Man’s encounter and union with God, in the mystery of prayer

God conceived of humankind from all eternity and bestowed upon them existence in this world out of love; the creation and life of humankind have no other cause than the love of the Most Holy Trinity. Only by starting from this truth of faith can man come to know his purpose in this world. In the light of the true faith, but above all through his encounter with God in the mystery of prayer, human beings realise that they are not the cause of their own existence and thus come to live their lives ‘as one who knows that his existence is a gift’1—as Saint Maximus the Confessor teaches us. By constantly relating to his Creator, the person of faith seeks to become like Him, attaining deification through grace and, at the same time, through an ever more all-encompassing love, man enters into communion with his fellow human beings, coming to embrace the whole of creation, in which he sees the uncreated rationalities of God. However, although ‘the whole world is drawn towards heaven’, as Saint Porphyry observes, and ‘all beings turn towards God, even if unconsciously’2; many people do not understand the meaning of life and end up seeking it in things far smaller than themselves, such as all created things on earth. As a result of this misguided search, man may come to the conclusion that everything that exists ‘is born without reason, persists out of weakness and dies by chance’3 as the philosopher Sartre asserts. Any person who seeks fulfilment in life through themselves or through created things does nothing but repeat the sin of Adam, who sought to attain divinity on his own, by his own means, disregarding God’s loving will. Such a person sees no meaning in their life, ends up in conflict with themselves and their fellow human beings, and ultimately ends up crushed under the burden of nothingness and death. Only the person who knows God can open themselves with complete freedom to the workings of divine grace, without attaching their heart to anything in this world. In this regard, an Athonite abbot says that ‘everything a person does apart from the search for God is a game, and a dangerous one at that’, because ‘even the smallest thing can cause a person to take pleasure in this world, to love it and, consequently, to turn their heart and mind away from God’4 Thus we understand why, at the Divine Liturgy, the whole Church prays, saying: ‘Let us give ourselves, one another, and our whole life to Christ our God!’ To dedicate our whole life to God means to live constantly, day and night, before Him and together with Him, and this we can do only within the mystery of holy prayer, which Saint John Climacus calls ‘the companionship and union of man and God’5

‘Let us give ourselves, one another, and our whole life to Christ our God!’ To dedicate our whole life to God means to live constantly, day and night, before Him and together with Him, and this we can do only within the mystery of holy prayer.

Prayer is the natural work of man

In the beginning, God ‘walked in the garden in the cool of the day’ and spoke directly to man (Genesis 3:8). It was natural for God and man to speak and live together, in a world where everything was oriented towards the Source of their existence. However, after the Fall, when man’s mind was darkened and his affections were drawn more towards created things than towards God, man began to lead an unnatural life and could no longer see God as he had in the beginning. This is precisely where the enemy’s struggle against us lies: ‘to turn us away from the natural path towards God, and to direct our minds solely towards earthly things, towards concern for transitory things’6; that is, towards an unnatural way of life or one opposed to God. Man enslaved by passions leads an unnatural life, whilst he who constantly turns to God lives naturally. This explains why the unbeliever regards prayer as something useless or, at best, optional, whilst the believer experiences prayer as something natural and absolutely necessary. Thus, the need to pray is a sign of a person’s inner health, as Saint Diadochus of Photice also observes, saying: ‘when the soul is satisfied with its natural fruits… it desires to pray with a more fervent voice’7

Prayer is a divine commandment and an act of freedom

Because man, having fallen into sin, has come to mix natural and unnatural works in his life, out of love for mankind, God has ordained commandments for his salvation. Every divine commandment is nothing other than a means of helping man to remain free, to avoid falling into the bondage of the passions, and to attain eternal life. For no other reason did God command people to pray, and indeed to pray at all times and for everyone: He commands us to watch and pray, both so that we may not fall into temptation (Matthew 26:41) and, after any fall into sin, to escape the bondage of the passions (Matthew 17:21); furthermore, we are to pray with faith, both for ourselves (Matthew 21:22) and for those who cause us trouble (Luke 6:28), for those who harm and persecute us (Matthew 5:44).

Although it is a divine commandment, prayer must not be seen as a burdensome obligation, but as a great privilege granted to man by God. It is not a mechanical or magical act, but an act of placing oneself before God in complete freedom—both on God’s part, who does not force man, and on man’s part, who cannot compel God in any way. In this state of double freedom, prayer unfolds as a life-giving encounter for the person who willingly entrusts themselves to God’s will, awaiting the fulfilment of the spoken word: ‘Thy will be done…’ (Matthew 6:10). The fact that speaking with God in the mystery of prayer is a privilege is also evident from the fact that all those who have prayed at length have experienced an increase in all their inner powers, such as love and compassion for all creation, knowledge and understanding of this world, the strengthening of the will and complete freedom, and even mastery over the surrounding natural world. However, a person enslaved by unbelief or laziness will not understand this privilege, but will feel burdened during prayer, which they will perform only because they must. Thus, the same practice is a joy to some and a burden to others, as a Philokalia writer says: ‘To beginners, the law of prayer weighs upon them like a harsh master; but to the advanced it is like love, which draws a hungry person to a rich feast’8. For this reason, at the outset, Saint Porphyrios urges that ‘prayer should not be forced’, because “compulsion can stir up resistance within us and do harm”9, giving the example of some who forced themselves into this practice and fell ill. Father Emilianos also speaks out against praying out of a sense of obligation, saying that ‘labour out of obligation is the ruin of the loving heart’10. Because the devil has succeeded in replacing the spirit of ascetic love practised in freedom with a duty devoid of love and joy, many have come to feel burdened by the work of prayer. This explains the response of Abba Agathon, who – when asked which virtue is the most labourious of all – says: ‘I consider that there is nothing more labourious than praying to God’11).

Prayer is not a mechanical or magical act, but an act of placing oneself before God in complete freedom, both on God’s part—who does not force man—and on man’s part—who cannot compel God in any way. In this state of double freedom, prayer unfolds as a life-giving encounter.

Prayer is a gift from God

Christ the Saviour tells us: ‘Without Me you can do nothing!’ (John 15:5), not to discourage us, but rather to strengthen us, revealing Himself as the only path to victory. We understand, therefore, that we cannot pray to God by our own strength alone, or through anything else in this world, unless He Himself teaches us, as Saint John Climacus also testifies: ‘The beauty of prayer is not known through the teaching of another. For it has God Himself as its teacher, Who teaches man knowledge and grants prayer to the one who asks’12 Saint Porphyry teaches in the same vein, saying: ‘No one can teach you how to pray: neither books, nor the Elder, nor anyone else. The only teacher is divine grace… The Lord Himself will teach us to pray’13 The fact that it is God Who teaches us and bestows upon us the grace of prayer is evident from the very request of the Apostles to their Teacher: ‘Lord, teach us to pray!’ (Luke 11:1), a request to which Christ the Saviour responds by teaching the disciples—and through them, us—the Lord’s Prayer, the ‘Our Father’. However, the guidance of the spiritual father remains of the utmost importance, so that through humble obedience the one who prays may be protected from delusions and falls, as Saint Silouan the Athonite explains: ‘He who wishes to engage in prayer without a spiritual father and, out of pride, believes he can learn from books, and will not go to a spiritual father, has already half-fallen into delusion. But the Lord helps the humble, and even if there is no skilled guide, and he goes to a spiritual father, whoever he may be, the Lord will cover him because of his humility’14

Preparing to meet God in the mystery of prayer

In order to pray as is fitting before God, we do not need a series of prior virtues, for virtues are not so much the necessary means for prayer as, above all, its fruits, as is observed in the work The Russian Pilgrim: ‘Many are entirely mistaken in their understanding of prayer, believing that preparatory means and ascetic struggles produce prayer, whereas it is prayer that gives rise to all struggles and virtues… and therefore they prevent the attainment of prayer, prescribing instead preparation through the practising of virtues and victory over the passions as the means to worthy prayer. In this case, they mistakenly take the fruits or consequences of prayer as the means and ways of attaining it, and thereby nullify the power of prayer’15 Furthermore, the same scholar of prayer, drawing on the words of the Apostle Paul: ‘I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be made’ (1 Timothy 2:1), teaches that all good deeds follow prayer, as things that spring from it: ‘There are many good deeds required of a Christian, but the deed of prayer must take precedence over all other deeds, for without it no good deed can be accomplished… Without prayer, you cannot find the way to the Lord, you cannot understand the truth, you cannot crucify your flesh along with your passions and desires, you cannot enlighten your heart with the Light of Christ, and you cannot be saved and united with God’16”. However, one cannot enter into prayer without a certain preparation, the importance of which Saint Porphyrios explains as follows: ‘For Christ to come into your heart, you must love Him. To love Him, He must love you first… For Him to love you, you must be worthy. To be worthy, you must prepare yourselves’17 Preparation for prayer is achieved first and foremost by turning one’s mind away from worldly cares, so as to quiet the thoughts; by meditating on God and the purpose of prayer; by making peace with one’s neighbour; and, above all, by reflecting on one’s own sins, from which repentance and humility spring.

…good deeds follow prayer, as things that spring from it: ‘There are many good deeds required of a Christian, but the act of prayer must take precedence over all other deeds, for without it no good deed can be accomplished… Without prayer, you cannot find the way to the Lord, nor can you understand the truth…’

To those who wish to worship Him worthily, God commands: ‘Stand still, and know that I am God!’ (Psalm XLV, 10). We cannot know God unless we pause from all worldly pursuits and devote ourselves for a time to a single task: the worship of God. Through this essential pause, in fact, we realise that the One before Whom we stand is alive, sees us, hears us and, moreover, knows our every thought and the true intention of our prayer. That is why Saint John of Kronstadt also curbs the haste of those who set out to pray and urges careful reflection beforehand, saying: ‘Do not be hasty in beginning your prayer! First strengthen in your heart the faith that God is present, sees and hears! May there be peace in your heart!’18 Saint Ephrem the Syrian also urges this in the Everghetinos: ‘Let us know before Whom we stand in prayer, and let our whole soul and heart be humbled before Him, and let us not be distracted by anything else’19

In addition to stilling the mind and directing it towards God, an essential element of preparation for prayer is love for God and for one’s neighbour. The heart of the one who prays must be loving, like that of one who worships the One Who is Love. Saint Porphyry says that ‘love is enough to bring us into the right frame of mind for prayer’, for apart from love, neither prayer nor any other endeavour helps us in the slightest 20. Whilst love for God may be more a consequence of prayer than a prior experience, forgiveness and reconciliation with our neighbour remain fundamental conditions for prayer, in accordance with the words of our Saviour Christ: ‘If you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift’ (Matthew 5:23–24). And the offering and the altar are nothing other than our prayer and our heart. Through forgiveness and mercy towards those who have wronged us, we become worthy to ask God for mercy and forgiveness, bearing witness to His word: ‘When you stand praying, forgive whatever you have against anyone, so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. For if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses’ (Mark 11:25–26). Saint John Climacus also urges us to forgive our fellow human beings before we pray: “When you prepare to stand before the Lord, let the garment of your soul be woven entirely from the threads—or rather, from the links—of not remembering evil”21 This gives the one who prays a healthy boldness in prayer, as one who has no one speaking against him, as an Elder of the Desert explains: ‘When a man takes care not to wrong his neighbour, then he dares to believe in his heart that his prayer has been accepted by God. If anyone wrongs his neighbour, his prayer will be abhorrent and rejected. For the cry of the one who has been wronged will not allow the prayer of the one who has wronged him to reach God’22”.

Furthermore, just as before any service the priest makes three bows towards the east and prays humbly to God, that He may strengthen him in the service that lies before him, so too must the person who wishes to pray to God begin their prayer with repentance and humble reflection, as Saint John of Kronstadt says: ‘The starting point of prayer must always be the awareness of our wickedness, of our poverty, our emptiness and our blindness’, and ‘humility of mind and heart must be the inseparable attribute of prayer’23 The Gospel gives us, as an example, the prayer of the tax collector in the Temple: ‘O God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ (Luke 18:13). With or without bows and prostrations, such a prayer must precede any other prayer, whether in church or at home, for prayer is itself prepared through prayer, as Saint Porphyrios teaches: ‘Before prayer, a person must prepare themselves through prayer’24 Similarly, the reading of the Holy Gospel at the Divine Liturgy is preceded by a prayer read by the priest in private shortly beforehand, which begins as follows: ‘Shine in our hearts, O Lover of mankind, O Lord, the pure light of the knowledge of Thy Divinity, and open the eyes of our minds to the understanding of Thy Gospel teachings…’25 So too does Saint Maximus the Confessor pray, before expounding on the Lord’s Prayer: ‘I beseech the Lord, the teacher of this prayer, to open my mind to an understanding of the mysteries contained within it!’26

What sort of prayer is pleasing to God?

In addition to preparing for prayer, for it to be accepted by God, it must be offered with the aim of being pleasing to God. Seeing how Christ the Saviour Himself prayed, as well as the Apostles and the saints throughout the ages, we understand that the prayer which God hears must spring from a sincere heart, free from guile; it must be offered with all the powers of the human being, whilstmind to the words spoken, not to consist of contrived phrases, and to ask only for those good things which are beyond our power to attain, constantly seeking God’s will above our own. We shall endeavour to unpack all these characteristics of prayer in what follows.

Sincere prayer is free from guile

During prayer, God always looks into our hearts to see whether we truly desire the thing for which we are praying, and especially when we pray to be delivered from a particular passion or to acquire a certain virtue. A person must truly desire for their thinking to be like the ‘mind’ that the Lord Jesus Christ had (1 Corinthians 2:16) or, to put it another way, ‘during prayer and at all times we must strive to align our spirit with the Spirit of God’27). It is therefore necessary for a person to utter the words of prayer sincerely, to desire with all their heart to be freed from the bondage of a passion, or to pray earnestly for the salvation of their neighbour, so that the Lord may examine them and be able to say: ‘Behold, a man in whom there is no deceit!’ (John 1:47). If a person sincerely desires God, then God also accepts their prayer and reveals Himself to them. Therefore, ‘if you wish God to hear your prayer, first pay heed to it yourself with faith and utter it from the heart!’28 Those who pray only with their tongue or their body, without their soul, in a hypocritical manner, are doing a work contrary to God. The psalmist spoke of such deceitful behaviour long ago, saying: ‘There is no truth in their mouths; their hearts are empty; their throats are open graves; with their tongues they deceive’ (Psalm 5:9), and the Lord Himself said that those who ‘pray at length to be seen by others will receive a greater condemnation’ (Mark 12:40). If we are not sincere in the words of our prayer, ‘we will make our very prayer a means of distancing ourselves from God’29).

Prayer is the work of the whole person

Christ the Saviour ‘would withdraw to desolate places and pray’ (Luke 5:16), not because He could not have prayed to the heavenly Father whilst among people, but to teach us that when we wish to pray to God, we must not let our minds dwell on anything around us, but must worship Him with our whole being, with all our spiritual and physical powers. Thus did the Son of God pray, and so did His disciples, as the Holy Apostle Paul testifies: ‘I will pray with the spirit, but I will also pray with the mind; I will sing with the spirit, but I will also sing with the mind’ (1 Corinthians 14:15). Following the Fall, human faculties lost the unity they had possessed from the beginning, and man has become internally unbalanced, overemphasising one aspect at one time and another at another, as observed by one of the pious figures who lived in the 20th century: ‘Following the Fall, being spiritually and physically fragmented, we pray in fragments. Either with the mind and too rational, or with the heart and too sentimental, or with the soul and too spiritual, or with the body and too sensual. Yet the mystical ideal is that our own response of love towards God should spring from the wholeness of our being—body and soul, mind and heart at once, in union’30 A prayer offered with only a part of our being travels only part of the way towards God. A word devoid of thought has no power, as Shakespeare shows in one of his plays:

‘My words fly up, my thoughts remain below;
Words devoid of thought never reach the heights’31.

Enclosing thoughts within the words of prayer

The struggle with thoughts and with a wandering mind during prayer is familiar to all who pray to God. The saints, in particular, have waged this struggle, which they have, however, overcome through long-suffering and with the Grace of God. So that the mind may no longer wander during prayer, it must be trained little by little, as Saint John Climacus teaches: ‘Strive to lift up—or rather, to enclose—your thoughts within the words of prayer; and if, growing weak due to its immaturity, it falls, lift it up again; for restlessness is the nature of the mind, but it is God’s nature to be able to steady it’32”. One’s thoughts can be focused on the words spoken by the mouth when we penetrate the meaning of the words with our mind and lay them in our heart, as things worthy of love and preservation. Because attention to the words of prayer awakens and unites the whole being of man in the work being performed, all the Holy Fathers urge this, as does Evagrius: ‘The mind’s attention, seeking prayer, will find prayer; for prayer follows attention more than anything else. Therefore, we must strive towards it’33 The same exhortation is given by the Desert Fathers, who have discovered the path to pure prayer, saying: ‘When you sit in prayer, let your mind seek the power of the verse and consider that you stand before God, the One who searches hearts and kidneys’34 When a person forgets before Whom they stand in prayer, then their mind will easily wander, whether to memories, worldly cares or plans for the future. On the other hand, love for God guards the mind against distraction, as Mark the Ascetic says: ‘Undistracted prayer is a sign of love for God in the one who persists in it’, whereas ‘neglect of prayer and distraction during it are evidence of a love of pleasures’35 The more familiar the prayers are and the more frequently they are recited, the more carefully they must be read, lest habit lead to inattention or boredom. Just as haste spoils the work, so too does haste spoil prayer. The words spoken require a certain amount of time for the mind to understand them, to desire them and to take them to heart, as Saint John of Kronstadt says: ‘When you utter the words of prayer, do not rush, but give them time to take root in your heart, to become the words of your heart, your treasure!’36 The words of prayer must neither be skipped nor shortened, but spoken with the utmost attention. As true nourishment for the soul, the words of prayer are like physical food, which, to reveal its full flavour, must be chewed patiently.

When a person forgets before Whom they stand in prayer, their mind will easily wander, whether to memories, worldly cares or plans for the future. On the other hand, love for God keeps the mind from wandering…

Few words in prayer need to be repeated many times

With regard to the form of prayer, and more specifically to the words that make it up, our Saviour Christ teaches us thus: ‘When you pray, do not use many words as the pagans do, for they think that by their many words they will be heard. So do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him’ (Matthew 6:7–8). We understand that when we pray we do not need many words, as if we had to explain our feelings or needs to God at length. St John Climacus also states that prayer must be couched in simple and clear words, as follows: ‘Let the fabric of your petition be simple, unadorned in any way. For, with a single word, the tax collector and the prodigal son reconciled God to themselves… Do not try to be clever with the words of your prayer! For the simple, unartful babbling of children moved their Father in heaven to compassion’37”. In the exhortation above, the Lord Jesus Christ refers to the words of prayer and their formulation, but makes no reference to the duration of prayer, which we know must encompass our entire life. Therefore, the solution lies in repeating the same prayers—even if only one—as often as possible, as do those who love prayer, of whom Saint John Cassian says that ‘they do not delight in the multitude of verses, but in the understanding of the mind… that it is more useful to sing ten verses with understanding than the whole psalm with a troubled mind’38

The prayer of praise offered to God

Of all prayers, the prayer of praise offered to God is the first and the beginning of all, being the most selfless. When man praises God, he sets himself aside, forgets his own sorrows and troubles, asks for nothing for himself and expects nothing in return, but simply rejoices in his God, glorifying His goodness and love poured out upon all creation. This is also why every service or prayer begins with the glorification of God or with the blessing of His eternal Kingdom. The inner need to praise God is a natural thing, just as, when faced with a sunset, a waterfall or a work of art, the beholder is overwhelmed with delight and begins to express their joy through praise of the object of their admiration. As an Anglican theologian observes, ‘any joy connected with something spills over spontaneously into praise’39; from which we conclude that any sincere praise directed outside oneself appears as ‘an audible expression of inner health’40. Clearly, God has no need of human praise, but man cannot refrain from praising God, just as the psalmist did: ‘I will praise You, O Lord, with all my heart; I will recount all Your wonders! I will rejoice and be glad in You; I will sing of Your name, O Most High!’ (Psalms 9:1–2). Filled with joy, the one who praises God feels the need to urge others to praise Him too, so that they may rejoice together with him: ‘Praise the Lord and call upon His name; make known His deeds among the nations. Sing to Him and praise Him; tell of all His wonders. Glorify yourselves in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice” (Psalms 104:1–3). When a person praises God, they not only express their joy, but also increase it, knowing that ‘to rejoice fully is to glorify’41; or, to put it another way, glorification is the supreme joy in the object of one’s love.

The Prayer of Thanksgiving

Of great significance, then, is the prayer of thanksgiving for all the blessings bestowed by God upon our lives. It springs from a sincere feeling of gratitude towards the One who cares for us even when we are unaware of it, which is why, in a secret prayer within the Divine Liturgy, the Church also gives thanks to God for the good of which man is unaware, as follows: ‘We give thanks to You and to Your Only-Begotten Son and to Your Holy Spirit, for all that we know and all that we do not know; for Your manifest and unmanifest blessings, which have been bestowed upon us’42 This thanksgiving, however, is not directed solely towards the past, as a natural consequence of gifts received, but also towards the future, as a testimony of a soul worthy of receiving new gifts, as Saint Isaac the Syrian explains: ‘The gratitude of the recipient spurs the giver on to bestow gifts even greater than the first… No gift remains without an addition, except that for which no thanks is given’43 Furthermore, gratitude must not merely be an echo of the things we like, of those we consider good, but also of the more difficult aspects of our lives, knowing that a sick person ought not to thank the doctor merely for the sweet remedies, but often especially for the bitter ones, which possess a greater healing power. Our gratitude must be all-encompassing, following the exhortation of Saint Paul the Apostle: ‘Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus’ (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Spiritual requests take precedence over physical ones

As for prayer of petition, this is not merely permitted but is in fact commanded by our Saviour Christ on repeated occasions, saying: ‘Ask, and it will be given to you’ (Matthew 7:7); ‘Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours’ (Mark 11:24); ‘Ask, and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete!’ (John 16:24). It may be, however, that in the requests addressed to God, man errs greatly, placing small requests before great ones, or bodily requests before spiritual ones. In the Lord’s Prayer, the Lord Jesus Christ teaches us to ask God for things truly worthy of Him, great things, things that are beyond human power, such as: the Bread of Life – that is, the One Who said: ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven’ (John 6:41) – the forgiveness of sins, deliverance from temptation and deliverance from the evil one (Matthew 6:9–13). Only after these petitions may we add others, evidently of lesser importance, which the Church herself utters during the Divine Liturgy, such as those for the sick, for travellers, for the proper ordering of the rains, for those in prison, for pupils and students, and others. Those who pray solely for the well-being of this fleeting life – health, prosperity, and protection from illness – violate the commandment of our Saviour Christ, Who said: ‘Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness…’ (Matthew 6:33). Through this commandment, He has placed concern for earthly matters second to the striving for salvation.

We must ask God only for those things which are beyond our own powers, having faith that ‘what is impossible for men is possible for God’ (Luke 18:27). In other words, God works in a person’s life only when that person is powerless. Looking at world history and our own personal histories, we observe that ‘God seems to do nothing Himself that He might delegate to His creatures. He commands us to do, slowly and haltingly, what He could do perfectly and in the blink of an eye… It seems to imply, at every moment, almost a kind of divine abdication’44). But this, too, stems from God’s perfect love, so that man may have the opportunity to become like Him. In a Romanian synaxarion, Saint Simeon the Fool for Christ, who was caring for a sick person with great labour, when asked why he did not ask God to heal them, just as He had done for others, he replied: ‘We must not ask of God what we ourselves, as human beings, can do… Do you think that God Himself would not wish to heal all the people in the world? But it is more pleasing to Him when people help one another, for in this way love multiplies in the world’45

As regards the things man asks of God, prayer for the forgiveness of sins must come first and foremost. Following this request, one truly receives God’s grace. However, we must pay close attention to ourselves, so that our hearts may be sincere when we ask for forgiveness of our sins. Starting from the observation that ‘to forgive and to excuse are almost antonyms’, an Anglican theologian states that ‘what we call asking God for forgiveness very often consists of asking God to accept our excuses’46 In this case, we are not aware of our own guilt, nor do we expect forgiveness as a gift; rather, we demand that God understand us and accept the fact that we have sinned in certain circumstances beyond our control. Furthermore, if we are not to blame, God has nothing to forgive us for. But even in this case, man loses sight of his own share of the blame – that part which cannot be justified in any way, namely his lack of attention and love towards God and his fellow human beings.

Man’s will and God’s will

There are promises made by Christ the Saviour which seem to guarantee the automatic fulfilment of our requests: ‘Whatever you ask for in prayer, believing, you will receive’ (Matthew 21:21–22); ‘Whatever you ask in my name, I will do’ (John 14:13). But the very fact that prayer is a request implies that it may or may not be granted; otherwise, it would no longer be a request, but rather a coercion or an attempt to compel God to submit to our will. It is essential for every Christian to understand that prayer is not a magical act, nor is God a means of automatically fulfilling human desires. Thus, a prayer received by God is not always a prayer answered by Him; otherwise, we might say that the prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ in Gethsemane was not received, He subsequently accepting the cup of death which He feared (Luke 22:42), nor the prayer of the Apostle Paul, who asked God three times to heal him of an illness and heard from Him: ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness’ (2 Corinthians 12:7–9). Likewise, Saint Silouan the Athonite (†1938), who suffered from terrible headaches, testifies: ‘I asked the Lord many times to heal me, but the Lord did not listen to me… I realised that if the Lord does not heal my headache, it means that it is beneficial for my soul for me to suffer in this way’47). This is how the saints understood the non-fulfilment of prayers offered in faith to God, being convinced that their own will is more ignorant than God’s will. Time and again, God has shown the world that what appears to be good may be harmful, whilst what appears to be bad may be beneficial. By submitting His human will to the will of the heavenly Father, the Lord Jesus Christ taught us how to pray, saying: ‘Not My will, but Yours be done!’ (Luke 22:42).

Requests concerning a person’s earthly life and their time in this world must be in keeping with those concerning the attainment of salvation, or at the very least must not be contrary to them. We can ask nothing but good things of the good and loving God, things which in no way conflict with His love for mankind. This is where the tension between human will and the will of God comes into play, which tempts many people, some even coming to believe that God does not hear them, does not accept their prayers, or is unyielding. Saint Nicodemos of the Holy Mountain urges us to place greater trust in God’s most holy will than in our own will, which is tainted by sin: ‘Let your aim be to unite your will with God’s, not to bend His will to yours. Why? Your will, being tainted by self-love, often errs and does not know what it asks for, but God’s will is always united with an ineffable goodness and can never err. Therefore, it is the rule and queen of all other wills’48’. Saint Porphyry offers the same counsel, saying: “Let us not coerce God with our prayers… Let us not strive with all our might to obtain what we ask for, but let us leave these matters to God’s will. For the more we pursue the thing we desire, the further it recedes… When God does not grant us something we ask for persistently, it means that He has His own reasons. God also has His mysteries. Since we believe in His providential care… and that He always wills what is good, why should we not show trust?”49. With regard to the trust in God that is necessary during prayer, we must not lose sight of the fact that ‘Infinite wisdom does not need to be told what is best, and infinite goodness does not need prompting to do good’, which is why ‘through prayer and actions we do not give God advice’50. And Saint Isaac the Syrian points out some reasons why prayers, although they may be offered with faith and love, are not always answered by God, saying: ‘If you ask God for something and He puts you to the test with much patience, since He does not answer you straight away, do not be saddened! For you are not wiser than God. This happens to you either because you are unworthy to receive what you ask for, or because the ways of your heart are not in accordance with your requests, but rather because you have not yet reached the measure required to receive the gift you are asking for’51

From the Good and Loving One, we can ask for nothing but good things, which are in no way contrary to love for mankind. (…) Saint Nicodemos of the Holy Mountain urges us to place greater trust in the most holy will of God than in our own will, which is tainted by sin.

All prayers of petition can be summarised in a single, all-encompassing prayer, as we read in the Paterikon: ‘Some asked Abba Macarius, saying: “How should we pray?” The Elder replied: ‘There is no need to say much; simply raise your hands and say: “Lord, as You will and as You know, have mercy on me!”’52. That is why Saint Nicodemus also says that ‘the mercy of God is a comprehensive term and encompasses all the gifts we ask of God’53 Such an all-encompassing prayer is that of the mind descended into the heart, namely: ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner! Repeated endlessly, this replaces a multitude of other prayers.

Love for God gives rise to unceasing prayer

From faith and love for God springs forth in the human heart the desire to live permanently and eternally with Him, as Saint Silouan the Athonite explains: ‘He who loves the Lord will always remember Him, and remembrance of the Lord gives rise to prayer’54. Just as God is present everywhere and at all times, so too the prayer of one who loves the Lord never ceases, anywhere or at any time. When a Samaritan woman asked the Lord Jesus Christ where a person ought to pray, He gave her a good answer to a wrong question, showing her that what matters is the state of mind in which a person prays, rather than the place where they stand, saying: ‘True worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship Him’ (John 4:23). That is why the Apostle Paul also says: ‘Men should pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without anger or disputing; in the same way, women too’ (1 Timothy 2:8); ‘Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all kinds of prayers and requests’ (Ephesians 6:18); ‘Pray without ceasing!’ (1 Thessalonians 5:17). If we limit our prayers in time and space—that is, to the church building or to the morning and evening services—we have not yet understood that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19), and that His Kingdom is within us (Luke 17:21). Our soul is greater than the church building, as Saint Silouan the Athonite says: ‘Churches are given to us for prayer; in churches, the service is performed according to the books; but you cannot take the church with you, nor do you always have the book with you, whereas inner prayer is always and everywhere with you. In the holy places the divine services are celebrated and the Holy Spirit dwells, but the soul is God’s best church, and for the one who prays in his soul, the whole world has been transformed into a holy place’55 Every prayer is a gift from God, and unceasing prayer all the more so. As for attaining this, the Russian pilgrim entrusts it to the mysterious work of God, saying: ‘Pray as you know how, and prayer itself will reveal to you how it may be unceasing’56

Prayer must not be reduced merely to words and thoughts, however good these may be, but must extend to all our spiritual and physical dispositions and actions, as St Basil the Great teaches: ‘It is certainly not necessary for a request to be made solely through words, nor do I think that God needs us to remind Him of our desires through words, for He knows what is good for us, even if we do not ask Him… We must not offer our prayers by uttering the syllables of words, but rather by realising the power of prayer through the free will of our soul and through acts of virtue, which should extend throughout our entire lives. ‘Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do,’ says the Apostle, ‘do all to the glory of God’ (1 Corinthians 10:31). When you sit down to eat, say a prayer! When you take the bread to eat, give thanks to the One who has given it to you!… Have you had your fill? Do not forget the Benefactor! When you put on your shirt, give thanks to the One who gave it to you!… By doing so, you will pray unceasingly. You do not pray with words, but by uniting yourself with God throughout your life through your conduct, your life will be a continuous and unbroken prayer’57 This continuous communion with God stems from our ceaseless attention to the work of the Holy Trinity within us, and especially from the presence of Christ the Saviour dwelling within us through the Holy Mysteries, of which Father Miron Mihăilescu speaks: ‘By spending the whole day consciously in His presence, unceasing prayer takes root, springing from the depths of the heart, from the faith that He exists within me—He, the Lord of my life; not located somewhere, but mysteriously present. As I contemplate the work of the Holy Trinity, prayer will become a sacred necessity. I will reach a point where I can no longer help but pray, my entire attention being absorbed by the divine Guest who has come into the house of my heart’58”.

This form of inner and constant worship is seen as the supreme resilience in the difficult times through which humanity sometimes passes. The divine exhortation: ‘When you pray, go into your inner room, and having shut the door, pray to your Father, who is in secret!’ (Matthew 6:6) is nothing other than an exhortation to silent yet unceasing prayer, hidden within the heart.

Waiting upon God: the sign of faith and humility

Faith united with humility strengthens the heart of the one who prays, so that he stands before God with hope and waits for His will in all things. This very waiting upon God may be regarded as the first fruit of man’s prayer. This waiting is a great mystery, of which the psalmist also sings: ‘I waited patiently for the Lord, and He inclined towards me; He heard my prayer’ (Psalm 39:1–2); ‘For Your name’s sake, O Lord, I have waited for You; my soul has waited for Your word; my soul has hoped in the Lord from the watch of the morning until night’ (Psalm 129:5–6). Man is never alone, nor can he ever be, and even less so during prayer, when he calls upon God and worships Him. Therefore, if it seems to us that God is absent, that He does not hear us, we must realise that God is always more present than man, and that without His presence within us, we could not even worship Him. The Apostle Paul bears witness to divine help during prayer, saying that ‘the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words’ (Romans 8:26). It is not only the Holy Spirit who prays within us at the time of prayer, but also the Word of God dwelling within us, as Saint John of Kronstadt explains: “God the Word Himself dwells in every word of prayer and guides it; and the Incarnate Word of God Himself prays through your lips”59).

Only the humble person, who does not consider himself worthy to meet God, can truly await God. In contrast, in the absence of repentance, the proud man quickly loses patience, and may even become angry with God for His apparent absence. ‘But it is precisely when I embrace the burden, when I realise that I must pray alone in the darkness, when I accept the hell and the dungeon of my soul and pray there without hope, without God, without a single ray of light – for I do not deserve them – then God acts; then He comes and lifts the burden from my heart, and gives me relief’60 as an Athonite abbot testifies. The Holy Fathers have always spoken of the prideful desire to see God as one which can give rise to diabolical illusions and dangerous deceptions, and they have firmly opposed it with humble thinking, as we read: ‘The devil appeared to one of the brothers disguised as an angel of light, saying: “I am Gabriel and I have been sent to you.” And he said to him: ‘Take care lest you have been sent to another, for I am not worthy.’ And the devil immediately vanished’61 And again: ‘The devil, seeing himself vanquished by the Elder, came and appeared to him, saying: “I am Christ!” But the Elder, seeing him, closed his eyes. Then the devil said to him: ‘Why do you close your eyes? It is I, Christ!’ And the Elder replied: ‘I do not wish to see Christ here (in this world).’ Hearing this, the devil vanished”62

The man who awaits God as he ought does not feel a sense of lack, nor does he rebel within himself, nor does he fret, as one who desires nothing other than to stand before God, so that He may see him and have mercy on him as He knows best. In this regard, Father Emilianos says: ‘It does not matter whether I come into contact with God. It does not matter whether I see God. It does not matter whether I have a share in the knowledge of God… But what gives me assurance is not forgetting that God is present. Therefore, even if I grow weary in prayer, as I stand before God, even if I do not know God, even if I doze off or do not understand, or the words of my prayer escape me, or I live in a thousand kinds of darkness, I am certain that in my ignorance, in my groping, in my darkness, God is present; God hears me, God sees me, God is there. May I not wish to take pleasure in Him. May I wish – so to speak – that God may take pleasure in me. May I wish that God may rejoice in me’63 In other words, the concern of the person who prays must not be to bring God before him, but to place himself before God; not to see God, but for God to see him. Just as the righteous Moses ‘left Egypt, without fearing the king’s wrath, for he remained steadfast, as one who sees the Unseen’ (Hebrews 11:27), so too must the person who prays must live and wait as though he were seeing the Unseen One, bearing in mind the words of Christ the Saviour: ‘Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed!’ (John 20:29). It is precisely this silent waiting for God that is the clearest proof that I pray first and foremost out of love for Him, out of longing for Him, and not out of self-interest or love for myself.

What are the fruits of prayer?

‘The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control’ (Galatians 5:22–23), says Saint Paul the Apostle. And writing about ‘blessed prayer, the holy mother of all virtues’, Saint John Climacus illustrates the fruits of prayer through the names he gives it: ‘Prayer is, in its nature, the companionship and union of man with God; and in its effect, it is the sustainer of the world… a bridge over temptations… the spring of virtues… unseen growth, the food of the soul, the enlightenment of the mind, the axe of despair… the dispelling of sorrow… the lessening of anger… the revelation of one’s inner state… God’s tribunal, rule of justice and judgement seat, before the seat of the coming Judgement’64”. For his part, Saint Maximus the Confessor states that prayer mysteriously encompasses seven works, granting man ‘the teaching about God (theology), adoption by grace, equality in honour with the angels, a share in eternal life, the restoration of nature so that it may turn towards itself in a dispassionate manner, the abolition of the law of sin and the overthrow of the Evil One, who rules over us through deception’65 Through prayer, man attains every known good, as well as that which is beyond thought, for ‘prayer is the means and instrument by which we receive all those gifts that spring from God’s love and goodness’66 as Saint Nicodemus of Mount Athos says.

Of all the benefits of prayer, the first to be felt is joy or peace of heart, a sign that God forgives sins and clothes the person praying in His grace. And the more this joy is filled with grace, the more it instils in the one who prays a love for all creation, as those who have experienced it bear witness: ‘You feel as though you are the son of a king… You wish to embrace the whole of creation, both animate and inanimate. All people seem to you to be angels’67 So too the Russian pilgrim: “Everyone, without exception, seemed to me just as dear as relatives… It seemed to me that all people were becoming kind to me, as if they had all begun to love me”68 This is the beginning of likeness to God, for through prayer, man acquires qualities like those of God, as far as he is able, as Saint Maximus the Confessor teaches: ‘The mind, uniting with God and dwelling in Him through prayer and love, becomes wise, good, strong, loving towards people, merciful, long-suffering and – simply put – bears within itself almost all the divine attributes’69 In the mystery of prayer, man encounters God, and the life of the Holy Trinity dwells within man (John 14:23).

Saint Isaac the Syrian says that prayer is the mother of all virtues, so that it must be sought above all else: ‘Acquire the mother, and she will give you the children. Learn first to discover prayer, and it will be easy for you to fulfil all the virtues’16 Then, as he becomes like God through growth in virtue, the praying person is no longer overcome by passions, for divine grace protects him. When a person dedicates their whole life to God, the struggle against the passions is no longer waged by the person alone, but rather by their Lord, as Saint Nicodemos of the Holy Mountain says: ‘Through prayer you will place the sword in God’s hands, that He may fight and triumph for you’66 When a person truly places themselves before God and awaits His mercy, the devil no longer has dominion over them, as Father Petroniu Tănase explains: ‘If, through prayer, the mind becomes deaf and mute to any external thought and sits, like Mary, at the Lord’s feet, listening to His words, then you are truly praying, and no devil can come near you’70

What follows prayer?

Christ the Saviour draws our attention to the fact that ‘the Kingdom of Heaven is taken by force, and those who strive for it lay hold of it’ (Matthew 11:12). Merely reciting prayers does not save us if the deeds of the one who prays are not in accordance with God’s will. Our Teacher shows us that a person is known by their deeds, not by their words, when He says: ‘Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord”, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father in heaven’ (Matthew 7:21); and again: ‘Why do you call Me “Lord, Lord”, and yet do not do what I tell you?’ (Luke 6:46). When a person truly prays, they strive all the more earnestly to fulfil the divine commandments, following His command: ‘If you love Me, keep My commandments!’ (John 14:15). Prayer must be confirmed by the effort that follows it, as Saint Nicodemus also teaches: ‘After prayer, strive all the more to become a beginner in the Gift and virtue sought from God, for the effort of prayer ought to be accompanied, in this way, by the endeavour to overcome our selfishness. Otherwise, for someone to ask God for a virtue and not to strive by every means and in every way to acquire it, but to be lazy, this truly means tempting God, rather than praying to Him’71

By its very nature, prayer is all-encompassing

Every person prays, first and foremost, for their own salvation, out of a desire to become a child of God and a neighbour to all those around them. However, by its very nature, prayer is a catholic work in which heaven is united with earth, and the living commune with the departed. When a person comes to acquire love for God, they can no longer pray solely for their own salvation, but come to feel the sufferings of their fellow human beings as their own, so that they often end up praying more for others than for themselves. Prayer for others runs throughout the entire Holy Scripture, as a fruit of love for one’s neighbour. The best prayer for others is that they may come to know God and walk in His ways, just as the Holy Apostle Paul himself prayed: ‘We do not cease to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will, in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk worthily before the Lord, pleasing Him in every way, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God’ (Colossians 1:9–10). Being all-encompassing by its very nature, our prayer comes to include even those who have fallen asleep, who are in need of our love, just as the saints who have entered the Kingdom of God include us in their prayers.

However, by its very nature, prayer is a catholic work in which heaven is united with earth, and the living commune with those who have fallen asleep. (…) Prayer for others runs through the whole of Holy Scripture, as a fruit of love for one’s neighbour.

Following the sending of the Lord Jesus Christ into the world, man’s encounter and union with God in the mystery of prayer remains perhaps the greatest gift bestowed upon mankind by the Heavenly Father. To make use of this privilege, one must begin prayer by glorifying God and reflecting humbly, continue with thanksgiving for all God’s providential care, acknowledging one’s unworthiness in the face of the gifts received, and conclude by asking for those things which are beneficial to salvation.

Imagine

• 1

  Saint Maximus the Confessor, Commentary on the Lord’s Prayer, in The Philokalia, Vol. II, trans. Fr. Dumitru Stăniloae, Humanitas Publishers, Bucharest, 2005, p. 242.

• 2

  Father Porphyrios speaks to us. Life and Words, trans. Hieromonk Evloghie Munteanu, Egumenița Publishing House, Galați, p. 193.

• 3

  Jean-Paul Sartre, Nausea, trans. Marius Robescu, RAO Publishing, Bucharest, 1997, p. 331.

• 4

  Archimandrite Emilianos of Simonopetra, Commentary on the Life of the Venerable Nilus of Kalavryta, trans. Hieromonk Agapie Corbu, St Nectarios Publishing House, Arad, 2010, p. 23.

• 5

  St John Climacus, The Ladder of Divine Ascent, XXVIII, 1, trans. Fr Dumitru Stăniloae, in Philokalia, IX, Humanitas Publishing House, Bucharest, 2002, p. 381.

• 6

  Father Petroniu of Prodromu, Bizantină Publishing House, Bucharest, 2015, p. 427.

• 7

  Everghetinos, vols. I–II, trans. Ștefan Voronca, Egumenița Publishing House, Galați, 2009, p. 307.

• 8

  Ilie Ecdicul, A Collection of the Sayings of the Wise, 107, in The Philokalia, Vol. IV, trans. Fr. Dumitru Stăniloae, Humanitas Publishing House, Bucharest, 2005, p. 266.

• 9

  Father Porphyry speaks to us. Life and Words, p. 207.

• 10

  Archimandrite Emilianos of Simonopetra, Commentary on the Life of the Venerable Nilus of Kalavryta, p. 111.

• 11

  The Great Paterikon, XII, 3, trans. Rev. Prof. Constantin Coman, Bizantină Publishing House, Bucharest, 2016, p. 643.

• 12

  St John Climacus, The Ladder of Divine Ascent, XXVIII, 63, p. 394.

• 13

  Father Porphyry speaks to us. Life and Words, pp. 203, 195.

• 14

  The Venerable Sophrony Sakharov, The Venerable Silouan the Athonite, trans. Hieromonk Rafail Noica, Reîntregirea Publishing House, Alba Iulia, 2009, p. 315.

• 15

  The Stories of a Pilgrim in Search of Unceasing Prayer, trans. Deacon Ioan Ică Jr., Deisis Publishers, Sibiu, 2012, p. 45.

• 16a16b

  The Stories of a Pilgrim in Search of Unceasing Prayer, p. 46.

• 17

  Father Porphyrios speaks to us. Life and Words, p. 209.

• 18

  Saint John of Kronstadt, To Spiritual Pastors, trans. Florentina Cristea, Egumenița Publishing House, Galați, 2011, pp. 191–192.

• 19

  Everghetinos, p. 310.

• 20

  Father Porphyrios speaks to us. Life and Words, pp. 196, 205.

• 21

  St John Climacus, The Ladder of Divine Ascent, XXVIII, 4, p. 382.

• 22

  The Great Paterikon, XII, 33, p. 652.

• 23

  Saint John of Kronstadt, To Spiritual Shepherds, pp. 177, 188.

• 24

  Father Porfirie speaks to us. Life and Words, p. 194.

• 25

  Liturgy Book, IBMO Publishing House, Bucharest, 2012, pp. 147–148.

• 26

  Saint Maximus the Confessor, Commentary on the Lord’s Prayer, p. 229.

• 27

  Saint John of Kronstadt, To Spiritual Pastors, p. 177.

• 28

  Saint John of Kronstadt, To Spiritual Shepherds, p. 192.

• 29

  Saint John of Kronstadt, To Spiritual Pastors, p. 212.

• 30

  Carpathian Paterikon. Pages on Hesychasm, Platytera Publishing, Bucharest, 2017, p. 139.

• 31

  William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act III, Scene 3, in Tragedies, Volume I, Everyman’s Library, David Campbell Publishers, London, 1992, p. 85: My words fly up, my thoughts remain below; Words without thoughts never reach heaven.

• 32

  St John Climacus, The Ladder of Divine Ascent, XXVIII, 16, p. 384.

• 33

  Evagrius Ponticus, A Treatise on Prayer, 149, trans. Fr. Dumitru Stăniloae, in The Philokalia, Vol. I, Humanitas Publishing House, Bucharest, 2008, p. 91.

• 34

  Everghetinos, p. 309.

• 35

  Mark the Ascetic, ‘On Those Who Imagine They Are Justified by Their Deeds’, 97, in The Philokalia, Vol. I, trans. Fr. Dumitru Stăniloae, Humanitas Publishing House, Bucharest, 2008, p. 242.

• 36

  Saint John of Kronstadt, To Spiritual Pastors, p. 172.

• 37

  St John Climacus, The Ladder of Divine Ascent, XXVIII, 4 and 8, pp. 382–383.

• 38

  Everghetinos, p. 308.

• 39

  Clive Staples Lewis, Meditations on the Psalms, trans. Emanuel Conțac, Humanitas, Bucharest, 2013, p. 107.

• 40

  Clive Staples Lewis, Meditations on the Psalms, p. 108.

• 41

  Clive Staples Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms, p. 111.

• 42

  Liturgy Book, IBMO Publishing House, Bucharest, 2012, p. 172.

• 43

  Saint Isaac the Syrian, Words on Asceticism, XXX, p. 145.

• 44

  Clive Staples Lewis, ‘The Effectiveness of Prayer’, in: Ferns and Elephants. And Other Essays on Christianity, trans. Emanuel Conțac, Humanitas, Bucharest, 2011, p. 119.

• 45

  Hieromonk Savatie Baștovoi, The Fool, Cathisma Publishing House, Bucharest, 2006, p. 59.

• 46

  Clive Staples Lewis, ‘On Forgiveness’, in: Ferns and Elephants. And Other Essays on Christianity, p. 50.

• 47

  The Venerable Sophrony Sakharov, The Venerable Silouan the Athonite, p. 358.

• 48

  Saint Nicodemos of Mount Athos, The Unseen War, Bunavestire Publishing, 1999, p. 137.

• 49

  Father Porfirie speaks to us. Life and Words, p. 200.

• 50

  Clive Staples Lewis, ‘The Effectiveness of Prayer’, in: Ferns and Elephants: And Other Essays on Christianity, p. 118.

• 51

  St John Climacus, The Ladder of Divine Ascent, XXVIII, note 868, pp. 387–388.

• 52

  The Great Paterikon, XII, 14, p. 648.

• 53

  Saint Nicodemos of Mount Athos, The Unseen War, p. 142.

• 54

  The Venerable Sophrony Sakharov, The Venerable Silouan the Athonite, p. 315.

• 55

  The Venerable Sophrony Sakharov, The Venerable Silouan the Athonite, p. 317.

• 56

  The Stories of a Pilgrim in Search of Unceasing Prayer, p. 41.

• 57

  St Basil the Great, The Fifth Homily on the Martyr Julitta, III–IV, trans. Fr Dumitru Fecioru, in PSB, 17, IBMBOR Publishing House, Bucharest, 1986, p. 389.

• 58

  Father Miron Mihăilescu, How to Pray Without Ceasing, Patmos Publishing, Cluj-Napoca, 2009, p. 15.

• 59

  Saint John of Kronstadt, To Spiritual Shepherds, p. 200.

• 60

  Archimandrite Emilianos of Simonopetra, Commentary on the Life of the Venerable Nilus of Kalavryta, trans. Hieromonk Agapie Corbu, St Nectarios Publishing House, Arad, 2010, pp. 29–30.

• 61

  The Great Paterikon, XV. On Humble Thought, 197, p. 755.

• 62

  The Great Paterikon, XV. On Humble Thought, 199, p. 755.

• 63

  Archimandrite Emilianos of Simonopetra, Commentary on the Life of the Venerable Nilus of Kalavryta, p. 97.

• 64

  St John Climacus, The Ladder of Divine Ascent, XXVIII, 1, p. 381.

• 65

  Saint Maximus the Confessor, Commentary on the Lord’s Prayer, pp. 229–230.

• 66a66b

  Saint Nicodemos of Mount Athos, The Unseen War, p. 136.

• 67

  Hieromonk Joseph of Mount Athos, Abbot Ephrem of Katounakia, trans. Hieroschemamonk Ștefan Nuțescu, Evanghelismos Publishing House, Bucharest, 2004, p. 125.

• 68

  The Stories of a Pilgrim in Search of Unceasing Prayer, pp. 53–54.

• 69

  Saint Maximus the Confessor, Chapters on Love, II, 52, trans. Fr. Dumitru Stăniloae, in The Philokalia, II, Humanitas Publishing House, Bucharest, 2005, p. 73.

• 70

  Father Petronius of Prodromu, p. 430.

• 71

  Saint Nicodemos of Mount Athos, The Unseen War, p. 138.