About the author Archimandrite Zacharias. He is the spiritual son of St Sophrony of Essex England

What This Means in the Essex Tradition

Within the lineage of St. Silouan → St. Sophrony → Archimandrite Zacharias:

Zacharias is considered the primary living interpreter of St. Sophrony’s theology.

He served as St. Sophrony’s translator, student, and closest theological heir.

The Hidden Man of the Heart

(1 Peter: 3:4) The Cultivation of the Heart in Orthodox Christian Anthropology

Each human heart is fashioned ‘in a unique manner’¹ by the Creator. It is the true temple where man can meet God and unite with Him. This is why the heart requires ‘a noetic and divine sensation’. However, man is now fallen, his mind scattered throughout all creation, and his heart in a state of lethargy. His tragedy lies in the fact that he lives, speaks, thinks, and even prays outside his own heart. To be healed, the heart must be awakened, the mind must return to its place, and unite with the heart. The heart must become a ‘tight knot’ that encompasses the entire being of man so that he may turn as one entity toward God and fulfil, as much as possible, the perfection of the two great commandments of love. Then he is ‘precious’ before God² and becomes a wondrous likeness of Him. The remembrance of death, the fear of God, the shame of confession are exercises that awaken the heart, while repentance and prayer cleanse and cultivate it to yield the fruit of the good gifts of the Holy Spirit: ‘love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance’³.

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