What, after al , is the nature of prayer? Is it worth the toil, concern and effort that goes into it? Let us examine the words of the holy Fathers for insight.
St. John Chrysostom says: “Prayer is a harbor in the storms of life, an anchor for those who are storm-tossed, the treasure of the poor, the security of the rich, the healing of the sick, the preservation of health.
Prayer banishes evil things, and preserves the good.” And the God-bearing ecumenical father continues:
“Prayer silences the passions of the soul, assuages the rebel ion of anger, dismisses envy, dissipates evil desire, withers the love of worldly things, and brings great peace and serenity to the soul.” The essence of prayer becomes clear from what it offers. St. John of the Ladder says that prayer is the means which unites man with God. The most ascetic St. Gregory of Sinai, who wanted to traverse the universe to teach everyone the benefits of prayer, penetrates the matter more deeply proclaiming: “Prayer is a pleasant fire for beginners, 'a light made fragrant when activated' for the advanced. Prayer informs the heart; it is the hope of salvation, the sign of purification, a symbol of holiness, the knowledge of God, the engagement of the Holy Spirit, the joy of Jesus, the gladness of the soul, the mercy of God, the sign of reconciliation, the seal of Christ, the ray of the intel igible sun, the confirmation of Christianity, proof of angelic life.” Serious obstacles to prayer are too much sleep, too much food, too much talk, and luxurious living.
These contribute to forgetfulness of God and a sluggish body, while making vigilance and exaltation of the spirit difficult. They do not help in purification and they confuse mind, heart and judgment, which should be calm, peaceful and in quietude during prayer.
How should I pray? When should I pray? How extensive should my prayer be? Questions such as these reveal an absence of fervent and continuous prayer. For the one who loves prayer intensely there are no bounds. He wil simply pray at every opportunity. Today's prayer is a continuation of yesterday's. And today's prayer wil be continued tomorrow. It is said that a holy man never used the dismissal prayer - “Through the prayers of our holy Fathers. .” - because his prayer life had no end.
Difficulty in making prayer a daily experience is indicative of a serious weakness in our spiritual life.
But, with recognition and acknowledgment of this weakness, we should not be disheartened. Rather, we should let it be a stimulus to intensified and more persistent efforts. We can learn to pray virtual y anywhere we may be, whenever we think of it. But there should be special times, in addition to church services, when we conduct our individual prayers. And, as Abba Isaac suggests for each monk within his cel , we must seek the most quiet place available for our prayers.
Once Abba Makarios of Egypt was asked how we should pray and he answered in this way: “It is not necessary to babble foolishly at great lengths, but to extend your arms and to say: 'Lord, have mercy on me as You desire and know best.' And if there is a war about to break out, say: 'Lord, help me,' for he knows what is best for us and provides His mercy.”
We have prayer with words, and we can also make our entire life a prayer, a sacrifice of consecration to God, a prayer without words, which is perhaps the strongest and greatest prayer. Let us sit, patiently, tirelessly, as permanent disciples listening to God speak. Ignorant, innocent, humble, poor, dumb before the al -merciful Father, let us beseech His mercy, His salvation and His salutary help with “ineffable sighs.” With a silent humble prayer, let us al ow God to speak in our life. Let us al ow Him to do whatever he desires with us, that we may become similar to the saints, His ever obedient children, and be restored to our pristine and original beauty, making His life truly our own life.
Abba Isaac says that when you approach God to pray, “think of yourself as an insignificant ant, a creeping creature of the earth, a leech, a stammering infant.” Abba Serapion says that the stance of people in prayer must be like that of soldiers standing guard, constant, vigilant, in a state of emergency and courageous readiness.
That great teacher of prayer, St. John Chrysostom, whose entire life was a petition, has this to say: “We must pray with ever vigilant attention. And this wil be possible if we understand wel with whom we are conversing, and that during such time we are His servants offering sacrifice to God. We must pray with contrition, with tears, with reverence, with serenity and great calmness. Our sins should not stop us from prayer. We should be ashamed of our sins, but they should not keep us from our prayers. Even though you are a sinner, approach God with prayer, that you may be reconciled with Him; give Him an opportunity to forgive your sins, which He wil , in order to reveal His love for mankind.” And the holy Father continues: “If you are afraid to approach God because of your sins, you are actual y hindering Him, to the extent, at least, that is dependent upon you, from expressing His goodness and the wealth of His providential care. Remove afar, therefore, every hesitation and doubt about prayer because of sin.” HOW TO PRAY
Compressing lengthy, beautiful and comprehensive homilies of St. John Chrysostom on prayer, we offer the following salient points to help the praying person. Prayer must be a systematic and regular practice in our life, with a pious and reverent stance, and with absolute attention. To pray as we should, with the reverence appropriate to conversation with God, we should be aware of the great benefit of prayer, independently of knowing whether there have been specific responses. The person whose prayer is truly a conversation with God is transformed into an earthly angel.
God does not ask that we converse with Him using beautiful words, but that what we say emanates from a beautiful soul. Prayer does not need mediators, formalities, or appointments at prescribed hours. God's door is always open and He awaits us. If we are withdrawn from God that is something total y dependent upon us. He is always near. We need no particular eloquence. He hears us no matter how softly we speak. He understands us completely even if we say little. Al hours are appropriate and al places good. And prolonged instruction in the art of prayer is unnecessary. It is sufficient that we want to pray; then learning becomes rapid and effortless.
It is the manner of prayer that is significant. We must pray with perspicacity and contrition – seeking spiritual progress, forgiving others and asking their forgiveness, being truly humble. Our prayers wil be received and heard if we are praying as God wants us, if we persist in our prayers, if we see what is profitable to our souls and the souls of others, if our motives are pure, and if we avoid focusing exclusively on material things.
And please note that al the prayers of the Prophet Moses and St. Paul were not heard by God, simply because it was not expedient.
It cannot be overemphasized that when we pray, our efforts should not focus exclusively on the idea of receiving. The objective of making our soul better is necessary and this too is accomplished through prayer.
The one who prays with this objective becomes stronger than the force of worldly things and is able to fly high above them al .
We mentioned earlier that prayer is obstructed by much sleeping, much eating, much talking and luxury. If these are obstacles to effective prayer, then certainly vigils, fasting, silence, quietude and asceticism are the wings which make our prayers fly higher.
Vigils are inseparable from the life of prayer. As there is no bird without wings, there cannot be a life of prayer without vigils. A night without the memory of God is like a garden without flowers, a tree without fruit, a house without a roof. The prayers best loved by God are those of the night: before we sleep, after we sleep a little and arise at midnight, and early in the morning, before dawn. In this way we dedicate the night not only to bodily rest, but also to the wel -being of the soul. By sacrificing some of our sleep, we give something of our own to God who sacrificed His Son for our sins. Nocturnal prayer makes our sleep sweeter because the words of prayer continue to be active and stimulate beautiful dreams. It is said that St. Arsenios the Great would begin his prayer each Saturday night just as the sun was setting in the west. He would conclude just as the sun arose to shine in his face on Sunday morning. That is how he measured his time of prayer!
A simple and frugal diet of fasting gives clarity to the mind and vigilance to the soul. A person who has eaten to satiety cannot pray, nor can one pray who is starved. One should eat just enough not to be hungry, perhaps a little less.
Silence is the adornment of the people of God who measure their words and do not use their tongue as a lethal weapon. The person who is easy-going with words may find it difficult to pray effectively. Loquacity confuses, tires and obscures. Silence concentrates the mind, gives rest to the spirit, and keeps it in constant readiness. Monks persistently search for the most quiet corner possible to set up their sanctuary. The objective is to have external quietude penetrate into the soul, for without inner silence and peace, external quiet is of no avail. When the serenity of the soul is accompanied by gratitude toward God, great results can be achieved.
According to St. Makarios of Egypt, guarding our thoughts and praying with much quietude and peace are fundamental to prayer. And, according to St. Ephraim the Syrian, the one who prays purely wil burn and banish demons, while he who prays carelessly wil become the demons' laughing stock.