Monastery Slava Celebrated at the Meeting of the Lord Monastery in Escondido
On the feast day of the Meeting of the Lord, Tuesday, February 15, 2022, the Meeting of the Lord Monastery in Escondido, located in North San Diego County, celebrated its Monastery Slava. His Grace Bishop Maxim of the Western American Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church celebrated the Holy Hierarchical Divine Liturgy. Concelebrating with His Grace were Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Lazar Vasiljevic, Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Bratislav Krsic, Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Milovan Katanic, Protopresbyter Rev. Blasko Paraklis and Rev. Vladan Radovanovic.
At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy His Grace spoke of this wonderful feast of the meeting between “the old Simeon and the Newborn, the young Christ Child, a meeting between two natures – the young and the old.” His Grace continued, “At the same time it is a feast of love and an encountering. Our Lord came to save us but He had to pass through all of that which is human – except for sin – and in that way to be our Savior; that is, that we be able to recognize Him as our Savior. Had he not passed through all of that we would not be able to accept Him as a Savior. Christ is the Child who is received in the arms of Simeon and then, through His salvific podvig, His spiritual struggle, which culminated with the Cross and the Resurrection, He brings us to the bosom of our Heavenly Father. I would like to thank you for coming on this day that together we might celebrate this magnificent feast in this beautiful monastery of ours, rejoicing in God’s goodness beneath the rays of sunlight and receiving the dew of the Holy Spirit which extinguishes the flames of our passions and refreshes us for our podvig to the Lord.”
Despite a light and consistent rain that morning the faithful gathered with joyful hearts at the monastery as well as the Slava luncheon afterward which began with the Blessing of the Slava Gifts. The festal joy continued with an agape meal.
