On Prayer By Sofroniĭ (Archimandrite)

 

• Elder Sophrony Sakharov

  
  "It is vital to continue in prayer for as long as we can, so that his invincible strength may penetrate and enable us to resist every destructive influence. And with the increase of this strength in us comes the joy of hope in final victory."

Read the book...

The Jesus Prayer-The Prayer of The Heart

By praying with these words; "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me!", the soul responds to the loving call from our Lord Who bids us; "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door (of his heart), I will come into him and dine with him, and he with Me". Revelation 3:20.
Continue to read...

Holy Fathers

---

Holy Fathers
"Keep your mind on hades and despair not". The ascetic way of St. Siluan the Athonite as a challenge for modern age
The experience of hell is nowadays a concrete and very real situation faced by an awful lot of people who find themselves coping with all kinds of dead-ends, including many that they have created for themselves.
Nov 15, 2010, 13:31
Holy Fathers
From Time to Eternity, the Internal Mission of Our Church
The first among the asceses-virtues is the ascesis of faith. Through this ascesis the soul of our people must pass and constantly pass: that is, this soul must be given up to Christ without reservations and compromises, must go deeply into the theanthropic depths, and be elevated to the theanthropic heights.
Jun 14, 2010, 10:00
Holy Fathers
On the Love of Enemies: the Teaching of St. Silouan
Although it is natural and usual to love those who love us and to do good to those who do good to us (Mt 5:46-47; Lk 6:32-33), to love our enemies is distasteful to our nature. One can say that it isn’t in our power but is an attitude that can only be the fruit of grace, given by the Holy Spirit. This is why St. Silouan the Athonite writes, “The soul that has not known the Holy Spirit does not understand how one can love one’s enemies, and does not accept it.”
Mar 3, 2010, 10:00
Holy Fathers
Knowledge of God According to St. Gregory Palamas
So the purification which takes place by the grace of God creates the necessary preconditions for attaining that theoria which is communion with God, deification of man, and knowledge of God. The ascetic method of the Church leads to this point. It is not based on human criteria and it does not aim to make the person `nice and good’, but to heal him perfectly and for him to achieve communion with God. As long as a man is far from communion and union with God, he has not yet attained his salvation.
Feb 28, 2010, 10:00
Holy Fathers
Selections from the Path to Salvation by St. Theophan the Recluse
Having a firm basis in such an understanding, one may easily conclude that a cold fulfilling of the rules of the Church, just like routine in business, which is established by our calculating mind, or like correct and dignified behavior and honesty in conduct, is not a decisive indicator that the true Christian life is present in us. All this is good, but as long as it does not bear in itself the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, it has no value at all before God.
Jan 23, 2010, 10:00
Holy Fathers
Fear evil like fire
A real Christian doesn't have any reason to be angry about anybody. Anger is the devil's deed. A Christian should have only love inside and since love doesn't boast, he shouldn't boast or have any bad thoughts towards others. For example, I must not think about another person that he is evil, proud etc; and I must not think that if I forgive his offense he would laugh at me or upset me again. We must not let evil hide in us under any pretense. Evil and anger usually have many different veils.


Jul 28, 2009, 10:00
Holy Fathers
My Life in Christ - St. John of Kronstadt
St. John's diary, My Life In Christ, has been called a manual of weapon training for this warfare which every Christian must fight in order to reach the heavenly homeland. In the following excerpts from this diary may be seen not only the emphasis which Saint John placed on true prayer as the greatest weapon of every Christian and his deep understanding of the human soul, but also the very practical aspect of his teaching which is of such value to Christians today.
May 21, 2009, 10:00
Holy Fathers
The Holy Fathers of Orthodox Spirituality
We must face squarely a painful but necessary truth: a person who is seriously reading the Holy Fathers and who is struggling according to his strength (even if on a very primitive level) to lead an Orthodox spiritual life—must be out of step with the times, must be a stranger to the atmosphere of contemporary "religious" movements and discussions, must be consciously striving to lead a life quite different from that reflected in almost all "Orthodox" books and periodicals today.
May 13, 2009, 10:00
Holy Fathers
The Holy Fathers of Orthodox Spirituality
Different Patristic books on the spiritual life are suitable for Orthodox Christians in different conditions of life: that which is suitable especially for solitaries is not directly applicable to monks living the common life; that which applies to monks in general will not be directly relevant for laymen; and in every condition, the spiritual food which is suitable for those with some experience may be entirely indigestible for beginners.
May 7, 2009, 10:00
Holy Fathers
Saint Patriarch Tikhon - His Missionary Legacy to Orthodox America
"But who is to work for the spread of the Orthodox Faith for the increase of the children of the Orthodox Church? Pastors and missionaries, you answer. You are right; but are they to be alone? St. Paul wisely compares the Church of Christ to a body, and the life of a body is shared by all the members. So it ought to be in the life of the Church also...The spread of Christ's faith ought to be near and precious to the heart of every. Christian In this work every member of the Church ought to take a lively and heartfelt interest...''
Apr 7, 2009, 10:00
Holy Fathers
About the World Crisis
In earlier times Europeans used the word “judgement” instead of the word “crisis” to explain the reason for any disaster. Nowadays the word “judgement” has been replaced with the word “crisis” and a once intelligible word has now become unintelligible. Whatever disaster occurred in the past – wars, droughts, floods, epidemics, earthquakes, plague of locusts, people used to exclaim, “God’s judgment!”. Therefore the crisis was due to droughts, floods, wars or epidemics. The current financial economic catastrophe is also looked upon as God’s Judgement, but is called “crisis” instead of “judgement”.
Feb 27, 2009, 10:00
Holy Fathers
"Prayer without Ceasing" is necessary for all Christians
At first it may appear very difficult to you, but be assured, as it were from Almighty God, that this very name of our Lord Jesus Christ, constantly invoked by you, will help you to overcome all difficulties, and in the course of time you will become used to this practice and will taste how sweet is the name of the Lord. Then you will learn by experience that this practice is not impossible and not difficult, but both possible and easy.
Dec 20, 2008, 10:00
Holy Fathers
The Holy Fathers
Because many people think that Christ's Church somehow "died out," or, as even many Protestants believe, that it apostasized during the first century after Christ (as if such a thing were really possible considering Christ's promise to be with His Church "even unto the end of the ages" (Matt. 25:20), I would like to share with you a glimpse of the early Church as seen in the lives and writings of Holy Fathers, from the time of the Apostles until about 200 A.D. roughly three generations.
Aug 23, 2008, 10:00
Holy Fathers
BE CAREFUL! WATCH!
If we turn our attention to our mind, we notice a torrent of successive thoughts and ideas. This torrent is uninterrupted; it is racing everywhere and at all times: at home, in church, at work, when we read, when we converse. It is usually called thinking, writes Bishop Theophan the Recluse, but in fact it is a disturbance of the mind, a scattering, a lack of concentration and attention.
Aug 8, 2008, 10:00
Holy Fathers
THIS WAS FROM ME
I am your God, the circumstances of your life are in My hands; you did not end up in your position by chance; this is precisely the position I have appointed for you. Weren't you asking Me to teach you humility? And there - I placed you precisely in the "school" where they teach this lesson. Your environment, and those who are around you, are performing My will. Do you have financial difficulties and can just barely survive? Know that This was from Me.
Jul 31, 2008, 10:00
Holy Fathers
No Impossible Deed Should Be Undertaken… Advice of the Elder Alexiy Mechev
No matter what sin you committed, repent, and God will be eager to accept you with open arms. Be like a child in everything you do: both in matters of faith and matters of life.
Jul 24, 2008, 10:06



http://www.pravmir.com/cat_index_31.html

The Innumerable Miracles Worked Through Prayer

By St. Nikolai Velimirovich

This is how Valerian begins the biography of his companion, St. Pontius: "Who can believe, if God does not grant it? Who can lead a life of asceticism, if the Lord does not help? Who can receive the wreath of martyrdom, if Christ does not give it?" God can do all and God wills all that is for the salvation of men, if only men pray to Him. By prayer, St. Nonna converted her husband Gregory and her son, Gregory the Theologian, to Christianity. By prayer, Monica brought Augustine back from a wayward life to the path of good works and faith. By prayer, St. Basil converted his teacher Evulios. By prayer, King Hezekiah prolonged his life for fifteen years. By prayer, St. Simeon the Stylite turned back the Persians and Scythians that they not attack the land of Greece with an army already prepared. Furthermore, all the stars in the heavens will be more readily counted then all the miracles worked on earth by prayer. 

 

http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2011/08/innumerable-miracles-worked-through.html

On Preserving Peace Within Our Soul

By St. Silouan the Athonite

It is impossible for us to preserve peace of soul if we do not guard our mind. If someone wishes to have peace of soul, he must be abstemious, because peace is also expelled on account of our body. You must not be curious; avoid reading newspapers and worldly books, which desolate the soul and bring about listlessness and disturbance. Do not judge others, because it is often the case that people condemn a person without knowing him, while he is similar to the Angels in mind. Do not desire to know other people’s affairs, but only your own. Take care only to entrust yourself in the Elders, and then, on account of your obedience, the Lord will help you by His Grace.

The Grace of God in the coenobium primarily withdraws because we have not learned to love our brother according to the Lord’s commandment. If a brother affronts you, and at that moment you accept thoughts of anger and hatred against him, then you will feel that Grace has left you and your peace has been lost. For the sake of peace of soul, the soul should learn to love the person that has affronted it, and to pray immediately for him. It is not possible for the soul to have peace, if it does not ask the Lord with all its strength for the gift of loving all people. The Lord said: “Love your enemies,” and if we do not love our enemies, we will not have peace in our souls.

It is necessary to acquire obedience, humility, and love, or else all of our great ascetic feats and vigils will prove to be in vain. A certain Elder saw this vision: A person was pouring water into a basin with a perforated bottom. The man went to great efforts, but the water continuously ran out, and the basin remained empty. In a like manner, we live ascetically, but neglecting a certain virtue, the soul remains empty.

Source: Archimandrite Sophrony, St. Silouan the Athonite (1866-1938), The Writings of St. Silouan, 6th edition (Essex: Monastery of the Venerable Forerunner, 1995), pp. 518-519.

 
  

 

 

http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/ 

unceasing practice of the Jesus Prayer…

 

In Optina, during the time of Elder Macarius, there was a monk who often came to the Elder for advice, obviously with a sincere desire for correction.  The Elder told him that the closest path to perfection is the unceasing practice of the Jesus Prayer.

“Why that prayer in particular, Batiushka?” objected the monk. “After all, there’s nothing said about it in the Gospels.”

“And do you read the Gospels?”

“Of course – a chapter a day.”

“Well, if you read them, then you must remember the words of the Savior, ‘In My Name shall they cast out devils’.”

The monk began to practice the Jesus Prayer.  Some time later he again came to Fr. Macarius with sorrow.

“Well, what is it, brother?”  asked the Elder.

“I’m doing the Jesus Prayer, Father, but what kind of benefit can there be from it if I pronounce it only with my lips, not understanding what I’m saying?  My mind keeps running off.”

“You may not understand,” said the Elder, “but then again, the demons understand and tremble.  Be at peace, brother, and continue the Prayer according to your strength.”

A little time went by after this conversation and the monk came to see the Elder.  With joy he informed him that the Jesus Prayer had revealed the mysteries of God to him.
The Elder said to him, “Don’t pay attention to it and don’t attach any importance to it.”

Soon the monk again informed Fr. Macarius about those spiritual gifts which the Jesus Prayer grants one, and again the Elder forbade him to attach any meaning to it.  But to others Fr. Macarius reported what a great mercy of God the brother had been make worthy of in such a short time.  They objected, “But so-and-so has been doing the Jesus Prayer for many years and has no revelations.  What’s the cause of this?”

“A lack of humility,” said the Elder.
spotted in the Bulletin of Holy Theophany Orthodox Church 

http://thehandmaid.wordpress.com/2011/10/03/unceasing-practice-of-the-jesus-prayer/

… la principal labor de los Padres era traer a la memoria el recuerdo de Dios o la presencia de Dios en todos los momentos de vigilia a través de la articulación, vocal o mentalmente, de una frase breve…

Fragmentos sobre interiorización:
… reduciendo todos los cuidados únicamente al absolutamente esencial: la ocupación evangélica de buscar el Reino de Dios. Esta lucha interior por vivir únicamente para Dios se plasmaba en una vigilancia o sobriedad constante del pensamiento. Cuando, a través de la atención interior, la mente o el corazón alcanzaban la hesychía o descanso de los pensamientos apasionados, podía contemplar a Dios incesantemente.
Que el pensamiento de la muerte te acompañe al dormir y al despertar, y con él la oración monovocálica de Jesús (monologistos Jesou euché). Porque nada puede acontecerte en el sueño que pueda prevalecer sobre tal protección.
… la principal labor de los Padres era traer a la memoria el recuerdo de Dios o la presencia de Dios en todos los momentos de vigilia a través de la articulación, vocal o mentalmente, de una frase breve… “la desgracia del hesicasta es la interrupción de la oración”.
“Cuando oigas que es necesario retirarse del mundo, dejar el mundo, purificarse de todo cuanto pertenece al mundo, debes aprender primero a entender el término mundo, no en su sentido cotidiano, sino en su significado puramente interno.
Cuando comprendas lo que significa y las diferentes cosas que este término incluye, podrás aprender acerca de tu alma: lo distante que está del mundo y lo que hay mezclado en ella que es del mundo.
“Mundo” es una plabra colectiva que abarca lo que se llama “pasiones”. Cuando queremos hablar de pasiones colectivamente, las llamamos “el mundo”; cuando queremos distinguir entre ellas de acuerdo con sus distintos nombres, las llamamos “pasiones”.
“Cuando la mente ya no está disipada entre las cosas externas ni dispersa por el mundo mediante los sentidos, vuelve a sí misma; y por medio de sí misma asciende al pensamiento de Dios”.
“Éste es el secreto de la -renuncia monástica al mundo-. No la denuncia ni la denigración ni la huída precipitada, la retirada resentida, sino la liberación, una forma de “vacación” permanente en el sentido original de “vaciamiento”.
El monje, simplemente, prescinde del inútil y tedioso bagaje de las preocupaciones vanas y se consagra en adelante a lo único realmente necesario, lo único que verdaderamente quiere: la búsqueda de sentido y amor, la búsqueda de su identidad, su nombre secreto prometido a él por Dios (Ap. 2, 17) y de la paz de Cristo, que el mundo no puede dar. (Jn 14, 27)”.
“Todas las paradojas en torno a la contemplación se reducen a esta: carecer de deseos significa ser guiado por un deseo tan grande que resulta incomprensible… es un deseo ciego que parece un deseo de “nada”, únicamente porque nada puede satisfacerlo… Pero el verdadero vacío es ese que trasciende todas las cosas y, sin embargo, es inmanente a todas.
Porque lo que parece ser vacío en este caso es puro ser. No es esto o aquello… El carácter del vacío, al menos para un contemplativo cristiano, es puro amor, pura libertad. Amor que es libre de todo, que no está determinado por ninguna cosa ni limitado por ninguna relación especial.
Es amor por puro amor. Es una participación, mediante el Espíritu Santo, en la infinita caridad de Dios… Esta pureza, esta libertad y esta indeterminación del amor es la esencia misma del cristianismo”.
“Debemos realizar cada acto como si estuviéramos ante los ojos del Señor y pensar cada pensamiento como si fuera observado por él… cumpliendo las palabras del Señor: “Yo no busco mi voluntad, sino la voluntad del que me ha enviado, el Padre”.

Citas varias extraídas del libro

“La oración del corazón” de George Maloney SJ,

editorial Sal Terrae – Santander 2009

http://hesiquia.wordpress.com/2011/10/02/citas-para-meditar/