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2 THE SHEPHERD • AUGUST 2022 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO One of the messages in the readings this month is the admonishment from Saint Paul to avoid stupid controversies and apply ourselves to good deeds. Saint Paul further admonished us to have nothing more to do with the factious man a er admonishing him once or twice. (Titus 3:8-15 (Epistle of Sunday of the Holy Fathers).) Over the past several months, some have sought to create “stupid controversies” as we contemplate what steps to take for our future. In an e ort to undermine the good deeds of so many, false accusations are being made about the objectives of the Par- ish Council and the Foundation. Let me say it plainly, no one has committed the Church to sell any property. As has been said repeat- edly, no property owned by the Church can or will be sold unless two-thirds of the pa- rishioners in good standing vote at a noticed parish assembly meeting to sell property and the Metropolis approves the sale. Over the years, the foresight of those before us has put our community in a position of choice. We currently have been presented with an opportunity to sell property to gen- erate funds to achieve our vision of creating a safe, secure, family-friendly environment for our Saint Spyridon Community. Alterna- tively, we can choose not to sell any property and go in another direction. Ultimately, what we choose to do will be decided by you and other parishioners in good standing who are contributing members devoted to our Or- thodox faith and the long term well-being of our community. As we move forward, we must avoid allow- ing small factions to fan controversies to divide us. As the scripture reminds us, we should have no more to do with the factious, but apply our- selves to good deeds. Our current world has chosen to cast things in a negative light to create controversies. But as Deacon Michael reminded us on Sunday, we are to be vessels of the light. I pray His light will show us the way and shine a light on the darkness sur- rounding the stupid controversies. Many Blessings, Jim Gilpin Parish Council President WOMEN WORD OF THE We are now planning to resume our weekly in-person meetings on September 14. We are continuing to look into the feasibility of still allowing some people to join us via Zoom. Our Women of the Word group is plan- ning to sponsor a Fellowship Hour a er the Sunday Liturgy at the end of this month on August 28th. At that time, we will also have a Sign-Up table in the hall, and as we have done for several years now, we hope to pro- vide an Opportunity Drawing featuring a specially tabbed Orthodox Study Bible. We will announce more detailed information as we get closer to that event. Our planned study for this coming year will be e Epistle/Book of HEBREWS by St. Paul. We will use the Orthodox Study Bible with its bounty of helpful footnotes as our primary source. As always, we will “read over the shoulders of our Church Fathers” whose interpretations and wisdom are based on Tradition and guided by the Holy Spirit. e major theme of this epistle is “Perse- vering in faith in the Incarnate Son.” In this letter, originally written to Greek-speaking Jews perhaps in Palestine, Paul tries to en- courage the converts from Judaism, his new Christian followers to continue and grow in the Christian faith through a deeper un- derstanding of Who Christ is and why He came. e chapters include arguments and discussions about the superiority of Christ as our High Priest, our Savior, the Son of God, and “Why God Became Man.” All of these teachings are based on Paul’s extensive understanding of the events and prophesies in the holy scriptures of the Old Testament. e Book of Hebrews also o ers a variety of warnings about how to persist and grow in the faith, so there are chapters entitled: Be- ware of Willful Negligence, Beware of Faith- lessness, Immaturity, and Falling Away. In this epistle St. Paul is very careful to explain more fully the ideas of e New Covenant, the Blood of Christ, the Christian Community, and Loyalty to Orthodox Doctrine and Wor- ship. We are looking forward to this study in order to understand our Orthodox Christian faith better and how to persevere and grow continually in that faith. We pray that all may have a most fruitful 15 Days of August and blessed Feasts of the Holy Trans guration & Dormition of the eotokos. With Love in Christ, + e Women of the Word Bible Study Group As we move forward, we must avoid allowing small factions to fan con- troversies to divide us. FROM THE PARISH COUNCIL PRESIDENT continues 3 t h e crucifixion o f t h e king of glory The Amazing History and Sublime Mystery of the passion Eugenia Scarvelis Constantinou, PhD THE CRUCIFIXION OF THE KING OF GLORY CONSTANTINOU 1/11/22 12:57PM e Cruci xion of the King of Glory: e Amazing History and Sublime Mystery of the Passion Eugenia Scarvelis Constantinou, Ph.D Ancient Faith Publishing, 2021 - ISBN:978-1-055890 With the keen eye and reasoning mind of a barrister, the insight of a Biblical historian, and the phronema of an Or- thodox theologian, Dr. Eugenia Constantinou makes ac- cessible to her readers the events encompassing the sacri- cial death of Jesus of Nazareth, the King of Glory. As in the best courtroom drama, she brings us as close to solid evidence and eyewitness testimony as can be discovered through contemporary scholarship. She lays out the facts, motivations, and actions of each major and minor player through compelling narrative in a scene-by-scene recounting of the last days of Christ, constructed from the words of the characters themselves and her impeccable handling of both Old and New Testament texts derived from their original languages. e reader can picture with photographic clarity the backdrop of the great Temple and archaeological features of ancient Jerusalem, illuminated in fascinating detail. She brings her characters to life on the page in a way few academics can achieve. rough well researched medical forensics, Dr. Constantinou dispels many misconceptions about the nature of the Lord’s physical su ering without neglecting deeper rami cations of the shame inherent in the intent of this cruel and mocking Roman form of punishment. BOOKSTORE