SHEPHERD SH RD - sacserbchurch.orgsacserbchurch.org/sac/wp-content/uploads/file/July_2014.pdf · SHEPHERD A monthly publication of the ... sebe vi{e nego ... uskra}ena nada i ljubav,

$Page 1: SHEPHERD SH RD - sacserbchurch.orgsacserbchurch.org/sac/wp-content/uploads/file/July_2014.pdf · SHEPHERD A monthly publication of the ... sebe vi{e nego ... uskra}ena nada i ljubav,$
SHEPHERDMonthly newsletter of the Serbian

Orthodox Church of the AssumptionFair Oaks, California

July 2014God be with you

P A S T I RP 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

"To havefaith is to be sureof the things we

hope for, to be cer-tain of the things we cannot see. It

was by their faith that the people ofancient times won God's ap-

proval." (Hebrews 11:1-2)

The famous preacher Spun-geon once said, "A little faith willbring your soul to heaven: a greatfaith will bring heaven to your soul."Wasn't the faith of Abraham indeedgreat? God said to Abraham, "Go outof your country and from your kin-dred, and I will give you thisland" (Genesis 12:1-7). Abrahamobeyed. He left his own country forthe land of Canaan, without knowingwhere he was going. Because Abra-ham believed and had faith in theLord, the Lord accepted him as right-eous.

Believing SomeoneOur Orthodox Christian way of lifeis based on faith. God should be thefirst object of our belief. To believe

in God signifies not only to acknowl-edge God with our whole mind, ourwhole heart and our whole soul, butto strive towards Him with all of theresources given to us. To "believesomeone" is to love that someonewith all of our might. To "believesomeone" is different than to"believe in someone" or "something". Faith binds us with the sourceof all life and power...it binds us withGod. After the Resurrection, thespread of Christianity was a triumphof faith. The early Church of Christbegan with the empty tomb and ahandful of people who had faith. Thehistory of the Church of Christ isfilled with the miracles of the saintsof all ages.

Given Directly By GodSt. Paul lists faith among the

gifts of the Holy Spirit. He says,"The Spirit produces love, joy, peace,patience, kindness, goodness andfaithfulness." (Galatians 5:21). Else-where he says, "Be modest in yourthinking and judge yourself accord-ing to the amount of the faith that

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God has given you" (Romans 12:3).When Simon Peter confessed his faith inJesus with the words, "You are the Christ,the Son of the Living God" (Matthew16:16). On one occasion the Apostlesasked Jesus for the gift of more abundantfaith: "Make our faith greater" (Luke17:5). "If you have faith," Christ said,"nothing will be impossible" (Matthew17:20).

Abundant EvidenceFaith is the theological virtue by which

we believe in God and believe all that hehas said and reveledto us, and that HolyChurch proposes for our belief, because heis truth itself. By faith "man freelycommits his entire self to God." For thisreason the believer seeks to know and doGod's will. "Therighteous shall live by faith." Living faith"work"(s) through charity

The gift of faith remains in one who hasnot sinned against it. But "faith apart fromworks is dead" when it is deprived of hopeand love, faith does not fully unite the be-liever to Christ and does not make him aliving member of his Body.

The disciple of Christ must notonly keep the faith and live on it, but alsoprofess it, confidently be witness to it, andspread it: "All however must be preparedto confess Christ before men and to followhim along the way of the Cross, amidst thepersecutions which the Church neverlacks." Service of witness to the faith arenecessary for salvation: "So every onewho acknowledges me before men I willacknowledge him before my Father who is

in heaven; but whoever denies me beforemen, I also will deny him before my Fatherwho is in heaven."

The theological virtues are the foun-dation of Christian moral activity; they ani-mate it and give it its special character.They inform and give life to all the moralvirtues. They are infused by God into soulsof the faithful to make them capable of act-ing as his children and of meriting eternallife. There are the pledge of the presenceand action of the Holy Spirit in the facultiesof the human being.

Faith is simply being convinced ofthe truth of the Gospel. It is confidence thatChrist can remove our guilt and give us eter-nal life. Without faith it is impossible toplease God. In fact, it is the only way toplease Him. He will reward you if you seekHim. But is faith foolish? No, there is noth-ing blind, ignorant or foolish about faith inGod. Although some talk about blind faith,God has given abundant evidence of Hisexistence in the world. He spoke to our an-cestors many times and in many waysthrough the prophets and through His Son.Faith is brought to fruit by prayer, andthrough prayer we make ourselves availableto God. Through prayer our faith becomes aliving faith, a miracle faith.

In Christ's service,Protopresbiter Dane Popovic

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

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Draga Bra}oi Sestre

“Vera je tvrdo ~ekanjeonoga ~emu se nadamo, i dokazivanje

onoga {to ne vidimo. Jer u njoj stvari dobi{esvedo~anstvo.” Jevrejima11:1-2)

Poznati propovednik Spungonjednom re~e, “ Mala vera }e podi}itvoju dusu do raja: Velika vera }espustiti raj do tvoje du{e. Zar nijevera Avramova zaista bila velika? Go-spod re~e Avramu, “ idi iz zemljesvoje i od roda svojega i iz doma ocasvojega u zemlju koju }u ti jadati” (Postanja 12:1-7). Avramposlu{a. On je ostavio svoju zemlju zazenlju Hanansku koju je dobio,neznaju}i ge ide. Jer je Avraamverovao i imao veru u Gospoda, iGospod ga primi kao pravednika.

Verovati nekomeNa{ Pravoslavni na~in ìvota

je osnovan na veri. Bog bi trebaoda bude na prvom mestu u na{ojveri. Verovati u Gospoda pokazujene samo da priznajemo Gospodasa svim sojim razumom, svim srce,i svom du{om svojom, nego da

idemo prema Njemu sa svim onimsto nam je dato. Da “verujemonekome” treba da ga volimo sasvom snagom svojom . Da“verujemo nekome” je druga~ijenego da “verujemo u nekoga” ili u“ne{to”. Vera nas sjedinjuje sa iz-vorom svakog ìvota i snage… isjedinjuje nas sa Gospodom. Poslevaskrsenja, {irenje Hri{}anstvapostala je pobeda vere. Prva crkvaHristova po~inje sa praznimgrobom Hristovim i {a~ica ljudikoji su verovali u Njegovo vask-rsenje. Istorija crkve Hristove jeispunjena sa ~udima svetih svihuzrasta.

Dato direktno od GospodaSveti apostol Pavle ubraja

veru u darove Duha Svetoga. Onkaè: “Plodovi Duhovni su ljubav,radost, mir, trpljenje, dobrota,milost, vera, krotost i uzdrànje.“(Galatima 5:22). Na drugommestu kaè, “da ne mislite zasebe vi{e nego {to valja misliti;nego da mislte u smernosti kao {toje kome Bog udelio meruvere.”(Rimljanima 12:3).Kada je Simon Petar ispovedio

njegovu veru u Hrista rekav{i, “Tisi Hristos, Sin Boga


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@ivoga” (Matej 16:16). U jednomtrenutku zatraì od Hrista da mudoda vere: “Dometni namvere” (Lk.17:5). “Ako imate vere,”Hristos kaè, Ni{ta vam ne}e bitinemogu}e” (Mt.17:20).

Mno{tvo dokazaVera je teolo{ka vrlina kroz koju

mi verujemo u Boga i sve {to nam jerekao i {to nam je otkrio, i to na{asveta crkva predlaè za na{e vero-vanje, jer je On Istina. Kroz veru“~ovek slobodno daje sebeGospodu,” iz tog razloga vernik traìda zna Gospoda i ~ni volju Bo`ju.“Pravednik }e ìveti od vere.” @ivavera `vi kroz ~injenje dobrihdela.”Nagrada vere ostaje u onog konije sagre{io protiv Boga. Ali “veraod dela izgleda mrtva”kada joj jeuskra}ena nada i ljubav, vera u pot-punosti ne ujedinuje vernika saHristom i ~ini ga ìvim ~lanomNjegovog tela.

Sledbenik Hristov ne moè samoda veruje i ìvi verom, nego mora daje ispoveda, i slobodno da je svedo~ii {iri: Svi moraju biti spremni da is-povedaju Hrista pred ljudima i daGa slede sve do Krsta, izme|ustradanja koja crkvi nikad nenedostaju.” Jer sbvedo~iti verom jeveoma va`no za spasenje: “Jer svakoko me prizna pred ljudima, prizna}uI ja njega pred ocem svojim koji jene nebesima. A ko se odre~e mene

pred ljudima, odre}i }u se i ja njegapred ocem svojim koji je na nebe-sima.

Teolo{ke vrline su temeljHri{}anskog moralnog delovanja;one ih nadahnjuju, daju im posebnikarakter. One informi{u i daju ìvotsvim moralnim vrednostima. NjihBog usa|uje u du{u vernika da bivernike u~inila sposobnim da ìvekao deca Bo`ja i kao takva dazasluùju ve~ni ìvot. One sudarovi od prisustva i delovanje Sve-toga Duha u sposobnosti ~oveka.

Vera je jednostavno postalube|enje istine kroz Sv. Evan|elje.To je stvarnost da Hristos moè dao~isti na{u krivicu i da nam dave~ni ìvot. Bez vere je nemogu}ezadovoljiti Boga. Ustvari, to je jedinina~in kojim moèmo da Ga zado-voljimo. On }e nas nagraditi akoNjega traìmo. Dali je vera besmis-lica? Ne, tu ne postoji ni{ta nevidl-jivo, nerazumno u vezi vere u Boga.Ali postoje i oni koji govore o slepojveri, Gospod nam je dao mnogedokaze o Njegovom postojanju usvetu. On je govorio na{im precimamnogo puta na mnoge na~ine krozproroke i kroz Njegovog Sina. Veraje do{la i postal plod kroz molitvu, ikroz molitvu mi postajemo dostupniGosodu. Kroz molitvu na{a verapostaje ìva vera, ~udotvorna vera.

Proto Dane


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Greetings Brothers and Sisters,We are halfway through 2014,

and so much has already taken place at

our church. We started the year with

traditional festivities of Badnja Vece-

Christmas Eve, and St. Sava in January.

We had a Kafana Day in Febuary, and

Vaskrs in April which was extra special

being that the roasted lambs and pigs

were all donated by families. Thank you

to all involved in the success of the fes-

tivities, and thank you to all the families

that joined us in celebrating.

Our community came together in

May, as we have done in the past when

great tragedy and grief has befallen our

people. For the flood victims of Serbia

and Bosnia we raised donations, and

continue to receive from our own Ser-

bian community, and those outside it.

We gathered monetary funds the mo-

ment news reached our parishioners,

and a big fundraising event was held

May 31. There will be more fundraising

opportunities this year, because the

needs of the people effected will be on-

going.

The church hall will be receiving

some needed attention. Volunteers

came in and removed the wood

panels from around the hall,

and the hall was painted on Saturday

June 14. There were a dozen volunteers

who came in the early morning and

stayed through until 11pm, finishing the

hall from floor to ceiling. This is all by

donation of time, labor, and money into

the paint that was purchased. As presi-

dent of the board, on behalf of our pa-

rishioners, I want these volunteers to

know how much they are appreciated,

and what this gift to our church means.

I mentioned at the end of last year, and

would like again to say, that it takes all

of us to keep this church and our com-

munity going, so that we may continue

having a place that our people can

gather now and in the future.

To end my mid-year letter to all

of you, I ask that we take a moment to

remember those who we have lost this

year. We mourn with your family, be-

cause you have touched our lives each

in your special way. We support your

family, because we are all members of

the extended family that has grown

within our church. You will always be in

our hearts.

Milos Radmanovich ,President


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THE APOSTLEPETERPeter was the son of Jo-nah and the brother ofAndrew, the First-called.He was of the Tribe ofSimeon from the town ofBethsaida. He was a fish-erman and, at first, wascalled Simon but the Lordwas pleased to call him

Cephas or Peter: "And he brought him to Jesus.And when Jesus beheld him, He said, You areSimon the son of Jonah: you shall be calledCephas, which is by interpretation, a rock" (St.John 1:42). He was the first of the disciples toclearly express faith in the Lord Jesus saying:"Thou art the Christ, the Son of the livingGod" (St. Matthew 16:16). His love for the Lordwas great and his faith in the Lord graduallystrengthened. When the Lord was brought to trial,Peter denied Him three times but after only oneglance into the face of the Lord, Peter's soul wasfilled with shame and repentance. After the descentof the Holy Spirit, Peter appears as a fearless andpowerful preacher of the Gospel. Following one ofhis sermons in Jerusalem, three-thousand soulsconverted to the Faith. He preached the Gospelthroughout Palestine and Asia Minor, throughoutIllyria and Italy. Peter worked many powerfulmiracles; he healed the sick, resurrected the dead;the sick were healed even from his shadow. He hada great struggle with Simon the Magician who pro-claimed himself as god but in reality Simon was aservant of Satan. Finally, Peter shamed and de-feated him. By order of the evil Emperor Nero,Simon's friend, Peter was condemned to death.Installing Linus as Bishop of Rome, counselingand comforting the flock of Christ, Peter pro-ceeded joyfully to his death. Seeing the cross be-fore him, he begged his executioners to crucifyhim upside down for he considered himself unwor-thy to die as did his Lord. Thus the great servant ofthe Great Lord reposed and received the wreath ofeternal glory.

THE APOSTLEPAUL

Paul was born inTarsus of the tribe ofBenjamin. At first,he was called Saul,studied under Gama-liel, was a Phariseeand a persecutor of

Christianity. He was miraculously convertedto the Christian Faith by the Lord HimselfWho appeared to him on the road to Damas-cus. He was baptized by the Apostle Ananias,was called Paul and numbered in the serviceof the great apostles. With a fiery zeal, Paulpreached the Gospel everywhere from theborders of Arabia to Spain, among the Jewsand among the Gentiles. He received the title"Apostle to the Gentiles." As horrible as hissufferings were, so much more was his superhuman patience. Throughout all the years ofhis preaching Paul, from day to day, hung asone on a weak thread between life and death.Since he fulfilled all days and nights withlabor and suffering for Christ, since he organ-ized the Church in many places and since heattained such a degree of perfection he wasable to say: "It is now no longer I that live,but Christ lives in me" (Galatians 2:20). Paulwas beheaded in Rome during the reign ofEmperor Nero at the same time as the Apos-tle Peter.


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SV. APOSTOL PETARSin Jonin, brat Andreje prvozvanog, iz ple-mena Simonova, iz grada Vitsaide. Bio jeribar, i najpre se zvao Simonom, no Go-spod je blagoizvoleo nazvati ga Kifom, iliPetroo (Jn.1:42). On je prvi odu~enika jasno izrazio veru u Go-spoda Isusa rekav{i: Ti si Hris-tos, sin Boga ìvoga (Mt.16:16).Njegova ljubav prema Gospodubila je velika, a njegova vera uGospoda postepeno se utvr|ivala.Kada je Gospod izveden na sud.Petar Ga se tri puta odrekao, nosamo jedan pogled u lice Go-spoda - i du{a Petrova bila jeispunjena stidom i pokajanjem.Posle silaska Svetoga Duha Pe-tar se javlja neustra{ivim i silnim propoved-nikom Jevan|elja. Posle njegove jedne be-side u Jerusalimu obratilo se u veru oko3000 du{a. Propovedao je Jevan|eljr popalestini i Maloj Aziji, po Iliriku i Italiji.înio je mo}na ~udesa: le~io je bolesne,vaskrsavao mrtve; ~ak i od senke njegoveisceljivali su se bolesnici. Imao je velikuborbu sa Simonom Vlahom, koji se izdavaoza boga, a u stvari bio je sluga satanin.Najzad ga je posramio i pobedio. Pozapovesti opakog cara Nerona, Simonovogprijatelja, Petar bi osu|en na smrt. Postaviv{I Lina za episkopa u Rimu i posavetovav{ii ute{iv{I stado Hristovo, Petar po}e ra-dosno na smrt. Vide}I krst pred sobom onumoli svoje dzelat, da ga raspnu naopako,po{to smatra{e sebe nedostojnim da umrekao i Gospod njegov. I tako upikoji se ve-

liki sluga velikog Gospodara, i primi venacslave ve~ne.SV. APOSTOL PAVLE

Rodom iz Tarsa, a od plemena Veni-jaminova. Najpre sezvao Savle, u~io se kodGamalila, bio farisej igonitelj hri{}anstva.ûdesno obra}en uveru hri{}ansku samimGospodom, koji mu sejavio na putu za Dam-ask. Kr{ten od Ap.Ananija, prozvat Pav-lom i uvr{}en u slu`buvelikih apostola. Saplamenom revno{}u

propovedao jevan|elje svuda odgranica Arabije do [panije, me|uJevrejima i me|u naznabo{cima. Do-bio naziv apostola neznabo{ca. Kolikosu strahovita bila njegova stradanjatoliko je bilo njegovo nad~ove~anskostrpljenje. Kroz sve godine njegovogpropovedanja on je iz dana u danvisio kao o jednm slabom kon~i}uizme|u ìvpota i smrti. Po{to je is-punio sve dane i no}i trudom istradanjem za Hrista, po{to je or-ganizovao crkvu po mnogobrojnimmestima, i po{to je dostigao tu merusavr{enstva, da je mogao re}i: neìvim ja nego Hristos ìvi u meni.Tada je bio pose~en u Rimu, u vremecara Nerona kad i apostol Petar.


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By Fr. Thomas Hopko

There are certain characteristics which be-long to all saints, whoever they were andwhenever they lived. Among these characteris-tics are the following:

—Every saint is God-centered and seeks in hisor her life the "one thing needful"—to glorifyGod by doing His will.

—Every saint is Christ-centered and seeks topattern his or her life after the life of Jesus;following Him, keeping His commandmentsand imitating His example.

■ —Every saint is Spirit-centered, knowingand living by the fact that it,is only by the HolySpirit that any person can do anything that isgood, true and beautiful in his life.

—Every saint is Other-centered, giving up hisor her own life for the sake of the life of others,rejoicing in the good of others as the only satis-faction and fulfillment in life.

—Every saint accepts and loves his or her ownperson and position in life, sanctifying and ful-filling it according to the real possibilities thatare given. The servant serves. The workerworks. The parent nurtures. The ruler rules.The preacher preaches. The teacher teaches.The pastor guides. The scholar inquires. Thestudent studies. The manager manages. Thescientist investigates. The producer produces.The artist creates. Each one does his own thing,according to his or her own talents andgifts...for the glory of God and the good of theother.

— Every saint lives in the present moment, inhis or her own time and place. The saint neverpines over the past or worries about the future.The saint never wishes to be somewhere else,in some other conditions, with some otherpeople. The saint never wishes to be some-body else. He trusts God in all things and doeswhat has to be done and can be done in thegiven circumstances. The saint knows thatwhatever it is that has to be done, it can onlybe done right now...for only the present is inthe power of the person, and nothing else.

—Every saint pays attention to details anddoes the smallest, seemingly most insignifi-cant act with the greatest love and devotion.For the saint, no act is too small, no work tootrifling, no task too demeaning, no deed tooinsignificant. Every little thing, for the saint,has eternal value and importance. Every littlething is done before God and has meaning andfulfillment in Him.

—Every saint pays attention to persons...andnot to structures, institutions, parties, pro-grams or roles. For the saint only the personcounts, and everything else is subordinatedand ordered to the good of the person. Thesaint is never impersonal. He never loves orserves "humanity in general." He only lovesand serves the person near at hand, theneighbor given by God—the most difficultand most divine manner of acting that there is.

—Every saint loves the whole of God's goodcreation, not only living persons, but animals,plants and all that positively exists. The saintnever blasphemes God's good world, but re-


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joices in the beauties of creation to the gloryof their Creator.—Every saint is an utter realist. The're is nosentimentality in the saint, no partial views, noprejudicial opinions, no petty interests. Theremay be real passions and fanatically impas-sioned actions. There may be factual one-sidedness and fierce conviction, but it is al-ways in the light of the total reality of Godand man, and it is always for the good of all.The saint is not self-indulgent in his sanctity.He is not a "spiritual glutton."

—Every saint suffers—with joy and glad-ness—for others. The saint does not "comedown from his cross." He loves his cross asthe way to his resurrection. He loves his deathto himself as the way to his life in God. Heloves to put himself down, and be put down, ifit means that someone else will be saved andexalted. The saint is not a masochist. He doesnot love sufferings and pains for their ownsake. But he is a realist who knows that whatis lasting and good requires the payment of agreat price, and he is willing to pay the pricein his own blood. When one does good in thesinful world, he suffers. It is as simple as that.And the saint does good.

—Every saint hates sin, in himself and others,but he loves the sinner, including his own"self," as created in the image and likeness ofGod, and as loved and saved by God in Christ.The saint knows himself to be the "greatest ofsinners." It is his very sanctity which giveshim this knowledge. And as God, he lovesmen in their sins and does them good as theexpression of his love.

—Every saint recognizes the devil and thepower of evil, and he fights them to his lastbreath, in himself and others. The saint never

justifies sin and he gives no place to the ration-alization of evil. Evil is to be vanquished, notexplained. The devil is to be destroyed, not dis-cussed. And the proof of a person's sanctity isseen in the intensity with which the devil attackshim, and in the power with which the devil isovercome.

—Every saint fasts and prays and lives fully inthe life of the Church. It is in this way that he orshe is a saint: empowered with grace, enlight-ened with wisdom, inspired with love and enli-vened with the life of God that has no end.—Every saint—whoever he or she is—haslearned to transform the routine of his small,limited, human, mundane, earthly existence intothe paradise of the Kingdom of God.

According to the scriptures, we are all "called tobe saints." (Romans 1:7)

Reprinted from THE ORTHODOX CHURCH, November 1975


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Question:Dear Father, what is the teach-ing of our Orthodox Church on re-incarnation? How can you explain peopleunder hypnosis regressing to and remem-bering past lives, something which hasbeen noted in more than one instance?

Answer: The answer to this question of re-incarnation is found in the Creed that we recite ateach Divine Liturgy: "I look for the resurrectionof the dead and the life of the age to come."As Orthodox Christians we believe that the souland the body are not a duality but a unity. One ofthe consequences of the fall of humanity throughthe images of Adam and Eve is the separation ofthe soul from the body at death; but this is not the"natural" state of the soul to be separated from thebody. Through Christ's death and resurrection Godis preparing for the last day, when through theresurrection that we confess in the Creed, the soulis joined to the glorified body, the same body thatChrist has now after the resurrection. We mustpoint out that the resurrection of Christ is not sim-ply the revival of a corpse, as was the raising ofLazarus, who we know died again. In His resur-rection Christ rises with the glorified body, thebody possessed by Adam and Eve before the fall,a body not subject to old age, sickness, and death;a body not bound by the limitations of space andtime. That which has happened to Christ is theforerunner of what will happen to every person.St. Paul writes: "Christ has been raised from thedead, the first fruits of those who have fallenasleep."I Cor. 15:20.

In the same chapter St. Paul reminds theCorinthians that this mortal body is like a grain ofwheat, which to grow must first die and be buried.

The hu- manbody as well "is sown a perishable body, israised an imperishable body; it is sown in dis-honor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weak-ness, it is raised in power, it is sown a naturalbody, it is raised a spiritual body."(I Cor.15:12-44).

As Orthodox Christians we believe thatGod has intervened in human history, in thecreated order, and is bringing history to aclose with the second coming of Christ, forwhich we pray at every Divine Liturgy in facteach time we pray the Lord's prayer we ask,"Thy Kingdom come."The martyrs under theAltar in the Book of Revelation ask "Howlong, 0 Lord.. will You refrain from judgingand avenging our blood?" Rev. 6:10.The testimony of Scripture reveals that Godintends to re-unite the soul and the glorifiedbody "on the last day" forever, returning man-kind to his original created state rather thanhis current fallen condition.

In the light of this emphasis on the unityof the body and the soul reincarnation mustbe rejected. Why? Because it presupposeswhat theologians call dualism — that is thebody and soul are separate and not integratedas a whole. They are only accidentally joinedtogether and at death they separate, never tobe joined again. The body and soul are op-posed to each other in dualism, as expressionsof the forces of good and evil that battle forcontrol of the universe. Most faiths that acceptreincarnation or "transmigration of souls" seethe act of re-incarnation as either punishmentor reward for the deeds of past lives throughwhich one can eventually ascend and escapethe cycle of re-births or others see it as a never


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ending cycle which is not dependent on a per-son's actions at all. There is no end to history;God is not concerned about it except to providefor the cycle of re-incarnation.

Platonic ErrorThe doctrine of re-incarnation is of course

not a new idea. It is as old as human thinking.While it is best known in the Far East theChurch Fathers were familiar with it throughthe writings of Plato, who also expresses theidea. In Platonic thought the body was a prisonthat contained the soul; the Christian writerOrigen, under the influence of Plato's philoso-phy believed that the body was a place thatGod condemned the pre-existing soul to forsome evil it had done. The Orthodox Churchrejected this position because it denied the or-ganic unity of soul and body. The Church Fa-thers taught that each soul was created at thetime of conception by God in unity with thebody.

The Orthodox Church, with its Scrip-tural mindset, views history not as a "never-ending wheel" as does the re-incarnationist, butas a straight line with a definite beginning andending, determined by God. For the OrthodoxChristian, the body is not a "prison of the soul"or a "disposable container" that enables thesoul to experience space and time. It is the"Temple of the Holy Spirit" (I Cor. 6:19) that isnot meant, according to St. Paul, "for immoral-ity, but for the Lord. "(I Cor. 6:13). At the endof time the Lord will glorify both the body andthe soul of the believer.

Past Live?How do we account then, for the numerous

documented cases of people under hypnosisremembering "past lives?" There is a story

from the 4th century Sayings of the Desert Fa-thers that bears repeating here:

When Abba Zacharias was at the point ofdeath, Abba Moses asked him: "What do yousee? And Abba Zacharias replied, "Is it notbetter to say nothing?" "Yes, my child," saidAbba Moses, "it is better to say nothing."

The act of dying is for us a mystery. When-ever we attempt to go beyond that mystery weenter a realm for which we are not prepared.For the Orthodox Christian the pathway to Godlies in the humble practice of the command-ments, prayer and fasting, the frequent recep-tion of the Sacraments. To again quote the Say-ings of the Desert Fathers:

A young monk informed his elder, "Abba,whenever I pray I see angels standing besideme." The old man replied, "It would be betterif you saw your sins in front of you."

Whenever we attempt to enter where wecannot go, to acquire some "knowledge" aboutwhat lies within the realm of the supernatural,we place ourselves in great danger of being ledto "spiritual deception." It is for this reason thatthe Apostle John warns, "Do not believe everyspirit, but test to see whether they are fromGod."(I John 4:1). And the Apostle Paul tellsus, "Even Satan disguises himself as an angelof light." (II Cor. 11:14). Whenever we at-tempt, even through hypnosis, to enter whereGod has placed barriers for us to go, demonicforces are only too happy to provide us withthe information, they will give us the"knowledge" that we seek, causing us to turnfrom the truth and believe the false. The accu-rate information of "past lives" does not comefrom a person under hypnosis, but from de-monic forces who attempt to lead the unpre-pared and the unknowing further into the dark-ness.

Fr. Lawrence R. Barriger


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OSNOVNIKVALITETI

SVE[TENIKA -ICELITEQA

Mitropolit Jerotej (Vlahos)

NASTAVAK…….

Иако се чини да ова тема излази из-ванпредмета наше студије, задржали смо сена њој, јер посебно желимо данагласимо да свештенство подразу-мевапастирско служење народу. Свештеники епископ имају велику част да служенароду. Служење људима је први ипревасходни задатак. Црква не постојисамо зато да би се бавила друштвенимрадом или да би служила друштвенимпотребама људи, него зато да би ихповела ка спасењу, другачије речено, каисцелењу њихових душа. То делозахтева мноштво квалитета. Усвештенику мора обитавати нестворенаблагодат Божија. Он не постоји самозато да би вршио Свете Тајне, него изато да би њима био освећен и да би,будући тако освећен, својим постојањемосвећивао и друге људе. То дело јевеома узвишено, због чега св. ЈованЗлатоусти објављује: „Не верујем да имамного свештеника који су спасени имного је више оних што пропадају, а тоје стога што ово велико дело захтевавелику душу" (Трећа беседа на Делаапостолска).

ДУХОВНО СВEШТEНСТВ0

Раније смо већ говорили о томе дасвештеник има двоструки задатак. Једанје да врши Свете Тајне, а други даисцељује људе, како би достојно при-ступили и примили свето Причешће. Унаставку смо рекли да постоји многосвештеника који су свештеници самоспоља и неометано врше своју службуиако су, у суштини, оскрнавили све-штенство, што се показује чињеницом данису способни да исцеле. Они вр-шеСвете Тајне и свети Дарови су кроз њихосвећени, али они не могу да исцељујудруге или да спасу своје сопствене душе.Постоје, с друге стране, мирјани имонаси који нису рукоположени засвештенике, али су у стању да исцељујуљуде, јер припадају духовномсвештенству. Желели бисмо да накраткозастанемо на овој тачки.

Кроз крштење и напор да се очувајуХристове заповести, сви хришћани сеоблаче у Христа и на тај начин уче-ствујемо у Христовом краљевском,пророчком и првосвештеничком (ар-хијерејском) достојанству.

Ово учење је забележено у текстовимаНовог Завета. У Књизи Откривења Јованјеванђелиста пише: Ономе Који нас љубии опра нас од греха наших крвљуСвојом, и учини нас царством,свештеницима Богу и Оцу Својему(Откр. 1;5 -6). Апостол Петар каже: А висте род изабрани, царско свештенство,народ свети, народ задобијен(1.Петр.1;9), док апостол Павле пишехришћанима у Риму. Молим вас, дакле,браћо, ради милости Божије, да дате


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телеса своја у жртву живу, свету, угоднуБогу, као своје духовно богослужење(Рим.12;1).

Код многих Отаца такође налазимоово учење, према којем је сваки човексвештеник h\Hristov u smislu kojismo odredili I koji }emo kasnijepotpunije razviti. Sv. Jovan Zla-toustu I Avraamapredstavqa kao sve{tenika jer “ako postoji vatra, ol-tar I no`, za{to nebi postojalo Isve{tenstvo?” Avraamova `rtva jebila dvostruka : On je ponudio I svogjedinorodnog sina I ovna I “iznadsvega, svoju sopstvenu voqu. Krvquovna posvetio je svoju desnu ruku, azaklawem deteta ( na koji se odlu~io)posvetio je svoju du{u. Na taj na~inje крвљу Јединородног и жртвовањемјагњета рукоположен за свештеника".Непосредно након тога, св. ЈованЗлатоусти саветује своје слушаоце: Такосте и ви у купељи (тј. у крштењу)постали краљеви, свештеници и про-роци; краљеви тако што сте оборилина земљу сва развратна дела ипогубили све своје грехе, а свештеницитако што сте себе принели Богу ижртвовали своје тело, будући и самипоgubqени" (Beseda na 2 poslanicuKorin}anima . P.g.61,417).

Сви верујући, који су крштени у имеПресвете Тројице и живе по запове-стима Тројединог Бога, свештеници су ипоседују духовно свештенство. Дајемопредност изразу „духовно све-штенство"у односу на све остале, као што суопште" или мирјанско" свештенство, јер

и свештеници и мирјани могу поседоватиовај вид свештенства, али и зато што га непоседују svi koji su kr{teni, nego samooni кoји су постали обитавалиштеТројединог Бога. Верујући, који јеовладао умносрдачном молитвом,овладао је и духовним свештенством,посебно уколико је достигао онај степенблаго-дати да се моли за цео свет. То је ду-ховно свештенодејствовање за читавувасељену. Молитве тих људи који су,молећи се за све, жртвовали себе,одржавају васељену и исцељују људе. Натај начин они, помоћу молитве, постајузаклињачи (егзорцисти) и исте-рујудемоне који владају у људскимзаједницама. То је велико дело оних којисе непрестано моле за цео свет.

Свети Григорије Синаит пише о овомдуховном свештенству, које представљасуштинску основу и за светотајинскосвештенство, јер су међу верујућима они,који су исцељени и поседују умносрдачнумолитву, изабрани да приме и посебнублагодат свештенства. Према св.Григорију, „умна молитва је мистичносвештенодејствовање ума".Карактеристичне су његове речи: ,,Почетак умносрдачне молитве је дејство(енергија), односно очишћујућа сила Духаи мистично свештенодејствовањеума" (Добротољубље", 4. том, стр. 51).Човек који поседује дар умносрдачнемолитве осећа у себи очишћујуће,просветљујуће и обожујуће деловањеблагодати. То је унутрашње свештен-одејствовање и унутрашња божанскаЛитургија.


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Сви који достигну то стање су све-штеници. Истинско свештенство исвештенство будућег века је срцеослобођено помисли, које дејствује поДуху и све што се у том срцу каже илиучини јесте духовно" (исто, стр. 31).

SVETOTAJINSKO SVE[TENSTVOРечи овог светог оца подстичу ме

да кажем да је духовно свештенство оно,које ће се остварити у другом веку, уЦарству небеском. Немајући намеру да сезадржавамо на теми неизбрисивог или не-светотајинског свештенства, истичемоистину да светотајинско свештенствопостоји због народа, да би служилоњеговим потребама, док је духовносвештенство оно које ће у будућемживоту наставити да служи на небескомжртвенику. Сви, који поседују оводуховно свештенство показују се као„истинско све-штенство", „од сада идовека". Такво свештенство можеукључивати све категорије људи, анаравно и жене. Према томе, нема великуважност чињеница да жене, поправославном предању, не могу да примесветотајинско свештенство. Оне имајумогућност да буду истинскосвештенство".

Свети Григорије Синаит је био јасани на другим местима: „Сви побожницареви и свештеници су уистину по-мазани у препороду (крштења), као штосу у старини бивали помазани насимволичан начин". Свештеници Стаrogazaveta bili su “praobraz...na{eистине , иако „наша царска и све-штеничка власт нису истог карактера и

облика".Када се разоткрије човеков ум, када

се ослободи робовања и прихватиделовање Светога Духа, онда се то назива„духовним свештенством". Човек усветилишту свога срца служи мистичкуЛитургију и постаје причастан Јагњету узаветима са Богом. У том духовномсв.ештенослужењу, он на духовномолтару своје душе једе Јагње Божије доксе, у исто време, и сам уподобљујеЈагњету. На тај начин добро разумемо да,када у нама дејствује умносрдачнамолитва, онда се врши и непрестанабожанска Литургија која поткрепљујечитаво наше биће. Свети ГригоријеСинаит пише: Духовна Литургија јеунутрашње деловање ума. Као заруке којепрет-ходе будућем, надумном наслађива-њу, ову Литургију служи ум тако што наолтару душе тајанствено жртвује ЈагњеБожије и постаје му причастан. ЈестиЈагње Божије на духовном олтару душе незначи само схватити га или му постатипричастан него, исто тако, и уподобитиму се у будућем веку. Овде нам се дајуречи тајне, али се надамо да ћемо тамопримити и саму њихову суштину".

Овај исти светитељ пише да јеЦарство небеско као скинија (шатор) накоји је Бог указао Мојсеју, „јер ће и убудућем свету скинија имати две копрене;сви свештеници благодати ће ступити упрву скинију, док ће у другу ступити самоони који ће и убудуће служити упримраку богословља, имајући Исуса каоврховног Служитеља и Првосвештеникапред лицем Тројице".

Nastavi}e se...


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Six months before hisappearance in Nazarethto the All-holy VirginMary, the great archan-gel of God, Gabriel ap-peared to Zacharias thehigh priest in the Templeat Jerusalem. Before he announcedthe miraculous conception to the un-wed virgin [Mary], the archangel an-nounced the miraculous conceptionto the childless old woman[Elizabeth]. Zacharias did not imme-diately believe the words of the her-ald of God and this is why his tonguewas tied with dumbness and re-mained as such until eight days afterthe birth of John. On that day, therelatives of Zacharias and Elizabethgathered for the young child's cir-cumcision and for the sake of givinghim a name. When they asked thefather what name he wishes to giveto his son and being dumb, he wroteon a tablet: "John." At that momenthis tongue became loosed and he be-gan to speak. The home of Zachariaswas on the heights between Bethle

hem and Hebron. The news ofthe appearance of the angel ofGod to Zacharias was spreadthroughout all of Israel, as wellas of his dumbness and the loos-ening of his tongue at thee mo-ment when he wrote the name"John." The news concerning

this even reached Herod. Therefore,when Herod sent soldiers to slay thechildren throughout Bethlehem, hedirected men to the hilly dwellingplace of the family of Zacharias tokill John also. However, Elizabethpromptly hid the child. Enraged, atthis King Herod sent his execution-ers to Zacharias in the Temple toslay him (for it happened that it wasZacharias' turn again to serve in theTemple of Jerusalem). Zachariaswas slain between the court and thetemple and his blood coagulated andpetrified on the stone pavers and re-mained a perpetual witness againstHerod. Elizabeth hid with the childin a cave where she died soon after.The young child John remained inthe wilderness alone under the careof God and God's angels.


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By Fr. Peter Buletza

An epic disaster God the Creator de-signed a weekly cycle of seven days for thebenefit of man. He set apart the last day ofthe seven for a special, spiritual purpose.According to the biblical narrative, man wasfashioned and made to have an intimatespiritual relationship with his Creator. Tokeep man and woman in this intended life-long friendship and spiritual proximity toGod, the seventh day was given a very vitaland special significance. tRegarding the biblical account of the six-day creation, the Genesis writer continues:"And on the seventh day God finished Hiswork which He had done, and He rested onthe seventh day from all His work which Hehad done. So God blessed the seventh dayand hallowed it, because on it God restedfrom all His work which He had done increation" (Gen. 2:1-3).

The sabbath rest was created on the sev-enth day of the week - less, than a day afterman himself was created. Christ referred tothis special day saying, "The sabbath wasmade for man and not man for the sab-bath" (Mark 2:27). Thus from the beginningthe Creator attached a special significance tothe seventh day. He never asked man to reston the first six days of the week. It is onlythe seventh day that takes on deep spiritualproportions. So important is the seventh day

to God's overall spiritual plan thatHe placed it in the Decalogue,spoken by His own voice and

written by His own finger. It isthe fourth (in Orthodox counting) of theTen Commandments (the first four revealhow man is to worship his Creator), and abridge to the other six revealing the basicmoral relationship between man and hisneighbor.

This is the fourth commandment:"Remember the sabbath day, to keep itholy. . ..for in six days the Lord madeheaven and earth, the sea, and all that is inthem, and rested the seventh day; there-fore the Lord blessed the sabbath day andhallowed it" (Ex. 20:8,11). The Creator'sfirst word of this commandment is re-member." In codifying the sabbath as anintegral part of His basic moral law, theCreator reminds man once again of when(at creation) and why the seventh day wasgiven.

CHANGE TO FIRST DAY

God's Church, instructed andguided in all she does by the Holy Spirit,for good reasons has judged it proper toconsecrate to God the first day of theweek, which we call Sunday, or the Lord'sday, instead of the Sabbath, or last day ofthe week, which the old law appointed tobe sanctified. It was on Sunday that Godcommenced to create me world; it was onSunday that Jesus came forth gloriousfrom the tomb, and opened for us the wayto eternal life by His resurrection; it was

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

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on Sunday that the Holy Spirit de-scended upon the Apostles, and on Sun-day that they began to preach the Gos-pel. Such are the great mysteries whichtook place on the first day of the week.To preserve the memory of them, theApostles transferred to Sunday the ob-servance of the Jewish Sabbath, and ap-pointed the first day of the week to bethe day of rest. We ought then to spendthis day piously, in a way pleasing toGod.

"Remember the Sabbath day, to keepit holy." The Sunday belongs to God:every thing then on this day should beholy and religious. It should be devotedto works of piety which would attach usto God, and draw tighter the links whichbind us to our heavenly Father. Fatiguedfrom the labors of the week, we shouldcome to the house of God and pray thedivine praises, and devote ourselves toholy meditation.

Fathers and mothers accompanied bytheir children should come to the churchand with holy eagerness hear the wordof God, and receive », with joy and de-light the wise counsels imparted to themby the priest, the minister of Christ. Dur-ing the consecration, when the priestoffers to God the immaculate Lamb, weshould* fully understand the love of ourSaviour on the Cross on Calvary in dy-ing for the sins of all men, and receiveinto our hearts this heavenly food, theBody and Blood of Jesus. The rest of theday, we should devote to pious reading

and going around visiting the sick and pouringthe balm of consolation into the souls of ouraf flicted brethren. In such manner the trueChristians should spend the Sundays. Yes,thus we ought to sanctify the Lord's day,spending it in the performance of works ofpiety and religion.

Let it be always important for us toknow that the Divine Liturgy, the Holy Mass,is the continuation of the sacrifice of thecross. It is the same Priest who offers and thesame Victim which is offered in it. The Massis therefore the holiest, most divine and mostgrateful work that can be offered to God; theone which can most effectually procure themost abundant graces for us poor sinners,while at the same time it is the fittest testi-mony of our gratitude to God for the blessingsHe has bestowed on us. Yes, the Divine Lit-urgy, being the sacrifice of the cross renewedin an unbloody manner, is of infinite value inthe sight of God; it is the fittest manner inwhich we can keep holy the Lord's Day.

Remembering the Sabbath Day, theLord's Day, to keep it holy according to thedivine will and the rules of the Church willcontribute to our salvation, and conduct us toheaven, into eternal rest which God has pre-pared for all keeping His commandments.

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

J U L Y 2014 J U L ISundayNedelja

MondayPonedeljak

TuesdayUtorak

WednesdaySreda

Thursdayêtvrtak

FridayPetak

SaturdaySubota

1 2 3 4 5Vespers- Ve~ernje

6:00 pmConfession—Ispovest-

64th Sunday after PentecostDivine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.4ta Nedeqa po Duhovima

Gospel. Matt.8:5-13;Epistle: Rim. 6:8-23;

7Nativity

of St. JohnIVANDAN

Liturgy at 9;00am

8 9

Catechism Class 5:00pmAKATIST at 6:00 p.m.

10 11 12Sts. Peter & Paul

PetrovdanLiturgy at 9;00am

Vespers- VECERNJE6:00 p.m

135th Sunday after PentecostDivine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.5-ta Nedeqa po Duhovima —

Gospel. Matt. 8:28-9,1; Mk.3:13-19;Epistle: Rome. 10:1-10; 1. Cor.4:9-16;

14 15 16 17 18 19

Vespers- Vecernje6:00 p.m.

Confession—Ispovest

206th Sunday after PentecostDivine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.6ta Naedeqa po Duhovima

Gospel. Matt. 9:1-8;Epistle: Rome 12:6-14;

21 22 23


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

Confession—Ispovest---

277th Sunday after PentecostDivine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.

7-ma Nedeqa po DuhovimaGospel. Matt. 9:27-35; Jn.17:1-13;Epistle: Rome 15:1-7; Heb.13:7-16;

28 29 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 naAssumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

7777 Sunset Ave. Fair Oaks, Ca. 95628

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

KSS

Mee

ting

Fr. Dane in St. Sava Camp from July 14– July 19,

Drazin Daycommemoration


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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.

July — Juli 6Reader: Protinica Maryann

Gospel. Matt. 8:5-13;Epistle: Rome 6:18-23;July — Juli 13

Reader: Natalie FitzpatrickGospel. Matt. 8:28-9:1, Mk.3:13-19;Epistle: Rome 10:1-10; 1 Cor.4:9-16;

July — Juli 20Reader: Nick Brown

Gospel. Matt. 9:1-8;Epistle: Rome 12:6-14;July — Juli 27

Reader: Theodor Hadzi-AntichGospel. Matt. 9:27-35; Jn. 17:1-13;Epistle: Rome 15:1-7; Heb.13:7-16;

August — Avgust 3Reader: Dimitri Karnaookh

Gospel. Matt. 14:14-22;Epistle: 1 Cor. 1:10-18;

INFORMATION FOR AUGUSTSHEPHERD

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

day to send information isJuLY 15th.

INFORMACIJE ZA AVGUSTOVSKIAko imate ne{to da bi èleli da

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

Dana ili po{aljite po{tom.

J U L Y 2014 J U L ISundayNedelja

MondayPonedeljak

TuesdayUtorak

WednesdaySreda

Thursdayêtvrtak

FridayPetak

SaturdaySubota

1 2 3 4 5Vespers- Ve~ernje

6:00 pmConfession—Ispovest-

64th Sunday after PentecostDivine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.4ta Nedeqa po Duhovima

Gospel. Matt.8:5-13;Epistle: Rim. 6:8-23;

7Nativity

of St. JohnIVANDAN

Liturgy at 9;00am

8 9


10 11 12Sts. Peter & Paul

PetrovdanLiturgy at 9;00am

Vespers- VECERNJE6:00 p.m

135th Sunday after PentecostDivine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.5-ta Nedeqa po Duhovima —

Gospel. Matt. 8:28-9,1; Mk.3:13-19;Epistle: Rome. 10:1-10; 1. Cor.4:9-16;

14 15 16 17 18 19

Vespers- Vecernje6:00 p.m.

Confession—Ispovest

206th Sunday after PentecostDivine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.6ta Naedeqa po Duhovima

Gospel. Matt. 9:1-8;Epistle: Rome 12:6-14;

21 22 23


24 25 26

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

Confession—Ispovest---

277th Sunday after PentecostDivine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.

7-ma Nedeqa po DuhovimaGospel. Matt. 9:27-35; Jn.17:1-13;Epistle: Rome 15:1-7; Heb.13:7-16;

28 29 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 naAssumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

7777 Sunset Ave. Fair Oaks, Ca. 95628

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

Fr. Dane in St. Sava Camp from July 14– July 19,

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

Lori & Bret AjaxRadomir 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-AntichChris & Yuliya Johnson

Dimitri & Luba KarnaookhEve KatichGladys KatsikisSilvia KenteraJohn & Nevenka KordicPaula KordicMilos KovacBarbara LobodovskyLila LukichBorka MalkovichBill MamikaMile MarjanovichMirjana MarkovicIlinka MeglemerCarlyn MetzkaRobert MillerSavka MileusnichPeter K MilovichDragan & Katarina MirkovicDesa MojsichGail MraovichElsie C. Mrvos

Velika PejovicDraginja PetrovichProto & Protinica PopovicSavo & Bosiljka PetrovicZoran & Milena PopazivanovMilos & Mileva RadmanovicMilanka RadosavljevicDanica Gojkovich RyderJelena & Keith SimmonsDave & Frances SokitchJovo TicaNikola & Zorka TicaMilan & Betty Tica+Zorka 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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. . .

We would like to take a moment togive thanks to all those who have vol-unteered their time working for thechurch these past weeks.

As many of you have seen, we havemade some much needed changes toour hall recently. The old paneling hasbeen taken down inside the churchhall, the walls have been painted, andthe ceiling as well.

This project is something we had beenhoping to do for awhile but we wouldnot have been able to make it happenso soon without all the wonderful peo-ple who donated their time, effort, andthe materials.

We were fortunate to have peoplecome help to remove the panelingfrom the walls. This made it possiblefor the painters to come paint thewalls/doors/trim of the interior of thehall. All paint, materials, and laborwere donated.

In addition we would like thank thosethat came to cook and provide food forall those working to improve our hall.

We know everyone worked theirhardest and we appreciate it greatly.

It is amazing to see what we canaccomplish when we come togetheras a community and work toward acommon goal. We look forward tothe future and all the other thingswe will achieve when we work to-gether.

Thank you so much to:Rade Petkovic , Radovan Nikolic,Nebojsa Todorovic, Bora Djokic,Nikola Saraba, Pavo Cvjetkovic,Premil Gojkovic, Zeljko Janjic,Predrag Janjic, Lubo Curcin,Goran Crnobrnja, Milos i MilevaRadmanovic, Miroslav Milovano-vich, Manojlo Garic, Mileva Bruic,Neda Milunovic.

Thank you for your continued sup-port of our Parish .

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

In Psalm 122 we read: "I was glad whenthey said to me, 'Let us go to the house of theLord!' " Yet it seems a great many people are any-thing but "glad" when confronted with the optionof "going to church."

The question is why? Why don't somepeople enjoy going to church? Are they at fault? Isthe Church at fault? Is going to church essentialfor Orthodox Christians?

WHAT IS THE CHURCH?The Bible used two images to characterize the

Church.Christ said, "I am the true vine and you

are the branches. Whoever remains in me, and I inhim, will bear much fruit; for you can do nothingwithout me" (John 15:5).

A second symbol of the Church is thebody. Saint Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:12,27:"Christ is like a single body, which has manyparts...all of you, then, are Christ's Body, and eachone is a part of it." According to these passages,the Church is the fellowship of all believers inChrist, with Christ as the head.

We believe that the living and the deadare equally a part of the Church. Although wespeak of the Christians who are alive as theChurch militant while the departed are referred toas the Church triumphant, we nonetheless acknowledge only one head of the Body, the Church inheaven and on earth — Jesus Christ.

In addition, the faithful form one family— God's — and, as members of God's family, wehave much in common. We believe in the sameLord, Jesus Christ; have been baptized into Hisdeath and resurrection;are all nurtured and renewed spiritually throughHoly Communion; love and serve one another

because we are a part of one another as wecomprise what Saint Paul terms the MysticalBody of Christ; and we will inherit eternal lifeaccording to Christ's unfailing promise.

BUT IN THE EARLY CHURCH...What can be said about church atten

dance in the years immediately following thetime of Jesus Christ?

The life of the early Church is described in the book of Acts 2:44, 46: "All the be-lievers continued together in close fellowship,and shared their belongings with one an-other... Every day they continued to meet as agroup in the temple, and they had their mealstogether in their homes, eating the food withglad and humble hearts, praising God, andenjoying the good will of all the people."Acts 4:32 tells us, "The group of believerswas one in mind and heart."

One significant sign of their commonfaith was that "every day they continued tomeet as a group in the temple." This is whatgoing to church is all about: it is the desire ofall members of the Christian family to cometogether in prayer and fellowship and to par-take of the common cup of faith throughwhich their unity with Christ and with eachother is proclaimed and strengthened. In or-der to emphasize this oneness, the OrthodoxChurch continues to administer Holy Com-munion to the faithful from one chalice andwith one spoon. Also, wherever possible, onlyone Divine Liturgy is celebrated on a givenday so as to avoid dividing the parish familyinto many smaller groups, thereby destroying the visible unity of the Church.

EXCUSES, EXCUSES.What are some of the reasons — or, to be

more precise, excuses — which people use tojustify avoiding attendance at services?

"I'm too tired after working all week.Sunday is my only day to rest." This excuse is

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Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .a poor one. Most people work only five days aweek. They can rest on Saturday and come tochurch on Sunday. But even if they do work sixdays a week, they can still attend church and restduring the remainder of the day.

“I live too far from an Orthodox Church.“This may be a legitimate excuse in some cases,but more often than not, people could easily driveto church in less than half an hour. It is not uncommon to travel greater distances to attend a play orsee a movie or eat at a good restaurant!"The services are too long." How long is "toolong"? A movie lasts at least two hours. The Di-vine Liturgy — including the sermon — doesn'tlast more than an hour and a half. If one is trulyparticipating in the service, time becomes irrele-vant."The Liturgy is boring, it's the same thing weekafter week." True, much of the Liturgy followswhat might be described as a "standard format,"but, then again, every baseball game follows thesame "standard format" as well. There is a certain"variety" from week to week. Depending on thevarious festal or lenten seasons, a number ofhymns change, as do the weekly and daily scriptural lessons. And the sermon is never the same!As far as the repetitive portions go, we do needto be reminded of the same things time and timeagain.

"The Church is filled with hypocrites andI don't want any part of them." Again, a poor ex-cuse. Certainly there are hypocrites in Church, butthere are hypocrites everywhere. Those who usethis as an excuse not to attend church prove thatthey too are hypocrites because they separatethemselves from others and thereby imply thatthey are "better." While there may be some hypo-crites in the Church, there are also many faithfuland sincere Christians. Anyway, what better placeis there to find hypocrites than in the Church,where they just might learn to change!

"I can't pray in church. I'd rather pray athome." Those who favor this excuse usuallydon't pray at all. But let's suppose they arebeing truthful. We do need to pray alone, oftenin the privacy of our homes, but we also needto pray together as a united Christian family.The Church's services afford us this opportunity. Together we offer prayers of thanksgiv-ing, of praise, of confession, and of supplica-tion. Private prayer is important, but so is cor-porate prayer.

THE ANSWERSincere and faithful Christians attend church toworship together and to profess their commonfaith in Jesus Christ. Going to church is a natu-ral thing for them. They love one another andwant to pray and have fellowship. They comprise the Mystical Body of Christ and find joyin being together as a united family. Throughthe regular reception of Holy Communion,they acknowledge that Christ has been raisedfrom the dead in order to raise them up as welland, through Him, they find peace with Godand with each other. Through Holy Communion, they receive forgiveness of sins andare strengthened to resist evil in their everydaylives. They listen attentively to the scripturallessons and are instructed and reminded oftheir Christian duties and obligations. Theynever forget Christ's words: "Where two orthree are gathered in my name, I am there withthem" (Matthew 18:20). And so, "they con-tinue to meet as a group in the temple."

NO BETTER TIME THAN THEPRESENT!

If you don't attend services, especially theDivine Liturgy, on a regular basis, the time tostart is now. How often? Why not every Sun-day? Then you too can join with the psalmistin singing, "I was glad when they said to me,'Let us go to the house of the Lord.'

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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.

July 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: No

BAPTISM: June 28, Delia Ioana Amuraritej daughter of Daniel and AlexandraAmuraritej

FUNERAL: June 19, Greta Ljubisavljevich, Vecnaja Pamjat – Memory eternal!

PARASTOS: June 15, for Zorka Theodorovich, Vecnaja Pamjat – Memory eternal!

INVITATION TO THE ANNUALDRA@IN DAN COMEMORATION

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

SUNDAY, JULY 20 ,201412:30 noon LUNCH

EVERYBODY IS WELCOME

POZIVATE SE NA GODI[NJI DRA@IN PARASTOSNEDELJA JULY 20, 20014

12:30 P.M. RUÂKSVI STE DOBRODO[LI


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CARE: FamilyRecent conversations have

reflected upon the "old days" theway it used to be - a time when ourfamilies were the key focal point.Everything we did revolved aroundnot only our immediate family butour extended family as well. Howcan we work towards a closer rela-tionship within our household?Making God Real in the OrthodoxChristian Home by Father AnthonyConiaris is a wonderful resource.

Some areas to consider:Attend Church as a familyWhat a blessing to celebrate the Di-vine Liturgy and partake of theEucharist together - as a family. It isalso a wonderful opportunity to bewith other family members. Severalparishes host luncheons where thetables are filled with siblings, cous-ins and Kumovi.

Prioritizing your timeWith the demands of work, schooland activities, it is necessary to plan

family events and time together.Wednesday night dinners, Saturdayevening game nights - opportunitiesto bring the family together. Make themost of you family day!

Put the phone awayTexting and e-mail have become achallenge in many ways. A necessitybut not for 24 hours a day. When youenter your home, focus on the familyand the time you have together. Oneparishioner has placed a basket on thecounter by the kitchen door. Whenone enters, the cell phone or tablet isplaced in the basket and not accessedduring dinner or other activities.Today's world is challenging and verydifferent from what many of us ex-perienced as children. As part of youStewardship initiative, CARE foryour families and make time togethera priority.


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Parishioners hospitalized, sick at home or in nursing homes…Proto Miladin Garic Danilo Pavicevich Drazenka KruskaNikola 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 Taso

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

Relief fund to Serbia, Republika Srpska andBosnia and Hercegovina

So far we collected and send it over $21,000 We still collecting donations for thisfound. Thank you for your support!

Fond za ugrozeneod poplava u Srbiji, RepubliciSrpskoj i Bosni i Hercogovini.Dosada je skupljeno i poslato preko $21.000 dolara. Akcija prikupljanja je i dalje je u

toku. Hvala na vasoj pomoci!


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By Fr. Rodney Torbic

Acts 24:25-Now as he reasoned about right-eousness, self-control, and the judgment tocome, Felix was afraid and answered, "Goaway for now; when I have a convenient timeI will call for you."

Self-control is an exercise of discipline.Controlling the self is meritorious and is farfrom being an easy accomplishment. Manyunrelenting temptations and provocations occurin life that test and threaten self-control.

The determined person will work at self-control and will realize the benefits amassingfrom self-control. The undisciplined person andthe weakly committed ' person yield to tempta-tions and provocations.Reasoning is part of the process leading to thepractice of self-control. The adoption of goalsand the desire to achieve certain goals are in-volved in establishing self-control. The King-dom of God is a Christian goal.

Salvation of the soul is a Christian goal.Neither the Kingdom of God nor the salvationof the soul can be achieved without the practiceof self-control. The Holy Spirit dwells in hu-man beings to the extent the Holy Spirit is wel-comed.

Welcoming the Holy Spirit, having a lifededicated to Christ, living in God-pleasingways, all come about only if a person practicesself-control. Individuals experiencing takingChristianity seriously quickly learn of self-control.

Exercising self-control gives order to lifeand shapes the use of time. Self-control is nec-essary in the management of talents and re-

sources. Self-control is employed in the adop-tion of goals and efforts to achieve the goals.When God's Kingdom is the goal and the sal-vation of the soul is the goal, continuous self-control is in order. Temporary lapses in self-control are perilous to the soul and the entryinto God's Kingdom.

The Lord Jesus Christ reminds everyonewilling to listen of the risks that exist. Jesussaid: "Narrow is the gate and difficult is theway which leads to life, and there are few whofind it."(Mt.7:14)

Self-control requires frequent use of theword "No". The word " No' must be used of-ten to respond to requests that lead a personaway from God and into sin. The reply "no"must be directed at Satan when temptationsarise that lead to sin.

Believers must be clear on the require-ments of the Christian life and-be committedto following them. Exercising self-controlgives a person a sense of purpose. When Godis the purpose in life, everything is in perspec-tive.

Looking at the world through the teachingsand ways of God assigns weights and valuesto alternatives existing in life. In most in-stances the ways pleasing to God are easilydiscernable. At times, greater care must betaken in decisions.

Listening to God is an exercise in self-control. Coming to God in prayer is an exer-cise in self-control. Being able to ward of sinwith the help of God unites self-control withthe mercy and grace of God.

I Corinthians 7:5-Do not deprive oneanother except with consent for a time, thatyou may give yourselves to fasting andprayer; and come together again so thatSatan does not tempt you because of yourlack of self-control.

Self-control has limits. The believer needs


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to be aware of the limits and to take the neces-sary steps to ensure the limits are firm and well-established as well as not breached. Prayer andfasting provide for the strengthening process.

Holy Confession and Holy Communion aidthe strengthening process. Holy Confession andHoly Communion enable the believer to beginanew when lapses in self-control occur.

Ideally, each person is able to maintain self-control at all times. More often than not, lapsesin self-control occur. Hopefully, in the greatmajority of instances, the believer is able torecover through repentance and new life inChrist.

On occasion the lapses in self-control willlead to death, spiritual and at times spiritualand literally. Sometimes a believer does some-thing extreme that results in the death of thebeliever.

A victim of a betrayed relationship is a vividexample where self-control gone wrong canoccur. Uncovering a cheating partner in a busi-ness arrangement or the determination of a un-faithful spouse can lead to a devastating end.

Self-control provides for the direction of lifeand the steps to take toward the desired end.Self-control marshals the emotions and energyof a person. Competing thoughts and alterna-tives may sap a certain amount of energy.

The strong-willed believer will not relentand will not give-in to the loss of sell-control.The martyrdom of the mother and her sevensons holding firm to the laws of their fathers isa graphic example of self-control in the face ofimmediate death.(2 Maccabees 7:l-42)1

Keeping control in the face of physicaldeath or threat of serious injury is difficult.Keeping control in the face of temptations thatcan lead to peril to the soul is equally difficult.

Being discerning in daily interaction is nec-essary. At times seemingly relaxed situationscan quickly become perilous without forewarn-

ing. Jesus words should always be in mind: "'Be wise as serpents and harmless asdoves."(Mt.lO:16)

Listen carefully to every word that is spokenin your direction and be very careful in youreply. Silence has its place at times. At othertimes, silence may be interpreted as consentwhen consent is not intended. Be clear on whatyou intend.

God is ever ready to help the believer. Thebeliever with self-control and when threatenedwill torn to God in prayer and seek the wisestcourse of action. God reveals the best directionto take in all circumstances.

Self-control is at its best when God is thesource of direction for decisions.

I Corinthians 7:8-9-But I say to the un-married and to the widows: It is good forthem to remain even as I am; but if theycannot exercise self-control, let them marry.For it is better to marry than to burn withpassion.

The Holy Apostle Paul recognizes condi-tions that exist and provides for them in thesepassages. He does not want to see self-controllost in relationships that are not sanctioned bythe Church.

The Holy Apostle seeks rather for chastitywithin the context of the Church or marital re-lationships with the blessings of the Church.Believers have these choices before them.Each person chooses.

The choices a person makes regarding thecourse of his or her life either will be consistentwith the teachings of the Church and draw theperson nearer to Christ or the choices will cre-ate a separation from the ways pleasing to God.Fidelity in relationships in not limited to hus-band and wife. Fidelity in relationship has itsplace on the battlefield where service men andwomen depend on each other for personalsafety. Will continued …..


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Кроз крштење благодат обнавља унама образ Божији. Подобије, пак, онаизображава касније заједно санапорима човека који стиче врлине, начијем се врху налази љубав, каонајсавршенија црта богоподобија.

У крштењу које нас препорађасвета благодат нам дарује два добра, одкојих једно безгранично превазилазидруго. Једно од њих она даје одмах: усамој води се обнављају и просвећујусве црте душе које сачињавају образБожији и [човек] се пере од свакегреховне прљавштине. Друго, тј.подобије Божије, она очекује да остваризаједно са нама. Према томе, када ум савеликим одушевљењем почиње даокуша добра Свесветог Духа, треба дазнамо да благодат почиње, да такокажем, да на цртама образа изображавацрте подобија. Сликари у почетку самоједном скицом оцртавају лик човека, даби потом, мало по мало, додавали једнубоју за другом, представљајући образонога кога сликају, који је са њимсличан чак до појединачних власи. Исвета благодат Божија у почетку крозкрштење у човеку обнавља црте образаБожијег, постављајући човека у стање укоме је био када је био саздан. Кадаувиди да ми са свим произвољењемстремимо ка красоти подобија Божијег,те стојимо наги и без страха у њеној

радионици, она у души слика врлину заврлином, узносећи њен лик из славе уславу и додајући јој црте подобијаБожијег. При томе осећај показује какосе у нама обликују црте подобија. Ипак,савршенство подобија препознајемо теккроз просвећење. Напредујући уизвесној мери и неизрецивом складу, умосећајем прима све врлине. Међутим,духовну љубав не може стећи онај ко сеније осведочено просветио ДухомСветим. Уколико од Божанске светлостине прими савршено подобије, уму ћесавршена љубав још увек остатинедоступна, па макар и стекао све другеврлине. Јер, само када се савршеноуподоби Божијој врлини (у мери која мује доступна), човек ће понети и подобијеБожанствене љубави. Када се присликању портрета скици доданајподеснија боја, лик чак по осмехупостаје сличан ономе кога портретишу.И Божанска благодат, изображавајући унекоме подобије, додаје светлостљубави, показујући да је образ Божијисвеукупно доведен до благољепијаподобија. Осим тога, бестрашће душиможе да достави једино врлина љубави.Јер, љубав је пунота закона (Рим.13,10).Наш унутрашњи човек се свакодневнообнавља у додиру са љубављу. Ипак, упуно}у узраста он долази само са пунимсавршенством љубави.


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“ Not what goes into the mouth defilesa man. But what comes out of the mouth, thisdefiles a man" (Matthew 15:11)

What comes out of the mouth iswords. We know that a word once spo-ken can never be taken back. Even if weapologize greatly for saying somethingto someone, the hurt from us saying itis still there. There is a theory in phys-ics that every sound created since theworld began is still resounding (eventhough undetectable) throughout theworld. Think of all of the words thatyou have said in your lifetime. Are youembarrassed by them? Ashamed tothink that they are still there, becausemany of them you have said are embar-rassing, possibly vile, and should neverhave been said?

What Do We CommunicateGod in His infinite wisdom gave us

the ability to communicate with eachother with languages, with spokenwords, but the ability to communicateis given to all living creatures. Haveyou ever filled a bird feeder and seenonly one bird come and take a seed inhis beak and fly off, been disappointedthat he did not stay, only to find that ina few minutes more birds come and

soon the feeder is surrounded by alltypes of birds? You fed the one bird, butin flying off, it tells the others thatthere is food available.

All animals communicate witheach other. Have you ever walkedthrough the woods and suddenly yousee a flash of white only to realize thereis a deer running away, only to soonsee four or five more run away with thefirst? Communication. Animals, bytheir actions, tell other animals things.While humans also communicate withactions, we mostly communicate withwords. The major difference is thatbirds and animals communicate goodor beneficial things to each other - thatthere is food available or there is dan-ger near. We, however, while we com-municate many good things to eachother, also communicate evil thingswith words, hurting things or obscenethings.

A parrot begins to talk. But he isnot talking to communicate; he is onlymimicking what you say. He can't saywords for himself, only what you teachhim; just like we teach our children-they will repeat what we say. Children,however, will soon begin speaking forthemselves; but what will they say?What do we expose them to in movies,and on TV and in our everyday speak-ing at home, that. they think is all right


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to say? Will they say mean, nasty,things? Will they swear regularly be-cause they heard it before, especially athome? While they have the ability tospeak for themselves, they will con-tinue to mimic us and think that tospeak this way is normal.

Wrong Has Become NormalI direct this mainly to the parents

and adults, to whom the children arelistening. I had the opportunity thispast year to spend some time with ouryoung people and I was surprised tohear them talk, and to hear how manyof them admit to frequently cursingand even taking the Lord's Name invain. This really is a serious problem.Think of this: whether you offer aprayer ie.. Lord, have mercy-or if youoffer a curse using the Lord's Name,you are still asking God to do some-thing. All we like to think of is God'sgrace and benevolence being given tous, and we forget that there is also thewrath of God. Look at your OrthodoxStudy Bible concerning wrath. The firstlisting in the concordance is: "AndMoses said unto Aaron, Take a censer,and put fire in it from the altar, and putincense in it, and go quickly unto thecongregation, and make atonement forthem: for there is Wrath gone out fromthe Lord; the plague has begun."(Numbers 16:46)

It has become as normal to offer cursesto invoke God's wrath as it is to sayprayers for His grace. People say, Thisis the real world. This is how thingsare." Well it is only the real world andhow things are because we let them bethat way. Have you ever been to the lo-cal doughnut shop and sat at thecounter only to hear the men at theother end cursing? Sometimes, not of-ten, they say to me "Sorry, Reverend".Why say sorry to me? I've heard it be-fore, or I ignore it, because I don't wantto offend them or possibly cause trou-ble. But the Scripture says, "For this isthe will of God, that by doing good youmay put silence to the ignorance offoolish men. (1 Peter 2:15) Ami theonly one offended by their words, orare others also offended? If I ignorethem, am I not then the foolish man?

Not only do others have to clean uptheir act, we have to clean up our act!Whether we communicate to others byour own words, or communicate tothem by ignoring others' words, we stillcommunicate to them what they per-ceive as being normal. Here is the bigproblem: I have seen movies labeled"PG" that freely take the Lord's Name invain. Is that normal? Wrong has be-come normal, and normal is right, sowrong has become right.

Will continued…...


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Priests are often called upon to supplyletters about parishioners, testifying thatthey are "good standing members" of thechurch. By-laws call for "good standing mem-bers" to have voice and vote at meetings, andspecify that only such people are qualified forparish office. What does "good standing"mean in this context?

1. Surely it means that such members be-lieve in the doctrines of the Christian Faith.The cornerstone of the Church is belief that"Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the « livingGod." So, good standing members must know1 doctrine, having acquainted themselvesthrough study F the teachings of the church.The first Christians were c called "disciples," aword which means "learners." These peoplelearned the faith. .

2.Surely it means that they follow theChristian way of life. Jesus proclaimed a spe-cial way of living, and He expected those whobelieved in Him to follow thatdisciplined way of life. I am the Way ,"Hesaid, "follow Me." He meant by this thatChristians are to follow His example of life.What does this involve? Well, it involveskeeping "the Commandments, sanctifying theLord's Day, a life of prayer, a life of discipline,a life of service to others, caring and lovingthem in the name of Christ.

3.Certainly it involves fulfilling their fi-nancial obligations to the Parish and Dio-cese. A good standing member is one whodoes not shirk his financial duty. He gives tothe church. "God loves a cheerful giver."How much should one give? While everyparish tries to set a norm for giving, surely

one who has a large income should givemuch, and one who has less might give less.The Bible sets 10 percent-a tithe-as a gen-eral rule for measuring, giving. How doesyour figure stack up to the tithe? Or, youmight ask your friends of other Christiandenominations what they give to theirchurches. Let it be said here that the percapita giving in any one of our parishes isusually quite low.

4.A good standing member fulfills hisspiritual obligations. These are obviouslymore inportant than the financial obliga-tions since the Church is unlike any otherorganization on earth. It is a spiritual entity(the Body of Christ), established by theLord to save souls. "I have come to seek andsave the lost," Jesus said.Spiritual obligations include attending theLiturgy each Sunday. In the pew, prayingand singing. It includes receiving the sac-raments of Confession and Communion.These were not thought up by the clergy.Jesus said:

"Unless you eat the flesh of the Son ofMan and drink His blood, you shall have nolife in you." People who seldom if ever go tothe Lord's Table are, therefore, "dead"members. As for Confession, St. Paul warnsthose who receive the Eucharist unwor-thily: "But let a man examine himself, andso let him eat of that Bread and drink ofthat Cup. For he who eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks damnation tohimself, not discerning the Lord's body..."

I It goes without saying that parish offi-cers, leaders of the church, take the lead inthese matters that go into making a. "goodstanding member" of the Church.


37

Ili Tri Zablude o Hri{}anskom@ivotu

ЂАКОН ГЕОРГИЈЕ МАКСИМОВ

Nastavak…….

Тада једино преостаје да се изгледа каодобар човек, пажљиво скривајући својемане од других. Налик на душевногболесника који је свестан своје болести,који може да се труди да пред људимаскрива њене знаке. Међутим, од тога оннеће постати здрав.

Или пак да се скрати број моралнихзахтева до таквог минимума који је повољи палом човеку, као скакач смотком који безуспешно покушава дана тренингу обори светски рекорд. Онможе снизити висину на свој ниво,након чега ће прескочити. Међутим, тажалосна самообмана га неће учинитишампионом.

Сваки други морал као скуп правила усуштини је оно о чему је говориоапостол Јаков: "Ако ли брат или сестраголи буду, и оскудијевају у свакодневнојхрани. И рече им који од вас: Идите смиром, гријте се, и наситите се, а недате им што је потребно за тијело,каква је корист?" (Јак. 2:15-16)

Међутим, православни морал једругачији. У Цркви се човеку недаје само савет: "чини", већ и,

посредством Светих Тајни, сила дасе чини. И то апсолутно сваком човекукоји пожели да добије такву силу.

Заблуда другаОва заблуда је у вези са ставом некихљуди који не схватају суштинухришћанског морала и смисао испуњењазаповести. Они мисле да их требаиспуњавати јер је то традиција нашегнарода и наших предака или зато што ћеиспуњење заповести помоћи оздрављењуживота заједнице. Или просто говоре:"неопходно је то чинити јер нам је Богтако рекао", не покушавајући да схватесмисао онога што нам је заповеђено. Изашто нам је Бог то заповедио.

Такви одговори нису задовољавајући јеру суштини ништа не објашњавају. Непружају јасну представу зашто јенеопходно испуњавати заповести.

Смисао постоји и он је веома дубок.

Бог је даровао људима слободу воље.Сваки човек има два пута: бити са Богомили против Њега. Избор је управо овакав:"Који није са Мном, против Мене је" (Мт.12:30). Трећега нема. Бог љуби свакоСвоје створење и жели да сви људи будуса Њим. Међутим, Он никога неприсиљава. Смисао овог земног животаје - одлучити и изабрати. Док је жив

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човек није касно изабрати. Међутим,након смрти се већ не може ништаучинити или исправити. Како је говориоПреподобни Варсонуфије Велики: "Штосе тиче знања о будућем, немој севарати: што овде посејеш, тамо ћешпожњети. По одласку одавде нико већне може да напредује... овде је делање, атамо награда, овде подвиг, тамо венци."

За оне који одговоре Богу "ДА"испуњавање заповести добија најдубљисмисао - оно и јесте одговор и средствосједињења са Богом.

Јер ми у стварности скоро ништа неможемо да принесемо Богу. Скороничим не можемо да Му одговоримо"ДА". Он нас је створио, добили смо одЊега таланте, имање, породицу, па чак исамо наше постојање: "у Њему живимо,и крећемо се, и јесмо" (Дела Ап. 17:28).

Једино своје што можемо дати Богу једобровољно испуњавање Његовихзаповести. Испуњавање не из страха ине ради користи већ из љубави премаЊему. Сам Господ сведочи о томе: "Акоме љубите, заповијести моједржите" (Јн. 14:15).

Так онда сваки пут када добровољно исвесно чувамо заповест Божију, нека инајмању - самим тим сведочимо о нашојљубави према Њему. Одговарамо Му"ДА".

Испуњење заповести је увек само оно

што происходи између човека и Бога.Ако човек не краде или не убија затошто се боји да не оде у затвор, не можерећи да испуњава Божије заповести "неубиј" или "не укради", јер оно "што сечини из страха људског није угодноБогу". Заповест је дата од Бога ииспуњење заповести је оно штодобровољно и без принуде човек чиниради Бога.

Испуњавање заповести није изнуђенозадовољавање некакве спољашњепобожности, већ проистиче изунутрашње, добровољне одлуке на делољубави према Богу. "Бог је љубав, и којипребива у љубави, у Богу пребива и Бог уњему" (1 Јн. 4:16), "Ако заповијестимоје одржите, остаћете у љубавимојој" (Јн. 15:10).

Када се син труди да не прави буку дане би пробудио уморног оца који једошао са посла, или када отац у времеглади даје свој оброк сину, или кадамладић купује цвеће да га поклонивољеној девојци - чине то не зато што ихна то принуђује друштвена обавеза, илидуг поштовања традиције предака, илинеки скуп прихваћених правила, већнајједноставније - љубав.

Поступајући тако они су потпунослободни, јер не делују из принуде. Свитакви поступци су добровољни знациљубави.

Nastavi}e se…

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

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Very often our faithful askwhat a priest does with his dailytime. Many think that a priestworks a couple of hours every Sun-day and others, jokingly, say that apriest is "invisible six days of theweek and incomprehensible on theseventh."

Ignorance about the daily occupation of a priest generates unreasonable reactions. The time thata priest spends at whatever it is thathe does cannot be measured by thehours he spends in an office. Apriest is on duty twenty-four hoursa day. He celebrates the Holy Sacra-ments and the Divine Liturgies onSundays and holy days; participatesin dialogues with representatives ofother churches and faiths; attendschurch meetings and communityaffairs; teaches and guides his pa-rishioners through evening religiouslectures; prepares Sunday and holyday sermons; . visits hospitals, pris-ons, and nursing homes; advises

families on a variety of problems,such as, divorces, disobedience ofchildren, financial difficulties, andhealth problems; plays the role ofthe mediator for differencesamong members of the parish andso on and on and on.

From the above, it is obviousthat a Driest as a spiritual advisor,psychologist, teacher, financialconsultant, counselor for mar-riages, divorces, births, and bap-tisms, negotiator, speaker, andchanter carries an extremely heavyload on his shoulders.

It is helpful, therefore, for pa-rishioners to know precisely whattheir priest does every day for thenthey realize that the utilization oftheir own skills and their own ac-tive participation in the church'sprograms will result in a betterand more efficient utilization ofthe priest's time and will be thebasis for accomplishing the nu-merous religious, cultural and so-cial objectives of our parishes.

By the Rev. Dr. Michael Yachnis

40Serbian O

rthodox Church of the A

ssumption

7777 Sunset Avenue

Fair Oaks, C

alifornia 95628

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SHEPHERD SH RD - sacserbchurch.orgsacserbchurch.org/sac/wp-content/uploads/file/July_2014.pdf · SHEPHERD A monthly publication of the ... sebe vi{e nego ... uskra}ena nada i ljubav,