Book Review by Amy Cogdell
The Lord first began calling me into the ministry of reconciliation through a series of dreams in the late 1990’s. In one of the dreams, I found myself in an unfamiliar church served by bearded priests dressed in long black robes. The priests were chanting in a foreign language I did not recognize. The only words I could make out were “Kyrie Eleison.”
“Greek!” I thought. “Greek Christians! They don’t seem to be Catholic. What are Greek Christians called?”
The answer, of course, is that they were Orthodox. The Orthodox Church is a branch of Christ’s Body I knew nothing about at the time. Through the dream I felt Jesus impart His love for my Orthodox brothers and sisters. Since that time, I have prayed for the Orthodox Church (which is comprised of many languages and patriarchates) and longed for a closer connection with Orthodox believers.
This fall the Lord gave me a gift along these lines through our friend Marianna Gol. She sent a book called Everyday Saints written by Metropolitan Tikhon of Moscow. It is the story of his conversion to faith during the Soviet era, followed by stories about the monks who formed his faith, nuns who were imprisoned during the communist years, and lay people who remained faithful to God in times of persecution. The book is engaging and easy to read. Some of the language and practices described in the book may feel foreign and mysterious, but Christ’s faithfulness to those who trust Him is the same in Russia as it is in America, as it always has been and ever shall be. I found the book to be a helpful window into a part of Christ’s body which is usually closed to our sight. I recommend it to all who might be discouraged about the darkness of our days. This stories Fr. Tikhon tells bear witness to the fact the darkness cannot overcome the Light of Christ.