As Christ has taught us, nothing is more important for us than learning how to love (Matt. 22: 36-40). But how can we truly love others until we have learned to love Christ Himself who has loved us first, before any other, and far more greatly than any other? St Theophan shows us how St John, the Beloved Disciple, can help us learn to love Christ our God, with all our heart and … [Read more...] about How To Love Christ: Learning From the Beloved Disciple
How to Establish a Prayer Rule
Establishing and maintaining a prayer rule does not have to be an onerous experience, one that is more likely to fail than succeed, writes St. Theophan the Recluse. We need a prayer rule because we need discipline, but that discipline has to be doable, one that delivers the fruits of prayer and not one that drives us to frustration, or worse, despair, because we don't have the … [Read more...] about How to Establish a Prayer Rule
Tips on Prayer from St. Theophan the Recluse
Source: Russian Faith By St. Theophan the Recluse How to Enter a Prayerful State of Mind Being the soul’s breath, prayer is most important in the life of a Christian. The presence of prayer in one’s life means that the person is spiritually alive; without a prayer he is dead. Standing in front of icons and bowing is not yet prayer itself—those are … [Read more...] about Tips on Prayer from St. Theophan the Recluse
It is Only Possible to Love Individual Persons, not Humanity in General
The more I love mankind in general, the less I love people in particular, that is, individually, as separate persons. [Likewise] the more I hate people individually, the more ardent becomes my love for humanity as whole. -Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov Following in the paths of St Paisius Velichovsky and St Tikhon of Zadonsk, St Theophan (1815—1894) was one … [Read more...] about It is Only Possible to Love Individual Persons, not Humanity in General