St. Theophan the Recluse Translated by Alexandra Dockham
Third Edition
“Once, in the middle of the dance floor at some annual ball, a young lady had a sudden glimpse of the immortality of her soul; and as this vision flashed upon her inward eye, she was struck with the thought that all this swirling around the dance floor was utterly futile. Amazed and disturbed, she wrote to the recluse: ‘Is this normal, or is it a morbid hindrance to a desire for a happy life in the world?’ The answer to her question evoked a correspondence which resulted in this volume.” —“1. The Subject of Our Correspondence: The Spiritual Life”
CONTENTS
Introduction by Protopriest Milos M. Vesin 1. The Subject of Our Correspondence: The Spiritual Life 2. Vanity of Worldly Life 3. Emptiness 4. Spiritual Freedom or Spiritual Slavery 5. The Life of the Body 6. The Life of the Soul: The Intellectual Aspect 7. The Life of the Soul: The Desirous Aspect 8. The Heart and the Aspect of the Sense 9. Spiritual Life 10. Faith in the Existence of God 11. The Influence of the Spirit on the Soul 12. The Supremacy of Spiritual Life 13. Life According to the Spirit 14. The Covering of the Soul 15. How the Saints Hear Our Prayers 16. The True Goal of Life 17. A God-pleasing Life 18. The One Thing Needful 19. Ancestral Sin 20. Disturbance in the Nature of Man 21. The Necessity of Union with God 22. The Redemptive Uplifting of Fallen Man 23. True Spiritual Zeal 24. Renewal and Self-Cleansing 25. The Hidden Action of Grace 26. The Activity of Grace 27. Inner Concentration 28. Examples of the Free Resolve to Live According to Grace 29. Patience and Constancy 30. The Inner State According to Macarius the Great 31. Supporting This Initial Yearning 32. Govenie: The Path of a Virtuous Life 33. Govenie and Conduct at Home 34. Preparation for Confession 35. The Disposition of One’s Heart 36. The Mystery of Repentance and Confession 37. Harmony with the Will of God 38. A Conscious Renewal of the Vows Given at Baptism 39. How the Enemy Tries to Lead One Astray 40. Various Causes of Spiritual Cooling 41. Final Counsels Before Confession and Communion 42. Unceasing Remembrance of God 43. Inner Peace 44. Warning to One on the True Path 45. Undistracted Prayer 46. General Rules for Staying on the True Path 47. A Prayer Rule 48. How to Attain Undistracted Prayer 49. The Burdens of Life 50. Arousing in Oneself Unceasing Remembrance of God 51. Turning the Burdens of Life to Spiritual Profit 52. Burning Love for God 53. Passions as an Obstacle to the Spirit 54. Warfare with the Passions 55. More About Warfare with the Passions 56. The Slightest Movements of the Passions 57. Stages in the Development of Passions 58. Prayer in the Warfare with Passionate Thoughts 59. St. Hesychius on Warfare with the Passions 60. Cleansing the Heart 61. Guarding the Hearing and Sight 62. Active Warfare with the Passions 63. Singing and Music 64. Solitude 65. St. Poemen on the God-pleasing Life 66. A Journey to the St. Sergius Lavra 67. Diligent Confession 68. The Need of a Good Counselor 69. Depression and Fear 70. On the Reading of Spiritual and Secular Books 71. On Coldness in Prayer 72. The Vow of Renunciation of the World 73. The Vow of Chastity 74. Yearnings for Monastic Life 75. The Tricks of the Enemy 76. Temptations from Unbelievers 77. Obedience to Parents 78. Injustice and False Accusation 79. Final Anxieties and Disturbances 80. Rest After a Storm
Item Number: BKSP388 Publication data: Safford, AZ: St. Paisius Serbian Orthodox Monastery, 2003 Format: softcover Number of pages: 304 Dimensions (l × w × h): 21.0 cm × 13.5 cm × 1.9 cm Additional information: black-and-white illustrations ISBN: 0‒9729956‒0‒9
