RETURN | Repentance and Confession: Return to God and His Church
Best book I’ve found on this topic. Answered all my questions on the Orthodox Confession: especially for those –like me– who are new to Orthodoxy. Coming from a Protestant background, the idea of confession seemed strange, unnatural, unnecessary and even scary… but this little 86 page book explained it all to me in terms I could understand.
‘Return’ is a great title for this little book… a RETURN to God and His Church through the process of repentance and confession. This is what confession on a regular basis does… it helps you return to the path when you stray off into the weeds.
Back Cover:
What is sin and which are sin’s fruits?
What is repentance and what isn’t it?
How do we prepare for confession?
How do we confess?
What is the meaning of penance?
What is the relationship of repentance with the mystery of the Divine Eucharist?
This small book, in simple words attempts to answer these as well as other questions and helps to offer a RETURN back to the original attitude and to a correct approach to the great and philanthropic mystery of repentance and confession.
The Philokalia provides a wealth of wisdom and deep insights which I enjoy daily. This five (5) volume set addresses many questions I have and explores with great care and insight topics that deepen my understanding of the human condition and Christian Orthodoxy. Daily reading of these important writings have helped clear the debris that clouds my nous (eye of the soul). I read volume five first and then jumped to volume one.
As a former artist, it became obvious early on how much easier it was to create amazing monsters and how much more difficult it was to create something truly beautiful and wholesome. I believe this fundamental theorem echoes and harmonizes with much of my life to date. Creating monsters is easy and productive, yet this road does not lead to beauty. Believing I could control my life by my own personal will, intellect and talent would lead to a beautiful, satisfying life proved to be folly. As it has turned out –while I accomplished many personal and financial successes—my self-directed control, fortitude and management proved to be in error exposing the limits of my man-made rationalism, reasoning and abstract concepts. My nous had become clouded and I was unable to receive the full energy imitating from God which I once knew and experienced as a child. Reading the Philokalia has help clear my nous and return me to the experience and the eternal wisdom provided by the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. -db
From the 5th Volume: The Philokalia, which means “the love of the good and beautiful”, was compiled by St. Nikodemos of the Holy Mountain and St. Makarios of Corinth and first published in Greek in 1782 as an anthology of classic spiritual texts ranging from the 4th and the 15th century. Its rich assortment of edifying literature provides boundless wisdom and guidance regarding prayer, the soul’s ascent to God through grace by its natural “love for beauty”, and its struggle to overcome its own passions and fragmentation.
Orthodox Wiki: The Philokalia is a collection of writings, mostly centering on practicing the virtues and spiritual living in a monastery. In recent decades it has become an important resource for Orthodox Christians, laity and clergy alike, in personal living and in some ways has achieved status as a major secondary spiritual written resource (after the primary one, Holy Scripture) along with St. John Climacus‘ The Ladder of Divine Ascent.
The Prologue of Ohrid: Lives of Saints, Hymns, Reflections, and Homilies for Every Day of the Year
A great addition to my library and daily studies: I can’t wait to get up every morning to read The Prologue from Ohrid. Truly a fascinating book providing much wisdom, historical context and analysis on the lives of the Saints. A simple and quick two page read each morning and then I’m off to reading the Philokalia and other books of great wisdom.
Daily Format of the Ohrid:
Date (day of the year)
Brief biography of two or more Saints of the day
Hymn of Praise for the above Saint(s)
Reflection on the life of the Saint(s) of the day
Contemplation
Homily
I find it Interesting to compare The Prologue from Ohrid to the much condensed A Daily Calendar of Saints by Fr. Lawrence Farley. The Prologue provides additional historical depth and context expanding my understanding of the life of our Orthodox Saints, plus the ‘Reflections’ and ‘Homily’ sections are pure gold. After only four months reading The Prologue daily, I feel I have gained a rich understanding of the lives of the Saints, the evil they faced and the historical times in which they lived and died. -db
