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2 THE SHEPHERD • AUGUST 2024 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO The words “peace be with you” have been ringing in my head since the recent assas- sination attempt. The temperature in our World, literally and figuratively, has been rising. Jesus used those words both in greet- ing His disciples and encouraging them that God’s peace would be with them at all times. Father Andrew says it to us every Sunday during Divine Liturgy, “Peace be with all of you!” In saying those words, he is wishing us “a lasting peace, a peace which passes all un- derstanding, a peace which guides our hearts and minds to Christ.” And we are to respond by offering the peace back to him and to oth- ers; but do we? In John 20:19-26, we hear how Jesus came and stood amongst His disciples after His Resurrection and said to them “Peace be with you!” It was on the evening of the first day of the week following His Crucifixion. The disciples were locked in a house hiding in fear. He showed them His nail-pierced hands and side. He said to them again “Peace be with you” and added “as my Father sent Me, I also send you.” When He said this to them, He breathed on them and said to them “Receive the Holy Spirit.” As we know, He re- turned a third time after eight days and again greeted them “Peace to you.” In the lesson, we are also told that if we forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if we retain the sins of any, they are retained. What better time than now, to put His words into action. Over this weekend, I also had an experience of being with a person who glowed the pres- ence of God. We were at a family wedding and went to Holy Assumption Monastery in Calistoga to see Sister Marie and get some blackberry honey. We met Sister Marie years ago and were surprised when she immediate- ly recognized us. She rushed out and greeted us, “Friends!” I was immediately overcome with the feeling of the presence of the Holy Spirit. The encounter left me thinking if only all of our encounters could leave us which such a feeling. The experience took me back to the words in John 20. Perhaps our real challenge is the one Christ presented to the disciples, to forgive, to believe without seeing, and to go out into the world and be peace givers. My challenge is to meet each day with the peace of the Lord in my heart and to share it with everyone I meet; to truly see them and find the image of God; and, if they have trespassed against me to forgive them. “Peace be with all of you!” Many Blessings, Jim Gilpin, Parish Council President FROM THE PARISH COUNCIL PRESIDENT A most fruitful 15 Days of August and blessed Feasts of the Holy Transfiguration and Dormi- tion of the Theotokos to all. The format of our Women of the Word Bi- ble Study Group is currently in transition, so we have not proposed any specific study or meeting times as of yet for this year. As always, however, we continue to try to un- derstand what we hear and read from Holy Scripture. One such passage in Genesis 1:27 - “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him” causes us to wonder: How are we to understand what this means, not just intellectually but more importantly how we see ourselves and every other human being? As Orthodox Christians, we believe that Christ became incarnate to show us a new way to fulfill who we are as humans. So, our Church Fathers teach us that what God is, we must work on becoming. If God is love, mercy, and compassion, then we are expect- ed to practice that in all of our interactions and ways of being with others as well. This notion of “created in His Image” actually presents us with two serious challenges – #1 how am I to take this seriously about myself, to become like God and to imitate Christ? Is this really possible that we can become “like God?” Surely, some say, that is just for a few special saints, or is it? And #2 how am I to look at every other human being as “created in His Image?” Or do we question even this, saying perhaps, “Are we all – every single one of us - really created in His image?” Or do we fall into the belief that some people for sure are created in the image of the evil one? How can we learn to look at our brothers and sis- ters to see the hidden beauty of their being, to perceive the potential that God has given each one of us? We are confronted daily by the tragedy of our broken images and have to force ourselves to see Christ through this fallenness. But as Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh suggests, like damaged icons, we all bear Christ’s seed of truth, beauty and love, and we must not focus on the imperfections but look continuously for what remains of the hidden image of God in each person – “whatever you can see, emphasize it and help it to flower. Strengthen it and encourage it to live.” And hopefully, it is in this way that we can also work out our own salvation and ful- fill the image of God within ourselves. With Love in Christ, S. Miserlis for the Women of Word WOMEN WORD OF