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Communing with God in Prayer

The goal of the Christian's life on earth is salvation in our Lord Jesus Christ and,

at the same time, communion with God. The means for this communion is prayer,

and through his prayer the Christian is joined in one spirit with the Lord ! Cor.

"#$%&. Prayer is the focal point and foundation of spiritual life and the source of

salvation. ithout prayer, as (t. John Chrysostom says, there is no life in the

spirit. ithout prayer man is deprived of communion with God and can )e

compared to a dry and )arren tree, which is cut down and thrown into the fire

*att. %#$+&.

!n prayer, the Christian concentrates together all his spiritual acts. Prayer draws

down to him the grace of God and is an invalua)le instrument of spiritual defense

in the Christian's struggles against the sinful passions and vices. y prayer our

thoughts, desires and deeds are sanctified, for he who prays receives the

)lessing of the Lord on his deeds, for, as -oly (cripture tells us, unless the Lord

)uilds the house, those who )uild it la)or in vain Ps. $%#$&. /othing so helps usto grow in virtue as our pure and pious prayers to God. Thus it was the shared

opinion of all the -oly 0athers that prayer is the mother of virtues. y repeated

and fervent prayer, man is made more worthy of God's mercy and more capa)le

of receiving the gifts of grace which God, )y reason of -is infinite goodness, is

already to )estow on us out of -is immeasura)le )ounties.

!n prayer, the Christian prays not only for himself, )ut for all men, for we all are

the children of God. e must pray for the salvation of our neigh)or just as we

pray for our own salvation, and the )est means of correcting our neigh)or is to

pray for him, )ecause prayer for our neigh)or has far greater effect than

denunciation of his sins. !n addition, we pray not only for the living, )ut also forthe departed, that God may forgive them their sins and grant them repose in the

heavenly mansions of the righteous.

1s with any spiritual endeavor, however, the Christian must learn how to pray

properly. 1s (t. Ti2hon of 3adons2 cautions us# 4f no value is that prayer in

which the tongue prays )ut the mind is empty5 the tongue spea2s, )ut the mind

lies silent5 the tongue calls God, )ut the mind wanders amongst created things.

e must, therefore, pray in fear and trem)ling and try in every way to ensure that

our minds are with our words, or, as (t. John of the Ladder tells us, to enclose

our mind in the words of our prayer, 6so that7 the heart may respond to the words

of the prayers.

The reading of prayers and prostrations are essential, of course, )ut these only

e8press the state of prayer, while the prayer itself should come from the heart.

1nd it is only such prayer, from the )ottom of the heart and of the soul, that is the

life of the spirit. True prayer, however, is a gift of God, and this gift is not granted

to us without diligence and struggle. Therefore it is necessary for us to pray that

the Lord should deem us worthy of this gift and grant us the grace to offer up to

-im our sincere, pure and heartfelt prayer, for we are only a)le to pray when

strengthened )y the -oly (pirit. Therefore we must )e mindful that the -oly (piritis drawn to a soul cleansed of the stain of sin and worldly passions, and only in

such a soul will -e a)ide.

4ur prayers will gradually grow more perfect as we improve the manner of our

lives and cleanse our hearts of sinful passion. This )anishment of sinful ways

from our lives )rings as its reward our success in prayer. 1t the same time, we

must say that prayer cannot achieve perfection in isolation, )ut must )e

accompanied )y all the virtues, for as we grow in virtue, so does our prayer grow

ever more perfect.

Therefore we say that a Christian does not achieve true prayer at once, )ut onlygradually, through various e8ertions and la)or. 1ll of life's deeds re9uire toil and

patience, )ut nowhere more than in the striving after the supreme virtue prayer.

Conditions for Prayer.

The first condition for the attainment of true prayer is a fervent desire to )e saved

and )e pleasing to God a readiness to sacrifice all for the sa2e of God and the

salvation of one's soul. 1s ishop Theophan the :ecluse states# Consider prayer

to )e the first and foremost duty in your life and as such 2eep it in your heart. Goa)out your prayers as to the fulfillment of your primary duty, and not as to

something to )e done )etween tas2s.

1 ha)it of a)sentminded, inattentive and careless prayer )reeds a coldness

towards God, dejection, a wea2ening of the faith and a dar2ening of the mind,

and these in their turn lead to spiritual num)ness. 0or prayer to )e fruitful it must

)e fervent, offered up with an awareness of the need for what we are as2ing Col.

;#& and it must )e untiring and relentless, pursuing its purpose with the firm

resolve of the widow in 4ur Lord's para)le who see2s protection from her

adversary Lu2e $

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There are different degrees of prayer and for the )eginner the effort of prayer

consists mainly in attentively reading or listening to prayer, in standing, )owing

and ma2ing the (ign of the Cross. -ere a great deal of self=e8ertion and patience

is called for, )ecause our attention )ecomes distracted in this process and our

heart may not feel the words of the Prayer. Through this ver)al prayer through

the diligent e8ercise of it the Christian, with the help of God, gradually trains his

mind to collect itself, to understand and penetrate into the words of the prayer

and to pronounce them without )ecoming distracted )y outside thoughts.

The Christian must remain constantly mindful of God and must wal2 in fear of

God. -e is always )efore the eyes of God as God is invisi)ly with him always

and everywhere. 4ne's Guardian 1ngel is also always )y his side. 4ne must also

)e mindful of the fact that earthly life is not eternal. ?eath, which passes no one

)y and carries us off in many ways, must always )e )rought to remem)rance as

well as the fearsome ?ay of Judgment, where we all shall have to answer for our

every sinful word, deed and thought. e must always call to mind -ell and the

eternal torment which awaits all sinners, as well as the @ingdom of -eaven

prepared for the faithful who lived in righteousness. !n this way we may lead our

lives in the fear of the Lord.

hen we pray we must remem)er that if our prayers will rise speedily to God,

they must )e said with charity, for prayer said without love is not heard. 1ccording

to (t. John Chrysostom, charity is the wing of prayer. 1s the -oly 0athers also

teach us, we should )egin our prayers with glorification of the Creator of all, with

a sincere than2sgiving to God for all -is mercies, for all the trials and sorrows

sent down for our )enefit and the )enefit of our neigh)ors. Then we must ma2e a

confession of sins in repentance of heart after which we will )e deemed worthy to

entreat the @ing of -eaven in prayer.

*echanics of Prayer.

The Church of Christ teaches us prayers composed )y righteous and holy men.

The -oly 0athers and 1scetics of the Church, enlightened )y the grace of God,

have composed many )eautiful prayers, filled with holy thoughts and deep

feeling for the guidance and admonition of Christians. e hear these prayers in

Church during the ?ivine (ervices, )ut for private prayer at home, each Christian

must recite the prayers contained in the Prayer)oo2.

hen we )egin to pray, we do not immediately )rea2 off from our daily tas2s andjust start praying, )ut we must prepare ourselves. 1s the Prayer)oo2 says# (tand

in silence for a few moments until all your senses are calmed. 0urthermore, as

-oly (cripture tells us# efore offering a prayer, prepare yourself5 and do not )e

li2e a man who tempts the Lord (irach $

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)etter to say fewer prayers, )ut with careful thought and attention, than to rush

through many prayers without proper attention. ut, one must also not allow the

omitted prayers to go unheeded5 these can )e completed later when there is

time. hile saying a prayer, especially if reading it from a )oo2, one must not

hasten from one word to the ne8t, lest there )e a failure to grasp the truth of the

te8t and to receive it into the heart.

The -oly 0athers recommend for greater spirituality of mind and heart the rule of

e8ecuting )ows, prostrations, and ma2ing the (ign of the Cross, during prayer,

as an e8pression of heartfelt feelings of penitence, humility, deep piety, fear of

God and devotion to -im, for when one's )ody is prostrate, the soul ascends

heavenwards to God>

(t. John Chrysostom on Prayers.

!n his earthly ministry, (t. John Chrysostom was well 2nown as a super) homilist

and for his efforts received the well=deserved title Golden=mouth. !n his sermons,

(t. John was especially concerned for the spiritual and moral development of his

floc2 and, as a result, he was especially interested in teaching them how to pray.

1s trees cannot live without water, so man's soul cannot live without prayerful

contact with God, he taught. !f you deprive yourself of prayer, you will do as

though you had ta2en a fish out of water# as life is water for a fish, so is prayer for

you.

To live in God means that one must always and everywhere )e with God, and

without prayer, such a union is impossi)le. Therefore the -oly 0ather, (t. John,

did not limit conversation with God in prayer to one set time of day or to one

definite place. 1s he taught, one can say prolonged prayers while wal2ing to the

s9uare, while wal2ing a)out the streets. hile sitting and wor2ing in a wor2shop,

one can dedicate his spirit to God. 4ne can say prolonged and fervent prayers, !

say, )oth coming in and going out. hile in pu)lic, (t. John did not recommend

that prayer )e said with the lips, for the power of prayer lies not in words uttered

)y the lips, )ut )y the heart. 4ne can )e heard without uttering any words. hile

wal2ing a)out a s9uare, one can pray in thought with great Deal, and while sitting

with friends and doing any sort of thing, one can call upon God with a great cry !

mean an internal cry& without ma2ing it 2nown to any of those present.

hile not diminishing the role and importance of prayer set for definite hours, (t.

John, nonetheless, sees the time of prayer in much )roader terms. e cano)tain )enefit from praying during our entire lives )y devoting to it the greater

part of our time. -e even as2ed Christians to pray during the night, for he 2new

from e8perience what )enefit such prayers )ring. Prayers at night are often purer

)ecause the mind is more at ease and there are fewer worries. These prayers

can )e short and few, )ut, as (t. John says, let us rise during the night. !f you do

not say many prayers, then say one with attentive concern and this is enough. !

demand no more. !f not in the middle of the night, at least towards morning.

0asting also proves to )e an invalua)le aid to man in the achievement of perfect

prayer. hile fasting, as the (aint notes, a man does not doDe off, does not tal2 a

lot, neither does he yawn or grow wea2 in prayer as often happens to many when

not fasting.

(pea2ing of the content of prayer, (t. John advises first of all to than2 God for

everything. :eceiving all gifts from God, a Christian not only must than2 God for

them, )ut must also as2 them of -im. ut, not all that is as2ed of God can )ring

)enefit to man or can )e good for him. *any are not heard )ecause they as2 for

useless things, )ecause they insist on the fulfillment of their own will and not

God's, show indulgence towards their own wea2nesses, and do not gather

spiritual treasure. 1 man must also )e taught )y reason of his limitations andsinfulness that he cannot always correctly determine what will )ring him what he

as2s for in prayer.

hether we are heard or not when we pray, depends upon the following# $& 1re

we worthy to receiveE & ?o we pray according to ?ivine LawE A& ?o we pray

incessantlyE ;& ?o we avoid as2ing for worldly thingsE B& ?o we fulfill everything

that is re9uired on our partE and, finally, "& ?o we as2 for )eneficial thingsE

hen these conditions are fulfilled, prayer ac9uires a truly ineffa)le power. !t

spiritualiDes a man, renews him, inspires him, and carries him away to heavenly

pastures. 1s (t. John affirms, in truth prayer is the light of the soul, the true2nowledge of God and men, the healer of vices, the physician of diseases, the

peace of the soul, the heavenly guide which does not revolve around the earth,

)ut which leads up to -eaven> Therefore, the )eneficial devotion of prayer is the

)reath of life.

Church Prayer.

1part from private or home prayer, which is said in private, according to the

words of the (avior, hen you pray, go into your room and shut the door and

pray to your 0ather ho is in secret5 and your 0ather ho sees in secret will

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reward you *att. "#"&, as a Christian one must also participate in church prayer,

conducted during ?ivine (ervice, )efore the gathering of the faithful. The

importance and significance of this type of prayer at the ?ivine (ervices is

stressed in the Gospels. The Lord -imself, during -is earthly life, used to visit the

Temple of Jerusalem, as well as the synagogue, and pray therein. -e often

prayed, not only in solitude, )ut also )efore the people, and the first Christians

were day )y day, attending the temple together 1cts #;"&. Therefore our -oly

4rthodo8 Church our *other strictly commands her children to attend ?ivine(ervices, which is particularly essential to our salvation.

y its very significance church prayer is incompara)ly higher than prayer said at

home, for as (t. John Chrysostom tells us, a single Lord, have mercy uttered in

church together with the congregation of )elievers, is worth a hundred

prostrations during lonely home prayer. hy is this soE ecause our Lord said#

0or where two or three are gathered in *y name, there am ! in the midst of them

*att. $' love e8pels fear, and the earth seems to draw closer to

-eaven....goism cries to Thee# '*y 0ather,' )ut love says# '4ur 0ather>'

The universe created )y God is diverse, for, on the one hand, it is our world theworld of nature and man and, on the other hand, it is spiritual the world of the

1ngelic -ost and the Church Triumphant=2nown )i)lically as -eaven. Therefore

God is called the 0ather of our natural=human world and the -eavenly 0ather

ho art in -eaven, that is, the 0ather of the spiritual world. -eaven also implies

that purity and sanctity of divine life to which man is called, and which does not

e8ist in him if he is entirely captivated )y (in. 1s ishop /icholas says# -eaven

is very, very far for a man whose heart and soul have turned away from

Thee...)ut -eaven is very, very close for a man whose soul is open and awaits

Thy coming.

The Lord's Prayer consists of seven petitions, and these are things that weshould as2 of our -eavenly 0ather.

$& 4ur 0ather ho art in -eaven, hallowed )e Thy name.

!n the first petition, we should )eseech our -eavenly 0ather that -is name, which

is always holy in itself, )e hallowed, with -is )lessing, )oth in us and through us

*att. B#$"&. The Lord is the fullness and perfection of sanctity )ut, )y glorifying

-im, we sanctify ourselves and the surrounding world.

& Thy 2ingdom come.

!n the second petition, we as2 the Lord to help us and ma2e us worthy, through

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-is grace, of the @ingdom of -eaven which )egins, as Christ -imself said, here

on earth, within us. ut it will only come to us in the fullness of its power when

(in ceases to hold undivided sway in us and righteousness, peace, and joy in the

-oly (pirit :om. $;#$%& a)ide in us.

A& Thy will )e done on earth, as it is in -eaven.

!n the third petition, we )eseech God the 0ather that -e not allow us to live out

our earthly lives according to our sinful ways, )ut according to -is will, which isalways good, and accepta)le, and perfect :om. $#&. y o)eying the will of

God, we )egin to esta)lish the @ingdom of God within ourselves.

;& Give us this day our daily )read5

!n the fourth petition we )eseech God to give us our daily )read everything we

need in life, spiritual as well as physical. 4ur spiritual )read is the grace=

)estowing (acraments of the Church, instituted for our salvation. 0irst and

foremost, our daily )read means -oly Communion, of which the Lord said# ! am

the )read of life...and the )read which ! shall give for the life of the world is *y

flesh John "#;