At just 112 pages and a mere
quarter-inch thick, "Practicing Prayer: A Daily Workbook," by
Alexander Goussetis, might tempt you, at first blush, to underestimate its true spiritual weight.
Packed inside its pages,
however, this is indeed a "workbook" for regular, daily prayer and
devotion. Rev. Dr. Goussetis, a veteran parish priest and Ancient Faith Radio
podcaster who currently serves as director of the Center for Family Care of the
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, guides the reader through a 28-day,
step-by-step journey to a richer and deeper relationship with God.
From its first step of
"Creating a Sacred Space," an area of the home featuring such
spiritual aids as icons, candles, incense, a Bible and prayer books and a
prayer rope, "Practicing Prayer" takes practitioners through an array
of physical and spiritual lessons -- from making the sign of the cross, prayer
postures, prostrations, and veneration of icons to the Orthodox Christian's
treasured "Jesus Prayer."
The ancient prayer is both
simple and short, but profound in its meaning, and beyond comprehension in its
spiritual power. "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me,"
in partnership with a knotted prayer rope, is far more than a "Christian
mantra," Goussetis writes, and it goes far beyond a "rhythmic
incantation but implies a personal relationship . . . an expression of love
between ourselves and God."
This book's value does not
end with the 28th and final lesson. You will not master its lessons nor plumb
the depths of its spiritual insights in a month, a year, or even a lifetime.
But like breathing itself,
so is daily prayer to the soul of the Christian. "Practicing Prayer"
will be invaluable to filling your spiritual lungs now, and preparing you for
that life of the world to come.
