TSN0921

1 THE SHEPHERD • SEPTEMBER 2021 • 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, On September Four- teenth the Church cele- brates one of the Twelve Major feast days of the year: e Exaltation of the Precious and Life Saving Cross. Because of its importance there are three Gospel lessons attached to it: the Gospel that comes before the feast day (John 3:13-17), the Gospel on the day of the feast (John 19:6-11) and the Gospel lesson read on the following Sunday of the feast day (Mark 8:34-9:1). From the Gospel lesson before the feast day, we read about the trial and cruci xion of our Lord and Savior. On the day of the feast day, we read about the Old Testament account of Moses in the wilderness li ing up a pole in the form of a serpent, which preempts Christ being li ed up on the cross; and from the Gospel lesson a er the feast day, we read about Jesus instructing us to pick up our cross and follow Him. us, we have the Old Testament prophesy, the New Testament ful llment and the divine instruction from Christ Himself. Moses proclaimed it, Jesus ful lled it and now it is up to each and every one of us to live it. It is important to remember that Jesus was unjustly accused of crimes He never com- mitted and was brought before the authori- ties and before Pontius Pilate; and again, was found innocent. Although Jesus could have called upon a legion of angels he said noth- ing in His defense. us, He was an innocent man unjustly tried and convicted of crimes and for that He was spat upon, tormented and whipped; and yet He never uttered an unkind word. Nails were driven through His hands and feet and yet, no cruel or un- becoming words came from His mouth. He then accepted the cross because He knew the Father’s will and what would ow from the cross: forgiveness and salvation. us, this is the important message of the feast day and why we process the Cross on a tray sur- rounded by basil – so that we will never for- get that simple yet profound message. us, from Holy Scripture and from the hymns of the Church we read and hear – To- day is the day...now is the acceptable time... My Brothers and Sisters in Christ today, right now Christ and His Church o er us an op- portunity to begin anew. At every divine ser- vice of the Church and especially at the cele- bration of the Divine Liturgy the faithful are given a gi and that gi is the opportunity to recognize and overcome negative passions and to start our spiritual walk unsullied once again. It is however, up to each and every one of us to be bold and mature enough to observe and recognize those passions which keep us from God and to nail them upon the Cross of Christ so that He can receive them and transform them into wholesomeness – into something positive. End note: Since this year’s Feast Day falls near the beginning of the week (Tuesday) we will process the Holy Cross with the tray of basil on the Sunday before ( Sunday, Septem- ber 12th ) so that our Sunday School teach- ers and children, together with their parents, and other family members can be present, to witness and to participate in the experience of this important Procession as well. +A IN THIS ISSUE FR. ANDREW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 1 PRESIDENT OF THE PARISH COUNCIL, WOMEN OF THE WORD . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 2 DIVINE SERVICES, NEWS FROM THE LOFT, DEATHS, MEMORIALS, BOOKSTORE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 3 GREEK LANGUAGE SCHOOL, GOYA NEWS, SUNDAY SCHOOL . . . . . p. 4 PHILOPTOCHOS NEWS, SENIORS . . . p. 5 PARISH CALENDAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 6 CONTACT INFORMATION. . . . . . . . . . . p. 8 The Shepherd The official newsletter publication for the parish of Saint Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church of San Diego I S S U E 3 0 4 • S E P T E MB E R 2 0 2 1 ADVERTISE IN THE SHEPHERD NEWSLETTER AND GET PERKS! 20% OFF • FREE BUSINESS PRINTING • FREE SIGN / POSTER / BANNER • MORE!* CALL OR EMAIL TODAY FOR A MEDIA KIT, RATES, AND DETAILS ON PERK PACKAGES. 858.292.6070 • INFO@THESHEPHERDNEWS.COM HURRY! OFFER ENDS SEPT. 30, 2021 * Terms and restrictions apply. Call or email for details. END OF SUMMER LIMITED TIME OFFER