Monastic Wisdom: the Letters of Elder Joseph the Hesychast Published by St Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery (Arizona US), 1999   Elder Joseph the Hesychast (†1959), a renowned holy elder of our times, is associated with the renewal of monastic life on Mt Athos, whereby many of his spiritual children and grandchildren have been instrumental in renewing six of its twenty monasteries. One spiritual child, Elder Ephraim, became Abbot of Philotheou Monastery, and later founded several monasteries in North America, including St Anthony’s Monastery in Arizona, the publisher of Monastic Wisdom: The Letters of Elder Joseph the Hesychast. The book book [...]

The Mother of Christ: The Mother of God by Archimandrite Vassilios Bakoyannis. Published by Orthodox Book Center, 2005.   In The Mother of Christ: The Mother of God Archimandrite Vassilios Bakoyannis examines the conception, upbringing, and spiritual life of the Theotokos, her impact on society, and her importance to us personally - particularly when we depart from this life. He primarily draws from the apocryphal Protoevangelium of St James, ascribed to the ‘Brother’ of our Lord, writing from his personal daily experience of the Virgin Mary, who had adopted him upon her betrothal to his widowed father Joseph. These writings [...]

Giver of Life: the Holy Spirit in Orthodox Tradition, by Fr John W. Oliver. Published by Paraclete Press, 2011.   In Giver of Life: the Holy Spirit in Orthodox Tradition, Father John Oliver provides an excellent study of the daily-recited prayer ‘O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth…’. He draws from Biblical and Liturgical tradition, theology, and the writings of the Church Fathers, who personally experienced and wrote in the revelation of the Spirit, to delve into the deeper meanings of this profound prayer to the Holy Spirit. Each line of the prayer is examined in detail over [...]

Parenting Toward the Kingdom: Orthodox Christian Principles of Child-Rearing by Philip Mamalakis Published by Ancient Faith Publishing, 2016   Parenting Toward the Kingdom is a rare offering that connects the daily struggles of family life and parenting to the truths of the Orthodox Christian Church, and offers real strategies to navigate these challenges. Mamalakis notes that parenting requires an end game, namely, what sort of adults we wish our children to become: Caring? Kind? Moral? Competent? Hard-working? These long-term goals need to guide our daily interventions. Some of the themes addressed include: 1) the need to convey the positive joy [...]

The Struggle for Virtue: Asceticism in a Modern Secular Society By Archbishop Averky Taushev, Published by Holy Trinity Publications, 2014 In The Struggle for Virtue: Asceticism in a Modern Secular Society, Archbishop Averky Taushev has skilfully gathered the teachings of the Orthodox Church Fathers on the spiritual struggle, and has presented it in a clear and very personal way that touches, teaches, and inspires. Archbishop Averky addresses the question: ‘What is asceticism?’ He counters the many false understandings that exist. He explains how it heals and transforms the human person and how it is integral to the spiritual life and [...]