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Белешки на претходниот текст 21 јануари 2013
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| 2013-09-11, 3:53 AM |
Notes:
[1] For example, the Psalms are, essentially, a vast prayer offered to God from, almost, as many angles as there are human experiences.
[2] Jn 16: 23 �Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.�
[3] Jn 14: 16 �And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever,�
[4] Hebrews 7: 25 �Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them.�
[5] The New Testament mentions frequently that Jesus prayed, eg, Mt 14:32 �And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on a mountain by Himself to pray�� Also, Hebrews 5:7 ��in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications��etc.
[6] R14 p271 St John Climacus: �Faith is the wing of prayer, and without it my prayer will return to my bosom.�
[7] Mk 11: 22-24 �So Jesus answered and said to them, �Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, `Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.�
[8] Hebrews 11: 6 �But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.�
[9] James 1: 6,7 �But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;�
[10] Mt 8: 13 �Then Jesus said to the Centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.'' And his servant was healed that same hour.�
[11] Mt 9: 28-30 �And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, �Do you believe that I am able to do this?� They said to Him, �Yes, Lord.� Then He touched their eyes, saying, �According to your faith let it be to you.� And their eyes were opened.�
[12] Mk 5: 36 �As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, �Do not be afraid; only believe.��
[13] Mk 9: 23 �Jesus said to him, �If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.��
[14] Lk 8: 48 �And He said to her, �Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.��
[15] R21 p37 St John of Kronstadt: �The attributes of prayer must be love of God, sincerity and simplicity.�
[16] eg, Mt 6: 5, 15 �And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward� But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.�
[17] eg, Mt 15: 7-9 �Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: �These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'�
[18] Jn 4: 24 �God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.�
[19] eg, Ps 4: 1 �Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me when I was in distress; Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.�
[20] Lk 11: 5-13 �And He said to them, �Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, `Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; and he will answer from within and say, `Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you'? "I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. And I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!�
[21] Mk 7: 24-30 �And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden. For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet. The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. But Jesus said to her, �Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs.� And she answered and said to Him, �Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs.� Then He said to her, �For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter.� And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.�
[22] R14 p276 St John Climacus: �Prayer brings one sort of joy to those living in community, and another to those praying in stillness. Elation is sometimes characteristic of the former, but humility is always to be found in the latter.�
[23] R14 p276 St John Climacus: �However pure you may be, do not be forward in your dealings with God. Approach Him rather in humility, and you will be given still more boldness. And even if you have climbed the whole ladder of virtues, pray still for the forgiveness of sins. Heed Paul�s cry regarding sinners �of whom I am chief.� (1 Tim 1:15)�
[24] eg, 2 Chronicles 7: 14 �if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.�
[25] eg, 2 Chronicles 34: 27 ��because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words � and you humbled yourself before Me, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you,� says the Lord.�
[26] R21 p52 St John of Kronstadt: �When you pray, keep to the rule that it is better to say five words from the depth of your heart than ten thousand words with your tongue only.�
[27] R3 p327 St Philotheus of Sinai: �If we sincerely wish to guard our mind in the Lord, we have need of great humility, first in relation to God, and, second, in relation to men.�
[28] R3 p88 St Gregory of Sinai: �Obedience for the sake of humility is capable of all virtue.�
[29] R3 p83 St Gregory of Sinai: �In keeping silence, there are three virtues we should practice strictly and verify each hour whether we constantly abide in them, lest we be robbed by forgetfulness, and move outside them. They are: abstinence, not talking, and self-belittlement, ie, humility. They support and protect one another; prayer is born of them and grows without ceasing.�
[30] R3 p282 St Hesychius of Jerusalem: �He who struggles inwardly must practice at every moment these four (doings): humility, extreme attention, resistance to thoughts, and prayer.�
[31] R3 p324 St Philotheus of Sinai: �Where there is humility, remembrance of God with sobriety and attention, and frequent prayer directed against enemies, there is the place of God, or the heaven of the heart where the hosts of demons fear to enter, since it is the dwelling-place of God.�
[32] eg, Deut 11: 13-15 �And it shall be that if you diligently obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the Lord your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil. And I will send grass in your fields for your livestock, that you may eat and be filled.�
[33] Rom 6: 17 �But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.�
[34] R3 p180 Sts Callistus and Ignatius: �Christ will stretch out His helping hand and we shall find the solution� building complete the oft praised house of spiritual architecture, that is, Divine silence, on the firm and immovable foundation of blessed obedience.�
[35] Rom 6: 16 �Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness?�
[36] Jn 14: 14 �If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.�
[37] 1 John 3: 22 �And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.�
[38] Mt 7:21 �Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.�
[39] Mt 26: 36-46
[40] Lk 15: 18-21 �`I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, �Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you,
and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.' And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, `Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.'�
[41] R14 p276 St John Climacus: �Oil and salt are the condiments of food; chastity and tears give flight to prayer.�
[42] R39 p15 St Isaac the Syrian: �Why do you increase your bonds? Take hold of your life before your light grows dark, and seeking help you do not find it. This life has been given to you for repentance; do not waste it in vain pursuits.�
[43] eg, 1 Kings 8: 33-34 �When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, and when they turn back to You and confess Your name, and pray and make supplication to You in this temple, then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave to their fathers.�
[44] eg, Jer 36: 7 �It may be that they will present their supplication before the Lord, and everyone will turn from his evil way��
[45] eg, Acts 8: 21-22 ��for your heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.�
[46] eg, Nehemiah 1: 4-7 �So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. And I said: "I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments, please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father's house and I have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses.�
[47] eg, Daniel 9: 4-11 �And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession, and said, �O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land. O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face, as it is this day to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those near and those far off in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed against You. O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him. We have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets. Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against Him.��
[48] Lk 18: 13-14 �And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, `God be merciful to me a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be abased, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.�
[49] James 5: 16 �Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.�
[50] R14 p275 St John Climacus: �When you set out to appear before the Lord, let the garment of your soul be woven throughout with the thread of wrongs no longer remembered. Otherwise, prayer will be useless to you.�
[51] Mt 6: 14-15 �For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.�
[52] Mt 5: 23-24 �Therefore 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 your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.�
[53] Mt 5: 44-46 �But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?�
[54] Mt 6: 14-15 �For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.�
[55] Mt 18: 21-22 �Then Peter came to Him and said, �Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?� Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.�
[56] Mk 11: 22-26 �Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, `Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.�
[57] eg, the parable of the ungrateful servant in Mt 18: 23-35
[58] eg, Lk 6: 20-49; as, for example, in the verse Lk 6:28: "bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.�
[59] 1 Cor 13 �Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.�
[60] R14 p195 St John Climacus: �The truly obedient monk often becomes suddenly radiant and exultant during his prayers.�
[61] Mt 6: 5-6 �And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.�
[62] eg, Lk 6: 12 �Now it came to pass�that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.�
[63] Mt 9:15 �And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.�
[64] Mt 17: 20-21 ��for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, `Move from here to there,� and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.�
[65] Mk 9: 28-29 �His disciples asked Him privately, �Why could we not cast him out?� So He said to them, �This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.��
[66] Ps 35: 13 �But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting; And my prayer would return to my own heart.�
[67] Nehemiah 1: 4 �� I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.�
[68] Lk 3: 37 �and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.�
[69] Acts 10: 30 �And Cornelius said, "Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,�
[70] Acts 13: 3 �Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.�
[71] Acts 14: 23 �So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.�
[72] 1 Cor 7: 5 �Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.�
[73] R3 p40 St Gregory of Sinai: �Those who struggle, regain their original state by keeping two commandments � obedience and fasting; for all evil entered into the generation of mortals through practices opposed to them. Moreover, those who keep the commandments through obedience ascend to God more quickly, and those who keep them trough fasting � more slowly. Besides, obedience is more suitable for beginners, and fasting for those on the way, who possess courage and vision of mind. But in fulfilling the commandments it is given to very few always to obey God undeceived, and even for the most valiant this achievement is very difficult.�
[74] R14 p280 St John Climacus: �Ask with tears, seek with obedience, knock with patience. For so it goes that �Everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.� (Mt 7:8)�
[75] Lk 18: 2-8 ��There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, `Avenge me of my adversary.' And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, �Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.� Then the Lord said, �Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily...��
[76] Acts 12: 5 �Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.�
[77] eg, Eph 6: 18 �Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints�
[78] R14 p281 St John Climacus: �Hold onto the staff of prayer and you will not fall. And even a fall will not be fatal, since prayer is a devout coercion of God. (cf Lk 18:5)
[79] eg, Lk 11: 5-13, quoted in a footnote #20
[80] eg, Ps 66:18 �If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear.�
[81] eg, Mt 5: 8 �Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.�
[82] 1 Thess 5: 16-23 �Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit... Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every� evil� may the God of peace� sanctify you� and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.�
[83] I John 5: 14,15 �Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.�
[84] R14 p271 St John Climacus: �In my prayer, I will offer up my will, and from God I will draw assurance.�
[85] Mt 6: 13 �And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.�
[86] Philippians 2: 5 �Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus�
[87] Acts 19: 13-16 �Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, �We adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.� Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, �Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?� Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.�
[88] eg, Jn 15:7 �If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.�
[89] Mt 28:19 ��in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit�
[90] Jn 14: 13-14 �And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.�
[91] Jn 15: 7,16 �If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you� whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.�
[92] Jn 16: 23-24 �Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you... Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.�
[93] Acts 3: 6 �Then Peter said, �� In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.��
[94] Eph 5: 20 �Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ�
[95] Rom 10:12 �For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.�
[96] 1 Cor 1:2 �� with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord��
[97] 2 Cor 12: 8-9 �Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, �My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.� Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.�
[98] Acts 3: 16: �And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.�
[99] Eph 6: 18 �praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints�
[100] Jude 20 �But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,�
[101] Rom 8: 9,26,27 �But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His� Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.�
[102] Ps 46: 10-11 �Be still, and know that I am God; �The Lord of hosts is with us;� God� is our refuge.�
[103] R5 p 57 St Gregory Palamas: �The essence of God transcends the fact of being inaccessible to the senses, since God is not only above all created things but is even beyond Godhead. The excellence of Him Who surpasses all things is not only beyond affirmation, but also beyond all negation; it exceeds all excellence that is attainable by the mind.�
[104] R20 p14 St Gregory of Nyssa: �The bridegroom is present but is not seen.�
[105] R20 p14 Sts Callistus and Ignatius: �Pray without images, shapes or forms, with an intellect, a nous and a soul that are entirely pure. Always keep your intellect free from color, form, shape and configuration, and from any quality or quantity.�
[106] R32, Vol II, p44, Fr Dumitru Staniloae: �By creating human beings, God has committed Himself to lead them to deification.�
[107] R3 p245 St Nilus: �Blessed is he who has comprehended (God�s) incomprehensibility, inseparable from prayer.�
[108] R14 p143 St John Climacus: �Enlightenment is something indescribable, an activity that is unknowingly perceived and invisibly seen.�
[109] R32, Vol I, Forward, Fr Dumitru Staniloae: �The Trinity alone assumes our existence as persons� Salvation and deification are nothing other than the extension to conscious creatures of the relations that obtain between the divine persons.�
[110] 1 Cor 12:3 �No one can say Jesus Christ is Lord except in the Holy Spirit.�
[111] Ps 51 10: �Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.�
[112] 1 Thes 5:17 �Pray without ceasing.�
[113] Eph 6:18 �With all prayer and supplication, pray at every opportunity in the Spirit. To that end, be watchful with all perseverance and supplication for all the holy ones.�
[114] 1 Tim 2:8 �It is my wish then that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger or argument.�
[115] Rom 12:12 ��be constant in prayer��
[116] 1 Thes 2:13 �We constantly thank God for you.�
[117] 1 Tim 1:2 �Always I remember you in my prayers.�
[118] Mt 9:27 The two blind men: �Have mercy on us Son of David.�
[119]Lk 17:13 The ten lepers: �Jesus Master have mercy on us.�
[120] Lk 18:13 The tax collector: �Have mercy on me, a sinner.�
[121] There has been some controversy about the precise authorship of writings by several well known Fathers of the Church, eg, St Dionysius, St Hesychius of Jerusalem, St Nilus, St Isaac the Syrian, St Macarius of Egypt, et al. In this work, this issue has not been addressed and quotes are attributed to the exact name referenced in the source document, eg, The Philokalia.
[122] Bishop Ierotheos in R42 p60: �St Dionysios the Aeropagite says in his writings that according to the holy Fathers the spiritual life has three stages: purification, illumination and perfection. We find this in the teachings of all the holy Fathers of the Church.�
[123] R16 p80: Per St Symeon the New Theologian, the aims of prayer are humility, compunction and enlightenment in the Holy Spirit.
[124] R21 p37 St John of Kronstadt: �Prayer breathes hope, and a prayer without hope is a sinful prayer.�
[125] eg, Rom 12:12 �rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;� and Col 4:2 �Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.�
[126] There are several sets of similar instructions throughout our patristic literature, eg, by St Symeon the New Theologian, (R8 p164), St Gregory of Sinai, (R13 p67, p68), St Nicephorus the Hesychast, (R8 p56), Sts Callistus and Ignatius, (R3 p192), and others.
[127] R50 p17: �The heart is man�s feelings (affect). The heart is man�s volition (will). The heart is man�s mind (cognition). These three elements are together in one unbreakable unity. We� find � the same meaning in the� Scriptures and in the writings of the Fathers.�
[128] R3 p201 St John Chrysostom: �When the devil sees a soul protected by virtues, he dare not come near it, fearing the strength and power given to it by prayer.�
[129] R3 p169 Sts Callistus and Ignatius: �The beginning of every action pleasing to God is calling with faith on the life-saving name of our Lord Jesus Christ, as He Himself said: �Without me you can do nothing� (Jn 15:5) together with the peace and love which accompany this calling.�
[130] R3 p65 St Gregory of Sinai: �Grace is not merely faith, but also active prayer. For the latter shows in practice true faith, made living by Jesus, for it comes from the Spirit through love.�
[131] R21 p54 St John of Kronstadt: �When during prayer your heart is overwhelmed with despondency and melancholy, be sure that these proceed from the Devil, endeavoring by every means to hinder you in your prayer. Be firm, take courage, and by the remembrance of God drive away this deadly feeling.�
[132] R21 p52 St John of Kronstadt: �When you observe that your heart is cold and prays unwillingly, stop praying and warm your heart by representing vividly to yourself your own wickedness, your spiritual poverty, misery and blindness, or the great benefits which God bestows every moment upon you and all mankind, especially upon Christians; and then pray slowly and feverishly.�
[133] R3 p238, St Basil the Great: �Right prayer is that which actively implants the memory of God in the soul. The dwelling of God in the heart means to have God planted firmly in oneself by memory, when this memory is never interrupted by worldly cares, and the mind is not troubled by accidental passionate impulses. A lover of God flees all things and goes to God.� St Basil also spoke of combining our prayer with mental and spiritual actions such as glorifying and thanking God, confessing our sins, and asking that He bless our efforts to be saved.
[134] R3 p196 Sts Callistus and Ignatius: �Go to sleep and sleep with the prayer of Jesus.�
[135] R3 p299 St Gregory the Theologian: �Let His most sweet name be joined to your breath; and then you will know the profit of silence.�
[136] R8 p132 St Gregory Palamas: �At every hour invoke Him, Him Who is the object of our meditations, so that our mind may always be absorbed in Him and our attention concentrated each day on Him� invoke the name of God with your lips and also with desire and with thought so that the only saving remedy may be applied to all by which we have sinned, for there is no other name by which we are saved, as stated in Acts 4:12: �Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.�
[137] R3 p193 Sts Callistus and Ignatius: �A monk should always live with the name of Lord Jesus, so that the heart absorbs the Lord and the Lord the heart, and the two become one.� And: �Do not estrange your heart from God, but abide in Him and always guard your heart by remembering our lord Jesus Christ, until the name of the Lord becomes rooted in the heart and is ceases to think of anything else. May Christ be glorified in you.�
[138] R3 p193 St John Climacus: �May the memory of Jesus combine with your breathing; then will you understand the use of silence.��
[139] R3 p193 St Hesychius of Jerusalem: �If you truly wish to cover thoughts with shame, to keep silence as you should and to be sober in your heart without effort, let the Jesus Prayer cleave to your breath � and in a few days you will see it in practice.�
[140] R3 p195 St Nilus: �Attention seeking prayer will find prayer; for what most naturally follows upon attention is prayer, and it is upon prayer that our greatest efforts should be directed.�
[141] R3 p197 St Nilus: �He who always brings all his first thoughts like ripe fruit to God makes his prayer heard.�
[142] In Letter 15, St Theophan The Recluse, instructs us that we have nothing more important than prayer to do, as it reflects our faith and accompanies and energizes our good works in the name of God. But we need to �stand with reverence before God, with the mind in the heart, and strive toward Him with longing.� When we choose to live according to St Paul�s instructions and example, everything we think, feel, say and do, our entire life, small and big plans and pursuits, and even common gestures, all motivation for and results from our activities, are meant to be an offering to God. The unceasing prayer holds us fast onto His Presence (1 Cor 10:30 �Whatever you do, do it for the glory of God.�) Praying unceasingly should not mean that we sidestep everything else and try to lead an exclusively contemplative lifestyle, but that we strive to live in such a way that we are constantly in the live presence of God while we do whatever we have to do on this Earth.
[143] St Theophan the Recluse also quotes (in his 19th discourse) St Macarius of Egypt to have said: ��One must force oneself to pray, even if one has no spiritual prayer� in such a case, God, seeing that a man earnestly is striving, pushing himself against the will of his heart (that is his thoughts,) He grants him true prayer.� By that, St Macarius meant the undistracted, collected, deep prayer that occurs when the mind stands unswervingly before God. In that exalted state, the mind discovers such peace and sweetness that it wishes to remain in the prayer forever, desiring nothing more.� St Macarius also believed that the goal of prayer is not the disincarnation of the mind, but a transfiguration of the entire person � soul and body � through the presence of the incarnate God, accessible to the conscious �certitude of the heart.�
[144] According to St Dorotheus, R13 p51, we should be careful not to just pay lip service to prayer but pray with sincerity and warmth while guarding our heart and soul. The Prayer of the Heart needs gentle concentration and focus: �Do you wish to learn to pray with the mind and heart? I will teach you. At first you should make the prayer of Jesus with your voice, that is, with your lips, tongue and speech, aloud by yourself. When the lips, tongue and senses are satisfied with prayer pronounced vocally, then vocal prayer stops and it begins to be said in a whisper. After this, one should contemplate with the mind, and always regard and attend diligently to the feeling in the throat. The mental Prayer of the Heart constantly begins to rise automatically by the nod (of God � ie, by the action of divine grace) � begins to be carried about and act at all times, during every kind of work, in every place.�
[145] R4 p412, St Philotheus of Sinai: �Let no one think, my brother Christians, that it is the duty only of priests and monks to pray without ceasing, and not of laymen. No, no; it is the duty of all of us Christians to remain always in prayer.� In the same vein, R11 p81, St Macarius of Egypt wrote: �Christians ought at all times to preserve the remembrance of God� in order that they may show love to the Lord not only when they go into the place of prayer, but that also when they are working, talking, or eating, they may preserve the remembrance of God, and a sense of love and yearning towards Him.�
[146] R21 p27 St John of Kronstadt: �Prayer is a golden link connecting the Christian man, the wanderer and stranger upon the earth, with the spiritual world of which he is a member, and, above all, with God, the source of life. The soul came forth from God, and to God may it even ascend through prayer.�
[147] R14 p52 St Diadochus of Photice: �The human intellect cannot rest inactive; if it is to be prevented from dispersing itself among a multiplicity of sensory objects, it must be provided with some inner task to satisfy its need for activity. For the complete fulfillment of its purpose we should give it nothing but the prayer �Lord Jesus...� Let it continually concentrate on these words within its inner shrine with such intensity that it is not turned aside to any mental images.�
[148] R3 p193 Sts Callistus and Ignatius: �When we have accustomed our mind to enter within while inhaling, we shall have learnt in practice that at the moment when the mind is about to descend within, it forthwith rejects every thought and becomes single and naked, freed from all memory but that of calling on our Lord Jesus Christ. Conversely, when it comes out and turns towards the external, it immediately becomes distracted by varied memories.�
[149] R3 p192 Sts Callistus and Ignatius: �For the kingdom of God is within us, and for a man who has seen it within, and having found it through pure prayer, has experienced it, everything outside loses its attraction and value. It is no longer unpleasant and worrisome for him to be within. Just as a man who has been away from home, when he returns is beside himself with joy at seeing again his children and wife, so the mind, after being dispersed, when it reunites with the soul, is filled with unspeakable sweetness and joy.�
Bibliography - References
R1. The New Testament
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R3. Writings from the Philokalia on Prayer of the Heart, translated by E. Kaldoubovsky and G.E.H. Palmer; Faber & Faber, 1992
R4. Early Fathers from the Philokalia, translated by E. Kaldoubovsky and G.E.H. Palmer; Faber & Faber, 1954
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R6. Treatise on the Spiritual Life, by St Gregory Palamas; Light & Life Publishing, 1995
R7. A Study of Gregory Palamas, by Fr John Meyendorff; St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1998
R8. St Gregory Palamas & Orthodox Spirituality, by Fr John Meyendorff; St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1998
R9. Unseen Warfare, by L. Scupoli, edited by St Nicodemus the Hagiorite and, later, by St Theophan the Recluse; St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1995
R10. Prayer in the Unseen Warfare, by Jack Sparks; Conciliar Press, 1996
R11. The Inner Kingdom, by Bishop Kallistus Ware; St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2004
R12. On Prayer, by St Theophan the Recluse; Light & life Publishing, Booklet
R13. On the Prayer of Jesus, by St Ignatius Brianchaninov; St John of Kronstadt Press, 1995
R14. The Ladder Of Divine Ascent, by St John Climacus; Paulist Press, 1982
R15. The Life of Moses, by St Gregory Nyssa; Paulist Press, 1978
R16. In the Light of Christ: St Symeon The New Theologian, by Archbishop Basil Krivocheine, St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1986
R17. The Way of a Pilgrim, translated by R.M. French; Ballantine Books, 1974 â€" and The Way of a Pilgrim Annotated & Explained, translated. by G. Pokrovsky; SkyLight Paths Publishing, 2001
R18. The Art of Prayer â€" An Orthodox Anthology, by Igumen Chariton of Valamo; Faber & Faber, 1997
R19. The Macarian Homilies and Symeon the New Theologian, by A Hatzopoulos; Patriarchal Institute For Patristic Studies, 1991
R20. Merton on Hesychasm - The Prayer of the Heart, edited by Bernadette Dieker and Jonathan Montaldo; Fons Vitae, 2003
R21. On Prayer, by St John Of Kronstadt; Holy Trinity Monastery, 1994
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R24. The Vision of God, by Vladimir Lossky; St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1963
R25. The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church, by Vladimir Lossky; St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1976
R26. In the Image and Likeness of God, by Vladimir Lossky; St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1985
R27. Byzantine Theology, by Fr John Meyendorff; Fordham University Press, 1987
R28. Themes from the Philokalia, Volumes 1 and 2, by Fr Ioannikios; Conciliar Press, 1989
R29. Letters from the Desert, by Barsanuphios and John; St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2003
R30. A Method of Prayer for Modern Times, by Bishop Eugraph Kovalevsky; Praxis Institute Press, 1993
R31. The Way of the Ascetics, by Tito Colliander; St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2003
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R39. Inner Way: Toward a Rebirth of Eastern Christian Spiritual Direction, by Fr Joseph Allen; Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 2000
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R49. The Heart of Salvation, by Esther Williams; Element books, 1992
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R51. The Fathers Of The Church: Saint John of Damascus, Writings, translated by F.H. Chase; Catholic University, 1958
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