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1 THE SHEPHERD • APRIL 2024 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO FROM THE DESK OF FATHER ANDREW www.theshepherdnews.com The Shepherd Newsletter During Great and Holy Lent, we remember Saint Mary of Egypt. When Saint Mary was twelve years old she left her parents and went to Alexandria, Egypt where she lived a pervert- ed life for many, many years. One day she was motivated by curiosity and joined in a procession with other Christian pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem to attend the Feast of the Elevation of the Precious Cross. As she tried to enter the Church with the oth- er pilgrims, she felt a certain invisible power preventing her from entering the Temple, despite the multitude of people entering the church unhampered. Something moved her deeply through that embarrassing and unex- plained experience, which caused her to have a total change of heart. She decided to pro- foundly change her life and repented from her previous lustful and lewd way of life. She then returned to the Church in this new- found repentance and thus easily entered the Temple. She venerated the Precious Cross and departed the same day from Jerusalem. She passed through the Jordan River and en- tered the innermost part of the desert, where she lived for forty-some years. These were years of harsh and superhuman asceticism and years spent in devoted prayer to God. Near the end of her life, she met a certain hermit named Zosimas, to whom she con- fessed her whole life and whom she asked him to bring her the Sacrament of Holy Communion, which he did. This is said to have happened on Holy and Great Thurs- day. When Fr. Zosimas returned a year later on that same day too much to his surprise he found her body dead. Next to her were written the following words: “Abba Zosimas, bury here the body of wretched Mary. I died the same day on which I communed the im- maculate mysteries. Pray for me.” From this account of Mary of Egypt, we are reminded that no one is beyond the grace and love of God. There are many, many ex- amples from the Old and New Testaments and from the “Lives of the Saints” that re- mind us of this awesome mystery. All it takes is our willingness to make a change and to allow God to work in us. Yes, St. Mary’s to- tal and complete turnaround change (re- pentance) is pretty radical but as Orthodox Christians we are called to take a look at our lives and to see where we too can make a change as well. Yes, we may not live a life as sinful as St. Mary’s but can we take a moment to reflect and to observe that yes indeed I too am in need of some change – some turning away- some repentance in my life? Each and every one of us falls short of what God has required from us as Orthodox Christians. Unless we are familiar with Holy Scripture and/or our Holy Tradition we may convince ourselves that we are okay; we are fulfilling all that God/Christ has commanded from us be- cause we/I haven’t committed such and such a (big) sin. However, when one reads the Bible or hears it from the pulpit, we cannot deny that Christ calls us to a much higher calling and that the conclusion must be some kind of acknowledgment and some kind of turn- ing around; some kind of deliberate repen- tance, something that makes a difference in our lives and in the lives of those around us, and most importantly, in the eyes of God. May we experience a fruitful and joyous Pascha. +A The Shepherd The official newsletter publication for the parish of Saint Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church of San Diego I S S U E 3 3 5 • A P R I L 2 0 2 4 IN THIS ISSUE FR. ANDREW ............................................. p. 1 PRESIDENT OF THE PARISH COUNCIL, WOW, NEWS FROM THE LOFT............... p. 2 DIVINE SERVICES, HOLY SACRAMENTS, MEMORIALS, BIRTHS, DEATHS .............p. 3 YOUTH MINISTRIES ................................. p. 4 COOKING & BAKING SCHEDULE ......... p. 5 DANCE & CHORAL .................................. p. 6 GREEK LANGUAGE SCHOOL ................ p. 7 2024 STEWARDSHIP PLEDGES ............ p. 8 GREEK FESTIVAL SPONSORSHIP ......... p. 9 PHILOPTOCHOS NEWS, AHEPA ........... p. 12 YOUNG AT HEART ................................... p. 13 PARISH CALENDAR ................................. p. 14 BOOKSTORE .............................................. p. 15 CONTACT INFORMATION....................... p. 16