: Fr Andreas Konanos
: Strengthen your Soul
: AKAKIA Publications
: 9781909550858
: 1
: CHF 9.60
:
: Lebensführung, Persönliche Entwicklung
: English
: 129
: DRM
: PC/MAC/eReader/Tablet
: ePUB

Where is God in my life? How can He guide me? Why do I feel miserable we He is always around? How can I find my own way?


Every week, Father Andreas was helping people to find answer to these (and many other) questions in his radio programme 'Unseen Crossings' at the Radio Station Church of Piraeus. His simple, personal yet always admirably wise approach made his broadcast highly succesful and beloved in his country.
This book is a compilation of Father Andreas Koanos' popular radio talks about about belief, God, happiness and finding our own place in the world and inner strenght to deal with our increasingly complex life - first time available for the English speaking brothers and sisters.   


'You always deserve your self-worth. And you deserve it because you are a creature of God, His creation. Because God loves you and the whole heaven watches over you, takes care of you and gives you importance. Even if no one calls you on the phone for a whole day, even if no one speaks to you, there is a tremendous power inside you. You have value and personality. You are a unique being and there is no one like you anywhere on earth. No one is like you, no one has your traits, your gifts and talents, but on the other hand, no one has your problems, your peculiarities and your character in general. You are who you are and you have your own value. Jesus loves you and gives you importance. He wants to strengthen you.' 
The proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated for the completion of the Church of 'Panagia Galaxa, Thalassokratousa'.

About the Author


Father Andreas Konanos was born in Munich in 1970. He studied Theology in Athens. Blessed Archbishop Christodoulos ordained him deacon in 1999 and Elder Archimandrite in 2000. He took over the parish of student meetings, vigils, speeches and lectures at parents' schools and spiritual centres of the Archdiocese of Athens. In 2006 he began the broadcast 'Unseen Crossings' at the Radio Station Church of Piraeus. This broadcast led to invitations to speak in many cities in Greece, Cyprus and America. His contact with Jerusalem, Mount Athos and Elders inside and outside Mount Athos are a source of strength in his life.

I WANT A SESAME BAR


 

Translation by Stella Savvidou

 

 

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"...I was just listening to a repeat of the broadcast.

I wish I could make deeds out of what we hear from you.

I wouldreally want to love those

thatI do not love and that do not love me.

I would also like to truly love Christ".

A.G. London (e-mail)

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The biggest miracle in life is learning how to love. It is putting into practice everything taught in the Bible, the Lord's teaching and the Saints’ example; not just paying them mere lip service but making them your own, in real life. It means making them part of your everyday, incorporating them day by day and bit by bit into the very fabric of your life, in practice not in theory, dream or fantasy. This is the big miracle.

 

There are those who think that a miracle is an icon moving or shedding tears or blood. But"our" miracle, the life miracle we are talking about, is of a different nature, awesome, causing the heavens to rejoice. What really makes God rejoice is to see his people attune their lives with His. When His life becomes ours. This happens when what we say does not hold only in words and theory, but in practice. We can rejoice ourselves and we eventually become Christians in the real sense of the word as we let God come into our hearts.

 

I was struck sometime in the past when at the end of my talk someone asked me –"Is everything you have just said mere theories?" I was a little surprised at first with this question and replied that some words may appear as such, but in reality this is what the Church teaches us; this is what we are experiencing in our daily lives. It is everything we live for. Then he answered,"You said that what the Church teaches is what we experience. I know that the Church teaches this, it is just that I am not aware that we live by it. I must confess that I have never experienced this - that the words become practice. Can you give me an example so I can understand how to make the words in the bible part of our lives? Are we talking about real life experiences, specific deeds dealing with the present, or are you referring to another time and place? In this place, in the here and now, I have never seen this happening anywhere. I wish I had."

 

The first thing I would like to tell him is that there are many real-life, concrete examples of this happening. I wanted to ask him to travel with me to a place called Mount Athos where some people experience the teachings in their everyday life. But I didn't want him to think that this is only true for the minority, for the few people like Elder Paisios living there.

 

As our conversation developed it was reasonable that some of the audience would question whether the teachings could become part of our everyday lives or just confined to a minority, like the five persons I had mentioned. People wanted to see whether my teachings were true, or just theory. They wanted to be convinced that these things do happen.

 

All of a sudden I became reluctant to go on with the discussion as I was embarrassed. Some of you may think that I had to continue arguing with them, probably coming up with more convincing arguments. But this was not possible as I didn't have much to say. Unfortunately, I am of the same opinion, that we are not true Christians. Big words and few deeds. For example, one day as I was leaving the church a poor man came up to me asking for help. I apologized to him saying"I am sorry, I have no change with me, only notes". He then turned to me and said"I don't need change, I could do with the notes as well." A measly five euro note, for example, would have