Reddit Reddit reviews Beginning to Pray

We found 15 Reddit comments about Beginning to Pray. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.

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Beginning to Pray
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15 Reddit comments about Beginning to Pray:

u/[deleted] · 19 pointsr/Christianity

No Man is an Island By Thomas Merton

Clowning in Rome By Henri Nouwen.

The Great Divorce By C.S. Lewis

Beginning to Pray By Archbishop Anthony Bloom

For the Life of the World By Fr Alexander Schmemann

Christ the Conqueror of Hell By Archbishop Hilarion Alfeyev

Christ the Eternal Tao By Hieromonk Damascene

The Way of the Pilgrim

Marriage as a Path to Holiness-Lives of Married Saints By David and Mary Ford

On the Incarnation By St Athanasius

On Social Justice By St Basil the Great

The Ladder of Divine Ascent By St John Climacus

I'm currently trying to finish Fr Seraphim Rose- His Life and Works for the third time and despite my apparent inability to complete it, I really do enjoy it.

u/Chelle-Dalena · 16 pointsr/OrthodoxChristianity
  1. Nope. Not rude or disrespectful.
  2. http://www.orthodoxiya.fm/ (If you speak Arabic, here is an Orthodox on-line radio station. If not- you'll be just as lost as I am with this! However, if you like chants, there is some good chanting to be found here. If you prefer or know English better, then this might be more up your alley: Ancient Faith Radio (music/chanting, podcasts, blogs)

    Well, I'll just share books and links with you that I just shared to someone else on another thread. I don't know how useful some of them will be for you, since you don't have a Christian background, but there they are anyway. Regarding specific differences between Copts, Armenians, Old Believer, and Eastern Orthodox, I don't know of any books that specifically address the differences (but Ethiopians are Copts and Greeks/Russians/Antioch are all Eastern Orthodox). ;)

    The Orthodox Faith by Thomas Hopko (It's all on-line- so no need to buy anything here.)

    Beginning to Pray by Anthony Bloom (Wonderful resource for anyone.)

    On the Incarnation by St. Athanasius (Catholics of all stripes should approve of this, but this is definitely something the East looks at more frequently in my observation. Also all on-line.)

    The Meaning of Icons by Vladimir Lossky (Icons are often overlooked in book recommendations on Orthodox Christianity. It's a shame. It's one of the most fascinating subjects.)

    On Acquisition of the Holy Spirit by St. Seraphim of Sarov (Even the pope has recognized him as a saint. This is a wonderful and deceptively simple (i.e. heavy) read. This is also all on-line. There are also six you-tube videos for this so you can just listen: https://youtu.be/pBynRA0wNg8 )

    Also, I don't think this has much to do with theology, but I really liked them:

    The Way of a Pilgrim (I recommend this book to everyone. Always.)

    How to Live a Holy Life by Gregory Postnikov (This is a small book. It's deceptively simple. The doing of what's in it is more difficult.)

  1. For an Orthodox view, I highly recommend this podcast series on the bible to you. Dr. Constantinou of the University of San Diego essentially covers what she would in one of her survey courses. This goes in-depth on the topics of scripture (old and new). It truly starts with the second podcast (Inspiration and Inerrancy) and moves on to cover oral tradition, bible manuscripts, the septuagint, the canon, translations and versions, patristic interpretation, the school of Alexandria, the school of Antioch, and the Latin fathers in other podcasts. Search the Scriptures: Introduction to the Bible (Lesson 2)
u/Ibrey · 15 pointsr/Catholicism

I agree, don't do that. The Bible is not meant to be read like a novel.

Do read:

u/internetiseverywhere · 12 pointsr/OrthodoxChristianity

>but I feel like I can't make an intellectually honest assent to the faith until I can tell the full story of how I got to Orthodoxy.

Yeah, this is where you're going wrong. Craft the narrative later -- there is work to be done.

Pick up Beginning to Pray by (Metropolitan) Anthony Bloom. The first chapter should be a good punch in the gut.

You're as far as you need to go right now intellectually. But this isn't a thought experiment. You won't have any intellectual certitude about our risen Lord until you meet Him.



-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you wish to save your soul and win eternal life, arise from your lethargy, make the sign of the Cross and say:

In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Faith comes not through pondering but through action. Not words and speculation but experience teaches us what God is. To let in fresh air we have to open a window; to get tanned we must go out into the sunshine. Achieving faith is no different; we never reach a goal by just sitting in comfort and waiting, say the holy Fathers. Let the Prodigal Son be our example. He "arose and came" (Luke 15:20)

-Way of the Ascetics

u/mistiklest · 7 pointsr/Christianity

As we pray them over and over, we make their words our own, and we shape our minds and hearts to their pattern.

Also, in the Lukan account, we are explicitly told to say the Lord's Prayer.

If I might recommend a book, check out Beginning to Pray by Metropolitan Anthony Bloom.

u/thephotoman · 6 pointsr/Catacombs

Thank you.

Now that I'm back home, here are some recommendations. First, I might note that while /u/johnnytoomuch's post has some good links in it, the truth is that for someone new to the whole Orthodoxy thing, that's all going to be hitting the ground too hard and fast.

So here are my recommendations, geared towards somebody totally new to Orthodoxy (I'd say beginner, but we're all beginners, even the likes of St. Theophon the Recluse).

  1. Bread and Water, Wine and Oil by Archimandrite Meletios (Webber) is actually a relatively solid introduction to both Orthodox theology, practice, and language. It's also a fairly short read. My copy is well dog-eared. If you're a digital guy, there's also a Kindle version.
  2. Beginning to Pray by Metropolitan Anthony (Bloom) of Sourozh touches on prayer specifically. What's more, this book will be of use to you regardless of your background.
  3. Check your bookstore for a prayer book. Study the prayers in there. They're actually rather dense. The notes in the one published by Holy Trinity Monastery (ROCOR) in Jordanville, New York, commonly just called the Jordanville Prayerbook, has some excellent note sections, though I would not attempt that full prayer rule without some advising from a spiritual father, particularly for someone new. That book also contains the text of the Divine Liturgy and a few other services, so you can use it to follow along (except for the hymns that are prescribed by the day or week). That said, it does have a few glaring typos in the prayers themselves--they work on revising it regularly, though.
  4. If you really want to get in to how the Divine Liturgy (and the rest of the services) are put together, get yourself a copy of the horologion. This one is also by Holy Trinity Monastery, and is in common use at many English speaking Orthodox parishes in North America. I warn you, though: that rabbit hole is very deep. There are 13 different books we pull from*.

    I'd also ask the priest what book he uses for his inquirers class.

    * For a layman, the horologion and psalter (if you have a Bible, you have the psalter) are the core of it. You do not need and should probably not purchase your own copy of the Menaion (the books that give the hymns for feasts and saints) or the Ochtoechos (the books that give the hymns for the tone of the week). I'm also not mentioning the Triodion (the book of Lent) or Pentecostarion (the book of Pascha). The other 7 books are generally clergy books or books for specific occasions.
u/scottishclaymore · 6 pointsr/OrthodoxChristianity

Things you can do at home: I'd recommend getting a prayer book (I started with this one: https://www.amazon.com/Pocket-Prayer-Orthodox-Christians-paper/dp/B000FFYC72/) and start reading the morning, afternoon, and evening prayers. They won't take long and, practiced consistently, they will begin to incline your heart towards God. They did mine.

Regarding the Jesus Prayer: God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love and of a sound mind. You need not be afraid of invoking the name of Jesus "wrongly" as long as you are doing it out of love and a sound mind. Say it reverently and with great love.

"Beginning to Pray" by Met. Anthony Bloom is a wonderful read if you are trying to understand prayer better: https://www.amazon.com/Beginning-Pray-Anthony-Bloom/dp/0809115093/ It has the added virtue of being short.

And to echo what others have said, find a way that you can stand in the Church and apprehend this with more than just your noggin'. Seriously. Even if that means you can only get out once or twice a month. That's where my family is at right now, at least through the end of the year. Orthodoxy is such a wonderful thing to experience, but it's also so rich that for inquirers like you and me, even once or twice a month may be enough beauty to feed on until our situations improve.

u/awholtzapple · 3 pointsr/Christianity

This is something I am struggling with myself. I recently found a book called "Beginning to Pray" by Anthony Bloom, an Orthodox clergyman; only $10 on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0809115093).

I am only on the second chapter, but I am beginning to form a new understanding of prayer - perhaps that is what you need as well. The first chapter of the book, "The Absence of God" is particularly on point with what you are talking about.

I have recently started "contemplative prayer" which really has helped clear my mind and stop the "wandering" - which happens to everyone BTW - perhaps you would want to explore this practice too.

u/tachynic · 3 pointsr/OrthodoxChristianity

The Roman Catholic Liturgy of the Hours is a completely different text from the Orthodox Liturgy of the Hours, although it is similar in some respects, such as having times of prayer throughout the day. However, the prayers themselves are different.

They are also used differently. The Catholic Liturgy of the Hours has been somewhat abbreviated and can be used at home by individuals. The Orthodox Liturgy of the Hours is typically used only in monasteries and parishes by those who have access to the numerous hymn books required.

At home, Orthodox typically pray a morning and evening (and sometimes midday) prayer rule. You can find typical Orthodox morning and evening prayers in a prayer book such as the Jordanville Prayer Book.

If you are interested in a general introduction to prayer from an Orthodox perspective, I highly recommend Beginning to Pray by Met. Anthony Bloom.

edit: Also, the "Liturgy of the Hours" (aka "Divine Office") is not to be confused with the "Divine Liturgy," which is what we call the Roman "Mass," i.e. the service in which the sacrament of the Eucharist is performed.

u/jtalexanderiv · 2 pointsr/Christianity
u/seeing_the_light · 2 pointsr/Christianity

If you are planning on writing a book on prayer, I would recommend this, this and this, for the Orthodox perspective.

u/elgreco10 · 1 pointr/Christianity

If you're a reader, I'd recommend Beginning to Pray by Anthony Bloom. It's a wonderful book for people at all levels of spiritual development or denominations on developing a relationship with God.

u/SK2018 · 1 pointr/DebateAnAtheist

>Despite the claims in scripture.

Quite the accusation! Where do any of the Patristics teach that God will answer any old human whim?

You say:
>Shouldn't I expect the same results?

As a matter of strict logical necessity? Nope. This is great literature on the subject.

You say:
>That presupposes there's an answer.

At the very least, it points to the great mystery of being. This is what Plato meant when he said that "All philosophy begins in wonder."

u/grumpythunder · 1 pointr/psychotherapy

Apologies for my delayed response. Life got wild for a bit there (lots of clients in crisis for some reason ...)

Anyway, I'm most familiar with the Roman Catholic tradition. The Roman Catholic Church has a long standing tradition of contemplative prayer. Contemplative prayer can trace its roots back to the Church Fathers:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_Fathers

especially the Desert Fathers:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert_Fathers

The well respected "thought leaders" in Roman Catholicism around contemplative prayer include Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross (the 'dark night of the soul' guy; a concept I find very helpful in therapy), as well as in the spiritual exercises of Ignatius of Loyola:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teresa_of_%C3%81vila

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_of_the_Cross

https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/the-spiritual-exercises

As for my own thoughts, I talk to Christian clients about contemplative prayer as placing oneself in the presence of God; of developing a relationship with the Divine (rather than only petitioning, which is what many people do in prayer).

A great book on the basics of contemplative prayer:

https://www.amazon.com/Beginning-Pray-Anthony-Bloom/dp/0809115093/ref=la_B001HCS4V2_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1519667950&sr=1-1#customerReviews

u/andmoreagain · 1 pointr/Christianity

I'd also suggest Beginning to Pray by Anthony Bloom (Metropolitan Anthony Sourozh). I'm personally reading this book at the moment and even though it's only 128 pages it has a lot of depth and has helped me tremendously in prayer.

I'd also recommend going for walks with a prayer rope and reciting the Jesus Prayer. Take a break from computers and phones and stuff and do a one on one with the Lord.