TSN0525

1 THE SHEPHERD • MAY 2025 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO www.theshepherdnews.com The Shepherd Newsletter The official newsletter publication for the parish of Saint Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church of San Diego I S S U E 3 4 8 • MAY 2 0 2 5 IN THIS ISSUE FROM THE DESK OF FR. ANDREW ...... p. 1 PRESIDENT OF THE PARISH COUNCIL, WOMEN OF THE WORD, BOOKSTORE .p. 2 NEWS FROM THE LOFT, DIVINE SERVICES, DEATHS, MEMORIALS, STEWARDSHIP CORNER, ORATORICAL FESTIVAL ....... p. 3 YOUTH MINISTRIES ................................. p. 4 GREEK LANGUAGE SCHOOL ................ p. 6 DANCE & CHORAL .................................. p. 7 PHILOPTOCHOS NEWS .......................... p. 8 PARISH CALENDAR ................................. p. 10 YOUNG AT HEART SENIORS ................. p. 11 CONTACT INFORMATION....................... p. 12 FROM THE DESK OF FATHER ANDREW My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Χριστός Ανέστη! Christ is Risen! On the second Sunday following Pascha, May 4, 2025, we read about the courage of Joseph of Arimathea and the Myrrh-bearing women. Joseph of Arimathea is known to us and is called Christ’s “secret/ hidden disciple.” While Jesus was still alive, the two met but Joseph was not called to “of- ficially” follow Jesus, nor did he take it upon himself to accompany Him in His missionary journeys. You see, Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrin, and the Sanhedrin was a very influential Jewish group consisting mostly of religious figures, like high priests, etc. Because the Sanhedrin was very powerful, Joseph of Arimathea kept his distance from Jesus for fear of the Jews (John 19:38). Jesus did, how- ever, stir a certain emotional and intellectu- al curiosity within Joseph, which made him want to be around Jesus, but only “secretly.” In other words, he kept a safe distance between himself and the master. Being a respected member of the Sanhedrin, Joseph had acquired inside information about Jesus and knew that the religious leaders of that time were trying to arrest, convict, and ex- ecute an “innocent man.” Even though Joseph was moved by Jesus’ teachings, His words, and His deeds, he did not dare to get involved or to defend Him. The price may have been too high. And, so he remained what we might call a Cryptic Christian . Even though Jesus moved Joseph about Godly matters, knew about His many good works and the many miracles He performed, Joseph could not bring himself to openly follow or defend Jesus. Following the earthly death of Jesus, there awakened in Joseph a courage that revealed his true inner faith, similar to the Apostles. We are told from Sunday’s Gospel lesson that Joseph took courage and went to ask Pilate for the body of Jesus. And we know that it was he himself who took Jesus off the Cross. I can only imagine the fuss Joseph must have cre- ated and the fear he must have felt knowing the ridicule and abuse he was now most likely going to face. However, Joseph of Arimathea came to a spir- itual crossroads in his life where he somehow acquired the courage and did the right thing. He somehow found the boldness to walk up to the Cross and pull the nails out of Christ’s hands and feet. He took the body of Jesus, wrapped it in fine linen with fragrant spices and placed it in a new tomb. By taking Christ off the Cross, Joseph of Arimathea was mak- ing a profound statement of faith. He was let- ting everyone know he was no longer a secret disciple of Jesus. More importantly, he was letting God know that he dared to place his trust in all that had taken place. Thus, with his actions, Joseph became a very unpopular man among his religious brethren. Because he openly approached the Cross of Christ, Jo- seph of Arimathea gave up the right to be part of the powerful, influential, and successful in crowd, which was no doubt going to cause himmuch grief. Yet he was no longer afraid to be an outward disciple of Christ. My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, how many of us may be Cryptic Christians like Joseph of Arimathea? Howmany of us dare to outward- ly proclaim our Orthodox faith? Even in our so-called free society, how many of us dare to pray in public, to bow our heads in prayer, and to do our cross? How many of us have the courage to stand up to injustice and wrong- doing wherever we may find it? In the school cafeteria, at our place of work, in our homes, and in our business dealings? Howmany of us continues 2