Spiritual Struggle

Which angel visited the Mother of God? Which animals kept the little baby Jesus warm? What do the gifts that the Wise Men brought symbolize? Children learn about the birth of Christ through the world of Byzantine art. An art that is close to children’s souls, for it does not use shadow, peerspective, divisions or time. Dionysiou Monastery kindly gave permission for these wonderful frescoes to be reproduced in the present edition. It is their hope that these icons will speak to the souls of our children.

The Life
Childhood and Youth 35
Initial Difficulties and Aid from Grace 41
Settlement in Katounakia with Elder Ephrem 49
The Move to St Basil and the Death of Elder Ephrem 58
The Time of Bitter Struggles 62
The Nature and Forms of Trials 66
The Discovery of the Hesychast Elder Daniel
as Spiritual Father 70
The Trials Grow More Intense 81
Various Trials and Manifest Aid from Our Lady
the Mother of God 93
From St Basil to Little St Anna 109
The Move to New Skete 141
Teaching
On Sanctification and Dispassion 159
On Discovering the Will of God 166
On Regime and Disorder 172
On Trials and the Spiritual Law 178
The Differences between the Trials 182
The Law of Changes in Our Practical Life 187
Negligence, the Unsleeping Danger for the Christian 195
On Prayer 198
On Discrimination and Perspicacity 209

On Obedience 214
On Contemplation, and How Those Who Are Worthy
Contemplate 219