Thank you for these suggestions! As newly-illumined, I need all the help I can get! One book I'm reading for the second time is The Divine Liturgy: A Commentary in the Light of the Fathers by Cell of St. John the Theologian Koutloumousiou Monastery, Mt. Athos. Here's a quote from it I recently read: "The bloodless offering is being performed continuously, in many different times and places. But the presence of the one Christ does away with time and space."
I really enjoyed Our Thoughts Determine our Lives having also struggled with scrupulosity. If you haven’t already I highly recommend Wounded by Love by Saint Porphyrios. Every single page is quotable; it’s so good and one I am sure I will re-read.
Thanks for these suggestions! Ive read a handful of them, but I’ve been meaning to read Christ the Eternal Tao for a while; I may need to bump it up in my list.
Thank you for reading! I definitely enjoyed it, and I think those with different interests in theology and philosophy can all get something out of the book
It has great stories about the monastery dealing with the Communists. And the stories are very funny.
One of my favorites:
When it was election time, everyone has to vote, even though there is only one party and one candidate. Election Day was on Sunday, to further humiliate the Christians. The monastery had a ballot box and the local Commissar decided that the monks needed to submit and to vote in person in town like everyone else. So the abbot and monks lead a procession all through the town with icons and prayers down to the election place. It was such a big deal that from then on the Commisar made them vote in the monastery so they would not be seen or heard. 😆
Those are the type of stories, always with a subtle humor.
Thank you for these suggestions! As newly-illumined, I need all the help I can get! One book I'm reading for the second time is The Divine Liturgy: A Commentary in the Light of the Fathers by Cell of St. John the Theologian Koutloumousiou Monastery, Mt. Athos. Here's a quote from it I recently read: "The bloodless offering is being performed continuously, in many different times and places. But the presence of the one Christ does away with time and space."
I actually have this on my to read list! Definitely more interested now based on that quote.
It's a treasure.
I really enjoyed Our Thoughts Determine our Lives having also struggled with scrupulosity. If you haven’t already I highly recommend Wounded by Love by Saint Porphyrios. Every single page is quotable; it’s so good and one I am sure I will re-read.
That one is definitely on my to read list! Have heard only positive things.
Thanks for these suggestions! Ive read a handful of them, but I’ve been meaning to read Christ the Eternal Tao for a while; I may need to bump it up in my list.
Thank you for reading! I definitely enjoyed it, and I think those with different interests in theology and philosophy can all get something out of the book
Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives by Elder Thaddeus was instrumental to me.
My other suggestions:
- Thinking Orthodox by Eugenia Constantiou
- Everyday Saints and other Stories. I have read this several times.
- God’s Revelation to the Human Heart by Fr. Seraphim Rose.
- The Orthodox Veneration of the Mother of God by St. John Maximovich
This was very helpful for Protestant converts that struggle with the Theotokos.
I’ve been meaning to read everyday saints. It’s on my shelf I just haven’t gotten around to it!
It has great stories about the monastery dealing with the Communists. And the stories are very funny.
One of my favorites:
When it was election time, everyone has to vote, even though there is only one party and one candidate. Election Day was on Sunday, to further humiliate the Christians. The monastery had a ballot box and the local Commissar decided that the monks needed to submit and to vote in person in town like everyone else. So the abbot and monks lead a procession all through the town with icons and prayers down to the election place. It was such a big deal that from then on the Commisar made them vote in the monastery so they would not be seen or heard. 😆
Those are the type of stories, always with a subtle humor.
⛲️☦️🔥☘️Thanx Amigo,
Grace and Peace to you…..
Excellent addition! I’ve actually been trying to acquire that for sometime now…