The Metaphysical Meaning of the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13)
When we think of the Lord’s Prayer, most of us are used to perceiving it as a traditional liturgical text repeated mechanically during church services. However, if we delve into…
Hesychasm
The power of the name of Metropolitan Callistus (Ware)
1. Prayer and silence When you pray, remain silent. “You yourself must be silent: let prayer speak,” writes an Orthodox author1. Achieving silence is the most difficult and decisive art…
Warnings to those reading spiritual fathers’ books and wishing to pass the Jesus Prayer intelligently by St. Macarius of Optina
The real “Caution” was composed about a century and a half ago by the venerable Optina elder Macarius (Ivanov). It is addressed to those who wish to pass through the…
Deification (Theosis)
According to the sources provided, deification ( theosis ) is the central theme and ultimate goal of man’s spiritual journey described in the “Beloved.” It is not just a metaphor, but a real calling…
How Anthony the Great compares the soul’s departure from the body
The comparison that Anthony the Great makes in chapter 111 of his instructions is fundamental to understanding ascetic psychology and eschatology (the doctrine of the afterlife). It is not just…