Spiritual Counsels

Many books of spiritual counsel are of little practical use to ordinary Christian men and women - even when the advice is relevant to the problems involved in trying to lead a Christian life in the modern world - because they are written in a curious devotional jargon which is almost unreadable. Unlike the writers of many of these books, Father John of Kronstadt had an enormous spiritual influence. He knew the problems facing those who seek to live the Christian life in the world. He was parish priest of a great port and naval base, but his powers of healing and his spiritual guidance brought him a reputation that spread throughout Russia and even beyond its borders. Yet his teaching - that of a man of action as well as a man of prayer - is as practical and down to earth as was the man himself. His book My Life in Christ has continued to have a deep and wide-spread influence on Russian spirituality. This present selection and translation from the original 300,000 words conveys in English the essential qualities of a great spiritual master of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Includes an introduction to the life and work of Father John by the editor.