The Beginnings of a Life of Prayer (Lychnos, August 2023)

The Beginnings of a Life of Prayer Archimandrite Irenei The Beginnings of a Life of Prayer, by Archimandrite Irenei, is an excellent book for those beginning to contemplate what it means to live a life of prayer, but also for those who may have begun this journey but need a reminder of the fundamentals required to progress further. Drawing on biblical and patristic references, the author explains eloquently that the beginning of a life of prayer arises from the longing of the heart to know Christ our God, to rest in Him who showed His love for us upon the precious Cross, and to abide in the fullness of communion with Him. The book is divided into two main parts. Part one, Taking Stock of our Struggle, has as a central theme the need for each individual to self-examine genuinely their current spiritual state so that they may better understand the areas they need to improve. In the words of St Basil the Great,

“Be attentive to yourself. That is, observe yourself carefully from every side. Let the eye of your soul be sleepless to guard you... that you may be saved like a gazelle from traps and like a bird from snares.” If our aspiration is to live an authentic Christian life, a life that seeks prayer and transfiguration in Christ, we need to continually examine ourselves. We need to be able to see our weaknesses and try find a way out by engaging consistently in our own personal ascetical struggle to overcome our passions. This may sound difficult, but the impossible is made possible with Christ. What is needed on our part is genuine and consistent effort and we leave the rest to Christ, who will see our effort and inspire us to make further progress. In part two, the reader is taken on a wonderful journey through the different aspects of a life of prayer and concludes with practical tips from various patristic writings. The overriding sentiment is that the beginning of prayer does not consist in a method, in a specific style or form of practice but rather it is a cry of the heart, a longing of the soul to know its Creator. If you have discovered this longing within yourself, even if its precise form remains unknown to you, then you have within you the seeds from which prayer can grow. The book’s call to action is then to make a start on your prayer life or, if you have already made a start, to re-examine the journey so far and make any required adjustments. In our contemporary and demanding world, prayer is the antidote as it is the call of God to each of our hearts and the personal response of our heart back to God. Prayer is the rest of which the Saviour spoke: Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. It is the rest in which the soul and body, which labour and are heavy laden by the burdens of this world, abide in the true Sabbath, the comforting bosom of our Lord. ORTHODOX MISSION BOOKSTORE orthodoxbookstore.org.au 217 Bexley Rd, Kingsgrove, Sydney NSW (02) 9787 9779 | Monday – Saturday 10am–2pm