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PRAYER BOOKS

Perhaps the most useful spiritual tool in developing a transforming prayer life is a prayer book; in fact, almost all Orthodox teachers agree that every Christian should use a prayer book in his or her prayer rule. Lorenzo Scupoli says the prayers in a prayer book are “poured out of the hearts of saintly men and women when, moved by the Holy Spirit, they expressed before God the desires of their heart. The spirit of prayer is contained in them; so, if you read them as you should, you too will be filled with this spirit.” Another Orthodox writer concurs, saying, “The words of these prayers give direction and expression to our desire and need to pray. They teach us what kind of things we should pray for and how to express ourselves reverently and humbly before God and His saints.” This is why St. Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain advises, “Read the prayers set out there, paying attention to every word, thinking the thoughts expressed there and trying to reproduce in your heart the same feelings as stir in the prayer you read.”

Many people particularly benefit from praying morning and evening prayers, which you can find in most prayer books (as well as in The Orthodox Study Bible). St. Theophan the Recluse even says, “I would consider the morning and evening prayers as set out in the prayer books to be entirely sufficient for you. Just try each time to carry them out with full attention and corresponding feelings. To be more successful at this, spend a little of your free time at reading over all the prayers separately. Think them over and feel them, so that when you recite them at your prayer rule, you will know the holy thoughts and feelings that are contained in them.”

St. Theophan gives an additional piece of advice for saying morning and evening prayers—as we saw Unit 11, we need to prepare ourselves:

So, morning or evening, immediately before you begin to repeat your prayers, stand awhile, sit for awhile, or walk a little and try to steady your mind and turn it away from all worldly activities and objects. After this, think who He is to whom you turn in prayer, then recollect who you are; who it is who is about to start this invocation to Him in prayer. Do this in such a way as to awake in your heart a feeling of humility and reverent awe that your are standing in the presence of God. It is the beginning of prayer, and a good beginning is half the complete task.

EXTEMPORANEOUS PRAYERS

While using a prayer book is especially helpful for a full spiritual life, we must also pray to God in our own words. St. Nicodemus teaches that “one’s own prayer has its recognized place and part in the work of prayer.” In fact, he declares that impulses to pray on one’s own are “a proof of progress in the work of prayer; and the more frequent (the impulses) are, the more the spirit of prayer fills the heart in which they are born. It should all end in praying always in one’s own words alone. Though in actual fact it does not happen so, but one’s own prayer always enters into the set prayers.”

For what should we pray on our own? St. Basil the Great lists four steps in effective personal prayer:

1. Glorify God.
2. Give thanks to Him for the mercies He has shown you.
3. Confess your sins and trespasses.
4. Ask Him to grant what you need, particularly in relation to your salvation (we should also add here intercession for others).

Evangelical Protestant churches use the acronym ACTS for this process—they obviously use a different order to fit their mnemonic device, but the elements are the same: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication.

These elements are evident in a prayer composed by Lorenzo Scupoli to illustrate the process:

O Lord my God! I sing and praise Thy ineffable glory and Thy infinite greatness. I thank Thee that, by Thy goodness alone, Thou hast given me to exist and to share in the life-saving blessings of Thy dispensation by incarnation, that Thou hast often saved me, even without my knowledge, from calamities which threatened me, and delivered me from the hands of my unseen foes. I confess to Thee that countless times have I stifled my conscience and fearlessly transgressed Thy holy commandments, and so shown myself ungrateful for Thy many and varied bounties. O my most merciful Lord, let not my ingratitude be too great for Thy mercy, but overlook my sins and trespasses, look with kindness on the tears of my contrition, and, according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies, help me even now, grant me what is needful for my salvation, and guide my life towards pleasing Thee, so that, unworthy as I am, I too may glorify Thy holy name.

St. John of Kronstadt wonderfully expresses the way in which we should pray: “God is truth, and my prayer should be truth as well as life; God is light, and my prayer should be offered in the light of the mind and the heart; God is fire, and my prayer should be ardent; God is perfectly free, and my prayer should be the free outpouring of my heart.”

PRAY WITHOUT CEASING

As we’ve noted in earlier units, the Holy Apostle Paul exhorts us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). How is this possible? One method used by Orthodox Christians for centuries is the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

Many monks and nuns work to mentally say this Prayer in tempo with their breathing, until they are continually saying the Prayer (to the point that, if they stop, they immediately notice its absence). St. Gregory Palamas points out that the Jesus Prayer is nonetheless not restricted to monastics: “Let no one think, my brother-Christians, that it is the duty only of priests and monks to pray without ceasing, and not of laymen. No, no; it is the duty of all of us Christians to remain always in prayer.” Elder Joseph of Vatopaidi adds, “The prayer is a duty for each one of the faithful, of every age, nationality, and status; without regard to place, time or manner. With the prayer divine Grace becomes active and provides solutions to problems and trials which trouble the faithful, so that, according to the Scriptures, ‘Everyone that calls on the Lord shall be saved’ (Acts 2:21).”

Albert Rossi recommends that the average layperson should say the Jesus Prayer for 10–15 minutes in the morning (or, if this is impossible, in the evening). St. Nicodemus concurs: “As soon as you wake up in the morning, pray for a while, saying: ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me.’

Many Orthodox Christians derive value from saying the Prayer during other times of the day, particularly when engaging in such semi-automatic tasks as driving, doing dishes, walking, being unable to sleep, etc. St. Gregory Palamas teaches, “For when we sit down to work with our hands, when we walk, when we eat, when we drink we can always pray mentally and practice this mental prayer.” Many saints also point out that the Prayer is particularly effective when we are troubled by improper thoughts and desires; as St. Hesychios the Priest says, “Whenever we are filled with evil thoughts, we should throw the invocation of our Lord Jesus Christ into their midst. Then, as experience has taught us, we shall see them instantly dispersed like smoke in the air. Once the intellect is left to itself again, we can renew our constant attentiveness and our invocation. Whenever we are distracted, we should act in this way.”

St. Gregory Palamas concludes, “At first it may appear very difficult to you, but be assured, as it were from Almighty God, that this very name of our Lord Jesus Christ, constantly invoked by you, will help you to overcome all difficulties, and in the course of time you will become used to this practice and will taste how sweet is the name of the Lord. Then you will learn by experience that this practice is not impossible and not difficult, but both possible and easy.”

CARRY IT INTO DAILY LIFE

Remember that it is always a good time to pray to God. Use the activities of your daily life as an inspiration to pray to your Lord. As St. Ephrem the Syrian says,

Whether you are in church, or in your house, or in the country; whether you are guarding sheep, or constructing buildings, or present at drinking parties, do not stop praying. When you are able, bend your knees, when you cannot, make intercession in your mind, ‘at evening and at morning and at midday’. If prayer precedes your work and if, when you rise from your bed, your first movements are accompanied by prayer, sin can find no entrance to attack your soul.

Tips for discussion leaders are indented beneath each question.

1. How is it helpful to have the prayers of earlier Christians available in prayer books for us to pray?

Focus on the fact that these prayers come from the hearts of our fathers and mothers in the faith; the words they give us contain “the spirit of prayer.” You can also bring up the words of the anonymous Christian writer, who said that these prayers give us direction and teach us how to pray.

2. What is St. Theophan the Recluse’s process for saying morning and evening prayers?

This answer may be slightly tricky for your group, because the process isn’t given in order in the study guide. Nonetheless, all the steps are in the two quotes from the saint in the “Prayer Books” section:

1) Read over and think about the prayers in your free time, in order to know the thoughts and feelings contained in them.
2) Before praying, spend some time steadying your mind and focusing your attention upon God.
3) Pray with full attention and corresponding feeling.

3. What are St. Basil the Great’s four steps in effective personal prayer?

1) Glorifying God.
2) Thanking Him for His mercy.
3) Confessing your sins.
4) Asking Him to provide for your needs.

4. How can you work these steps into your personal prayer?

Have your group look in detail at Lorenzo Scupoli’s example of such a prayer.

5. When can you say the Jesus Prayer during the day?

The simple answer is: anytime! Note St. Gregory Palamas’ teaching that it can be done during many daily activities. Be sure to stress not only that it can be done at regular times, like Albert Rossi’s recommendation that we pray in the morning or evening, but also that the Prayer is particularly effective when we are troubled or tempted.

You’ve prepared yourself to pray: you’ve focused your attention, you’re standing in front of your icon corner, but now there’s a problem: what do you say? How do you speak to the Lord of the Universe? Fortunately, the Church gives us a great deal of guidance on how to pray to God.

PRAYER BOOKS

Perhaps the most useful spiritual tool in developing a transforming prayer life is a prayer book; in fact, almost all Orthodox teachers agree that every Christian should use a prayer book in his or her prayer rule. Lorenzo Scupoli says the prayers in a prayer book are “poured out of the hearts of saintly men and women when, moved by the Holy Spirit, they expressed before God the desires of their heart. The spirit of prayer is contained in them; so, if you read them as you should, you too will be filled with this spirit.” Another Orthodox writer agrees, saying, “The words of these prayers give direction and expression to our desire and need to pray. They teach us what kind of things we should pray for and how to express ourselves reverently and humbly before God and His saints.” This is why St. Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain advises, “Read the prayers set out there, paying attention to every word, thinking the thoughts expressed there and trying to reproduce in your heart the same feelings as stir in the prayer you read.”

Many people particularly benefit from praying morning and evening prayers, which you can find in most prayer books (as well as in The Orthodox Study Bible). St. Theophan the Recluse even says, “I would consider the morning and evening prayers as set out in the prayer books to be entirely sufficient for you. Just try each time to carry them out with full attention and corresponding feelings. To be more successful at this, spend a little of your free time at reading over all the prayers separately. Think them over and feel them, so that when you recite them at your prayer rule, you will know the holy thoughts and feelings that are contained in them.”

St. Theophan gives an additional piece of advice for saying morning and evening prayers—as we saw Unit 11, we need to prepare ourselves:

So, morning or evening, immediately before you begin to repeat your prayers, stand awhile, sit for awhile, or walk a little and try to steady your mind and turn it away from all worldly activities and objects. After this, think who He is to whom you turn in prayer, then recollect who you are; who it is who is about to start this invocation to Him in prayer. Do this in such a way as to awake in your heart a feeling of humility and reverent awe that your are standing in the presence of God. It is the beginning of prayer, and a good beginning is half the complete task.

PERSONAL PRAYERS

While using a prayer book is especially helpful for a full spiritual life, we must also pray to God in our own words. St. Nicodemus teaches that “one’s own prayer has its recognized place and part in the work of prayer.” In fact, he declares that impulses to pray on one’s own are “a proof of progress in the work of prayer; and the more frequent (the impulses) are, the more the spirit of prayer fills the heart in which they are born. It should all end in praying always in one’s own words alone. Though in actual fact it does not happen so, but one’s own prayer always enters into the set prayers.”

For what should we pray on our own? St. Basil the Great lists four steps in effective personal prayer:

1. Glorify God.
2. Give thanks to Him for the mercies He has shown you.
3. Confess your sins and trespasses.
4. Ask Him to grant what you need, particularly in relation to your salvation (we should also add here intercession for others).

Evangelical Protestant churches use the phrase ACTS for this process: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication.

These elements of prayer are evident in a prayer composed by Lorenzo Scupoli to illustrate the process:

O Lord my God! I sing and praise Thy ineffable glory and Thy infinite greatness. I thank Thee that, by Thy goodness alone, Thou hast given me to exist and to share in the life-saving blessings of Thy dispensation by incarnation, that Thou hast often saved me, even without my knowledge, from calamities which threatened me, and delivered me from the hands of my unseen foes. I confess to Thee that countless times have I stifled my conscience and fearlessly transgressed Thy holy commandments, and so shown myself ungrateful for Thy many and varied bounties. O my most merciful Lord, let not my ingratitude be too great for Thy mercy, but overlook my sins and trespasses, look with kindness on the tears of my contrition, and, according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies, help me even now, grant me what is needful for my salvation, and guide my life towards pleasing Thee, so that, unworthy as I am, I too may glorify Thy holy name.

St. John of Kronstadt wonderfully expresses the way in which we should pray: “God is truth, and my prayer should be truth as well as life; God is light, and my prayer should be offered in the light of the mind and the heart; God is fire, and my prayer should be ardent; God is perfectly free, and my prayer should be the free outpouring of my heart.”

PRAY WITHOUT CEASING

As we’ve noted in earlier units, the Holy Apostle Paul exhorts us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). How is this possible? One method used by Orthodox Christians for centuries is the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

Many monks and nuns work to mentally say this Prayer in time with their breathing, until they are continually saying the Prayer (to the point that, if they stop, they immediately notice that they’ve stopped praying). St. Gregory Palamas points out that the Jesus Prayer is nonetheless not restricted to monastics: “Let no one think, my brother-Christians, that it is the duty only of priests and monks to pray without ceasing, and not of laymen. No, no; it is the duty of all of us Christians to remain always in prayer.” Elder Joseph of Vatopaidi adds, “The prayer is a duty for each one of the faithful, of every age, nationality, and status; without regard to place, time or manner. With the prayer divine Grace becomes active and provides solutions to problems and trials which trouble the faithful, so that, according to the Scriptures, ‘Everyone that calls on the Lord shall be saved’ (Acts 2:21).”

Albert Rossi recommends that the average layperson should say the Jesus Prayer for 10–15 minutes in the morning (or, if this is impossible, in the evening). St. Nicodemus says something similar: “As soon as you wake up in the morning, pray for a while, saying: ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me.’

Many Orthodox Christians are helped by saying the Prayer during other times of the day, particularly when doing such semi-automatic things as driving, doing dishes, walking, being unable to sleep, etc. St. Gregory Palamas teaches, “For when we sit down to work with our hands, when we walk, when we eat, when we drink we can always pray mentally and practice this mental prayer.” Many saints also point out that the Prayer is particularly effective when we are troubled by improper thoughts and desires; as St. Hesychios the Priest says, “Whenever we are filled with evil thoughts, we should throw the invocation of our Lord Jesus Christ into their midst. Then, as experience has taught us, we shall see them instantly dispersed like smoke in the air. Once the intellect is left to itself again, we can renew our constant attentiveness and our invocation. Whenever we are distracted, we should act in this way.”

St. Gregory Palamas concludes, “At first it may appear very difficult to you, but be assured, as it were from Almighty God, that this very name of our Lord Jesus Christ, constantly invoked by you, will help you to overcome all difficulties, and in the course of time you will become used to this practice and will taste how sweet is the name of the Lord. Then you will learn by experience that this practice is not impossible and not difficult, but both possible and easy.”

CARRY IT INTO DAILY LIFE

Remember that it is always a good time to pray to God. Use the activities of your daily life as an inspiration to pray to your Lord. As St. Ephrem the Syrian says,

Whether you are in church, or in your house, or in the country; whether you are guarding sheep, or constructing buildings, or present at drinking parties, do not stop praying. When you are able, bend your knees, when you cannot, make intercession in your mind, ‘at evening and at morning and at midday’. If prayer precedes your work and if, when you rise from your bed, your first movements are accompanied by prayer, sin can find no entrance to attack your soul.

You’ve prepared yourself to pray: you’ve focused your attention, you’re standing in front of your icon corner, but now there’s a problem: what do you say? How do you speak to the Lord of the Universe? Fortunately, the Church gives us a great deal of guidance on how to pray to God.

PRAYER BOOKS

Perhaps the most useful spiritual tool in developing a transforming prayer life is a prayer book; in fact, almost all Orthodox teachers agree that every Christian should use a prayer book in his or her prayer rule. Lorenzo Scupoli says the prayers in a prayer book are “poured out of the hearts of saintly men and women when, moved by the Holy Spirit, they expressed before God the desires of their heart. The spirit of prayer is contained in them; so, if you read them as you should, you too will be filled with this spirit.” Another Orthodox writer concurs, saying, “The words of these prayers give direction and expression to our desire and need to pray. They teach us what kind of things we should pray for and how to express ourselves reverently and humbly before God and His saints.” This is why St. Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain advises, “Read the prayers set out there, paying attention to every word, thinking the thoughts expressed there and trying to reproduce in your heart the same feelings as stir in the prayer you read.”

Many people particularly benefit from praying morning and evening prayers, which you can find in most prayer books (as well as in The Orthodox Study Bible). St. Theophan the Recluse even says, “I would consider the morning and evening prayers as set out in the prayer books to be entirely sufficient for you. Just try each time to carry them out with full attention and corresponding feelings. To be more successful at this, spend a little of your free time at reading over all the prayers separately. Think them over and feel them, so that when you recite them at your prayer rule, you will know the holy thoughts and feelings that are contained in them.”

St. Theophan gives an additional piece of advice for saying morning and evening prayers—as we saw Unit 11, we need to prepare ourselves:

So, morning or evening, immediately before you begin to repeat your prayers, stand awhile, sit for awhile, or walk a little and try to steady your mind and turn it away from all worldly activities and objects. After this, think who He is to whom you turn in prayer, then recollect who you are; who it is who is about to start this invocation to Him in prayer. Do this in such a way as to awake in your heart a feeling of humility and reverent awe that your are standing in the presence of God. It is the beginning of prayer, and a good beginning is half the complete task.

EXTEMPORANEOUS PRAYERS

While using a prayer book is especially helpful for a full spiritual life, we must also pray to God in our own words. St. Nicodemus teaches that “one’s own prayer has its recognized place and part in the work of prayer.” In fact, he declares that impulses to pray on one’s own are “a proof of progress in the work of prayer; and the more frequent (the impulses) are, the more the spirit of prayer fills the heart in which they are born. It should all end in praying always in one’s own words alone. Though in actual fact it does not happen so, but one’s own prayer always enters into the set prayers.”

For what should we pray on our own? St. Basil the Great lists four steps in effective personal prayer:

1. Glorify God.
2. Give thanks to Him for the mercies He has shown you.
3. Confess your sins and trespasses.
4. Ask Him to grant what you need, particularly in relation to your salvation (we should also add here intercession for others).

Evangelical Protestant churches use the acronym ACTS for this process—they obviously use a different order to fit their mnemonic device, but the elements are the same: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication.

These elements are evident in a prayer composed by Lorenzo Scupoli to illustrate the process:

O Lord my God! I sing and praise Thy ineffable glory and Thy infinite greatness. I thank Thee that, by Thy goodness alone, Thou hast given me to exist and to share in the life-saving blessings of Thy dispensation by incarnation, that Thou hast often saved me, even without my knowledge, from calamities which threatened me, and delivered me from the hands of my unseen foes. I confess to Thee that countless times have I stifled my conscience and fearlessly transgressed Thy holy commandments, and so shown myself ungrateful for Thy many and varied bounties. O my most merciful Lord, let not my ingratitude be too great for Thy mercy, but overlook my sins and trespasses, look with kindness on the tears of my contrition, and, according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies, help me even now, grant me what is needful for my salvation, and guide my life towards pleasing Thee, so that, unworthy as I am, I too may glorify Thy holy name.

St. John of Kronstadt wonderfully expresses the way in which we should pray: “God is truth, and my prayer should be truth as well as life; God is light, and my prayer should be offered in the light of the mind and the heart; God is fire, and my prayer should be ardent; God is perfectly free, and my prayer should be the free outpouring of my heart.”

PRAY WITHOUT CEASING

As we’ve noted in earlier units, the Holy Apostle Paul exhorts us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). How is this possible? One method used by Orthodox Christians for centuries is the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

Many monks and nuns work to mentally say this Prayer in tempo with their breathing, until they are continually saying the Prayer (to the point that, if they stop, they immediately notice its absence). St. Gregory Palamas points out that the Jesus Prayer is nonetheless not restricted to monastics: “Let no one think, my brother-Christians, that it is the duty only of priests and monks to pray without ceasing, and not of laymen. No, no; it is the duty of all of us Christians to remain always in prayer.” Elder Joseph of Vatopaidi adds, “The prayer is a duty for each one of the faithful, of every age, nationality, and status; without regard to place, time or manner. With the prayer divine Grace becomes active and provides solutions to problems and trials which trouble the faithful, so that, according to the Scriptures, ‘Everyone that calls on the Lord shall be saved’ (Acts 2:21).”

Albert Rossi recommends that the average layperson should say the Jesus Prayer for 10–15 minutes in the morning (or, if this is impossible, in the evening). St. Nicodemus concurs: “As soon as you wake up in the morning, pray for a while, saying: ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me.’

Many Orthodox Christians derive value from saying the Prayer during other times of the day, particularly when engaging in such semi-automatic tasks as driving, doing dishes, walking, being unable to sleep, etc. St. Gregory Palamas teaches, “For when we sit down to work with our hands, when we walk, when we eat, when we drink we can always pray mentally and practice this mental prayer.” Many saints also point out that the Prayer is particularly effective when we are troubled by improper thoughts and desires; as St. Hesychios the Priest says, “Whenever we are filled with evil thoughts, we should throw the invocation of our Lord Jesus Christ into their midst. Then, as experience has taught us, we shall see them instantly dispersed like smoke in the air. Once the intellect is left to itself again, we can renew our constant attentiveness and our invocation. Whenever we are distracted, we should act in this way.”

St. Gregory Palamas concludes, “At first it may appear very difficult to you, but be assured, as it were from Almighty God, that this very name of our Lord Jesus Christ, constantly invoked by you, will help you to overcome all difficulties, and in the course of time you will become used to this practice and will taste how sweet is the name of the Lord. Then you will learn by experience that this practice is not impossible and not difficult, but both possible and easy.”

CARRY IT INTO DAILY LIFE

Remember that it is always a good time to pray to God. Use the activities of your daily life as an inspiration to pray to your Lord. As St. Ephrem the Syrian says,

Whether you are in church, or in your house, or in the country; whether you are guarding sheep, or constructing buildings, or present at drinking parties, do not stop praying. When you are able, bend your knees, when you cannot, make intercession in your mind, ‘at evening and at morning and at midday’. If prayer precedes your work and if, when you rise from your bed, your first movements are accompanied by prayer, sin can find no entrance to attack your soul.

There is no single prayer rule for the entire Orthodox Church. Instead, as St. Ignatius Brianchaninov says, a rule is “fixed for each person according to his powers of body and soul. As these powers vary indefinitely in individuals, the rule is offered to ascetics (in fact, any Christian engaging in the spiritual life) in the most varied forms. The general principle for the rule of prayer consists in this, that it should on no account exceed the ascetic’s strength, or sap that strength, or undermine his health and so force him to give up every kind of rule.”

Because prayer rules vary, we’ll look at suggestions given by saints and Orthodox teachers that can be adapted to your abilities and circumstances. The key is that, whatever prayer rule you develop and follow, you must faithfully adhere to the rule. St. Ignatius advocates a moderate rule that “goes on developing and growing naturally till the end of (your) life.”

ESTABLISH A SET SCHEDULE

One of the first things you need to decide is when to pray. As you saw in the previous unit, we’ll seldom pray if we wait to pray until we are “in the mood.” While it would be great to follow the example of the psalmist, who declared, “I praise You seven times a day” (Psalm 118:164, OSB), it is unlikely that you will have seven extended periods of prayer each day. You can, however, probably set aside at least two—morning and evening prayers comprise the rule of many Orthodox Christians (in addition, of course, to blessings over meals).

It can also be helpful to determine a specific amount of time to be spent in prayer, and then refuse to spend less time than the minimal amount (nor, as St. Theophan the Recluse warns, force yourself to pray for a much longer period). St. Theophan advises,

Set a definite length of time for prayer—a quarter of an hour, a half, or a whole hour (whatever is convenient), and regulate your vigil so that the clock striking on the half hour or the hour signals the end of prayers. Then when you begin prayers, do not concern yourself with the number of prayers read, but only lift your heart and mind to the Lord in prayer, and continue in a worthy manner for the time set aside.

St. John of Kronstadt gives a good rule of thumb in determining how long we should pray: “It is well to pray long and continually, but ‘all men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given’ (Matthew 19:11). It is better for those who are not capable of long prayers to say short prayers, but with a fervent spirit.”

At first such a rule may be difficult; it will require great effort to pray for the minimum amount of time. As you grow in prayer, however, St. Theophan notes that people who follow this rule “so accustom themselves to praying, that the minutes at prayer are filled with sweetness. And it is rare that they remain just for the appointed time; they double and even triple it. Choose one of these methods for yourself and hold to it earnestly.”

ESTABLISH A SET LOCATION

Psychologists have long noted that structured activities are more effective when performed in a stable environment. The same holds true for prayer—you’ll find it easier to pray when you consistently pray in the same place. Christ instructs his disciples, “When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father” (Matthew 6:6); while explicitly referring to humility, the phrase “into your room” also indicates a consistent location for prayer.

Orthodox Christians traditionally pray in our icon corner, a corner in our homes where we establish what is sometimes called a “family church” (in the Russian tradition, the icon corner is also called “the corner of beauty”). The icon corner obviously has icons: one each of Christ and the Theotokos, and additional icons of saints (particularly those after whom the members of the family are named). The icons emphasize the body of Christ, of which we are a part. Archbishop Paul of Finland explains, “The icon in the corner of the room where we pray is a window into the Kingdom of God and a bond with its members.”

Icon corners can also contain a table or shelf on which are placed prayer books (which we’ll discuss in the next unit) and candles or lamps (which traditionally burn pure olive oil). The table may also hold such items as a Bible, a hand censer, a bottle of holy water, a blessing-cross, the candles that the husband and wife held at their wedding, holy oil, palm branches and sometimes other religious objects.

MENTAL AND PHYSICAL PREPARATION

St. John Climacus exhorts, “‘When we are going to stand in the presence of our King and God and converse with Him, let us not rush into it without preparation.” Given the holiness of coming before God in prayer, it is necessary prepare yourself mentally for this moment. St. Ignatius Brianchaninov gives a brief list of ways in which you can prepare your heart and mind for prayer:

1. Reject “resentment and condemnation of our neighbors. This preparation is commanded by our Lord Himself: ‘When you stand praying,’ He orders, ‘forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father, Who is in heaven may forgive you your offenses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father Who is in heaven forgive you your offenses’ (Matthew 6:14; Mark 11:25).”
2. Reject worldly “cares by the power of faith in God and by the power of obedience and surrender to the will of God; also a realization of one’s sinfulness and the resultant contrition and humility of spirit…St. Isaac the Syrian repeats the following saying of another holy father: ‘If anyone does not recognize himself as a sinner, his prayer is not acceptable to God.”
3. “Stand at prayer before the invisible God as if you saw Him, and with the conviction that He sees you and is looking at you attentively.”

St. Ignatius’ final suggestion indicates the traditional physical posture of Orthodox prayer: standing. We pray standing out of respect for God, and so that our entire being—body, mind and soul—can offer itself to God. While we should obviously not stand if it is physically impossible or creates extreme difficulty, we do not want to be too physically casual when praying.

Finally, St. Theophan explains how we can make the transition from the frenetic pace of our daily lives into quiet, prayerful communication with God:

Do not stand at prayer immediately after household chores, conversations, or errands; instead, make some preparation for it, trying to collect your thoughts ahead of time and direct them toward standing worthily before God. Rouse within yourself the need for prayer at this particular time, because there may not be another time. Do not forget also to renew the consciousness of your spiritual needs and for the most immediate real need of all—the settling of your thoughts in prayer with the desire of finding satisfaction for them, namely in God…Once you begin doing this, you will soon see the fruit of it. Strive to feel the sweetness of true prayer. When you feel it, then it will entice you toward prayer and inspire you to complete and attentive prayer. May the Lord bless you!

CARRY IT INTO DAILY LIFE

St. Theophan the Recluse recommends the following rule of prayer. You should start with the first step; then, after becoming comfortable with it, you should move on to the next step, and forward.

1. Attentively perform the morning and evening prayers in one of the Orthodox service books (we’ll discuss this in the next unit).
2. Work at memorizing the prayers.
3. Memorize psalms to maintain a prayerful attitude throughout the day. St. Theophan recommends beginning with Psalm 51, then progressing to Psalms 102, 145, 22, 23, 115, and 69.
4. Extend the time spent in your prayers, and include prostrations into your prayers. St. Theoleptus of Bulgaria says about prostrations, “Let each genuflection be accompanied by the spiritual invocation of Christ; prostrating oneself soul and body before the Lord will make the God of souls and of bodies bend easily.”

Tips for discussion leaders are indented beneath each question.

1. Is there a single prayer rule for all Orthodox Christians? Why or why not?

There is no single prayer rule for every Orthodox Christian. Point out St. Ignatius Brianchaninov’s statement that a prayer rule is “fixed for each person according to his powers of body and soul.” The key, as St. Ignatius says, is that a personal prayer rule should be something that “goes on developing and growing naturally till the end of (your) life.”

2. What are the two things you should consider when setting up a schedule for prayer?

In the study guide we talk about two things: how many times you will schedule to pray each day, and how long each of those times will be. Note that Orthodox Christians generally have at least two sets of prayers we say each day—morning and evening prayers—as well as praying over each meal.

The amount of time each person spends praying depends upon his or her ability. Emphasize St. John of Kronstadt’s teaching: we should pray as long as possible, but the most important thing is that the prayers be fervent. It’s better to pray attentively and with feeling for a short time, then to disinterestedly drag the prayers out for a longer period of time.

3. Where should you pray?

It is best to pray in the home’s icon corner. Your group members may particularly benefit from Archbishop Paul’s teaching that the icon is “a window into the Kingdom of God and a bond with its members” (you can also link this to the fact we discussed in Unit 2, that Orthodox worship is communal).

4. How can you prepare yourself for prayer?

Ss. Ignatius and Theophan give good explanations of this. Emphasize that the Christian’s mind should be quiet and focused upon God, rather than focused upon the various things we have done or will be doing.

5. What is your prayer rule?

Encourage the members of your group to talk about their personal prayer rules. You can relate these to St. Theophan’s recommended rule in the “Carry It Into Daily Life” sidebar.

If you’re like me, you’ve often decided that you need to pray more—so, for a few days you faithfully pray several times each day, and then it’s once every other day, and then…pretty soon, you’re again thinking, “I really need to pray more!” Successfully developing a full prayer life requires more than simply wanting one—it also requires true discipline in making prayer part of your daily life. This discipline—in Orthodoxy called a Prayer Rule or Rule of Prayer—is necessary to consistently pray on a daily basis.

There is no single prayer rule for the entire Orthodox Church. Instead, as St. Ignatius Brianchaninov says, a rule is “fixed for each person according to his powers of body and soul. As these powers vary indefinitely in individuals, the rule is offered to ascetics (in fact, any Christian engaging in the spiritual life) in the most varied forms. The general principle for the rule of prayer consists in this, that it should on no account exceed the ascetic’s strength, or sap that strength, or undermine his health and so force him to give up every kind of rule.”

Because prayer rules can be different, we’ll look at suggestions given by saints and Orthodox teachers that can be adapted to your abilities and circumstances. The key is that, whatever prayer rule you develop and follow, you must faithfully follow the rule. St. Ignatius encourages you to have a simple rule that “goes on developing and growing naturally till the end of (your) life.”

ESTABLISH A SET SCHEDULE

One of the first things you need to decide is when to pray. As you saw in the previous unit, we’ll seldom pray if we wait to pray until we are “in the mood.” While it would be great to follow the example of the psalmist, who declared, “I praise You seven times a day” (Psalm 118:164, OSB), it is unlikely that you’ll have seven extended times you pray each day. You can, however, probably set aside at least two times—morning and evening prayers comprise the rule of many Orthodox Christians (in addition, of course, to blessings over meals).

It can also be helpful to determine a specific amount of time to be spent in prayer, and then refuse to spend less time than that praying (nor, as St. Theophan the Recluse warns, force yourself to pray for a much longer period). St. Theophan advises,

Set a definite length of time for prayer—a quarter of an hour, a half, or a whole hour (whatever is convenient), and regulate your vigil so that the clock striking on the half hour or the hour signals the end of prayers. Then when you begin prayers, do not concern yourself with the number of prayers read, but only lift your heart and mind to the Lord in prayer, and continue in a worthy manner for the time set aside.

St. John of Kronstadt gives a good rule of thumb in determining how long we should pray: “It is well to pray long and continually, but ‘all men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given’ (Matthew 19:11). It is better for those who are not capable of long prayers to say short prayers, but with a fervent spirit.”

At first such a rule may be difficult; it will require great effort to pray for the minimum amount of time. As you grow in prayer, however, St. Theophan notes that people who follow this rule “so accustom themselves to praying, that the minutes at prayer are filled with sweetness. And it is rare that they remain just for the appointed time; they double and even triple it. Choose one of these methods for yourself and hold to it earnestly.”

ESTABLISH A SET LOCATION

Psychologists point out that regular activities go better when you do them in the same location. The same holds true for prayer—you’ll find it easier to pray when you consistently pray in the same place. Christ instructs his disciples, “When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father” (Matthew 6:6); while explicitly referring to humility, the phrase “into your room” also indicates a consistent location for prayer.

Orthodox Christians traditionally pray in our icon corner, a corner in our homes where we establish what is sometimes called a “family church” (in the Russian tradition, the icon corner is also called “the corner of beauty”). The icon corner obviously has icons: one each of Christ and the Theotokos, and additional icons of saints (particularly those after whom the members of the family are named). The icons emphasize the body of Christ, of which we are a part. Archbishop Paul of Finland explains, “The icon in the corner of the room where we pray is a window into the Kingdom of God and a bond with its members.”

Icon corners can also contain a table or shelf on which are placed prayer books (which we’ll discuss in the next unit) and candles or lamps (which traditionally burn pure olive oil). The table may also hold such items as a Bible, a hand censer, a bottle of holy water, a blessing-cross, the candles that the husband and wife held at their wedding, holy oil, palm branches and sometimes other religious objects.

MENTAL AND PHYSICAL PREPARATION

St. John Climacus exhorts, “‘When we are going to stand in the presence of our King and God and converse with Him, let us not rush into it without preparation.” Given the holiness of coming before God in prayer, it is necessary prepare yourself mentally for this moment. St. Ignatius Brianchaninov gives a brief list of ways in which you can prepare your heart and mind for prayer:

1. Reject “resentment and condemnation of our neighbors. This preparation is commanded by our Lord Himself: ‘When you stand praying,’ He orders, ‘forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father, Who is in heaven may forgive you your offenses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father Who is in heaven forgive you your offenses’ (Matthew 6:14; Mark 11:25).”
2. Reject worldly “cares by the power of faith in God and by the power of obedience and surrender to the will of God; also a realization of one’s sinfulness and the resultant contrition and humility of spirit…St. Isaac the Syrian repeats the following saying of another holy father: ‘If anyone does not recognize himself as a sinner, his prayer is not acceptable to God.’”
3. “Stand at prayer before the invisible God as if you saw Him, and with the conviction that He sees you and is looking at you attentively.”

St. Ignatius’ final suggestion indicates the traditional physical position for Orthodox prayer: standing. We pray standing out of respect for God, and so that our entire being—body, mind and soul—can offer itself to God. While we should obviously not stand if it is physically impossible or creates extreme difficulty, we do not want to be too physically casual when praying.

Finally, St. Theophan explains how we can make the transition from the frenetic pace of our daily lives into quiet, prayerful communication with God:

Do not stand at prayer immediately after household chores, conversations, or errands; instead, make some preparation for it, trying to collect your thoughts ahead of time and direct them toward standing worthily before God. Rouse within yourself the need for prayer at this particular time, because there may not be another time. Do not forget also to renew the consciousness of your spiritual needs and for the most immediate real need of all—the settling of your thoughts in prayer with the desire of finding satisfaction for them, namely in God…Once you begin doing this, you will soon see the fruit of it. Strive to feel the sweetness of true prayer. When you feel it, then it will entice you toward prayer and inspire you to complete and attentive prayer. May the Lord bless you!

CARRY IT INTO DAILY LIFE

St. Theophan the Recluse recommends the following rule of prayer. You should start with the first step; then, after becoming comfortable with it, you should move on to the next step, and forward.

1. Attentively perform the morning and evening prayers in one of the Orthodox service books (we’ll discuss this in the next unit).
2. Work at memorizing the prayers.
3. Memorize psalms to maintain a prayerful attitude throughout the day. St. Theophan recommends beginning with Psalm 51, then progressing to Psalms 102, 145, 22, 23, 115, and 69.
4. Extend the time spent in your prayers, and include prostrations into your prayers. St. Theoleptus of Bulgaria says about prostrations, “Let each genuflection be accompanied by the spiritual invocation of Christ; prostrating oneself soul and body before the Lord will make the God of souls and of bodies bend easily.”

If you’re like me, you’ve often decided that you need to pray more—so, for a few days you faithfully pray several times each day, and then it’s once every other day, and then…pretty soon, you’re again thinking, “I really need to pray more!” Successfully developing a full prayer life requires more than simply desire—it also requires true discipline in making prayer part of your daily life. This discipline—in Orthodoxy called a Prayer Rule or Rule of Prayer—is necessary to consistently pray on a daily basis.

There is no single prayer rule for the entire Orthodox Church. Instead, as St. Ignatius Brianchaninov says, a rule is “fixed for each person according to his powers of body and soul. As these powers vary indefinitely in individuals, the rule is offered to ascetics (in fact, any Christian engaging in the spiritual life) in the most varied forms. The general principle for the rule of prayer consists in this, that it should on no account exceed the ascetic’s strength, or sap that strength, or undermine his health and so force him to give up every kind of rule.”

Because prayer rules vary, we’ll look at suggestions given by saints and Orthodox teachers that can be adapted to your abilities and circumstances. The key is that, whatever prayer rule you develop and follow, you must faithfully adhere to the rule. St. Ignatius advocates a moderate rule that “goes on developing and growing naturally till the end of (your) life.”

ESTABLISH A SET SCHEDULE

One of the first things you need to decide is when to pray. As you saw in the previous unit, we’ll seldom pray if we wait to pray until we are “in the mood.” While it would be great to follow the example of the psalmist, who declared, “I praise You seven times a day” (Psalm 118:164, OSB), it is unlikely that you will have seven extended periods of prayer each day. You can, however, probably set aside at least two—morning and evening prayers comprise the rule of many Orthodox Christians (in addition, of course, to blessings over meals).

It can also be helpful to determine a specific amount of time to be spent in prayer, and then refuse to spend less time than the minimal amount (nor, as St. Theophan the Recluse warns, force yourself to pray for a much longer period). St. Theophan advises,

Set a definite length of time for prayer—a quarter of an hour, a half, or a whole hour (whatever is convenient), and regulate your vigil so that the clock striking on the half hour or the hour signals the end of prayers. Then when you begin prayers, do not concern yourself with the number of prayers read, but only lift your heart and mind to the Lord in prayer, and continue in a worthy manner for the time set aside.

St. John of Kronstadt gives a good rule of thumb in determining how long we should pray: “It is well to pray long and continually, but ‘all men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given’ (Matthew 19:11). It is better for those who are not capable of long prayers to say short prayers, but with a fervent spirit.”

At first such a rule may be difficult; it will require great effort to pray for the minimum amount of time. As you grow in prayer, however, St. Theophan notes that people who follow this rule “so accustom themselves to praying, that the minutes at prayer are filled with sweetness. And it is rare that they remain just for the appointed time; they double and even triple it. Choose one of these methods for yourself and hold to it earnestly.”

ESTABLISH A SET LOCATION

Psychologists have long noted that structured activities are more effective when performed in a stable environment. The same holds true for prayer—you’ll find it easier to pray when you consistently pray in the same place. Christ instructs his disciples, “When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father” (Matthew 6:6); while explicitly referring to humility, the phrase “into your room” also indicates a consistent location for prayer.

Orthodox Christians traditionally pray in our icon corner, a corner in our homes where we establish what is sometimes called a “family church” (in the Russian tradition, the icon corner is also called “the corner of beauty”). The icon corner obviously has icons: one each of Christ and the Theotokos, and additional icons of saints (particularly those after whom the members of the family are named). The icons emphasize the body of Christ, of which we are a part. Archbishop Paul of Finland explains, “The icon in the corner of the room where we pray is a window into the Kingdom of God and a bond with its members.”

Icon corners can also contain a table or shelf on which are placed prayer books (which we’ll discuss in the next unit) and candles or lamps (which traditionally burn pure olive oil). The table may also hold such items as a Bible, a hand censer, a bottle of holy water, a blessing-cross, the candles that the husband and wife held at their wedding, holy oil, palm branches and sometimes other religious objects.

MENTAL AND PHYSICAL PREPARATION

St. John Climacus exhorts, “‘When we are going to stand in the presence of our King and God and converse with Him, let us not rush into it without preparation.” Given the holiness of coming before God in prayer, it is necessary prepare yourself mentally for this moment. St. Ignatius Brianchaninov gives a brief list of ways in which you can prepare your heart and mind for prayer:

1. Reject “resentment and condemnation of our neighbors. This preparation is commanded by our Lord Himself: ‘When you stand praying,’ He orders, ‘forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father, Who is in heaven may forgive you your offenses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father Who is in heaven forgive you your offenses’ (Matthew 6:14; Mark 11:25).”
2. Reject worldly “cares by the power of faith in God and by the power of obedience and surrender to the will of God; also a realization of one’s sinfulness and the resultant contrition and humility of spirit…St. Isaac the Syrian repeats the following saying of another holy father: ‘If anyone does not recognize himself as a sinner, his prayer is not acceptable to God.”
3. “Stand at prayer before the invisible God as if you saw Him, and with the conviction that He sees you and is looking at you attentively.”

St. Ignatius’ final suggestion indicates the traditional physical posture of Orthodox prayer: standing. We pray standing out of respect for God, and so that our entire being—body, mind and soul—can offer itself to God. While we should obviously not stand if it is physically impossible or creates extreme difficulty, we do not want to be too physically casual when praying.

Finally, St. Theophan explains how we can make the transition from the frenetic pace of our daily lives into quiet, prayerful communication with God:

Do not stand at prayer immediately after household chores, conversations, or errands; instead, make some preparation for it, trying to collect your thoughts ahead of time and direct them toward standing worthily before God. Rouse within yourself the need for prayer at this particular time, because there may not be another time. Do not forget also to renew the consciousness of your spiritual needs and for the most immediate real need of all—the settling of your thoughts in prayer with the desire of finding satisfaction for them, namely in God…Once you begin doing this, you will soon see the fruit of it. Strive to feel the sweetness of true prayer. When you feel it, then it will entice you toward prayer and inspire you to complete and attentive prayer. May the Lord bless you!

CARRY IT INTO DAILY LIFE

St. Theophan the Recluse recommends the following rule of prayer. You should start with the first step; then, after becoming comfortable with it, you should move on to the next step, and forward.

1. Attentively perform the morning and evening prayers in one of the Orthodox service books (we’ll discuss this in the next unit).
2. Work at memorizing the prayers.
3. Memorize psalms to maintain a prayerful attitude throughout the day. St. Theophan recommends beginning with Psalm 51, then progressing to Psalms 102, 145, 22, 23, 115, and 69.
4. Extend the time spent in your prayers, and include prostrations into your prayers. St. Theoleptus of Bulgaria says about prostrations, “Let each genuflection be accompanied by the spiritual invocation of Christ; prostrating oneself soul and body before the Lord will make the God of souls and of bodies bend easily.”

SENSE OF GOD’S ABSENCE

One reason people shy away from prayer is because we believe God is missing in our lives. An Orthodox writer describes the problem like this:

To know of God in the wisdom of the mind, this brings shimmers of peace and a foretaste of joy. Yet such joy is bounded, able to be swayed; for he who knows God’s presence but in part, still is able to imagine His absence. One who sees God only in this place or in that, sees Him missing from those places in between. His joy is fleeting, for as in a moment it arises in the perception of God’s presence, so it retreats in the illusion of His absence.

Metropolitan Anthony Bloom reminds us that God is never absent from us, but there is nonetheless “the sense of absence which we have. We stand before God and we shout into an empty sky, out of which there is no reply. We turn in all directions and He is not to be found.”

We first must realize that God is never truly absent from His people. Holy Scripture contains numerous promises of God’s presence (Exodus 33:14; Deuteronomy 31:6; Joshua 1:5; Hebrews 13:5). Christ further promises, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). Blessed Augustine therefore reminds Christians that Christ has “never withdrawn His glory.”

At the same time, Augustine also notes that through evil we can leave the presence of God. Such people, as a direct result of their own decisions, “inhabit the land of commotion, that is, of carnal disquietude, instead of the enjoyment of God.” At such times, according to Metropolitan Anthony, God may withhold His presence from us because “an encounter would be judgment and condemnation on us. We should learn to understand this absence and judge ourselves because we are not judged by God.”

The full ramification of separating ourselves from God through our sinfulness can best be understood in the context of relationship. Metropolitan Anthony explains:

If you look at the relationship in terms of mutual relationship, you will see that God could complain about us a great deal more than we about Him. We complain that He does not make Himself present to us for the few minutes we reserve for Him, but what about the twenty-three and a half hours during which God may be knocking at our door and we answer ‘I am busy, I am sorry’ or when we do not answer at all because we do not even hear the knock at the door of our heart, of our minds, of our conscience, of our life. So there is a situation in which we have no right to complain of the absence of God, because we are a great deal more absent than He ever is.

As you can see, the sense of God’s absence can also be for our spiritual healing—God allows us to experience His absence to remind us to always be attentive to Him. He allows us to experience the temporary result of our natural tendency to separate ourselves from God so that we do not spend eternity experiencing such separation.

DISTRACTIONS

Distractions are a seemingly inevitable part of prayer for most of us; too often our prayers are like this, “Our Father…did I turn the living room light off…Who art in heaven…I could sure go for some pizza right now…” Many people allow the frustration of being unable to focus their attention in prayer to dissuade them from continuing to pray.

St. Theophan the Recluse comforts us with the fact that wandering thoughts during prayer are not in themselves a sin, “Thoughts wander when one is reading spiritual works and during prayer. What should one do? No one is free from this. There is no sin in it, only vexation…If thoughts scatter involuntarily, what fault can there be?” At the same time, we must also recognize that our failure to focus our attention on God is emblematic of our weakness and spiritual immaturity. Just as people understand when we are occasionally distracted while talking with them, but would resent our attention always being diverted, so God will be displeased if we do not even try to pray without distraction. As St. Theophan states, “There is fault, though, when one notices thoughts wandering and, taking no action, one wanders along with them. When we catch our thoughts wandering off, we must bring them back to their proper place at once.”

St. Ignatius Brianchaninov teaches that we can only develop the ability to remain focused in our prayer by relying on the grace of God: “The rapt attention which keeps prayer completely free from distraction and from irrelevant thoughts and images is a gift of God’s grace. We evince a sincere desire to receive the gift of grace—the soul-saving gift of attention—by forcing ourselves to pray with attention whenever we pray.” Notice that God will give us the ability to pray attentively—but only if we sincerely work at focusing our attention on our prayer. St. Ignatius concludes, “God can give (the mind) stability and will do so in His own time in return for perseverance and patience in the practice of prayer.”

St. Ignatius gives us a useful tip for focusing our attention: “Specially helpful in holding the attention during prayer is an extremely unhurried pronunciation of the words of the prayer. Pronounce the words without hurrying so that the mind may quite easily stay enclosed in the words of the prayer, and not slip away from a single word. Say the words in an audible voice when you pray alone; this also helps to hold the attention.”

DISINCLINATION TO PRAY

Perhaps the most common reason for not praying is that we simply “do not feel like it.” We intend to pray, but there always seems to be something more interesting to do, or we are too tired, or any of thousands of excuses. The problem, as Protestant professor Eugene Peterson aptly puts it, is that “to pray by feelings is to be at the mercy of glands and weather and indigestion. And there is no mercy in them.”

St. John of Kronstadt forcefully addresses those who avoid prayer because of disinclination, “People say that if you do not feel inclined to pray it is better not to pray; but this is crafty carnal sophistry. If you pray only when you are inclined to, you will cease praying altogether; this is what the flesh desires…You will not be able to work out your salvation without forcing yourself.” St. Macarius the Great also inspires us to overcome our disinclination when he says, “One must force oneself to pray, even if one has no spiritual prayer…In such a case, God, seeing that a man earnestly is striving, pushing himself against the will of his heart, He grants him true prayer.”

All of these obstacles to prayer—a sense of God’s absence, distractions and disinclination—are all related to one central problem, which St. John says lies in the human heart, “Those who pray little are weak in heart, and thus, when they wish to pray, their hearts become enfeebled, and so do their hands, their bodies, their minds, and it is difficult for them to pray.” The key, as we can see, is to persist in prayer. The more we pray, the easier and more beneficial we will find prayer. It is important to be patient during this growth—St. Theophan says it may take months, or even years, for us to be able to peacefully focus our attention on our prayers.

Despite the amount of time and effort required to build up the spiritual discipline of prayer, St. Theophan reminds us that this process isn’t an act of brute force with no reward; instead, “As the mind begins to stand firmly before God, it discovers such sweetness, that it wishes to remain in true prayer forever, desiring nothing more.”

CARRY IT INTO DAILY LIFE

A significant way in which we can increase our desire to pray is by developing an attitude of true thankfulness for all the blessings provided to us by God. St. John the Solitary explains how we can develop gratitude in our prayer lives:

When evening comes, collect your thoughts and ponder over the entire course of the day: observe God’s providential care for you; consider the grace He has wrought in you throughout the whole span of the day; consider the rising of the moon, the joy of daylight, all the hours and moments, the divisions of time, the sight of different colors, the beautiful adornment of creation, the course of the sun, the growth of your own stature, how your own person has ben protected; consider the blowing of the winds, the ripe and varied fruits, how the elements minister to your comfort, how you have been preserved from accidents, and all the other activities of grace. When you have pondered all this, wonder of God’s love toward you will well up within you, and gratitude for His acts of grace will bubble up inside you.