In every profession, it is misguided to assume that good and noble intentions may be enough to cope with the complexity of human life. The spiritual needs of the unhappy child, the anxious mother, and the alcoholic father are intertwined with deep motivations and relationships explored by psychology.

For the pastor to be effective in his church ministry, he will need psychological knowledge and the ability to address these and other special needs. Psychology will not replace faith in the care of the soul, but it can inform and guide the pursuit of a deeper understanding of inner life.

In Life Lessons, Fr. Philotheos Pharos shares the essence of his experiences as a priest-psychologist. Through the recording of real cases – dialogues, he shows us how, unlike secular leadership, the pastor personalizes his attention to the special needs of people, seeking to understand what life means for each individual, entering in a co-sympathetic manner, that is with empathy, into their joys and sorrows.