Metropolitan Anthony Bloom & Georges LeFebvre OSB translated by Dinah Livingstone
“Prayer is the search for God, encounter with God, and going beyond this encounter in communion. Thus it is an activity, a state and also a situation; a situation both with respect to God and to the created world. It arises from the awareness that the world in which we live is not simply two dimensional, imprisoned in the categories of time and space, a flat world in which we meet only the surface of things, an opaque surface covering emptiness. Prayer is born of the discovery that the world has depths; that we are not only surrounded by visible things but that we are also immersed in and penetrated by invisible things. And this invisible world is both the presence of God, the supreme, sublime reality, and our own deepest truth.” —“A DISCOVERY”
CONTENTS
Part I: Courage to Pray by Metropolitan Anthony A discovery A triple relationship Encounter As through a glass darkly The nature of this encounter Seeing Hearing Humility and obedience Obedience and love An eye purified to judge The experience of a staretz It is terrible to fall into the hands of the living God Let me know myself Let me know you The absence of God Bartimaeus Prayer in tumult The stilling of the storm Constant prayer The role of ascesis The consolation of the scriptures Bearing with ourselves God’s silence and man’s silence The search for silence Prayer and our neighbour Intercession Nathalie in Christ The Intercession of Christ The image of the mother of Jesus The church is a mystery of encounter The living and the dead The saints Liturgical prayer Part II: Lord Stay With Us by Georges LeFebvre OSB INTRODUCTION 1. NEVER ALONE Losing oneself A communion In our humble condition 2. HUMBLE LOVE In faith Be humble ‘with’ God Needing another 3. LEARNING TO BELIEVE He who loves us The humility of faith With Christ 4. KNOWING WE ARE LOVED An amazing love Loving is belonging The simplicity of faith Love which unites us Love which satisfies us Love which sets us free 5. SIMPLICITY AND FREEDOM Boundless love United by God’s love In the light of faith 6. LORD I HAVE NO ONE BUT YOU A guiding love A merciful love An infinite love He who is everything to us Humble confidence Be obedient The silence of faith Knowing we are loved 7. THE GIFT OF GOD’S PRESENCE In God’s presence Respect for the mystery God looks on us with love Total acceptance He in whom we believe Total trust He who speaks to our heart 8. A MYSTERY OF GRACE God’s close presence The secret language of our heart A listening heart A communion of faith and love 9. THE EYES OF FAITH Our inmost self A mystery of grace A close presence The freedom of love Alive with Christ CONCLUSION
Item Number: BKV181 Publication data: Crestwood, NY: St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1995 Format: softcover Number of pages: 123 Dimensions (l × w × h): 21.6 cm × 14.1 cm × 0.9 cm ISBN 13: 978‒0‒88141‒031‒0 ISBN: 0‒88141‒031‒4
