P A S T I R. September 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 September 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 After hearing a certain sermon a parishioner asked, "What were you mad about? My response was, "What you heard was not the voice of anger but the voice of pain and frustration, the voice of a person, (because Priests are persons too, you know) crying out to his people and asking... "Is anybody there?" An inspirational message from Ephesians (4:12-17) teaches that each of us is given a special gift with which to fulfill our discipleship. Priests are often explicit regarding the manner through which we can fulfill our function. You may be tired of hearing them but they bear repeating, active, not passive, involved, committed, dedicated. St. Luke shows that even Jesus displayed frustration when, after having healed ten lepers, only one returned and he was a heretic. (17:12-19) Jesus expressed His frustration not to the nine that didn't come back. They weren't there to hear Him. Many of you complain, "We're in church. Why is Father yelling at us?" When Under such circumstances your Pastor complains about unfulfilled ministries, his soul cries out to he is not innovating anymore but there are times when he realizes that yours in agony because he has been simply renewing programs that have called upon to lead you on the path of salvation. From time to time he feels that he really surges forward on that path with programs, ideas and innovations but when he looks back, the "Faith ful" are not there. So he goes back down the trail to pick up his flock and start all over again with study programs, inter-orthodox programs, inter-church programs, a program for the poor, a program to educate those who need education, a program to uplift his own parishioners spiritually, a program to bring the youth into closer fellowship with Christ and His Body and once again he surges down that road encouraged by you. You say, "Yeah Father... go get em... that's great... that's a terrific idea." But a mile or two down the road of salvation He looks back again and there isn't anybody there. So he must turn around, go back, pick up and start again because he remembers that the last challenge Jesus gave to Peter was, "Feed my lambs. Feed my sheep." (John 21:15). And because he loves Him, your Pastor cannot allow even one to go astray in good conscience. never really been tried and tested. Now lest you think I'm copping a plea by saying that priests are persons too, let me point to the great prophet, St. Elias, who called upon the name of the Lord and said, in effect, "That's enough! I've had it!" "For the people of Israel have torn down thy altars and slain thy prophets and they seek my life to take it away." (I Kings, 19). That great and noble prophet who constantly heard the voice of God so clearly and knew that he was a tool in God's hand literally begged our Heavenly Father to end his life. Why? Because the people whom he loved the most, to whom God had sent him to minister and to prophecy just frustrated the heck out of him! The Church is suffering from the agonies of losing Priests to the illness of frustration and disappointment. When you read that Priests have been released from the diocese or are taking leaves of absence, have you wondered why? It's often because these men are so frustrated that they can't stand the pain of being disappointed by the people whom they love and to whom they have been sent to minister. Priests are persons too... and Priests need to be responded to, not just cheered on. If you believe that you are really Christians, then you have got to take your personal ministry much more seriously. The hungry need you. The poor need you. The illiterate need you. The Orthodox Community and YOUR PARISH need you. We watch T.V. ministry programs quite frequently and we see a certain preacher whose biggest problem is in creasing the number of His donors from 40,000, which he had in 2000, to 100,000 which he hopes to achieve in He doesn't seem to have to worry about "mundane things." He has professionals to worry about these. Well in your church there is usually one worrier and that's your Priest. He tries to get the rest of you to be concerned with him and when he sees little or no response he gets frustrated, and when he is frustrated he feels pain and when he feels pain he sometimes cries out in what is in terpreted as anger. Beloved, your Priest undoubtedly loves you very much. You are a good people but unfortunately, like the rest of society, too many of you are just too darn lazy for your own good. And it's about time you faced up to that fact honestly and realistically. We have a handful of good people doing all of the work that needs to be done in our parishes. Well that's painful and discouraging and if you don't think that we have reason to be frustrated, then read the Gospels and the book of Kings, and you will know that I am not alone in my frustration and in my agony. Yet we persevere because we love Christ Who loves you. Fr. Dane. 4

3 Moja draga deco duhovna Posle jedne sve {teni~ke propovedi, parohijanin zapita sve{tenika Za{to ste bili ljuti Odgovor je bio, glas koji ste ~uli nije bio glas ljutnje nego glas bola I razo~arenja, glas osobe, (Sve{tenici su ljudska bi}a, dali znate) vapaj prema njegovom narodu uz pitanje. ima li koga da ~uje? Nadahnuta poruka u poslanici Efescima (4:12-17) u~i nas da svakom od nas je dat poseban dar koji trebamo upotrebiti kao Hristovi sledbenici. Sve{tenici potenciraju na ovome kako bi smo ispunili na{ zadatak. Mo`da ste umorni da stalno slu{ate ove re~, budite aktivni ne pasivni, ukljucite se, obave`ite se, posvetite se. Jevan elje Sv. Luke nam ukazuje da je ~ak i Isus Hristos bio ljut kad je izle~io deset gubavih, jer se samo jedan od njih vratio da se zahvali. A on je bio nevernik (17:12-19). Isus nije pokazao Svoje razo~arenje prema devetorici koji se nisu vratili jer oni nisu bili tu da Ga ~uju. Mnogi od vas kompleniraju, mi smo u crkvi. Za{to svetenik vi~e na nas? Mi smo tu on treba da ka`e onima koji nisu tu. Kad sve{tenik govori {ta treba da ~inite on vas moli i podsti~e {ta vam je du`nost jer je on odgovoran da vas vodi putem spasenja. S vremena na vreme sve{tenik misli da ide napred sa programima, idejama i potrebnim novinama ali kad pogleda iza sebe, Vernici nisu to da ga prate. Onda se on opet vra}a na put, da ponovo pokupi stado i po~ne sve ponovo iz po~etka. Sa stalnim programima, u~enje o Pravoslavlju, crkvenim programima, duhovno obrazovanje parohijana, kako bi duhovno o`iveli, program za decu i omladinu kako bi ih pribli`ili Hristu i Njegovom Telu. Po ko zna koji put on vas poziva na pravi put. A {ta vi ka`ete na to: Odli~no o~e privedite ih to je va{a duznost.. to je odli~no.to je odli~na ideja.!! Milju ili dve na ovom putu sve {tenik se okrene a ono opet ista slika nikoga nema. I ponovo on se okre}e i po~inje sve iz po~etka se}aju}i se Hristovih re~i upu}ene Petru pasi ovce moje. Pasi jaganjce moje (Jn. 21:15). A po{to va{ sve{tenik voli Hrista on nemo`e dozvoliti ni jednoj ovci da se izgubi. Pod ovakvim okolnostima sve 5 {tenik uvi a da on ne uvodi novine nego samo obnavlja programe koji nisu isprobani. Sada razumete za{to se ka`e da su i sve{tenici ljuska bi}a. Setite se Svetog Proroka Ilije kada je prizvao ime Gospodnje i rekao: Ovo je previ {e, dosta mi je Jer je narod Izrailjski poru{io oltare i poklao proroke a sada tra`e i moj `ivot (1 Car. 19). Ovaj dobri prorok koji je stalno ~uo glas Gospodnji i koji je znao da je instrument Bo`ji molio je Gospoda da uzma njegov `ivot. Za{to! Zato {to narod koji on voli i kome je poslat od Bopga da ih u~i ne slu{a njegove re~i. Crkva gubi sve{tenike zbog bolesti, razo~arenja i ljutnje. Kad pro~itate ili ~ujete da svetenik odlazi iz Eparhije ili parohije na neko vreme ili zauvek da li ste se zapitali za{to? Naj~e {}e je zbog razo~arenja i bola, zbog naroda koga voli i poku{ava da void pravim putem. Sve{tenici su ljudi od krvi i mesa i treba im va{a saradnja a ne samo re~i podr`avanja. Ako verujete da ste Hri{}ani onda uzmite u obzir ozbiljnije svoj zadatak. Gladni vas trebaju, siroma{ni vas trebaju. Pravoslavna vera va{a vas treba kao i va{a parohijska crkva. Ako gledate televizijski program protestantskih stanica, vide}ete da neki sve{tenici njihovi imaju najve}i problem kako da pove}aju broj donatora od dolara na dolara za odre}enu godinu. On ne treba da misli na ni{ta drugo. On ima pomo}nike profesionalce koji brinu o svemu. Na{a crkva ~esto ima jednu osobu koja brine o tome a to je sve{tenik. On poku{ava da i vas uklu~i a kada to ne ide onda je on o~ajan, a kad je o~ajan kad je u bolu i kad to ispolji to se protuma~i kao ljutnja i bes. Bra}o i sestre va{ sve{tenik vas nesumnjivo mnogo voli. Vi ste dobar narod ali na `alost, kao {to je i ostalo dru{tvo u kome `ivimo, mnogi od vas su postali lenjivci za va{e dobro. I ve} je vreme da se suo~ite iskreno sa istinom i stvrano{}u. Mi imamo mali broj dobrih I vernih ljudi koji rade sve {to je potrebno u parohiji da se uradi. Ovo je bolno i obeshrabruju}e a ako mislite da mi nemamo razlog da budemo razo~arani, onda ~itajte Eevan elje i knjigu Careva iz Svetog Pisma i vide} ete da ja nisam jedini u mom razo~arenju i u mojoj agoniji. Ali mi izdrzavamo sve ovo zato {to mi volimo Hrista, koji vas voli. Protojerej-stavrofor Dane Popovic 6.

4 The Holy Virgin Mary was born of aged parents, Joachim and Anna. Her father was of the lineage of David, and her mother of the lineage of Aaron. Thus, she was of royal birth by her father, and of priestly birth by her mother. In this, she foreshadowed Him Who would be born other as King and High Priest. Her parents were quite old and had no children. Because of this they were ashamed before men and humble before God. In their humility they prayed to God with tears, to bring them joy in their old age by giving them a child, as He had once given joy to the aged Abraham and his wife Sarah by giving them Isaac. The Almighty and All-seeing God rewarded them with a JOY that surpassed all their expectations and all their most beautiful dreams. For He gave them not just a daughter, but the Mother of God. He illumined them not only with temporal joy, but with eternal joy as well. God gave them just one daughter, and she would later give them just one grandson. What a daughter and what a Grandson! Mary, Full of grace, Blessed among women, the Temple of the Holy Spirit, the Altar of the Living God, the Table of the Heavenly Bread, the Ark of God's Holiness, the Free of the Sweetest Fruit, the Glory of the race of man, the Praise of womanhood, the Fount of virginity and purity this was the daughter given by God to Joachim and Anna. She was born in Nazareth, and at the age of three, was taken to the Temple in Jerusalem. In her young womanhood she returned again to Nazareth, and shortly thereafter heard the Annunciation of the Holy Archangel Gabriel concerning the birth of the Son of God, the Savior of the world, from her most-pure virgin body. Irod antipa, sin starog Iroda, ubice mladenaca Vitlejemskih u vreme ro enja Gospoda Isusa, be{e gopspodar Galileje u vreme propovedi Jovana Krstitelja. Be{e taj Irod `enjen }erkom nekoga arabskok kneza Arete. No Irod, ali izdanak od zloga kortena, otera svoju zakonitu `enu i nezakonito uze sebi za so`itelnicu Irodijadu, `enu svoga brata Filipa, koji be{e jo{ u `ivotu. Protiv ovog bezakonja usta Jovan Krstitelj i silno izobli~i Iroda. Irod ga baci u tamnicu. Za vreme jednoga pira u svom dvoru u Sevastiji Galilejskoj igra{e pred gostima Solomija, }erka Irodijadina i Filipova. I pijani Irod,zanesene tom igrom, obe}a igra~ici dati {ta god bude od njega iskala, ma to bilo i polovina carstva. Nagovorena od svoje majke Solomije zaiska glavu Jovana Krstitelja. Irod naredi te Jovana poseko {e u tamnici i done{e glavu njegovu na tanjiru. U~enici Jovanovi no}u uze{e telo svoga u~itelja i ~asno sahrani{e, a Irodijada izbode iglom jezik Jovanov, pa glavu zakopa na neko ne~isto mesto. [ta je dalje bilo s glavom Jovanovom mo`e se ~itati po 24. febriarom. Ali ubro posti`e Bo`ja kazna ovu grupu zlotvora. Knez Areta, da opera ~ast svoje }erke, udari s vojskom na Iroda i potu~e ga do noge. Pora`eni Irod bi osu en od kesara rimskog Kaligule na progonstvop najpre u galiju a po tom u [paniju. Kao izgnanci Irod i Irodijada `ive{e u bedi i poni`enju, dok se zemlja ne otvori i ne proguta ih. A Salomija pogibe zlom smr}u na reci Sikorisu (Suli). Smrt Sv. Jovana dogodila se pred Pashu, a praznovanje 29. avgusta ustanovljeno je zbog toga {to je toga dana osve}ena crkva, koju podigo{e na grobu njegovom u Sevastiji car Konstantin i carica Jelena. U tu crkvu polo`ene su i mo{ti U~enika Jovanovih: Jeliseja i Avdije. A Hindu published an article some time ago in a native magazine and urged that Christianity be adopted as the Religion of India, because as he said, it is the cheapest religion in the world. "I know what I'm talking about," he wrote, "here in this country we give all for our religion and often keep From Strength for the Day by Earl L. Duglass ourselves poor in doing so. But I have been to America and I know that there are millions of pro- 7. fessing Christians in that land who spend more for gasoline than they do for God, more for their own personal plea-sure than they do for the advancement of the faith they profess." It is an alarming indictment of our religious sincerity when so-called heathens can point derisively at our faith and say, "That's the cheapest religion in the world, and who wants anything cheap?".... Saying "Savin' Amen 'Amen' is is like like pressing pressing the tho 'SEND' button for your prayers." SEND button for your prayers. 8 Hope you don t mind if I sit, cause I "UOPE skinned YOU PONY my MINP knees IF today I SIT, 'CAUSE 16KINNEP MY KNEESTOTOY.".

5 THE BEHEADING OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST September 11 Herod Antipas, son of the elder Herod, who was the slayer of the children of Bethlehem at the time of the birth of the Lord Jesus, was ruler of Galilee at the time when John the Baptist was preaching. This Herod was married to the daughter of Aretas, an Arabian prince. But Herod, an evil sprout of an evil root, put away his lawful wife and unlawfully took unto himself Herodias as his concubine, the wife of his brother Philip, who was still living. John the Baptist stood up against this lawlessness and strongly denounced Herod who then cast John into prison. At the time of a banquet in his court in Sebastia in Galilee Salome, the daughter of Herodias and Philip, danced before the guests. The drunken Herod was so taken by this dance that he promised Salome that he would give her whatever she asked of him, even though it be half of his kingdom. Being persuaded by her mother, Salome asked for the head of John the Baptist. Herod gave the order and John was beheaded in prison and his head brought to him on a platter. John's disciples took the body of their teacher by night and honorably buried it and Herodias pierced the tongue of John with a needle in many places and buried the head in an unclean place. What later happened to John the Baptist's head can be read on February 24. However, God's punishment quickly befell this group of evil doers. Prince Aretas, in order to cleanse his daughter's honor, attacked Herod with his army and defeated him. The defeated Herod was sentenced by the Roman Caesar, Caligula, to exile at first to Gaul and later to Spain. As exiles, Herod and Herodias lived in poverty and humiliation until the earth opened up and swallowed them. Salome died an evil death on the Sikaris (Sula) river. The death of St. John occurred before the Pascha [Passover] but its celebration on August 29 was established because, on that day, a church which had been built over his grave in Sebastia by Emperor Constantine and Empress Helena was consecrated. In this church the relics of John's disciples, Eliseus and Audius, were also placed.. 9 USEKOVANJE GLAVA SV. JOVANA Septembar 11. Irod antipa, sin starog Iroda, ubice mladenaca Vitlejemskih u vreme ro enja Gospoda Isusa, be{e gopspodar Galileje u vreme propovedi Jovana Krstitelja. Be{e taj Irod `enjen } erkom nekoga arabskok kneza Arete. No Irod, ali izdanak od zloga kortena, otera svoju zakonitu `enu i nezakonito uze sebi za so`itelnicu Irodijadu, `enu svoga brata Filipa, koji be{e jo{ u `ivotu. Protiv ovog bezakonja usta Jovan Krstitelj i silno izobli~i Iroda. Irod ga baci u tamnicu. Za vreme jednoga pira u svom dvoru u Sevastiji Galilejskoj igra{e pred gostima Solomija, }erka Irodijadina i Filipova. I pijani Irod,zanesene tom igrom, obe}a igra~ici dati {ta god bude od njega iskala, ma to bilo i polovina carstva. Nagovorena od svoje majke Solomije zaiska glavu Jovana Krstitelja. Irod naredi te Jovana poseko{e u tamnici i done{e glavu njegovu na tanjiru. U~enici Jovanovi no}u uze{e telo svoga u~itelja i ~asno sahrani{e, a Irodijada izbode iglom jezik Jovanov, pa glavu zakopa na neko ne~isto mesto. [ta je dalje bilo s glavom Jovanovom mo`e se ~itati po 24. febriarom. Ali ubro posti`e Bo`ja kazna ovu grupu zlotvora. Knez Areta, da opera ~ast svoje }erke, udari s vojskom na Iroda i potu~e ga do noge. Pora`eni Irod bi osu en od kesara rimskog Kaligule na progonstvop najpre u galiju a po tom u [paniju. Kao izgnanci Irod i Irodijada `ive{e u bedi i poni`enju, dok se zemlja ne otvori i ne proguta ih. A Salomija pogibe zlom smr} u na reci Sikorisu (Suli). Smrt Sv. Jovana dogodila se pred Pashu, a praznovanje 29. avgusta ustanovljeno je zbog toga {to je toga dana osve}ena crkva, koju podigo{e na grobu njegovom u Sevastiji car Konstantin i carica Jelena. U tu crkvu polo`ene su i mo{ti U~enika Jovanovih: Jeliseja i Avdije

6 SEKTA[KE ZABLUDE SA PRAVOSLAVNOG GLEDI[TA - Dr, Lazar Milin PITANJE O SUBOTI, NEDELJI I OSTALIM PRAZNICIMA HRISTOS REFORMATOR SUBOTE NASTAVAK To je taj subotni mir, ili po~ivanje kako prevodi Vuk, ili subotni odmor kako pravedni Dimitrije Stefanovi}. No ni u jednom prevodu taj izraz ne ozna~ava prazni~ni dankalendarske subote, nego obe}anje da Judeje ~eka umirenje u Hristu koji je mir na{ ili subota na{a. KOJI JE DAN SEDMI Evo jo{ jedne subotarske zamke. Mnogi njihovi propovednici da bi dokazali da je subota sedmi dan pozivaju se na nazive pojedinih sedmi~nih dana u srpskom jeziku. Dokaz je u ovome: Srednji dan sedmice zove se Sreda. On mo`e biti sreda, jst sredina sedmice, tek tada ako ispred njega I iza njega stoje po tri dana. Ispred njega su: nedelja ponedeljak I utorak. Iza njega su ~etvrtak, petak I subota. Dakle, subota je sedmi dan, a prema Bo`jim zapovestima sedmi dan valja praznovati. Ovo je samo igra re~i, ali ne naivna, smi{ljena radi {ale I zabavljanja, nego radi zbunjivanja neve{tog slu {aoca I ~itaoca. U stvari, svaki dan mo`e biti sedmi. Zavisi od toga koji } emo dan uzeti za po~etak brojanja. Ako po~nemo brojati od subote, onda }e petak biti sedmi dan. A ako po~nemo brojanje od ponedeljka, onda je nedelja sedmi dan. Starozavetno brojanje po~injalo je sa nedeljom a zavr{avalo se subotom kao sedmi danom. Taj na~in brojanja primili smo od Jevreja I Grci pa se u njihovoj sedmici ponedeljak zove drtugi dan. Me utim u slovenskim nazivima dana vi {e je primetan hri{}anski, novozavetni naziv za dane. Mi imamo dane utorak, {to zna~i drugi dan, zatim ~etvrtak {to o~igledno zna~i ~etvrti dan. Petak isto tako o~igledno zna~i peti dan sedmice. Prema tome subota bi bila {esti, a nedelja sedmi dan. Ako nedelja nije sedmi dan, onda ni petak nije peti, ni ~etvrtak ~etvrti. Danas je u praksi uglavnom to dvojako brojanje dana. Neki civilni kalendari re aju sedmi~ne dane po jevrejskom na~inu: po~ev{i od nedelje a zavr{avaju sa subotom, a drugi po~inju od ponedeljka pa zavr{avaju sa nedeljom kao sedmim danom. Liturgi~ke knjige Pravoslavne Crkve imaju tako e oba na~ina ra~unanja. Cvetni triod, ili Pentikostar po~inje od Uskrsa pa prema tome od nedelje, a zavr{ava sedmicu subotom. Oktoih je zapravo produ`enje Pentikostara pa I on tako broji. Me utim Posni Triod - od sirne sedmice - po~inje brojanje sedmi~nih dana sa ponedel jkom a zavr{ava sa nedeljom. Prema tome, dokazivati obaveznost subote na osnovu toga {to se jedan dan u sedmici srpskim jezikom zove sreda zna~i sra~unato zbunjivanje neve{tih slu{alaca. Ako je sreda srednji dan sedmice, I petak je peti! ZBIR ^INJENICE Posle ovog duga~kog razgovora sa subotarima o va`nosti subote I nedelje, saberimo ukratko ~injenice koje su presudne. 1) Bog je u ~etvrtoj zapovesti Dekaloga ustanovio sedmicu, a hne desetku ili peticu za rad I odmor (2.Mojs. 20:8-10) 2). Razlog I osnov za ustanovu sedmice jeste {estodnevni period stvaranja svet I ~oveka (2. Mojs.20:11). 3). Svih deset zapovesti date su na Sinaju neposredno Izrailjskom narodu (2. Mojs.20:2), a ostale ljude one obavezuju utoliko ukoliko so one izraz prirodnog moralanog zakona koji senalazi u du{i svakog ~oveka I deluje kroz savest. 4). U tom prirodnom moralnom zakonu sadr`i se misao da treba Boga po{tovati I posvetiti mu izvesno vreme za molitvu, ali koji dan treba posvetiti, to u prorodnom moralnom zakonu ne pi{e. To je stvar obreda, a ne morala. 5). Tu prazninu Bog je popunio otkrivenim moralnim zakonom datim u deset Bo`jih zapovesti time, {to je odredio da taj dan bude subota, a ne ponedeljak. Osim toga naredio je I praznovanje drugih praznika (3. Mojs. 23:1-44). Na taj na~in u ~etvrtoj zapovesti su spojeni moralnim I obredni zakon. 6). Subota je data izri~ito Jevrejskom narodu da bude znak izme u Boga I Izrailja (2. Mojs. 31:13) I da ga podse}a, kao ipasha, na oslobo enje iz ropstva misionarskog (5. Mojs.5:15), 7). Prema tekstu Biblije, Adamu u raju nije data nikakva druga zapovest osim one da ne jede ploda od drveta poznavanja dobra I la, da ne bi izgubio bla`eni `ivot (1. Mojs.2:16-17). 8). Biblija ni{ta ne ka`e da li je Adam delio dane na radne I neradne. Za njega je ~itav taj period bla`enog stanja bio praznik. 9) Biblija nas ne primorava da dane stvaranja shvatimo u bukvalnom kalenmdarskom smislu re~i, da je Bog po~eo stvaranje u nedelju, zavr{io u petak, a odmarao se u subotu. 10) Bo`ji odmr ne samo da ne moramo, nego I ne mo`emo shvatiti bukvalno a da se time ne sukobimo ne samo sa zdravim razumom, nego I sa samom Biblijom koja ne navodi ni po~etak ni svr{etak sedmog dana kao {to navodi za prethodne izrasom I bi ve~e I bi jutro. Biblija ka`e izri~ito da se Bog ne umara (Is.40:28), I da stalno radi (Jn.5:17). 11) Mojsije je opis stvaranje sveta napisao tek posle Sinajskog zakonodavstva pa je re~i o posve}enju subote dodao ne zato da bi nam kazao da je Adam prozvao subotu {to on stvarno I ne ka`e - nego da bi ilustrovao

7 obrazlo`enje za{to je Bog u ~etvrtojzapovesti ustanovio sedmicu. 12) Biblija prvi put spominje izri~ito praznovanje subote tek kad je Izrailjski narod iza{ao iz Egipta, kad je u pustinji Sin po~ela da pada mana {est dana, a sedmi preostala, da bi osmog dana opet pala, I tako redom. Tek tada jeb Mojsije po zapovesti Bo`joj obja{njavao narodu kad je subota I {ta je subota (2. Mojs. 16:4-26)), I tek tada Biblija prvi put ka`e: I po~inu narod u sedmi dan (2. Mojs.16:30). Pre toga ona nigde ne spominje subotni odmor. 13).Obredni starozavetni zakon, uklju~uju}i tu sve praznike I subotu, imao je samo pripremni karakter I va`nost do Hrista (Lk.16:16; Gal.3:24). Hristos ga je ispunio I time nas razre{io dalje obaveze prema njemu (Gal. 3:25; Gal.3:13). Subotarska tvrdnja da je Bog ustanovio samo sedmi~nu subotu, a ostale praznike Mojsije, protivna je Bibliji. 14) Subota je u Svetom pismu, kao I svi starozavetni praznici nazvana senkom, to jest ne~im {to je pro{lo (Kol.2:16), kao {to joj je u Starom zavetu prore~eno ukidanje (Os..2:11). 15). U Novom zavettu niko nije ponovio zapovest o praznovanju subote. Hristos ni li~no, ni preko apostola, nije nikoga uputio na praznovanje subote. Suboa se u Novom zavetu spominje samo kao dan u koji Jevreji ne rade izvetne poslove shodno starozavetnom zakonu. 16) Starozavetni proroci su proricali da }e do}i jedan dan u koji }e Gospod uzeti bezakonje te zemlje (Zah.3:9), dan kad }e ljudi, zvati svoje bli`nje pod smokvu I vinovu lozu (Zah.3:10), dan kad }e Gospod izbaviti narod svoj (Zah.9:16), kratko re~eno: dan koji je stvorio Gospod da se radujemo u njemu (Ps.118:24). Te proro~ke re~i su se ispunile u dan vaskrsenja Hristova, dakle u nedelju. 17) Hristos vaskrsava u nedelju I donosi svojim u~enicima I mironosicama neiskazanu radost (Mt. 28:8; Lk.24:41; Jn.20:19). Toga dana je ostvario svoje obe}anje datop apostolima da }e se oni obradovati I da im te radosti niko ne}e oduzeti (Jn.16:20). Taj dan }e biti poseban dan radosti potpune (Jn. 16:24) I plodonosne molitve (Jn.14:20; 16:20-26). U taj sedmi~ni dan I Duh Svet je si {ao na apostole (Del. Ap.2:1) ispuniv{i ih rado{}u I snagom I hrabro{}u. 18). Hri{}ani apostolskog doba skupljaju se na lomljenje hleba u dane vaskrsni, dakle u nedelju (Del. Ap.20:7). 19) U prvi dan sedmice, dakle u nedelju, po hri{}anskim crkvama, skupljani su prilozi za siroma{ne (1 Kor.1:16), dakle sastajali su sev toga dana na prazni~no bogoslu`enje. 20) Apostol Jovan je u dan Gospodnji, dakle u dan vaskrsni, dobio Otkrovenje o budu}nosti Crkve. On taj dan naziva Daanom Gospodnjim a subotu uvek je nazivao samp subotu, pa mo`e da jedanput I praznik jevrejski NASTAVI]E SE For the majority of Orthodox faith-ful, all that remains of the feasts of the Cross is the decorated Cross in the center of the church, and singing "Be-fore Thy Cross...." Feasts simply do not "fit" into the lives of most Ortho-dox Christians, and not only here in America, but in the "old countries" as well. Yet if even those crumbs from the feast are enough for someone to be cut to the heart and to once again or for the first time surrender his heart to the love given on the Cross, then the Cross renews its victory. Where there is feasting with no brokenness of heart then the entire feast, the vigil, the liturgy, the many "Lord have mercies," the incense, the choirs, the special verses, even the beautifully decorated cross itself all are an abomination to the Lord, and all "joy" is a delusion. For all of us who are proud, it is painfully difficult to accept any love that is so freely given. And even more painful is to accept it with only grate-ful thanks without reservation, without protestation of paying back or returning the favor. We can tell how prideful our hearts are, how unbroken in respect to God's love, by the way we react (or recoil) when another person gives us a gift, or shows some special kindness which we can't return. We may be upset, embarrassed, protest. Very often we prefer giving to receiv-ing: giving keeps us in control. Receiv-ing humbles us. We cannot accept the gift because we cannot control it, especially if we cannot give one in return. We don't want it because it obligates us; we may even be annoyed be -cause someone has the gall to think we need something. To admit need, is to admit that we have been hiding behind a huge idol, the idol of self-suffi -ciency. "I am a someone who needs nothing and no one. I can survive and prosper on my own. I don't want any handouts. I never take charity from people or from God." The tragedy is that if we leave the idol intact there can be no real love in our life, only poorly disguised self-serving. God's power of love is made perfect in weakness. "I will all the more gladly boast of my weak

8 nesses," writes St. Paul, "that the power of Christ may rest upon me.... for when I am weak then I am strong." Without this weak-ness, I am not strong even when I am giving, teaching, praying, leading, serving, planning, worshipping, or even suffering for other people, for the Church, or for God. Indeed these all may be ways that I keep control in my own hands. And let's not limit this to individuals. Parishes, deaneries, dio-ceses, and entire churches can and do act in this way as well. To accept the cross of Christ's love is to be willing to surrender this idol, to let go of the need to control, to ac-cept that we are vulnerable. Do you see the idols? Do you want them smashed? Do you accept weak-ness. Will you allow the Lord to be your security and freedom? Do you want your proud heart of stone re -placed with a heart of flesh filled with forgiveness, mercy, justice, com -passion, love? Or do you want to con -tinue being a prisoner of your need to control? Accepting the Cross, allowing the heart to be broken, surrendering to God is never an abstract proposition. What precisely are you willing to surrender? Do you want to accept the Cross? Then ask for, look for, demand from God that he show you your weakness, the secret idols you hide from yourself, which keep you "in control", but prevent you from both accepting love and giving love. And the merciful Lord, "who desires not the death of a sinner, but that he should turn from his ways and live," will surely rejoice in your return home. The Prayer for Stewardship Lord, GOD, source of all gifts, We rejoice in the fullness of YOUR generosity. We thank you for those Whose lives are visible signs of YOUR love and blessings to others. Give us the courage to do the same Make us good Stewards of all We have received, generously sharing our time, abilities and material resources so we may build YOUR kingdom of love and justice We ask this through JESUS CHRIST In whom we begin and end all things. Spremamo se za Godisnji Srpski Festival 10-ti i 11-ti Oktobar Va{a pomo} je potrebna!!! Ako mozete da pomognete molimo vas da se javite Milanu Tici na ili Zlatku Theodorovich Nevenka Kordic na We are preparing for our Annual Serbian Festival October 10th and 11th WE NEED YOUR HELP!!! If you can offer any kind of help Please call Milan Tica at or Zlatku Theodorovich at or

9 Fr. Milos Milovanovic Ka`u da je napoleon rekao: Poka`I mi generale pa }u vam re}i kakva vam je vojska. Prenosimo ove re~i na omladinu: Poka`ite omladinu da bismo znali u kakvom je stanju narod ili pak dru{tvo u celini. Po{to su oni nosioci budu}nosti jedne nacije, razumljivo da je problem vaspitanja dece bio I ostao najva`niji socijalni zadatak. Ovaj problem dobija u zna~aju I te`ini ako se vaspitanici nalaze udaljeni I izdvojeni od sredine kojoj genetski pripadaju. Jer je svaka emigracija osu ena na odumiranje, pa uz borbu za vaspitanje dolazi I borba za o~uvanje identiteta vaspitanika. Zato, pored saznanja porekla, na{a deca treba da nose i neizbrisivi pe~at ponosnog pripadanja svojoj naciji. A po{to su sva velika i ponosna dela na{aga naroda osmi{ljena kroz Crkvu, samo po sebi se razume da to odgajanje I vaspitanje mora biti u duhu pravoslavnog vaspitanja. Sveti Jovan Zlatousti je rekao: Ra} anje dece delo je prirode, ali obrazovanje, vaspitanje, delo je uma I volje. Ako bismo hteli da damo definiciju samog pravoslavnog vaspitanja, moramo se slo`iti da je to, obnavljanje I oblikovanje Obraza Onoga koji ga je stvorio I ~oveka pita ve~nomm bo`anskom svetlo{}u, istinom, lepotom I dobrotom - bo`anskim savr{enstvom. Jer po re~ima Sv. Atanasija Velikog Bog se o~ove~io da bi se ~ovek obo`io. Otuda je ovo uzvo enje ka liku ili podobiju po kome je ~ovek stvoren. S toga je neophodno praviti razliku izme u pravoslavnog Hri{}anskoga vaspitanja I negodovanja ljudskih manira u svetovnom smislu. Dok je sekularizovani smisao vaspitanja zasnovan na pravilima lepog pona {anja I op{tenja u dru{tvu, zna~aj hri{}anskog vaspitanja je daleko uzvi{eniji po svome cilju. Zato jo{ u Starom zavetu nalazimo: Ne raduj se bezbo`nim sinovima; ako nema straha Gospodnjeg u njima, ne veruj `ivotu njihovome (Prem :1-3). A car David, kao poslednji amanet sinu Solomonu, ka`e: Ako uspaze sinovi tvoji na put tvoj, hode}i pred mnom verno, svim srcem svojim I svom du{om svojom, tada ti ne}e nestati ~ovek na prestolu izrailjevu (3.Car.2:4). Car David je bio jedan od izabranika Bo`jih, po svome strahu ipravednosti pred Bogom. Zato on zahteva od svojih potomaka da hode pred njim verno, tj. Da istraju na putevima Gospodnjim, kao {to je on pretrajao. A koliko je tavo delo bogougodno, svedo~i sam Gospod, govore}i o Avramu: Jer znam da } e zapovediti sinovima svojim I domu svojemu nakon sebe (potomstvu) da se dr`e puteva Gospodnjih I da ~ine {to je pravo I dobro (1.Moj. 18:19). I starozavetnog pravednika Jova, Sveto ismo hvali kako zbog toga {to be{e ~ovek dobar I pravedan I boja {e se Boga I uklanja{e od zla (Jov,1:1), tako I zbog njegovog staranja o deci svojoj: I kad bi se obredili gozbom, po{ilja{e Jov I osve}iva{e ih ustaju}i rano prino{a {e `rtve paljenice prema broju svih njih, jer govora{e Jov: mo`e biti da su se ogre{ili sinovi moji i pohulili na Boga u srcu svom. Tako ~inja{e (prino {a{e `rtve za opro{taj grehova) Jov svaki put (Jov 1:5). U Novom zavetu osnovana je crkva Hristova, kao temelj i ~uvarka Istine. Samo kroz svete tajne, ~ovek mo`e zadobiti blagodat Duha Svetyoga, neophodnu za svoj rast U visinu mere rasta Hristova. Sam Gospod je rekao da bi trebalo da bude savr{eni kao {to je savr{en Otac na{ nebeski. Zato je susret izme\u Boga i ~oveka i ostvarenje ve~nih ciljeva ~ovekovog bi}a, ostvaruje i odigrava u tajni Crkve Otuda sveti ap. Pavle, u poslanici Filimonu, {alju}i mu blagodat i mir, {alje i njegovoj doma}oj crkvi (Filim.1:2) - to jest porodici, Jer je porodica crkva u malom. I sam Gospod Isus Hristos po~etak svoje Bo`anske misije, obele`ava posetomporodici u Kani Galilejskoj, gde je bila svadba toga dana. Tamo je u~inio prvo ~udo, daju}i prioritet toj maloj }eliji, u odnosu na hramove i zbornice, gde je kasnije propovedao i ispravljao pogre{na u~enja. U tim malim }elijama velike ko{nice, odvojila se uzvi{ena Bo`anska misija i postavljeni temelji Hri{}- anstvu. Zato se ono i {irilo uprkos svim zabranama i napadima kojima je. 18

10 bilo izlo`eno. Jer je seme palo na plodno tle i donelo strostruki rod. Lepo opisan primer duhovnog `ivota u prvim Hri{}anskim porodicama, ima kod poljskog knji`evnika Henriha Sjenkevi~a u romanu Kvo vadis. On opisije Rim, pun vreve, buke, prevara, i sladoslasnog `ivota. I kao jedine svetiljke u toj tmini, on opisuje hri {}anske porodice, u kojima je sve zra~ilo nekim tihim i ~denim mirom lepote i doma}e sre}e i predanosti Bogu. Kad je rimski plemi} Petronije u{ao u ku}u Aula Plaucija, nije se suzdr`ao da ne ukslikne: Kako se razlikuje svet u kome vi `ivite, od sveta kojim vlada car Neron. Jer je i Aulova usvojenica Ligija, zra~ila nekim sjajem, nekom blagi{}u i vedrinom, koje su poticale upravo iz `ivota kojim je ta porodica `ivela. Najbolji primer zna~aja porodi~nog vaspitanja, daju nam velika svetila na{e Crkve: sv. Apostol Timotej, Sv. Irinej, ep.lionski, Sv. Jerarsi: Vasilije Veliki, Grigorije Bogoslov i Jovan Zlatousti I mnogi drugi koji su zav{ili neznabo`a~ke ili judejske {kole, po{to hri{}anskih u to doba nije bilo. Ali, zahvaljuju}i ku}nom vaspitanju I odgajanju u Hri{}anskoj veri, oni ne samo da su ostali verni hri{}anstvu, ve} su dosegli I najve}e visine hri{}anskog savr{enstva, pa ih je I Gospod proslavio, ostaviv{i ih nama za primer. Nastavice se.. A minister was conducting the funeral of a rather unsavory character who had never been near a place of worship in his life. Though he had not known the man, the preacher poured on the praise for the dearly departed. After 10 minutes of hearing the dead man described in terms of endearment as a husband, father, boss and neighbor, the widow's expression grew more and more puzzled. She nudged her son and ordered, "Go up there and make sure it's your father in that casket." If we were to hear Jesus standing before God the Father describing our lives, we might look puzzled, too. That's because when the blood of Christ is poured over my life and your life, it becomes unrecognizable. God will not see us as sinners; he will only see the love of Jesus overshadowing us. Parish Statistics WEDING: None BAPTISM: August 11, 2009 Stephanie Gorecki daughter of Jacques and Jane Gorecki, Emgland FUNERAL: None PARASTOS: July 24, Slobodanka Petrovic Vjecnaja Pamjat Memory eternal! KRSNA SLAVA; August 2, St. Ilijan ILIJINDAN Peris{a Dmitrovic Family, Slobodan Dmitrovic family, Happy Krsna Slava Sretna Slava! 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 May Luba Karnaookh, Elsie Mrvos, Robert Miller, Silvia Kentera, Danica Ryder Gojkovich, SENIOR CITIZENS MEETING We had no meeting in August. Our next meeting will be September 8, 2009 at l0:30 a.m. A potluck lunch will follow the meeting. Georgina Setencich Stevenson Secretary

11 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 Butyrin 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 Paula 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 Carolyn Metzka 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 Gene Plecas Kevin Pokrajac THE FOLLOWING PARISHIONERS HAVE RETURNED THEIR 2009 STEWARDSHIP COMIMITMENT CARDS 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. 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 Milivoje & Cecilia Stefanovic Milica Marsha Stefanovich Stanislav & Milica Stefanovich Zorka Stijakovic 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 21. S E P T E M B E R 2009 S Sunday Nedelja Nema Sluzbe u nasoj crkvi 6, Septembra Sluzba je u Djeksonu 6 13th Sunday after Pentecost Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m. 13-ta Nedelja po Duhovima Gospel. Matt.21:33-42; Epistle: 1 Cor.16:13-24; 13 14th Sunday after Pentecost Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m. 14-ta Nedelja po Duhovima Gospel. Matt. 22:1-14; I 5:14-19 i 30; Epistle: 2 Cor. 1:21-2:4; Heb.13:7-16; 20 15th Sunday after Pentecost Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m. 15-ta Nedelja po Duhovima Gospel. Jn.3:13-17; Matt.22:35-46; Epistle: 2.Cor. 4:6-15; Gal.6:11-18; 27 11th Sunday after Pentecost Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m. 16-ta Nedelja po Duhovima Gospel. Jn.19:6-11;13-20;25-28;3035; Epistle: 1.Cor. 18:24; Monday Ponedeljak SEPTEMBER 20 3rd Annual Cevapi Cook off 21 Nativity of Virgin Mary MALA GOSPOINA Liturgy at 9:00a.m. Tuesday Utorak Wednesday Sreda No service In our church. DIOCESAN DAY IN JECKSON CROS DAY- Krstovdan Strict Fast Thur ^etv Strict strog Parents Teachers Meeting Father Dane out of town from 1 S R S CHANGING YOUR ADDRESS? - M If you re planning to move, please let us know Ako `elite da se preselite na drugu adresu oba Write to Pi{ite nam na Assumpti 7777 Sunset Ave. Fai

12 rsday etvrtak 3 trict Fastrogi post E P T E M B A R Friday Petak Beheading of John the Bapthist USEKOVANJE Liturgy at 9:00a.m Saturday Subota NO Vespers- Ve~ernje 6:00 p.m. Confession Ispovest Vespers- VE^ERNJE 6:00 p.m. Confession Ispovest Vespers- Ve~ernje m 18 September to 2 October 6:00 p.m. Confession Ispovest September 20 Registration for Sunday school - MENJATE ADRESU now before changing your address. obavestite nas pre nego se preselite. ption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Fair Oaks, Ca Vespers- Ve~ernje 6:00 p.m. Confession Ispovest- - School Registration Sept. 20 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. Septrmber Septembar 6 Reader: Rade Radulovic Gospel. Matt.21:33-42; Epistle: 1 Cor.16:13-24; Septrmber Septembar 13 Reader: Jovan Tica Gospel. Matt. 22:1-14; I 5:14-19 I 30; Epistle: 2 Cor. 1:21-2:4; Heb.13:7-16; Septrmber Septembar 20 Reader: Dimitri Karnaookh Gospel. Jn.3:13-17Matt.22:35-46; Epistle: 2.Cor. 4:6-15; Gal.6:11-18; Septrmber Septembar 27 Reader: Mirjana Susa Gospel. Jn.19:6-11;13-20;25-28;3035; Epistle: 1.Cor. 18:24; October Oktobar 4 Reader: Dusan Radosavljevic Gospel. Matt.19:16-26; Epistle: 1. Cor. 15:1-11; INFORMATION FOR OCTOBER SHEPHERD If anyone has anything they would like to add to the Shepherd, the last day to send information is September 15th. INFORMACIJE ZA OKTOBARSKI PASTIR Ako imate ne{to da bi `eleli da date za mese~ni Pastir, zadnji dan za to je 15 Septembar. Nazovite Protu Dana ili po{aljite po{tom. DONATION FOR JUNE & JULY John Sullivan $ Stevana Ausban $ Vidovdan Donations Easter Donations Vladimir & Liljana Otashevich... $ Milan & Betty Tica $ Stanley & Vesna Mojsich...$ Savo & Bosiljka Petrovic...$ John & Nevenka Kordic $ Milanka Radosavljevic $ Nikola & Zorka Tica.$ Proto & Protinica Popvic.$ Aleksandar & Ruzica Crnogorac $ Dragoljub & Andje Cvjetkovic $ Biserka Delich..$ Zoran & Veliborka Cvjetkovic $ Pete & Elsie Mrvos.$ Stevana Ausban..$ George & Valeria Melnikov... $ Boris & Draginja Petrovich. $ Nada Kosanovic...$ Pavo & Bosiljka Cvjetkovic.$ Velika Pejovich..$ Zorka Stijakovic.$ Angelia Jovanovic.$ Ivan & Tatjana Maksimovich.$ Shepherd Donations Danica Du Bois- July Shepherd IMO my father & mother George & Julia Cuckovich "True American Patriots"...$ Milena Budie.$ th Anniversary Book Ad Fr Bill & Popadija Mary Anne Weir.$ Serbian Orthodox Church St Peter..$ Cultural Center Holy Trinity...$ John Sullivan...$ Vera Richardson..$ Colonel & Caroline Kosovac $ In memory of Anna Plefka John & Nevenka Kordic..$ Robert & Zorka Gojkovich...$ In Memory of my Husband Stevo Mileusnic Ana Mileusnic $ In Memory of Tetak Stevo Mileusnic William & Brigita Perazich $ In Memory of my sister Radmila Pirocanac Stevan & Dusica Pirocanac $ Other Donations Bill & Martha Mamika - Fresco..$ John Sullivan - Sunrise Food Bank $ Pava Djodjevich - cakes...$ 5.00 Emanuela Alisi Lazar...$ 5.0 Donations Siva Perrin..$ 5, Anonymous..$

13 Daniel & Victoria Stojanovich... $ Martha Mihaljcic... $ Patricia Culjak.$ Patricia Culjak.$ Michael & Catherine Tarbat $ Marie Kostich.$ Fr Bill Pj Mary Anne Weir...$ Dimitri & Luba Karnaookh... $ Gary & Donna Jenkins $ David Sokitch.$ George & Valeria Melnikov.. $ Stevana Ausban.. $ Stevana Ausban..$ Timothy & Melissa Culjak..$ Emanuela Alisi Lazar..$ Micheal Melnikov..$ 5.00 Michael Melnikov..$ 5.00 Savings Account Deposit In Memory of Danilo Prodanovich Helen Rodrigue..$ FOR JULY DONATIONS Drazin Dan Donations Backo Svetomir Kosanovic...$ Bosko & Greta Ljubisavljevic..$ Milos & Mileva Radmanovich.$ John & Nevenka Kordic..$ Milan & Betty Tica.. $ Biserka Delich...$ Mirjana Markovic. $ Stanley & Veselinka Mojsich.. $ Lazar & Milojka Saraba $ Nada Kosanovic. $ Ilija Kentera.. $ Todor & Milena Rajak.$ Zorka Stijakovic. $ Bogdanka Babocaic.$ Zagorka Radulovich. $ Jovan Tica..$ Dragan Vidovich.$ Djoko Miconovic.$ Drjordje Aksic... $ Family Tatarak's $ 4.00 Vidovdan Donations John Sullivan..$ Robert Miller..$ Shepherd Donations Martha & Dragan Mihaljcic..$ In memory of Anna Grigoriev by Irene Aiello...$ th Anniversary Book Ad Dimitri & Luba Karnaookh.$ Fr Dane & Pr Milica Popovic..$ Serbian Orthodox Cathedral, Chicago Holy Resurrection..$ Butte MT Holy Trinity SOC Butte MT... $ Bogdan & Georgiana Gavrilovich..$ Slobodan & Tanja Mitic.$ Mc Keesport, PA St Sava Church...$ Pava Djordjevich $ Mirjana Markovic. $ Robert Miller..$ St George SOC.. $ In memory of Anna Plefka Dana Ryder.. $ Daisy Freeman..$ In Memory of Anna & George Hudischeasky In Memory of Cecilia Stefanic Ronald & Belle Guelden..$ In Memory of Katerina Brune Elsie Mrvos.$ In Memory of Sam Sabonovich Bill & Martha Mamika...$ Other Church Donations Fr Bill & Pj Mary Anne Weir...$ Fr Bill & Pj Mary Anne Weir. $ Elsie & Peter Mrvos - In Good Health Family.$ David Sokitch.$ David Sokitch. $ George & Valerie Melnikov...$ Natalie Fitzpatric.$ Zorka Stijakovic..$ 5.00 All That Believed Were Together Elsie Mrvos...$ Circle of Serbian Sisters KSS - Kitchen Panels...$ 2, Milos & Mileva Radmanovich - Church Acts 2:44 Light Bulbs.. $ Annette & Joseph Chinn..$ There is a common interest that Zarko & Nedeljka Petrovic.$ drows people together. People line up for gas, groceries, garage sales! So it is in Steven & Gail Kosach. $ our text all that BELIEVED were Patricia Culjak..$ TOGETHER. John Sullivan..$

14 FINANCIAL REPORT for June & July 2009 Plate $ $ Candles $ $ Stewardship $ $ Easter Donations $ In Memory & other donations $ Hall Rental..$ $ Church Fees $ $ Apartment Rental...$ $ Diocese Fees.$ $ Priest s Salary..$ $ Payroll Taxes $ $ Administration..$ $ Priest s Benefits.$ $ Charitable Giving...$ $ Education $ 0.00 Socials/Banquets...$ $ Service Rendered.. $ 0.00 $ Interest Income $ 1.74 $ 1.68 Banquets Event...$ $ Other $ $ Total Income for June $ July $ Wash Account for June...$ EXPENSES General Account Balances: Church Worship.$ 0.00 $ 0.00 Building & Grounds $ $ Total Expenses for June..$ July $ Excess of Income over Expenses for June (470.67) for July ( ) Balance as of May 31, $ Deposits in June $ Deposits in July $ Expenditure June $ Expenditures --July $ Balance as of June 30, 2009 =$ Balance as of July 31,2009 = $ Wash Account...$ Welcome to the Sunday school year! We are excited to share the Orthodox faith with all of the children of our church. The planning of our program and development of the curriculum needs to be completed. Before we do that, we need to look to all of the parents of our church for support. As you must all know, Sunday school participation has dwindled over the past several years. Often times we have teachers prepared and willing to teach, but with no students, or very few students in attendance. When our children do not come to class, it is difficult to follow any type of curriculum that builds on the teachings from the previous week's lessons. We know how busy every family is in our current times. With God's blessings, we would like to continue the Sunday School Program as a place for your children to know how blessed and how loved they are in the name of Jesus Christ! Please help us in thanking God for our blessed children by making a commitment to send your children to Sunday school this year. Not only do they have the opportunity to share in our faith and learn about our church; the children make life-long friends as well. If you are not sending your children to Sunday school, please let us know why. Perhaps you have suggestions regarding how we can improve the program? What will it take for your family to make the commitment to the spiritual education of your child? We will have a Parent/Teacher meeting on Sunday, September 13th, to discuss the future of our church Sunday school. Please come to the meeting prepared to discuss any questions, concerns, or ideas you may have to make our Sunday school a success. It may be decided that it is time for us to close the doors on our Sunday school. We hope and pray that this is not the case, but it really is up to you. If this matter is important to you, then please attend the meeting to discuss our future. It is your participation that decides the future of our Sunday School program. As Jesus said: Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 19:14). Sincerely, Father Dane, Father William, and teachers of Sunday school. 28

15 CHILDREN S CORNER Dobro do{li u 2009/2010 godinu Nedeljne [kole! Radujemo se da mo`emo opet podeliti Pravoslavnu veru sa svom decom iz na{e crkve. Plan i program ovogodi{njeg gradiva treba da se zavr{i. Ali pre nego {to to u~inimo potrebna nam je podr{ka od SVIH roditelja na{e crkvene dece. Kao {to je svima poznato poha anje nedeljne {kole opada poslednjih nekoliko godina. Vrlo ~esto imamo u~itelje koji su spremni i voljni da u~e, ali nemaju u~enike, ili vrlo mali broj koji do e u nedeljnu {kolu. Kada deca ne dolaze redovno u {kolu, vrlo je te{ko pratiti gradivo jer se ono nastavlja iz nedelje u nedelju. Jasno je to da je svaka familija vrlo zauzeta. Ali sa Bo`jim blagoslovom mi i dalje `elimo da nastavimo sa nedeljnom {kolom jer je to jedino mesto za va{u decu da saznaju koliko su blagoslovena i koliko su voljena u ime Isusa Hrista! Molimo vas, pomozite nam da se zahvalimo Bogu za na{u blagoslovenu decu tako {to }e te se OBAVEZATI da dovodite va{u decu redovno u nedeljnu {kolu ove godine. Nije samo da }e se deci pru`iti prilika da u~e o svojoj veri i svojoj crkvi, deca }e ste}i me usobno prijateljstvo za ceo `ivot. Ako va{a deca ne `ele da poha aju nedeljnu {kolu molimo vas da nam ka`ete za{to. Mo`da imate dobru ideju kako da obogatimo na{ program? [ta je to {to bi navelo va{u familiju da se obave`ete za duhovno obrazovanje svoje dece? I ove godine ima}emo satanak izme u Rodoitelja i U~itelja u Nedelju 13-og Septembra ove godine gde }e se raspravljati o budu}nosti na{e crkvene nedeljne {kole. Molimo vas da uzmete u~e{}e na ovom sastanku, spremni na diskusiju, pitanja, podelite sa nama va{e brige i ideje jer samo tako mo`emo u~initi na{u nedeljnu {kolu uspe{nu. Mogu}e je da se donese odluka da se zatvore vrata na{e nedeljne {kole. Mi se nadamo i molimo se Bogu da do ovoga ne do e, ali zaista ovo sve zavisi od VAS. Ako je {kola va`na za vas molimo vas do ite na sastanak da razgovaramo o budu}nosti {kole. Jedino va{e prisustvo/u~e{}e }e odlu~iti o budu}nosti na{e Nedeljne [kole. Kao {to Hristos re~e: Pustite decu da dolaze kmeni; I ne zabranjujte im; jer je takvih carstvo nebesko. Prota Dane i Otac Bil Iskreno Sa u~iteljima Nedeljne {kole. 29 Идентитет Цркве АРХИМАНДРИТ РАФАИЛ КАРЕЛИН Литургија. Стога неће бити претерано ако кажемо да из овог угла посматрано, дакле, кроз евхаристијско сабрање, можемо видети прави идентитет Цркве. Но, шта значи ово? Конкретније, то пре свега значи да сви ови елементи које смо побројали, - догмати, проповед, исповест, морални живот, мисионарство треба да су усмерени ка Св. Евхаристији, јер у противном немају никаквог смисла, то јест нису црквени елементи, нису Црква. Друго, ово значи да претстојатељ овог евхаристијског сабрања, односно епископу чије се име и служи Св. Литургија по парохијама, постаје центар из кога произилазе све ове активности Цркве. Није нимало случајно да је епископ постао критеријум црквености. Другим речима, епископ је тај који одлучује да ли је неко члан Цркве или не. То при том није због тога што су некада тако одлучили да буде, већ због тога што је он као предстојатељ Св. Евхаристије тај од кога почиње целокупан живот Цркве. Узмите, примера ради, рукоположење. Зашто једино епископ рукополаже? Зато што једино ако је од епископа, служба која се даје рукоположеноме постаје црквена служба. Да ли сте икад помислили зашто NASTAVAK Он затим детаљније одређује шта подразумева под изразом "у Св. Тајнама", те пише: "ако неко може да види Цркву, неће видети ништа друго до Тело Господње". И категоричан је у томе те зато ставља реч "само Тело Господње", што ће рећи Божанску Евхаристију по наставља: "Уопште није чудно то да неко поистовећује Цркву са Св. Тајнама". Када пак каже "тајне", као што се и види из одељка који сам вам навео, ова реч не значи то што данас подразумевамо када кажемо тајне, то јест не седам тајни, него Божанствену Евхаристију, једнако као што иначе кажемо "животворне Тајне" на Св. Литургији, а то значи да се употребљава у множини оно што данас називамо Тајна Св. Евхаристије. Ове речи, дакле, значе да се суштина Цркве открива у Св. Евхаристији. Зато је карактеристично и веома важно и то што наш народ каже "идемо у Цркву", подразумевајући заправо под тим да иде на Св. Литургију. Храм је назван Црквом зато што је место на коме се служи Св

16 хиротонија, рукоположење, никад не бива мимо Св. Евхаристије? Због чега не може епископ да изврши рукоположење мимо Св. Евхаристије, кад сами често наглашавамо апостолско прејемство, то јест чињеницу да епископ има власт да предаје благодат свештенства и друго? Наиме, када би се овде заиста радило просто и једино о власти, тада би епископ могао да рукоположи неког и у својој канцеларији, те да на тај начин преда некоме благодат коју има добивши је од Св. Апостола као њихов наследник. Чињеница да епископ рукополаже једино на Св. Евхаристији, то јест онда када је народ сабран у Евхаристији а не на било ком другом сабрању, указује управо на то да епископ. службом предстојатеља Св. Евхаристије, као предстојатељ и раздаје дарове Духа Светога. Други важан закључак који произилази из идентификације Цркве поматране кроз Св. Евхаристију јесте то што на овај начин схватамо Цркву као ону која је у свету, али која није од овога света. То значи да се Црква креће кроз историју, те као што је Св. Евхаристија икона Царства Божијег, икона будућег века, тако и Црква има своје биће, своју истиску реалност, у Царству Божијем. Она, дакле, није просто једна историјска творевина, није производ историје. Она је производ Царства Божијег које се на овај начин одсликава (иконизује) у историји. Зато се Црква у старим текстовима, у Св. Писму, 31 код апостолских Отаца, и назива странствујућом (на грчком "парикија", а на српском парохија). Тако се, на пример, за Цркву у престоници Царства каже да је "странствујућа у Риму". Израз "странствујућа" употребљен за Цркву заправо значи да она није органски део ове историјске реалности, већ да је она нешто есхатолошко, да је она која долази из есхатона и живи ("парики") овде у историји и у свету. Црква, дакле, треба да схвати да она није једна светска творевина, већ да се њен идентитет налази у есхатологији, у Царству Божијем, те да све што чини у историји треба да има своје усмерење, да добије свој смисао, од крајњег циља за који је и створен, а то је Царство Божије. Зато за Св. Литургији доминира васкрсни карактер, као да је присутно Царство Божије у свету. Ово и треба да сачувамо са великом пажњом, јер ако изгубимо идентитет Св. Евхаристије, у опасности смо да изгубимо и идентитет саме Цркве. Ова узајамна зависност Цркве и Св. Евхаристије не ствара некакву евхаристијску искључивост, евхаристијски монизам, како то називају многи, то јест наглашавање једног елемента на штету других. Овде се заправо ради о тачки гледишта из које и све остало добија смисао. Наиме, други елементи се не укидају, већ добијају смисао у односу на Св. Литургију, јер се у њој освећују, у њој благосиљају, у њој постају сви Црква. Ако се пак издвоје од Св. Литургије, нису Црква. Nastavi}e se.. The story is told of a chance meeting between two men who had been college class-mates. They went to a nearby sidewalk cafe where they drank tea together and talked about old times and about their present life situations. "How is it dial you haven't yet married?" one asked the other. To which his friend replied, "To be perfect-ly honest, I must tell you that I spent years of my life looking for the perfect woman. In Barcelona, I met a very beautiful and extreme-ly intelligent woman and, for a brief time, T thought I had found the ideal person to be my wife. But soon I discovered that she was terri-bly vain. Then, in Boston, I met a woman who was outgoing and generous. 'Here is the perfect woman,' I thought at first. But soon I discov-ered that she was flighty and irresponsible. "I continued my search, but always found somediing missing in the women I was attract-ed to. Then, incredibly, one day I met her! I actually met her. She was beautiful, intelligent, kind, generous, and had a great sense of humor. In short, she was perfect." "Well then," said the friend, "what hap-pened? Why didn't you many her?" To which the other replied, "I soon discov-ered she was looking for the perfect man." The Preacher's illustration Service Every one of us has a total of 168 hours in our week. Assuming we attend Sunday School, Sunday morning and evening services, and the midweek prayer service (which unfortunately is not true of everyone), we spend 4 hours a week in church. What about the other 164? How are you spending those hours? Those 4 you spend in church only equal 2% of your time. Obviously, your spiritual char-acter and depth are going to be greatly influenced by what you are doing the other 98% of the time. It is said that in the average home the television is on at least 5 hours a day. That alone amounts to 35 hours a week, or 20% of your week. If you spend the non-working portion of that 98% of the time you are not in church watching television, reading cheap novels and "scandals" magazines, running from store to store "bargain hunting," gabbing on the telephone, and spreading your time among various other God-forgetting pur-suits, is it any wonder you can't keep the victory? Want to have some fun? Take a glass and and eyedropper, put in 164 drops of clear water and then 4 drops (or 3 or 2 or 1, depending on how many services a week you attend) of ink or food coloring. The paleness of the color will tell you something about your spiritual life. Spend the greater part of those other 164 hours in PRAYER, BIBLE STUDY; and the PURSUIT OF GOD, and your spiritual life will take on new color. Rev. John H. Shank. 32

17 Part I: History The Church of the Seven Councils CONTINUED... Orthodox Church by Bishop Kallistos Ware The Great Schism Moscow the third Rome The twentieth century, Greeks and Arabs The Orthodox Church of today exists in two contrasting situations: outside the communist sphere lie the four ancient Patriarchates and Greece, under communism are the Slav Churches and Romania. Whereas communism only impinges upon the periphery of the Roman Catholic and the Protestant worlds, in the case of the Orthodox Church the vast majority of its members live in a communist state. At the present moment there are probably between sixty and ninety million practicing Orthodox the number of baptized Orthodox is considerably higher and of these more than eighty-five per cent are in communist countries. Following this obvious line of division, in this chapter we shall consider the Orthodox Churches outside the communist bloc, and in the next the position of Orthodoxy in the "second world." A third chapter is devoted to the Orthodox "dispersion" in other places, and to Orthodox missionary activities at the present time. Of the seven Orthodox Churches not under communist rule, four Constantinople, Greece, Cyprus, Sinai are predominantly or exclusively Greek; one Alexandria is partly Greek, partly Arab and African; the remaining two Antioch and Jerusalem are mainly Arab, although at Jerusalem, the higher administration of the Church is in Greek hands. The Patriarchate of Constantinople, which in the tenth century contained 624 dioceses, is today enormously reduced in size. At present within the Patriarch's jurisdiction are: Turkey; Crete and various other islands in the Aegean; All Greeks of the dispersion, together with certain Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, and Albanian dioceses in emigration; Mount Athos and Finland. This amounts in all to about three million persons, more than half of whom are Greeks dwelling in North America. At the end of the First World War, Turkey contained a population of some 1,500,000 Greeks, but the greater part of these were either massacred or deported at the end of the disastrous Greco-Turkish War of 1922, and today (apart from the island of Imbros) the only place in 33. Turkey where Greeks are allowed to live is Istanbul (Constantinople) itself. Even in Constantinople, Orthodox clergy (with the exception of the Patriarch) are forbidden to appear in the streets in clerical dress. The Greek community in the city has dwindled since the anti-greek (and anti- Christian,) riot of 6 September 1955, when in a single night sixty out of the eighty Orthodox Churches at Constantinople were gutted or sacked, the total damage to Christian property being reckoned at 50,000,000. Since then, many Greeks have fled from fear or else have been forcibly deported, and there is a grave danger that the Turkish government will eventually expel the Patriarchate. Athenagoras, Patriarch during indefatigable as a worker for Christian unity and his successor Patriarch Dimitrios have shown great patience and dignity in this tragic situation. The Patriarchate had a celebrated theological school on the island of Halki near Constantinople, which in the 1950s began to acquire a somewhat international character, with students not only from Greece but from the Near East in general. But unfortunately from 1971 onwards the Turkish authorities prevented the school from admitting any new students, and there is at present very little prospect that it will be reopened. Mount Athos, like Halki, is not merely Greek but international. Of the twenty ruling monasteries, at the present day seventeen are Greek, one Russian, one Serbian, and one Bulgarian; in Byzantine times one of the twenty was Georgian, and there were also Latin houses. Besides the ruling monasteries there are several other large houses, and innumerable smaller settlements known as sketes or kellia; there are also hermits, most of whom live above alarming precipices at the southern tip of the peninsula, in huts or caves often accessible only by decaying ladders. Thus the three forms of the monastic life, dating back to fourth-century Egypt the community life, the semi-eremitic life, and the hermits continue side by side on the Holy Mountain today. It is a remarkable illustration of the continuity of Orthodoxy. Athos faces many problems, the most obvious and serious being the spectacular decline in numbers. And it is likely that numbers will continue to decline, for the majority of the monks today are old men. Although there have been times in the past for example, the early nineteenth century when monks were even fewer than at present, yet the suddenness of the decrease in the past fifty years is most alarming. In many parts of the Orthodox world today, and not least in certain circles in Greece itself, the monastic life is viewed with indifference and contempt, and this is in part responsible for the lack of new vocations on Athos. Another cause is the political situation: in 1903 more than half the monks were Slavs or Romanians, but after 1917 the supply of novices from Russia was cut off, while since 1945 the same has happened with Bulgaria and Romania. The Russian monastery of Saint Panteleimon, which in 1904 had 1,978 members, in 1959 numbered less than 60; the vast Russian skete of Saint Elias now has less than five monks, while that of Saint Andrew is entirely closed; the spacious buildings of Zographou, the Bulgarian house, are virtually

18 deserted, and at the Romanian skete of Saint John the Baptist there is a mere handful of monks. In 1966, after prolonged negotiations, the Greek government eventually allowed five monks from the U.S.S.R. to enter Saint Panteleimon, and four monks from Bulgaria to enter Zographou: but clearly recruitment on a far vaster scale is necessary. Of the non-greek communities, the Serbian monastery alone is in a slightly better position, as some young men have recently been allowed to come from Yugoslavia to be professed as monks. In Byzantine times the Holy Mountain was a center of theological scholarship, but today most of the monks come from peasant families and have little education. This, though not a new situation, has certain unfortunate consequences. It would be sad indeed were Athos to modernize itself at the expense of the traditional and timeless values of Orthodox monasticism; but so long as the monasteries remain intellectually isolated, they cannot make their full (and very necessary) contribution to the life of the Church at large. There are signs that leaders on Athos are aware of the dangers of this isolation and are seeking ways to overcome it. The Athonite School of Theology was reopened in 1953, in the hope of attracting and training a somewhat different type of novice. Father Theoklitos, of the monastery of Dionysiou, goes regularly to Athens and Thessalonica to speak at meetings, and has written an important book on the monastic life, Between Heaven and Earth, as well as a study of Saint Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain. Father Gabriel, for many years Abbot of Dionysiou, is also widely known and respected in Greece as a whole. But it would be wrong to judge Athos or any other monastic center by numbers or literary output alone, for the true criterion is not size or scholarship but the quality of spiritual life. If in Athos today there are signs in some places of an alarming decadence, yet there can be no doubt that the Holy Mountain still continues to produce saints, ascetics, and men of prayer formed in the classic traditions of Orthodoxy. One such monk was Father Silvan ( ), at the Russian monastery of Saint Panteleimon: of peasant background, a simple and humble man, his life was outwardly uneventful, but he left behind him some deeply impressive meditations, which have since been published in several languages (See Archimandrite Sophrony, The Monk of Mount Athos and Wisdom from Mount Athos, London, [most valuable]). Another such monk was Father Joseph (died 1959), a Greek who lived in a semi-eremitic settlement the New Skete in the south of Athos, and gathered round him a group of monks who under his guidance practiced the continual recitation of the Jesus Prayer. So long as Athos numbers among its members men such as Silvan and Joseph, it is by no means failing in its task. (The text above describes the situation as it existed on Athos during Since then there has been a notable improvement. Although the non-greek monasteries have only been able to receive a few fresh recruits, in several Greek houses there has been a striking increase in numbers, and many of the new monks are gifted and well-educated. The revival is particularly evident in Simonos Petras, Philotheou, Grigoriou, and Stavronikita. In all of these monasteries there are outstanding abbots). Will continue. 35. Parishioners hospitalized, sick at home or in nursing homes Mihajlo Kruska Zorica Popovic Georgina Stevenson Nikola Dragovic Ana Bozinovic Milli Maticic Dusko Pesevic Protinica Nina Garic Horia Ion Groza Persa Dragovic Dejan Trailovi Sandy Tobe Dorothy Gojkovich Nada Kosanovic Milos Kovac Ana Mileusnich Daisy Freeman Belko Yovanovich Olga & Irina Butin Ivan Popazivanov George Melnikov Alexandra Fitzpatrick Boris Petrovich 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 We pray for your return to health and well-being. SHEPHERD SPONSOR for 2009 GOLD SPNOSORSHIP In memory of my parents George & Julia Cuckovich By dotter Danica C. DuBois SHEPHERD SPONSOR for 2009 GOLD SPNOSORSHIP In memory of my Brother Emil Evasovic by Mike Evasovic Can you be a Sponsor? SHEPHERD SPONSOR for 2009 BRONZE SPNOSORSHIP In memory of V. Rev. Milivoje Djordjevic by Family Djordjevich 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. 36.

19 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. September 4-6 Diocese Days in Jackson September 13 Parents teachers meeting September 20 3rd Annual Cevapi Cook-off Picnic and Registration for Sunday School October Serbian Festival October 31-25th Anniversary celebration of the Consecration of our Church November 15 Stewardship Sunday November 22 Kss Slava. 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. Church Picnic Date: 9/20/09 Time: Immediately Following Divine Liturgy Lunch Cevapcici, Kupus Salata B.Y.O.B. Miller Park 8480 Sunset Ave., Fair Oaks (at Sunset and Kenneth Ave) Divine Liturgy will be held at our church Games for the children rd annual chevap cook-off We need 5 competitors #300 chevaps per contestant, contact Zlatko Theodorovich to enter

20 I saw one. I want one. It's cool. Looks undefiled and pure. sexy. Looks bad. Looks like it hurt. It's fun, you We are vessels that carry get a rush. Everyone's got one. It's trendy. Whatever the reason, tattooing and body piercing have Jesus Christ, we are His temple, His home. the body and blood of become the trend of the 90's especially among teenagers and young people who are finding the Knowing and understanding this, we must allure of permanent, color images needled into make every effort to treat our bodies as temples their skin or the poking of metal rods and rings of God and dwelling places of His glory. all over their bodies irresistible. Our Most Holy Theotokos was the first to Many professional athletes, including 35 percent of those in the NBA, and many high-profile rity, obedience and selfsacrifice is an example become God's temple. Her life of chastity, pu- movie stars are sporting body rings and showcasing body art, very often, shamelessly, in some of Can we imagine the Virgin Mary cov-ered for all of us as to emulate. their most private body parts. with tattoos and body piercings? Obviously not. Almost any area on the human body that can How then can we imagine ourselves that way be pinched, pierced or decorated, has been, as or accept such bodily expressions as appropriate people are constantly looking for new and improved ways to attract wanted and unwanted Millions of people exist and live their for a temple of God? attention. earthly lives without ever understanding what Tattoo is derived from the Tahitian word their purpose in life is or why they were created. "tatay", meaning "to inflict wounds." It can be dated back as far as 8000 B.C. and body piercing For Orthodox Christians, the goal of man is was popular as long as 5,000 years ago until it was "theosis" or union with God. Our purpose is not banned by the early Christians because it was to attract the attention of others by making believed to be "desecrating the body." radical statements with our bodies for our own Although in ancient times many forms of personal vanity, but rather to attract the grace body art carried with it ritualistic significance, of the Holy Spirit and to lead others to Christ there are few such implications today in the through our Christian example. Western world while, on the contrary, attracting We are called to be "ambassadors for Christ." attention seems to be one of the most alluring Do we fulfill this purpose by adorning our bodies with tattoos or body piercings? aspects of these ancient forms of so-called "artistic expression." In Romans 12:2, St. Paul tells us, "Present Many young people claim to make fash-ion your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable statements, personality statements, and statements of individuality by prodding, poking, pierc- do not be conformed to this world, but be to God, which is your reason-able service. And ing, and painting their bodies. Our society has transformed by the re-newing of your mind, become so desensitized that self mutilation is that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." looked upon as the norm and an individual's body is treated as an object of personal reverence and We are not to transform ourselves according to the latest whims and fads of society glorification rather than a temple of Cod to be offered back to Him. How do you think God feels but rather to conform and abide by the will of about tattooing and body piercing? God. Do you think He approves of us doing these Fads come and go and there will always be things to our bodies? Well, let's take a look at new trends and fashion manias demanding our what He says about our bodies. allegiance, but where do we draw the line and In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, He says, "Do you not what standards should we use to measure the know that your body is the temple of the Holy appropriateness of these? Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, The allure of body piercing is more than and you are not your own? For you were bought skin deep. It affects our soul, our mind and our at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and entire being. If we are to maintain a lifestyle of in your spirit, which are God's." purity and attain union with God, then we "Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you Rather than making "artistic expres-sions" must denounce all bodily abuses. have from God, and you are not your own? For with our bodies, let us make an expression of you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God faith by maintaining our bodies pure, spotless in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." and undefiled so that we may "be an example to 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in If our body is not our own, then we should spirit, in faith, in purity." (1 Tim. 12) make every effort to protect it and maintain it By Maria Karalekas. 39 Happy Birthday to John Kordic. He celebrated his 50 th Birthday in July. May God Grant His Servant, John, Many Years A belated Happy Birthday to Lazar Saraba. He celebrated his 50 th Birthday in April. May God Grant His Servant, Lazar, Many Years Alexandra FitzPatrick s neighbors will be having a Casino Night on Sat., Sept. 19 th, to raise funds to assist her in her illness. They are looking for donations for a silent auction, helpers to assist set up and help at the event AND people to attend. Cost is $ 30 / person includes dinner + 1 drink ticket + 1 entry in the raffle and $ 100 in casino money. Please contact Chrissy McCord to assist plus to order tickets. chrissymccord3@gmail.com. 25 th Consecration Anniversary Celebration Saturday, October 31 st, 2009, we will be celebrating 25 years of praying in our beautiful temple. Much work is still needed to be done. Many helping hands are needed now and every day until the sun sets on Saturday, Oct. 31 st. There are people needed to help in all capacities. If you can write, you are needed. If you can prepare food, you are needed. If you can decorate, you are needed. If you can address envelopes, you are needed. If you can clean, you are needed. If you can pick up people at the airport, you are needed. Any area in which you have abilities, you are needed. Please see Stan Mojsich to offer your assistance. Make his job easier. Let s make this the greatest event we have held in the last 25 years! 40.