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SHEPHERDMonthly newsletter of the Serbian

Orthodox Church of the AssumptionFair Oaks, California

June 2014God 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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DEARLYBELOVED

As membersof the Body of Christ,

we are all called upon to serve God, even,'waking hour of the day. We serve God notbecause He has need of us, rather, weserve God and His Holy Church because itbenefits us spiritually. Indeed, even in theOld Testament we read: "And now, Israel,what does the Lord your God requires ofyou, but to fear the Lord your God, to walkin all His ways, and to love Him, and toserve the Lord your God with all your heartand with all your soul" [Deut.10:12]. This isnot isolated concept, rather is the core ofour Christian Faith and experience.The Christian religion is not a philosophyor theory, but a way of life. It has as itsmodel Christ and the life of the Saints. Allof us are called to become saints and imi-tate the life of Christ and His Saints. Christsaid to His Apostle Peter, "follow me!" Paul

the Apos-tle said to his Christians, "imitate me, as Ialso imitated Christ." Someone said verywisely, "the Christian faith is not so muchtaught as caught." People learn muchmore from our example than from ourwords, especially if our words disagreewith our persona! way of life. The childrenare especially observant of and influencedby our example.

Our Church has set aside the Sun-day after Pentecost to honor "All theSaints" who have pleased God. There aremyriads of saints who have served andhonored God with their holy life throughthe centuries. They compose the Trium-phant Church in heaven. They praise in-cessantly the Triune God and enjoy thebrilliancy of His ineffable glory in Paradise.We do not know all the names of thecountless saints, but God knows all ofthem by name. We celebrate the feastdays of only a few known saints. But on

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"All Saints' Sunday" we fervently desire tohonor ALL the Saints of God who havepreserved holy our Orthodox Faith withtheir Godly life.

The Church of God is one as weproclaim in the Nicene Creed: "I believe inone, holy, catholic and apostolic Church."This one Church is composed of the Tri-umphant and Militant Church. The mem-bers of the Triumphant Church have com-pleted their mission in life and they havearrived in their destination in heaven.They did the will of God while they wereon earth and now they enjoy the fruits oftheir labor of love. Having gone before us,their life has become a good example anda model for us to emulate. They have wonthe good fight while we are still in thearena of this life, struggling to gain ourvictory against the temptations of our ad-versary.On the day of Pentecost, as Jesus hadpromised, He sent the Holy Spirit to HisDisciples to guide and enable them to ac-complish their mission. The same HolySpirit enabled the saints through the agesand enables us today, who compose the

Militant Church, to fight the good fight andbecome victorious over the temptations ofthe devil. What we need to do is to use ourfree will and choose to do the will of God. Ifwe call upon Him with faith and determina-tion, God will send to us His divine grace toenable us to become victorious, like ALLHis Saints, whom we honor on their desig-nated Sunday.

We must remember that sainthoodis not impossible to achieve. As OrthodoxChristians we are all called to be saints. Weare called to mimic their lives by seekingthe true life in Christ. It is important to re-member however, that the saints also dem-onstrated extreme humility, never seeingthemselves as saints, but as sinners seek-ing the Kingdom of God. This is the sameapproach in life that we should have as Or-thodox Christians. Let us also pray that theLord will continue to manifest to us Hissaints, who can help us on our spiritual jour-ney toward the Kingdom.

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Draga Bra}oi Sestre

“Kao ~lanoviTela Hristovog, mi smo svi pozvanida sluìmo Gospodu svakog trenutkau danu. Treba da sluìmo gfospodune zato {to smo Njemu potrebni, negomi treba da sluìmo Gospodu i Nje-govoj svetoj crkvi mi dobijamo du-hovno. Zaista, i u starom zavetu mi~itamo: “sada dakle Izrailju {ta i{te odtebe Gospod Bog tvoj, osim da seboji{ Gospoda Boga svojega da hodi{ po svijem putevima njegovim i da galjubi{ i sluì{ Gospodu Bogu svojemuiz svega srca svojega i iz sve du{esvoje” 5.Mojs.10:12. Ovo nijeizvu~ena sadrìna ovo je sr` Hri{}anske vere i iskustva.

Hri{}anska vera nije floozofijaili teorija ve} na~in ìvota. Kao primerimamo samoga Hrista i ìvot svetitelja.Svi smo pozvani da postanemosvetitelji i opona{amo ìvot Hristov iNjegovih svetitelja. Hristos je rekaonjegovom apostolu Petru,

“Po|i zamnom”. Apopstol Pavle jeporu~io njegovim Hri{}anima “opona{ajte mene, kao {to ja opona{amHrista”. Neko je rekao veoma mudro:“Hri{}anska vera se ne meri po tomekako mislimo nego kako radimo”Ljudi u~e mnogo vi{e od na{egprimera nego od na{ih re~I, naro~itoako se na{e re~i ne slaù sa na{imna~inom ìvota! Deca posebno gledajuna nas i veoma su podlo`na na{imprimerom.

Na{a crkva je posvetila nedeljuposle Pedesetnice (Duhova) u slavu“Svih Svetih” koji su ìveli po voljiGospodnjoj. Postoje hiljade svetiteljakoji su sluìli i proslavili Boga, svojimìvotom kroz vekove. Oni sa~injavajupobedni~ku crkvu na nebu. Oni slaveneprestano Troi~nog Boga i uìvaju uNjegovoj neiskazanoj svetlosti i Slaviu raju. Sva imena bezbrojnih svetiteljanisu nam poznata ali Bog zna svakogod njih po imenu. Mi proslavljamomali broj svetitelja nama poznatim ailiu nedelju “Svih Svetih” mi molit-venoali odajemo po~ast Svim Svetitel-


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jima Bo`jim koji su o~uvali na{u Pra-voslavnu veru svojim pobo`nimìvotom.

Crkva Hristova je jedna kao {toispovedamo u simbolu vere: “Verujemu jednu svetu sabornu i apostolskucrkvu”. Ovo je crkva pobedni~ka i tri-unfalna. ^lanovi pobedni~ke crkve suispunili svoju misiju u ìvotu i stigli ukrajnoi odredoi{te na nebesima. Onisu ~inili volju B o`ju dok su bili nazemlji a sada uìvaju plodove njihovograda i ljubavi. Oti{av{I pre nas, nji-hovi ìvoti postado{e dobriodli~niprimeri i uzori koji treba pratiti. Onisu dobili bitku ovoga ìvota a koju mijo{ uvek vodimo u arena ìvota, bore}ise da zadobijemo popbedu protiv isku{enja i nevolja.

Na dan Pedesetnice (Duhova),kao {to je Hristos obe}ao, poslao jeDuha Svetoga na svoje Apostole daih void i omogu}io im da ispune svojumisiju. Isti taj Sveti Duh je krozvekove omogu}io Svetiteljima kao inama danas, koji sa~injavaju crkvuboraca, da vodimo dobru borbu ipostanemo pobednici nad isku{enjimai |avolom. [ta treba da ~inimo je daupotrebimo na{u slobodnu volju da~inimo volju Bo`ju. Ako Ga

prizivamo sa verom i istrajno{}u,Bog }e nam poslati Njegovu boànskublagodat da nam omogu}I da posta-nemo pobednici, kao i svi Njegovisvetitelji koje slavimo o odre|enunedelju popsve}enu njima.

Moramo imati na umu dasvetiteljstvo nije nemogu}e dosti}i. KaoPravoslavni Hri{}ani svi smo pozvanida budemo svetitelji. Treba da opona{amo njihove ìvote traè}I istini ìvotu Hristu. Va`no je znati da susvetitelji bili izuzetno ponizni, nikadane smatraju}I sebe svetim ve} gre{nima koji su traìli carstvo Boìje.

Ovakav pogled na ìvot mi kaoHri{}ani treba da imamo. Pomolimose Gospodu da kroz Njegove svetiteljei dalje nam pomaè na duhovnomputu ka Njegovom Carstvu

Proto Dane


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"Fr. Richard SalleyOne of today's renowned, respected and

dynamic preachers, Billy Graham, made the follow-ing profound statement: "A good father is one ofthe most unsung, unpraised. unnoticed and yet oneof the most valuable assets in our society . becausehe bases a good father on his devotion to God. hisfamily and mankind. Society bases a good father anone who biologically helps in the process of life,the one who "brings home the bacon", educates thechildren (sending them to college,;, pays for the carand the wedding etc. The standards of society leavesGod completely out of the picture, and that is why agood father is unsung, unpraised and unnoticed.

The father who is truly a valuable asset inour society and whom we honor in the month ofJune, is first a Christian who loves God with all ofhis heart, mind and soul. He is the one who, to thebest of his ability, Biblically fulfills the standards ofbeing a good father that are set forth by God and arecontained in His Holy Book, the Bible. And fromwhat better place can we derive the definition ofwhat a father is, than from the Word of God?

A Biblical PerspectiveAs we shall see from the Biblical

standpoint, a good father is a provider, a pro-tector, a priest, a guide, a teacher and a discipli-narian. So for just a moment, let's read from theBible the following verses and what they sayconcerning the duties of a father and meditateupon them::

Proverbs 19:18 — "Discipline your son (daughter)while there is hope; do not set your heart on hisdestruction."

Proverbs 22:6 -- "Train up a child in the way heshould go, and when he is old he will not departfrom it."

Proverbs22:15 — "Foolishness is bound in the heart of achild; but the rod of correction shall drive it farfrom him."

Proverbs 23:13 -- "Do not withhold disciplinefrom a child..."

Proverbs 29:15 --"... a child left to himself bringsshame to his mother."Proverbs 29:17 -"Discipline your son,Ephesians 6:4 — "Fathers, do not provoke yourchildren to anger, but bring them up in the disci-pline and instruction of the Lord."

Hebrews 12:9 --"Besides this, we have had earthlyfathers to discipline us and we respected them.Shall we not much more be subject to the Fatherof Spirits and live?

Some Valuable AdviceThe best advice that can be given to all

fathers in the world today is to be an examplein all things. "One picture is worth a thousandwords," as the Chinese proverb says. Be thatexample, be that picture of love and faith inGod, that provider, protector, priest, guide,teacher and disciplinarian. Be the example inreverence and worship, in truthfulness, in hon-esty, in attitude and ambition. In so doing, youand those who follow will be a valuable assetto God, country and society. Make the change -make the decisions that are necessary in orderfor your children to live the valuable benefitsof a Godly father and "hear you, you children,the instruction of a father - and attend to knowunderstanding". (Proverbs 4:1)


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Апел Светог Архијерејског Сабора СрпскеПравославне Цркве свему свештенству,монаштву и верном народу, као и свимљудима добре воље

Са великом забринутошћу и болом у души, алии са непоколебивом вером у љубав и милостБожју, обраћамо се свему свештенству,монаштву и верном народу наше свете Цркве,као и свим људима добре воље, поводомкатастрофалних поплава и страшног страдањатоликих породица у Србији, РепублициСрпској и читавом региону, и позивамо све, а упрвом реду наше свештенство, да покажухришћанску и људску солидарност са свимапострадалима и угроженима, да активно ипожртвовано учествују у одбрани насељенихместа и витално важних објеката од разорнестихије, и да пруже уточиште, помоћ у храни,одећи и лековима, материјалну и сваку другуподршку својим ближњима.

Посебно апелујемо на браћусвештенике и свештеномонахе да умножемолитве, да током идућих дана свакодневноврше молебан у време безведрија и да будумеђу првима у редовима оних који сведочељубав Христову притичући у помоћпострадалој браћи и сестрама. Као пример зауглед наводимо даноноћну акцију спасавањанарода коју спроводе државни врх и државнеслужбе (војска, полиција, жандармерија идруге), као и сви наши суграђани којидобровољно учествују у тој богоугодној иплеменитој акцији, често излажући опасности исопствени живот.

Appeal of the Holy Assembly of Bishops

The appeal of the Holy Assembly of Bishops of theSerbian Orthodox Church to all priesthood, monksand faithful people, as well as to all the people ofgood will

Deeply concerned and grief-stricken, but also filledwith unshakable faith in love and grace of God, weaddress all priesthood, monks and faithful people ofour Holy Church, as well as all the people of goodwill, on the occasion of the disastrous floods andterrible suffering of numerous families in Serbia,Republic of Srpska and the whole region. And wecall upon everyone, and above all upon our clergy,to show both Christian and human solidarity withall the victims and the affected, to actively and com-mittedly participate in the defense of settlementsand vitally important objects from the destructiveelement, and to provide shelter, aid in food, clothingand medicines, finances and any other support fortheir neighbours.

In particular, we urge priests and monks to multiplytheir prayers, to perform daily prayers of supplica-tion during the forthcoming days of heavy rains andto be front row with those who testify Christ’s loveby helping the rescue of the suffering brothers andsisters. As a good example we would like to pointout relentless rescue of the people performed by thestate leadership and civil services (army, police,gendarmerie and others), as well as by all our citi-zens who participate voluntarily in this God-pleasing and noble action, often exposing their livesto danger.


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"And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lordand not to men. Knowing that from the Lord you willreceive the reward of the inheritance, for you serve theLord Christ." (Col.3:23-24)

Christian Dior is a manufacturer of clothing apparel whoclothes hundreds of thousands of people. When we pur-chase clothes, we always look for the label as to themanufacturer, the size and the method of cleaning. AsOrthodox Christians we are a label to others representingour church and her beliefs. Others look upon us to seeJesus Christ Our Savior as the head of the Church, themembership of the Church as a whole and what ourOrthodox Faith practices in her beliefs. The OrthodoxCross we wear is not simply a label but a belief in theResurrected Christ. Our way of life as Orthodox Chris-tians is an experience and expression of our ability toserve Christ and His Church which we attend and inwhich we worship

Using Our TalentsLife is important to us, and many times it needs

direction. Life is serving Our Lord Jesus Christ, theChurch and our fellow man. Serving is one of the exam-ples Jesus gave us. "Just as the Son of Man did not cometo be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ran-som for many." (Matt. 20;28). Jesus offered His life toserve humanity. How can we offer to serve humanity asChrist did? The answer is simple through the church andby our talents.Everyone of us has some measure of talent. We need notbe talented in the arts, music or sports. It is not only thegifted who may have talent but the ordinary individualas well. The problem is that we may not recognize it orclassify it as a talent. Our talent should not only be oursbut for the Church as well. Churches need talented peo-ple to serve and be of service to Jesus Christ. What hap-pens is that we hide or withdraw our talent from Christand the Church. We use our talent all other places butwhen it comes to the Church, we seem to draw the line.Every parish has members who are talented people, buthow many of them offer their services to the Churchfreely and willingly? There always seems to be somehesitancy. The local parish may have an abundance oftalent that is in a reservoir waiting to be opened. Unfor-

tunately, it remains in the reservoir. The talent we areblessed with offers no service to the Church. What isunique about the Amish people is their willingness toserve not only their church but their fellowman. A houseis burned, a crop is destroyed or their farming equipmentis damaged and the Amish gather, together to serve theirneeds by using everyone's talents. The house is rebuilt,the crop is replanted and the equipment is repaired with-out insurance or money. As a unit of people they came toserve the needs of their fellowman.Giving Of Our TimeWe as the members of the Body of Christ, our Church arecalled upon to serve the Lord and His Holy Church. Eachyear the call comes to serve on the parish council. It is anhonor to serve on the parish council and not to be served.Parishioners serving on parish councils must be memberswho have the desire to serve Christ and the Church. Theymust serve responsibly, serve with: the love of xShris-trserve as-laborers in the Vineyard of the Church. Asparishioners we may serve as religious education teach-ers, as singers, as volunteers for whatever task is needed,as youth advisors, as elderly care-givers, as grocery shop-pers, as altar boys and men, as ushers, as greeters, aschairman of committees, as grounds keepers or whateverour parish priest requests of you.The sad commentary is that to serve in the Church wealways think it is for the other parishioners and not us.Often the reason is that there is never time to serve. Arethere not 24 hours in a day? We allocate 8-9 hours forwork, 6-8 hours for sleep and the balance of 8 hours foreverything else our heart desires based on a five-day workweek. Saturday and Sunday have their own distinct allo-cations of time. Search out that time, and you will be ableto serve the Church. When you serve the Church, as spirit-filled Christians, faithfully, willingly, wholeheartedlyand without regret or reservation, then you serve the LordChrist with all your heart and soul.The Gospel of Saint Matthew chapter 20-26 reminds usthat to serve in there Church for the needs of God’s peo-ple is based on love. The time to serve is now by contact-ing your parish priest, offering yourself, your time andyour talents.

Ver. Rev. Theodore Z.Mozes


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Jedan od velikasasrpsklh, koji su vladalicarstvom srpskim poslecara Dusana. Po smrti

cara Urosa Lazar bi krunisan od pa-trijarha Jefrema za cara srpskog. Slaoizaslanstvo u Carigrad, sa monahomIsajiom da moli da se skine anathemasa naroda Srpskog, borio se protiv sileturske u nekoliko mahova. Najzad su-kobio se na Kosovu polju 1389 g. 13juna sa turskim carem Muratom, gdebude posecen. Telo mu preneto i sah-ranjeno u njegovoj zaduzbini Ravanicikod Cuprije, a docnije preneto u Ra-vanicu Sremsku, odakle je za vremedrugog svetskog rata 1942g. Prenetou Beograd i polozeno u sabornucrkvu, a docnije preneto u Ravanicukod Cuprije, gde i danas netljeno po-civa i pruza utehu i isceljenje svimaonima koji mu se molitvom obracaju.Obnovio Hilendar i Gornjak; podigaoRavanicu i Lazaricu; bio ktitorommanastira Ruskog Pantalejmona kao imnogih drugih crkava i nianastira.

Lazar was one of the Serbian noble-men who ruled the Serbian empire after thedeath of Tsar Dushan. After the death ofTsar Urosh,

Patriarch Ephrem crowned Lazar as theSerbian king. Lazar sent a delegation toConstantinople with the monk Isaiah to im-plore the patriarch to lift [remove] the anath-ema from the Serbian people. He foughtagainst the Turkish powers on several occa-sions. Finally, he clashed [fought] on theField of Blackbirds [Kosovo Polje] on June15,1389 A.D. against the Turkish EmperorAmurat where he was beheaded. His bodywas translated and interred in Ravanica, hismemorial church [Zaduzbina] nearCuprija and later was transferred to Ravanicain Srem and from there, during the SecondWorld War (1942) was transferred to Bel-grade and placed in the Cathedral Church ofthe Holy Archangel Michael where it reststoday incorrupt and extends comfort andhealing to all those who turn to him withprayer. [In 1989, on the occasion of the six-hundred year anniversary of his martyrdom,St. Lazar's relics were again translated to themonastery of Ravanica in Cuprija]. St. Lazarrestored the monasteries of Hilendar [Ml.Athos] and Eornjak. He built Ravanica andLazarica [in Krusevac] and was a benefactorof the Russian monastery St. Pantaloon [Mt.Athos] as well as many other churches andmonasteries.


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INVITATION TO THEANNUAL

VIDOVDAN COMMEMORATION

SUNDAY — JUNE 29

12:00 noon CHILDRENS PROGRAM andLUNCH

EVERYBODY IS WELCOME

POZIVATE SE NA GODI[NJU VIDOVDANSKU PROSLAVU12:00 p.m De~ji Program i RU^AK

Svi su dobrodosli!

VIDOVDANSKA PROSLAVA

DIVINE LITURGY 10:00 a.m.PARASTOS 11:30 a.m.

Vidovdan Memorial Service

LITURGIJA u 10:00 ujutroParastos 11:30 ujutro


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One of the great American dreams in our society is the abil-ity to have and own our own home. It is considered a mark ofsuccess as well as providing security for our family. It alsogives our life a sense of stability and meaning.

The question I would like to ask is "What exactly isa home?" The Bible gives us a lot of examples of the differenttypes of homes. There is the first home which was the Gardenof Eden - the home for our first parents Adam and Eve. Thehome of Jacob in the Old Testament is mentioned as an ex-ample of great love and great tragedy. In the New Testamentwe have the home in Bethany which Christ loved to visit. Thehome of the Prodigal Son is mentioned in one of the mostmoving parables in the Gospels. Nazareth is mentioned as theplace of residence as Christ was growing up. The home ofPriscilla and Aquila is talked about as the residence for one ofthe first New Testament churches. These homes were allunique just as the designs of homes such as bi-levels, ranches,quad-levels and two-stories are unique in our society today.

A Religious FoundationThe one important feature of all these structures is

that they have to have a religious foundation if they are goingto survive. A home where the occupants, the members of thefamily, have to have Jesus Christ as the Head. I mention thisbecause too many people have the concept that a home isgoing to provide them with security and status just by saying"it's my home." Nothing could be further from the truth.I remember reading many years ago about a college professorwho asked a group of college students what, in their mind,was a good definition of security. Tell me, he remarked,about your ideas as to what you need to have to be successfuland secure in life. Almost without fail each student wrotedown the answer of being a home-owner. The professor toldthem they were all wrong. Security is what you think of your-self, how you relate to other people and how you handle deal-ings with people. I mention this because the students an-swered as most of us would have answered.

Christ As The CenterThe reason the answer is wrong in a Christian sense

is because the home we want to own is only wood, concreteand furnishings. The home the Christian has to be concernedabout is m ore than this. It is a complex environment withpeople brought together with common goals, ideals and spe-cific purpose in life, A place where enemies can be foughtand people, family members can find refuge. A place where aSupreme Being, Jesus Christ, is going to be the center andfocal point of all decisions made. A community where chil

dren can live and discuss the problems they face everyday. Problems dealing with drugs, alcohol and sex. If werealize this fact we can come to the conclusion that thereindeed are not many homes in our society today. Wehave a lot of buildings to sleep in but very few homes tolife in.

One of the reasons so many rich and famouspeople fail to find happiness with their homes in variouslocations in the world is because they are devoid of thereligious fiber needed to hold those homes together. Thegood thing, however, is that this trend can change. Thinkabout the changes that took place after Christ made visitsto various homes in the New Testament. The house ofZacheaus, the house of the centurion whose daughterhad died, the house of the tax collector, the house ofLazarus and on and on. Our homes can change too - ifwe but let Christ be a part of them.

What Do We Have?During the coming months we will be cele-

brating Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year. Wewill visit various homes, and people will be visiting ourhome. What kind of home are they going to find whenthey visit? Will it have a Christian cross on the wall or asacred icon? Or will it look just like any other house onthe block?

Will it have to have a "secular head of thehousehold" or will it be a home where the husband andwife work together with their children to make it a heav-enly kingdom here on earth? Will it be a home withoutpower struggles and arguments and filled instead withlove and respect for one another?

We should all strive, whether we are home-owners now or we are aspiring to own our own home inthe future, to remember who is going to be the center ofthat home - Jesus Christ. He needs to be the focal point -the mortar. Only when this takes place can we truly saywe own our own home.

By William Conjelko


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The Feast of Holy Pentecost is cele-brated each year on the 50th day after theGreat and Holy Feast of Pascha (Easter) and10 days after the Feast of the Ascension ofChrist. The Feast is always celebrated on aSunday. This year, Pentecost is June 8.

As it states, the Feast commemorates thedescent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostleson the day of Pentecost. It also celebrates theestablishment of the Church through thepreaching of the Apostles and the baptism ofthe thousands who on that day believed in theGospel message of salvation through JesusChrist. The Feast is also seen as the culmina-tion of the revelation of the Holy Trinity.But how does the Feast of Pentecost apply toour lives in 2014?

Preaching the Gospel and living aChristian life is not easy. We are confrontedwith temptations and obstacles every day frommany different sources: peers, movies, music,television, etc. Given the awesome mission ofpreaching the Gospel and bringing others tothat belief of salvation through Jesus Christ,the Apostles also experienced challenges andobstacles. But just as the Holy Spirit de-scended on the Apostles at Pentecost, the HolySpirit is constantly with us and working in ourlives.

How do we encounter the Holy Spirittoday? It is through regular participation in theHoly Sacraments that we are immersed in theblessings of the Holy Spirit. One way isthrough the Sacrament of Baptism. Throughthe Holy Scriptures, we know that the HolySpirit was present at the baptism of Jesus

Christ (Theophany) and at Pentecost with theApostles. In the same way, we receive theblessing of the Holy Spirit which descendsupon us at baptism. The priest chrismates thenewly baptized Christian with the sanctifiedoil. This gift of the seal of the Holy Spirit is anaffirmation that the newly-anointed is a specialand essential part of Christ's Church.

In addition, the priest reads the Prayerof Absolution during the Sacrament of Con-fession. We receive the gift of the Holy Spiritwhen our hearts are changed through repen-tance. Of course, we ask God to send down HisHoly Spirit to descend upon us and the giftsthat we offer to become the Holy Eucharist during the Divine Liturgy.

The Apostles of that time were calledto go forth and "make disciples of all nations."Today, we are not sent out just like the Apos-tles. But we do encounter many peoplethroughout our lives... at school, at work, at thegrocery store, and at Church. We are called towitness our faith at all times and in everythingwe do, despite the temptations and challenges.Through our own active participation in the lifeof the Church, and the blessings of the HolySpirit, our lives can serve as a "living Gospel"so that others might believe.

By Eva Kokinos


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OSNOVNIKVALITETI SVE

[TENIKA -ICELITEQA

OMitropolit Jerotej (Vlahos)

Aпостол Павле је саветовао свогученика Тимотеја: Не занемаруј благодатнидар у теби (1. Тим. 4; 14). Та опомена јеистоветна са опоменом хришћанима:Сарађујући с Њим, молимо вас да непримите узалуд благодат Божију (2. Кор. 6;1) и речима истог апостола: БлагодатЊегова која је у мени не оста празна (1.Кор. 15; 10). Он такође поучава апостолаТимотеја: Из тог разлога ти напомињем даразгореваш благодатни дар Божији који је утеби кроз полагање руку мојих (2. Тим. 1;6).

У својим пастирским посланицама,апостол Павле се често позива на ову тему.Епископ и свештенство морају, уопштеноговорећи, кроз своју борбу да очувају дарсвештеничке службе, да на достојан начинслуже Богу и људима и чувају освећенонаслеђе.

Желели бисмо да наведемо неколи-ко карактеристичних оддомака: Ве-жбај се упобожности (1. Тим. 4; 7). Бићеш добарслужитељ Исуса Христа, одгајен речимавере и добром науком којој си следовао (1.Тим. 4; 6). Буди образац вернима у речи, уживљењу, у љубави, у духу, у вери, учистоти (1. Тим. 4; 12). Он захтева одТимотеја да одржи његову заповест чисту ибеспрекорну за јављање Господа нашегИсуса Христа (1. Тим. 6; 12). Он га опомињеда очува предање: Добро завештање очувајДухом Светим Који обитава у нама (2. Тим.

1; 14). То очување предања мора сеизвршити кроз Светог Духа Који обитава уТимотеју. Он га опомиње на трезвеност,пажњу и будну бригу да одговори на великипризив Божији: А ти буди трезвен у свему,злопати се, врши дело јеванђелиста, служењесвоје испуни (2. Тим. 4; 5).

Светоотачко учење односи се на свесуштинске квалитете који треба да красесвештеника како би био способан даодговори на свој велики задатак и узвишенипризив. У ономе што следи покушаћемо данаправимо избор из тих учења, и то углавномиз учења св. Јована Златоустог и св.Теогноста. Учења ове двојице отацаизражавају учење свете Православне цркве.

Према св. Теогносту, свештеник несме бити испуњен једино људским предањеми мора поседовати благодат Божију,тајанствено скривену у њему. „Буди сигуранда се, служећи божанске Тајне, не смешпоуздати само у људско поедање и нека теблагодат Божија изнутра и невидљивоиспуни познањем узвишенијих ствари".„Свештеничко достојанство, као исвештеничке одежде, преиспуњено јеблиставошћу, али само дотле док га изнутраозарује чистота душе". Свештеник, дакле,мора чувати овај божански дар „као зеницусвог ока а његову частнеоскрнављеном" („Добротољубље", 2. том,стр. 258).

Ове ствари показују да се од све-штеника очекује велика трезвеност, штозахтева и много страдања. Све-штеник, сасвоје стране, најпре треба да трезвеноумно иревносно служи свету Литургију.

RAZGORETI BLAGODATСвети Јован захтева ову непрестану

будност у погледу очувања благодатисвештенства. Он каже да свештеник треба да


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буде трезвен и прозорљив и да „поседујехиљаду очију, мотрећи у свим правцима".Он мора „подсећати на многооког херувимакако би се у чистоти клањао Господу надвојскама. Са свих страна мора бити ограђензидовима, и поседовати силну ревност инепрестану трезвеност у животу, како мунешто не би нашкодило". Према св. ЈовануЗлатоустом, као што ватра захтева гориво,тако и благодат захтева нашу усрдност даби се могла распламсати. Од нас зависихоће ли се та благодат угасити илиразгорети. Благодат старешинства у Црквигаси се „лењошћу и немаром" а одржава уживоту „трезвеношћу и пажњом" („Освештенству").

Трезвеност је неизбежна да би чо-век остао чист и на тај начин задржаосвештеничку благодат и благослов. Премасв. Теогносту, свештеничка служба захтеваод нас „анђелско очишћење, и мерупостојаности и целомудрености већу од онеу ранијем животу" („Добротољубље", 2.том, стр. 370). Према св. Јовану Златоустом,свештеник мора бити чист као да стоји усамом рају, међу анђелским силама.Свештеникова душа „мора бити чистија одсунчевих зракова, како је Свети Дух никадане би оставио опустошену" („Освештенству").

Покајање је још један духовниквалитет који свештеник неминовно морапоседовати. „Нека помоћу потока сузапостане бељи од снега, а онда нека, чистесавести, дотакне светиње" (св. Теогност,исто, стр. 258).

Чистота сveштеникa }e sijatii zra~iti на хришћане. Свештеник семора очистити од страсти, „посебно одблуда и злопамћења, а његова машта морабити слободна од страсти" (исто, стр. 258).Многи од Светих Отаца наглашавају да ове

две страсти - блуд и злопамћење - не битребало ни да се приближе свештеницима,иначе благодат Божија неће делати наисцелењу духовних болести његове (духовне)деце. Онда је, као што смо показали, исвештеник болестан. Он мора „жртвеноумрети за страсти и чулно наслађивање".Осим тога, пре-ма авви Доротеју, „све што сепринесе Богу јесте жртва, а не само овца,крава или нешто томе слично (С С 92, стр.476). Свештеник, дакле, у потпуности морабити посвећен Богу.

Јеванђеље описује пут хришћанинакоји се бори да достигне заједницу са Богом инајпре га морају применити Његове слуге,свештеници. Подви-жништво Цркве, којеописујемо у овој књизи, требало би да будепознато црквеним пастирима. Када кажемо„познато", не мислимо да би требало да будуупознати са њим искључиво кроз предавањаили читање, него да би то требало да будењихов живи опит, јер оно што пролази крозсрце помаже верујућим хришћанима. Једанчовек нуди своју крв да би се спасао други.Она се дели и људи су задовољни.

Sve{teni~ka Vrlina Strpqewa

Поред очишћења и покајања, тре-звености и будности, свештеник мора битииспуњен свим благодатним даровима Духа,свим врлинама. Основна врлина је светосмирење: према св. Исаку Сиријском, оно јеодежда божанства, јер је Христос, ради људ-ског спасења, „понизио Себе", као што кажеапостол. Осим тога, Евхаристија коју служисвештеник, показује нам то смирењеХристово. Кроз Евхаристију можемо ступитиу свето смирење и задобити тај жртвениначин живота. Служећи Литургију, ми, дакле,не тражимо само да се хлеб и вино претворе уТело и Крв Христову, него тежимо да


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задобијемо и Христов начин живота. То јесмирење. Тежимо да се обучемо у духЕвхаристије, а то је самоумањење.

У оквиру овог становишта, св.Теогnost savetuje: “ Smiri se kao jagwe ko

је пође на заклање, уистину сматрајући свељуде достојнијима одсебе" („ Добротољубље", 2. том, стр. 269).И заиста, овај свети отац опомиње накарактеристичан начин: „ Сматрај себепрахом и пепелом, или смећем, илистворењем сличним псу, и сталноплачи"... (исто, стр. 258). Божанскуслужбу треба вршити „ са страхом итрепетом" и на тај начин „ поступај поречи истине и изврши своје спасење".Свети Оци, међутим, схватају чињеничностање. Они су свесни да постоји мноштвонедостојних свештеника који се, немајућичак ни основне врлине, усућују да вршеСвете Тајне. Према св. Јовану Златоустом,свештеничка служба не прекрива човеко-ве страсти, него их, напротив, још вишеистиче и чини видљивим. Као што се уватри испитују метали, тако исвештеничка служба разликује људскедуше. Ако је човек срдит, малодушан,славољубив или разметљив или било штатоме слично, ова служба ће то ускороразоткрити и обнажити све његовенедостатке; и не само да ће их обнажити,него ће их учинити још упорнијим итврдокорнијим" („ О све-штенству", 6, 8).

Св. Јован Лествичник каже да је„ знао старе свештенике који су демонимапостали предмет исмевања" („ Лествица",14. поука, стр. 98).

Свети Оци не оклевају да изложе иказне за недостојне свештенике, оне који

ову службу врше без одговарајућегиспитивања, припреме и живота. То седешава услед тога што саблажњавајудуше свог стада уместо да их исцељују.Св. Исидор Пелусиот пише: „ Немојмо сеизругивати божанским стварима(Никодим Светогорац: „ Коментари напосланице", 1. том, стр. 112).Св. Јован Златоусти каже: „ Свештеничкаслужба нам може бити на осуду зато штоје нисмо вршили како доли-кује" („ 0свештенству").

Св. Теогност се обраћанепоправљивом свештенику који сеније одрекао свете службе: „ Очекуј дападнеш у руке живог Бога и осетишњегов гнев. Бог те неће поштедетизбог твојих страсти"(„ Добротољубље", 2. део, стр. 265). Онсаопштава да је „ многе недостојнесвештенике уграбила изненадна смрт и дасу неочекивано били бачени утамницу" (исто, стр. 258).

Он има на уму примере двојиценеодостојних свештеника са различи-тимпоследицама. Један од њих је, спољагледано, био поштован међу људима, иакоје „ изнутра био похотан и развратан" и увреме херувимске песме, док је читао'нико од недостојних', изненада је умро".Други свештеник је запао у страстблудничења. Зато се неизлечиво разболеои лежао на самрти. Када је схватио својунедостојност и заветовао се да ћеодустати од вршења Светих Тајни,„ опоравио се и није остао ни најмањи трагод његове болести" („ Добротољубље", 2.том, стр. 259).

NASTAVI}E SE…….


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Constan-tine's parents wereEmperor Constan-tius Chlorus and theEmpress Helena.Chlorus had other

children by another wife, but from Helenahe had only Constantine. After his corona-tion Constantine fought three great battles:one, against Maxentius, a Roman tyrant;the second, against the Scythians on theDanube and the third, against the Byzan-tines. Before the battle with Maxentius,while Constantine was greatly concernedand in doubt about his success, a brilliantCross appeared to him in the sky duringthe day, completely adorned with stars andwritten on the Cross were these words:"By this Sign Conquer." Astonished, theemperor ordered a large cross to be forgedsimilar to the one that appeared to him andthat it be carried before the army. By thepower of the Cross he achieved a gloriousvictory over the enemy who was superiorin members. Maxentius was drowned inthe Tiber river. Immediately after that,Constantine issued the famous Edict ofMilan in the year 313 A.D. to halt thepersecution of Christians. Defeating theByzantines, Constantine built a beautifulcapital on the Bosphorus which from thattime on was called Constantinople. Before

that, however, Constantine succumbed tothe dreaded disease of leprosy. As a cure,the pagan priests and physicians coun-seled him to bathe in the blood of slaugh-tered children. However, he rejected that.Then the Apostles Peter and Paul ap-peared to him and told him to seek outBishop Sylvester who will cure him ofthis dreaded disease. The bishop in-structed him in the Christian Faith, bap-tized him and the disease of leprosy van-ished from the emperor's body. When adiscord began in the Church because ofthe mutinous heretic Arius, the emperorconvened the First Ecumenical Council inNicaea, 325. A.D., where the heresy wascondemned and Orthodoxy confirmed.St. Helena, the pious mother of the em-peror, was very zealous for the Faith ofChrist. She visited Jerusalem, discoveredthe Honorable Cross of the Lord, builtthe Church of the Resurrection on Gol-gotha and many other churches through-out the Holy Land. This holy woman pre-sented herself to the Lord in her eightiethyear in 327 A.D. Emperor Constantineoutlived his mother by ten years. He diedin Nicomedia in his sixty-fifth year in337 A.D. His body was interred in theChurch of the Twelve Apostles in Con-stantinople.


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An epic disaster of severe flooding andmassive landslides began on May 15, 2014 en-gulfing Serbia, Bosnia and Croatia, with rain-swollen rivers breaking their banks and watersurging into towns and villages, ravaging every-thing in its path.

Hit by the slow-moving cyclone“Tamara” on May 13, 2014, one-third of formerYugoslavia was quickly under water. Threemonths of rain fell within three days! By thethird day of the flooding, more than a millionpeople have been displaced with no clean drink-ing water, food, dry clothing, cutoff from road-ways and railways and with no electricity.Those who survived have lost everything: theirhomes, their farmlands, their livestock, and theirloved ones. With no warning, many towns likeObrenovac, a town of 30,000 + in northwesternSerbia was 90% submerged, with tens of thou-sands trying to escape in the early morninghours.In the early days of the flooding, some of thetowns hard hit: 1) Obrenovac 2) Šabac 3) Bi-jelina 4) Doboj 5) Krupanj 6) Crna Trava 7) Ca-cak 8) Gorni Milanovac 9) Lapovo 10) Trstenik,Paracin., Jagodina.

On May 20th, three days of nationalmourning for the victims of the floods and land-slides was declared by the Serbian government.

Many towns all over Serbia and Bosniahave been so severely damaged by flood watersthat residents have not been allowed to return.With the receding waters, and warmer weather,regions wrecked by the floods will be facing

new threats of land mines resurfac-ing and the spread of infectious dis-eases. An unknown number of peo-ple and animals have drowned,

damage to the food supply and industries is inthe billions and recovery is optimistically esti-mated to take 4-5 years.You can choose to make your tax-deductibledonations through our Serbian OrthodoxChurch in several ways:"Patriarch Pavle" Fund - for the rehabili-tation of the effects of natural disasters:http://www.spc.rs/eng patriarch_pavle_fund_rehabilitation_effects_natural_disasters

Foundation Ana & Vlade Divac: http://www.fondacijadivac.org/Foundation-Ana--Vlade-Divac/2/Home.shtml

Novak Djokovic Foundation: http://novakdjokovicfoundation.org/news/news/2014.734.html"Patriarch Pavle" Fund - for the rehabili-tation of the effects of natural disasters:http://www.spc.rs/eng/patri-arch_pavle_fund_rehabilitation_effects_natural_disastersAll proceeds collected at "Help the Victims ofthe Floods in Serbia and Bosna" fundraiserwill be used to help the flood victims withtheir needs.

Thank you. Your help is greatly appreci-ated.All proceeds collected are tax-deductible and will be used for the imme-diate needs of the flood victims in the af-fected areas of the floods.

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

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Our Lord once related a parableabout a Rich Man and a poor beggar namedLazarus. In this story, we hear of how thiswealthy individual continually passed thedestitute man by, totally oblivious to hisplight. Certainly, he was not alone in hisapproach to the beggar. Imagine how manyothers walked past Lazarus as he lay in frontof the Rich Man's mansion, ignoring hisneeds. Most, if not all of them, probablyeven turned their heads so that that did nothave to see his suffering! Just like the RichMan. they all failed a test put before themby God. They had the perfect opportunity toshow their Heavenly Father that they lovedtheir neighbor as they loved themselves—and they did not seize the moment providedto them.

The Rich Man scored the worst onthis "test," because God placed Lazarus DI-RECTLY in his path—right at his frontdoor—so that he could show his gratitudefor all of the blessings he had received. Byfailing to help Lazarus, the Rich Man failedto say: "Thank you, God, for all of the joyand happiness that I have. I fully realize thatall good things come from You. WithoutYou, I would have nothing."

Even the Pharisee in another ofChrist's parables had the decency to say: "Ithank You, God, that I am not like othermen." Although his gratitude was dis-torted—his prayer turned into an unwar-ranted condemnation of the Publican and atribute to himself—there was an element of

thanksgiving in his innerthoughts.

The Rich Man showedno kindness to Lazarus, who suf-

fered terribly until the angels came and took himto Paradise. We all know the fate of the Rich Man:he was sentenced to eternal punishment in Hades.In his pain and agony, he was able to see Lazarusin the bosom of Abraham. He makes an impas-sionate plea to Father Abraham: send Lazarusback to warn his family and to convince them ofthe necessity of living better lives. How similarour lives are to the Rich Man! We wait until it istoo late to turn back to God and to thank Him forwhat He has given us.

In response to the Rich Man's plea, Abra-ham gives this response: "They have Moses andthe prophets to tell them what to do." Fortunately,we have what the Rich Man wanted: SomeoneWho actually DID return from the dead! We havethe Risen Lord to show us the way. Abrahammakes another observation: "If they did not listento Moses and the prophets, they will not listeneven if someone should rise from the dead." Arewe willing to heed our Savior's warnings? Do wetake His message to heart?

Do not be like the Rich Man, who enjoyedhis life, yet doomed himself through his own in-gratitude. Do not love yourself too much! Do notlove your material possessions too much! Be"guilty" rather of LOVING GOD TOO MUCH,for then you will love your neighbor as yourself,and you will do unto others, as you will have oth-ers do unto you.

When you have clothed, fed, visited andassisted your neighbor to the best of your ability,you have done these things for God Himself. Becareful: you never know when God is placing atest before you to determine if you really loveHim. HI- Deacon Tony Joseph

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

J U N E 2014 J U N ISundayNedelja

MondayPonedeljak

TuesdayUtorak

WednesdaySreda

Thursdayêtvrtak

FridayPetak

SaturdaySubota

17th Sunday of Pascha

Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.7ma Nedeqa — Sv. Otaca

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

2 3St. Constantine

& HelenJelenica

Liturgy 9;00am

4 5 6 7Memorial Saturday –

Zadu{niceLiturgy at 9:00amVespers- Ve~ernje

6:00 pm

PENTECOST 8Trinity Sunday

Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.3}a Nedeq—MironosicaGospel. Jn. 7:37-52, 8:1-12;

Epistle: Acts. 2:1-11;

9Pentecost MondayLiturgy at 9;00am

10Pentecost Tuesday

Divine Liturgyat 9;00am

11

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

12 13 14Vespers- VEÊRNJE

6:00 p.mConfession—Ispovest

151st Sunday after PentecostDivine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.1-va Nedeqa po Duhovima —

Gospel. Matt. 10:32-33,37-38; 19;27-30;Epistle: Heb. 11:33-12-2;

16

Sts. Peter and PaulLent begins

17 18 19 20 21

Vespers- Ve~ernje6:00 p.m.

Confession—Ispovest-

222nd Sunday after PentecostDivine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.2-ga Naedeqa po Duhovima

Gospel. Matt. 4:18-23;Epistle: Rome 2:10-16;

23 24 25


26 27 28St. King Lazarus

VIDOVDANLiturgy at 9;00

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

293rd Sunday after PentecostDivine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.3-}a Nedeqa po Duhovima


30

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CHANGING YOUR ADDRESS? - MENJATE ADRESIf 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.Write to –Pi{ite nam na

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

Lent for Sts. Peter & Paul : June 16-July 11,

VIDOVDAN COMEMORATIONVIDOVDANSKA PROSLAVA

June 29, 2014

Father’s DayLunch

KSSMeeting


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

June — Juni 1Reader: Protinica Maryann

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

June — Juni 8Reader: Natalie Fitzpatrick

Gospel. Jn. 7:37-52, 8:1-12;Epistle: Acts. 2:1-11;

June — Juni 15Reader: Nick Brown


June — Juni 22Reader: Theodor Hadzi-Antich

Gospel. Matt. 4:18-23;Epistle: Rome 2:10-16;June — Juni 29

Reader: Dimitri KarnaookhGospel. Matt. 6:22-33;

Epistle: Rome 5:1-10;

INFORMATION FOR JulySHEPHERD

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

day to send information isJune 15th.

INFORMACIJE ZA JULSKIAko imate ne{to da bi èleli da

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

Dana ili po{aljite po{tom.

J U N E 2014 J U N ISundayNedelja

MondayPonedeljak

TuesdayUtorak

WednesdaySreda

Thursdayêtvrtak

FridayPetak

SaturdaySubota

17th Sunday of Pascha

Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.7ma Nedeqa — Sv. Otaca

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

2 3St. Constantine

& HelenJelenica

Liturgy 9;00am

4 5 6 7Memorial Saturday –

Zadu{niceLiturgy at 9:00amVespers- Ve~ernje

6:00 pm

PENTECOST 8Trinity Sunday

Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.3}a Nedeq—MironosicaGospel. Jn. 7:37-52, 8:1-12;

Epistle: Acts. 2:1-11;

9Pentecost MondayLiturgy at 9;00am

10Pentecost Tuesday

Divine Liturgyat 9;00am

11


12 13 14Vespers- VEÊRNJE

6:00 p.mConfession—Ispovest

151st Sunday after PentecostDivine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.1-va Nedeqa po Duhovima —


16

Sts. Peter and PaulLent begins

17 18 19 20 21

Vespers- Ve~ernje6:00 p.m.

Confession—Ispovest-

222nd Sunday after PentecostDivine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.2-ga Naedeqa po Duhovima


23 24 25


26 27 28St. King Lazarus

VIDOVDANLiturgy at 9;00

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

293rd Sunday after PentecostDivine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.3-}a Nedeqa po Duhovima


30

CHANGING YOUR ADDRESS? - MENJATE ADRESIf 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.Write to –Pi{ite nam na

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

Lent for Sts. Peter & Paul : June 16-July 11,

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

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

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

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

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

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

THE FOLLOWING PARISHIONERSHAVE RETURNED THEIR 2014STEWARDSHIP COMIMITMENT CARDS

Radomir AntovichRadmila BogdanichIlija & Anna BradaricNicholas BrownJoe & Annette ChinnMargaret CherayAnna CippaPavo & Bosiljka CvjetkovicDragoljub & Andja CvjetkovicLjubinko & Nevenka CurchinBiserka DelicKim GlazzardLeo & Aleksandra GlebovDesa DonahueDaisy FreemanAndjelka GojkovichJohn GojkovicRobert & Zorka GojkovichHoria & Joanna GrozaTheodore & Diana Hadzi-Antich

Chris & Yuliya JohnsonDimitri & Luba KarnaookhEve KatichGladys KatsikisSilvia KenteraJohn & Nevenka KordicPaula KordicMilos KovacBarbara LobodovskyLila LukichBorka MalkovichBill MamikaMile MarjanovichMirjana MarkovicIlinka MeglemerCarlyn MetzkaRobert MillerSavka MileusnichPeter K MilovichDragan & Katarina Mirkovic

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

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

How to calculate my financial commitment


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. . .

Hall RoofProto & Protinica Weir……………$ 50.00Proto & Protinica Weir…………... $ 50.00

In Memory of Boro IlichAdriana Radulovich …………. $ 100.00

In Memory of Ivanka StefanovicCircle of Serbian Sisters………...$ 100.00

In Memory of Mary SmilanichCircle of Serbian Sisters………...$ 100.00Proto & Protinica Weir………….$ 50.00

Za Pokoj Duse Supruge - Ilinke CubriloJovan Cubrilo ………………….$ 100.00

Za Pokoj Duse Majke Ilinke Cubrilo -Milan, Radmila, Jovica & Nikola CubriloMilan & Radmila Cubrilo …...$ 200.00

Za Pokoj Duse Majke Ilinke CubriloRadomir, Branka, & Marko CubriloRadomir & Branka ………….$ 200.00

Za Pokoj Duse Ilinke CubriloZarko Stojanovich ………….$ 100.00

Za Moje ZdravljeZorka Theodorovic …………. $ 5.00Zorka Theodorovic ………….$ 5.00

ShepherdBill Mamika ……………..$ 30.00

Anne Cippa …………….. $ 24.00Patricia Culjak ……………..$ 25.00Radomir & Branka Cubrilo…$ 24.00Milan & Radmila Cubrilo…..$ 25.00

Easter FlowersEaster flowers:Zivi:Jovo, Nikola, Zorka,Petra, Jelena & Marko.Mrtvi;Petra, Vu-kosava, Dusan & MilicNikola & Zorka Tica ……….$ 50.00

Donations December 2013Charitable FundProto & Protinica Popovic ..$ 100.00Ilinka & George Meglemere ..$ 100.00

In Memory of Ivanka StefanovicMilivoje & Cveta Radovanovich $50.00Velika Pejovich ………..$ 50.00Nada Kosanovic ……….. $ 50.00In Memory of Marko & Boya PiljaRobert & Daisy Eisenberg $ 50.00In Memory of Valeria MelnikovDr. Joseph & Ruth Silva-RenaissanceCharitable Foundation ………$ 250.00Sveti Nikola DonationAdriana Radulovich ……….$ 100.00SlavaPetar Stojadinovic ………. $ 100.00GiftJoseph Silva ……………….$ 200.00Anna & Steve VucinichVera & Milton Richardson…...$ 25.00

ShepherdValentina Stevens…………....$ 100.00Velika Pejovich……………...$ 24.00Lila Lukic ……………….$ 24.00Robert Miller ………………$ 24.00Chris & Yuliya Johnson……...$ 50.00

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Serbian Orthodox Church of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

One Sunday morning,before the church was unlocked I put a glass ofwater with a dollar bill under it on the tetrapod (thesacramental table) for everyone to see, when theycame into church and venerated the icon, beforegoing to their pew.When I gave my sermon, I directed their attentionto the water and money on the table and askedwhether they saw any similarities between them.They don't look alike. They don't smell alike. Theydon't feel alike. And they sure don't taste alike. Butthey are alike. They have the same characteristics- they are both AMORAL. Not immoral, but a-moral, which means that they are neither good,nor bad, but are capable of being both good andbad.

For example, water is important becauseit can sustain human life when you drink it. Itwashes away the impurities in your body; and it isalso important because it gives nourishment toGod's creation, all the vegetation around us.That's the good qualities of water. But, it can alsoend your life in a matter of seconds. Flooding cancause extensive damage or you can drown in wa-ter, and then water is bad.

Money has the same quality. It can beused for good or evil. It can be used to print theGood News or print pornography. It can buy medi-cine to save a life, or buy drugs to kill. Money be-comes good or bad simply because of the attitudeof the person who uses it. That is why St. Paulsaid in 1 Timothy 6:10, "the LOVE of money is theroot of all evil." Not money itself, but our attitudetowards it. There is nothing wrong with money orwanting more of it. The problem is the bad charac-ter we give money because of what we thinkabout it and how we use it.

Promises In Scripture

There is no easy or simple way for aChurch to talk about money. It's a subjectthat's taboo because it is not usually wel-comed; it makes people uneasy. But it's asubject that sometimes needs to be talkedabut because we become lax and lazy ingiving back to God what is rightly His.Nearly 60% of the Bible deals with moneyand property and that is why Christ talkedmore about money and our attitude toward itthan any other subject. He said, over andover again, that money is essential to Hiswork on this earth, and that He expectsthose who follow Him to provide that money,and when they do He will bless them be-yond measure. That's His promise to youarid me and to everyone, and He has neverfailed or reneged on any of His promises.

Read I Kings, 17 chapter, about awidow who gave up her last piece of breadto a stranger, and was blessed by God. It'sabout Elijah the prophet who had to flee forhis life, and God told him to go and hide ina' gully near the river where the ravenswould come and bring him food to eat.When the river dried up because of thedrought, God told him to go to Zarephathand there a widow would feed him. So Elijahmakes this 80-mile journey on foot and hecomes upon a widow, gathering sticks bythe village gate. So he says to her, "pleasebring me a drink of water". And as shegoes off to get it, he calls out to her andsays: "and please bring me some breadtoo." She immediately turns around andsays to Elijah, "By the living Lord, yourGod, I swear to you that I don't have anybread at home. All I have left is a handfulof flour in my bowl and a cup of olive oil.That’s why I came here, to gather fire-wood and prepare what little I have forme and my son. That will be our lastmeal and then we will probably starve todeath.” Elijah says to her, "Don't beafraid, go and do like you said. But firstmake me a small loaf, bring it to me, and

25

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Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .then afterwards, whatever is left, makesomething for yourself and your son. Godwill bless you, so that your bowl of flour willnever be empty and your cup of oil will neverrun out"

How Are We Giving?What would you or I have done? Was

Elijah being arrogant or selfish when he askedto be fed first? No ... he was following God'sorders, and he represented God in this situa-tion. And because Christ is no longer able to bewith us physically today, the Church whichChrist established continues the work of God onearth. So we have a somewhat similar situation,in that the Church needs to be sustained, itneeds to be fed, and it needs our help to con-tinue doing its work and its ministry of spread-ing the Gospel. But how many of us, like thewidow, put God first and then think of our-selves? We reverse the order! We take care ofourselves first and other things that are impor-tant to us, and then afterwards we give what isleft to God. That tells us and God what is impor-tant in our life! We say we love God very much,but do our actions support our words? Goddoesn't deserve leftovers. He deserves the firstand the best of everything we have and do. Heloves us more than anyone else and He provedit, and so when we are asked to give back toHim and to His Church, He is not asking us todo the impossible. All He asks is that we trustHim! And He promises to bless us and give usmore than He gave to the widow. He promisesnot only to fill our bowls and our cups a hun-dredfold, He promises us eternal life, victoryover death when our life ends, and all we haveto do is trust Him. It's not a question, Howmuch do you give back to God and HisChurch? To those who have a lot, they shouldgive a lot. Those who have less, give less! Godis more interested in "how you give", becausethe "HOW" will determine whether the "howmuch" is acceptable or unacceptable to God.

The Church is the only institution ourLord established on earth through which wegive to God. So the questions we need to ask

ourselves as members of His Church is, Arewe giving according to need? Are we givingaccording to God's blessings? Are we givingaccording to Scriptural teachings? And are wegiving according to our potential?

So often we get upset when theChurch mentions money, and the reason forthat is that we haven't really and truly givenourselves over to God. We don't have faith inHim and we don't trust Him as we should. Weneed Him more than He needs us, and thesooner we begin to realize how important Godis in our life, the sooner money will cease tooffend us.

Getting back to this glass of water andthe money, they both can be used for good orevil... but it depends upon our attitude andwhat we do with them. While it is true that wemust always look after the needs of our family.God would not want it any other way. But Healso wants us to be concerned with His work,and His Church. And it isn't fair to God, theChurch or to us, to keep giving the same todayas we've been giving for the last 10 or 15years. We need to take Elijah's words to heart."Don't be afraid." Give generously to God andHis Church, and He will make sure that youstill have enough on which to five comfortably.You can never out-give God. If you are gener-ous to God and the Church, God will be exceptionally generous with His blessings in yourlife. It is God's nature to give even more thanHe promises. But we will never fully realizeGod's promises until we trust Him enough tobelieve that He will enable us to live on what isleft, after we give Him the lion's share. We willnever know the truth of this until we try it. Let'sthink about "how" we give, and be like thewidow. She went and did what God asked ofher and she discovered that God always fulfillsHis promises. Let's change our attitude aboutgiving to God and His Church, and we too willsoon discover God's wonders and blessings inour life.- Protopresbyter Michael Polanichka

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

Calendar of EventsWe are publishing a calendar of events

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

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

More details will follow.

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

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

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


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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 $ 50Certificates $10 $ 20

Parish StatisticsWEDDING: May 3, Jelena Burgic and Keith Simmons

BAPTISM: May 10, Ian Ottosen Son of Sam and Keri Ottosen.

FUNERAL: May 17, Zorka Theodorovich , Vecnaja Pamjat – Memory eternal!

PARASTOS: Correction from the May Shepherd - April 13, parastos for Mary SmilanickMay 12, Ana Marinova

Vecnaja Pamjat – Memory eternal!

KRSNA SLAVA;—May 6, St. George - DjurdjevdanMilos Kovac family, Boiris Seljak family, Boris Milanovic family, Nikola

Tica family, Rob Gojkovich family, John Kordich family, Ratko Omcikus family, VeskoStrugar family, Zoran Popazivanov family, Bora Mitrakovic family, Slavko Turjacanin fam-ily, Dragan Jovanovich family, Brian Popovac family.

May 8, Sv. Marko– MARKOVDANArkadije Djukich family,

Happy Krsna Slava– Sre}na Slava!

SPECIAL FATHER’S DAY LUNCHJune 15, 2014 at 12:00pm

Sve~ani ru~ak u ~ast O~eva


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

NASA CRKVA U SAKRAMENTU JELEPSA ZA JEDNU PLAKETU, KOJA SENALAZI U SALI "NIKOLA TESLA" NAULAZU U BAR!

Poklon od Katarine i DraganaMirkovica u znak postovanja premanjenoj preminuloj Majci(29.apr.2014), a rad je poznatog va-jara Veselka Zorica, Katarininogoca. Crkvena (glavna) vrata, luster Ijos neki ornamenti su originalan radPok. Zorica! Vecnaja pamjat!

SHEPHERD SPONSOR for2014

GOLD SPONSORSHIPIn Loving memory of Father

Josip KadicBy

Joseph Kadich

Your Immediate Attention isNeeded!

It is important for all of us, as stewardsof Assumptions blessed Virgin Mary Serbianparish in Fair Oaks to make an annual pledgecommitment. A lot of volunteer effort is re-quired of our stewards to keep the church andall of its functions running. Without committedvolunteers, we wouldn't have a church here inFair Oaks.

Each year a packet is sent out with in-formation on pledging and committing yourTime, Talent, and Treasure to the church ofAssumption of Blessed Virgin Mary. It hasbeen over 6 months, since the 20014 Steward-ship cards were sent out, but there are stillmany stewards who have not yet pledged. Werely wholly on the generosity of our stewardsto meet our annual operating budget.

Our ability to reach out to our commu-nity, is also a direct reflection of our steward'swillingness to give time, talent, and treasurein the form of a commitment. If you have notyet returned your pledge form, please do notdelay any longer and take a few minutes ofyour time to fill it out. Please make a commit-ment towards supporting our parish, its minis-tries, and your fellow stewards.

A Big Thank You to all of you whohave already sent in your pledge forms. If yourequire a form or packet, please contact me orthe office, and one will be mailed to you.

Fr. Dane


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

Sandy Tobe Nada Kosanovic Milos KovacAna Mileusnich Daisy Freeman Michael SadovnikovValentina Stivens Ana Lisnich Francis SokitchMilanka Miladinovic Mihailo Kruska Olivija TasoDrazenka Kruska

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

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

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

BECOME A SHEPHERDSPONSOR FOR 2014

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

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

MEMO TO ALL OUR SENIOR PARISHIONERS:

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


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Stewardship ofChrist's Healing Care ofour Anticipation of theHoly Spirit

Our Lord, God and Savior, JesusChrist, just before ascending into heaven,declared to his disciples, "Behold, I sendthe Promise of My Father upon you; buttarry in the city of Jerusalem until you areendued with power from on high" (Luke 24:39). He commanded them to wait for theGift of the Comforter-the Divine Promiseprophesied by the Holy Ezekiel(Ezekiel 39:29). The disciplesjoyfully anticipated this DivinePromise. They waited vigilantlyand patiently for its coming.They obeyed Christ's directionfor receiving it.

The Holy Feast of theAscension of Our Lord revealsto us the nature of Christ's lovefor us, as well as the disciples'love for Christ. He is willing to be incarnateas a mortal man, take on our nature, diefor us, resurrect on the third day, and as-cend into heaven so that everything thatwe are as human beings might be broughtbefore the Face of God. The disciples arewilling to go to the place of persecutionand derision because He commands it.They are willing to do nothing other thantarry-wait-for the fulfillment of God's Prom-ise. They now forsake the cares of thisworld and their own feeble desires to unitethemselves to God's Will.

As St. John Chrysostom remindsus, the Lord would never send out His dis-

ciples without arming them first. Just as acompany of soldiers are first armed be-fore going out to battle, so too were thedisciples armed with the Holy Spirit priorto going out into the world to proclaim theGood News of the Risen Lord! (Homilieson the Acts of the Apostles, Ch.1). Thus,they willingly wait for the Father's Prom-ise, without ever knowing when it will befulfilled! Our Lord never verified the exacttime of the coming of the Holy Spirit-yetthe disciples remain vigilant.

What do we do with the anticipa-tion of communion with God through theHoly Spirit? How often do we joyfullyawait the promise of union with our Lordthrough Holy Communion? Do we remain

vigi-lant,wait-ingforthepres-enceof theLordto

become a wellspring of eternal Life withinus? Do we ever watch-looking to theLord's Second Coming? Or, do we in-stead succumb to the cares and pleas-ures of this world...?

Essentially, these questions askus what is our primary focus: this world, orLife. The disciples' experience of Christ intheir lives encourages them to continue tolive for and in Him. They did not followHim because their parents did. They didnot follow him because they were taughtabout His two natures. They did followHim because they experienced the fire of


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His Love. They did follow Him becausethey recognized the need for change inthemselves-a change made through thisFiery Love. How do we experience Christ'sFiery Love in our lives?

There was a nun who lived in amonastery in Paris, France who was af-flicted with a multitude of ailments formany years. One morning, she awoke toall of them having completely disappeared.Frightened, she ran to the Igumanija(Mother Abbess) and explained the situa-tion. The Igumanija asked, "Why are youafraid, if you have been healed?" "Why hasGod forgotten His handmaiden!?" she re-plied. "When I was afflicted, I knew God'sFiery Love was actively transforming methrough the affliction. Now, I feel alone..."She understood the nature of God's Love,and experienced Him through her very suf-fering!

Even more recently, Meriam Ibra-him of the Sudan shows us the way to ex-perience God's Love here in this world.This Orthodox Christian woman is thedaughter of an Ethiopian Orthodox motherand a Moslem father. Her father aban-doned her at the age of three, leaving hermother to raise her alone. She was raisedas a Christian; however, Sharia law statesthat she is Muslim by birth and thus, anapostate to Islam. She was convicted ofapostasy and given four days to rejectChrist...to which she replied, "I am a Chris-tian and have always been a Christian." Byliving in Christ, she has become aflamewith the fire of Divine Love-becoming awitnessing Beacon of Christ to the world.Her impending suffering and death hasbecome a call for all Christians to witnessfor Christ through their lives.Another way to experience God's Love is

through the neighbors we encounter in theworld. The Fiery Love of God actively en-courages us to love freely, just as we areloved freely. The catastrophic floods in ourSerbian homeland are an opportunity tolove our neighbors in need-thus provingwe are truly Christ's disciples.

Now is the time to live every day inanticipation and recognition of God's Love.Now is the time to give thanks for all of thedynamic opportunities He offers us in ourlives to be transformed by His Love. Nowis the time to be vigilant and watch-awaiting the next moment when we are tochoose between our own pleasure andsacrificing ourselves for the sake of Christ.Now is the time to live from Communion toCommunion-to live for that very union withour Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ.Christ ascended in glory, so that throughHim, we might be brought before the Faceof God. We are empowered to stand be-fore the very Face of God through partici-pating in Christ by the Grace of the HolySpirit. Let us live every day in anticipationof this marvelous and loving gift. Let uscontinually look to the Life of the World tocome!

By Father Christopher Rocknage


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Према учењу Православне Цркве,духови имају своје место боравка, својенасеобине које одговарају њиховој природи исвојевољно изабраним квалитетима.

Место боравка палих анђела постао јеподнебесни простор, који се другачије називаваздухом, земаљском површином и безданомили адом.

Како сведочи свети ИгњатијеБрјанчанинов, "... простор између неба и земље,сав видљиви плави бездан, ваздух, поднебесјеслуже као насеобина за пале анђеле, збачене снеба. У књизи о Јову пали анђео се већ приказујекако лута у неизмерном простору, у поднебесју;он је лутао по њој, брзо га је прелетао, гоњеннезаситом злобом према људском роду (Јов 1,7).Свети апостол Павле назива пале анђеледуховима злобе у поднебесју (Еф. 6,12), ањиховог поглавара кнезом који влада у ваздуху(Еф. 2,2). Дакле, пали анђели су расејани убескрају ваздушног простора".

О боравку демона на земљи јасносведоче јеванђељске приповести у којима секазује о њиховим различитим деловањима излоделима. Они су узроци различитих болести инемоћи, могу да улазе у људе и животиње и даих муче (Лк. 8,33; Лк. 13,1битд.). Демони живе иу води, што се види и из учења ПравославнеЦркве која на дан Богојављења Господњег усвојим "молитвама за освећење воде" моли Богаза очишћење воде од могућег присуства палихдухова у њој.

Говорећи о непосредном месту на којемсе налазе рај и пакао, сматрамо умесним данаведемо гледиште америчког подвижникаСерафима Роуза. Према његовом мишљењу, "таместа се налазе ван 'координата' нашегпросторно-временског система; авион непролеће 'невидљиво' кроз рај, а земљин сателиткроз треће небо, и помоћу бушења се не можедопрети до душа које очекују у аду Страшнисуд. Оне нису тамо, већ у простору друге врсте

који почиње непосредно овде, али каода се простире у другом правцу". Ова теза јесасвим у складу са одговором светог ЈованаЗлатоуста о месту раја и пакла. "По моммишљењу, он је негде ван овога света", говорисвети у беседама на посланицу Римљанима (31,3-4).

Данас као место боравка за ђавола,поглавара палих анђела, служи пакао илидругачије бездан, тартар, подземље,унутрашњост земље. Ово је насеље предсказаопалом духу свети пророк Исаија: У ад ћешстићи, рече му, у темељ земље (Ис. 14,15).Збило се оно што је предсказано кнезу ваздушневласти, силом и влашћу Исуса Христа. Свезао јеГоспод Сатану током целог времена измеђудвају Својих долазака и, како је речено уАпокалипси, ухвати аждају, стару змију, који јеђаво и сатана, и свеза је на хиљаду година, ибаци је у бездан, и закључа је и запечати надњом (Отк. 20,3). Пред други долазак Господњипустиће се сатана из тамнице своје и изићи ћеда вара народе што су на четири краја земље(Отк. 20,7). Из животописа светих се такођевиди да поглавар палих анђела - сатана борави уаду, а на земаљској површини и ваздуху делујудемони под управом својих кнезова, то јест,палих анђела из виших чинова. Демони силазе уад да би добили наређења и упутства од сатане,подносе му извештај о својим делима и о свемушто се збива на површини земље. Према учењуЦркве, у аду се такође налазе душе грешникакоје трпе од демона страшна мучења. То се употпуности слаже с речима Христовим: Идитеод мене проклети у огањ вечни који јеприпремљен ђаволу и анђелима његовим(Мт. 25,41).

СВЕШТЕНИК РОДИОН ПЕТРОГРАДСКИ


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„Земаљско је замаленацарство, А небеско увек и довека."

Срби су вековима будно и неприкоснове-но чувалимртву стражу на капији која дели Исток од Запада. И када јеона била не-проходна за завојевача споља, онда су се ииздајници унутра стишавали, онда је владао мир на Балкану.Стога, да није било Срба на Балкану велико је питање какоби изгледала цела крштена Европа, јер су баш Срби дуги низгодина исцрпљивали турску снагу да не крене даље противосталог дела Европе. На-род тако жилав и храбар, упорно оеодржавао на овој ветрометини између два континента. Натој капији два света овај Стражар је веко-вима довикиваолозинку:„Падајте, браћо! Плин'те у крви! Остав'те села нек*гори плам! Бацајте сами у огањ децу! Стрес'те са себеропство и срам!Гините, браћо! Јунаци! Људи! За пропаст вашу свет ћеда зна ... Небо ће плакат' дуго и горко, Јер неће битиСрбина... !"(Ђура Јакшић)

Вековима Срби љубоморно и пожртвова-но чувајуземљу прадедова, заклањају сво-јим телесима своја огњиштаод историјских провала и олуја, не трпе неправду и тиран-ство. Када су највеће буре тутњале по овом немирномпростору, када се и само небо мрачило од свирепости иокрутности завоје-вача, Срби нису знали, да као другинароди, снисходљиво погну главу, да се кхпепо подају силии полтронски јој служе, већ су се ус-прављали, дизалипобуне и устанке, а у да-нима опште народне несрећеуједињавали се и борили до последње капи крви. Због тогаони трпе и пате од браће и рођака, и споља од туђинаца.

„Гробље ј' земља ком се ходи, Гробље ј' водаком се броди, Гробље — врти и градине,-Гробље— брда и долине; Свака ј' стопа Гроб до гроба."

(Јован Јовановић-Змај: Светли гробови)Ни код једног народа у историји нису мр-тви више

водили живе као код нашег народа; нигде мртви ниеувише утицали на ток жи-вота живих, као што је тослучај код нашег народа.

Први српски Видовдан, који се догодио у уторак15. јуна 1389. г. доказ је наше жртве и нашег положајана Балкану. Кажем први Видовдан. јер желим да

истакнем да их је било више. Зар битка наЦеру, где су страда-ле многе жртвештитећи своју земљу, зар битка на Мишаруи Љубићу нису наши Ви-довдани? Зарпокољ у Глини, где један на-род страда сасвојим свештеником зато што је српски, уЈадовну, на Велебиту, у Јасеновцу, уКраљеву и Крагујевцу, зар нису све тонаши Видовдани? Који је од балканокихнаро-да икада поднео толике жртве радисвога имена, као наш народ? На Косовупољу про-тив Отоманске империје, уПрвом светском рату против Аустро-угарске монархије и у по-следњем ратупротив три силе осовине, када је устанакпрво букнуо у Србији — увек борба нашегнарода са неравноправним противни-цимана својој груди ...

Срби су увек излазили као победници,јер су се руководили еванђелском поруком:„Земаљско је замалена царство, Анебеско увек и довека".

Понекад као да се стидимо нашепрошлости, иако за то имамо најмањеразлога. Наша интелигенција већином ћутикада су у питању наше историјскетековине, она је некако сра-межљива —као девојка која би се радо удала, али несме то да каже. Ми учимо наше мла-ђе кадасу били пунски ратови, а нека српска децачак не знају кад је била Косовска битка.Учимо нашу омладину кад је и зашто Брутраспорио Цезара, а показује се незнање које, када и зашто распорио цара Мурата.Оно прво треба научити, али ово друготреба знати!

Зато је наша молитва упућена Свемогу-ћем Богу, еветом великомученикукосовском цару Лазару и осталим српскимсветитељима и мученицима ове, крвљунатопљене земље; она је усрдна и сузнавише него икада до сада, да се смилују ипомогну роду нашем да н а ђ е с е б е , некод некога другога већ код себе самог и ус л о з и s в о ј о ј .


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"The hour is coming and now is, whenthe true worshipers will worship the Fa-ther in spirit and in truth— "St. John 4:23

One of the definitions of theterm "Orthodox" is "correct glorification, correct worship." Authors of booksabout the Orthodox Church has soughtto define it as being a "worshippingchurch." A church in which much ismade of liturgical prayer and the vari-ous services.

If there is one common denomi-nator in a hypothetical list setting forththe characteristics of a "good Orthodox"Christian it would certainly be how of-ten he or she attends the services of theChurch.

And so it should be, for Ortho-doxy has always taught the premisethat the individual can only truly be-come an individual in the context ofthe church community. So the gather-ing of the church together to worshipin community is a necessary experiencefor Orthodox Christians. As the letter tothe Hebrews says, "Let us consider now

to stir up one another to loveand good works, not neglectingto meet together, as is the habit

of some, but encouragingone another and all themore as you see the day

drawing near. (Heb. 10:24, 25). The Po-tential DangerYet there is a danger present in this aswell. In our worship and in the tradi-tions that go along with it, it is verytempting to turn Faith in the crucifiedand risen Jesus into a kind of New Tes-tament Pharisaism. The task of worshipis to both give living expression tofaith, to serve as the vehicle for atheophany, a meeting place, a "holyground" where the living God is re-vealed to us. As we sing in the Liturgyand at other services, "The Lord is Godand has revealed Himself to us."

Very often though, for us, wor-ship is not the experience of God re-vealing Himself to us, but a boring ex-ercise in devotion, in which we "pay ourrespects" to the Creator or "fulfill ourobligation" to attend the Sunday DivineLiturgy. In doing this we hope that byfulfilling our obligations enough timesor "paying our respects" enough we willbe saved.

The Pharisees of Jesus' day oftendid the same thing. They placed faith inGod second on a practical level to fol-


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lowing their customs and traditions. Itwas in following the customs and tradi-tions they believed that faith was ex-pressed. But in doing so they put thecart before the horse.

Faith And WorshipThe worship of the-Churck, the.-

Dixine Liturgy, the other different ser-vices, the feast days and fasts of theChurch are not substitutes for faith;their observance alone will not producefaith in us. They are not something thatwe "do" for God but are our response towhat God does for us.

If our worship is to be worship"in spirit and in truth" then it must pro-ceed from our faith. At some momentin our life we must realize that throughthe worship of the Church we encoun-ter the crucified and risen Jesus of Naz-areth just as the Apostles encounteredHim in the Upper Room, just as Lukeand Cleopas encountered Him on theroad to Emmaus; just as the ApostlePaul encountered Him on the road toEmmaus.

One of the most remarkablethings about the worship of the earlyChurch as the New Testament relates itto us is the element of joy that it con-tained. This joy, of which the Apostolicwriters speak, radiates from the pres-ence of the Risen Christ that burned

within them.If the worship in our churches

lacks this presence of the Risen Christ,then it cannot be anything except dulland boring. If we enter the Church notseeking the Risen Christ, but only topay our respects to the dead body ofChrist, then we will go away uninspiredand unmoved.

The Sunday Divine Liturgy isnot the celebration of the Death ofChrist, alone; it is not a "requiem" ser-vice but the celebration of His Death.Resurrection and Second Comingagain. It is a joyful event that takes usto the doors of the Kingdom of heaven!Through it the experiences of theApostles from the preaching of theLord in His earthly life to the Pentecostbecome our experiences as well!

Yet for many people it must notbe so. If it were, then why do so manyalways sit in the back of the Church;why are there always those few wholeave before the final blessing or con-stantly look at their watches hopingthat Father might speed things up abit? But we mustn't be too critical ofsuch people; rather we should givethanks that they have enough faith tomake it at least to the back, or the vesti-bule or even the sidewalk or basement!Through our prayers they may one daymake it in farther!


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Path To TransformationAt the same time we also must real-

ize that as in all of life, so in Liturgy andworship, "we reap what we sow." If we stayout partying on Saturday night till allhours or if we watch TV all night, then theSunday Liturgy will be a painful experi-ence. There are some things that we can doto make the Divine Liturgy more meaning-ful for us.

The first of these is to pray and seek theLord every day. A brief prayer comingfrom the heart will be enough to place usin the Lord's presence. Such a prayershould include, praise to the Trinity; thank-sgiving for the blessings of your life; aconfession of your sins (if you can't thinkof any ask that they be revealed to you) aremembrance of those in need of prayer,any personal petitions and an ending glo-

rification of the Trinity. Always bear inmind that it is not eloquence that counts,or the number of words, but sincerity andtruth.

On Saturday night attend vespers ifyour church has them or carefully readthe evening prayers. Read the Epistle andGospel for the Sunday.

Come to Liturgy a few minutes beforetime; read the morning prayers and col-lect your thoughts. As you follow the Lit-urgy sing along with the choir or cantor.Obtain an up-to-date prayerbook and fol-low along with the priests' prayers. Beaware of what is going on! If you do thisyou will feel the necessity of encounteringthe Lord as often as possible in the HolyEucharist, so that the experience of theLiturgy will be complete and personallyfulfilling.

Some recipes for the perfect marriage:-Two times a week we go to a nice restaurant, have a little beverage, good food andcompanionship. She goes on Tuesdays. I go on Fridays. -I asked my wife where she wanted to go for ouranniversary? "Somewhere I haven'tbeen in a long time" she said. So, I suggested the kitchen. -I haven't spoken to my wife in 18 months. Idon't like to interrupt her!" If someone asks if you are a conservative or a liberal. Here is a test someone should take to deter-

mine where he fits in: If a Conservative doesn't like guns-he doesn't buy one. -If a Liberal doesn't like guns he wants all

guns outlawed. If a Conservative is a vegetarian, he doesn't eat meat. -If a Liberal is a vegetarian, he wants all meat products banned for everyone. If a Conservative is homosexual, he quietly leads his life. -If a Liberal is a homosexual, he demands

legislated respect. -If a Conservative is down-and-out, he thinks about how to better his situation. -A Liberal wonders

who is going to take care of him. When you are dissatisfied and would like to go back to your youth, think of Algebra. Have you ever noticed? Anybody going slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than

you is a maniac.


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Ili Tri Zablude o Hri{}anskom@ivotu

Нажалост, о хришћанском моралу међуљудима далеким од Цркве кружи много лажнихстереотипа. И често такви стереотипи, којипотичу од незнања, спречавају човека да схватишта представља живот хришћанина. Да се тајживот не исцрпљује одласком у храм ипаљењем свећа.

Човек који пожели да живихришћанским животом, не схватајући смисао ињегове принципе, ризикује да погреши. Например, догађа се да се човек који не познајесмисао хришћанског живота, покушавши даиде у храм и следи заповести, затим разочара иоде од Цркве.

Из наше историје се можемо сетити"кромпирне побуне" - када су сељациспаљивали кромпир који се тек појавио уРусији. Нису знали да је неопходно користитисамо језгро, већ су јели отровни омотач што једоводило до тровања. Тада су се гневили накромпир и на државу која је увезла кромпир.

У тако глуп и опасан положај људестављају незнање и погрешне претпоставке оономе што не знају! Међутим, када је незнањеуклоњено и када су они схватили како се требаодносити према тој биљци, кромпир је постаоскоро најомиљеније јело у руским породицама.

Да бисмо избегли сличне грешке, хајдеда кратко размотримо три основне заблуде охришћанском животу на које најчешћенаилазимо.

Прва заблудаМноги људи погрешно доживљавају

хришћански морал само као некакав скупправила. Посматрајући га тако воле да говореда је то скуп правила, чак и леп, али потпуно

неиспуњив.

Заиста, у наше време се чак старозаветнезаповести "не убиј", "не учини прељубу",

и "око за око" за неке чине недостижним. Штарећи о Христовим заповестима који по мишљењусвих захтевају много више: "Чули сте како јеказано старима: Не убиј: јер ко убије, биће кривсуду. А ја вам кажем да ће сваки који се гњеви набрата свога ни за што, бити крив суду... Чулисте како је казано старима: Не чини прељубу. Аја вам кажем да сваки који погледа на жену сажељом за њом, већ је учинио прељубу са њом усрцу своме... Чули сте да је казано: Око за око, изуб за зуб. А ја вам кажем да се не противитезлу, него ако те ко удари по десном образу твом,окрени му и други." (Мт. 5: 21-22; 27-28; 38-39)

Ако нецрквени човек мери те заповестисвојим силама таква правила ће се многимаучинити потпуно недостижним.

Заблуда се састоји у томе да ти људи невиде главно - то да чедима Цркве Бог не даје самозаповести, већ и силу за њихово испуњавање.

Неки људи мисле да су тобожјеванђелске заповести у принципу неиспуњиве.Да их је Бог дао људима не да би их онииспунили, већ као некакав идеал коме се можестремити, али који никада не можеш достићи. Ида због свести о немогућности достизања тогидеала људи постану свесни свог ништавила итако стекну смирење.

Међутим, слични поглед нема ништазаједничко са истином. Он изопачава сам смисаохришћанства.

Јеванђеље у преводу значи "Блага вест",или ако ћемо сасвим по савременом језику,"сјајна новост". Али шта може бити сјајно у вестида су људи ништавни и нису способни ни за штасем за свест о свом ништавилу? И зар се можедобрим назвати господар који издаје заповести,које се без сумње не могу испунити, а чијеиспуњење треба да буде услов за спасење?

Такви људи уподобљавају Боганацистичком официру из филма "ЛавиринтТавна", који пред испитивањем ухапшеногпартизана који муца говори: ако можеш да

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избројиш до три а да не замуцаш пуштамо те.Ако не можеш, мучићемо те". Партизан сетруди, изговара "један", "два", и на "три" замуца.Официр одмахује рукама, ето, видиш, сам сикрив...

Не, истинити Бог који заповеда "својимсунцем обасјава и зле и добре" (Мт. 5:45) и"свима даје једноставно и без карања" (Јак. 1:5),Бог "Који хоће да се сви људи спасу и да дођу упознање истине" (1 Тим. 2:4) - уопште нијетакав.

За осликавање реалног стања ствариумесније је друго поређење - отац који је видеода је син упао у дубоку јаму. Баца му грану идаје заповест: устани, ухвати се за доњи крајгране и ја ћу те извући. Као што видимо, спасаваотац. Међутим, ако син не испуни заповест којаму је дата неће се спасити.

У стварности, добра вест Јеванђељасастоји се у томе да се из јаме греха,проклетства и смрти заиста може избавити. Данема више преграде између човека и Бога, данам је у Христу Исусу постало могуће да"будемо беспрекорни и честити, дјеца Божијанепорочна" (Фил. 2:15), "јер сте сви синовиБожији вјером у Христа Исуса" (Гал. 3:26). Даби верујући, крштени човек постао чедо Божијемора из себе да уклони једино личне грехе истрасти које их рађају. А то се и постижечувањем заповести. А то је једнако устајању ихватању за грану. То је постало могуће засвакога. У томе се и састоји добра вестЈеванђеља.

Захваљујући ономе што је очовечениБог урадио пре две хиљаде година на Крстуапсолутно сваки човек сада може да испуни свезаповести и тиме се уподоби Ономе Који јепозвао: "будите свети, јер сам ја Господ Богваш" (3 Мојс. 20:7). Свако може да будеСветитељ. И заповести не представљају миражкоме се можеш дивити издалека, већ конкретнеинструкције за достизање истинске светости.

Ако се односимо према њима као премапрактичним инструкцијама, лако је видети даХристове заповести нису дате ради отежавања,већ ради олакшавања борбе са грехом, јер

објашњавају како достићи потпуно испуњењезаповести, које су дате у древном закону.

Ако је Старозаветни закон одвраћао пресвега од спољашњих пројава зла, Исус Христосје научио да се увиде и одсеку сами коренигреха. Својим заповестима Он је открио да сегрех рађа у нашем срцу. Неопходно је затопочети борбу са грехом чишћењем срца одлоших жеља и мисли, јер "из срца излазе злепомисли, убиства, прељубе, блуд, крађе, лажнасвједочења, хуле" (Мт. 15:19).

Да поновимо, Он није само објасниокако то урадити, већ даје и силу да се то учини.Чак су се и апостоли, чувши први Христовезаповести, запрепастили њиховом тобожњомнеиспуњивошћу. Међутим, они су чули:"људима је ово немогуће, а Богу је свемогуће" (Мт. 19:26). За човека који се сјединиоса Богом већ нема ничег немогућег. "Све могу уХристу који ми даје моћ" (Фил. 4:13), сведочиапостол Павле.

То је најважнија и суштинска разликаизмеђу хришћанског морала и било ког другог.

Сваки други нехришћански инерелигиозни морал није ништа друго до списакправила која се у нечему разликују и у нечемуподударају.

Нерелигиозно васпитање и морал самипо себи не дају снаге човеку да буде добар. Онига само информишу о томе шта се сматрадобрим у одређеној заједници. И сваки човеккоји добије такву информацију бира: или дапостане добар човек, или да изгледа као добарчовек.

У сваком човеку постоји слобода вољетако да он искрено може да се труди да постанедобар човек. Међутим, у стварности то не можеуспети без помоћи свише. Како је говорио СветиМакарије Египатски: "душа може да се противигреху, али да победи или искорени зло без Богане може".

ЂАКОН ГЕОРГИЈЕ МАКСИМОВNastavi}e se…

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

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Imagine that someone isstanding in front of a crowd of 100people and you are one of them.The person in front holds up a $100bill and says: “If you want this $100bill, raise your hand.” Would you?

Now, imagine that the personin front takes the $100 bill andcrumples it into a ball and then asks:“I am going to give this $100 bill toone of you, who wants it? If you do,raise your hand.” Would you?

Finally, the persons says:“OK, what is I do this?” He dropsthe $100 bill to he ground andgrinds on it with his shoe. He asks:“Now who wants it? If you do, raiseyour hand.” Would you?

I daresay that everyone whoreads this would have answered“Yes, I would have raised my hand.”Everyone would have done this allthree times. If so, you have learned

an important lesson about your re-lationship with God. No matterwhat the person with the $100 billdid with it, you still wanted it be-cause its value never diminished, italways remained worth $100. It isthe same with all of you. No mat-ter how many times in our liveswe are dropped, crumbled orground it the dirt by ourselves orothers we still retain our value inthe eyes of the Lord. No matterwhat happens to us, no matterhow low we feel, no matter whatwe have done, you will never loseyour value to God, you remainpriceless. The value in life comesfrom how we serve our Lord, lov-ing Him and our neighbor.

40Serbian O

rthodox Church of the A

ssumption

7777 Sunset Avenue

Fair Oaks, C

alifornia 95628

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