Father Evan Armatas's Toolkit for Spiritual Growth is A Practical Guide precisely as the subtitle indicates. His style is easy, clean, orderly, and to the point. You won't get lost in complex theology or nitpicking. If you have ever been frustrated by an article, book, or sermon which urges you to pursue some virtue without telling you how, this book is for you. His insights and directions arise from his lay and priestly parish experiences as well as his connection to the monastic world. The text on praying, almsgiving, and fasting expresses classic Orthodox practice whose context is essentially liturgical and communal. Although the book is brief, it does not reduce any of the spiritual disciplines to a cookie-cutter approach. Fr. Evan points out that prayer is our response to Jesus' invitation to union with Him, His Father and the Holy Spirit, requiring more than personal fantasies and opinions. He describes how to proceed with heart, mind, and body by asking God to restore us to the proper direction and focus through communal and personal prayer in a dedicated prayer corner at home (details about furnishings and procedures included).
When it comes to charity or almsgiving, the practice is simple and clear: everything a person has comes from God. In order to love God and one's neighbor (especially those we prefer to ignore or don't want to see), there must be grateful sharing with the needy, homeless, and hungry. That giving involves writing checks, using credit cards, stocking community and church pantries, and face-to-face service. The inherent blessing is mutual for the giver and the receiver.
Fr. Evan's closing chapter drops fasting loudly and solidly in the middle of our Orthodox plates! The Lord Jesus' own fasting for forty days sets the undeniable example and necessity for the biblical practice of fasting. Fasting disciplines the body, mind, and soul, once again reminding us that we worship God not just with thoughts and prayers but also with our material bodies. The four fasting times of the year are Great Lent, the preparatory fast honoring the Falling Asleep of the Mother of God, the forty days before the Nativity of Jesus the Messiah and Savior, and the Apostles fast culminating with the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. Weekly fasting on Wednesday and Friday in readying one's self to receive the Lord Jesus' Body and Blood on Sunday (and minor feasts) is likewise described. Again, Fr. Evan supports his remarks on each fast with biblical and patristic sources while providing specifics of why and how. He astonished and troubled by the minimal attention given to an essential, historic teaching and practice of the Church.
Finally, Fr. Evan summarizes his presentation of the three-legged stool of prayer, almsgiving, and fasting by refocusing on the purpose of all three disciplines: guidance for the walk with Christ in the Church's wisdom, and not in isolated, individual meanderings and justifications of our selfish egos. Having had his say, Fr. Evan leaves us to get on with our spiritual life of worship and service by using these three tools. One suspects there might be another forthcoming “chapter,” maybe on how to reconfigure an Orthodox Church respectfully or on how to serve God with gratitude for the Faith given to His saints in every parish.
Fr. Elias Warren, Ph. D., D. Min. Omaha, NE
