Counsels on Monastic Life, Volume I: Monastic Devotion

Counsels on Monastic Life, Volume I: Monastic Devotion

Saint Paisios the Athonite

Size: 6.2" x 9" (15.3 x 22.9 cm)

Pages: 302

Binding: Softcover

From the Prologue: "With the assistance of God, we have proceeded with the publication of the first volume of a new four-volume series entitled: Saint Paisios the Athonite: Counsels on Monastic Life. The previous six-volume series, which was published during the years 1998 to 2012, under the title: Saint Paisios the Athonite: Spiritual Counsels, contains topics which relate to both lay people and monastics. The four volumes of the new series refer, per excellence, to the monastic life and particularly to "the coenobitic life, a life of patient endurance." (See Saint John Climacus, Scala Paradisi, Gradus 1, PG 88, 641D.) In general terms, the subjects are as follows: setting out for the monastic life; the struggle of the novice; monastic tonsure and monastic virtues; the programme and the operation of the coenobium; the spiritual family of the coenobium and the place of (the Geronda or the Gerondissa in it; prayer, study, ascetic discipline, such as fasting, prostrations, vigils, and so forth, and the diakonia (tasks and duties) of the monastics. Those subjects are not extensively developed. They have been constituted, in the majority of instances, from the responses the Saint gave, "either by word, or by epistle" (cf.2 Thess 2:15) to each Sister, who had sincerely endeavoured to unfurl her soul and expose her weakness to him, her difficulties, her doubts and questions, her fears, her falls, and, in general, her daily personal struggle in the arena of her cell and the coenobium. Also included are the relative question and answer sessions from the Assemblies of the Sisterhood and the Council of Senior Sisters that took place with the Saint, whenever he came to the Hesychasterion. Sometimes, the question and answer sections are startling as they arose from individual conversations between the Saint and the Abbess. They have been assigned to the relative chapters for the best possible ....