Father Veniamin, it is in our nature to be aware of a meaning to our existence, and since we are made in the image of God, we are called to deification. Deification involves a personal communion with God, a response to God’s call. Our spiritual fathers have taught us that prayer is a conversation with God. How can a person be present in a conscious, living and personal relationship with God in our times?
Regarding deification, Saint Peter the Apostle states that we Christians must become ‘partakers of the divine nature’ (2 Peter 1:4), whilst Saint Athanasius of Alexandria, commenting on this idea, says that ‘the Son of God became man so that we might become God’, and becomes more explicit when he says that deification is ‘becoming, through grace, what God is by nature’. This is made possible through Jesus Christ, Who is God incarnate.
For many of the Holy Fathers, deification goes beyond the mere restoration of humankind to the state they were in before the Fall of Adam and Eve. Since Christ has united human nature with the divine in His Person, it is possible for a person to experience a closer relationship with God than that of our forefathers in the Garden of Eden, and these people can become more like God than our first parents were in their time.
In Jesus Christ, the two natures—human and divine—are not two persons but one; thus, through Christ, the union between God and all humanity has been brought about. Thus, the Holy God and sinful man are reconciled, in principle, in the sinless man – Jesus Christ.
The realisation of deification takes many practical forms, such as: living within the community of the Church; regular participation in the Holy Mysteries, especially the Divine Liturgy; and the practice of the ‘prayer of the heart’ or unceasing prayer. The prayer of the heart is one of the dominant themes in the writings of the Church Fathers. Unceasing prayer is not the goal, but rather our communion with God.
Saint Maximus the Confessor shows that the Son of God truly ‘becomes human’ in order to ‘deify’ man, a process prepared during earthly life but which will be perfected in the life to come. His teaching on the ‘deification of man’ reflects exceptional depth in his approach to Christology and anthropology, and offers a refreshing perspective on the Incarnation of the Word and the deification of man.
It should be noted that ‘deification’ does not mean an ontological identification between God and man, but merely a bond, a communion transcending the difference between the creature and its Creator. Deification is an Incarnation of God in human conditions, a union of man with God by virtue of divine love and man’s loving desire. Christ became incarnate out of boundless love for humankind; He became human in order to make humankind God through union with Himself.
We find a very interesting passage in the Ambigua of Saint Maximus the Confessor: God descends so that man may be exalted. ‘Just as God’s love for humankind brings about His incarnation as the greatest possible closeness to humankind, so too does humankind’s love for God bring about the deification of humankind as the greatest possible closeness to God. But it is only because God becomes a true, sinless man, coming into humanity, that man is deified; and it is only because man can be deified that God becomes incarnate.”
Prayer is man’s conversation with God, Who is Spirit; but as Saint Dionysius the Areopagite says: ‘God is beyond the spirit’. And therefore, by virtue of His nature, God is so all-encompassing, so pervading everything, that man can be with Him at every moment and, through the spirit of faith, see Him and speak with Him. No person is ever so close to us, ceaselessly, as God is. God is above all people and angels, and we are deemed worthy to speak with Him and to see Him through the eyes of faith.
…by virtue of His nature, God is so all-encompassing, so pervading everything, that man can be with Him at every moment and, through the spirit of faith, see Him and speak to Him. No person is ever so close to us, ceaselessly, as God is. Above all people and angels is God, and we are deemed worthy to speak with Him and to see Him through the eyes of faith.
All the hymns of the Church are prayers, but above and beyond this, through the prayer of the mind—which consists of the words: ‘Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me!’—we have the opportunity to communicate with God ceaselessly and uninterruptedly. This is the will of God.
In the early Christian centuries, the hermits lived in caves, far removed from the world. At that time there were no printed books, so they had no means of reading; they devoted themselves day and night to the ‘University of the Universe’ of all creation.
The Holy Fathers teach that all created beings speak, each in its own voice. In order for a person to be able to hear the voice of creation, they must purify their soul, mind and heart through asceticism. It is said of a hermit that one day, whilst out walking, he saw a very beautiful flower; he tapped it and said, ‘Do not cry out so loudly!’, thereby wishing to show that the flower was speaking of the wisdom of God. So, if such a tiny flower was so marvellously created, how much more so is God, the Creator of all!
It is well known that the great Arsenius was a highly learned man and a great philosopher. He went into the wilderness, where he lived in complete solitude and practised asceticism with great rigour in order to purify his heart. He spoke to no one and saw no one. Thus, through asceticism and solitude, he received and came to know the philosophy of the Spirit, which is incomparably greater and more spiritual than worldly philosophy. It is said that, in his life, he would raise his hands in prayer at sunset and lower them at sunrise, when the sun caressed his cheek with its rays. He kept them raised all night long. But how did they remain in the air? Naturally, this is difficult, yet with God’s help nothing is impossible. Saint Arsenius’s whole mind and heart were absorbed in the rapture of contemplation of the Holy Spirit, and he was initiated into the heavenly mysteries; he communicated directly with God.
From the life of Saint Arsenius, we understand that in order for a person to be united with God, they must set themselves apart somewhat from other people and from worldly cares, and, in a spirit of tranquillity of mind, be able through prayer to communicate with the Source of all happiness, God. It is the human mind that directs all the workings of the spirit. If the mind is cleansed of the impure thoughts that defile it, then, in time, the heart too will attain purity.
Christ the Saviour says: ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God’ (Matthew 5:8). Since God is not anthropomorphic, so that no one can see Him with physical eyes, He makes Himself known in the human heart, in a mysterious and ineffable way, when it is purified. When a Christian prays properly, with an undistracted mind—that is, when the mind is humbly focused on the meaning of the words of the prayer—then they begin to feel its fruits. And the fruit of a humble prayer is that a person may attain humility and tears, or repentance, or great joy and love for God.
Saint Nectarios of Aegina teaches that man’s most important work is prayer. Man was created to praise God. This alone justifies his spiritual nature and legitimises his place within creation.
Salvation is the living experience of man’s personal, conscious and free relationship with God, the Source of eternal life. Repentance, or the confession of sins and the reception of forgiveness in the Sacrament of Holy Confession, is life and uplifting. Therefore, the salvation which God offers to humankind is, in fact, liberation and healing from sin and death. This truth is summed up in the words: ‘God does not desire the death of the sinner, but that he should turn back and live’ (Ezekiel 18:23; 33:11) or God ‘wills that all people should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth’ (1 Timothy 2:4).
The Holy Apostle Paul exhorts us: ‘Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all kinds of prayers and requests’ (Ephesians 6:18), but this practice requires guidance in order to grow spiritually. How do we maintain the zeal that first inspired us to set ourselves to prayer?
Indeed, Saint Paul the Apostle, in his Epistles, offers numerous exhortations to Christians to pray without ceasing. In the Epistle to the Ephesians, we read: ‘At all times, through the Spirit, make every kind of prayer and supplication. Be watchful to this end with all perseverance, and pray for all the saints and for me’ (Ephesians 6:18–19), and in the Second Epistle to the Thessalonians: ‘Pray without ceasing’ (5:17), which seems to us to be a very difficult exhortation to fulfil. How is it possible for people with various concerns to spend the whole day in prayer? Saint Paul the Apostle does not expect a person to remain in a posture of prayer at all times, but clearly states that prayers should be offered ‘at all times, through the Spirit’. To attain unceasing prayer, we must first understand how this state can be achieved. From the experience of spiritually advanced monks, we learn that prayer is a state of being and is not dependent on any book, for one can pray in ways other than with the mouth. More useful than spoken words is our effort to unite our mind and heart with God, to constantly call upon the name of Jesus Christ as our defender against the unseen powers that wage war against us. A person can pray unceasingly when, in everything they do, they do not turn their mind away from God, when they think of and feel His presence in their heart. It is an inner state, a way of being, attained by people through the ceaseless invocation of the Name of Jesus.
God, our Creator, has provided us with all the means for our salvation, even giving us His only Son, Jesus Christ, as a model for life. Whoever takes Jesus as their model in all their actions has found the meaning of life and peace of mind.
Prayer becomes familiar and easy to practise when it is a daily habit; the power of habit makes it effortless. We must regard God as present beside us, speak to Him sincerely, without pretence, and listen in silence to what He always answers within our conscience. He always listens to us patiently and heeds our requests when we come to Him sincerely and with an open heart.
Prayer becomes familiar and easy to practise when it is a daily habit; the power of habit makes it effortless.
St John Chrysostom, in his Homilies on Genesis, says: ‘Let us strengthen our lives with unceasing prayers! Let no obstacle stand in our way! Nothing can hinder us if our minds are alert! Do we, indeed, need a place or a time? Any place and any time is suitable for such an act. Listen once more to the teacher of the world saying: ‘In every place, lifting up holy hands, without anger and without hesitation’ (1 Timothy 2:8). ‘If your heart is free from passions, you will be able—whether you are in the marketplace, at home, on the road, in court, at sea, in an inn, in a workshop, or wherever you may be—to receive what you ask for by praying to God.’
The masters of prayer teach us that, when we pray, we need ‘inner attentiveness’. God knows our weaknesses and failings and does not ask the impossible of us. He desires only that, when our lips utter words of prayer, our spirit should be thinking of Him, so that our voice may be the echo of our heart. This is a purely spiritual focus, when the mind, regardless of the words spoken, meditates on God’s perfection. Often, when we no longer find pleasure in prayer, when our mind cannot concentrate sufficiently, when we lack focus, when we become sad, when we feel depressed and interrupt our prayer on the grounds that we are not sufficiently capable of it, postponing it for another time and waiting for the desire to pray to return, we are making a grave mistake. Prayer must not be regarded as a pleasant and soothing sensation, as a spell cast by a fervent imagination, nor as the light of the spirit that easily reveals the truth to us, nor as a consolation for our sufferings. All these are external gifts which God bestows from time to time upon His chosen ones. Yet true love for God does not seek these gifts, nor does it wait to receive them before loving God. This love is true self-renunciation, which clings desperately and with blind trust to God, even in the aridity of the heart, in the inability to concentrate one’s attention, in the renunciation of all moral support, of all personal joy and consolation.”
The question frequently arises: ‘How should we pray? Through the frequent utterance of words, or through the depth of the mind?’
Prayer is the foremost work in the life of a Christian. If the old saying, ‘A man learns as long as he lives!’, applies to ordinary matters, it is all the more true of prayer, the practice of which must be unceasing.
Preparation is necessary for any prayer. The great masters of this practice speak of a ‘small preparation’, yet one of great significance. This is where prayer begins, and the beginning is half the work. Once this inner composure has been attained, the Christian stands before the icon and, after making a few prostrations, recites the opening prayers, which he utters unhurriedly, penetrating to the very heart of each word, bringing its meaning into his heart and making a few more prostrations. This is, in fact, what constitutes the prayer that is pleasing to God and bears fruit.
Prayer need not be long to be powerful. In this regard, our Saviour Christ teaches us the following: ‘When you pray, do not use many words as the pagans do, for they think that by their many words they will be heard’ (Matthew 6:7). Likewise, one day, His disciples said to Him: ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples’ (Luke 11:1). On this occasion, Jesus gave His disciples a model prayer: ‘Our Father’, also known as ‘The Lord’s Prayer’. This is the most important of all prayers; it is distinguished by its power, its accessibility and the depth of its meaning. Its great power lies in the fact that through it we pray together with Jesus Christ, and we pray in His very own words. The Lord’s words are most fitting for this prayer: ‘Whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you’ (John 16:23); it encompasses petitions for all spiritual and bodily needs; that is, for all heavenly and earthly blessings.
From the very beginning, the Holy Church has used the Lord’s Prayer in the Divine Liturgy and in all church services, for it contains everything that is necessary. In reciting it, the Christian should feel the embrace of the angels, for we no longer call the One who created us ‘our God’, but address Him as ‘our Father’. Every Christian who believes rightly must know this prayer and recite it in all circumstances of their life.
One of the devil’s greatest deceptions, with which he misleads people regarding prayer, is the notion that it must be long. He wants to make them believe that they must pray for hours on end before they can say that they have truly prayed. The Word of God teaches us that prayer need not be long, but it must be powerful. The length of prayers is of no importance in God’s sight. All that matters is that prayers are led by the Spirit, come from the heart and are offered in faith.
The Word of God teaches us that prayer need not be long, but should be powerful… All that matters is that prayers are guided by the Spirit, come from the heart and are offered in faith.
When they met, the Holy Fathers of old used to greet one another by asking not about their health, but about their prayer: ‘How is it going? How is your prayer working?’ For them, the work of prayer was the sign of the spiritual life, and they called it ‘the breath of the spirit’. The body breathes, therefore it lives; if breathing ceases, there is no longer any life in the body. So it is with prayer.
During the prayers we offer, our whole concern must be directed towards ensuring that these feelings fill our soul in such a way that, when the tongue utters prayers or the ear hears them and the body makes prostrations, the heart does not remain empty, but that within it, too, there is a certain feeling yearning for God. Only when these feelings exist is our prayer true.
True prayer consists in the heart’s strong desire and steadfastness towards God, but it is not found in everyone and at all times; it must be awakened and then strengthened; that is to say, the spirit of prayer must be cultivated within us. By practising it as it ought to be practised, you will succeed in awakening the ascent towards God within your heart; that is to say, you will enter into the spirit of prayer.
Throughout the history of Christianity, we have had illustrious teachers of prayer, such as the Holy Fathers Ephrem the Syrian, Macarius the Egyptian, Basil the Great, John Chrysostom and other great men of prayer. Being filled with the spirit of prayer, a great power is felt within them, and whoever delves deeply into them will undoubtedly, by virtue of the law of action and reaction, taste the power of prayer, in proportion to the extent to which their inner state aligns with the content of the prayer.
Along with the state of mind in prayer, thoughts arise. Some are helpful, others are contrary to this state. Please tell us about the connection between thoughts, the mind and the heart, so that we may remain in prayer.
Indeed, the enemy, the devil, wages war against the Christian chiefly through thoughts. In order to succeed in controlling his thoughts, the believer must wage a battle within himself. When he controls his thoughts, he is calmer and more at peace, and has a greater capacity to discern things. When he controls his thoughts, he becomes more devout. True prayer requires a tranquil mind, freed from worldly thoughts and anxieties, so that one may hear the voice of God coming from the heart. But in the struggle against thoughts, we need help. Saint Hesychius tells us: ‘The crafty spirits very easily take hold of our mind with vain glory. But when we ask for the help of our Saviour Jesus Christ, the crafty spirits vanish from us in an instant.’
The struggle against thoughts is not easy, and just when you think you can control them, you lose the battle. To triumph, Saint Theophan the Recluse teaches us: “As long as we ask God for help with fear, faith, hope and love, to drive all evil thoughts from our minds, only then can we see God with the eyes of the mind.” Whoever pays due attention to their thoughts and prays to God to help them in this struggle—for they cannot do so alone—will find that the evil thoughts disappear from their mind. The devil who tried to plant them in the believer’s mind will be defeated. Simply by uttering the name of Christ the Saviour, the evil thoughts will vanish.
This saint offers us an example of the struggle against such thoughts, recounting the story of a hermit who lived in the desert. At one point, the devils came to attack him and drag him out of his cell. The hermit fought back so fiercely that the devils ended up dragging him out of his cell. Finding himself in great danger, the hermit called upon the Saviour for help and said: ‘Lord Jesus Christ! Do not forsake me, help me!’ As soon as he called upon Jesus Christ for help, He Himself appeared before him and cast out the demons that were tormenting the hermit. However, the Saviour said to the hermit: ‘I have not forsaken you, but in order for Me to help you, you must ask for My help; you have tried to fight the devils on your own, but know that you cannot fight the devil alone. You must ask Me for help, and I will help you at once.’ After speaking these words to the hermit, the Saviour vanished. Therefore, in our struggle against evil thoughts, we must ask God for help.
The Holy Fathers teach us that prayer should not merely be an activity performed at a specific time, but a constant state of our soul. St John Chrysostom says that we should not limit ourselves to a particular time of day, but ‘at all times, set about praying, as it is also said elsewhere: “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)’, and then he says: ‘pray in the Spirit’, that is to say, prayer must not be merely external but also internal, performed by the mind within the heart. Herein lies the very essence of prayer, which is a lofty ascent of the mind and heart towards God.
The Holy Fathers distinguish between prayer offered with the mind and the heart, and that offered in the Spirit. The former is performed through an act arising from the will of the one who prays; the latter finds the person, although he is aware of it, yet the prayer works of its own accord, independent of the efforts of the one who prays. This prayer is moved by the Spirit, and we cannot command it, for it is not within our power. It may be desired, sought after and received with gratitude, but it cannot be performed at will, whenever one pleases. Indeed, those who are cleansed of passions mostly have a prayer moved by the Spirit. We must therefore understand that the Apostle commands us to offer prayer with both mind and heart when he says: ‘Pray in the Spirit’. Such prayer keeps the soul ever watchful before God, Who is everywhere, and drives away the enemies. It may be said that, in such a state, the demons cannot approach the soul. Only in this way is it possible to pray at any time and in any place.
All human actions spring from the mind; that is why the prayer ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!’ is recommended, as it purifies the mind. It can be said anywhere and at any time, in any place, even whilst lying in bed, and especially at night, when you wake from sleep.
Speaking of guarding the mind during prayer, Elder Joseph of Vatopedi says that all manner of ungodly thoughts arise then, brought on by the temptations of the devil; these are blasphemous words, impure thoughts about ourselves, about our fellow human beings, about the Saints, about the Mother of God and even about God. This is the unseen battle. Great care is required here. As soon as an impure thought is perceived by our conscience, we must not give it any opportunity to develop. And this is achieved through the complete gathering of the mind in prayer and through the invocation of the Name of Christ. This is where the battle will be fought. Saint Ephrem the Syrian says that ‘whoever has a focused mind whilst praying, and pays attention to what they are saying, drives away the demons with the flame of prayer, whilst he who is distracted and scatters his mind with useless thoughts becomes their plaything’.
Saint John Climacus teaches that where there is resentment, there can be no love. He also says that holding a grudge torments the person who harbours resentment in their soul over some wrong that has ever been done to them, that is to say: ‘Holding a grudge is the rust of the soul, the worm of the mind, it is constant lawlessness, it is unceasing malice, it is a nail driven into the soul’. But when someone has love, they harbour no grudge, and they are free from all the things that a grudge entails. Saint Isaac the Syrian says: ‘If you do not have a pure mind, at least have a pure tongue’. First we must strive to remove from our speech amongst ourselves any impropriety, any words with which we could not present ourselves before God. From this concern to keep our speech pure, let us go on to put our minds in order, to examine ourselves regarding the thoughts we harbour in our minds, which may be good or evil.
Our spiritual fathers urge us to recite more often the prayer ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!’, for which a special ritual has also been composed. We invite you to rediscover aspects of the history of Hesychasm, highlighting the holiness of the fathers who ascended the steps of perfection within the Romanian context and, in particular, at Bistrița Monastery.
The term ‘Hesychasm’ derives from the Greek word ‘isihia’, meaning tranquillity, silence and inner spiritual concentration, which was translated into Romanian as ‘sihastru’, as indisputable evidence of the penetration of this monastic movement into the Romanian lands. In the Orthodox East, and particularly on Mount Athos, Hesychast monks maintained that, through continuous and long-practised contemplation, the soul is cleansed of all impurities, thereby enabling one to draw so close to God as to behold the divine light, just as the Holy Apostles saw it on Mount Tabor when Jesus Christ was Transfigured before them.
In the Orthodox East, and particularly on Mount Athos, the Hesychast monks maintained that, through continuous and long-practised contemplation, the soul is cleansed of all impurities, thereby enabling one to draw so close to God as to behold the divine light, just as the Holy Apostles saw it on Mount Tabor.
Initially, hesychasm was practised by monks devoted to retreats in the wilderness, where they lived a life of rigorous asceticism and mystical contemplation in silence (έν ησυχία), for which reason they were called Hesychasts. Beginning in the 4th–5th centuries, Hesychasm developed further in the 7th century through a deeper study of the works of Dionysius the Pseudo-Areopagite, which deal with themes relating to the mystical and spiritual life. It was also during this period that Saint John Climacus (†649) lived; he is regarded as the true founder of Hesychasm; he wrote The Ladder of Divine Ascent, in which monks are guided towards the monological recitation of prayer, that is, the repetition of the name ‘Jesus’ alone. This simplified form of prayer lies at the foundation of the more developed prayer: ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!’, which is characteristic of Hesychast spirituality and, more generally, of Orthodox spirituality, which is Christ-centred.
Hesychasm experienced a spiritual revival during the 10th and 11th centuries, thanks to the famous mystic, Saint Symeon the New Theologian (†1022), who raised the Christian life to great heights of spiritual experience. According to his teaching, the presence of divine grace in our souls must be a certainty. ‘If the action of the Holy Spirit is unconscious here on earth, it will be the same in eternity, and all religion is in vain,’ taught the great master.
The Hesychast movement for spiritual renewal in the 14th century originated on Mount Athos, and was led by Saints Gregory of Sinai (1255–1346) and Gregory Palamas (1296–1359). The Hesychast teachings and practices of Saint Gregory of Sinai would also spread to Wallachia, brought there by some monks, his former disciples, who would found the first Hesychast monastic settlements.
During the twenty years he spent on Mount Athos, Saint Gregory of Sinai took on a number of disciples. In the spring of 1326, the Agarenes invaded, plundering the areas surrounding the Holy Mountain, and took the monks who were living there into captivity. As a result, Gregory of Sinai left the Mountain and went to Thessaloniki, together with his disciples; they subsequently travelled to Constantinople, and from there to Sozopolis, where the monk Amirali, who lived in the wilderness of Paroria, told them about this marvellous place, and they decided to go there. Paroria was situated in the Stranta Mountains, on the border between the Byzantine Empire and Bulgaria; here they built small cells for himself and his disciples.
Later, the many disciples of Saint Gregory built their own cells, and then erected two monasteries: one at the cave of Misomilion, and the other at Paizouba. The period he spent on Mount Athos and in the Bulgarian Paroria represents the most intense phase of his life, characterised by the formation of a significant group of disciples around him and his guidance of them. Saint Gregory of Sinai passed away in 1346 and is commemorated as a saint on 27 November and 6 April.
In The Life of Saint Gregory of Sinai, written in the second half of the 14th century by Theophanes, Bishop of Peritheoria, we read: ‘I cannot begin to recount the venerable deeds of that man who became an inexhaustible spring through his words, deeds and conduct. This is known to the Great City (Constantinople) and all of Thrace and Macedonia, as well as the whole land inhabited by the Bulgarians and those beyond the Istros (the Danube) and Serbia. Endless multitudes of the elect flocked to him, seeking to drink their fill from the spring of his ever-living teachings, and they were satisfied… And after his passing and his ascension to God, many of his disciples rose like shining stars and adorned the ends of the earth”, carrying with them the monastic teaching and way of life they had learnt from their spiritual teacher.
Adrian Marinescu, the author of an in-depth study on the life and work of Saint Gregory of Sinai, states that: “For us, however, the existence of this information constitutes not merely a simple confirmation of the development of monastic life in Romanian territories prior to Saint Nicodimus of Tismana, as has often been said, but, above all, an indication of a direct link between Romanian spirituality and Saint Gregory of Sinai, as Father Dumitru Stăniloae and Metropolitan Tit Simedrea also observe. Of course, this is supported by other evidence as well’. Furthermore, the same author believes that ‘it is quite possible that certain Romanian monks may even have come into contact with disciples of Saint Gregory of Sinai, such as Saint Maximus Cavsocalivitus; in his Life, it is said, for example: ‘Therefore, all of us—whether we who dwell in the Mountain, or those from the east and west, from the coast of Hellas and the Cyclades, and even from the tribal barbarians [Serbs], endless multitudes were constantly striving towards this righteous man, just as a swarm of bees does when it senses the sweetness of honey in certain places: in the mountains and caves and in the crevices of the earth”. The author believes that amongst those ‘from the East and the West’ it is quite possible that there were also Romanians who came to know and remained seeking instruction from this disciple of Saint Gregory of Sinai.
In the Life written by Callistus, it is said that on Mount Athos there dwelt “endless multitudes of holy and sanctified men, rich in such divine virtues”; they were monks “gathered from all over the world”, learning from him “the Great City and all of Thrace and Macedonia, and indeed the entire region inhabited by Bulgarians, as well as those beyond the Ister and from Serbia”; thus, those “beyond the Ister” were from north of the Danube.
The Romanians’ links with the Hesychast centre at Paroria are also confirmed by the correspondence that Saint Gregory of Sinai maintained with the “emperors of the earth”. They are named as follows: “Andronicus and Alexander; Stephen and Alexander wrote to him, as they were eager to receive his marvellous teachings through his letters”. Scholars have identified these ‘kings of the earth’ as the following dignitaries of that era: the Byzantine Emperor Andronicus III Palaiologos (1325–1341), Tsar John Alexander of Bulgaria (1331–1371), Stephen Dushan of Serbia (1321–1355) and Nicholas Alexander I of Wallachia (1338–1364), the latter having initially co-ruled with his father, Basarab I the Founder (1310–1352), before reigning alone (1352–1364). It is known that Saint Gregory of Sinai died in 1346, whilst Nicolae Alexandru ascended the throne in 1352.
Even more significant is the fact that the medieval principalities – Wallachia and Moldavia – came into being as independent states amidst a fully-fledged Hesychast atmosphere. A few months before the passing of Saint Gregory Palamas (†1359), the Hesychast Patriarch Callistus I (1350–1363), his disciple and biographer, transferred Metropolitan Iachint of Vicina to Argeș in May 1359, at the request of Voivode Nicolae Alexandru, to take up the see of the new Metropolis of Ungrovlahia. Through the Synodal Act (1359), issued by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, Patriarch Callistus I urged not only all clergy and laity, but also all hieromonks, to obey Iachint. As a former disciple of Saint Gregory of Sinai at Paroria, he met Romanian monks there, through whom he became acquainted with monastic life in Wallachia during the first half of the 14th century. Thus, the reference to ‘hieromonks’ in the Synodal Act is not a standard formulation of the Patriarchal Chancellery, but a historical reality.
Furthermore, almost all the hermitages from that period are dedicated to the Transfiguration, as the hermits living in them, or in nearby cells – following the Hesychast method – sought, through their ascetic endeavours and ceaseless prayer, to partake of the light of Tabor. Indeed, almost all the great monasteries – founded over the course of time in Wallachia and Moldavia – had at their origins such hermitages or cells of hermits living on the summit of a nearby mountain or hill.
The ‘Transfiguration’ Monastery in Bistrița, Oltenia, also features in this gallery of Hesychast monastic centres, which emerged around the year 1350 and thereafter. From this, two conclusions have been drawn: Romanian monasticism appears in history as quintessentially Hesychast, centred on the mystery of the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ, and it had a profound connection with the Hesychast apostolate of the Venerable Gregory of Sinai and his disciples, whilst ‘a fine illustration of these conclusions is provided by the small infirmary church of Bistrița Monastery’.
Romanian monasticism appears in history as quintessentially Hesychast, centred on the mystery of the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ, and had a profound connection with the Hesychast apostolate of the Venerable Gregory of Sinai and his disciples.
Upon arriving in Wallachia, Saint Nicodimus, who ‘also descended from the same spirit and lineage of the Paroria’, founded several monasteries, but none of them was dedicated to the Transfiguration. Vodița (1371–1373) is dedicated to Saint Anthony the Great; Tismana (1377–1378), to the Dormition of the Mother of God; Prislop (1400), to Saint John the Theologian and the Holy Trinity. We believe that the Hesychast Monastery of the ‘Transfiguration’ at Bistrița – which Saint Nicodimus visited – had definitively established itself through its importance and activity, being fully recognised within Romanian Orthodoxy, to the extent that the new settlements respected its prestige and did not copy its patron saint, attributing it to another.
The Hesychast character of the ‘Transfiguration’ Monastery is also indicated by an inscription preserved near the diaconicon niche, on the western side of the altar; the inscription is clear: ‘Schimon(a)h Lavre(n)t[ie]’, who took his monastic vows within the monastic community of Bistrița. Furthermore, the monastery’s archival documents record the names of schimonahi who lived around this church; the hieroschimonah Antonie, ‘who lived at the infirmary of the Holy Monastery of Bistrița’. The Hesychast tradition of the Monastery of the Transfiguration, which in 1509 became the infirmary of the Craiovești foundation, continued in the nearby Cave of Saint Gregory the Decapolite; there, numerous ascetic monks lived as hermits; of these, twenty-four are documented, from the 17th to the 20th century, leading holy lives and devoting themselves to scholarly pursuits, some even making their mark on the history of national culture, such as the hieroschemamonk Macarie and the schemamonk Chiriac, the future archimandrite Chiriac Râmniceanu – a chronicler.
Although withdrawn from the world, the monk carries others with him and ‘meets’ them through prayer…
The monk has withdrawn from the world, from the narrow circle of his family, and has entered a vast, boundless space, where he truly has the opportunity to meet everyone.
It is well known that in the monastery, withdrawal from the world, solitude and silence are cultivated, so that the monk may attain spiritual enlightenment and perfection. It is said of perfection that ‘it is boundless’, and in the words of Saint Isaac the Syrian, it is ‘an abyss of humility’. Likewise, love, which is ‘the bond of perfection’ (Colossians 3:14), and humility, taken to its deepest extent, form the essential content of perfection. Only those who come to possess them know enlightenment and perfection.
The history of Romanian monasticism has seen several periods of flourishing. Within the monastery, the inner, mystical and spiritual work of its inhabitants is essential. The monk is, first and foremost, one who prays ceaselessly for himself and for the outside world. The monk’s love for his neighbour is expressed through the fervent prayers he offers for the world. When Saint Theodore the Studite (759–826) said that ‘monks constitute the strength and foundation of the Church’, he was thinking precisely of their prayers which sustain the Church. Indeed, when a monk prays in seclusion within a monastery, he is not cut off from the world, for prayer, however intimate it may be, is never solitary.
The Holy Fathers teach us that the one who prays is in constant communion with all the members of the Church, with all of humanity. ‘Every authentic and pure prayer is communal and cosmic,’ said Saint Theodore the Studite. When the monk utters the prayer: ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!’, he is at the same time saying ‘have mercy on us’, even if the words do not appear to express it. Such an invocation cannot be a true and authentic prayer if it is directed solely at the self, for prayer cannot be selfish.
According to Evagrius Ponticus (346–399), prayer must be offered ‘separate from all and united with all’. Prayer is a transfiguring force, even if it is offered in the most secluded cave in the mountains or in an isolated cell within the austerity of a monastery. The renowned theologian and professor Olivier Clement (1921–2009) said: ‘To maintain peace in the world, the prayers of monks withdrawn to a monastery do more than the tumultuous gatherings of politicians. A hermit can bring more people to Christ than any ecclesiastical writer or preacher, however talented or learned they may be.” When a monk prays for his neighbour with love and humility, mortifying himself whilst mindful of his own sinfulness, God does not forsake him, but helps both him and others.
Saint Symeon the New Theologian points out that one condition required of the practitioner of this prayer is that he should be at peace in his soul in every respect. Firstly, they must be at peace with God, that is to say, they must be a perfect fulfiller of His commandments; secondly, they must be at peace with their neighbour, having no misunderstandings or enmity with other people; and thirdly, they must be at peace with themselves. The obstacles to attaining peace with oneself are the compromises one makes in one’s personal life; these must be eliminated.
In this way, the monk succeeds in mastering pure prayer. According to the Holy Fathers, ‘pure prayer’ refers to prayer in which no evil thoughts, arising from the passions, arise. Pure prayer is that in which a person, being overwhelmed by God in a tangible way, thinks of nothing else but God. Therefore, the most essential good deed for pure prayer is tranquillity, the most complete withdrawal, through which passions are destroyed and impressions are diminished.
Pure prayer is that in which a person, being overwhelmed by God in a tangible way, thinks of nothing else but God. Therefore, the most essential good deed for pure prayer is tranquillity, the most complete withdrawal, through which passions are destroyed and impressions are diminished.
Finally, prayer for one’s neighbour develops and deepens love for God and for one’s neighbour, who in turn feels loved both by the Heavenly Father and by his brothers in Christ, that is, his fellow human beings. In other words, another fruit of prayer for one’s fellow human beings is the highlighting, affirmation and deepening of solidarity amongst those who pray for one another.
In your writings, Your Reverence, you have recounted many miracles wrought by the Most Merciful God through the intercession of Saint Gregory the Decapolite. Does prayer remain the hope of believers in times of trouble?
Saint Gregory the Decapolite is recognised amongst the faithful as a great miracle-worker, healing all manner of illnesses and granting the wishes of those who pray to him with faith. He attained the grace of the Holy Spirit through his prayers and ascetic struggles, living in the spirit of Christian love and, above all, defending Orthodox teaching, particularly the veneration of holy icons, which were fiercely attacked by the iconoclastic heretics.
To obtain Saint Gregory’s intercession, we must approach him with love and trust, for he too walked the path of earthly life just as we do, but with the difference that he emerged victorious from his struggle with himself, with his fellow men and with the temptations of the devil; he triumphed with the help of divine grace.
That same saving grace, through which Saint Gregory triumphed over sin, is always within reach of every Christian; through it, they have the opportunity to strengthen their spiritual powers and to begin the good fight against the weaknesses inherent in human nature.
Recognised as a great helper and supporter of those who, through him, place their hope in God, Saint Gregory has become the patron saint of all believers who come to his holy relics.
Prayer remains the hope of believers in times of trouble. In this regard, the account of a young man is significant; he speaks of his mother’s miraculous healing thanks to the prayers he offered for her. He says that it was in the summer of 1986 and he was working on a building site near Râmnicu Vâlcea. One Sunday, the site managers organised a trip to Bistrița Monastery. There, a monk explained the history of the monastery to them, but what impressed him most were the relics of Saint Gregory the Decapolite, about whom the monk told them that if a person has a deep and sincere inner desire deep and sincere to God, they can be helped through the intercession of Saint Gregory’s relics. So, he realised that he had to make a wish and walk beneath the coffin containing the holy relics. The young man made the wish he had long held in his heart: that his mother, who had been suffering from a serious illness for many years and could no longer get out of bed, might be healed. Then he gave thanks to God and Saint Gregory and set off with the group. A year later, the building work was completed, and the man returned home, somewhere near Suceava. When he arrived home, his mother was working in the garden; she was very sprightly and in perfect health; she was chopping wood, carrying water from the well in two buckets and doing all the housework on her own. She was livelier than ever. His mother told him how the miracle had happened. That is to say, one day, around midday, she suddenly felt a great warmth within her and it seemed to her that a voice from within had said to her: ‘Get up and walk!’. At first she was afraid, but later she realised she could do all her household chores again. It was only then that the man realised what a great gift he had received from God, when his mother showed him, written down on a piece of paper, the day and time when she had been healed. It was the very day and hour when he, wishing for her healing, had been praying before the relics of Saint Gregory the Decapolite.
A devout woman from Sibiu wrote in 1994: “I personally have great devotion to Saint Gregory the Decapolite, who, in 1971, healed my mother of breast cancer. The doctors treated her with cobalt radiation, and this burnt her skin so badly that it caused a deep, festering wound on her breast, into which they had to insert a piece of gauze to absorb the pus. She sent me to the relics of Saint Gregory with a shirt, a prosphora and wine for the Divine Liturgy; I placed the shirt at the Saint’s reliquary, and after the Divine Liturgy, the priest who was celebrating anointed it and gave me some oil from the lamp of the holy relics. I left the priest some money for the services and absolution, then I came home and gave my mother the items I had brought. My mother anointed herself with the oil and, within three days, her wound had healed completely. After that, I took my mother to hospital, had her X-rayed, and the doctor said that all her internal organs were healthy and there was no longer any trace of a tumour.
Likewise, a believer from the Sibiu area, named Nicolae, was healed in 1993 from epilepsy, which had tormented him for over 40 years. Thus, regarding this miracle, his sister Ana writes: “We are sending you 40 Divine Liturgies for Nicolae, in thanksgiving for the help received from Saint Gregory; following the holy services and the absolution granted there, he was cured of epilepsy; he had been suffering for over 40 years”. And in another letter, dated 29 August 1994, the faithful Ana expresses her joy and gratitude for the gifts received, stating: “I begin my letter by offering praise and thanks to the Good Lord for the blessings bestowed upon us, through the intercession of Saint Gregory the Decapolite, namely, that my brother Nicolae has been delivered from the torments of an evil spirit, which had possessed him for over 40 years”.
From Bucharest, I received a letter from a faithful woman, who writes that for three years she had suffered from a serious throat ailment; neither the doctors nor the services performed at various churches and monasteries had helped her. She was healed at the relics of Saint Gregory. Here is what she writes: “My name is Gherghina from Bucharest and I would like, in a few lines, to tell you about myself and the miracle performed by Saint Gregory. In the summer of 1992 I fell ill; I developed ‘shingles’ on my neck and, from that moment on, the pain in my neck never went away. I underwent treatment for this condition, but to no avail; I went to various doctors, including professors, and, although my test results came back normal, the advice they gave me as I left their surgeries was that there was nothing wrong with me and that I should just put the pain out of my mind. Realising there was no point in seeing doctors any longer, I began to attend the holy anointing services at various churches and, in particular, at monasteries across the country, but I experienced no relief from the pain. In the summer of 1995, I heard about the Holy Monastery of Bistrița and that the relics of Saint Gregory the Decapolite, the miracle-worker, were kept there. I went to the monastery; the priest read prayers and rites of absolution over me, I was anointed with holy oil, and after I returned home, I felt the pain begin to subside, and eventually it disappeared completely; I am now in perfect health. I never cease to give thanks daily to Saint Gregory for his intercession with the Merciful God, Who has granted me physical health and great spiritual joy.”
The healing of a little girl from a cancerous tumour on her optic nerves. In August 1995, a desperate family from Bucharest came to Bistrița Monastery with their little girl, Ana, who was suffering from a cancerous tumour on her optic nerves and was in danger of losing her sight. The appropriate prayers and absolution were read over her; she passed beneath the reliquary of Saint Gregory, venerated and kissed the Holy Relics, and was then anointed with oil from the Saint’s lamp. Once all these rituals had been performed, they returned home, and the monastery’s priest was to commemorate her at 40 Divine Liturgies. On 15 December, in a letter, the little girl’s mother wrote the following: “Father, I am from Bucharest; my name is Lăcătiș Mariana and I am the mother of two children. In August, I visited the Holy Monastery with my family, in great distress. My daughter Ana, aged eight and a half, had a tumour on her optic nerves and was at risk of losing her sight. She underwent surgery, but the doctors were unable to help her. On the advice of Father Teofil from the Patriarchate (the one who had been to Jerusalem), we came to you. I hope you notice that I have written: ‘She had a tumour’, because Saint Gregory the Decapolite also performed a miracle for my little girl. We had a CT scan done after 40 days, and the tumour was no longer there, as confirmed by the doctors. My words are not enough to thank Saint Gregory and the Good Lord. I do not know how to find the right words to express my gratitude, but the prayers uttered from the heart of a grieving mother reached the heart of the Good Lord. Every day, I thank Him for the gift He has given. There is not a moment when I do not think of Him. My little girl is very devout, and she has come to this faith of her own accord. I can say that I have learnt from her how to love God. Father, thank you for teaching me what to do and how to pray!”
The gifts received through and in prayer manifest themselves in various ways in the life of the person who prays. How do we make use of these to accustom ourselves to performing virtuous deeds?
The question arises: what are the gifts received through prayer offered with devotion? Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov (1807–1867) teaches us that: ‘the first fruits of prayer are found in mindfulness and humility. These fruits are evident before all others when you pray, but especially during the Jesus Prayer.” He also says that: ‘the fruits of true prayer are: a peace filled with holiness in the soul, united with quiet joy; detachment from daydreaming, from self-importance, and from various inner impulses; love for one’s neighbour, without seeking out of love to scrutinise their good and evil deeds, whether they are worthy or unworthy, interceding for all before God just as we do for ourselves”.
The greatest gift received through prayer is detachment from the passions, which consists in purification from the passions. Man becomes enslaved to the passions because of the weaknesses of his human nature and his love of pleasure. According to our teaching, there are several stages of detachment from the passions, as well as means of achieving it. The first of these are: faith, the fear of God, repentance, self-restraint, patience, hope and dispassion, whilst the means of dispassion are: prayer, fasting, reading and meditation.
There are several stages of spiritual purification, as well as means of achieving it. The former consist of: faith, fear of God, repentance, self-restraint, patience, hope and dispassion, whilst the means of dispassion are: prayer, fasting, reading and meditation.
Renunciation of the passions is possible for both monks and laypeople, provided that each strives ‘to do the will of God’, as the Holy Apostle Paul urges us: ‘Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God’ (1 Corinthians 10:31). In this lies the struggle for dispassion. As regards the method, a specific approach is required for each passion, the aim in each case being to cultivate the virtue that opposes that particular passion. For example, a person is freed from anger when they have become gentle; they are freed from hatred when they have a steadfast love for everyone; they are freed from the love of money when they are prepared to practise charity. Of course, this is not achieved all at once, but with time and effort. The key is to know what stage we are at, that is, to know which passion is in control of us; which of the passions is stronger within us. Then, let us strive to rid ourselves of every passion through the opposing virtue. This work is always carried out with humility and prayer, for, ‘every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from You, the Father of lights’ (James 1:17), as the Holy Apostle James says.
Another gift obtained through prayer is the healing of illnesses and the alleviation of pain. When prayer is offered within the grace-filled atmosphere of the Church, and also in the power of a faith that ‘moves mountains’, the sick truly receive new vitality; they feel connected to a source of power and light entirely distinct from those of this world, which comforts, soothes and heals the spiritual and physical ailments of humankind. The Saviour, being ‘the Physician of our souls and bodies’, has bequeathed to His Church a Sacrament par excellence for the healing of spiritual and physical ailments: the Holy Unction.
Prayer is called ‘the mother of all good deeds’. So, what are the fruits of prayer, according to the Holy Fathers, or what are the most important good deeds that spring from prayer? If prayer is the mother of good deeds, it follows that all the good deeds performed by the person praying derive their existence from prayer, are enhanced by prayer, and are therefore the offspring of prayer.
Prayer to God for one’s neighbour has a special characteristic. The one who prays in this way sets aside their own immediate problems and needs and turns, with their whole being and strength, in pure prayer towards the needs, pains and sufferings of their fellow human beings. Through this, they stir the human heart, as well as the love of God, causing divine mercy to pour out upon the one for whom we pray, but no less so upon the one who prays. Thus, among the fruits of prayer for one’s neighbour, we may mention a few: first and foremost, prayer offered in this way is a testimony to faith in God’s merciful, forgiving and healing power, which becomes a reality in the life of the person or persons for whom we pray. It is no wonder that those for whom we pray feel and are convinced of the power of the prayer offered on their behalf. Another gift of prayer for our fellow human beings is the peace and tranquillity of soul which they receive from God. These gifts of prayer are very important; they can help to heal the sick, who in this way find inner balance and open themselves up to the workings of divine grace in their lives.
How do we make use of these to train ourselves in the practice of virtuous deeds? Among virtuous deeds, the following strengthen faith in God the most: fear, zeal and, above all, love of God. Faith in God, together with its fruits, is like a crop: it grows stronger in proportion to our commitment to it. Obviously, the deeds that strengthen faith in God are those specific to faith: prayer, attending the divine services, fasting, almsgiving, but above all, fellowship with fellow believers. Here the following saying from the Paterikon is apt: ‘Draw near to the man who fears God, and you too will fear God!’ Draw near to the faithful man, and you too will grow in faith!
Likewise, whoever has the gift of tears and prays with humility, like the tax collector, may be considered to have the prayer of the heart. Tears in prayer, whether of sorrow or joy, are a sign of the worshipper’s sensitivity and of their whole-hearted participation in prayer. However, it cannot be said that whoever weeps whilst praying actually possesses the prayer of the heart as a general state; it can only be said that when they pray with tears, they also pray with the depths of their feeling, and therefore ‘with all their heart’.
It is not possible to grow in prayer unless one cultivates the other virtues. Which virtues must accompany prayer?
The best evidence of a believer’s growth in prayer is the desire and joy of praying, followed by tears, humility of heart and an ever-increasing love for God and all creation. Those versed in the divine mysteries teach that those who do not cultivate the other virtues find it very difficult to grow in prayer.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ the Saviour sets out the Beatitudes, which are a true ladder of virtues leading to spiritual ascent. They begin with poverty of spirit, which is humility, and continue with repentance, meekness, righteousness, mercy and purity of heart, until one reaches the full joy that is in heaven. Likewise, Saint Paul the Apostle, in his Epistle to the Galatians, speaks of the ‘fruit of the Spirit’, explaining what it consists of. Here, too, we find a spiritual ascent, which begins with ‘self-control’ and ends with ‘peace, joy and love’ (Galatians 5:22–23). So, in short, this would be the ladder of virtues that lifts the soul to perfection, to a mystical union with God.
The Holy Apostles, the great teachers of prayer, teach that prayer is never solitary, but is accompanied by the fullness of the virtues. The Apostle Paul, in his Epistle to the Ephesians, likens the Christian who prays to a soldier armed for battle (Ephesians 6:13), clothed in the following virtues: truth – which girds the loins; righteousness – which is like a breastplate; the gospel of peace – the shoes; faith – the shield; hope – the helmet; the Word of God – the sword (Ephesians 6:14–17). Being clothed with all these, he sets the Christian in prayer, saying: ‘Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all kinds of prayers and requests’ (Ephesians 6:18). The same Apostle exhorts, saying: ‘Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; in love, in peace, and in the wisdom that comes from the Word of God’ (Colossians 3:12–16). And afterwards, as a crown of goodness, the Apostle places prayer upon our heads, saying: ‘Speak to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts’ (Ephesians 5:19).
From the teachings of Saint Dimitri of Rostov, we learn what virtues must surround prayer. Here is what the great hierarch says: When a person awakens from sleep, let their first prayer be directed to God; let them give thanks to Him for rousing them from sleep; let them make a good start; not to waste time in vain pursuits, apart from necessary tasks; let all his deeds, words and thoughts be directed towards God; let him seek God with his inner eyes. Let gentleness be united with praise, and humility with honour. Let his speech be gentle, humble, honest and helpful, and let his silence be used to weigh the words he must speak. Let no empty or vile words ever pass his lips; let his laughter be but a smile. Let him guard against quick-temperedness and heated passion, and in anger let him be temperate. In eating and drinking, let him practise self-restraint. In all things let him be forbearing, and God will bless him, and people will praise him. Death is the end of all things, for which reason a man ought to pray always.
Indeed, for prayer to have the desired effect, three conditions must be met: intensity, concentration and perseverance, for prayer involves the mind, which means that we manage to control ourselves so that our thoughts no longer wander, whilst at the same time their number is greatly reduced.
Unlike laypeople, monks have a special duty towards God, the Church and the world, which consists of unceasing prayer. Towards God, they must praise Him, give thanks to Him and ask Him for mercy, peace and forgiveness for people; towards the Church, they have the great duty to defend the true Orthodox faith even to the point of sacrifice, to preserve intact the holy services of day and night, and especially the Holy Liturgy, the hope of our salvation; and towards the world and mankind, monks have a duty to pray ceaselessly to God for their salvation, to guide and comfort them through words of spiritual instruction, in accordance with the word of the Lord, who says: ‘Comfort, comfort my people’ (Isaiah 40:1).
Monks, who pray in seclusion, are always filled with positive and harmonious emotions, conveying this state to those with whom they commune. Saint Nilus of Sinai says that: ‘the mother of all virtues is prayer. Not only can it purify and nourish, but also enlighten, being able to become like the sun for the one who prays sincerely.’
Regarding the virtues that ‘must surround prayer’, Saint Macarius the Egyptian says that ‘the fruits of prayer are: simplicity, love, purity, perseverance, and kindness’, whilst for Saint Gregory of Nyssa: ‘the result of prayer is that we remain with God, and he who is with God is far from all that is opposed to Him’. Likewise, in this regard, Saint John Chrysostom teaches that: ‘Our soul, through sin and indifference, hardens and becomes like stone. For this reason, we need to exert great effort to soften its hardness. And we can do this above all through prayer’, whilst Saint Nilus of Sinai states that: ‘every person needs daily purification through prayer, for prayer washes away all our impurity’.
The renewal of faith and hope, as theological virtues, represents another gift of prayer, which takes place both in the one who prays and in those for whom the prayer is offered. These virtues are necessary not only for the believer’s earthly life, but also for the eternal life to which every person is called. They become bridges of elevation and communion towards God and with Him, in a true and enduring dialogue which transfigures time and space and opens the gates of eternity.
What good deeds do the humility and gentleness of Christ bring to the heart? St John Climacus, reflecting on the Lord’s words: ‘Learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls’ (Matthew 11:29), comments: ‘The Lord said: learn, not from man, not from an angel, not from a book, but from Me, that is, from My work within you...’. From this we understand that ‘the Lord’s humility in the faithful comes from Christ Himself’. We learn from Him to desire and seek humility and gentleness, but we do not bring this about ourselves; rather, God brings it about in us.
What is the spiritual connection between prayer and faith? Does prayer arise from faith in God, or does faith grow through prayer? The believer prays. He who prays grows in faith in God. If we bear in mind that the unbeliever does not pray to God, we can say that prayer is born of faith in God. If we take into account the fact that the one who prays grows in both prayer and faith, we can state that prayer strengthens faith. Strictly speaking, there is a reciprocal relationship between prayer and faith.
Christ the Saviour also becomes a model of prayer for others: ‘I pray for these; sanctify them in Your truth; Your word is truth... But I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word... That they may all be one, just as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You, so also may they be one in Us, so that the world may believe that You have sent Me’ (John 17:9–24). On the one hand, we are those who take our place amongst the intercessions of the saints; at the same time, we have a responsibility to pray for others. Does God fulfil the requests of our loved ones through our prayers?
Most of the prayers we say are for ourselves, but there are also prayers that are said for others. Holy Scripture shows us that Isaac prayed for Rebekah, his wife who was barren, and God answered his prayer and Rebekah became pregnant. (Genesis 25:21). Moses prayed for the people on many occasions: against venomous serpents (Numbers 21:7–9), for forgiveness of the idolatry into which the people of Israel had fallen when they made a molten calf (Deuteronomy 9:18–21). Job prayed for his friends (Job 42:10). Jesus prayed for Peter that his faith might not fail (Luke 22:32). The Apostle James teaches that the sick should call upon the priests of the Church to pray for them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord, and they will be healed of their illnesses, and their sins will be forgiven. The prayer of the righteous is very powerful, adds the Apostle James (James 5:16). The Saviour urges us to pray for those who harm or persecute us (Matthew 5:44). The Church’s unceasing prayers led God to send an angel to free Peter from prison (Acts 12:5–11).
Many people who have been successful in life have looked to certain individuals who have served as role models through their positive example; they have examined their lives and backgrounds, learning from the experiences those individuals have had. Those who have chosen a role model have learnt how to succeed, because that person advises and encourages them, showing that it is worth persevering so that the joy resulting from the final outcome may be complete.
In conclusion, choosing a suitable role model is of the utmost importance for everyone; it can be of great help, exerting a positive influence, even if this is not immediately apparent.
As for prayer, it plays a major role in the life of every believer, for it elevates them to the level of a true dialogue with God. Through prayer, the believer converses with God Himself, opens themselves up to Him and welcomes Him into the sanctuary of their soul, so that the true, mystical encounter may take place there. That is why prayer has always been understood as the breath of the soul, as its nourishment, strength and light; without prayer, human life becomes tasteless and insipid, lacking depth and spiritual freshness, turning into a veritable spiritual desert.
…prayer has always been understood as the breath of the soul, as its nourishment, strength and light; without prayer, human life becomes insipid and dreary, lacking depth and spiritual freshness…
For the Christian, the model of perfect prayer is Jesus Christ Himself. Before His Holy Passion, Christ the Saviour withdrew to the Garden of Gethsemane, where He prayed for Himself, for the Apostles and for all believers, including the whole human race, in accordance with His words: ‘I pray for these; sanctify them in Your truth; Your word is truth… But I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word… That they may all be one, just as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You, so also may they be one in Us, so that the world may believe that You have sent Me’ (John 17:9–24).
Jesus withdrew to pray; and He teaches us likewise, saying: ‘But when you pray, go into your inner room, and having shut the door, pray to your Father who is in secret’ (Matthew 6:6). In Orthodox spirituality, the ‘inner room of the soul’ refers to the body, whilst the door symbolises the five bodily senses. The soul enters its inner room when the mind is not distracted by worldly affairs or vain things. During prayer, the mind must turn away from all worldly passions, so that through the secret prayer of the mind it may be united with God.
The most perfect model of prayer is the ‘Our Father’ or the Lord’s Prayer. Its origin is divine, having been composed by Christ the Saviour Himself, at the request of one of the Apostles who said to Him: ‘Lord, teach us also to pray’ (Luke 11:1). So, when we say this prayer, we are uttering the very words of Christ the Saviour.
The power of this prayer lies in the fact that through it we pray together with Jesus Christ, using His very own words. ‘God alone could teach us how He would wish to be prayed to’. Indeed, the Lord’s words are most fitting for this prayer: ‘Whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you’ (John 16:23).
The Lord’s Prayer consists of three parts: the invocation, the petitions and the conclusion. The invocation is: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven’, which places us in the true state of prayer; it lifts our minds to God and strengthens our trust in Him, as Father, as ‘Father’ (Romans 7:15). The second part comprises seven petitions, just as the gifts of the Holy Spirit are seven (Isaiah 11:3; Romans 12:6). The third part is the conclusion: ‘For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen’.
The Lord’s Prayer contains petitions for all our spiritual and physical needs; thus, for all heavenly and earthly blessings. Everything we ask for in our prayers is contained within it. ‘If you were to go through all the prayers,’ says Blessed Augustine, ‘you would find nothing that is not contained in the Lord’s Prayer.’
Placed thus amongst the intercessions of the saints, the believer has a responsibility to pray for others as well. Even if he mentions someone who is far away and does not know they are being remembered, he enters into communion with the one being remembered, and God, through this prayer, helps that person; whilst the one who prays consciously and wishes to fulfil God’s commandments becomes a saviour. Whoever prays for their neighbour is helped by God, for He has heard the prayer. In this regard, the Venerable Paisios of Mount Athos, speaking of prayer, says that ‘prayer for one’s neighbour brings grace both to the one who prays and to the one for whom they pray’. When a person prays for their neighbour with love and humility, humbling themselves whilst acknowledging their own sinfulness, God does not forsake them, but helps both them and others. If prayer is offered with sorrow, do you know what power it will have? You will pray for the world’s problems, and all those who at that time seek God’s help and are on the same wavelength will receive His help. I sense the souls who are praying; I feel their prayers as wave upon wave of power. Often I can even tell the exact time when a sick person prayed and was helped.
The believer feels the prayer when they put themselves in the place of the one for whom they are praying. When they put themselves in the place of the sick or the departed, it helps them to pray with sorrow. Sorrow descends into the heart, and then prayer comes from the heart. When they step outside themselves and make the suffering of others their own personal suffering, they find peace and receive a reward from God, and can also help their neighbour.
Prayer is, therefore, continuous communion with God and with one’s fellow human beings...
Indeed, the Holy Fathers teach us that the believer’s prayer is unceasing communion with God and with one’s fellow human beings, to which one must pay close attention. Whether attending services in church or reciting their morning and evening prayers, they must take care that this does not become a mere formality, for every word is a precious pearl.
Through prayer, the Christian must call upon God in the most ordinary moments of their life, so that, on the one hand, they may sanctify their time, the present moment and their daily affairs, and, on the other hand, to turn every favourable moment into an opportunity for prayer. For this reason, the liturgical books, particularly the Prayer Book and the Book of Holy Water, used by the priest, contain prayers of blessing for all aspects of human life: homes, travel, the fields, the harvest, and so on.
Saint John of the Carpathians says that just as union with fire makes iron impossible to touch, so too do frequent prayers make the mind stronger in the battle against the enemies who strive with all their might to instil in us a certain aversion to persevering in prayer, knowing that it is a defence for the mind but harmful to them. From pure prayer spring virtues such as understanding, gentleness, love, self-control and helpfulness, which come only from God, together with comfort, and the beauty of attaining these lies in the fact that the mind always has an insatiable longing to encounter God.
In the thought of the Holy Fathers, prayer is the mind’s conversation with God, nourishment and purification of the mind, a sure bulwark, the gatekeeper of virtues, the slaying of passions, the strengthening of the soul, a vision of the unseen, the fulfilment of one’s desires, the embodiment of one’s hopes, an incentive to virtue, the sprout of gentleness and the absence of anger, the fruit of joy and contentment, the dispelling of sorrow and despondency, the bond of thoughts and the supreme understanding of the mind, the ascent of the mind towards God and the renunciation of all things to gain all things. It is the knowledge of God, the seal and joy of Christ, the pledge of the Holy Spirit, an angelic movement and the power of the incorporeal, the preaching of the apostles, the work of faith and the assurance of the heart, hope of salvation, the axe that cuts through despair, the proof of hope, a sign of purity and a symbol of holiness, the bath of purity and the manifestation of baptism, the joy of the soul and a sign of reconciliation, the ray of the sun of the mind and the morning star of the heart, the strengthening of Christianity, the work of the hermits and the dwelling-place of the ascetics, the manifestation of reconciliation with God and the union of man with God, the sustaining power of the world, mother of tears and yet their daughter, a bridge against temptations, the bulwark against tribulations, the crushing of wars, future joy, the fountain of virtues, the bestower of gifts, unseen progress, the revelation of things to come, the judgement and the judgement seat of Christ, before the seat of the coming judgement.
If the person praying mentions someone who is far away, that person has no way of knowing they are being remembered, yet the one who prays is in communion with them. God, through this prayer, helps that person. Of great interest is the account of Saint Gregory the Dialogist (540–604) who, seeing the multitude of good deeds performed by Emperor Trajan (98–117), prayed to God to forgive Trajan. Saint Gregory lived in the sixth century and entered into a dialogue with Heaven, from where he heard a voice saying: ‘God has heard your prayer, but pray no more for the pagans’. Saint Gregory the Dialogist entered into a dialogue with the Saviour and secured for Trajan the grace to be among those saved in the Kingdom of God.
Whoever prays for those who have fallen asleep in the Lord shows that they love them even after death, and their immortal soul feels this love. Commemorating those who have fallen asleep is an act of hope. The candles lit on their graves symbolise the Christian faith and hope that the human soul is immortal, and that the body will be raised at the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Commemorating the departed is an act of hope. The candles lit on their graves are a sign of the Christian faith and hope that the human soul is immortal, and that the body will be resurrected at the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Church prays equally for the living and for the dead. The Church’s purpose is to sanctify man, to make him worthy to share in eternal bliss. It cares for the salvation of all its members alike, whether living or dead. St John Chrysostom says that prayers for the dead are an apostolic custom and an institution of the Holy Spirit. This teaching is closely linked to the Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great and that of Saint John Chrysostom; during each of these, the Church prays three times for the departed. Once during the Proskomedia, a second time after the reading of the Gospel, proclaiming the most joyful news of the salvation of all who believe in Jesus Christ and the general forgiveness of sins through His intercession; and a third time, after the blessing of the Holy Mysteries.
The Church prays equally for the living and for the dead. The Church’s purpose is to sanctify man, to make him worthy to share in eternal bliss.
Unceasing prayer consists in keeping one’s mind fixed on God, in depending on Him and trusting in Him at all times. Whoever, at the time of prayer, has reached the point where they no longer trouble their mind with anything of this world, finds themselves within the bounds of impassivity, for the highest state of prayer is that in which the mind has risen above the body and the world and has become entirely immaterial and formless.
When asked by one of the brothers, ‘How can one pray unceasingly when there are so many things to be done?’, Saint Maximus the Confessor replied as follows: ‘Divine Scripture commands nothing that is impossible, for even the apostle sang, read and ministered, and yet prayed unceasingly. Unceasing prayer consists in keeping one’s mind fixed on God with great reverence and longing, and in always clinging to Him in hope and trusting in Him in all things, whatever you may do or whatever may happen to you. In this frame of mind, the apostle said: ‘Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress?’, and shortly afterwards: ‘I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels’. Or again: ‘In all things we are afflicted, but not crushed; in great distress, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry about in the body the death of the Lord Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our mortal body’. Finding himself in such a state of mind, the apostle prayed ceaselessly. For, in all that he did and all that befell him, he clung to God in hope. That is why, whenever the saints found themselves in tribulation, they prayed unceasingly, that they might attain the capacity for love. And that is why the apostle said: ‘Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.’ And further: ‘When I am weak, then I am strong.’ ‘But woe to us, the unworthy, for we have strayed from the path of the Holy Fathers and are therefore devoid of any spiritual fruit’ (‘Ascetic Discourse’, in the Philokalia, vol. II, p. 34). Unceasing prayer consists in being ever with God in all that we do, even if we do not utter the Prayer of the Heart. It is not the Prayer of the Heart that constitutes unceasing prayer, but the desire to please God in all things. The Jesus Prayer, however, is a marvellous way of speaking to God in few words.
Unceasing prayer is that which never ceases within the soul. It is not revealed to onlookers through the outstretching of the hands, the posture of the body or the sound of the voice, but is made known to those who know how to understand, in the meditation of the mind, in the work of the intellect, and in the remembrance of God with persistent humility. The mystery of prayer is not confined to a specific time or place, but consists in the ceaseless movement of the mind around God; its essence lies in the soul’s circling round divine matters, and its end is the attachment of thought to God and the elevation to a single spirit with Him.
The mystery of prayer is not performed at a specific time or in a specific place, but consists in the ceaseless movement of the mind around God; its essence lies in the soul’s turning towards divine things, and its end is the clinging of one’s thoughts to God and the ascension to a single spirit with Him.
If prayer is not adorned with humble thought, simplicity and goodness, such prayer—or rather, what appears to be prayer—can be of very little use. For if we do not see within ourselves the fruits of love, peace, joy, simplicity, humble thought, gentleness, innocence, faith and long-suffering, it means that we endure our labours to no avail, for we are called to endure these labours for the sake of the fruits. Therefore, if the fruits mentioned above are not found within us, the work is undoubtedly in vain. Such people are in no way different from the foolish virgins, who, because they did not have the spiritual oil in their hearts—which is the work of the virtues through the Spirit— were called foolish and were left outside the King’s wedding hall, receiving nothing for the toil of their virginity. Spending but a single hour in prayer, a person’s thoughts are drawn to boundless and unfathomable things, so that in that hour it seems as though their soul might depart along with their prayer.
What must we do to ensure that our prayer is pleasing to God and accepted by Him?
For our prayer to be pleasing to God and accepted by Him, it must be offered in the name of Christ the Saviour; that is, we must ask for what He Himself desires, as He says: ‘Truly, truly, I say to you: whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He will give you’ (John 16:23). And the Saviour desires everything that increases the glory of the Father and the salvation of our souls. Therefore, whoever asks for these things is praying in the name of Jesus Christ. Through the ‘Lord’s Prayer’ we ask only for what Christ desires, and since He Himself is the One who gave us this prayer, when we say ‘Our Father’ it means that we are praying in the name of Jesus Christ. But if we ask for wealth, the death of our enemy, a win at gambling, vain glory—that is, ‘if we ask for what is harmful to the soul, we are not praying in the name of Jesus Christ’, says Blessed Augustine in his Sermon on Prayer.
Anyone who prays carelessly or with a scattered mind derives no benefit from prayer. Saint Cyprian asks: ‘How can you expect God to heed your prayer, if you yourselves do not heed prayer?’. Anyone who prays poorly and yet hopes to be heard is like one who sows weeds and wishes to reap pure wheat. Nevertheless, do not think that your prayer is offered poorly simply because you do not feel a particular stirring of the heart; that is to say, you do not feel, whilst praying, a special comfort and a joy beyond the natural order; such a feeling is a special gift, which not everyone can attain. Nor should prayer be regarded as flawed when you sometimes feel a dryness, for this is a temptation, a displeasure, a trial; and he who endures tribulations with fortitude and boldness will attain joy, says Evagrius the Monk.
Prayer offered with piety requires a certain degree of preparation, control of the senses and a fitting posture of the body. If Moses, wishing to approach the Burning Bush, could not draw near to it until he had taken off his sandals (Exodus 3:5), in this regard, Evagrius the Monk says: ‘Why should you not, too, free yourself from every passionate thought, if you wish to see the One who is beyond nature and understanding and to speak with Him?’.
More specifically, prepare yourself before prayer: ‘Sit for a moment in silence until all your senses have calmed down, and then make three prostrations to the ground, and thus begin your prayer’. In other words, before you begin your prayer, cast all your cares out of your heart, out of this temple of prayer, just as Christ drove the merchants out of the Temple of the Lord (Luke 19:45). For a quarter of an hour, leave your troubles in the care of the Heavenly Father, for He will ease them, or perhaps even remove them altogether, as Evagrius the Monk says: ‘Let us therefore entrust to Him all that concerns us, and we shall be well. For He who is good is undoubtedly the Giver of good gifts.’
The same Evagrius the Monk urges that prayer be offered with perseverance; that is to say, let us not slacken in it, even if we are not heard straight away; ‘if you have not yet received the gift of prayer or of psalm-singing, persevere with all your might and you will receive it; therefore do not be discouraged if you have not received it’. Likewise, Saint John Chrysostom says we should act like children who do not cease crying out until they obtain what they desire; “people get annoyed when they are bombarded with requests, but God loves those who persevere”, as Jesus says in the Parable of the Unjust Judge who, annoyed by the persistence of the woman seeking justice, eventually granted her justice in order to get rid of her (Luke 18:2–7).
Saint John Cassian urges us, when praying, to avoid any behaviour unbecoming of this holy work. Undoubtedly, a sick person or someone who is very tired may sit as is most convenient for them, but those who are healthy and well-rested should take heed and sit with propriety. It is good to pray whilst standing, lest, whilst kneeling, we be overcome by sleep – a temptation which also plagued the Desert Fathers. The great teachers of prayer advise us in particular to pray whilst standing, accompanied by frequent prostrations.
Prayer should be offered with a pure heart, that is, free from mortal sin, or at least filled with a sincere desire for repentance. A pure heart means being free not only from any sinful attachment, but also from any love for anything that is not pleasing to God. He who does not have a pure heart does not have enough strength to lift his thoughts to God; for as soon as he begins to pray, sinful imaginings invade his thoughts and shackle his mind. ‘We know that God does not listen to sinners’ (John 9:31), yet even a sinner may hope to be heard by God, if he repents wholeheartedly of his sins (Luke 18:13).
What must a person do to be heard by God? This is a question to which a great many people would like an answer. They often find themselves in situations where it seems to them that there are no solutions. It may be an illness or a loss, a crisis of faith, an exam, a journey, a hardship, a conflict with someone, or an addiction to a vice, amongst other things.
In such a situation, it is no sin for a person to seek liberation, to strive by all permissible means to reach an acceptable solution. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, and one wonders: why is this so? The reasons may be many; perhaps one’s prayer is not sincere enough, or perhaps God does not wish to answer immediately, as one is far from being worthy of divine mercy. At other times, a person may be blameless, yet is the victim of sins committed by their ancestors. In any case, a person wants God to answer them and, more often than not, as quickly as possible. The question, then, is: ‘What must be done for God to hear him?’ Saint Paul the Apostle says: ‘Anyone who comes to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him’ (Hebrews 11:6). Here, first and foremost, is the necessity of believing that God exists, and secondly, that He is willing and able to come to our aid.
The Orthodox creed teaches us ‘to pray with a whole mind and with reverence’, that is, to think only of God. Prayer offered with a whole mind means an undivided thought, a mind not scattered whilst praying. If prayer is ‘the mind’s conversation with God’, as Evagrius the Monk says, then it is fitting that in prayer we should gather all our attention; to direct all our thoughts solely towards God; it is fitting that we cast aside all worldly cares from our minds and meditate solely on God. Therefore, let us not honour God with our lips alone, whilst our thoughts are scattered amongst worldly matters.
How does prayer help those who have departed from us?
Our Holy Church has ordained that, after the faithful have departed from this world, memorial prayers should be offered for them. This is a very ancient practice. According to Holy Scripture and Church Tradition, the living have a duty to pray for all those who have departed into the world to come. There is a body of evidence regarding this truth.
Thus, the Old Testament provides us with a number of examples. Although the Old Testament texts are not always clear on this point, they nevertheless provide sufficient evidence of the care that the chosen people showed for their dead, by respectfully commemorating their names, and through the prayers and sacrifices offered for them on various occasions. For example, we see that King David and the people who were with him wept and mourned, and fasted until evening for Saul and Jonathan, for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel, who had fallen by the sword (2 Kings 1:12). Recognising the value of prayer for the dead, Tobit urges his son to be generous with bread and wine at the graves of the righteous! (Tobit 4:17). Jesus, son of Sirach, was also fully convinced of the existence of life beyond the grave, as well as of the need to come to the aid of the dead; he advises that alms be given not only to the living, but also to the departed: ‘Let your generosity extend to all the living, and even to the dead let them share in your generosity’ (Sirach VII, 35). These texts show that charity towards the dead was a common practice amongst the Jews, being regarded as a good deed.
The New Testament accounts are even more conclusive regarding prayer for those who have passed away. The importance attached to the soul has meant that care for it has become one of the foremost elements of Christian piety and is expressed in ever richer and more varied forms. Through His coming into the world, the Lord Christ established His Church, of which all Christians are a part, both the living and the dead: ‘For whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and rose again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living’, says the Holy Apostle Paul (Romans 14:8–9).
Love is the foundation of prayer in general, and of prayer for the dead in particular. The concern, born of love, of the living for the state of the souls they love—but who are separated from them by death—naturally leads to prayer for those who have fallen asleep in the Lord. Even though the New Testament does not directly tell us to pray for the dead, since we are told that we have a duty to pray for all people, this means that we also have a duty to pray for the departed. Thus, Saint Paul the Apostle, in his Epistle to Timothy, tells us: ‘I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be made for all people’ (1 Timothy 2:1).
An example of such a prayer also appears in the New Testament. Although there is no explicit statement of this teaching, we can infer from this example that it was practised. It is a passage which many theologians interpret as an example of a prayer for the dead. In 2 Timothy 1:16–18, we find this prayer by the Apostle Paul: ‘May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains… May the Lord grant that, on that day, he may find mercy from the Lord.” From this, the following observations can be made: Paul asks that wishes for good health be conveyed to certain people, but, in the case of Onesiphorus, the wishes are directed towards his household, his family. Whilst the greetings for various individuals refer to their present condition (good health!), for Onesiphorus the prayer is for ‘that day’. We can deduce that Onesiphorus was no longer in this life at the time the epistle was written. Otherwise, why would Paul wish good health to Priscilla, Aquila and Onesiphorus’s family (IV, 19), but not to Onesiphorus himself? Having passed into eternity, Paul prays for the Lord’s mercy upon him ‘on that day’.
Holy Tradition confirms that the custom of praying for the dead dates back to the Holy Apostles. The first Christian Church was the Church of Jerusalem, whose Bishop was Saint James the Apostle. In his Liturgy, Saint James prayed both for the living and for the dead, with these words: ‘Lord, God of spirits and bodies, remember all the righteous whom we have remembered and those whom we have not remembered, from Abel until this very day. Grant them rest in the heavenly abodes of Your Kingdom, in the delights of Paradise, in the bosom of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, our holy fathers, where there is no pain, nor sorrow, nor sighing, where the light of Thy countenance shines for ever”.
The necessity of prayers for the departed, as well as the confirmation that this practice was ordained by the Apostles, is expressed as follows by Saint John Chrysostom: “Let us pray for the dead, encouraging others to pray as well, and giving alms to the poor for the sake of their souls. For it was not in vain that the Apostles ordained that a commemoration should be made at the Holy and awesome Mysteries for those who have departed from us. They knew that it is of great benefit to them, and brings great good to the dead. For when the whole congregation stands with hands raised to God, when the entire clergy prays, when the awe-inspiring Sacrament is present—how then can we fail to move God’s heart, beseeching Him on their behalf?”
