you. When you fall, I willraise you up. When you are tired, I will carry you. Iwill be with you until the end of days, and I willlove you forever." Never had I cried so hard before.How could I have been so cold? How could I havehurt God as I had done? I asked God, "How muchdo You love me?" The Lord stretched out His arms,and I saw His nail- pierced hands. I bowed down atthe feet of Christ, my Saviour. And for the firsttime, I truly prayed. ~


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

Juri Maksimov

Нажалост, до данас се срећу људи који,називајући себе православним хришћанима,озбиљно сматрају да је могуће спасење, то јестулазак у Царство Небеско, за нехришћане. Поњиховом мишљењу, и они који не верују уХриста, ако чине добра дела, такође могу да сеспасу.

Слични ставови нису нови, они су билипознати и раније. Оповргавању те заблуде још упретпрошлом веку свети Игњатије(Брјанчанинов) je посветио своје писмо, из којегћемо навести само неколико реченица, иако јеоно достојно читања у целини:

"Достојан је горког ридања призор:хришћани, који не знају у чему се састојихришћанство! Питање које сте ви поставили,сада се често поставља: "Зашто се не могуспасити, пишете ви, незнабошци, муслимани итакозвани јеретици? Међу њима има предобрихљуди. Погубити те предобре људе било бипротивно милости Божијој!... Сматрати себеспасеним, а припаднике других веровањапогинулима - то је и безумно, и крајње гордо!"

Потрудићу се да вам одговорим помогућности са не много речи. Ево истинскогучења о том предмету, учења Свете ВасељенскеЦркве: спасење се састоји у поновномуспостављању заједнице са Богом. Ту заједницуцелокупан људски род изгубио је грехопадомпраотаца... Да би се успоставила заједницачовека са Богом, другим речима, за спасење,неопходно је било искупљење... Сва добраљудска немоћна дела, која силазе у ад, замењенасу једим моћним добрим делом - вером уГоспода нашега Исуса Христа...

Узалуд ви погрешно мислите и говоритеда ће се добри људи међу незнабошцима имуслиманима спасити, то јест, да ће ступити узаједницу са Богом! Узалуд ви гледате на мисаопротивну томе, као на новину, као на заблуду

која се прикрала!Не! Такво је јепостојано учењеистинске Цркве - и

старозаветне, и новозаветне. Она јесматрала да и највеће добродетељи пале природесилазе у ад...

Онај ко признаје могућност спасења безвере у Христа одриче се Христа и може бити,невољно, упада у тешки грех богохуљења."[1]

Ово писмо Светитеља је приличнопознато, али на жалост, не онолико многоколико бисмо желели. Дешавало ми се да ганаводим у разговорима са следбеницимамишљења да се неправославни могу спасити;њихова реакција је била очекивана: саговорницису се трудили да то објаве "личним мишљењемСветитеља Игњатија, а не учењем Цркве", сакојим су они поистовећивали сопствене ставове,директно супротне речима Светитеља.

То је, треба рећи, приличнокарактеристично за савремену модернистичкусвест - објавити "личним мишљењем" у учењуПравославне Цркве све оно што противречиличном мишљењу самог модернисте.

Међутим, саме речи Светог Игњатијаговоре о томе, да он у писму не излаже својелично мишљење, већ управо учење ПравославнеЦркве. Осим тога, ако се обратимо другимСветим Оцима, видећемо да и они износе истуту истину.

Ево, например, Свети Тихон Задонскисведочи: "Нико не може да се оправда предБогом и да се спаси без Христа и мимо Христа,већ само - вером у Христа... Јер нико не може одђавола, греха, проклетства законског и од ада дасе избави без Христа, и то све се у краткој речиХристовој закључује: "Ако вас, дакле, Синослободи, заиста ћете бити слободни." (Јн. 8:36).

Хиљаду година пре Светог Игњатијауправо су исто такво питање задавалипреподобном Анастасију Синаиту: "Ако некиневерујући у Христа, например Јудејац илимуслиман, чини много добрих дела, да ли ће онући у Царство Небеско?" И Свети Анастасиједаје тај исти одговор: Nastavi }e se…...


32

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 StatisticsWEEDING: NO

BAPTISM: April 22, Aleksandra Stanivukovic, daughter of Slobodan & Randy Stanivukovic

FUNERAL: March 30, Lisa Petrenko from Auburn.

April 6, Vasilica Hirsia from Orangeville

April 23, Zarko Dabic, from Folsom

-Vjecnaja Pamjat – Memory eternal !


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

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.

May 20, Stewardship MeetingJune 24, Vidovdan Celebration- Vidovdanska ProslavaJuly 15, Drazin dan- ParastosAugust 28 Church SlavaSeptember 30, PicnicOctober 13-14, Serbian Festival

Your Church Board Welcomes you.


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

BECOME A SHEPHERDSPONSOR FOR 2012

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

Parishioners hospitalized, sick at home or in nursing homes…Proto Miladin Garic Greta Ljubisavljevic Alexandra FitzpatrickNikola Dragovic Ana Bozinovic Milli MatacicDusko Pesevic Marta Mamika Nikolas CvjetichPersa Dragovic Sandy Tobe Michael MelnikovMike Mraovic Nada Kosanovic Milos KovacAna Mileusnich Daisy Freeman Valerija MelnikovOleg & Irina Butin Ana Lisnich Zorka Schnake

Dear Brothers and Sisters, please remember these people in your daily prayers. If you know anyone who is sickplease let Father Dane know. He would like to visit them and pray for them. His telephone number is 966-6276

or 606-8808.We pray for your return to health and well-being.

When your are making a donation to ourChurch, please note on the check (under thememo field) what it is for. This is because wehave no way of knowing your intent for the do-nation. Otherwise, if there is no such notation,and if you are already a steward, the donationwill automatically apply towards your steward-ship. If you are not a steward, it will be appliedas a church donation.


35. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


36. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Palm Sunday 2012 was a lovely, bright sunny day. As you can see by the pictures, our full tocapacity Church held many devout children. Children as well as adults went to Holy Confessionso they might receive Holy Communion. Record numbers of devout worshippers receivedCommunion during this Holy Lenten Season. What a glorious way to begin Holy Week.

Borivoje (Boro) Ilich Fell Asleep in the Lord on Sunday, March 11, 2012.Boro had lived in Sacramento for the past two years with his Sister, Zaga Radulovich.As his health declined, Boro kept up his spirits and his love for his family. We offerour deepest sympathies to his sister, Zaga Radulovich , nephews, Rade and JovanRadulovich and his extended family members.

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

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

40Serbian O

rthodox Church of the A

ssumption

7777 Sunset Avenue

Fair Oaks, C

alifornia 95628

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

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

ShepherdY

ear $20:00M

onthly $ 2:00

If you would like to be

the sponsor of the nextissue of the Shepherd

Please let us know

shepherd sh rd - sacserbchurch.orgsacserbchurch.org/sac/wp-content/uploads/file/may...

Documents