To Open One′s Heart

The heart is the locus of the person- emotional, physical, and moral. But over and above all these dimensions, the heart is also the place of spiritual encounter with God. There are many ways to open one's heart. The heart is opened in those who love, and yet the heart is injured in those who sorrow. It is a deep well, and he who plumbs its depths can find spiritual wonders.

Since God is constantly inviting each person to open his heart, he also wishes to heal those whose hearts have been bruised or injured by the hardships of life. Drawing freely from the writings of Scripture, the saints, and even Pascal, the author offers an initiation into this spirituality of the heart born out of the traditions of Orthodox Christianity.

About the Author: Archpriest Michel Evdokimov is the author of numerous publications on Russian spirituality and Orthodoxy and is longtime professor of comparative literature at the University of Poitiers. In addition to his pastoral and teaching activities, Fr Michel also serves as the president of the Commission on Inter-Church Relations as part of the Assembly of Orthodox Bishops in France.

About the Translator: Professor Anthony P. Gythiel (1930-2014), great friend and collaborator with St Vladimir's Seminary Press, translated over a dozen works of Orthodox theology, including Ouspensky's Theology of the Icon, also available from SVS Press.