Our brother, Alexandr, has been providing short meditations from some of the Fathers, especially the Elders of Optina.

I remembered seeing a source for a seven volume series, one volume for each Elder collected. They range in price from ten to twenty-three dollars each. They can be obtained from Eighth Day Books, 800-841-2541.

In Christ,

BOB

An excellent source! Otec Sergei Chetverikov's translation has been done in simple English, and they are a joy to read. A most worthwhile acquisition for all Christians, they should be in every Church's library. If one can only acquire one, I recommend Vol IV, Elder Ambrose. Dostoyevsky was so moved by his pilgrimage to Optina and Elder Ambrose that he wrote his last and greatest novel, The Brothers Karamazov, with the specific intention of depicting the spiritual image of Optina Monastery and the Elder. The fictional character of Elder Zosima in his book was modelled after Elder Ambrose, whose words of counsel Dostoyevsky put directly into the mouth of his unforgettable character. Here is a short extract:

Whoever has an unfeeling heart should not despair, because with God’s help a man can change his heart. You need only to watch yourself attentively, and not miss a chance to be useful to your neighbor, reveal your thoughts to the elder more often, and force yourself to give alms. Of course, it’s impossible to do this right away, but the Lord is longsuffering. He only cuts short a man’s life when He sees either that he is prepared to pass into eternity or that there is no hope for his correction.”

—Elder Ambrose of Optina

Alexandr