PHILOKALIA MINISTRIES

The Ministry of Presence Among Those Who Can No Longer Be Consoled “Weep with those who weep.” — Romans 12:15 The desert fathers had little patience for sentimentality, especially in the face of suffering. They knew that grief could break a person’s heart open to God or leave him standing in darkness for many years. They also knew that there are sorrows for which there is no immediate remedy. There are losses that do not heal quickly. The death of a child. The slow fading of

The Prayer of the Spiritual Father as Descent into the Heart of Another “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2) ⸻ A man may desire to guide others. He may desire to speak a word. He may desire to help. But unless something is placed in his heart by God, he remains outside the mystery. ⸻ Archimandrite Zacharias Zacharou does not speak of the spiritual father first as a teacher, or even as a counselor. He speaks of him as one who prays .