Prayer as the Communion of the Soul with God, Spiritual Breathing, and the Power of Human Transformation Prayer is the heart of the spiritual life. Without it, faith is in danger of being reduced to an intellectual acceptance of certain doctrines, the outward observance of religious duties, or a set of moral rules. Through prayer, however, faith becomes a living relationship, a personal encounter, and communion between the human person and the Triune God. Prayer is the spirit

Introduction Among the most subtle, yet most destructive, passions of the spiritual life is judgment. It does not always appear to be a great sin, because it is often hidden behind the pretext of “truth,” “justice,” “indignation,” or even supposed piety. The person who judges often does not think he is sinning; he imagines that he is simply seeing, evaluating, commenting, correcting, or revealing. Yet in its depth, judgment is a seizure of the throne of God, because man makes

On the Soul, the Nous, the Passions, and Orthodox Psychotherapy within the Orthodox Church Introduction The Orthodox Church does not view man as a merely biological being, nor as a psychological mechanism, nor as a social unit. She sees him as a person created according to the image of God, destined to attain the likeness of God, that is, holiness, participation in the divine life, and deification. The soul of man is not an undefined life-force, but the spiritual center of hi