Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
~St. Francis of Assisi
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logospilgrim.com
my heart is stirred by a noble theme
Welcome, most beloved, to my tranquil journey.
I am a Christian, a writer, a somewhat unusual lay monastic and a silly person. Hope is the message I expound in my writings. I endeavor to illumine dark places with the light of mercy, tenderness and compassion.
God willing, I shall be travelling to Infinitus in 2010 and there read from my third Snape book, A princely calling: Severus Snape and monastic self-surrender.
For more details, assorted inspirational scribblings and lovely photographs, please visit my livejournal or blogspot.
Your devoted
Logospilgrim, the quiet professor
latest news and interesting tidbits
Logospilgrim's lulu blog
2008 Nov 25 Master, bless.Kind readers, I have just created a new section on this website, right below "upcoming publications" -a section devoted to my friend Ben Wu's incredible art. Here is the cover of his booklet, in which he illustrated my vocation: The Quiet Professor.  Simply scroll below to admire his extraordinary creation. Your devoted Logospilgrim, the quiet professor
More blog posts here.
upcoming publications
winter 2009
a light burden: my life as an Orthodox Christian
The story of my conversion and the profound impact it has had upon my existence as a whole.
summer 2009
The flawed master: lessons Professor Snape taught me
I have suggested that Professor Snape is a model of the spiritual life. As such, in this book I shall elaborate upon the times when he should be imitated, and when it would be unwise to do so. Although the Potions Master frequently chose to behave in a manner that was harmful to him and those around him, it can be said that his virtue outweighed his weaknesses, and that both his virtue and weaknesses are a source of wisdom and consolation to those who are progressing along the path of devotion.
Ben Wu's The Quiet Professor
It is with immense joy that I am sharing with you my friend Ben Wu's magnificent art. He and I recently collaborated upon a wonderful project (well, I wrote the short text, an act barely worth notice): a booklet entitled The Quiet Professor, featuring 16 ink drawings. He illustrated my vocation in a marvelously whimsical way. His images are amazing, intricate, filled with spiritual symbolism and gentleness. It was truly a blessing and a great privilege to work with him. I urge you to visit his etsy shop, MrBenWu.
amazon.com
The following books are also available on amazon:
Bring forth the best robes: a spiritual understanding of Severus Snape
bookstore
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Print: $15.00 (Paperback ISBN edition) From the back cover of Bring forth the best robes: a spiritual understanding of Severus Snape: 'Repentance is not a once and for all gesture. It is a state of the soul, a constant rededication, a determination to rise after each fall. It enables us to see love, whether it is as statuesque as a tree or as frail as a seedling. Through repentance, the awareness of our own weaknesses allows us to view the weaknesses of others with immense compassion and to appreciate the value of their offerings. In St. Makarios of Egypt’s words, “does the man who plants a vineyard immediately gather grapes? Or does he who sows seeds in the earth at once reap the harvest?” Using Professor Snape as a template, I wish to extol the best of everyone.'
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Hardcover Print: $28.00 (Hardcover lulu edition) From the back cover of Bring forth the best robes: a spiritual understanding of Severus Snape: 'Repentance is not a once and for all gesture. It is a state of the soul, a constant rededication, a determination to rise after each fall. It enables us to see love, whether it is as statuesque as a tree or as frail as a seedling. Through repentance, the awareness of our own weaknesses allows us to view the weaknesses of others with immense compassion and to appreciate the value of their offerings. In St. Makarios of Egypt’s words, “does the man who plants a vineyard immediately gather grapes? Or does he who sows seeds in the earth at once reap the harvest?” Using Professor Snape as a template, I wish to extol the best of everyone.'
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Print: $16.00 Download: $5.00 (Volume One) In April 2004, I started to write an online journal. Not very long after this, I discovered that it had somehow bloomed into a ministry of compassion. My black robes became a symbol of servanthood and lay monasticism... A cloak of love that covers all wrongs, the comforting attire of someone who is a bit of a fool for Christ’s sake.
To those who have taken residence in dark, forgotten corners and the ghettos of eccentricity, I am Professor Servus Logospilgrim, the quiet professor... One who professes. One who desires to be gentle above all, to weep with the ones who weep, to embrace the ones who have been rejected, to inspire the ones who have lost hope.
This book is a collection of selected passages from my journal, which by God’s grace has been an instrument of healing to many, and documents the beginning of my journey as a Christian.
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Print: $18.00 Download: $5.00 (Volume Two) I want to be gentle... To be a golden thistle. There is no other beauty than to be like God. I yearn for perfection, the nectar of truth that bestows true life. To glorify God... What can compare to this desire? “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit.” And so I have no other ambition. I do not wish to be conformed to the passions of my former ignorance, but to be holy in all my conduct... If I ask the Lord with an open heart to help me conquer my fears, I know that He will grant my petition and I shall grow in likeness to Him, thereby becoming capable of pure love, freed from the cares that are an obstacle to it.
Such are the longings of my heart, because the Lord is my treasure. One by one, I shall shed my thorns, and He will help me. I am too weak for great things. By His grace I shall offer up small things. I shall be blessed indeed, my dearest ones, if I serve you as it has been given me to. I am indebted to your love and grateful for your condescension.
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Print: $18.00 Download: $5.00 (Volume Three) Mutual love is beautiful because it imitates the Triune love of God. Mutual love, however, necessitates humility and self-forgetfulness.
Which brings us back to detachment, that fountain of peace. Detachment, the root of perfect love.
My lovely flowers, each of you an exquisite work of sacred art... I cannot help but share with you the peace that God has granted His unworthy servant. What I offer you is my heart, and nothing else. No dogmas, no demands, no opinions, no advice (unless I am asked, and even then I am usually most hesitant). I am disclosing my heart to you, revealing how I have been healed by God in spirit, mind and body. I am a beginner every day, but every day I experience completion... The peace I have tasted is truly beyond description. I have sampled paradise.
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Print: $18.00 Download: $5.00 (Volume Four) The sky is pale, white, the trees a deep and fragrant green... The sky is like a holy veil, the trees like censors, blessing the world with the perfume of hope. Not long ago, there was a documentary on television: they were showing the inside of an old church. The stained glass windows depicting saints made my heart leap, as did the stone walls, the arched ceilings, the silence... I endeavor to simplify my life because only divine reality, and all that pertains to it, truly matters to me. Everything else is extemporaneous.
Much used to agitate and distress me, but acceptance and surrender have freed my spirit. I take refuge in God, confess, walk. As I wrote in my journal yesterday, “I am almost 39 and I know one thing: I am a sinner. That is the whole story.”
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Print: $34.00 (Hardcover edition) In Just a thistle, Thorn by thorn, Like a field without limit and A gentle whisper, numerous mentions are made of my serene photographs. This volume features a collection of those contemplative portraits.
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book reviews
Bring forth the best robes: a spiritual understanding of Severus Snape
I see a largely secular ethic at work in the Potter series, even though I happily concede that it can open itself to what I call the "spiritual values of a profound faith." In this book, readers will find exactly that. As an agnostic (or even an atheist) who sometimes senses both the divine and the first stirrings of faith in persistent uncertainties, I found Logospilgrim's reading of the potions master very moving.
~Edmund M. Kern, author of
The Wisdom of Harry Potter
After reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I thought of Severus Snape as a tragic character. One who was abused as a child and as an adult; forever mourning the death of his only love. But Logospilgrim breaks through his snarky exterior and shows us a martyr whose actions are motivated by love.
With the use of quotes from the King James Bible, the Orthodox Study Bible, the Tao Te Ching, J.K. Rowling, and her own insight as a lay monastic, Logospilgrim describes Severus Snape as a symbol of pure love and sacrifice.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was refreshing to see the Harry Potter books from a spiritual perspective. Thank you, Professor!
~xwordslingerx
Just a thistle
Her modest volume came to symbolize for me an echo of what Nouwen and Merton must have been in the earlier years of their vocation.
~Ashley Lyn, The Honeybee
Copyright © 2004-2008, Logospilgrim.
Since April 2008
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