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Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives: The Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica
| Title | Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives: The Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica |
| Writer | |
| Date | 2024-10-10 03:38:22 |
| Type | |
| Link | Listen Read |
Desciption
Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica was one of the most renowned spiritual guides of Serbia in the twentieth century. As a novice he lived in obedience to Elder Ambrose of Miljkovo Monastery, a disciple of the Optina Elders. From him Fr. Thaddeus learned the Prayer of the Heart and the selfless love that came to characterize his whole ministry to the suffering Serbian people. Born in 1914, Elder Thaddeus lived through all the suffering endured by Serbia in the twentieth century. Over the course of two World Wars, during the Communist takeover, and through the nato bombings of 1999, he co-suffered with his people. He taught, counseled, and prayed for all who came to him in pain and sorrow. His words of love and hope provided spiritual balm for people from all classes of society. In 2002 Elder Thaddeus reposed, leaving behind a large collection of his teachings, preserved by his faithful spiritual children. His life, teachings, and spiritual conversations are here presented for the first time in English.
Review
This book is worth reading for the short biography alone. Elder Thaddeus is the portrait of the Christian life. He suffered his entire life but always turned to Christ. As a boy in Serbia he was cast out by his family, as a monk he often failed due to his poor health to perform his job to specifications around the monastery, and during World War 2 he suffered imprisonment and beatings at the hands of the Nazis. After the war, he made relatively selfish mistakes that brought him even further into humility.Reading this collection of his teachings with that back story in mind, you see the heart of a man that was nothing but love and humility. There were points at which his story brought me to tears.I don't care what Christian tradition you're a part of (or any other religion), reading his words places the world into a perspective we could all benefit to gain. It also shows a glimpse of the suffering experienced by Orthodox Christians throughout the 20th century at the hands of fascism and communism - a history every American needs to hear.
