The spiritual life of a Christian is an incessant way of climbing up to his Creator and Savior. It is a mistake to think that on this road a person can have some position of suspended stability. No, no, if you do not go forward, then you are already rolling back. In the process of self-development in Christ, there are falls and temptations that should not become for us an occasion for desperation, but on the contrary, are the reason prompting us to rise again and move on. We decided to select for you the five most useful Orthodox books for self-improvement, which will help you discover the world of Christian thought about the spiritual growth of man. Of course, the main and most relevant tool for all of us is the Holy Scripture. However, the proposed works of Orthodox ascetics and theologians of our time, in a form more accessible to the modern person, make it possible to learn their personal experience of living according to the Gospel.
Hegumen Peter (Mescherinov), You should taste the cup of life.
The book is well-known theologian, is devoted to the most important sacrament of the Church - the Holy Communion or the Eucharist, namely the practice of frequent Communion, which, unfortunately, was gradually eliminated from the church life. On the basis of the patristic utterances and liturgical history of the Church, the author gives convincing arguments that testify to the correctness and necessity of constant Communion in the life of a Christian, regardless of the age in which he lives. Father Peter insists that the real spiritual life begins when we begin to constantly and mystically connect with the Lord Jesus Christ, through the sacrament of His Body and Blood.
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Philanthropy favorites for the lay people Collected Works of the Holy Fathers Philokalia is a well-known book in the Orthodox world. However, it is not a secret that most of the manuals of this collection were addressed directly to monastics - monastery residents and novices. Therefore, Archimandrite Yuvenaly (Kilin, 1875-1958), rector of the monastery in honor of the Kazan Mother of God in Harbin, and later the archbishop, composed this synopsis. In it, he chose from those five volumes of Philokalia those passages that would be useful for Orthodox laymen who want to go through spiritual cultivation and piety.
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Optina flower garden. Sayings of the Reverend Elders of Optina. Optina deserts is one of the most famous centers of asceticism, eldership and spiritual leadership in the XIX and XX centuries. The traditions of the prayerful deed and reflections on God were transmitted in this abode continuously from the confessor to the novice. The correspondence of the ascetics and the laity who consulted them for advice became the property of the epistolary genre of their time. The Pleiad of the Optina elders in the sky of Orthodox spiritual thought continues to shine even in our days. The proposed collection contains the utterance of all the Optina Reverend for various occasions. In addition, the publication contains a thematic index, which facilitates the search for answers to certain questions.
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Elder Paisius the Sacristy, Volume 1. With pain and love about the modern man. The teachings of the Athonite Herond, Paisius' father, is a masterpiece of modern monastic thought, combining the experienced knowledge of the current problems of society by the elder and his spiritual wisdom based on personal exploits on Mount Athos. At one time, the Holy One gave clear and capacious answers to many questions that arise before a Christian living in the 21st century. Since then, the authority and relevance of the utterances of a simple Athonite monk have been increasing every day. The wide popular veneration of the elder Paisius the Svyatogorians became the basis for his admission to the saints.
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Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann, I believe. What does this mean: About the main thing in Christianity: conversations on Radio Liberty. Father Alexander Schmemann is one of the key figures in Orthodox theology in the West. This publication was a worthy crown of hard and many years of work to decipher the records of conversations that the priest conducted on Radio Liberty for thirty years. For many Christians living in the USSR, these programs have become a breath of fresh air. Father Alexander in an easy and accessible manner broadcasts the basics of the Christian faith, and also answers many of the challenges of secular society that arose in the West much earlier than in our country. We recommend this book to anyone who wants to read and learn everything about Orthodoxy in modern language.
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So our brief review has come to an end. Of course, publications and works that will help you on the path of spiritual growth are much larger, and we will certainly tell about them. All the books offered to your attention, you can buy in our online store. Pleasant and useful reading!
