His Life Is Mine

by Archimandrite Sophrony

Contemplation, prayer, spirituality these words have become popular in our day among those despairing at the banality and emptiness of the contemporary scene. But popular as well are a myriad of pseudo-spiritualities, each offering its own shortcut to spiritual satisfaction. His Life is Mine is a refreshing contrast. The book deals with prayers, and especially with the 'Jesus Prayer' of Orthodox monasticism. Yet it is not simply a presentation of 'techniques.' The book is permeated by the awareness that prayer is not just the cultivation of a particular spiritual state, not the investigation of an abstract Idea or dissolution in an anonymous Whole, but an encounter with the personal Being, I AM, demanding in turn our own growth in personhood. As remarkable as the book is its author, Archimandrite Sophrony. Like a good plot, his life has proceeded from possibility to probability to necessity from marked success as a painter exhibiting in the great Paris salons after the Russian Revolution via a brief period of study at the Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris to Mount Athos, the Holy Mountain of Eastern monasticism, where he spent twenty-two years, first as a monk in the Russian Monastery of St Panteleimon and for the final seven years as a hermit in the 'desert.'

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

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

Reviews

[Kirstie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a contextually four-star book. If I were Orthodox, I’d give it five stars because I’d think everyone should read it. I’m not Orthodox, so I give it four - Christians from any tradition, I think, would benefit in at least a few profound ways from reading St. Sophrony’s reflections on prayer.

Here are some that moved me, especially:

“Dismay at the thought of returning to the dark pit in which we existed until God’s coming to us stimulates a desire to cleanse ourselves from all that could hinder the Spirit of God from taking up his abode in us for all eternity. This dismay is so immense that it brings total repentance.”

“Prayer is like a strong hand clinging fast to God’s raiment, at all times and in all places: in the turmoil of the crowd, in the pleasant hours of leisure, in periods of loneliness.”

“Time and time again we are conscious of the mind’s inability to rise to him. There are moments when we feel ourselves on the verge of insanity. ‘Thou didst give me thy precept to love but there is no strength in me for love. Come and perform in me all that thou hast commanded, for thy commandment overtaxes my powers. My mind is too frail to comprehend thee. My spirit cannot see into the mysteries of thy will. My days pass in endless conflict. I am tortured by the fear of losing thee because of the evil thoughts in my heart.’
Sometimes prayer seems to flag and we cry, ‘Make haste unto me, O God’ (Ps 70.5). But if we do not let go of the hem of his garment, help will come. It is vital to *dwell* in prayer in order to counteract the persistently destructive influence of the outside world.
Prayer cannot fail to revive in us the divine breath which God breathed into Adam’s nostrils and by virtue of which Adam ‘became a living soul’ (Gen 2.7).”

“Our fathers were naturally conscious of the ontological connection between the Name and the Named - between the Name and the Person of Christ. It is not enough to pronounce the sound of the human word, which alters with the language used. It is essential to love him whom we invoke.”

I hope these thoughts will stay in my mind forever. But there are also ideas that strike me the wrong way - that we ought to focus on “becom[ing] worthy of God” through prayer, that God sometimes does leave us and “I cannot be sure whether he will return,” and (though I can’t find the quote to save my life) that our body is a fetter and we ought to somehow lose it in the Spirit.

But these sections didn’t detract from the ones that resonated deeply.

[Maureen E · Rating 5 out of 5]

By the monk who founded the monastery in Essex, which I have yet to visit (next trip). An excellent book, which felt pastoral--loving and gentle. Encouraging rather than super theological (although it is that too). (Aug. 2010)

[maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prima carte teologică achiziționată; acum, cu un loc sigur printre preferatele mele. O expunere gradată în ceea ce privește dificultatea înțelegerii, ceea ce o face captivantă și plăcută. M-am întors cu sufletul la ortodoxie nu de mult timp, iar cărticica asta mi-a fost exact ceea ce-mi lipsea. Fiecare pagină citită se simte ca o îmbrățișare a inimii. Recomand cu căldură.


„Pentru ca să putem <> (1 Co 2, 12) de Sus, Dumnezeu se retrage pentru o vreme după ce ne-a cercetat. (...) Când Dumnezeu se retrage, se face un gol înăuntrul meu și nu pot fi sigur dacă Se va mai întoarce. A dispărut. Am rămas gol și mort. Când a venit la mine, aveam în mine ceva ce întrecea orice închipuire. Și dintr-odată m-am întors înapoi la vechea mea stare care mi se părea normală și satisfăcătoare înainte de venirea Sa. Acum ea mă îngrozește. Am fost adus în palatul Marelui Împărat, numai pentru a fi scos afară. Când eram acolo, știam că eram în casa Tatălui meu; dar acum stau jalnic în afara ei.“
/
„Dumnezeu a suflat suflarea Sa în om și de aceea ne simțim atrași spre El. Suntem chinuiți de dorul de a-l ajunge, de a fi uniți cu El în veci. El ne cheamă, ne așteaptă cu iubire. Această sete după Dumnezeu colorează întreaga noastră viață. Și în această stare vom continua să rămânem până în ziua morții noastre.“
/
„A dobândi rugăciunea înseamnă a dobândi veșnicia.“

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not sure if I agree on all his theology but this book really made me think about what is God and what is prayer.

I was attracted by this book by the title. "His Life Is Mine". To my disappointment, the book didn't address that theme (or if it did, I didn't catch it.) It also didn't develop a theme logically. It was more like a collection of thoughts on the christian life and prayer. But what thoughts! They were very deep and I am still processing them. I will read this book again but not yet.. I am not ready.

This is the first christian orthodox book I have ever read. I am definitely interested in reading more.

[Joanna Eleftheriou · Rating 5 out of 5]

my first book on faith gladly read

[Angela Alessandroni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't read this book for a long time. The saint's description of spiritual life was too far above me. His attention on God's light and love reminded me of my own weak commitment to live every day in Christ's perfection. But, though I'm still dull as dirt, the book was open and St. Sophrony shared life with me for this while.
Never underestimate the reading of lives of saints, no matter how far away and different from you, you may think they are. They lift you up to their way of thinking and seeing while you read. If not, close the book and wait for another time, but don't give up.

[Anam Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read this book in our Philokalia group. It is based not the Jesus Prayer, in fact the entire second part of the book is about the methods used in the Jesus Prayer.

It took us a number of months to go through this book reading a chapter (or sometimes even part of a chapter) each week. I am embarrassed to say that right now, I can't really tell you a thing that I read.

[Rachael McGehee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm going to read this a few more times.

[Roland Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sophrony’s prayer life was not just about his own salvation, and during the Second World War, Rosemary Edmonds tells us in the Introduction, ‘he would spend the night hours prone on the earth floor of his cave, imploring God to intervene in the crazy blood-bath. He prayed for those who were being killed, for those who were killing, for all in torment. And he prayed that God would not allow the more evil side to win’. Sophrony writes that ‘at first we pray for ourselves; but when God by the Holy Spirit gives us understanding our prayer assumes cosmic proportions. Then, when we pray ‘Our Father’ we think of all mankind, and solicit fullness of grace for all as for ourselves. Hallowed be Thy Name among all peoples. Thy kingdom come for all peoples that Thy Divine life may become their life. Thy will be done: Thy will alone unites all in love of Thee. Deliver us from evil – from ‘the murderer’ (John 8.44) who, far and wide, sows enmity and death’. Prayer is the most effective way we can combat evil in this world, Sophrony insists, as we call the name and person of Jesus to act on every circumstance we find ourselves in.

Read my full review here: https://wordsbecamebooks.com/2016/12/...

[Kenneth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book about prayer and how an Eastern Orthodox monk goes about it. Pray without ceasing, scripture says, and that is the goal. Sophrony lays out a lot of his personal experience, which included a long stint on Mount Athos in Greece, but he also discusses the theological underpinnings of what they do. Very trinitarian - Jesus is the incarnation of God, in the flesh, who died and rose again, for us. In prayer, it is absolutely necessary to repent oneself of one's sins, which are a barrier between you and God. Theosis - divination for ourselves - is the spiritual goal we seek, although there is no specific timetable - we are all different. The second part of the book discusses the Jesus Prayer - "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner". This must not be merely mechanical repetition, and there can be no pride involved. Humility befits us. Recommended for Lenten reading.

[CEGatling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fr Nicholas is reading this in adult church school so I've gotten a copy today as well.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

What? You don't have this on your shelf? I... I don't understand. Go get it and front load it into your reading list. There's nothing else to say really. Get crackin'.