P A S T I R. April God be with you SHEPHERD ... A monthly publication of the Serbian Orthodox Church Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

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1 SHEPHERD Monthly newsletter of the Fair Oaks, California SHEPHERD A monthly publication of the Serbian Orthodox Church Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary 7777 Sunset Avenue Fair Oaks, Ca Very Rev. Stavrophor Dane Popovic Rev. William Weir Church: Fax: Priest: Cell: Shepherd Staff Editor: V. Rev. Stavrophor Dane Popovic God be with you P A S T I R April 2009 Written contributions are welcome; Editorial discretion reserved. Please Submit articles and ideas to: V. Rev. Stavrophor Dane Popovic 7777 Sunset Ave Fair Oaks, Ca VOLUNTARY SUBSCRIPTIONS FOR SHEPHERD = $ 15 / YEAR / HOUSEHOLD Please mail (or bring) to Church Office. Many Thanks

2 My Dear spiritual children! "Christ Is Risen!... Indeed He Is Risen! is the greeting and reply that the Apostles and the early Christians used when they learned that Christ was alive after having suffered crucifixion and burial on Good Friday. Today, the Church still uses that same greeting, that same shout of joy at Easter and up Miracle of Miracles "Christ is risen until Ascension Thursday. And our hearts from the dead; by death He conquered too, like those of the Apostles, were heavy death, and to those in the tombs, He bestows with sorrow, as we watched Our Lord die life." for us, but now we are filled with joy and Of all the feast days in the liturgical gladness because that same Christ is gloriously calendar of the Orthodox Catholic alive today. When Christ resurrected, Church, the Resurrection of Our Lord is He conquered death and the devil, and all the most inspiring and enlightening..the of hell lost its power. And because Christ beauty of Easter is profound from physical lives, we live also, with Him, in Him, to and spiritual perspective. It is even Him and through Him, now and forever more beauti ful than Christmas time with more, and that is the greatest news that we its wintery scenes, joyous carols and gifts can ever know! by a tree. If there is but one word to be used The Resurrection of Our Blessed to describe what we call Easter, it is the Lord brings to us a message of hope and word Joy. Joy is the authentic response to in spiration. To those who surfer despair the fact of Christ's resurrection from the and are heavily burdened, Christ brings re dead. newed faith and hope. To those overwhelmed Early Christians in theirrisen_lorcu by sadness, He brings great joy. There was no circumstance in life- even suffering Jesus said, "I AM THE RESURRECTION and death that was strong enough AND THE LIFE." No other human be ing to stifle the surging sense that filled their ever made such a claim in all of history souls. They were intoxicated with this joy of the Lord. St. Paul wrote to the Christians at Philippi centuries ago: "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, Rejoice." In his famous sermon on the Feast of Feasts (which is still read each Pascha in many Churches), St. John Chrysostom says: "If a man enumerates every category of life and circumstance, and bids all to have joy in the Lord. Our Blessed Lord said these words to Martha, the sister of Lazarus. "Christ's power over death was fully demonstrated when He raised His friend Lazarus from the dead. "The grave is not the end! Death is but a bridge to our eternity. Our Risen Lord scored the vital victory over death and the forces of evil in this world. Through our belief and faith in Him, we too can share in His victory. As adopted children of God, we become heirs to His suffering and His glory, for by His triumph, we may share in the greatest of treasures, the eternity of life in His presence. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the source of our joy and hope. Our Blessed Lord rose from the dead and, in rising from the grave, He fulfills the promise of eternal life to all who believe in Him. Christ Is Risen! His Resurrec tion affirms victory over man's mortal enemy, death itself. It gloriously proclaims the promise of life everlasting. Sin is conquered. The sting of eternal damnation is removed. The doors to the heavenly kingdom are now open to everyone who believes in Christ. - We feel moved and deeply inspired as we sing the triumphal hymn at Resurrection time. It is joyous and happy because it reverently proclaims the basic truth of Christianity. Eternal death is robbed of its reality! Death, now, is the doorway to eternal life with the Risen Lord. The Resurrection offers us the assurance that God is able to create new life beyond death. The reality of death in this world is not denied, but neither is the reality of eternal life in the heavenly kingdom. The truth proclaimed by Christ's Resurrection brings to men a new hope of resurrection, rebirth and eternal life What a great blessing is likewise given by the beauty of the Resurrection of Our Lord. The feast radiates an endless joy. It revives our faith and fills our hearts with happiness. Death is victor no more! Jesus Christ is risen! Rise with Him! Let sin and evil be forever conquered in your life. Sing joyfully with the angels: "O Christ, we praise Your Salutary Passion and proclaim Your glorious Resurrection!" Christ is Risen!! Indeed he is risen! Protopresbiter Dane Popovic

3 Moja draga deco duhovna Hristos Vaskrse! Zaista Vaskrse! Ovo je pozdrav koji su apostoli koristili kao i rani Hri{}ani kada su saznali da je Hristos `iv posle mu~enja, raspe}a i pogreba na vveliki Petak. Danas crkva jo{ uvek koristi isti pozdrav, isti radosni uzvik vaskrsenja i tako sve do ~etvrtka Vaznesenja. I na{a srca isto kao apostolska su b8ila tu`na gledaju}i Hrista na{eg Gospoda koji umire za nas ali sada srca su nam ispunjena rado{}u jer je isti Hristos u svojoj slavi `iv danas. Kada je Hristos vaskrsao on je pobedio smrt i avola i pakao je iszgubio svoju snagu. I zato {to Hristos `ivi, i mi smo `ivi, sa Njim, u Njemu, za Njega i kroz Njega sada i zauvek. Ovo je najve}a vest koja se mo`e znati! Ako bi nam trebala jedna re~ da objasnimo vaskrsenje to bi bila re~ Radost jer re~ radost je prava re~ za Hristovo vaskrsenje i smrti. Rani hri{}ani u svom vaskrslom Gospodu. Nije postojala situacija u njihovim `ivotima ~ak ni stradanja ni smrt nisu poljuljali njihove du{e. Oni su bili ispunjeni ovom rado{}u Hristovom. Sveti Apostol Pavle je pisao Hri{anima Filipljanina: Radujte se u Hristu uvek, I ponovo vam ka`em radujte se. U njegovoj popularnoj besedi na praznik iznad svih praznika (koja se jo{ uvek ~ita na Vaskrs u mnogim crkvama) Sv. Jovan Zlatousti ka`e ^ovek treba dati sve za radost u Gospodu. ^udo nad ~udima. Hristos je vaskrsao iz mrtvih; smr}u je pobedio smrt aonima u grobovima `ivot ve~ni darivao. Od svih praznika u liturgijskom kalendaru Pravoslavne crkve Vaskrsenje na{eg Gospoda je najsvetlije i najispunjavaju}e. Lepota vaskrsenja je istaknuta u fizi~kom i duhovnom pogledu. Jo{ je lep{a od Bo`i}nog praznika sa svim zimskim prizorima, radosnim pesmama i poklonima pod jelkama Vaskrsenje na{eg Gospoda Isusa Hrista nam donosi vest nade i inspiracije. Svima koji su u te{ko}ama Hristos donosi novu nadu i veru svima koji su tu`ni on donosi veliku radost. Isus ka`e: Ja sam vaskrsenje i `ivot nijedno `ivo bi}e u celoj istoriji neje izjavilo tako ne{to a na{ Gospod je ovo rekao Marti setri Lazara. Hristova snaga nad smr}u je bila potpuno pokazana kada je vaskrsao svog prijatelja Lazara iz mrtvi. Grob nije kraj! Smrt je most do ve~nog `ivota. Na { vaskrsli Hristos je odneo pobedu je uni{tena! Smrt je sada pastala vrata ve~noga `ivota sa vaskrslim Gospodom. Vaskrsenje nam pru`a osiguranje da je Bog u mogu}nosti da stvori novi `ivot posle smrti. Re~ smrt nije uni{tena ali tako e ni stvarnost ve~nog `ivota u nebeskom carstvu. nad smr}u i avoljim snagama u Istina Hristovog vaskrsenja ovom svetu. Kao deca Gospoda mi donosi ljudima novu nadu sopstvenog smo postali naslednici NJegovog vasrksenja, ponovno ro enje i ve~an stradanja i Njegove slave jer Njegovom pobedom mi smo deo najve}eg blaga ve~nog `ivota u Njegovom prisustvu. Vaskrsenje Isusa Hrista je izvor na{e radosti i nade. Na{ blagosloven Gospodjke ustao iz mrtvi, i ustav{i iz goroba, On je ispunio obe}anje o `ivot. Kakav blagoslov za nas dat nam lepotom Hristovog vaskrsenja. Svetlost praznika i beskrajna radost. Radost koja o`ivljava na{u veru i ispunjava na{a srca. Smrt je pobe ena! Hristos je vaskrsao! Vaskrsnite i vi sa njim! Neka greh i avo budu zauvek pobe eni u va{em `ivotu. Zapevajmo ve~nom `ivotu za sve one koji veruju sa an elima: Slava Tvome u Njega. Hristos Vskrse! mnogostradanju i slava Tvome vasksenju! Njegovo vaskrsenje potvr uje Hristos Vaskse pobedu nad smrtnim neprijateljem I Vaistinu Vaskrse! samom smr}u. I svojom slavom svedo~i obe}ani ve~ni `ivot. Greh je Protojerej-stavrofor Dane Popovic pobe ve~ne osude je otklonjen. Vrata od nebeskog carstva su sada otvorena za sve one koji veruju u Hrista. Sa dubokim ose}anjem i inspiracijom mi pevamo pobedni~ku himnu na praznik Vaskrsenja. Ovo je radosna i sre}na pesma jer pokazuje osnovu istine hri{}anstva. Ve~na smrt

4 Kada se Presvetoj devi navr{i jedanaest godina prebivanja i slu`enja pri hramu Jerusalimskom, i ~etrnaest godina od ro enja kada, dakle, stupi u 15-tu godinu nemo`e vi{e ostati pri hramu, nego treba da se obru~i i stupi u brak. No kako veliko iznena enje za sve sve{tenike bi odgovor Presvete Deve, da je se ona posvetila Bogu i da `eli ostati devojkom do smrti ne stupaju}i ne s kim u brak! Tada po Promislu i vnu{enju Bo`jem prvosve{tenik Zaharija, otac Prete~ev, dogovorno sa ostalim sve{tenicima, sabra 12 bez`enih ljudi iz plemena Davidova, da bi jednome od njih uru~ili Devu Mariju na ~uvanje devoja{tva njenog i staranja o njoj. I bi uru~ena starome Josifu iz Nazareta, koji joj be{e i srodnik. U domu Josifovom Presveta Deva produ`i `iveti isto kao i u hramu Solomonovom, provode}i vreme u ~itanju Sv. Pisma, u molitvama, bogorazmi{ljanju, postu i ru~nom radu. Gotovo nikada iz ku}e ne izlaza{e, niti se interesova{e svetskim stvarima i doga ajima. Malo je s kim u op{te govorila, i nikad bez naro~ite potrebe. Naj~e{}e je u ku}i op{tila sa dvema k}erima Josifovim. No kada se navr{i vreme prore~eno Danilom prorokom, i kada Bog blagovoli ispuniti obe}anje Svoje izgnanom Adamu i prorocima, javi se veliki archangel Gavril u odaji Presvete Deve, I to, kako neki sve{teni pisci pi{u, u trenutku ba{ kada je ona dr`ala otvorenog proroka Isajiju i razmi{ljala o njegovom velikom proro~anstvu: gle, devojka }e za~eti i rodi}e sina! Javi joj se Gavril u svetlosti arhangelskoj i re~e joj: raduj se, blagodatna! Gospod je s tobom! I ostalo sve redom kako pi{e u Jevan elju bo`anstvenog Luke. Sa ovom arhangelskom blagove{}u, i sa silaskom Duha Svetoga na Devu Pre~istu, otpo~inje spasenje ljudi i onavljanje tvari. Istoriju Novog Zaveta otvorio je archangel Gavrilo re~ju: Raduj se! da o znamenuje time, da Novi Zavet ima da zna~i radost za ljude i za svu stvorenu tvar. Otuda I Blagovest se smatra koliko velikim toliko i radosnim praznikom When the All-Holy Virgin completed the fourteenth year after her birth and was entering her fifteenth year, after having spent eleven years of living and serving in the Temple of Jerusalem, the priests informed her that, according to the Law, she could not remain in the Temple but was required to be betrothed and enter into marriage. What a great surprise to the priests was the answer of the All-Holy Virgin that she had dedicated her life to God and that she desired to remain a Virgin until death, not wanting to enter into marriage with anyone! Then, according to Divine Providence, Zacharias, the high priest and father of the Forerunner, under the inspiration of God, and in agreement with the other priests, gathered twelve unwed men from the Tribe of David to betroth the Virgin Mary to one of them to preserve her virginity and to care for her. She was betrothed to Joseph of Nazareth who was her kinsman. In the house of Joseph, the All-Holy Virgin continued to live as she did in the Temple of Solomon, occupying her time in the reading of Sacred Scripture, in prayer, in Godly-thoughts, in fasting and in handiwork. She rarely went anywhere outside the house nor was she interested in worldly things and events. She spoke very little to anyone, if at all, and never without special need. More frequently she communicated with both of Joseph's daughters. When the fullness of time had come, as prophesized by Daniel the Prophet, and when God was pleased to fulfill His promise to the banished Adam and to the Prophets, the great Archangel Gabriel appeared in the chamber of the All-Holy Virgin and, as some priestly writers wrote, precisely at that same moment when she held open the book of the Prophet Isaiah and was contemplating his great prophecy: "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son!" (Isaiah 7:13). Gabriel appeared in all of his angelic brightness and saluted her: "Rejoice, highly favored one! The Lord is with you" (St. Luke 1:28), and the rest in order as it is written in the Gospel of the saintly Luke. With this angelic annunciation and the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Virgin, the salvation of mankind and restoration of all creation began. The history of the New Testament was opened by the words of the Archangel Gabriel: "Rejoice, highly favored one" This is to imply that the New Testament was to signify joy to mankind and to all created things. It is from this that the Annunciation is considered not only a great feast, but a joyful feast as well

5 The new board has been approved by his grace Bishop Maxim. We are ready to start, and this year s focus will be organization and communication. Communication will include improved web page, centralized , and information from members, mail, socializing after church. There are numerous projects and repairs that are on the agenda. All of the calendar events, as always will need more member support and financial commitment. But above all we need you to be with us, we need to fill the church with families. The dead tree next to the Church side door has been removed, special thank you to Zeljko and Gorge Janjic, Father Dane, Sava Petrovich, Boris and Mirko Petrovich, Mirko s co workers, Mike Halverson, and his dad. Boris, Mike and Sava hauled and cleaned everything up the next day. We are going to shred the branches and use the wood chips in play ground and Zlatko sprayed for weeds. I believe we will have the hood and wall covering in the kitchen done this month too. I like to thank all the members for all the achievements we have made, and all the future needs that will be done! Yours truly Miroslav Church President Shouldn t we at least do something to have an excuse for not going to church Zar nebi trebali da radimo bar ne{to da bi imali izvinjenje {to nismo i{li u Crkvu It all began a long time ago with a young woman named Mary. Mary Magdalene. Mary, who later became a Saint of the Orthodox Church, was a devout follower of Jesus Christ in the days when He came to earth to save sinners. When the time had come that Christ was buried, Mary Magdalene went to his grave, bearing Myrrh, to anoint his body. But, when she arrived, the stone of the tomb had been cast aside, and the tomb was empty. Worried that thieves had stolen her Lord's body in the middle of the night, Mary asked the first person she saw if they had seen anyone enter or leave the tomb. Mary stood and cried. Through tear-filled eyes, she bent over, looked into the tomb and saw two angels, dressed in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been. One angel was sitting where His head had been and one at the feet. "Woman, why are you crying?" they asked. "They have taken my Lord away, and I do not know where they put Him," replied Mary. Then she turned around and saw a man standing there; but she could not recognize that it was Jesus. "Woman, why are you crying?" asked Jesus. "Who is it that you are looking for?" She thought He was the gardener and so she said to Him "If you took my Lord away sir, please tell me where you have put Him and I will go get Him." But Jesus called to her "Mary!" and immediately she knew that it was Him. "Do not hold on to me," Jesus told her. ' 'I have not yet gone back up to my Father. Go to my brothers and tell them that I am returning to Him, who is my Father and their heard first the Good News that Christ had Risen. She ran to tell his disciples, and then went to visit the Emperor in Rome. She greeted the Emperor with "Christ has Risen," and gave him a red-dyed egg. She knew it would be difficult to convince the Emperor of the Glory of Christ, and thus she used the tiny egg as her example. Mary borrowed the ancient belief that the egg symbolizes new life much like the Resurrection of her Lord. She told the Emperor that Christ had been transformed into a new life. She dyed the egg red to symbolize the blood that was shed to save the world from their old ways. This tradition has been carried on throughout the years. The egg represents the sealed tomb of our Lord. On Holy Thursday morning households dye the eggs red to symbolize the sa-cred blood of Christ that was shed on the cross. The eggs are then put away until Saturday evening when after the Resurrection service families embark in the traditional eggcracking ceremo-ny. Each member of the family chooses an egg that he thinks is hardest and that will crack everyone else's. The eggs are then tapped against each other, first the more pointed ends, while the two players announce, "Christ is Risen!" and "Indeed He has!" This simple act symbolizes the seal of the Tomb of Christ being broken and His life being resurrected. The person whose egg remains unbroken receives the Father, my God and their God." And so, Mary good-luck blessing for the year

6 Kod nas srba obi~aj je da se za Vaskrs spremaju obojena I {arena jaja. Doma}ice se trude da pripreme jaja sa rznim {arama. Na tim kuvanim jajima ispisuju: Hristos vaskrse!, Sre}an Vaskrs I drugo. Deca najvi{e vole ovaj praznik zbog {arenih jaja. Kucaju se jajima, I ~ije se razbije, to razbijeno predaje se pobedniku. Po~etak ovoga obi~aja, da se za Vaskrs spremaju farbana jaja, poti~e jo{ iz ranih hri{}anskih vremena. Sledbenica Isusa Hrista, Marija Magdalina do{la je, posle Hristovog Vaznesenja u Rim radi propovedanja Jevan elja. I kada je izi{la pred cara Tiberija, pozdravila ga je re~ima: Hristos vaskrse! I pru`ila mu na dar ofarbano jaje. Ovakav poklon Svete Marije Magdaline obja {njava se time {to je u Rimu I kod drugih naroda bio obi~aj darivanja jaja pri nastupanju nove godine, koja je tada obi~no po~injala u prole}e. Kada su prvi hri{}ani doznali za ovaj dar Svete Marije Magdaline, onda su I oni po~eli da se ugledaju na nju. Od tada, svuda u dane Vaskrsenja Hristovog pripremaju se uskr{nja jaja kao symbol Vaskrsenja Hristovog. U mnogim mestima jaja se boje crvenom bojom, {to podse}a hri {}ane na krv Hristovu. No, osim crvenom bojom {araju se jaja I drugim bojama, kao `utom, zelenom, ru`i~astom I raznim {arama, prema ukusu doma}ice. Pored navedenog predanja, ~ini nam se da je pravi simbol uskr{njeg jajeta u slede}em: kao {to pile, bez i~ije pomo}i spolja, kada do e vreme, sopstvenim mo} ima razbija ljusku I izlazi na svetlost dana, tako I Hristos, sopstvenim snagama razbija okove groba smrti, vaskrsava I donosi novi `ivot svima koji veruju u Njegovu re~ I bo`ansku mo}. Sa pripremom I {aranjem uskr{ih jaja vezani su razni obredi I verovanja, koja svedo~e o njihovom va`nom zna~enju u religioznom `ivotu na{eg I devojke {araju jaja obi~no uo~i Vaskrsa. Ovaj posao smatraju sve{tenom radnjom, pa se zato pripremaju molitvom. Da bi {aranje I bojenje ispalo bolje, vodu spremaju na Veliki ~etvrtak, po{to ~uju da crkveno zvono odzvoni za bogoslu`enje. U tu vodu dodaju I malo osve}ene vodice, koju je sve{tenik osvetio u toku Vaskr{njeg posta. U nekim krajevima, prvo jaje spu {teno u vodu ~uva se do slede}e godine KSS MESSAGE KOLO SRPSKIH SESTARA ^estitamo svom srpskom I pravoslavnom narodu na{ najve}i praznik Vaskrsenje Gospoda Isusa Hrista. Sada je vreme za slavlje I pesmu I radost. Pa neka I u va{im domovima u e Vaskr{nje raspolo`enje HRISTOS VASKRSE! VAISTINU VASKRSE Zamiri{i jorgovane, Najsvetliji svani dane. Al veseli, ala blista Vaskrsenje na{eg Hrista! Greetings to all Serbian and Orthodopx people on this greatest holiday, the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the time to celebrate with song and joy. May the Holy Spirit enter your homes. Christ is Risen! Indeed he is Risen!

7 SEKTA[KE ZABLUDE SA PRAVOSLAVNOG GLEDI[TA - Dr, Lazar Milin PITANJE O SUBOTI, NEDELJI I OSTALIM PRAZNICIMA HRISTOS REFORMATOR SUBOTE NASTAVAK VE^NA VA@NOST SUBOTE Ko ima pravo da promeni subotu? To pravo ima Onaj koji je subotu uvrstio u spisak starozavetnih praznika (3. Mojs. 23:1-5), a svoga svedoka Pavla poу~io da je subota kao I ostali praznici I mladine samo senke Novopzavetne stvarnosti (Gal.1:12); Kol.2:16). To pravo ima Onaj koji je li~no rekao da su zakon I proroci do Jovana (Lk.16:16), a preko svoga svedoka Pavla ka`e da nam je Zakon bio pedagog za Hrista I da sada nismo vi{e pod pedagogom (Gal. 3:24). To pravo ima Onaj koji je svojim vaskrsenjem po~astvovao nedelju a ne subotu. Pri~a o sudiji U jednoj subotarskoj bro{uri postoji ovakva pri~a. Neki sudija upita svoga {kolskog druga za{to praznuje subotu a ne nedelju. Ovaj mu pri~ita iz Biblije ~etvrtu zapovest Bo`ju, I objasni mu da je to Bo`ijeg zakona. Na to sudija odgovori: Ja sam pravnik. Ako je zakon u pitanju, onda je sve jasno. Zakon ostaje na snazi sve dok ga zakonodavac ne ukine na isti na~in na koji ga je izdao. Dakle, praznovanje subote ostaje na snazi! Ovo je jedan pravi majstorski sofizam. Pristanimo na njega, bar probe radi, da vidimo kuda }e nas odvesti. Bog je dao zakon o obrezanju. ^ak se I Hristos povinovao tom zakonu. Kad I gde je Bog ukinuo taj zakon na isti na~in na koji ga je u dao? Bog je naredio da se ima kazniti smr}u svaki onaj koji prekr{i praznovanje subote, Pashe I ostalih praznika (2. Mojs.31:14-15; 35:2; I 3.Mojs. 23:26-31). Ista takva smrtna kazna predvi ena je zakonom Bo`jim I za svakog neobrazovanog (1. Mojs.17:14). Prema tome, ako nas Bog kroz dela I pouke Hristove nije razre{io od praznovanja subote, nije nas razre{io ni od svih ostalih zakonskih du`nosti. A ako je tako, onda I na{ subotarski pisac I njegov sudija-pravnik moraju pored subote praznovati I ostale praznike I `rtve, ili bar praznik O~i{}enja, a ist tako moraju potra`iti nakog rabina ili hodzu, ili hirurga da ih obra`e. Ina~e, ode glava s ramena! I ako nas Bog nije razre{io od praznovanja subote, onda nas moje razre{io ni od du`nosti da kamenujemo ili bilo kako istrebimo sve one koji se ne obrezuju i subotu ne praznuju. Eto ~emu nas void pri~a o sudiji Pri~a koja ne prvi mah izgleda tako ubedljivo da joj se nema {ta prigovoriti. Zaista, majstorski sofizam u korist subote! Zemljin ro endan Evo jo{ jednog sofizma iste vrste, istog ranga od istog pisca I iste knjige. ^ujmo! Dan ro enja je nepromenjljiv. Dogodi se da neko promeni ime I prezime, ali datum svog ro enja niko ne mo`e da promeni. Ako neko odlu~i da slavi neki drugi dan a ne dan u koji se rodio, ipak ostaje ~injenica da je njegov dan ro enja samo onaj dan kada je ro en. Taj dan je nepromenjljiv samim tim {to se ~injenice ne mogu menjati. Bog je proslavio ro enje Zenlje u subotu, poslednjeg dana prve sedmice stvaranja. Tada pevahu zajedno svezde jutarnje I svi sinovi Bo`iji klikovahu (Jov.38:7). Ovo je jedna ve{ta, da ba{ ne ka`emo lukava, me{avina istine I neistine. Istina je da se ~injenice ne mogu menjati, jer tada ve} ne bi bile ~injenice. Istina je I to da se ro endan kao jedna ~injenica ne mo`e promeniti. Istina je I to da Biblija ka`e da je Bog po~inuo u sedmi dan posle {estodnevnog stvaranja sveta. A nije ta~no: a) da dane stvaranja ba { moramo shvatiti bukvalno, kalendarski. Biblija nas na to ne primorava. B) Nije ta~no da se Zemlja rodila sedmog dana stvaranja. Biblija ka`e da je to bilo prvog dana (` Mojs. 1:1). Nije ta~no da se ona an elska pesma o kojoj se govori u citiranom stihu knjige o Jovu (38:7) odnosno na praznovanje subote, nego prema crkvenoslovenskom tekstu Biblije ta se pesma razlegla u nebeskom svetu ve} prvog dana ~im je stvorena vasionska materija, ili najkasnijre ~etvrtog dana stvaranja kad je Bog postavio na svodu nebeskom zvezde. g) Nije ta~no da se subota praznovala kao uspomena na ro endan Zemlje, na{e planete, nego kao uspomena na izlazak Israiljskog naroda iz Misira (5. Mojs.5:15), a praznovanje se ponavljalo svakog sedmog dana kao uspomena na {estodnevno stvaranje sveta - tako pi{e u Bibliji (2. Mojs.20:11). D) S obzirom na istoriju stvaranja I grehovnog pada prvi ljudi, kao I nihovog iskupljenja kroz stradanje I vaskrsenje Hristovo, nije ta~no da je ro endan Zemljin va`niji od obnavljenja celokupne tvari kroz vaskrsenje Hristovo. Kao {to Bo`i} nije ve}i praznik od Vaskrsa, tako ni ro endan Zemljin nije ve}i doga aj od iskupljenja I obnovljenja kroz vaskrsenje. Da Hristos nije vaskrsnuo, bezna~ajno bi bilo Njegovo ro enje (Bo`i}), niko za njega ne bi ni znao. I da Hristos svojim vaskrsenjem nije zavr{io delo iskupljenja roda ljudskog, uzaludne I bezvredne bi nam bile sve subote I Pashe, I ~itava egzistencija na{eg sveta potonulog u grehu, smrti I Bo`jem prokletstvu (1. Mojs. 3:17). Recimo to re~ima Svetoga pisma kojem subotari ka`u da veruju: Ako Hristos nije vaskrsao sve je uzalud (1. Kor.15:17). A eto, o toj preva`noj istini subo

8 tarski pisac }uti, da bi nas zabavljao proroci do Jovana (Lk. 16:16), I {to je sve~ano{}u Zemljinog ro endana I uputio apostola Pavla da sada vi{e zbunjivao istinom da se ro endan zaista nismo pod vla{}u zakona (Gal.3:23025). ne mo`e menjati! Svi su, dakle, pogre{ili, samo ne subotari! Nisam do{ao da pokvarim zakon. Pa {ta onda zna~e citirane Hristove re~i? Zna~e to {to je re~eno. Hris- Evan elist Matej je zapisao Spasiteljeve re~i koje subotari naj~e{}e tos je do{ao da se na Njemu izvr{e I I verovatno najradije citiraju da bi nam ispune sva proro~anstva koja su starozavetni proroci o Njemu rekli. I ta su se pokazali kako je praznovanje subote obavezno I u Novom zavetu. Spasitelj je proro~anstva na Njemu zaista ispunila rekao Jevrejima: Ne mislite da sam do do poslednje title. [to se pak ti~e zakona obrednih gra anskih I moralnih I {ao da pokvarim zakon ili proroke. Nisam do{ao da pokvarim, nego da ispunim. Jer vam zaista ka`em: dokle anja pa do slavljenja starozavetnih njih je doslovno ispunjavao od obrez- nebo I zemlja stoji, ne}e nestati ni najmanjeg slovca ili jedne title iz zakona I zakon o prino{ewnju `rtava ispunio je praznika zajedno sa subotom. Iato tako dok se sve ne izvr{i (5:17-18). od onih dveju grlica I dva golubi}a koji Subota je deo starozavetnog zakona, Hristos nije do{ao da ukine zakon, gova sveta Mati donela u Jerusalimski su bili prineseni na `rtvu kad Ga je Nje- dakle subota ostaje u punoj snazi I hram (Lk.2:24) pa do prino{enja na `rtvu va`nosti I u Novom zavetu. samog sebe kao Jagnje Bo`ije koje Opet nas subotarska logika void primi na sebe grehe celog sveta onom istom apsurdsu kojem I malopre (Jn.1:29). ispri~ana pri~a o sudiji koji kao pravnik Najzad, Spasitelj je ispunjavao I zna I razume {ta je zakon. Naime, ako sav moralni zakon, jer da ga nije ispunjavao bio bi gre{nik. Osim toga On je se te Hristove re~i shvate tako kako to ho}e subotari, onda smo obavezni moralni zakon ispunio na jo{ jedan dr`ati sav starozavetni zakon o obrezanju do kamenovanja onog ko ne javanja ili usavr{avanja. To se naro~ito na~in: ispunio ga je u smislu dopun- praznuje subotu I praznik O~i{}enja (2. jasno vidi iz Njegove besede na Gori Mojs.31:14-14) (3 Mojs. 23:26-31). Onda gde On govori: ~uli ste da je kazano su pogre{ili I apostoli {to su nas na starima a ja vam ka`em. I posle svakog toga citiranja On dodaje ono {to je apostolskom saboru razre{ili od toga zakona (Del. Ap. 15:24-29). Pogre{io je I karakteristi~no za Njegov savr{eni Duh Sveti {to je tako youtio apostole bo`anski moralni zakon koji se dalje I (Del. Ap.15: 28). Pogre{io je I sam bolje zaista ni nemo`e vi{e usavr{iti. Spasitelj kad je rekao da su zakon I NASTAVI ]E SE Father Constantin Alecse lic parishes form the Body of Christ on (Biserica.org) earth. This visible Body has a visible head, the Pope. This idea of the Church The Pope is, then, "the Bishop of implies that the local parish has two the Catholic Church," her teacher, the heads: the Pope and the local bishop. But vicar (agent, deputy) of Christ on earth. a body with two visible heads is a monster. Also, the local bishop seems stripped He is the interpreter of the Christian Tradition. When he speaks for the of his apostolic authority if the Pope may whole Church (ex cathedra), the Holy contradict his orders. Indeed, he cannot Spirit does not permit him to err. He is, become a bishop unless the Pope allows therefore, infallible on matters of morals and doctrine. Other bishops are his it. Orthodoxy teaches that every bishop, "the living icon of Christ," and his flock lieutenants. He is the symbol of the constitute the Church in a certain place; episcopate's unity. or, as St. Ignatius the God-bearer says, The Orthodox Church teaches the Church of Christ is in the bishop, his that all bishops are equal. To be sure, priests and deacons, with the people, surrounding the Eucharist in the true faith. there are different ranks of bishops (patriarch, archbishop, metropolitan, All bishops and their flocks so constituted, together composing the One, Holy, bishop); nevertheless, a bishop is a bishop. Such differences apply to the Catholic and Apostolic Church. administration of a church or group of In other words, there can be no churches, not to the nature of the Church without a bishop, no bishop bishop. The president of a synod of without the Eucharist, and no bishop or bishops is called archbishop (Greek custom) or metropolitan (Russian custom). Eucharist without the true faith, the Apostolic Faith, "the faith once delivered to According to Latin ecclesiology, the saints." (Jude 3) "The Church is in the each local parish is part of the universal bishop and the bishop in the Church," or whole Church. The totality of Catho- wrote St. Cyprian of Carthage

9 Put another way, there is no Church where there is no bishop, and there is no bishop where there is no succession of bishops from the Apostles (apostolic succession); and there can be no succession from the bishops without the faith of the Apostles. Also, there can be no Church without the Eucharist, the Sacrament of unity, because the Church is formed through it. The Body and Blood of Christ unites the Faithful to God: This fellowship or koinonia is the whole purpose of Christianity. At the same time, there can be no Eucharist - and no other Mysteries - without a bishop who teaches the true faith to the baptized. 6. The Holy Canons A canon is a "rule" or "guide" for governing The Church. Canons were composed by the Apostles, the Fathers, the local or regional and general or ecumenical Councils (in Latin) or Synods (in Greek). Only the bishop, as head of the church, applies them. He may use them "strictly" (akreveia) or "leniently" (economia). "Strictness" is the norm. Unlike the Latins, the Orthodox Church does not think of canons as laws, that is, as regulating human relationships or securing human rights; rather, Orthodoxy views canons as the means of forging the "new man" or "new creature" through obedience. They are training in virtue. They are meant to produce holiness. The Latins continue to change their canons, ignoring the old for the new. Not more than two decades ago, Rome revised its Canon Law. It composes new canons to keep up with the times. On the other hand, Orthodoxy, albeit adding canons from time to time and place to place, never discards the old ones, for they, too, are inspired by the Holy Spirit. In any case, human problems and spiritual needs do not really change. New canons are generally simple refinements of old canons. 7. The Mysteries Both the Orthodox and the Roman Catholics recognize at least seven Sacraments or Mysteries: The Eucharist, Baptism, Chrismation, Ordination, Penance, Marriage and Holy Oil for the sick (which the Latins have traditionally called "Extreme Unction" and reserved for the dying). Concerning the Sacraments in general, the Orthodox teach that their material elements (bread, wine, water, chrism, etc.) become grace-filled by the calling of the Holy Spirit (epiklesis). Roman Catholicism believes that the Sacraments are effective on account of the priest who acts "in the person of Christ." At the same time, the Latins interpret the Sacraments in a legal and philosophical way. Hence, in the Eucharist, using the right material things (bread and wine) and pronouncing the correct formula, changes their substance (transubstantiation) into the Body and Blood of Christ. The visible elements or this and all Sacraments are merely "signs" of the presence of God. The Orthodox call the Eucharist "the mystical Supper." What the priest and the faithful consume is mysteriously the Body and Blood of Christ. We receive Him under the forms of bread and wine, because it would be wholly repugnant to eat "real" human flesh and drink "real" human blood. According to Roman Catholic teachings about the Sacraments (mystagogy), a person becomes a member of the Church through Baptism. "Original sin" is washed away. Orthodoxy teaches the same, but the idea of an "original sin" or "inherited guilt" (from Adam) has no part in her thinking. More will be said later on this matter. Roman Catholics speak of "Confirmation" and the Orthodox of "Chrismation." "Confirmation" is separated from the Baptism and is performed by the bishop and not the priest; but "Chrismation" is performed with Baptism by a priest who has received "chrism" from the bishop. The Sacrament of "Confirmation" and "Chrismation" both mean the giving of the Holy Spirit. The Latins delay "confirming" (with "first communion") baptized infants not more than seven years, that is, until the time they have some appreciation of the gift of God. The Orthodox Church links Baptism, Chrismation and Holy Communion, first the threefold immersion into sanctified water, the "new Christian" rising from the water into the fellowship of the Holy Spirit which leads to union with God. Such is the purpose of membership in the Church. Well Continue

10 ЈУРИ МАКСИМОВ Nastavak... Међутим (нико) се не лишава своје плате: или (неверујући у Христа) добија своју плату богатством, раскошима и другим прелестима (овог) живота, слично (богаташу) који је од Авраама чуо: "Сјети се да си ти примио добра своја у животу своме" (Лк. 16:25), или се његова судбина у будућем веку веома разликује ид судбине онога који (овде) не чини добро. Јер како има много обитељи за праведнике (види Јн. 14:2) код Бога, тако и за грешнике (постоји) мноштво различитих казни."[3] На тај начин, свети Анастасије исто као и свети Игњатије, сведочи да онај ко не верује у Христа, који се није родио од воде и Духа, то јест, некрштен човек неће након смрти ући у Царство Божије, иако ће добро које је он учинио безусловно бити награђено. И преподобни Симеон Нови Богослов сведочи: "Велико благо јесте веровати у Христа, јер је немогуће спасити се без вере у Христа."[4] И свети Кирил Јерусалимски пише: "Онај ко би чак и био добар по делима, али није задобио печат водом, неће ући у Царство Небеско. Реч је храбра, али није моја; јер је тако одредио Исус."[5] И свети Јован Златоусти упозорава: "Слушајте сви ви, туђи просвећењу (крштењем): ужасните се, заридајте! Страшна је та претња, страшна је одлука! Немогуће је, говори Христос, ономе ко се не роди водом и духом, да уђе у Царство Небеско, јер он још увек носи одећу смрти, одећу проклетства, одећу трулежности, још није задобио знамење Господње, он још није свој, већ туђ, не поседује знак који је услов за Царство". [6] Могли бисмо и даље да продужимо са цитирањем, јер ту истину сагласно објављују Свети Оци разних епоха и народа, али за побожне хришћане и наведено је довољно, а за модернисте колико год да наводиш, све ће бити мало. Природно, јер ако се речи Светих Отаца схватају не као сведочење боговидаца о јединој истини, који су они опитом спознали, већ као "само као још о једном личном мишљењу" онда неће бити посебне разлике, колико је тих "личних мишљења" - једно, седам, или хиљаду. За иоле побожног хришћанина не може да се не покаже као чудовишна мисао, да је истина скривена, неодредива и неспознатива - а управо та мисао стоји иза модернистичке жеље да се целокупно Свештено Предање разложи на "личне становишта давно умрлих људи", а Свето Писмо на "историјске тачке гледишта, алегорије и условности, који су упућени од древних, давно умрлих људи"! И напротив, управо та чудовишна мисао надахњује оне који веома не желе да истина буде одредива и могућа за познање, јер би онда они морали да се одрекну својих гледишта, која противрече истини. Оној истини, о којој је Господ рекао: "Познаћете истину, и истина ће вас ослободити." (Јн. 8, 32) Ослобађајућа истина хришћанства састоји се у томе, да је Христос дошао и дао велику цену са циљем да дарује спасење људима, и да сем Христовог "нема другог Имена под небом, данога људима којим бисмо се могли спасти" (Д Ап. 4:12). Па иако Црква сваке године у чину Победе Православља са одређеном јасношћу објављује: "Ономе ко не прима благодат искупљења, проповедану Јеванђељем, као јединествено средство нашег оправдања пред Богом - анатема!", многи модернисти упорно покушавају да ствар замагле и представе је тако као да се, тобож, на ово суштинско питање не може дати јасан одговор. Они воле да говоре о томе да би, наводно, била би неопростива дрскост унапред изрицати будући суд Божији, и тврдити да се нико од нехришћана неће спасити, јер то, наводно може да реши само Бог. Иако, понављајући више пута истину изражену у Светом Писму и Предању, ми се самим тим уопште "не усуђујемо да претекнемо Суд Божији", већ напротив, изражавамо оно из тог суда што нам је већ открио Бог: "Који повјерује и крсти се биће спасен, а који не вјерује биће осуђен" (Мк. 16:16). Нисмо ми ти који се "усуђујемо", већ је тако рекао Христос, а Он је Истина и нема у Њему лажи никакве. Вера Цркве у последњи суд се уопште не ограничава само тврдњом да ће таквог суда бити, већ у себе укључује и основне критеријуме по којима ће се он вршити - а најглавнији од њих јесте свесно прихватање Христа. Nastavi}e se

11 Parish Statistics FUNERAL: February 27, 2009 Helen Lazich March 20, 2009 Robert Visnich Vjecnaja Pamjat Memory eternal! PARASTOS: January 25, for Irene Vickers Vjecnaja Pamjat Memory eternal! KRSNA SLAVA; January 27, St. Sava Sv. Sava Proto & Protinica Garic, Manojlo Garic, Fr. & Popadija Weir, Calendar of Events We are publishing a calendar of events so that you and your family can 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. April 11, Cleaning of Church April 18, Easter Vaskrs May 5, Mothers Day June 28, Vidovdan July 19, Drazin Dan August 2-7, Kids Camp CHARGES FOR RELIGIOUS RITES - TREBE Steward Non-Steward Wedding $50 $500 Baptism Donation Donation Church Funeral Donation $300 Chapel $50 $300 Parastos Panihida $25 $100 Pomen $15 $ 50 Certificates $10 $ 20 Thanks to all those who help to assembling Shepherd for March Liba Karnaookh, Paula Kordic, Ana & Ilija Bradarich, Dusan & Milanka Radosavljevich, Bosko & Greta Ljubisavljevich Patricia & Tim Culjak,, Danica Gojkovich, Don Bowen THE FOLLOWING PARISHIONERS HAVE RETURNED THEIR 2009 STEWARDSHIP COMIMITMENT CARDS Stewardship 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 parishioners. Please fill your 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." Irene Butryin Aiello Radomir Antovich Agnes Atkinson Don & Carmen Bowen Ilija & Anna Bradaric Milena Budie Margaret Chernay Joe & Annette Chinn Anne Cippa Dragana & Paul Cooper Ilija & Sharon Cvetich Kristina Cvetich Michael Cvetich Nikolas Cvetich Pavo & Bosiljka Cvjetkovic Dragoljub & Andja Cvjetkovic- Biserka Delich Jovanka Dunham Daisy Freeman Leo & Aleksandra Glebov John Gojkovich Robert & Zorka Gojkovich Joanna & Horia Groza Don & Nada Halkovic Ankica Jaksic Djordje Janjic Chris & Yuliya Johnson Dimitri & Luba Karnaookh Eva Katich Gladis Katsikis C.B. Ken Kinnaman John & Nevenka Kordic Steve & Gail Kosach Nadezda Koseva Milos Kovac Mihail & Ljuba Kruska Anna Lisnich Bosko & Greta Ljubisavljevic Bil & Marta Mamika Mirjama Markovic Ilinka Meglemre George & Valeria Melnikov Djoko Micanovic Dragan & Martha Mihailjcic Robert Miller Savka Mileusnic Stevo Mileusnic Marie & Miroslav MilovanovicSlobo & Tanya Mitic Desa Mojsic Stanley & Vesna Mojsich Betty Moomey Elsie Mrvos Vladimir & Ljiljana Otashevich Aleksandar Krapcevic-Pavlovic Pavle Krapcevic-Pavlovic Velika Pejovich Aco & Zorana Petrovich Boris & Draginja Petrovich Savo & Bosiljka Petrovic 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 programe prema svim parohijanima. Molimo vas popunite KARTU STARATELJSTVA i po{aljite je u crkvenu kancelariju. Bog nam je dao sve {to imamo. On i o~ekuje od nas dobar deo od blagoslov nam dati za potrebe Njegove crkve. Gene Plecas Kevin Pokrajac Zoran Popazivanov Fr. Dane & Protinica Popovic Nenad Popovic Milos & Mileva Radmanovic Milanka Radosavljevic Milivoje & Cveta Radovanovich Todor & Milena Rajak Joe & Helen Rodriguez Danica Gojkovich Ryder Savo Simic David G. Sokitch Ivanka Stefanovic Stanislav & Milica Stefanovich Zarko Stojanovich John Sullivan Milos Supica Milan & Betty Tica Jovan & Mileva Tica Jovo Tica Nikola & Zorka Tica Bozidarka Theodorovich Zlatko & Kimberly Theodorovich Slavko & Milica Turjacanin Dragan & Michell Vidovich Helen Vukasovich Fr. Bill & Popadija Weir Connie Ziacan

12 23 Oct. 31, 2009 Consecration Anniversary Michelle Vidovich and Stan Mojsich will be the Co- Chairpersons for our 25 th Anniversary celebration of the Consecration of our Church. The date will be Saturday, October 31, Please volunteer for any of the following positions to either Stan or Michelle: Commemoration book, invitations, set up, clean up, bar, decorations, food preparation, kitchen crew. Many hands will be needed to make this a successful event and one which we will all remember with fondness in future years. It is only when we work together towards a common goal that we get to know each other on a deeper basis than a superficial hello after Church. Please consider your God given talents and call either Michelle or Stan with your offer of help both in the planning and in the execution of this once in a lifetime event. Michelle Vidovich Stan Mojsich STOP IN AND TAKE A LOOK. GREAT GIFT IDEAS FOR ANY OCCASION SLAVA ICONS, SLAVA CANDLES, VIGIL LAMPS,CHRISTIAN JEWELRY, ORNAMENTS, CHILDREN S BOOKS, BOOKS ON ORTHODOX FAITH AND MUCH MUCH MORE- POSETITE NA[U NOVO OTVORENU PRODAVNICU. Za sve Va{e duhovne potrebe mo`ete na}i u crvenoj prodavnici: KNJIGE, IKONE, KANDILA, KADIONICE,ZLATNI I SREBRNI KRSTI]I, SV. PISMA BIBLIJE, Sunday Nedelja 5 5-th Sunday of Lent Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m. 1-va Nedelja Posta Gospel. Mk.10:32-45; Lk.7:36-50; Epistle: Heb.9:11-14; Gal.3:23-29; 12 6-th Sunday of Lent Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m. 6-ta Nedelja Posta Gospel. Jn.12:1-18; HOLY PASCHA 19 EASTER SUNDAY Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m. SVETA NEDELJA VASKRS Following with traditional Easter Diner 26 2nd Sunday of Pascha ST. THOMAS Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m. 2-ga Nedelja - TOMINA Gospel. Jn.20:19-31; Epistle: Acts 5:12-20; Monday Ponedeljak A P R I L 2009 GREAT MONDAY Presanctified Liturgy 9 a.m. VELIKI PONEDELJAK Tuesday Utorak 6 7 The Annunciation to the Most Holy Mother of God BLAGOVESTI Divine Liturgy at 9:00 a.m BRIGHT MONDAY SVETLI PONEDELJAK Liturgy at 9:00 a.m. GREAT TUESDAY MATINES SERVICE 6:00 P.M. VELIKI UTORAK BRIGHT TUESDAY SVETLI UTORAK Liturgy at 9:00 a.m Wednesday Sreda PRESANCTIFIED LITURGY AT 5:00 P.M AKATIST 6:00 P.M. Bible study 6:30 p.m. PRESANCTIFIED LITURGY 9:00 A.M. AKATIST 6:00 P.M. Bible study 6:30 p.m GREAT WEDNESDAY Service of Holy Unction 6:00 p.m. VELIKA SREDA 22 AKATIST 6:00 P.M. Bible study 6:30 p.m AKATIST Blessing of Homes If you would like your home to be blessed call Fr. Dane or Fr. Bill 6:00 P.M. Bible study 6:30 p.m. Thursd ^etvrta GREAT TH Holy Liturgy at 9 GREAT VIGIL at 6 VELIKI ^ET C If you re plan Ako `elite d Wr

13 sday rtak A P R I L 16 T THURSDAY at 9:00 a.m. at 6:00 p.m. ^ETVRTAK Friday Petak PRESANCTIFIED LITURGY 9:00 A.M PRESANCTIFIED LITURGY AT 5:00 P.M 17 GOOD FRIDAY Hours at 9:00 a.m. Taking Down from the Cross at 3:00 p.m. LEMENTATION and PROSSASION AT 6:30 P.M. Saturday Subota Vespers- Ve~ernje 6:00 p.m. Confession Ispovest Lazarus Saturday Divine Liturgy at 9:00 a.m. Vespers- VE^ERNJE 6:00 p.m. Confession Ispovest- GREAT SATURDAY Divine Liturgy at 9:00 a.m. RESURRECTION MATINS AT 11:45 P.M Vespers- Ve~ernje 6:00 p.m. Confession Ispovest- - CHANGING YOUR ADDRESS? - MENJATE ADRESU planning to move, please let us know before changing your address. te da se preselite na drugu adresu obavestite nas pre nego se preselite. Write to Pi{ite nam na Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary 7777 Sunset Ave. Fair Oaks, Ca ALL ALTAR BOYS ARE ASKED TO SERVE WHEN ATTENDING CHURCH Reader Schedule Message to all readers: Please make note of the days you are to read and make plans to come to church before 10:00 a.m. April April 5 Reader: Rade Radulovic Gospel. Mk. 10:32-45; Lk.7:36-50; Epistle: heb.9:11-14; Gal.3:23-29 April April 12 Reader: Jovan Tica Gospel. John. 12:1-13 Epistle: Phil. 4:4-9; April April 19 Reader: Dimitri Karnaookh Gospel. Jn.1:1-17; Epistle: Acts 1:1-8; April April 26 Reader: Dusan Radosavljevic Gospel. Jn. 20:19-31; Epistle: Acts. 5:12-20; May Maj 3 Reader: Nenad Popovic Gospel. Mk. 10:32-45; Lk.7:36-50; Epistle: Heb. 9:11-14; Gal. 3:23-29; INFORMATION FOR May SHEPHERD If anyone has anything they would like to add to the Shepherd, the last day to send information is April 15th. INFORMACIJE ZA MAJSKI PASTIR Ako imate ne{to da bi `eleli da date za mese~ni Pastir, zadnji dan za to je 15 April. Nazovite Protu Dana ili po{aljite po{tom The REMINDERS When your are making a donation to our Church, please note on the check (under the memo field) what it is for. This is because we have no way of knowing your intent for the donation. Otherwise, if there is no such notation, and if you are already a steward, the donation will automatically apply towards your stewardship. If you are not a steward, it will be applied as a church donation. Parishioners hospitalized, sick at home or in nursing homes Stevo Mileusnich Viktoria Arezina Mihajlo Kruska Zorica Popovic Georgina Stevenson Nikola Dragovic Ana Bozinovic Milli Maticic Denise Radich Dusko Pesevic Dusica Pirocanac Protinica Nina Garic Horia Ion Groza Yovana Gojnic Persa Dragovic Dejan Trailovi Sandy Tobe Bozica Theodorovic Dorothy Gojkovich Nada Kosanovic Misha Willson Ana Mileusnich Daisy Freeman Belko Yovanovich Olga & Irina Butin Ivan popazivanov George Melnikov Milos Kovac Alexandra Fitzpatrick Dear Brothers and Sisters, please remember these people in your daily prayers. If you know anyone who is sick please let Father Dane know. He would like to visit them and pray for them. His telephone number is or SENIOR CITIZENS CLUB On March 10, 2009 we held our meeting at the church hall. Following the meeting we had a delicious potluck lunch. It was voted that the current officers will continue in office. It was determined we would not hold a meeting until May 12, 2009 at 10:30 a.m. -- again in the church hall with a potluck to follow. All are welcome to attend. Georgina Setencich Stevenson, Secretary

14 DONACIONS FOR JANUARI & FEBRUARY Christmas Donations Joseph & Annette Chinn.. $ Kolo Circle of Serbian sisters..$ Paul & Dragana Cooper..$ Rafael Gosovich.$ Frances Havens.$ Boris & Milica Jeremic.. $ Marsha Stefanovic..$ Stanislav & Milica Stefanovic.$ Louis & Melba Golovich..$ Harry & Lana Stathos.$ Daniel Visnich... $ Gene Plecas... $ Mike & Doris Maravich. $ Anna & Dorothy Lisnich. $ Milan & Betty Tica. $ Vladimir & Lilijana Otasevich...$ David Sokitch...$ Ivan & Zorica Atanackovic... $ John & Nevenka Kordic... $ Stanley & Vesna Mojsich...$ Zorka Stijakovic..$ Zlatko & Kimberly Theodorovic..$ Nikola & Zorka Tica.$ Raiko & Snezana Omicikus..$ Stevan & Dusica Pirocanac...$ Premil & Ana Gojkovic.$ George & Ilinka Meglemere..$ Proto & Protinica Popovic. $ Margaret Chernay..$ Slobodan & Tanja Mitic. $ Natalie Fitzpatrick. $ Seka Kadic...$ Joseph Kadic...$ Milos & Mileva Radmanovich...$ Cristian & Cristina Lupse-Vidu...$ Anonymous...$ Savo & Bosiljka Petrovich..$ Nenad Stojic....$ Louis & Melba Golovich..$ Wladimir & Helene Korbe..$ Elia & Milena Kentera $ Milena Stanisic - za zdravlje moje dece $ Roy & Helen Adzich.$ Robert & Zorka Gojkovich.$ Angelia Jovanovic.. $ Michael & Trina Jovovich..$ Ivan & Tatiana Maksimovic...$ Lazar & Milojka Saraba. $ Zarko Stojanovich $ Michael & Anna Ross $ Eli & Anna Bradaric $ Milanka Radosavljevic...$ Peter & Elsie Mrvos.. $ Dosta & Vojislava Nikolic..$ Dragan & Michelle Vidovich...$ John Sullivan..$ Nina Sadovnikov..$ Nada Micanovic..$ Chris & Yuliya Johnson.$ Don & Nada Halkovic.$ Stevo & Ana Mileusnic. $ Anonymous.. $ Slavko & Milica Turjacanin...$ George & valerie Melnikov.$ Vuk Nastic. $ Radovan & Bozidarka Theodorovic..$ Boris & Radmila Drca.. $ Father & Popadija Weir.. $ Obren & Vinka Petrovic.. $ Nada Tarantino $ Biserka Delich... $ Gladys Katsikis...$ Danica Gojkovich Ryder.$ Jovan Tica...$ Velika Pejovich...$ Kevin & Tammy Pokrajac.$ Zoran Dmitrovic $ Zarko & Nedeljko Petrovic..$ Bill & Martha Mamika.. $ Milena Budie $ Aleksandar & Zora Malic.$ Mira Markovic...$ Brian & Maria Popvic.$ Stevana Ausban... $ Daisy Freeman...$ George & Patricia Saraba.$ Eve Katich.. $ Anne Cippa... $ Ron & Mickey Radakovich.$ Theodore & Diana Hadzi-Antich.$ Anna Plefka.$ Connie Ziacan. $ Anonymous.$ Anonymous. $ Wladimir Korbe.$ Hal & Sylvia Kinney $ S Mileusnic $ Connie Ziacan $ Zorka Stijakovic $ Stojanka $ 1.00 Savin Dan Donations Manojlo Garic.. $ Marsha Stefanovich...$ John & Nevenka Kordic - In Memory of Jovan Pejovich...$ Robert & Zorka Gojkovich - In Memory of Jovan Pejovich.$ Silvia Kentera - Dino Sanchez.$ Savo & Bosiljka Petrovic..$ Zorka Stijakovic.$ Stanley & Vesna Mojsich...$ Stanislav & Milica Stefanovic..$ Nikola & Zorka Tica..$ Milan & Betty Tica.$ Milivoje & Cveta Radovanovich....$ Zlatko & Kimberly Theodorovic..$ George & Judy Doane.$ Proto & Protinica Popovic.$ Boris & Radmila Drca.$ Pavo & Bosiljka Cvjetkovic...$ Caslav Milenkovic.$ Aleksandar & Dragan Petrovic.$ Ilija & Anna Bradaric..$ Milos & Mileva Radmanovich. $ Dmitri & luba Karnaookh..$ Dragan & Michelle Vidovich...$ Ivanka Stefanovic $ Gladys Katsikis..$ Milanka Radosavljevic $ Elia & Milena Kentera $ Family Crnogorac $ Boris & Draginja Petrovic... $ Biseka Delich..$ Velika Pejovich.. $ Slavko & Milica Turjacanin..$ Paula Kordic..$ Mihail & Ljuba Kruska $ Zoran & Veliborka Cvjetkovic..$ Dragoljub & Andje Cvjetkovic..$ Anonymous.. $ Nada Kosanovic..$ Danica Gojkovich Ryder.$ Desanka Mojsich.$ Mirjana Markovic.$ Stevana Ausban...$ Rada Knutson..$ John Sullivan.. $ Robert Miller.. $ Anonymous..$ Anonymous.. $ Anonymous.. $ Zlatko & Stanislavka Krainovic..$ Nathan Theodorovic. $ Nicholas Theodorovic...$ Zorka Radulovich... $ Jovan Tica..$ Milena Stanisic.. $ Zoran & Kathy Davis Theodorovic..$ Shepherd Donations Miroslav & Zorica Ilic $ Mike Evasovic - I.M.O. my brother Emil Evasovi...$ Anonymous... $ "N" and "B" Royal...$ Eugene & Agnes Fotos...$ Nenad Stojic...$ Kevin & Rajka Campbell...$

15 FINANCIAL REPORT for January 2009 Plate. $ Candles $ Stewardship.. $ Diocese Dues for $ 0 In Memory & other donations $ Hall Rental.. $ Church Fees $ Apartment Rental.$ Church Slava...$ Diocese Fees.$ Priest s Salary...$ Payroll Taxes.. $ Administration.. $ Priest s Benefits.. $ Charitable Giving. $ Services Rendered $ Socials/Banquets.$ Insurance.. $ 0 EXPENSES General Account Balances: Interest Income $ 1.81 Banquets & Social Events & St. Sava...$ Christmas Donation... $ Other $ Total Income for January...$ Church Worship.$ 0 Building & Grounds $ Miscellaneous...$.30 Total Expenses for January.. $ Excess of Income over Expenses ( ) Balance as of December 31, $ Deposits in January $ Deposits in February 2009 $ Expenditures --January $ Expenditures February $ Balance as of January 31, 2008 =$ Wash Account $ FINANCIAL REPORT for February 2009 Plate. $ Candles $ Stewardship.. $ Diocese Dues for $ In Memory & other donations $ Hall Rental.. $ Church Fees $ Apartment Rental.$ Church Slava...$ EXPENSES Diocese Fees.$ Priest s Salary...$ Payroll Taxes.. $ Administration.. $ Priest s Benefits.. $ Charitable Giving. $ Services Rendered $ Socials/Banquets.$ NAILS INCOME Interest Income $ 1.84 Banquets & Social Events & St. Sava...$ Christmas Donation... $ Other $ Total Income for January...$ Bildings & Grounds.$ Insurance.. $ Total Expenses for January.. $ Excess of Income over Expenses ( ) The nails secured our Lord to the Cross. He didn't need that. The nails caused Him great pain and agony. He didn't need that either. But it was our sins that caused it all. Some say He could have lived without them. But Christ was born that He might die on the Cross for us! Jesus endured the nails because we needed something. We needed His salvation; Our Lord did not need anything because everything is already His. But Christ does know what we all need, even better than we do. Even the painful nails helped Christ provide what we really need: for-giveness of our sins and eternal salvation!

16 Continue from page 29 Walter & Rexene Plecas..$ In Memory of Miodrag Solunac Vladislava Solunac...$ In Memory of Katarina Mirijanovic Ann Mirjanovic.$ In Memory of Irene Vickers Steve & Kathy Vickers..$ In Memory of Fr. Milivoje Djordjevich Donna Djordjevich.$ In Memory of Ceil Stefanick Serbian Seniors Club.$ In Memory of Anna Vucinich Vera Richardson...$ In Memory of Stephen Ryder Danica Gojkovich Ryder. $ In Memory of Nikola Kordic Lazar & Milojka Saraba.$ In Memory of Darinka Simic Robert & Zorka Gojkovich. $ In Memory of Olga Hill Robert & Zorka Gojkovich $ Libertyville school Libertyville donation Tasa.$ Proto & Protinica Popovic.$ Dimitri & Luba Karnaookh $ Aleksandar & Ruzica Crnoglavac...$ Angelie Jovanovic. $ Ilija & Anna Bradaric.$ Other Donations Daniel & Elena Morrow - Sunday School.$ Steve & Kathy Vickers - St. John...$ Daniel & Victoria Stojanovich - Poklon za Svetog Tri Jerarha Slava..$ Anonymous...$ Endowment Fund Daisy Freeman - Endowment Fund In Memory of Siva Perrin... $ Fr. Bill & Popadija Weir - Endowment Fund I.M.O. Darinka Simic.$ Given by God Only to the Orthodox Church The Ceremony of the Holy Light in Jerusalem The ceremony takes place in the Orthodox Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem in such a way that bewilders the soul of the Christians. On Easter Saturday, at noon, the Orthodox Patriarch, or any other Orthodox Archbishop, enters the Holy Sepulcher, recites special prayers and remains waiting. The crowd, in the darkened church, repeats continually with a loud voice: "Lord, have mercy." (Kyrie eleison). At a certain moment the Holy Light flashes from the depth of the Holy Sepulcher in a supernatural way, and miraculously lights up the little lamp of olive oil put on the edge of it. The Patriarch, or the Archbishop, (after having read some prayers) lights up the two clusters of 33 candles he is holding, and begins to distribute the Holy Light to the multitude of pilgrims, who receive it with great emotion, accompanied with the peeling of bells, acclamations, and an unbridled enthusiasm. The Holy Light is not only distributed by the Archbishop, but operates also by itself. It emits from the Holy Sepulcher having a gleam of a new completely different from that of natural light. It sparkles, it flashes like lightning, it flies like a dove around the tabernacle of the Holy Sepulcher, and lights up the unit lamps of olive oil hanging in front of it. It whirls from one side of the church to the other. It also lights up the candles of certain pilgrims. In fact there are some very pious pilgrims -who every time they attended this ceremony, noticed that their andles lit up on their

17 own accord! This divine light also presents some peculiarities. As soon as it appears it has a bluish hew and does not burn. At the first moments of its appearance, if it touches the face, or the mouth, or the hands, it does not burn.. We must also take into consideration that the Holy Light appears only by the invocation of an Orthodox Archbishop. Each time the heterodox bishops tried to obtain it, they failed. Once the Armenians paid the Turks, who then occupied the Holy Land, in order to obtain permission for their Patriarch to enter the Holy Sepulcher. The Orthodox Patriarch was standing sorrowfully -with his flock at the exit of the church, near the left column, when the Holy Light split this column vertically and flashed near the Orthodox Patriarch. A Muslim Muezin, called Tounom, who saw the miraculous event from an adjacent mosque, abandoned immediately the Muslim religion and became an Orthodox Christian. This event took place in 1549 under Sultan Mourad IV., when the Patriarch of Jerusalem was Sophrony II. (The mentioned split column still exists. It goes back to the XII c. The Orthodox pilgrims embrace it at the "place of the split" as you enter the church). The appearance of the Holy Light is an event -which occurs every year in front of thousands of visual -witnesses. Nobody can deny it. On the contrary, this miracle can reinforce those -who have lack of faith. There are some very touching recent cases of some Jews, who believed in Christ after having seen the Holy Light, and -who said to their compatriots: "Why are you still waiting for the Messiah? The Messiah came indeed". From Irene Econimides book "Differences between the Orthodox and Roman Catholicism" NASTAVAK.. АРХИМАНДРИТ РАФАИЛ КАРЕЛИН Међутим, његова дарежљивост се у већини случајева односи на људе који су му потребни. У његовој околини су у већини случајева сви задовољни. Али духовног живота тамо готово да нема, главне снаге се троше на спољашње. Молитве потискују телеграми с честиткама и изјавама ватрене љубави; што је већи прилог, већа је љубав. Овде се води строга евиденција и саставља се прецизна скала. Овај начин владавине је немогућ без лажи, зато лаж у таквим круговима представља неопходан атрибут; на ласкање се гледа као на испољавање мудрости. Код ових људи, ма како то чудно било, Црква постаје величина која је сама себи довољна, притом не као мистичко тело Христа, већ као људска институција и брига за лепоту храма заклања од њих лик Самог Христа. Плутократ може да буде шпекулант који тежи ка личном богаћењу, али може да буде и аскета обузет духом таштине који је заборавио на то да љубав треба да буде сједињена с истином. CHILDREN S CORNER демократски принцип у духовном свету претвара у хаос, аристократски у романтику, плутократска форма представља материјализацију духовног живота. 4) Четврти облик владавине је монархија Док се То је најразумнији принцип у односима између духовног оца и његове деце. Монархија у свом идеалном облику захтева разумност у управљању и љубав према људима. Пред монархом су сви једнаки. Она представља врховну власт, али власт, која није ограничена спољашњим институцијама, већ традицијом. Реч духовног оца мора бити беспоговорна, али истовремено разумна и правична. Човек који испуњава заповест монарха мора да зна да он поступа разумно и да се у овој заповести садржи брига за његово добро. Монарх има неограничену власт, али му није туђ савет и он слуша молбе које су му упућене. У наше време духовни отац треба да поступа са својом децом правично и разумно и да на основу тога захтева

18 послушање. Он може да саслуша и испуни савете и молбе, али последња реч остаје његова. У овом облику управљања нису допустиви препирке, спорови итд. Човек може да замоли да му се објасни дати благослов, али не сме самовољно да га укида или нарушава. Уосталом, и овде постоје изузеци. Монарх треба да се руководи традицијом, а духовни отац - правилима Цркве. Ван тока црквеног Предања и јеванђељских заповести духовно руководство губи снагу - монарх се претвара у узурпатора. 5) Деспотизам Он се од монархије разликује по томе што се појам традиције, добра и зла итд. замењује личном диктатуром. Овде не постоји појам правичности и било каквих права. Све зависи од воље деспота. Овај начин руковођења може или да сломи духовно чедо или да га брзо исправи. Међутим, у наше време лек који има јако дејство не одговара слабим организмима. Без нарочите благодати која делује у духовном оцу, деспотизам према духовном детету ће ово дете просто унаказити. Без одлучности и послушања од стране духовног детета овај принцип тако може да му огади свако послушање. У стара времена наставници су прибегавали јаким средствима. Они су давали тешке, готово немогуће задатке, који су понекад противречили здравом разуму, а ученици, који су се предали на послушање старцу, са спремношћу су их испуњавали и њихов духовни напредак се одвијао врло брзо. Уз помоћ таквог послушања човек се успешно борио с демоном гордости који потреса цео свет. Данас нема ни таквих наставника ни таквих послушника. И наставник послушање мора да даје с великим расуђивањем и поштовањем принципа сврсисходности и праведности. Људска гордост, прошавши све стадијуме болести, претворила се у упаљену гнојну рану, која мучно боли на сваки додир. Зато је духовном оцу неопходно стрпљење и самилост, али и јака воља. Он мора да има, као хирург, лаку, али чврсту руку. Са руског превела: Марина Тодић Извор: Официальный сайт архимандрита Рафаила Карелина Please help us decorate the Church and Christ s Tomb for the Easter Holidays. Easter is upon us! We are now beginning to take donations for flowers to decorate Christ s Tomb and for the Church on Easter. You may wish to give a donation in memory, or for the good health, of a Loved One. Please specify that your donation is for Easter Flowers. Thank you! Traditional Easter Dinner, Sunday April 19, :00 am Divine Liturgy Followed by Easter Banquet Bring your family and friends! Dobro nam do{li!

19 Orthodox Church Part I: History The Church of the Seven Councils The Great Schism Moscow the third Rome CONTINUED... The reforming movement in the Church was led at first by the Abbot Dionysius of the Trinity-Saint Sergius Monastery and by Philaret, Patriarch of Moscow from 1619 to 1633 (he was the father of the Tsar); after 1633 the leadership passed to a group of married parish clergy, and in particular to the Archpriests John Neronov and Avvakum Petrovitch. The work of correcting service books, begun in the previous century by Maximus the Greek, was now cautiously resumed; a Patriarchal Press was set up at Moscow, and more accurate Church books were issued, although the authorities did not venture to make too many drastic alterations. On the parish level, the reformers did all they could to raise moral standards alike among the clergy and the laity. They fought against drunkenness; they insisted that the fasts be observed; they demanded that the Liturgy and other services in the parish churches should be sung with reverence and without omissions; they encouraged frequent preaching. The reforming group represented much of what was best in the tradition of Saint Joseph of Volokalamsk. Like Joseph they believed in authority and discipline, and saw the Christian life in terms of ascetic rules and liturgical prayer. They expected not only monks but parish priests and laity - husband, wife, children - to keep the fasts and to spend long periods at prayer each day, either in church or before the icons in their own homes. Those who would appreciate the severity and selfdiscipline of the reforming circle should read the vivid and extraordinary autobiography of the Archpriest Avvakum ( ). In one of his letters Avvakum records how each evening, after he and his family had recited the usual evening prayers together, the lights would be put out: then he recited 600 prayers to Jesus and 100 to the Mother of God, accompanied by 300 prostrations (at each prostration he would lay his forehead on the ground, and then rise once more to a standing position). His wife, when with child (as she usually was), recited only 400 prayers with 200 prostrations. This gives some idea of the exacting standards observed by devout Russians in the seventeenth century. The reformers' program made few concessions to human weakness, and was too ambitious ever to be completely realized. Nevertheless Muscovy around 1650 went far to justify the title "Holy Russia.." Orthodox from the Turkish Empire who visited Moscow were amazed (and often filled with dismay) by the austerity of the fasts, by the length and magnificence of the services. The whole nation appeared to live as one vast religious house (N. Zemov, Moscow the Third Rome, P. 51). Archdeacon Paul of Aleppo, who stayed in Russia from 1654 to 1656, found that banquets at Court were accompanied not by music but by readings from the Lives of the Saints, as at meals in a monastery. Services lasting seven hours or more were attended by the Tsar and the whole Court: Now what shall we say of these duties, server enough to turn children s hair grey, so strictly observed by the Emperor, Patriarch, grandees, princesses, and ladies, standing upright on their legs from morning to evening? Who would believe that they should thus go beyond the devout anchorites of the desert?" ("The Travels of Macarius," in W. Palmer, The Patriarch and the Tsar, London, 1873, vol. II, p. 107). The children were not excluded from these rigorous observances: "What surprised us most was to see the boys and little children... standing bareheaded and motionless, without betraying the smallest gesture of impatience" (The Travels of Macarius, edited Ridding, p. 68). Paul found Russian strictness not entirely to his taste. He complains that they permit no "mirth, laughter, and jokes," no drunkenness, no "opium eating," and no smoking: "For the special crime of drinking tobacco they even put men to death" (ibid., p. 21). It is an impressive picture which Paul and other visitors to Russia present, but there is perhaps too much emphasis on externals. One Greek remarked on his return home that Muscovite religion seemed to consist largely in bell-ringing. In there began a fatal quarrel between the reforming group and the new Patriarch, Nicon ( ). A peasant by origin, Nicon was probably the most brilliant and gifted man ever to become head of the Russian Church; but he suffered from an overbearing and authoritarian temper. Nicon was a strong admirer of things Greek: "I am a Russian and the son of a Russian," he used to say, "but my faith and my religion are Greek" (ibid., p. 37). He demanded that Russian practices should be made to conform at every point to the standard of the four ancient Patriarchates, and that the Russian service books should be altered wherever they differed from the Greek. This policy was bound to provoke opposition among those who belonged to the Josephite tradition. They regarded Moscow as the Third Rome, and Russia as the stronghold and norm of Orthodoxy; and now Nicon told them that they must in all respects copy the Greeks. But was not Russia an independent Church, a fully grown member of the Orthodox family, entitled to hold to her own national customs and traditions? The Russians certainly respected the memory of the Mother Church of Byzantium from

20 which they had received the faith, but they did not feel the same reverence for contemporary Greeks. They remembered the "apostasy" of the Greeks at Florence, and they knew something of the corruption and disorders within the Patriarchate of Constantinople under Turkish rule. Had Nicon proceeded gently and tactfully, all might yet have been well: Patriarch Philaret had already made some corrections in the service books without arousing opposition. Nicon, however, was not a gentle or a tactful man, but pressed on with his program regardless of the feelings of others. In particular he insisted that the sign of the Cross, at that time made by the Russians with two forgers, should now be made in the Greek fashion with three. This may seem a trivial matter; but it must be remembered how great an importance Orthodox in general and Russians in particular have always attached to ritual actions, to the symbolic gestures whereby the inner belief of a Christian is expressed. In the eyes of simple believers a change in the symbol constituted a change in the faith. The divergence over the sign of the Cross also raised in concrete form the whole question of Greek versus Russian Orthodoxy. The Greek form with three fingers was more recent than the Russian form with two: why should the Russians, who remained loyal to the ancient ways, be forced to accept a "modern" Greek innovation? Neronov and Avvakum, together with many other clergy, monks, and lay people, defended the old Russian practices and refused to accept Nicon's changes or to use the new service books which he issued. Nicon was not a man to tolerate any disagreement, and he had his opponents exiled and imprisoned: in some cases they were eventually put to death. Yet despite persecution, the opposition continued; although Neronov finally submitted, Avvakum refused to give way, and after ten years of exile and twenty-two years of imprisonment (twelve of them spent in an underground hut) he was finally burnt at the stake. His supporters regarded him as a saint and martyr for the faith. Those who like Avvakum defied the official Church with its Niconian service books eventually formed a separate sect (raskol) known as the Old Believers (it would be more exact to call them Old Ritualists). Thus there arose in seventeenth-century Russia a movement of Dissent; but if we compare it with English Dissent of the same period, we notice two great differences. First, the Old Believers the Russian Dissenters differed from the official Church solely in ritual, not in doctrine; and secondly, while English Dissent was radical a protest against the official Church for not carrying reform far enough Russian Dissent was the protest of conservatives against an official Church which in their eyes had carried reform too far. Will Continue Milan Tica never realized that people were talking about him behind his back! Sooo.he was totally surprised when about 40+ people greeted him with Surprise! Happy 60 th Birthday! as he entered wife, Betty s restaurant Saturday evening January 31, Milan and his brother, Nikola Tica, had actually travelled to Jackson early Saturday morning to attend the funeral of a long time family friend, Dolores Shealor. Since Milan s birthday was actually on January 29 th, he never suspected that Betty had passed the word that a celebration was to be held. Milan exclaimed, I was shocked! I walked into the door of the restaurant and wondered about the cars in the parking lot. Then I started seeing people that I usually didn t see in the restaurant Paula Kordic, Ivanka Stefanovic, Greta and Bosko Ljubasavlejvic, Mikhail and Ljubica Kruska, Dimitri and Luba Karnaookh, Boris and Dragana Petrovich I thought I was going to have a heart attack! I grabbed my heart! He admitted that looking back on the day, he had noticed some strange behaviors but had not realized them at the time. His wife, Betty, had wanted to use his car for the day -- and drove him to his brother, Nikola s home. A friend from the Bay area told him he wouldn t see him Sat. night some excuse about late night driving. His son, Jovan, promised to pick him up from Nikola s house when they returned from Jackson then called to say he couldn t come. His niece, Petra Tica, came home from college for the weekend for no reason. His brother, Nikola, took him to the restaurant -- instead of taking him home to clean up and change clothes from the funeral. Looking back, Milan smiled broadly and said, I was so surprised, but happy, too! What a wonderful way to celebrate! May God Grant His Servant, Milan Tica, Many Years On Thursday, Feb. 19, 2009, Ina Telford became a citizen of the U.S.A. It was exactly one month from the date she had passed the immigration test Jan. 20 th. Her examiner was an Asian lady who Ina stated was very nice she even repeated a question for me. I was so nervous, I didn t hear what she had asked! She had gotten help from son, Dmitri Marchenko, husband, Kit, her sister and brother in law and people at the nursing facility where she works. Everyone had pitched in to help prepare her for the big day. Inna called her parents. They were thrilled she had passed. Ina arrived early for her swearing in ceremony. Dmitri s high school graduation ceremony had been at Memorial Auditorium; the same place she was to become a citizen of the U.S.! There were 898 people took the oath of citizenship and allegiance to our nation that morning. After a short ceremony which included brief comments from an immigration officer, a judge and state senator, the military color guard entered the hall with our state and national flags. All stood to sing our National Anthem and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. One hour and twenty minutes after the ceremony began, Ina walked out of Memorial Auditorium as a new citizen of our glorious nation. Her first phone call was to her parents to let them know she was now a citizen of the U.S. They informed her that they had called all the relatives and were now celebrating for her at home (Ukraine). Next she completed the application for citizenship for her son, Dmitri. Then Kit took them out for a dinner celebration!

21 May God Grant His Servant, Ina Telford, Many Years Connie Ziacan, one of our newest stewards, has found a lovely way to offer assistance to us. She has been a member of the Arbor Day Foundation for twenty years. Recently she received a communication that the Society was making trees available for the community. Connie immediately thought of our Church property. She quickly responded to the mailing and ordered a mixture of 10 dogwood and flowering trees to be delivered to us! The young plants will be delivered between April 1 st and May 31 st. Connie stated, In 20 years, we should have some lovely trees surrounding our Church. Maybe we could use them in remembrance of someone who loved nature. Watch for the new trees when they are planted! Many thanks to Connie for her expression of love and remembrance for our Church. May God Grant His Servant, Connie Ziacan, Many Years Please continue to remember little Alexandra FitzPatrick in your prayers as she continues to struggle with her illness. PLEASE NOTE: OUR 25 TH CONSECRATION CELEBRATION WILL TAKE PLACE SATURDAY, OC- TOBER 31, 2009! PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS. VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED FOR MANY POSITONS. PLEASE SEE CO-CHAIRS: MICHELLE VIDOVICH OR STAN MOJSICH. Any mistakes, omissions or oversights are not intentional. If you have an event which should be included, please call Popadija Mary Anne Radmila Bjelopetrovich Fell Asleep in the Lord on Feb. 17, Rada came to the U.S. thirty years ago with her husband. Rada had endured poor health for many years. She had hip problems and during the last 4 years had been hospitalized every 2 to 3 months. She was a strong willed woman who lived on her own till the end. Rada s daughter, Branka, lived across the street. Branka checked on her Mother daily to assist her in any way she could. Radmila passed away peacefully while sleeping in her own home. Our deepest sympathies to her daughter, Branka Popeskovich, her son, Nikola Bjelopetrovich (lives in Belgrade, Serbia), her brother, Svetomir Kosanovic, her sister, Milica Domanovich and all their families. May Ramila Bjelopetrovich s Memory Be Eternal Helen Lazich Fell Asleep in the Lord on Feb. 17, Many of us might remember her as a member of the Circle of Serbian Sisters (KSS). Helen spent her lift dedicated to others. She was a Nurse for 45 years. Many of those years were spent in the recovery room at Sutter General Hospital. It was from lifting a patient that she sustained a slight back injury which eventually led to 5 back surgeries. When daughter, Ruth gave birth to a long awaited grandchild, Tyler, Helen was ready to give of herself again. She turned her kitchen into a cooking school for Tyler; they shared tea time together with the special tea set she purchased just for his use; and she became his biggest champion in everything he attempted. In Helen s last years, she had the onset of dementia. Eventually, her back surgeries led to her being bed ridden. Helen was Chrismated to the Orthodox Faith when she married her husband, Radovan (deceased). She wore her cross with pride her entire life as she embraced the Orthodox Faith and the Serbian traditions of her husband. We extend our deepest sympathies to Helen s daughter, Ruth Quinn, son-in-law, Bill and grandson, Tyler. May Helen Lazich s Memory Be Eternal BECOME A SHEPHERD SPONSOR FOR 2009 Please consider becoming a Shepherd Sponsor. For$ 25 you will become a bronze Sponsor, for $ 50 a Silver Sponsor an for $ a gold Sponsor. Your name or the name of a loved one will be listed. You could advertise your business thru our SHEPHERD SHEPHERD SPONSOR for 2009 GOLD SPNOSORSHIP In memory of my Brother Emil Evasovic by Mike Evasovic SHEPHERD SPONSOR for 2009 SILVER SPNOSORSHIP Nezaboravnom unuci Nini Bjelopetrovic od Babe Rade Bjelopetrovic

22 ANNUAL DIOCESAN MEETING FEB. 13 & 14, 2009 ST. PETKA -- SAN MARCOS, CA For those of us who have never been to visit our sister parish in San Marcos, may I suggest a vacation destination for you? As Fr. William, Pres. Miroslav & I approached the stop light at the top of Knob Hill and our eyes turned to the left, we witnessed a breath-taking sight. St. Petka Church rose in all its glory and seemed to float on top of the air! A grapevine orchard, a parish hall, the glorious church and the parish home are a wonderful complex. The view itself told us we would have a fruitful gathering of the faithful. Vladika Maxim, Bishop of Western America (our Diocese) personally greeted each person as they arrived on Thursday. Thursday was devoted to a Clergy Seminar, KSS Annual Meeting, Vespers, Dinner and Diocesan Council Meeting. Friday and Saturday were the official days of the Diocesan Annual Meeting. The service of the Invocation of the Holy Spirit began promptly at 9 a.m. Afterwards, a delicious breakfast prepared by the ladies of St. Petka was shared by all. The assembly of 33 Delegates and 12 Priests was then opened with a prayer led by Vladika Maxim. A Keynote Address was presented by Fr. Paul Tarazi, Th.D. Fr. Paul is Professor of Old Testament at St. Vladimir s Seminary in New York. His topic was: The Church Community in the New Testament. His entire presentation is available on our Diocesan website He also offered everyone to visit where he has produced a series of Talks on the books of the Bible. Bishop Maxim s report may also be found on the Diocesan website. He concluded his report with a word of encouragement for each of us. In everything that we do in the Church, and more particularly in a Parish, we should be aware that it s a gift from above and never an achievement of our own hands within history. Brian Gerich, Treas. Of Diocesan Council reported our deficit has now risen to $ 95,000. Each parish will receive their assessment for 2009 during the latter part of April. Everyone is trying to watch expenses. The entire report may be found on the Diocesan website. Ron Radakovich, Pres. Of the Diocesan Council reminded us that this will be the first increase in our assessment amount in the last 20 years! Three new Diocesan Council members were nominated and voted on by the Assembly. Their terms will be for 3 years and they may be extended for an additional 3 year term. The 3 new members are: Ron Vusevich, Chris Niksevich and Popadija Mary Anne Plefka-Weir. Fr. Bratislav Krsic, San Diego, is Chair of the Department of Christian Education. For our second Oratorical Festival the theme was LIFE and SALVATION: Why Being Orthodox in Today s World is Crucial! Three of best orators from the 2008 contest spoke to the gathering Friday evening. Fr. Stephen Tumbas, Jackson, Director General of St. Sava Children s Camp encouraged everyone to become a Friend of St. Sava Camp steward. Costs are rising as are needed repairs to the camp. Flyers are available for pickup at our Church Bookstore or on the bulletin board for review. Our Diocesan Radio Program will be converted over to internet programming shortly. The 2010 Annual Diocesan Meeting will be held in Las Vegas, NV at St. Simeon Church, Fr. Uros Todorovic. Miscellaneous items: Unification within the Serbian Orthodox Diocese is close to resolution. All are asked to continue to pray for our reunification. The Sobor will decide all. A Resolution may come by May, Fr. Petar Jovanovic, St. Sava, San Gabriel 100 th Anniversary Oct., Fr. Blasko Paraklis reported that on Saturday, Dec. 27 th, the Serbian Community in Boise, ID, received for the first-time its Bishop (Bishop Maxim) and had the Liturgical celebration in the Serbian language. Many tears of joy were shed. Sretenje Monastery Please visit the Diocesan website to view updates and a wish list of needs. Hieromonk Hilarion from St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood in Platina was ordained to the Holy Priesthood during the Divine Liturgy on Saturday. AXIOS! Fr. Hilarion! His earthly daughter, the Nun Elena (from St. Paisius Monastery in Safford, AZ) was in attendance at his ordination. The meeting ended with Prayer just as we began. Respectfully Submitted, Popadija Mary Anne Plefka-Weir 2009 Representative to the Annual Diocesan Meeting Entire notebook of reports presented at the Annual Diocesan Meeting can be found at:

23 GLOOMY CROSS??? There are some who think because we depict Christ on the Cross, crucified, that there is a gloominess about our precious Orthodox Christian faith that must be overcome by the glorious Resurrection. There is nothing gloomy about what our sins did to our Saviour. The Cross emphasizes to us how far we stray from the Source of Good and our salvation. The price paid by Christ for our rebellion against God is enormous. And we must be continually reminded of it. Our Church never speaks of the Cross without reminding us of the subsequent event, that of His victory over death. We are also reminded that victory includes us if we are faithful in our commitment to the Lord. St. Paul teaches us, "If Christ be not risen, then our faith is in vain." 1 Corinthians 15:14 The Resurrection of our Lord surely put the sign and seal of our Heavenly Father on the divinity of our Saviour. If we have died in our sins with Him. we shall also rise with Him. We must die to temptation and to sin if we are to live with Him, if we are to rise with Him. At the end of our lives, our cross will be bare, will be empty as was His. Now we need to recognize that cross in our lives and to embrace it as readily as He did His. We must unite our suffer-ings with His! Our Lord came right out and said, "Take un your cross and follow me;" Matthew 10:21. As believers, we must know the cross will lead us to the same victory as it did Christ. So, the Cross is not a sign of gloom, except for non-believers. For us it is an emblem of our individual worth and dignity in the sight of our Creator. He endured the suffering of the Cross to save us! Having endured the passion for us, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy, have mercy; have mercy on us DATO OD BOGA SAMO PRAVOSLAVNOJ CRKVI Obred silaska Svetog Plamena u Jerusalimu. Ovaj obred se de{ava u Pravoslavnoj crkvi Hristovog Vasksenja u Jerusalimu na takav na~in da zadivljuje I prepora a du{e hri{}ana. Na veliku Subotu u podne Pravoslavni Patrijarh ili neki drugi Pravoslavni Episkop ulazi u Hristov grob, govori specijalne motive I ~eka. Nekada je ~ekanje du`e a nekada kra}e. Narod u tamnoj crkvi ponavlja stalno naglas Gospode pomiluj. U odre eno vreme Sveti Plamen zasvetli iz dubine svetinje na nadprirodan na~in I pali malo kandilo sa maslinovim uljem ispred Hristovog groba. Partijarh ili Episkop posle ~itanja odre enih molitvi pali dva rukovata od 33 sve}e koje dr`i I po~inje da deli sveti plamen mnogobrojnim hodo~asnicima koji je primaju sa neopisivom emocijom, propra}eni zvonima ushi}eni I puni odu{evljenja. Sveti Plamen ne dolazi samo od Episkopa ve} od samog sebe. Izlaze}I iz Hristovog Groba svetlost je potpuno razli~ita od obi~nog plamena. Svetluca i obasjava kao munja, i oble}e kao golub oko svetog prestola i pali kandilo ispred njega. Plamen ska~e sa jedne strane crkve na drugu. Ulazi u neke od kapela u crkvi kao na primer u kapelu Raspe}a Hristovog i pali kandila. Tako e pali sve}e nekima od hodo~asnika. Ustvari postoje neki vrlo pobo`ni hodo~asnici kojima se ovo doga a svaki put kada prisustvuju ovom obredu, {to zna~i njihove sve} e se pale same od sebe. Ovaj plamen tako e predstavlja ~udo jer ne

24 prestano gori a nikoga ne ope~e. Kada se pojavi ako dotakne lice, usta ili ruku ne}e ope}i. Ovo je sam dokaz Bo`anskog I nadprirodnog porekla. Moramo razumeti da ovaj sveti plame se pojavljuje samo pri prizivu Pravoslavnog Episkopa. Svaki put kada nepravoslavni episkop vr{i obred ni{ta se ne dogodi. Jednom su Armejci paltili Turcima koji su tada vladali Sv. Zemljom da im dozvole da njihov Episkop u e u Hristov Gob. Pravoslavni Patrijarh je stajao `alostan sa svojom pastvom na izlazu crkve blizu levog stuba, kad je sveti plamen razdelio ovaj stub vertikalno i zasijao blizu Pravoslavnog Patrijarha. Musliman Mujazin zvani Tonom, koji vide ovo ~udo sa minareta ostavi odjednom islamsku religiju I posta Pravoslavni Hri{}anin. Ovo se dogodilo 1549 godine kada je vladao sultan Murat IV a Patrijarh Jerusalimski tada be {e Sofronije II. Pomenuti razdeljeni stub jo{ uvek postoji od 12 veka. Pravoslavni hodo~asnici se poklone pred ovim stubom pre nego {to u u u crkvu. Pojava Svetog Plamena je doga aj koji se ponavlja svake godine pred o~ima hiljade i hiljade svedoka. Niko nemo`e da porekne ovo. Naprotiv ovo ~udo mo`e da oja~a one sa slabom verom. Postoje vrlo dirljivi skora{nji doga aji, koji su se dogodili nekima od Jevreja koji su poverovali u Hrista posle vi enja ovog svetog plamena I koji javno govore svojima: Za{to jo{ uvek ~ekate Mesiju? Mesija je zaista ve} do {ao If you would like to be the sponsor of the next issue of the SHEPERD, Please let us know 7777 Sunset Avenue Fair Oaks, California NONPROFIT ORG. US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 576 FAIR OAKS, CA