Writings and Talks Given by Abbot Jonah (Paffhausen)

Throughout our existence as monastic brotherhood, Fr. Jonah has given talks at retreats that we have hosted and at various conferences across the US and Canada. From these talks came the following writings on the spiritual life, the meaning of suffering, prayer, and the monastic life.

Click on the link below to download a pdf version of these essays.

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The Path to Prayer (Do not resent, do not react...)
This essay is a guide to the path to prayer based on three basic spiritual principles which can be considered to be the whole summation of the Philokalia and the Orthodox path to control over our sinful passions and pursuit of holiness.

The First Millenium of Christianity
This is a collection of writings of the Church Fathers and Liturgical texts which summarize the Faith which the Church has held since its inception and throughout the first 1000 years of its existence prior to the splintering resulting from the Great Schism and all that followed.

Monastery of St. John's USTAV
Ustav is the slavonic word for the Greek word Typikon which here denotes a formal document of the Rule of the Monastery. This is a must read for anyone considering joining the monastic community. It explains how we govern ourselves, how new members are received and several other topics revealing our vision and mission as a monastic community. It is modelled after St. Paisios Velichkovsky's own Ustav.

The Value of Suffering
Suffering is the root of the Gospel. Through Christ's sufferings, we are redeemed. Through our own suffering with Christ, we are transformed and conformed to His Likeness and partake in his Divinity.

The Way of Jesus
This is a guide to the basic yet radical principles of the Gospel which define the monastic life and the spiritual path for all Christians. Organized by topic, the content consists of quotes taken from the New Testament.

Why Be a Monk?
A good question indeed. Read it and find out, especially if you are interested in becoming a monk or nun.