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1 THE SHEPHERD • APRIL 2021 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO The Shepherd I S S U E 2 9 9 • A P R I L 2 0 2 1 The official newsletter publication for the parish of Saint Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church of San Diego FROM THE DESK OF FATHER ANDREW www.theshepherdnews.com The Shepherd Newsletter My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, e fourth Sunday of Great and Holy Lent (Sunday, April 4th) is upon us and is dedicated to St. John Climacus, known also as St. John of the Ladder (of Divine Ascent). Not too much is known about the life of St. John Cli- macus. However, we do know that he comes to us from the sixth and seventh centuries. He spent forty years in solitude at a place called olas. He became abbot of the great monastery of Mount Sinai, and it was there that he composed the text known as e Lad- der (of Divine Ascent) . e book is composed of thirty sections or steps and makes use of the Old Testament reference of Jacob’s ladder (Gen. 28:10-17). His book centers around the concept that there are certain vices that must be overcome and certain virtues that must be acquired. St. John Climacus reminds us that just as we care for the body, perhaps with certain exercises, the soul must also be exercised. Its exercises are the ridding of vic- es and the attaining of virtues. Yes, it is true that St. John Climacus’ work was indeed written by a monk for the monk. But don’t be fooled, the monks lead a very busy life. ey are basically self-su cient and must care for themselves, each other and the buildings and grounds that they occupy. For the most part they keep themselves very busy, not unlike you and I who live “in the world.” erefore St. John’s words can (and should) be included in our own lives. At the very least the image of ascending a ladder to reach God is a very useful one. However, let us remember that whoever aspires to climb must take it one step at a time and our as- cent is a journey and may take a lifetime to accomplish. us, whether we are monks in a monastery, or those living “in the world,” St. John’s lad- der has something positive to o er us in our own spiritual journey. With some e ort, we can take what he has written for the monk and apply it to our life by adjusting it for whatever season we may nd ourselves in. For instance, who does not desire to replace anger with meekness? St. John reminds us that anger is “ an indication of concealed ha- tred, of grievance nursed. Anger is the wish to harm someone who has provoked you.” But meekness is or can be “a permanent con- dition which remains una ected by whether or not it is spoken well of, whether or not it is honored or praised. e rst step toward freedom from anger is to keep the lips silent when the heart is stirred; the next, to keep thoughts silent when the soul is upset; the last is, to be totally calm when the unclean winds are blowing.” Now tell me, who does not or should not desire the calm of meekness over the stirrings of anger? But to ascend for it, and acquire it, will most de nitively require much attentiveness and constant e ort. My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, whether we are already on the ladder or reaching for the rst rung, let us remember the words of Jesus where He says, “you can do nothing without me” (John 15:5). is is very, very important to keep at the forefront of our minds and in our hearts because as we as- cend, St. John reminds us that we must not say, “I have made it” to such and such a level because we become prone to fall from where ever we may be on the ladder. You see pride is “the denial of God” and does not belong on the ladder as we try to ascend. May the blessing of the Lord and His mercy come upon you through His divine grace and love always, now and forever to the ages of ages, amen. +A IN THIS ISSUE FR. ANDREW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 1 PRESIDENT OF THE PARISH COUNCIL, WOMEN OF THE WORD, SUNDAY SCHOOL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 2 LIBRARY & BOOKSTORE, DIVINE SERVICES, NEWS FROM THE LOFT, DEATHS, MEMORIALS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 3 PHILOPTOCHOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 4 G.O.Y.A. NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 5 SCHOLARSHIPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 6 GREEK LANGUAGE SCHOOL . . . . . . . . p. 7 SENIORS, A.H.E.P.A. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 8 PARISH CALENDAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 10 CONTACT INFORMATION. . . . . . . . . . . p. 12