On Sunday, October 13th, His Eminence the Archbishop of Düsseldorf-Berlin and Metropolitan of Germany Grigorije served the Holy Archbishop’s Liturgy in the Church of Saint Archangel Michael in Saratoga, CA with the concelebration of His Eminence the Archbishop of Los Angeles and Western America Maxim, Very. Rev. Stanislav Duric from Phoenix, AZ, V. Rev. Vidoslav Vujasin, the host priest, and the newly ordained Deacon Lazar Supic.
The Clergy and the faithful warmly welcomed the Hierarchs. Both Bishops received flower bouquets from the two sisters, Zoe and Tesla Vulovic, at the church entrance.The whole church was filled quickly for the solemn Liturgy. Metropolitan Grigorije gave a very thoughtful sermon about the Parable of the Talents, emphasizing many focal points of this well-known gospel account.
His Eminence said: “Today’s very layered gospel story points us, among other things, to two important things: responsibility and gratitude. Gratitude is the most important thing for us Christians, all people, and that is why the Holy Liturgy is called the service of thanksgiving, that is, the Holy Eucharist. During that service, we listen to the word of God, the sayings of the Lord himself. Today, we heard about the Master and the servants; God is talking about himself and us. However, at no point does He emphasize that He gave us life, but gifts. I see the reason for this in the fact that God does not always emphasize the fullness of his gift to man – life; He wants us to realize it ourselves, that our life is a gift, and to know God as the giver of life, our friend who is not like other masters. Namely, He gives himself for the life of the world. At the end of today’s
Certainly, even here, the Lord, speaking in stories, as they say, does not emphasize the greatest gift to man – life. Here, on the other hand, the dimension of multiplication given to us stands out, even if it was a smaller turnover, symbolically speaking, at the money changers, for example. On the other hand, the third servant was so lazy that he did not even keep the gifted talent but buried it in the ground. Such a servant is followed by “weeping and gnashing of teeth,” not by the will of God but by the choice of a servant who did not make the slightest effort. We see that effort and responsibility have salvific importance. The Lord reveals to us in this story that everything God has given us can be multiplied, whether it is a “smaller or a larger amount” gift. Here, we are reminded of the importance of our effort, or at least our responsibility, in order to preserve what is given. That’s why we’re here today, at the Thanksgiving service, that’s why we’re going to church, to wake up our responsibility! May God grant that we succeed in this! Amen!”
Many children and faithful members received the Holy Gift of Communion. After the service, His Eminence Metropolitan Grigorije distributed the Prosphora, and all parishioners received joyful blessings from His Eminence. Afterward, the faithful gathered in the beautifully decorated social hall for a delicious lunch. Many thanks to Dr. Jelena Vukicevic, Susan Pavich, Rajko and Milena Bukarica, and Milanka Govedarica for all their efforts.
During lunch, Metropolitan Grigorije’s new book, Stranger in the Forest, was promoted. Metropolitan Grigorije, Archbishop Maxim, and Dr. Neda Cvijetić-Supic spoke about the book and highlighted a few chapters. In the end, the parishioners had the opportunity to meet Metropolitan Grigorije and get the new book signed.
