Widely used by Eastern Catholic and Orthodox Christians since its publication in 1986, A Guide for the Domestic Church has been reissued in a full-color, updated version for another generation of Eastern Christian families.
A kind of cookbook for Christian family life, A Guide for the Domestic Church is an easy-to-read presentation of the Eastern Churches’ vision for the Christian home along with specific directions for those wishing to incorporate Byzantine spirituality into their home lives through the Church year. This book contains step-by-step directions for family prayer, hints for keeping the fasts, setting up an icon corner, celebrating namedays and participating in the Church’s special moments of encounter with God (baptisms, marriages, funerals and memorial services).
The second edition includes newly-available resources and recipes as well as links to online distributors and manufacturers of religious supplies.
A Guide for the Domestic Church does a wonderful job of explaining both the whys and the hows of Eastern Christian family practice, telling you where to find icons, lamps, incense, and so forth, and what to do with them.
A Guide for the Domestic Church Second Edition (116 pages, $15.00) is available online.
Table of Contents
| Preface | v | |
| Part One: Our Vision for Christian Living | ||
| What is an Eastern Church? | 8 | |
| What Eastern Christians Believe | 11 | |
| Living in the Heavenly Realm | 14 | |
| Part Two: Daily Life in the Domestic Church | ||
| We are a Domestic Church | 18 | |
| The Icon Corner | 21 | |
| Prayer in the Domestic Church | 24 | |
| The Jesus Prayer | 28 | |
| Reading and Praying the Bible | 30 | |
| Giving Our Table to the Lord | 34 | |
| Almsgiving in the Christian Family | 38 | |
| Part Three: The Church and its Worship | ||
| Of Earthly and Heavenly Families | 42 | |
| Worship and the Domestic Church | 44 | |
| How to Keep the Lord’s Day | 47 | |
| The Family and the Divine Liturgy | 50 | |
| Through the Year with the Domestic Church | 53 | |
| Celebrating Namedays | 77 | |
| Part Four: Special Moments of Encounter | ||
| Blessings: Moments of Encounter | 82 | |
| Entering the Spiritual Family | 85 | |
| The Image Restored | 88 | |
| Marriage: the Great Mystery | 90 | |
| Ministry in the Local Church | 94 | |
| To Sleep in the Lord | 97 | |
| Prayer for the Dead | 101 | |
| Foods at the Memorial Service | 103 | |
| Growing in the Christian Life | 107 | |
| Appendix | ||
| Resources for the Eastern Christian | 110 | |