My Life in Christ: Moments of Spiritual Serenity and Contemplation, of Reverent Feeling, of Earnest Self-Amendment, and of Peace in God: Extracts from the Diary of St. John of Kronstadt

by John of Kronstadt, E.E. Goulaeff (Translator)

Now in its fourth hard cover printing, this is one of the most beloved modern works of Orthodox Christian spirituality. It is a reflection of the profound spiritual experience and elevated theological reflection of its author, St. John of Kronstadt. Appropriate both for beginners in the spiritual life and for those more experienced, no one can come away from reading this work without profit. This is the kind of book you will return to time and time again. Appropriate, relevant, and edifying reading for all Christians.

Genres: Theology, Religion, Spirituality, Christian, Christianity, Nonfiction, Faith

564 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1894

About the author

Ivan Ilyich Sergiev, known to his contemporaries as Fr. John of Kronstadt, was the most revered figure of the Orthodox Church of Russia in the half-century leading up to the Bolshevik revolution of 1917. In 1964 the Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia formally glorified him as a Saint. St John of Kronstadt is best known through his spiritual journal My Life in Christ, that has been read by millions.

Reviews

[Mimi · Rating 5 out of 5]

2020 - I read a couple of pages in the morning with my devotional readings. I started right at the first of the year - and what a year for this to be the book to read. Wonderful meditations on the spiritual life.

2012 - Absolutely amazing, I read a page or two at night, and was greatly edified. This is a book to savor, read, re-read, and ultimately with God's help, internalize.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took nearly 2 years to complete this book, as I read a about two pages a day. The book consist entirely of short paragraphs of St. John's thoughts on a wide range of topics, including prayer, humility, church life, and the Trinity. I enjoyed each paragraph to varying degrees, as some of them spoke to me more than others. I suppose that it depends where a person is in their life as to how they can integrate these readings into ones life. My only complaint was that he goes quite far in denigrating the theater. This may be due to reasons I am unaware of, as I am not familiar with the theater in late 19th, early 20th century Russia. Modern theater is certainly not without its criticisms, but I don't think that as a category it ought to be disdained.

[Alina · Rating 5 out of 5]

O carte superba plina de intelepciune!

[Paul Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book. So much wisdom is contained in this book. A lot that can be applied to every situation. Whenever I need some advice, I just open up the pages and something there from Saint John is exactly what was needed at that moment.
From his personal words you also get to understand Saint John better. He was also human, not perfect, he struggles with life. His Diary obliterates the ignorant notions of “perfect saints” and makes saints similar to all of us. This in Turn gives hope to all of us to strive more to follow their examples.

[John E. Koniditsiotis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

It is a book full of spiritual information that fits our lives today! I recommend it to anyone looking for spiritual guidance.

[William Tu · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good book, full of spiritual insights. Every 5-10 paragraph, I would save one paragraph for good retention. Nearly every paragraph is about a different topic, and all are about Christian spirituality. Recommend this book to people of all backgrounds.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not done with this book, but am marking it as 'Read' because I may be reading it for many years to come. I try to read a page or two every day. The book is well set up for this: it's made up of fairly short, intense sections, each of which more or less stands on its own. Challenging, holy texts, strongly recommended for anyone seeking to follow Christ.

[Bassant Fahmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

كتاب رائع جدا للاب يوحنا كرونستادت (كاهن روسى ) ،الكتاب عبارة عن مجموعة تاملات روحية عميقة جدا باسلوب سهل وسلس فى التعبير وهى مقسمة الى فقرات (يمكن قراءة اى جزء منه فى اى وقت لانها غير مترابطة ) ، هذه التاملات مملؤة بالمحبة والسلام والرجاء ، روح الكتاب هادئة ومطمئنة ومريحة جدا للنفس ..هذا الكتاب اضافة جميلة لكل مكتبة .

[Bojan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must say I didn't particularly enjoy St. John's diary. There are some great thoughts in it. That alone makes it a good read. However, I myself am not a fan of train of thought writing.

[G Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A regular companion...