Listening to the Heartbeat of God
How to Enter into the Ancient Orthodox Life of Prayer
By V. Rev. Hieromonk Peter-Michael PrebleISBN: 978-192865342-4
Price $9.95
Publisher: Regina Orthodox Press Inc.
PO Box 5288
Salisbury, Massachusetts 01952
800-636-2470
reginaorthodoxpress.com
Price $9.95
Publisher: Regina Orthodox Press Inc.
PO Box 5288
Salisbury, Massachusetts 01952
800-636-2470
reginaorthodoxpress.com
About the Book
Listening to the Heartbeat of God is about having a conversation with God, a divine and holy experience that all Christians are called to enjoy. Fr. Peter Preble weaves together the Orthodox monastic and Celtic traditions of Spirituality. This book is designed as a “beginners guide” to prayer but with a catch—we are all beginners as we come to God. So there is something true and good here for the youngest child or the oldest holy monk or nun and for each person who desires to pray.
To listen to God is to listen deep within ourselves. St. John laid his head on the chest of Christ and listened to His heartbeat. He felt the warmth of the Savior on his cheek, and his head rose and fell with each breath Jesus breathed. St. John listened deep within Christ to hear Him through His heart. To listen to God is to listen with our very souls. To listen to God is to “place our heads on His chest” as St. John did and “feel” His warmth and really listen to what God is saying to us means that we need a way to do this without leaning on Jesus’ actual chest.
So how can we do this? The Celts believed that we could hear and see God in all of creation that God exists in every created thing. They were partly correct.
The Creator is part of the creation. In the book of Genesis, we read the creation story, and we see that after God created all that we see, He looked at it and said it was good. We are surrounded by God, and if we take the time—really take the time—to listen, we can hear Him speaking to us. But for us to hear, we have to slow down and listen.
About the Author
Hieromonk Peter Preble is a Stavrophore monk in the Romanian Orthodox Church and currently serves as Pastor of St. Michael Orthodox Church in Southbridge, Massachusetts and is Chaplain to the Dudley Fire Department in Dudley, Massachusetts. A convert from Roman Catholicism, Fr. Peter has a deep respect and understanding of Celtic and Orthodox Spirituality and how the two very different but similar forms of Spirituality can work together.
What Others have to Say
“Powered by the strong ancient traditions of both Celtic and Eastern Orthodox spirituality, Fr. Peter guides us through the filtering out of the static of our modern busy lives to indeed listen to the heartbeat of God.” Fr. Gregory Christakos, Pastor, Sts. Anargyroi Greek Orthodox Church, Marlborough, Mass
Fr. Peter offers good words of reflection on several important themes of Lent: prayer, readings, spiritual parenthood. These are based on the sixth Chapter of the Gospel of St. Matthew. As Fr. Peter says, prayer is an essential part of the life of an Orthodox Christian and of every human being. Everyone needs to learn to pray and to include all human kind in this work. But during Great Lent, our prayer has a special meaning and it should be accompanied by spiritual readings and reflections. Since not every person is initiated to the practice of prayer, especially the Jesus Prayer, it comes the necessity of having a spiritual father or mother. And here we enter the large perspective of the Orthodox Spirituality of spiritual growing in communion with God and the fellow men under the guidance of an experienced person. This booklet is a wonderful opportunity to discover and understand these meanings. + Archbishop NICOLAE, Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in the Americas
“In this excellent introduction to the interior life, Fr. Peter opens wide the door to the Tradition. For those unfamiliar with the interior universe, or who don’t know what Christianity is really about, he reminds the reader of the words of our Savior “The Kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21)”
Fr. John Peck, Pastor St. George Orthodox Church Prescott, Arizona
Fr. Peter-Michael Preble’s small book is the perfect introduction to prayer and confession for someone just beginning their journey. He lays the foundation of prayer with the simple but enduring truths that will guide the reader into deeper communion with our Lord the more he practices them. His writing is clear and ideas lucid. Give this book to someone who wants to learn how to pray.
Fr. Hans Jacobse, Editor Orthodoxy Today and Founder of the American Orthodox Institute