The Orthodox Word #299, November-December 2014, Vol. 50 No. 6

On Earth We're Just Learning How to Live
by Archpriest Valentin Biryukov

This issue of The Orthodox Word features the first chapter of a new book to be published by St. Herman Press: On Earth We're Just Learning How to Live, by Archpriest Valentin Biryukov. The book is an engaging spiritual memoir by a 94-year-old priest in Siberia, who lived through almost the entire Soviet period of Russian history. This first chapter recounts the exile of his family to the Siberian taiga when he was still a child, as well as his military service during the Second World War. Fr. Valentin relates how God preserved him and his loved ones, sometimes miraculously, on numerous occasions. His simple, touching, and yet profound narrative gives us a clear example of how God's providence instructs those who put their trust in Him.

Also included in this issue is an article by St. Ignatius Brianchaninov entitled The Pharisee. This is a profound and instructive two-part essay exploring the self-satisfied and judgmental nature of pharisaism, and calling us to the opposite virtues of humility and forgiveness.