Brecon Political and Theological Discussion Group

The Illness and Cure of the Soul in the Orthodox Tradition

A talk by Peter Brooke

In the Three Horseshoes Inn, Orchard Street, Llanfaes, Brecon

on Thursday 18th June 2015 at 7.30 pm

‘The Illness and Cure of the Soul in the Orthodox Tradition’ (English translation: Birth of the Theotokos Monastery, Livadia, Greece, 1993) is the title of a book by Hierotheos Vlachos, Metropolitan of Nafpaktos in Greece, a sequel to his ‘Orthodox Psychotherapy’ which attracted a great deal of attention in Greece when it was first published in the 1980s. Metropolitan Hierotheos argues that whereas the Western tradition tends to understand the economy of salvation judicially in terms of atonement for an offence committed against God, the Orthodox tradition understands it therapeutically as a process of healing. ‘The Church … is a spiritual hospital …’. This is the theme Peter hopes to develop with a very disparate group of people in the ‘Brecon Political and Theological Discussion Group’.

The text of Peter’s talk can now be read here.

Fr Tikhon talks about the situation in Ukraine

Blessed are the peacemakers

Father Tikhon Vasilyev gave a talk last week in Brecon

He spoke about the current situation in Ukraine.

He talked from his own personal experience of living in Doneskt and the role of the Church in times of war.

His monastery is currently engaged in caring for the elderly & the sick , the fair treatment of prisoners and the admonishment of those who seek to provoke conflict.

 

Fr Tikhon & Peter Brook in Brecon

Fr Tikhon & Peter Brook in Brecon

Discussion group in Brecon

The next Discussion Group event is on Thursday 14th May when Father Tikhon Vasilyev who is a hieromonk (a monk who is also a priest) in the Orthodox Church will talk and lead a discussion on The Humanitarian Crisis in East Ukraine. His monastery is situated near Donetsk at the heart of the present troubles. There is huge destruction in East Ukraine and many people who have lost their homes and livelihood are taking refuge in the monastery. Fr Tikhon will describe both the scale of the problem and what the monastery is trying to do to help.

Then, on Thursday 18th June, our own Peter Brooke will talk and lead a discussion on The illness and cure of the soul in the Orthodox tradition. Peter will consider, in the light of Orthodox teaching, what Christians mean when they say that Christ ‘overcame death’.

All at 7.30 pm and all at the Three Horseshoes pub in Orchard Street Brecon

Feast of St David – St David’s Day

We celebrated the feast of St David on St David’s Day. We were fortunate to be able to celebrate The Divine Liturgy in the church of St Teilo, Llandeloy in Pembrokeshire.

St Teilo's Church Llandeloy

St Teilo’s Church Llandeloy

More information about the beautiful Church of St Teilo is here

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