The second volume, A Cloud of Witnesses, contains 16 additional first-person contributions, material that became available following publication of the first collection. These are statements and recordings by priests, poets, a psychiatrist, a secret service agent, and "ordinary" people who experienced Father Arseny’s transformational and inspirational influence on their lives. Well-known academic psychiatrist Dmitri Melikov was deeply moved by Father Arseny’s insightful compassion, perspicacity, and feel for humanity. Melikov regularly returned to him for consultation. These accounts of Father Arseny’s life, career, and death complement and substantiate the stories in the first volume.
It is out of God’s grace that more memoirs were found, put together and published in this duology of books that has truly changed me. They give a glimpse of what real and utter Christianity is all about.
“the goodness hidden in the hearts of the holy shall be revealed in their risen bodies” just as trees long veiled in snow “put out their leaves in the spring.”
A beautiful and encouraging book about the lives touched by the prayers and work of the holy elder Hieromonk Arseny. May he pray to God for us!
Great book for Orthodox Christians. This book provides a lot of great insight into the community of the believers that suffered under the influence of Soviet Communism.
Fr. Arseny and his band of believers are not to be missed some of their stories embody the living breathing God-Man Jesus Christ.
A pleasant read, but it has much less to do with Father Arseny himself, and more to do with his spiritual students. Each chapter is written by one of his spiritual students who describes how their spiritual journey led them to the spiritual guidance of Father Arseny. Each story is fascinating and inspirational, and some chapters delve into the lives of other Fathers of the spiritual students as well.
I finished this book earlier this year. It was the second time I read this sequel to the original Fr. Arseny, but it was the first time I really enjoyed this second segment of Fr. Arseny's life. I read it immediately after reading the first, and couldn't get enough. There were more stories about Fr. A's spiritual children, and their lives instead of focusing on his life as in the first book. Excellent read.