Additional information
| Imprint | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | |
| Author Name | Theophan the Recluse |
| Language | English |
| Book Dimensions | 0 |
| Format Detail | eBook |
| Publication Date | 20260116 |
Now Is the Accepted Time
Lenten Sermons of St Theophan the Recluse
Living a Christian Life, Prayer & DevotionDescription
“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor 6:2).
St Theophan the Recluse, one of the greatest teachers of the Russian Orthodox Church, was steeped in the patristic tradition. He calls all to salvation through the joy of repentance, confession, and holy communion. These sermons, delivered by the saint over a number of years, are organized thematically to reveal the meaning of the liturgical life of the Church and its application to our lives. They begin with the preparatory period before the Fast and continue through it, culminating in the time of Holy Week.
St Theophan is concise, clear, and profound. Drawing from early patristic commentary, he shows the specific actions the enemy of our salvation, the devil, uses to weaken a person in mind, soul, and body and gives the reader tools to fight back against him. The reader is assured that the Lord will tangibly grant him the knowledge that his labor is not in vain and his path is not misguided. Thus, this book will inspire the reader to enter into the Lenten season with renewed hope.
“Oh, that the Lord Himself would help us never to be deprived of His abiding in us! … The Lord is in us! Let us take care to keep Him within ourselves forever.” —St Theophan
Contents
Contents
1. The Sunday of the Tax Collector and Pharisee
—Do not trust in your own righteousness
—Self-satisfaction and self-justification are the most pernicious delusion
—Convictions that persuade the soul to be ashamed and disgusted with sin and its sinful state
2. The Sunday of the Prodigal Son
—The Church wants to elevate us to an inspired resolve to forsake sin, and to walk the right path to the Heavenly Father
—What it means to awaken from the sleep of sin
—About the attempts and tricks of the enemy, who seeks to devour every zealot for goodness and purity
3. Meatfare Sunday
—Let us draw a picture of the Dread Judgement in our minds and continually carry it with us
—The secret of preparing a good defense at the Dread Judgment
—About the Second and Dread coming of our Lord Jesus Christ—abridged from the words of our holy Father Ephraim the Syrian
4. Forgiveness Sunday
—About the matter of remembering from where we have fallen
—This Lent may be the last time given to us for repentance
—Lent seems gloomy until one enters into its field
5. Wednesday—The First Week of Great Lent
—The main task is cleansing the conscience
—About recognizing one’s sins and self-knowledge
—The spiritual father is the face of all mankind: Do not be ashamed to expose yourself at confession
—Sorrow over sins and a decisive change for the better is the heart of preparing to commune
6. Friday—The First Week of Great Lent
—Contrition for sins is not a simple feeling: The limit of heartfelt contrition for sins is the firm intention not to offend God with your sins anymore
—Await the Lord in reverent silence: Prepare to meet Him, to receive Him and to give Him rest within you in a worthy manner
—How we should arrange ourselves and act in order to worthily approach the Holy Mysteries
7. Saturday—The First Week of Great Lent
—The gift of holy communion is not the end, but the beginning of labors and ascetic struggles
—About the spiritual pleasure of prayerfully abiding with the Lord
—A real change and correction of life is the goal of the whole dispensation of our salvation
—No matter how many there are, everyone receives the whole Lord
—The more often one receives communion, the closer one comes to the Lord
8. The First Sunday of Great Lent
—What should be in every communicant of the Mysteries of Christ who has received the Lord in them; and in whom is the Lord not present
—How to behave in order to avoid new falls into sin
—If you fall again, who knows whether you will get back up?
9. The Second Sunday of Great Lent
—What are the parts of our nature, what are the attacks on them and what are the weapons of our spiritual warfare against them?
—The most important methods to ensure your success in the struggle
—In what manner it happens that when we lose our lives, we do not lose, but save them
—Fighters of the passions: Do not weaken and do not heed their flattering speeches
—What it means for the world to be crucified to us and us to the world
10. The Third Sunday of Great Lent: The Life-giving Cross
—To be on the cross of self-crucifixion or to perish
—Three types of Cross: External Crosses
—Three types of Crosses: Internal Crosses
—Three types of crosses: The cross of devotion to the will of God
—You ascended on the cross in order to resist sin
11. The Fourth Sunday of Great Lent—The Ladder
—A portrait of the life of St John of the Ladder; how to become a complete emulator of St John
—The main content of The Ladder: A brief outline of our entire path to the Lord in the form of climbing a ladder
—About the Ladder of Divine Ascent and not sparing the flesh
—An excellent alphabet for all, or about the three types of ascetic labors
12. The Fifth Sunday of Great Lent
—Here is our a lesson: Do not arrogate to yourself the kingdom of heaven
—What we can learn from the conversion of St. Mary of Egypt, or about the veils of sin
—About the three classes of sinners; or about the key to the door of repentance
—Two powerful ways whereby Saint Mary of Egypt stood firm in the struggle and overcame sin
13. Holy Week
—As you labor the body, so also labor the soul.
—How to avoid the bitter fate of Judas
—The Lord is in us! Let us take care to keep Him within ourselves forever
—The Body and Blood of the Lord is a great gift!
—Arrange yourself as if you have always just received Communion
Notes
Scripture Index
