Phronema of our Fathers

The Sunflower Conforming the Will of Man to the Will of God By John of Tobolsk

This is a thoroughly practical manual of the spiritual life that focuses on the central goal of every Christian: discerning the will of God and struggling to mold our life to it, just as Christ “humbled Himself and became obedient” (Philippians 2:8). Saint John addresses fundamental questions: Why should we care about God’s will? What are the benefits in following His will? How do we avoid common obstacles to living in accordance with His will? The reader will find practical and eternal wisdom running through these writings that discuss the perennial questions of why a good God permits evil. This is the first English edition of St John’s text, edited and abbreviated for the contemporary reader. St John Maximovitch (1651-1715) was Metropolitan of Tobolsk and all Siberia. He served as a missionary in Siberia and was known for his unpretentiousness and his generosity to the poor. His veneration among the people grew after his repose and he was glorified by the Russian Church in 1916, becoming the last canonized saint of the pre-revolutionary period. He is best known today as the namesake and ancestor of the great 20th-century saint of the Russian diaspora, St John of Shanghai and San Francisco.

Do You Know Yourself? Psychological Problems and the Spiritual Life by Archimandrite Symeon Kragiopoulos

Why do so many of us good Christians find our spiritual progress blocked? What can we do about the unconscious neurotic tendencies that warp our relations with others? How can we let go of the idealized image we have of ourselves? Drawing on the classic work Our Inner Conflicts by psychiatrist Karen Horney, Archimandrite Symeon shows how we are led to unhealthy attachments, slavish dependency, or a position of compliance which can even affect our relationship with God. He then explains how today s Christians can use biblical teachings and the wisdom of the Eastern Orthodox Church fathers to combat these characteristically modern problems. Archimandrite Symeon Kragiopoulos is a lecturer, preacher, and confessor in the Metropolis of Thessaloniki, Greece. His spiritual lectures often draw on his study of psychology. He has founded two monastic communities, the Monastery of the Holy Trinity for men and the Monastery of the Nativity of the Theotokos for women.

Roots of Christian Mysticism: Texts from the Patristic Era with Commentary - Olivier Clement

By linking together a series of brilliantly chosen texts from the early centuries of the Church, the author lays bare the roots of the deeply mystical spirituality that has flourished among Christians throughout the ages.

Orthodox Alaska: A Theology of Mission by Michael J. Oleksa

Includes index and appendices. In 1794, the first Orthodox missionary monks arrived at Kodiak to fond what they believed would be an indigenous Orthodox Church in the New World. They recognized as integral to their mission the defense of Native people who were being abused, exploited and enslaved by an unjust regime. The mission understood its function in cosmic terms: to sanctify, here and now, this land, these people, and bring them to the unity-in-love which is the goal of authentic Christian mission. The history of the Alaskan Church confirms the eternal and indestructible character of the Church's vision, integrating into her worship the cosmic, scriptural and eschatological dimension of faith. Among the Native Americans in Alaska, Orthodoxy has become an integral part of an authentically American culture. Consequently it is appropriate that an Orthodox theology of mission should originate from the Alaskan context. If an American Orthodox missiology is to emerge, its formulation should serve not only the Church in America but contribute to the clarification of Orthodox theology for the universal Church as well. Archpriest Michael J. Oleska, Alaskan Orthodox missionary for nearly three decades, completed his doctoral work in Church History and Patristics at the Orthodox Theological Faculty in Presov, Slovakia, in 1988. Upon completing a year of research and teaching at Moscow's St Patriarch Tikhon Theological Institute, he was elected Dean of St Herman's Seminary in Kodiak, Alaska, in 1996. He is also the editor of Alaskan Missionary Spirituality. Read less [javascript:void(0)]

On Prayer - Sophrony Sakharov

A collection of articles on prayer and the spiritual life, together with some of the author's own prayers. A moving testimony to the relevance of Christ, who, for Archimandrite Sophrony, is "all, and in all, the beginning and the ending" of all things.