Flying Over the Abyss

Author: Archimandrite Zacharias Zacharou

Description:
“Flying Over the Abyss” by Archimandrite Zacharias Zacharou presents the inner spiritual struggle through a practical question-and-answer format drawn from real pastoral conversations, making complex teachings easier to apply in daily life.

A distinctive focus of the book is its treatment of “blessed despair”, a teaching rooted in Saint Silouan the Athonite and Saint Sophrony. Zacharou shows how an honest awareness of one’s weakness, when combined with trust in God, leads not to hopelessness but to humility, repentance, and deeper prayer. He also addresses concrete struggles such as dealing with intrusive thoughts, resisting passions, and maintaining prayer in difficult circumstances.

For newcomers and laity, this book is especially encouraging because it shows how to face inner difficulty without avoidance or despair. Through practices like repentance, thanksgiving, and vigilance over thoughts, readers are given a clear and realistic way to turn struggle into steady spiritual growth.