The Spiritual Life: And How to be Attuned to It

St. Theophan the Recluse (1815-1894), possessing a rare degree of patristic scholarship combined with a deep understanding of the soul of contemporary people, was able to elucidate a genuine understanding of spirituality for modern man. He made this understanding accessible to the average person, for he knew that each “average person” is the possessor of an immortal soul, and that each soul is to be attuned here upon earth to live eternally with God in heaven.

The Spiritual Life and How To Be Attuned To Itwas the result of a correspondence between a young lady of the upper middle class and St. Theophan the Recluse. In this compilation of his letters of spiritual direction to her, St. Theophan strives to make sure that this young soul would be able to keenly hear the right “tone” of spiritual life. This tuning of the soul is necessary for the soul to be in harmony with the voice of God’s Providence, which echoes in the instrument of the heart.

“Our inner lives never get put into the proper order all of a sudden. What is always required and what lies ahead is intensified labor over oneself, over one’s inner self, by the assimilation of good intention and the enabling of grace through the Mysteries. This labor is directed toward destroying the disorder that reigns inside; in its place it establishes order and harmony, after which follows inner peace and a continual joyful mood of the heart.”

–St. Theophan the Recluse

The Spiritual Life and How To Be Attuned To It is a valuable and effective primer for embarking into the realm of spiritual life.