Souviens-toi de ton premier amour Les trois stades de la vie spirituelle dans la théologie de saint Sophrony l’Athonit

by Zacharias Zacharou

«… Dieu prend l’homme pour cible et le visite du matin jusqu’au soir et du soir jusqu’au matin. Sans cesse et de toute éternité, Dieu attend patiemment à la porte du cœur de l’homme. Et quand Il trouve une minuscule ouverture, c’est-à-dire un peu d’humilité et de gratitude, Il entre, et naturel-lement, lorsqu’Il le fait, Il festoie avec l’homme. Le Livre de l’Apocalypse appelle cette première visite de Dieu notre «premier amour». C’est le début de notre cheminement avec Dieu, et nous devons toujours être attentifs à marcher dignement…»

Remember Thy First Love is a graphic description of the three stages in the Christian life according to Elder Sophrony of Essex (1896 1993), disciple of St. Silouan the Athonite (1866 1938) and founder of the Patriarchal and Stavropegic Monastery of St. John the Baptist in Essex, England. In Remember Thy First Love, which complements The Enlargement of the Heart (2006) and The Hidden Man of the Heart (2008), Elder Zacharias details the nature and purpose of the first grace given at the beginning of the Christian spiritual odyssey, the experience of the apparent withdrawal of grace, and then our final adoption as children, by which we become heirs of God and joint-heirs of Christ (cf. Rom. 8:17).

Genres: Religion, Theology, Spirituality, Christian, Christianity

477 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Father Zacharias is a disciple of Saint Sophrony the Athonite - the Father founder of the Community of Saint John the Baptist, Essex, UK. He studied theology at the Orthodox Theological Institute of Saint Sergius in Paris and at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He has lived all his monastic life in the monastery of Saint John the Baptist in Essex where he serves as a spiritual Father and minister of the word of God to his brethren and the people that come to him.

Reviews

[Ted · Rating 3 out of 5]

A number of brilliant insights into the spiritual life, but that was tempered for me by my own sense that much of Orthodox spirituality is written by and for monks. The non-monastics are left to imitate the monastics on a lesser level or just try to do some monastic things when they can. My own sense of things is the monastic choice means intentionally moving away from normal parish life. It is in fact a rejection of parish life, of marriage, children, jobs, careers, home owning, citizenship, etc. Thus it is not completely applicable to the lives of Christians in parishes. But there is no Orthodox spirituality that speaks purely to the married, to the workers, to the laity. Orthodoxy really did move away from trying to make everyone a Christian to trying to make every Christian a monk.

[Signe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this when it was first published back in 2010.

At a parish once blessed with a very good priest, (and are likely still blessed with a very good though different priest) during his homilies he would sometimes read to us from Archimandrite Zacharias' works.

This book describes in great detail and depth the three stages of spiritual life for an Orthodox Christian. I am not sure if it applies to all Christians of every denomination as I don't have insight to that.

Though I am fairly certain that many Christians who have experienced a conversion or epiphany have experienced the first stage when they are flush with love for God, prayer is easy, they want everyone to share their joy and also convert. They have had a first taste of divine consolation. It seems to me that many people in the US would call this first stage "born again Christian" and conclude that they are saved.

Not so for the Orthodox. The second stage is not a really great selling point for Christianity as it includes dying to self, humbling one's self and carrying one's cross. Not a super happy topic for pleasure seeking people bent on their own will. In fact, the Christian practice in depth is completely against the grain of what secular psychology teaches people. This can be a very long, dry, arid period in the life of a practicing Christian and many fall away. We are upheld by the Liturgy during this period.

Upon reaching the third stage is when Orthodoxy would probably say a person is 'born again' as their discipline and labor through life to continue seeking God bears fruit. Definitely brings to mind the passage:

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;
(2 Timothy 4:7) NASB

This may not be the best book for a beginning Christian to read as it does deal with some very real difficulties in the spiritual life that the beginner has not yet approached. Overall it has a lot of helpful pointers on how to preserve grace, (yes, our actions do matter), and how we can traverse and learn the important lessons of the second stage.

This book is replete with footnoted Scriptural references, and index of Scriptural references, names and subjects.

There is a very good section at the end comprised of questions from priests to Archimandrite Zacharias about the challenges of parish life compared to monasticism.

Thank you to e-sword for your wonderful biblical research software from which I copied the quote above.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un exposé exacte de la vie spirituelle.

[Dorothea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my Lenten reading for 2020. I want to read every book complied from Archimandrite Zacharias’ talks.

[Debbi]

This is going to take me a while to read... lots to chew on.

[Mary Khoury · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every paragraph illuminates the spiritual life and imparts grace. A book that will be a life-tie companion.