And so begins the story of a humble pilgrim living in 19th century Russia, around the time of the Crimean War. On a particular Sunday, he hears the words of Saint Paul to the Thessalonians, commanding them to "pray without ceasing." Greatly curious as to what this means, he begins roaming the land searching for the answer.
What follows is a deep-dive into Orthodox Christian spirituality, as the pilgrim meets and learns from all kinds of people, from hermit ascetics, to Army captains, to rich landowners. All the while, he keeps in his heart a constant yearning for God, as he learns the secrets of inner prayer. Many miraculous occurrences happen to him during his travels, some of which he performs.
The Way of a Pilgrim could best be described, not as fiction and not as non-fiction, but as a parable. The story is told over the course of four tales, or narratives, followed by three narratives called The Pilgrim Continues His Way, which are usually printed in the same volume. The original author is unknown, but supposedly Archimandrite Michael Kozlov wrote the first four tales with the title "The Seeker of Unceasing Prayer", while hieromonk Arsenius Troyepolsky wrote the latter three.
The Way of a Pilgrim contains examples of:
- Cain and Abel: The pilgrim's brother knocked him out of bed when they were young, permanently injuring his arm. While this might be forgiven as an act of overzealous rough-housing, his brother grows up to be a drunkard and gets himself disinherited in favor of the pilgrim. Driven mad with jealousy, he burns down the family inn with his brother and sister-in-law still in it, almost murdering them both and consigning them to live in a poor shack.
- God Is Good: As to be expected from a Christian work, growing in prayer and devotion changes the pilgrim's life for the better, and he expresses gratitude towards God many times.
- Holy Is Not Safe: The scholar the pilgrim meets was once a lustful philanderer with a friend who only encouraged his evil habits. One day they were talking, and his friend became uncomfortable due to the presence of a Bible in the room. After asking if they could talk in a different room, the scholar simply gives him the Bible to take into another room. The moment his friend touches the Bible, he vanishes.
