Dej krev a získáš ducha - Životní příběh a duchovní odkaz athoského starce Josefa Hesychasty – Ventura Václav (2018)

The presented book focuses on the life and work of Elder Joseph the Hesychast, who is one of the most significant figures in contemporary Orthodoxy. Through his teachings and his disciples, he significantly influenced life on Mount Athos, and not only there. The monasteries in America are a testament to this. His spiritual legacy, preserved also in his texts, and especially in his letters, inspires across church traditions those who have embarked on the demanding yet enchanting path of radical Christian life in the spirit of the hesychastic tradition. Elder Joseph was a great teacher of noetic prayer and a strict asceticism that leads to freedom. The charm of his spiritual pedagogy lies in its depth and simplicity. The Elder's experience of prayer and asceticism can be expressed quite simply: 'Pray constantly' and 'Make an effort!' In reading his texts, we enter the world of great saints, especially the desert fathers, Macarius of Egypt, John Climacus, Isaac of Syria, and others. Joseph the Hesychast contemplates and processes this entire spiritual tradition in an original way, as he himself experienced and lived it.