An engaging introduction to the spirituality of the Eastern Churches. The Eyes of the Gospel is Archbishop Joseph Raya’s heartfelt, passionate song of love for God, and for the Byzantine way of life in Christ. “God,” he writes, “is himself a celebration. Consequently, all of creation - man, animals, organic and inorganic life - each at its own level is also a celebration.” That crystalline insight becomes for Archbishop Raya a springboard for a moving series of meditations on Byzantine spirituality, which he uses as a glorious prism through which to view anew the beauty of life, of love, of the covenants God made with mankind in order to accomplish our salvation, and much more. This wide-ranging series of reflections explores - among many other topics - the Byzantine Liturgy, the Sacred Mysteries, the Incarnation, the Holy Eucharist, and the mystery of the Church. Each page is suffused with Archbishop Raya’s remarkable zeal and exuberant love for the Lord, making The Eyes of the Gospel not just a celebration of Byzantine spirituality, but of the Christian life in general. Madonna House Publications. 169 pages. Paperback.

About the Author: Most Rev. Joseph M. Raya, the first associate priest of Madonna House, was deeply involved in the American civil rights movement, and later, while serving as Archbishop of Akko, Haifa, Nazareth and all Galilee, he campaigned for justice for Palestinians. A priest of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church who taught at universities in the U.S.A., Canada and Lebanon, Archbishop Raya is one of the world's foremost writers on Byzantine Christianity. He strives to bring a better understanding of the Byzantine rite Eastern Church to the Latin rite Western world.