The Orthodox Spring: A Diary

Our press had released The Orthodox Spring: A Diary, a book by Doru Costache. The book records the author’s reflections on topics pertaining to the Orthodox Christian tradition and way of life. It addresses contemporary impasses and aspirations, and suggests a range of solutions for current dilemmas.

The volume is available for purchase in hardcopy

ISBN 9780648440123

78 pages

The second edition, revised and expanded is now available as an ebook

Archpriest Professor John A. McGuckin wrote the Foreword. Here is a snippet:

These sets of reflections on Orthodox ecclesial and spiritual life come at the reader like an arrow on fire . . . This is because they are like the fiery apophthegms of a spiritual father—often meant to shake us up; to make us think beyond our clichés; to shock us out of complacency. And yet, like the words of a true spiritual father, they come to us (even when they are ‘hard sayings’) with such a sense and context of love that one can recognise the deep pastoral care of a good shepherd . . . This is not a book to read over lightly: rather a set of prophetic charges (sometimes explosive charges!) that ask of their readers to open not only their minds to what they are saying, but even their hearts to what the Holy Spirit may be saying through them.

Ion Nedelcu graciously provided the cover design and the layout of the volume.

The production of this book received support from public donors by way of a crowdfunding campaign. AIOCS Press and the author express their profound gratitude.

Contents

  • Foreword (John A. McGuckin)
  • Preface
  • Mapping the Ecclesial Minefield
  • Matters of Discernment
  • Travelling with the Lord
  • Community Rebuilding
  • The Spiral Movement
  • The Resurrectional Life
  • Random Thoughts
  • About the Author

From within this book

False humility . . . It’s all in the looks, not in the heart. Being deceived by false images of humility, people become unable to grasp true humility. When they accidentally encounter it, they dismiss it because it does not exhibit the expected looks. As the author known as Saint Macarius the Great pointed out, contrary to the views of the crowds, “the strangeness of Christians does not consist in outward forms and signs” (Spiritual Homilies 5.4).

Paraphrasing a note of Isaac Asimov (in Foundation and Earth), what causes the lack of genuine Orthodoxy among Orthodox believers is that they prefer comfortable, warm, and established beliefs—regardless of how superficial and misunderstood they might be—“to the chilly winds of uncertainty.”

The narrative of the tragic yet glorious journey of Christ—the crucified Lord of Glory—within the ritual framework of Holy Week invites us to explore our own spiritual journey as God’s people. We cannot accomplish renewal without dying to our old habits, or rather to our ignorance and inadequacies. Ritual makes that possible, preparing us to enter the Paschal Week—an image of the eighth day which announces the unending day of the kingdom to come.

Building a Christian community begins with the reconnection of its members with the truth. I am not talking about the long history of reflecting upon the revealed truth, which they inherit from their forebears in the faith; I mean their own truth. The revelation of who they really are, so that the church is not built on lies.

Read the Foreword and the Preface for free.

Read this review of The Orthodox Spring on academia.edu.

Front cover