New catechumen

[StChristopherofPalestine]

Christ is Risen!

I became a catechumen today.

If anyone has any advice on studies or anything you think would help, I'd appreciate it. If you'd send some prayers up for me, I'd be much obliged.

Peace.

 

[Marjorie]

Congratulations!!! Many years!

I don't know how well-read you are in Orthodoxy, so I don't know what to recommend, but what have you read so far?

I found that the time from when I became a catechumen to when I was baptized was a very spiritually productive time for me. It got harder when I actually became part of the Church (two weeks ago.) Guard yourself against Satan...

Prayers for you, of course!

In IC XC,
Marjorie

 

[gzt]

Get to know your priest well. Don't get involved in stupid debates, especially on online forums. Romanticism is your nemesis. Beyond that, I have no idea.

 

[Marjorie]

Get to know your priest well. Don't get involved in stupid debates, especially on online forums. Romanticism is your nemesis. Beyond that, I have no idea.

AMIN!

In IC XC,
Marjorie

 

[StChristopherofPalestine]

I don't know how well-read you are in Orthodoxy, so I don't know what to recommend, but what have you read so far?

Let's see...

-The Faith by Clark Carlson (which is what my priest suggested)
-An Outline of Orthodox Patristic Dogmatics by John Romanides
-The Orthodox Veneration of Mary the Birthgiver of God by St. John Maximovtich
-Youth of the Apocalypse by John Marler and Andrew Wermuth
-Tons of articles on the web
-Tons of little booklets on this or that subject
-Some videos on Orthodox.tv

That doesn't make it much easier, I realize.

 

[Suzannah]

God bless you!!!!

All I can say is, (with a wry grin), PRAY LIKE CRAZY, LIKE YOU'VE NEVER PRAYED BEFORE....no kidding! Enjoy it while you can, because the enemy will attack ...
You declared war, and so I'm not sure if I should congratulate you or not.


Also, read St. Nikolai Velimirovic...everything he wrote. His catechism is the best and the simplest: Faith of the Saints. You can order this book here. tell Nancy I sent you.... Get the hard back because you will want to keep it FOREVER: http://www.serbianorthodoxchurch.net/cgi-bin/bnbshop.cgi

The Faith of the Chosen People by St. Nikolai is the best explanation of the Creed I've ever seen. (Glory to God.) http://www.sv-luka.org/Nikolai/index.htm (Each section is a clickable link) This link also has links to other stuff he wrote, a few of his homilies, etc.

 

[Maximus]

I recommend The Law of God, by Father Seraphim Slobodskoy.

May God grant you many blessed years.

 

[Suzannah]

Also, all about (well, the important stuff) St. Nikolai...

http://www.roca.org/oa/158/158f.htm

Holy God Pleaser Nikolai, please pray to God for this catechumen and servant of God, and for me, a sinner!

 

[sin_vladimirov]

I recommend that you do what they tell you to do, I do!

another of the sounded

sinner

 

[Photios]

Congradulations....again. I was kind of there at the time, after all. As far as recommendations, these are excellent, and I have personally given you plenty already, so whatever I said, but ask Father and Mother first.

 

[icxn]

I would recommend "Unseen Warfare" by St. Nikodemos:

http://www.svspress.com/product_info.php?products_id=276&osCsid=5e5f4945c1a256d046b45c040e37ee81

But ask your priest first.

Christ is risen!

 

[Alexis OCA]

If possible don't miss Divine Liturgy, ever. Get a little guide to follow along, stay attentive, and try to make any other services your church offers like Saturday Vespers....someone wrote "pray, pray, pray". A book that was most helpful to me when I was a catechumen was Orthodox Worship: A Living Continuity With The Synagogue, the Temple and the Early Church by Bejamin D Williams and Harold B Anstall. It can be found here: http://www.light-n-life.com/shopping/order_product.asp?ProductNum=OZWO100

After a while your priest may tell you what mine told me two weeks prior to my chrismation, "You can stop reading now, there is too much to learn anyway." I took that to mean, pray, pray, pray. It was great advice.

Welcome and good luck. We're praying for you.

 

[Orthosdoxa]

 

[Marjorie]

Yes, Alexis gave very good advice.

If you want to read some, I'd recommend reading some of the modern Fathers, like elders from Mt. Athos and so on, and also some Bp. Ware and Fr. Schmemann (I was surprised to not see those on your rather impressive beginner's list!)

But prayer is more important right now.

In one very good book called Pilgrimage to Dzhvari by Valeria Alfeyeva, about a woman's pilgrimage to a Georgian monastery, the abbot there rebukes her repeatedly for reading too much and not living the faith. We should pray as much as we read, he said. THAT struck me, because with me in general it's about 80/20 with reading/prayer. I haven't read as many books as usual since I read that.

In IC XC,
Marjorie

 

[MariaRegina]

Excellent advice has been given.

It's so much easier to read than to practice the faith. It's a matter of acquiring the Orthodox mind-set or ethos now, and this can only be acquired by praying, living, and breathing the Holy Orthodox Faith by faithfully attending the Holy Services and by attending retreats or listening to Orthodox cassettes and CDs.

 

[Alexis OCA]

If you want to read some, I'd recommend reading some of the modern Fathers, like elders from Mt. Athos and so on, and also some Bp. Ware and Fr. Schmemann (I was surprised to not see those on your rather impressive beginner's list!)

But prayer is more important right now.

In one very good book called Pilgrimage to Dzhvari by Valeria Alfeyeva, about a woman's pilgrimage to a Georgian monastery, the abbot there rebukes her repeatedly for reading too much and not living the faith. We should pray as much as we read, he said. THAT struck me, because with me in general it's about 80/20 with reading/prayer. I haven't read as many books as usual since I read that.

In IC XC,
Marjorie

Great post. Regarding Fr. Schmemann, every catechumen should read his Great Lent (even if it's not Lent).

Praying as much as we read. That's advice I need to keep in mind.

Warm regards.

 

[Alexis OCA]

It's so much easier to read than to practice the faith. It's a matter of acquiring the Orthodox mind-set or ethos now, and this can only be acquired by praying, living, and breathing the Holy Orthodox Faith by faithfully attending the Holy Services and by attending retreats or listening to Orthodox cassettes and CDs.

Another great post! I'm enjoying and benefitting from this thread myself!

In His Love.

 

[StChristopherofPalestine]

Thank you all so much. Such good information!

 

[Khaleas]

Praying as much as we read. That's advice I need to keep in mind.

That's an excellent way of looking at it... I think we sometimes get too caught up in reading, I know I do...

 

[xenia]

I learned a lot of good stuff by reading. One thing I noticed when I read was that most of the Saints spent a lot more time praying than reading. Finally, God got it into my thick skull that prayer is the most important thing a Christian does. Reading is good; prayer is better. I can't emphasize this enough! It's the one thing about Christian practice that I know is true.

We'll all pray for you, too. I'm writing your name in the back of my prayerbook.

Welcome to TAW!

Love,
Xenia