'The Grain of Wheat' by Matthew the Poor

[Macarius]

Hello,
"The Grain of Wheat" is a spiritual masterpiece that unlocks the secrets to practical christian living. A short book that pricks the heart and the consciense long after you are finished with it, it transcends all boundaries and is a must read for all Christians. Compiled by St Macarius Monastery, it is composed of a sermon given by the spiritual father of the monastery, Fr. Matthew the Poor, to the monks prior to the beginning of Lent. Based on John 12:24, "Unless a grain of wheat of falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone," it is a contemporary classic that I encourage all of you to read.

Michael

P.S. If anyone has read the text, I would love to discuss it.

[Peter Farrington]

Hi Michael

I haven't read it yet, but I will try and get hold of it.

Folk can buy it here:

http://www.stmacariusmonastery.org/ebooks.htm

I have always benefited greatly from reading the works of Father Matta el Meskeen of blessed memory. In fact I have given away every copy I have bought of his book 'Orthodox Prayer Life' because I have found it so important to my own spiritual life.

Have you read that book? It is published by St Vladimir's Seminary Press in an excellent translation.

Peter

[Rick Henry]

Hi Michael and welcome. That sounds like a book that I would like to read.

Thanks for the link Peter. I saw the book that you recommeded there Peter, but I didn't see the "Grain of Wheat" book. I am not the most saavy computer person in the world. Can you please help me to find the one Michael is speaking of--I didn't see it on Amazon.

Thanks,
Rick

[Peter Farrington]

Hiya Rick

If you follow the link the book in question - Grain of Wheat - is the 31st in the long list of Father Matta el Meskeen's books in English.

Peter

[Rick Henry]

Got it that time Peter--Thanks very much!!!

I'm starting to think that you are pretty cool for an English guy ;)

[Peter Farrington]

Hi Rick

Well of course I could never hope to be as cool as a US guy, but thanks for even thinking I could achieve such a status. :-)

Actually the output of Father Matta el Meskeen is a good illustration of how the standard of translation is so very important, and the standard of English of course. Orthodox Prayer Life is very well translated indeed, some of the booklets tend to display infelicities in English. But they are all very readable and useful. And very well priced as well of course.

Peter

[Macarius]

Peter,

Orthodox Prayer Life was first spiritual book I ever opened, and like all Fr. Matta's books it had a large impact on my life. It introduced me to the spiritual life and it began my dedication to patristics and spiritual reading.

Fr. Matta was an amazing writer, a contemporary patristic who had the amazing ability to penetrate the heart with his words. I never met Fr. Matta, but I feel that if I have know him my entire life, his words constantly ring in my ears. His life is in itself a lesson on the true christian life. He not only spoke of a life of holliness but he lived it, conciously struggling to always choose the narrow path.

The St. Macarius Press translations are definetly not as smooth and concise as SVP, but unfortunately SVP has only translated and compiled two works by Father Matta, so I guess we have to make do with what he have.

Michael

[Macarius]

Some quotes from Fr. Matta

"The moment I approach the person of My Lord Jesus and become aware of Him as though He were coming back after an absence of which I was always the cause, my heart leaps with joy and my mind gathers us so that all the sense of want falls away from me and Christ rises over the horizon of my whole life. Then I see Him more than all my needs and feel His fullness overflowing and sweeping my life in the tide of His love which transcends the mind."


•Whenever physical hunger turned cruel against me, I found my gratification in prayer. Whenever the biting cold of winter was unkind to me, I found my warmth in prayer. Whenever people were harsh to me (and their harshness was severe indeed) I found my comfort in prayer. In short, prayer became my food and my drink, my outfit and my armor, whether by night or by day.

•It is no joy for the church to have many active members of varied services who lack the spiritual proficiency for renewing souls and regenerating them in a genuine spiritual rebirth to win them for the Kingdom of Heaven. The true joy of the Church lies in leaders who possess spiritual insight, who walk ahead of their flocks so that the flocks can follow a sure path. It is not possible to obtain spiritual insight by action or study, spiritual insight is attained by silence, retreat and long prayers in their various stages.

•I felt I was late to come to the knowledge of Christ; studying the Bible appeared such a daunting task. In desperation, I asked the Lord to give me either a long life to have enough time to study the Bible well, or enough wisdom to grasp its hidden meanings. In His everlasting generosity, God gave me both.

•When asked why he never defended himself against the many accusations regarding some of his writings, Father Matta El-Meskeen replied, "Did you read the Exposition of the Gospel of John and benefit from it? ... My son I won't spend my time replying to anyone, but, my son, I will die and they will die and the Church will remain, as well as what we offered to her, and the next generations will judge us."[24] (The Gospel of the day of his departure (June 8, 2006) according to the Coptic Lectionary was John 15:17-25.)



A collection of English Articles (very well translated)

http://coptichymns.net/index.php?module=pagesetter&tid=1&filter=core.author:eq:Father%20Matta%20El%20Maskee n%20(Matthew%20the%20Poor)&pubcnt=100

[Andrew]

He is a man that has born much fruit.