Monasticism is a paradoxical phenomenon on earth. It is life ‘outside the camp of this world.’ It reveals, in the present age, the life of the Kingdom to come and is governed by the Holy Spirit. It is the closest imitation of the path of Christ—first of His kenotic descent, even to the nethermost parts of the earth, and then of His glorious ascent above the heavens. By this path, the gifts of the Holy Spirit descended as rain watering the earth. Monasticism is bears the charismatic power of humility. Its prophetic character reflects the supra-cosmic otherness of Christ’s ethos – the truth of God. The monk is an image of the Resurrection, having passed ‘from death to life,’ and an image of Pentecost, when he bears in his chest the living flame of the Paraclete. The monk’s mission is to be a witness to the humble ethos of Christ, through which He brought to the world in these latter days His great and perfect salvation.

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The All-Embracing Gift of the Holy Spirit. An Approach to the Monastic Legacy of Saint Sophrony

EnglishEPUB reflowable490 pages20232nd editionSee all details

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Book details

AuthorArchimandrite Zacharias Zacharou

LanguageEnglish

FormatEPUB reflowable

Print length490 pages

PublisherThe Stavropegic Monastery of St John the Baptist

Edition2nd edition

Publication year2023

ISBN978-1-918281-39-2

FOREWORD
INTRODUCTION

I. THE TRUE DIMENSIONS OF THE GOSPEL IN MONASTICISM

The Inverted Perspective of Monastic Life
Charismatic Theocracy

II. CHARISMATIC ASPECTS OF MONASTIC LIFE

Thirst for God
The Name of the Lord Jesus – the Breath of the Monk
Inconsolable Repentance
Fattening the Soul of the Monk through the Bread of Tears
New Beginnings, New Mercies, New Songs of Gratitude and Love
Prophetic Life in Monasticism
The Word Born in the Heart of the Man Who repents
Thanksgiving and Spiritual Sonship
Constantly ‘Rubbing’ against God’s Energy
Christ-like Vulnerability
Spiritual Tension in Times of Affliction

III. COMMENTS ON PHILOKALIC TEXTS ABOUT VIGILANCE

The Thought of Hell in Saint Isaiah the Anchorite
Stillness in Saint Hesychios
Positive Asceticism
Vigilance – the Science of Sciences and Art of Arts

EPILOGUE – AS ALIVE FROM THE DEAD
Biblical Index

Everything that is instrumental for receiving God’s incorruptible grace is a sacrament. In this sense, we could say that our entire Church is a sacrament. The monastic profession never sought to be acknowledged as one of the sacraments of the Church, as this would put its charismatic character at risk. Monasticism is the closest imitation of the path of Christ – of His kenotic descent and humiliation, and His glorious ascent above the heavens, by which all the gifts of the Holy Spirit came down as rain upon the earth. For this reason, institutionalisation would only occasion vanity and pride, as sometimes happens with holy priesthood.

By avoiding being recognised as an institution, monasticism remains hidden from the eyes of this world, and this allows it to keep its perfect and absolute freedom to exist purely on the spiritual plane, governed exclusively by the power of the Holy Spirit. If monasticism were to become an institution, it would cease to be a life outside the camp of this world (Heb. 13:14); it would lose its charismatic power of humility and its prophetic and paradoxical character, whereby it maintains the knowledge of God on earth.

— Excerpt from: Monasticism: The All-Embracing Gift of the Holy Spirit (An Approach to the Monastic Legacy of Saint Sophrony) • Introduction (p. 13)

The very essence of monasticism is therefore the cooperation of the spiritual Father with his disciple in slaying the old man, so that the new creature, the heavenly man, the hypostasis, may come forth. This prophetic gift is especially at work through the monastic practice of confession of thoughts; each time the monk discloses his thought with simplicity and trust, a small regeneration of his soul takes place.

— Excerpt from: Monasticism: The All-Embracing Gift of the Holy Spirit (An Approach to the Monastic Legacy of Saint Sophrony) • Prophetic Life in Monasticism (p. 228)

The truly charismatic monk flees any honour as fire, knowing that it will extinguish the flame of love for God burning in his heart and stop the current of the divine will from flowing through him and guiding him. He would rather do everything to remain hidden from the eyes of this world so as not to be seen by men, but to be under the gaze of God’s eyes alone, ‘who seeth in secret and rewardeth openly.’ Neither does he seek consolation or support from this world but puts his only hope in the Lord, ‘which hope he has as an anchor of his soul’, leading him into that which is ‘within the veil.’

— Excerpt from: Monasticism

When uncompromised, the life of the monk under obedience is full of prophetic aspects, divine truth and incorruptible consolation. His total crucifixion attracts the eyes of the Lord towards him day and night, as He recognises in His servant a spirit akin to His. Although he has made himself as a ‘beast beside its master’, yet he discovers that God’s presence is always with him. Through the continuous surrendering of his will to his Elder, the monk perpetually dwells in the current of the will of God, whereby he accommodates within himself the gift of Pentecost, the gift of the Holy Spirit. The monk who cultivates a contrite spirit and suffers the changes of the consolation of grace is a supra-cosmic image of the mystery of Pentecost. These consolations of the Holy Spirit enlighten the mind and strengthen the heart to run the way of Christ’s commandments. Those who adhere to this way of life and have gone through the annihilation of the old man brought about by God’s judgments are able to cry out boldly to the God of their Fathers with the great words of the Psalm: ‘My soul cleaveth unto the dust, quicken Thou me according to Thy word.’

— Excerpt from: Monasticism

eBook: Monasticism