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Saint Joseph the Hesychast’s life reads like one of the early Fathers of the desert, portraying lived experiences of authentic hesychasm, cultivation of inner stillness, prayer of the heart, harsh unseen warfare against the enemy of old, and divine vision of God. He himself set out on a quest to encounter men similar to those he had read about in the lives of the saints, and, in the end, he became one of them, adding no small chapter to the ascetic history of the Orthodox Faith, which continues up to our day to produce its fruit: the saints.
The life of this contemporary spiritual contestant is masterfully portrayed by his direct disciple, Elder Joseph of Vatopedi, who allows the reader to encounter what it means to give oneself over completely to God, taking absolutely nothing into consideration, not even one’s own soul. The ancient footpaths of Mount Athos, with their hidden caves and monastic huts, become the meeting place of this book where Saint Joseph and his disciple invite the reader to experience the “one thing needful.”
Saint Joseph the Hesychast’s life reads like one of the early Fathers of the desert, portraying lived experiences of authentic hesychasm, cultivation of inner stillness, prayer of the heart, harsh unseen warfare against the enemy of old, and divine vision of God. He himself set out on a quest to encounter men similar to those he had read about in the lives of the saints, and, in the end, he became one of them, adding no small chapter to the ascetic history of the Orthodox Faith, which continues up to our day to produce its fruit: the saints.
The life of this contemporary spiritual contestant is masterfully portrayed by his direct disciple, Elder Joseph of Vatopedi, who allows the reader to encounter what it means to give oneself over completely to God, taking absolutely nothing into consideration, not even one’s own soul. The ancient footpaths of Mount Athos, with their hidden caves and monastic huts, become the meeting place of this book where Saint Joseph and his disciple invite the reader to experience the “one thing needful.”