wildvirgogirl's Full Review: The Way of a Pilgrim: And the Pilgrim Continues Hi...
"I stick to simple themes. Love. Hate. No nuances. I stay away from psychoanalyst's couch scenes. Couches are good for one thing." - John Wayne, Reader's Digest: 1 September 1970
When someone says the word 'pilgrim' in conversation an image of John Wayne's face immediately comes to mind due to the westerns I loved to watch as a kid. So, when eric_james told me I had 'a pilgrim soul' I didn't quite know what to make of the remark. My initial reaction was 'I remind you of The Duke? Hmmm.' Er, not quite...
A Russian Classic
I have since learned that among Eastern Orthodox Christians there is a story highlighting an anonymous, 19-century pilgrim's spiritual journey. This pilgrim sought a way to 'pray constantly' as St. Paul urged in his letters (I Thessalonians 5:17). The Way Of A Pilgrim, and the subsequent The Pilgrim Continues His Way, is the compilation of this man's stories, how he learned a simple technique to pray continuously.
The 175-page book was first translated by Helen Bacovcin in 1978 and published by Image Books. A foreword was added by Walter J. Ciszek, S.J. who spent years in the Soviet gulag and is now being considered for canonization in the Roman Catholic Church. A classic in Russian spiritual literature, I received this book as a gift.
Now, hold on there just one cotton-pickin' minute, Pilgrim...
"By the grace of God I am a Christian, by my deeds a great sinner, and by my calling a homeless wanderer of humblest origin, roaming from place to place. My possessions consist of a knapsack with dry crusts of bread on my back and in my bosom the Holy Bible. This is all!"
With this, the pilgrim's journey began and I was hooked as the man traveled, wandering from town to town searching for an answer to his question "how can one pray without ceasing?" As I, too, am a sinner, (and one of great measure), I noted I have amends to make for my past/current/future actions. Therefore, I really wanted to know the answer as well. This story offers one solution.
Learning 'The Jesus Prayer'
During his search, the pilgrim writer meets many who are spiritually knowledgeable, but few who offer him concrete instructions on how to achieve his goal of praying without stopping. Toward the end of the first book, The Way Of A Pilgrim, he finally meets a man who helps him - a spiritual Father of the Orthodox Church. Receiving a copy of the Philokalia, (a collection of writings, originally in Greek, by the spiritual Fathers of the Eastern Orthodox faith), the pilgrim also learns how to recite 'The Jesus Prayer' constantly.
Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me. Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me. Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.
Henceforth, and into the next story, The Pilgrim Continues His Way, readers learn how this prayer is put to use successfully. A lengthy Appendix features the directives of the Fathers on the prayer of the heart. They are:
- St. Simeon, The New Theologian
- St. Gregory of Sinai
- Nicephorus, The Solitary
- Callistus and Ignatius
- Hesychius of Jerusalem
- Philotheus of Sinai
- Theoleptus, Metropolitan of Philadelphia
- Barsanuphius and John
- and, Abba Philemon.
Instructions for saying 'The Jesus Prayer' are offered in ten easy steps. The book closes with a Notes section to help those readers whose understanding of Russian is either non-existent or terribly lacking in facility. :)
Final Musings
Many will find the pilgrim's story repetitive in its theme and so it should be I suppose since the prayer is as well. The pilgrim's thoughts are presented in an easy-to-comprehend fashion and can be read in one sitting (in a matter of hours) or a chapter at a time over a longer period. If one is interested in discovering how to put 'The Jesus Prayer' into action, this is the book for you. Lastly, it is not geared solely for Eastern Orthodox Christians, but can be read by anyone who wishes to pray to God for mercy.
Pray without ceasing. The instructions are within this humble, enlightening, Russian classic.
This classic work of Russian spirituality has charmed countless readers with its tale of a nineteenth-century peasant seeking the truth with simple hu...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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