“Wealth without work Pleasure without conscience Science without humanity Knowledge without character Politics without principle Commerce without morality Worship without sacrifice. https://vidjambov.blogspot.com/2023/01/book-inventory-vladimir-djambov-talmach.html Celebrating this day as the feast of the Holy Spirit, who favored the infinite love of God for the Son with infinite joy and obedience to descend to earth and take in His omnipotent hands the work of human salvation, we will remember in blessed songs and the Blessed Virgin Mary, to whom the Holy Spirit descended earlier than to the apostles. To the apostles God the Spirit descended as the Church, as the unanimous community of saints; to the Mother of God, as to a specially chosen Person. The Holy Spirit will find upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you, ”the archangel Gabriel blessed the Blessed Virgin. And She, by the power of the Holy Spirit, gave birth to the most red fruit, from whom the heavens and the earth are fragrant, and with whom all the faithful feed from beginning to end. O Blessed Virgin Mary, the dawn and cradle of our salvation, our image of humility and obedience, Our Intercessor and Prayer House at the throne of God, O King of Heaven, the Comforter, the Soul of Truth, come to us, and dwell in us, and abide in us as strength, light and warmth; how is our life and our joy! And cleanse us from all filth, and save, better, our souls! Fill our hearts with joys and our mouths - hymns, let us glorify and magnify you with the Father and the Son - the Trinity, the One-Essential and the Undivided, now and ever, at all times and forever and ever. Amen. TROPARION TO ST. NIKOLAI Velimirovich Tone 4 Thy righteous acts have revealed thee to thy flock as a model of faith, a reflection of humility and a teacher of abstinence, O Father Bishop Nikolai; therefore, through humility thou hast obtained exaltation and through poverty, riches; pray to Christ God to save our souls. ANOTHER TROPARION TO ST. NIKOLAI [3] Tone 8 Loving thy homeland thou didst sojourn as a patriot to secure aid for God's suffering children, and as a new Chrysostom thou didst preach to those in darkness the rediscovery of the foundational Rock, Christ the Lord, in the Eternal Homeland of God's Kingdom. Thy pastoral love for all, O Confessor Nikolai, was purified in captivity by the godless, demonstrating thy commitment to the truth and thy people; therefore, O venerable Bishop, thou hast attained the crown of eternal life. Endnotes: 3. Composed by Fr. Daniel Rogich.

Sometime in the first quarter of the 13th century a number of works were written for anchoresses, women who lived as religious recluses in cells adjoining churches. The most influential is Ancrene Wisse (A Guide for Anchoresses), which discusses in great detail the daily life of the anchoress, both outer and inner. This work gives a detailed sense of a powerful and multi-faceted spirituality different from that of other mystics.

Joan of Arc is an unusual saint. Canonized in 1920 as a virgin, she died in 1431 as a condemned heretic. Uneducated, militant, and youthful, she obeyed 'Voices' that counselled her to pursue an unprecedented vocation. The various trial records provide a wealth of evidence about how Joan and others understood her spiritual life. This collection explores multiple facets of Joan's prayerful life. Two-thirds of the essays focus on Joan in her own time; the later chapters study Joan's formative influence upon modern women. Taken together, these essays offer new perspectives on the heroism of Joan's original way of sanctity.

A book for anyone who wants to understand the psychological nature of contemplative practice as a transformative process. Renowned psychologist Han de Wit explores the psychology found in age-old contemplative traditions and takes us deep into the mind of the spiritual practitioner. Using Buddhism as a framework, and drawing insights from several world religions, he demonstrates how contemplative practices can open us up to our own wisdom and compassion. The result is a vivid illumination of the process of spiritual transformation and an important contribution to contemporary psychology and psychotherapy.

The book of Psalms occupies a unique place in Scripture, being both the Word from God and words to God from His people. Unfortunately, psalm singing no longer plays an integral part of worship in most evangelical churches. In this book, thirteen well-respected scholars urge the church to rediscover the treasure of the Psalms as they examine the history of psalm singing in the church, present biblical reasons for the liturgical practice, and articulate the practical value it provides us today. Table of Contents: Foreword —W. Robert Godfrey Part 1: Psalm Singing in History 1. From Cassian to Cranmer: Singing the Psalms from Ancient Times until the Dawning of the Reformation — Hughes Oliphant Old and Robert Cathcart 2. Psalm Singing in Calvin and the Puritans — Joel R. Beeke 3. The History of Psalm Singing in the Christian Church — Terry Johnson 4. Psalters, Hymnals, Worship Wars, and American Presbyterian Piety — D. G. Hart Part 2: Psalm Singing in Scripture 5. Psalm Singing and Scripture — Rowland S. Ward 6. The Hymns of Christ: The Old Testament Formation of the New Testament Hymnal — Michael LeFebvre 7. Christian Cursing? — David P. Murray 8. The Case for Psalmody, with Some Reference to the Psalter’s Sufficiency for Christian Worship — Malcolm H. Watts Part 3: Psalm Singing and the Twenty-First-Century Church 9. Psalm Singing and Redemptive-Historical Hermeneutics: Geerhardus Vos’s “Eschatology of the Psalter” Revisited — Anthony T. Selvaggio 10. Psalm Singing and Pastoral Theology — Derek W. H. Thomas 11. Psalmody and Prayer — J. V. Fesko