About prayer. Holy Fathers on the Jesus Prayer (continued)

“In the most difficult times, it will be convenient to be saved by the onewhoever, to the best of his ability, strives in the Jesus Prayer,rising from the frequent invocation of the name of God to unceasing prayer"

Elder Seraphim Vyritsky

Venerable Seraphim of Sarov (1759-1833) taught how to say the Jesus Prayer: “When doing necessary things, from morning until lunch, say the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner,” or simply “Lord, have mercy,” and from lunch until evening - “To the Most Holy Theotokos.” , save me, a sinner,” or “Lord Jesus Christ, through the Mother of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

“In prayers, pay attention to yourself,” the ascetic advised, “that is, collect your mind and unite it with your soul. First, for a day, two or more, do this prayer with one mind, separately, listening to each particular word. Then, when the Lord warms your heart with the warmth of His grace and unites it in you into one spirit: then this prayer will flow within you unceasingly and will always be with you, delighting and nourishing you...” The monk said that by fulfilling this rule with humility, you can achieve Christian perfection in worldly life.

The hermit elder of the Gethsemane skete, Hieroschemamonk Alexander (1810-1878), in response to a student’s question “Why are so few diligently practicing the Jesus Prayer?” answered:

- They start a lot, but finish few. The Jesus Prayer is higher than all spiritual works. But if someone forces himself to diligently pursue it and tastes the sweetness of it through experience, he will then say: “Blessed is the person who practices it.”

Student. Father, how can you learn this prayer so that, having started, you won’t stop doing it, because beginners read this prayer with difficulty and reluctance?

Elder. You have to force yourself. Without self-force, you will not succeed in anything. It’s hard to go uphill, but downhill is easier; It is difficult for the blind until he receives his sight; and when he receives his sight, he rejoices and is glad that he has seen the light. So in prayer, although we will learn poorly and with difficulty, we will learn over time, if we do not weaken; it will depend on our self-compulsion. God's help is always ready to come to us.

Venerable Macarius of Optina (1788-1860) writes in one of the letters: “ Your grief over coldness towards God must be replaced by humility and surrender to the will of God, - and not be embarrassed, as the Holy Fathers strengthen us about this...

You write that the Jesus Prayer has left you almost completely; but it seems that you left her, she was not at all the reason.

Try, as much as possible, to engage in it verbally and in service, for The Lord grants prayer to the one who prays. But one should also not be embarrassed for not acquiring this sacred gift. Look at your absent-minded disposition and morality - the world and its vanity darken the light of the mind; and you and your sim are connected by strong bonds. If you are deprived of this much-desired gift of prayer, turn to those means by which we can prove the love of God - to the fulfillment of His holy Gospel commandments: love me and keep my commandments(cf. John 14:21) - among which you will find humility, without which not a single virtue can be favorable to God ... "

Rev. Ambrose of Optina (1812-1891).

Elder Ambrose commanded many, both in writing and orally, to pray the short Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

Thus, he wrote to one person: “May God bless you to leave the usual rule and constantly adhere to the Jesus Prayer, which can calm the soul more than performing a large cell rule. One of the former experienced elders named Vasily explained it this way: he who adheres to a large cell rule, when he fulfills it, is incited by vanity and conceit; when for some reason he cannot fulfill his rule, he becomes embarrassed. But he who constantly adheres to the Jesus Prayer remains equally in a humble state of mind, as if he were doing nothing, and has nothing to exalt himself with.”

Hieroschemamonk Nikolai (Tsarikovsky), confessor of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra (1829-1899) He also taught his new spiritual children to pray unceasingly, to breathe, so to speak, the mental Jesus Prayer, saying that it can be done without rosaries, but with humility and patience. That she has great power, that with her you can live comfortably and safely in the world, but without her it is difficult even in a monastery. It especially needs to be used when the enemy attacks and tries either through external feelings or through sinful thoughts to enter the soul. Even when he, taking advantage of a person’s inexperience or negligence, penetrates his heart and begins to powerfully force him to sin, acting on the blood, then only one prayer of Jesus, spoken with the mind in the heart with faith and love, can drive out this fierce enemy from the heart. patience and diligence. She, like a substance like fire, invisibly, by the power of God, scorches the devil and his demons, so that, unable to bear it, he leaves the person.”

Rev. Joseph of Optina (1837-1911).

Question: The Jesus Prayer, Father, is not working well for me. It seems like a simple thing that could be done everywhere and always, but no, it’s forgotten.

Elder: Yes, it’s like a simple thing, but it’s uncontrollable; I said it several times and forgot, I remembered, I said it a dozen more times, and again I got distracted. You say one hundred a day, but you imagine that you are going through prayer. That's why At first, you definitely need to go through the counting numbers until you get the skill…

Father also told me that the Jesus Prayer must be said separately, rarely; and when thoughts come, it is usually the devil who instills them in order to distract attention from prayer. But this is where you need to go deeper and more diligently into prayer, and your thoughts, that is, the devil himself, burned by the terrible name of Jesus, flees. And sometimes the enemy holds you by the heart and irritates you with hatred and condemnation.

Once the priest told me: “There are many who cry, but not about what is needed; there are many who mourn, but not about sins; There are many who seem to be humble, but they are not truly. To succeed in the Jesus Prayer, you must behave humbly in everything: in your gaze, in your gait, in your clothes.”

The elder said that the Jesus Prayer brings great benefit to those who do it; and you definitely need to get used to creating it. She will comfort you, especially during illness. If someone is accustomed to creating it always, then he will create it even in illness; and he will not be so bored; prayer will serve as a consolation for him. And if a person, being healthy, does not practice prayer, then when he falls ill, he will not be able to pray, as if he does not have the skill; and it’s hard for him. And therefore, while you are healthy, you need to learn and get used to prayer, and do it often; although not purely, you will still humbly pronounce: Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner! A hearts broken and humble, it is said, God will not despise.

Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina (1845-1913):“The whole world is, as it were, under the influence of some force that takes possession of the mind, will, and all the spiritual forces of a person. One lady told me that she had a son. He was religious, chaste, and generally a good boy. He became friends with bad friends and became an unbeliever and depraved, as if someone had taken possession of him and was forcing him to do all this. It is obvious that this extraneous force is an evil force. Its source is the devil, and people are only tools, a means. This is the Antichrist coming into the world, these are his forerunners. The apostle says about this: He will send them a spirit of delusion, a spirit of flattery... Without accepting the truth of love... The person remains, as it were, defenseless. He is so possessed by this evil force that he does not realize what he is doing. Even suicide is suggested and committed. Why is this happening? Because they do not take up arms: they do not have the name of Jesus and the sign of the cross with them. No one will agree to say the Jesus Prayer and the sign of the cross: these are such antiquities that have completely outlived their time...

We, believers, have a great weapon! This is the power of the Life-Giving Cross. Just think, it becomes scary for non-believers; they are completely defenseless. This is the same as if a man, completely unarmed, went into a dense forest at night; Yes, the first beast that comes along will tear him to pieces there, and he has nothing to defend himself with. We will not be afraid of demons. The power of the sign of the cross and the name of Jesus, terrible for the enemies of Christ, will save us from the evil snares of the devil...

Always keep the Jesus Prayer with you: “ Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” and open your thoughts... The Name of Jesus destroys all the devil’s attacks; they cannot resist the power of Christ. All the wiles of the devil are scattered into dust.

Performing the Jesus Prayer is very important... The Apostle Peter says: Be sober, be vigilant, your adversary the devil, like a roaring lion, walks around, looking for someone to devour.(1 Pet.5, 8). How, therefore, it is necessary to always say the Jesus Prayer, which is a strong weapon against the enemy! The Lord said: ...in My name demons will be destroyed...(Mk.16, 17). This prayer reveals to man the eternal Mysteries of God...

We have one sword - the Jesus Prayer. It is said: “Strike the invisible warriors with this sword, for there is no stronger weapon either in heaven or on earth.”

If you think about these words, it becomes scary that there is no stronger weapon even in heaven. " At the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of things in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.…

The Jesus Prayer is of enormous importance in the life of a Christian. This is the shortest path to achieving the Kingdom of Heaven, although this path is not easy, and having embarked on it, we must be prepared for sorrow. True, other prayers are also of considerable importance, and a person who goes through the Jesus Prayer listens to prayers and hymns in church, and performs the obligatory cell rules. And yet, it is the Jesus Prayer that, more than others, brings a person into a repentant mood and shows him his weaknesses, therefore, it brings him closer to God. A person begins to feel that he is the greatest sinner, and this is all God needs.

The enemy tries in every possible way to divert the Christian from this prayer; he fears and hates it most of all. Indeed, a person who always performs this prayer is preserved by the power of God unharmed from enemy snares. When a person is completely imbued with this prayer, then it opens the gates of heaven for him, and even though he did not receive special gifts and grace on earth, his soul will boldly cry out: Open the gates of truth for me...(Ps. 117, 19).

And so the enemy instills various thoughts to confuse the foolish, saying that prayer requires concentration, tenderness, and so on, and if this is not the case, then it only angers God. Some listen to these arguments and abandon prayer to the delight of the enemy.

You should not listen to tempting thoughts, you should drive them far away from yourself and, without being embarrassed, continue your prayer work. Even if the fruits of this labor are unnoticeable, even if a person does not experience spiritual delight and tenderness, still prayer cannot remain ineffective. She silently does her job.

During the stay of the famous elder Father Leo in Optina, one monk, who had been going through the Jesus Prayer for twenty-two years, fell into despondency - it seemed as if he did not see any favorable results of his work. He went to the elder and expressed his grief to him.

“Here, father, I’ve been doing the Jesus Prayer for twenty-two years and I don’t see any point.”

- What use do you want to see? – asked the old man.

“Why, father,” the monk continued, “I read that many, by performing this prayer, acquired spiritual purity, had wondrous visions, and achieved complete dispassion.” And I, the accursed one, sincerely realize that I am the greatest sinner, I see all my depravity and, thinking about this, walking along the road from the monastery to the monastery, I often tremble lest the earth open up and swallow up such a wicked person as me.

-Have you ever seen how mothers hold their children in their arms?

- Of course, I saw it, father, but how does this relate to me?

- That's how. If a child is drawn to the fire, and even cries because of it, will the mother allow the child to get burned? Of course not, she will take him away from the fire. Or women and children went out in the evening to get some air, and one baby reached out to the moon and cried: let him play with it. What should a mother do to console him? You can't give him the moon. She will take him into the hut, put him in a ripple, shake him... That’s what the Lord does, my child. He is good and merciful and could, of course, give a person any gifts he wants, but if he does not do this, then it is for our own good. A feeling of repentance is always useful, and great gifts in the hands of an inexperienced person can not only cause harm, but also completely destroy him. A person can become proud, and pride is worse than any vice: God opposes the proud. Every gift must be suffered. Of course, if the king simply gives a gift out of his generosity, then it is impossible to refuse and throw it back in his face; we must accept it with gratitude, but also try to use it profitably. There have been cases when great ascetics, having received special gifts, fell into the depths of destruction for pride and condemnation of others who did not have such gifts.

“Still, I would like a gift from God,” the monk continued, “then my work would be calmer and more joyful.”

“And you think it’s not God’s mercy towards you that you sincerely recognize yourself as a sinner and work hard, saying the Jesus Prayer?” Continue to do the same, and if the Lord pleases, He will give you heartfelt prayer.

A few days after this conversation, through the prayers of Father Leo, a miracle happened. One Sunday, when that monk obediently served food to the brethren and, putting the bowl on the table, said: “Receive, brethren, obedience from me, the poor one,” he felt something special in his heart, like some kind of blessed fire suddenly set it on fire. From delight and awe, the monk’s face changed and he staggered. The brothers, noticing this, hurried to him.

- What's wrong with you, brother? - they asked him in surprise.

- Nothing, my head hurts.

- Aren't you crazy?

“Yes, that’s right, I’m crazy, help me, for God’s sake, get to my cell.”

He was escorted out. He lay down and completely forgot about food, forgot everything in the world and only felt that his heart was burning with love for God and for his neighbors. Blissful state! From then on, his prayer became no longer oral, as before, but mental-heartfelt, that is, one that never stops and about which the Holy Scripture says: I'm sleeping, but my heart is watching...(Song.5, 2).

However, the Lord does not always send mental-heart prayer; some people pray verbal prayer all their lives. They die with it, without feeling the delights of heartfelt prayer, but such people should not lose heart. For them, spiritual delights will begin in the Future Life and will never end, but will increase with every moment, comprehending more and more of God's perfections, saying in awe: “Holy, Holy, Holy.”

The Jesus Prayer is divided into three, even four steps.

The first stage is oral prayer, when the mind often runs away and a person needs to use great effort to collect his scattered thoughts. This is a labor prayer, but it gives a person a repentant mood.

The second stage is mental-heart prayer, when the mind and heart, mind and feelings are at the same time. Then prayer is performed continuously, no matter what a person is doing: eating, drinking, resting - the prayer is still being performed.

The third stage is creative prayer, which is capable of moving mountains with one word. For example, the Venerable Hermit Mark the Thracian had such a prayer. One day a monk came to him for edification. In the conversation, Mark asked: “Do you now have prayer books that can move mountains?” As he said this, the mountain they were on shook. Saint Mark turned to her as if she were alive: “Stay calm, I’m not talking about you.”

Finally, the fourth step is such a high prayer that only Angels have and which is given, perhaps, to one of all humanity.

The late Father Ambrose had a smart-hearted prayer. This prayer sometimes placed him outside the laws of nature. So, for example, during prayer he was separated from the ground. His cell attendants were honored to see this. Lately, the priest had been ill and was reclining in bed all the time, so he could not go to church. All services, except mass, were performed in his cell. Once they celebrated an all-night vigil. Father, as always, was reclining. One cell attendant stood in front of the icon and read, and the other stood behind the priest. Suddenly he sees that Father Ambrose sits down on the bed, then rises ten inches, separates from the bed and prays in the air. The cell attendant was horrified, but remained silent. When it was his turn to read, another, standing in the place of the first, was granted the same vision. When the service was finished and the cell attendants went home, one said to the other:

- You've seen?

- What did you see?

“I saw that the priest separated from the bed and prayed in the air.

“Well, that means it’s true, otherwise I thought it was just me imagining it.”

They wanted to ask Father Ambrose about this, but they were afraid: the elder did not like it when they said anything about his holiness. He would sometimes take a stick, hit the curious person and say: “You fool, you fool, why are you asking the sinful Ambrose about this?” - and nothing more.

Previously, not only monks performed the Jesus Prayer, it was also obligatory for lay people (for example, the famous historical figure Speransky, publisher of laws, practiced the Jesus Prayer and was always joyful, despite his many different labors). Now even the monks are distrustful of this feat. One, for example, says to another:

- Did you hear?

— Yes, Father Peter began to say the Jesus Prayer.

- Really? Well, that's right, it will go crazy.

There is a proverb: there is no smoke without fire. Indeed, there have been cases when people went crazy, but why? Yes, they took up this prayer on their own, without blessing, and, having started, they immediately wanted to become a saint, they climbed straight to Heaven, as they say, and then they broke down.

(Father Benedict was recently in Optina. He had long conversations with Father Barsanuphius and when asked about the Jesus Prayer, he received the answer: “All servants of God - both in the monastery and in the monastery - go through the Jesus Prayer, only the labor prayer, that is, the first stage.”) .

However, even at this level there are up to a thousand gradations, and those who undergo this prayer rise, so to speak, from one ruler to another. But a person cannot determine for himself at what level he stands. To count one's own virtues would be pharisaical pride. We must consider ourselves lower than everyone else and strive to receive from the Lord those gifts that the Jesus Prayer undoubtedly brings with it - repentance, patience and humility...

Say the words: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me” It’s not difficult for everyone, but the benefits are enormous, this is the most powerful weapon for fighting passions. One, for example, is proud; the other is overwhelmed by lustful thoughts, it seems she doesn’t even see men, but is always in her thoughts for fornication; the third is envious, but there is no strength to fight sins, where can I get them? The only thing is in the Jesus Prayer. The enemy does his best to distract her from it. Well, what nonsense is it to repeat the same thing over and over again, when neither the mind nor the heart participates in prayer, it is better to replace it with something else. Don't listen to him - he's lying. Continue to practice prayer, and it will not remain fruitless. All the saints adhered to this prayer, and it became so dear to them that they would not exchange it for anything...

The Jesus Prayer brings us closer to Christ…

The other day a hermit-schemnik comes to see me.

“I am becoming despondent, Abba, because I do not see a change for the better in myself, and yet I wear a lofty angelic image. After all, the Lord will strictly punish the one who is a monk or a schema-monk only for his clothes. But how to change? How to die to sin? I feel completely powerless...

- Always say the Jesus Prayer and leave everything to the will of God.

- But what is the use of this prayer if neither the mind nor the heart participates in it?

- Enormous benefit. Of course, this prayer has many divisions: from the simple pronunciation of this prayer to creative prayer, but for us to be at least on the last step is saving. All enemy forces flee from the one who says this prayer, and sooner or later such person is saved.

- Resurrected! - exclaimed the schema-monk, I won’t be sad anymore.

And here I repeat: say a prayer, even if only with your lips, and the Lord will never leave us. To say this prayer, you do not need to study any sciences...

The action of this prayer is shrouded in the greatest mystery. Not in just the speaking of words: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner” it consists, but reaches the heart and mysteriously settles in it. Through prayer we enter into communion with the Lord Jesus Christ, we pray to Him, and we merge with Him into one whole. This prayer fills the soul with peace and joy in the midst of the most difficult trials, in the midst of all the tightness and vanity of life.

I received a letter: “Father, I’m suffocating! Sorrows press in on all sides, there is nothing to breathe, nothing to look back at... I don’t see joy in life, its meaning is lost.” What do you say to such a grieving soul? What must we endure? And sorrows, like a millstone, oppress the soul, and it suffocates under their weight.

Please note that I am not talking about unbelievers and atheists now, not about those who yearn when they have lost God - I am not talking about them. No, believers who have embarked on the path of salvation, souls under the influence of Divine Grace, lose the meaning of life. They do not know that this state is temporary, transitional, which must be experienced. They write: “I’m falling into despondency, something dark is surrounding me.”

I am not saying that such grief is legitimate, I am not saying that this grief is the lot of every person. This is not a punishment, this is a cross, and this cross must be borne. But how to carry it? Where is the support? Others look for this support and consolation from people, think to find peace in the world - and do not find it. From what? Because they are looking in the wrong place. Peace, light and strength must be sought in God, through the Jesus Prayer. It will become very difficult for you, darkness will surround you - stand in front of the image, light the lamp, if it was not lit, kneel down if you can, or even so, say: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!” Say it once, twice, three times, say it so that not only your lips pronounce this prayer, but it reaches your heart. However, the sweetest name of the Lord will certainly reach the heart, and little by little melancholy and sorrow will disappear, the soul will brighten, quiet joy will reign in it...”

Athonite Elder Archimandrite Kirik about the Jesus Prayer he said: “With this prayer (as with any prayer), you must have a goal or intention with which you pronounce this prayer, for God looks at the goal, at the intention, and without this He does not heed your prayer, does not accept it. So, this prayer must be said with a preliminary thought about that passion or disordered thoughts that at the moment of prayer or most often bother you. This is why we need to say a prayer, so that the Lord, in His name, which we call upon, would deliver us from the disorderly thoughts and desires that come upon us. And if there are no such disorderly thoughts, then you need to say this prayer only in order to surrender yourself entirely to the will of God. These are the reasons that prompt us to pray to our Lord; but for the prayer itself we must ask God for a blessing, otherwise there will be insolence on our part before God...

The Holy Apostle Paul said: “ Pray without ceasing“Give thanks to God in everything and do everything for the glory of God, for this pleases God.”

So, praying unceasingly does not mean standing in front of holy icons and praying all day, although you need to pray at a certain time; but this does not mean unceasing prayer, which is characteristic of those who have dedicated themselves to God, and especially of the monastic rite. For the rest of all God’s people, it is possible and should, for every task, as St. John Chrysostom says, to pray and, sitting at the spinning wheel, to raise the mind to God, and for every task.

...When despondency and hardness of heart attack us, preventing us from praying, then, in order to drive away such a state, we must say to ourselves: “Lord, I have neither tenderness, nor zeal, nor contrition to pray to You properly!” After such contrition of the heart, by the grace of God, a godly prayer will appear, since God will not despise a contrite and humble heart - He will not leave it without help.

The Kingdom of God does not open to those in whom Christ has not yet entered here on earth. And where Christ is, Who is the never-setting Light, there is no satanic darkness, and therefore you will not have boredom, despondency, or hardness of heart, but you will have in your soul a quiet joy in the Holy Spirit and Divine reverence and humility of heart, and where there is humility, there is salvation.”

Elder in the world Alexey Mechev (1859-1923):“You know your duty, and you need to fulfill it calmly and firmly. You need to read the Jesus Prayer. Just as a person always thinks about his favorite object, so he should think about the Lord and carry Him in his heart.”

“Father,” they say, “the Jesus Prayer must be read not only with love, but also with fear, but I don’t feel any fear.”

- With fear... And think about what the Lord has given and is giving to you, and how do you thank Him?

From the elder’s letter to his spiritual daughter: “I sincerely thank you for your prayers, it touches me very much that your prayer is inextricably linked with me, during prayer you feel at ease, and you want to love everyone, help everyone, want to do something nice for everyone. I rejoice for you - you too rejoice, this is undoubtedly the action of the Holy Spirit on you and your Guardian Angel, and in order to maintain such a mood in yourself, you often say the Jesus Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner and unworthy of such Your mercy. And for your every request, have mercy on me, a sinner– according to St. John of Carpathia – the secret voice of God answers: child, your sins are forgiven,- and he continues that at that hour when we say prayer, we are in no way distinguished from the saints, saints and martyrs, for, as St. John Chrysostom says, prayer, even if it is said from us, filled with sins, immediately cleanses».

Venerable Gabriel of Sedmiezersk (1844-1915):“Love of God and mental prayer unite us with the Lord. Love and prayer. Just as fire heats iron and it becomes equal to fire, so the mental prayer of Jesus warms us up, heats us up to the highest love of God... The greatness of prayer is the mystery of holiness. The means for prayer is infantile simplicity, the humble gentleness of a devoted heart, constantly turned to prayer, to God: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!Through this prayer people achieve the power of holiness. This is the whole secret of the saints - continuous prayer,(incessant) repetition of one great thought about the Divine (instead of many prayers). (Similar to) how, according to the Holy Church, the Angels constantly repeat at the throne of God: Holy, Holy, Holy!!! – and they can no longer fall away from God, so we (repeat) the Jesus Prayer. ...To become like the Angels, we must devote all our attention to the Divine, to be earthly angels and heavenly people. This is what the Jesus Prayer serves. We need to say it hundreds of times in a row, then thousands of times, and so on endlessly, until finally this prayer begins to sound in our heart and merges with its every beat. After long and difficult exercises in this matter, a person begins to feel how prayer passes from the mind to the heart and, like heavenly bread, saturates and fills it with indescribable joy. Here a complete rebirth of the old nature (man) takes place into a new creation, a complete transformation, a return to the beauty of pristine innocence and purity. ... The greatness and power of God is made perfect in our weakness, (see: 2 Cor.12, 9); you enter into communication with the Divine, and your nature is reborn.

The mystery of holiness is the art of art. And humility, and gentleness of heart, and humility, and obedient meekness are filled with all greatness. But above all, the holy work of the prayerful spirit in the Divine is prayer to God. Introduce a great thought about God into yourself and repeat it an infinite number of times. It's not the word, not the words, but the irresistible energy with which they are pronounced an infinite number of times. It will end with the fact that you will make this prayer-thought the complete master (in your soul), the mind - the king, the soul - the complete queen, and by the power of the Divine, prayer will gradually displace all indecent other thoughts, expand at their expense, deepen at the root and acquire extraordinary power , will become above all and conquer and destroy all evil, all mental and sensory enemies.”

Venerable Silouan of Athos (1866-1938):« Prayer is given to the one who prays, as the Scripture says; But Prayer only out of habit, without contrition of heart for sins, is not pleasing to the Lord.

A soul that loves the Lord cannot help but pray, for it is drawn to Him by the grace that it has come to know in prayer.

Many pray verbally, and like to pray from books; and this is good, and the Lord accepts the prayer and has mercy on them. But If someone prays to the Lord, but thinks about something else, then the Lord will not listen to such a prayer.

He who prays out of habit has no change in prayer, but he who prays fervently has many changes in prayer: there is a struggle with the enemy, a struggle with oneself, with passions, a struggle with people, and in everything one must be courageous.

If our prayer is pleasing to the Lord, then the Spirit of God bears witness in the soul; He is pleasant and quiet; and before I did not know whether the Lord accepted the prayer or not, and why one could find out about it.

If your mind wants to pray in your heart and cannot, then read the prayer with your lips and keep your mind in the words of the prayer, as the “Ladder” says. Over time, the Lord will give you heartfelt prayer without thoughts, and you will pray easily. ...Know the order of spiritual life: gifts are given to a simple, humble, obedient soul. He who is obedient and abstains in everything: in food, in words, in movements, the Lord Himself gives him prayer, and it is easily accomplished in the heart.

Continuous prayer comes from love, but is lost due to condemnation, idle talk and intemperance.

Some say that beauty comes from prayer. This is mistake. Charm comes from self-indulgence, not from prayer. All the saints prayed a lot and call others to prayer. Prayer is the best thing for the soul. They come to God through prayer; prayer asks for humility, patience and every good thing. Anyone who speaks against prayer has obviously never experienced how good the Lord is and how much He loves us. There is no evil from God. All the saints prayed unceasingly; they did not remain without prayer for even one second.

The soul, losing humility, loses with it grace and love for God, and then the fiery prayer fades away; but when the soul calms down from passions and acquires humility, then the Lord gives it His grace...”

Schema-Hegumen German (Gomzin) (1844-1923) taught the Jesus Prayer: “Be sure to read the Jesus Prayer: the name of Jesus must be constantly in our hearts, minds and tongues, whether you stand, lie, sit, walk, while eating - and always, always repeat the Jesus Prayer. This is very comforting! It's impossible without her. After all, you can say the Jesus Prayer in short: this is what the holy fathers recommend for beginners. It will be healthier and stronger. Remember six words: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Repeat more slowly: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner”- and even slower: “Lord - Jesus - Christ, - have mercy on me, - a sinner.” So good! Learn self-reproach: you cannot live without it. Here I have been living in a monastery for fifty years, I am seventy-six years old, blind, I can barely move my legs; and only because the Lord has mercy on me is that I see my sins: my laziness, my negligence, my pride; and I constantly reproach myself for them - so the Lord helps my weakness.

Prayer is the most important thing in life. If you feel lazy, careless, as you say, what should you do? That's how a person is! And you pray to God in full attention, simply, like children, say the words of the prayer to the Lord Himself: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” The Lord Himself knows that you are a sinner. So pray: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.” This way it will be easier, shorter and better to keep your attention in words. This is how you pray. May the Lord God strengthen you.

You must love the Lord. After all, the Lord is good! The Lord shed His Blood for us. We must thank the Lord for this; and, as children of the Father, beg to forgive us our sins. Pray standing or even sitting: after all, the Lord sees that you are small children and have little strength. He won't charge. Just talk to the Lord. After all, He is so close to us... Delve into every word of prayer with your mind; if the mind runs away, bring it back again, force it to be here, and repeat the words of the prayer in your own tongue. It will be good! For now, leave your heart and don’t think about it, such a prayer is enough for you. The main thing is that the feeling of self-reproach should be persistent, the feeling of one’s sinfulness and irresponsibility before God. Is it difficult? Say: " Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner."- and feel what you say. You say: "Scary." But can the Sweetest Name of the Lord be scary? It is gracious, but it must be pronounced with reverence. Bishop Theophan says: “We must stand before God like a soldier on parade.” And you need to reproach yourself not only for bad deeds. You may have few sinful deeds, but we will also be responsible for sinful thoughts.

If you don’t reproach yourself and don’t feel your sinfulness, you can fall into delusion. Here is one monk - I knew him myself, he still sells prosphora in one monastery. This monk, it seems, was still a novice then, and wanted to practice the Jesus Prayer without properly knowing about it; and started studying. He began to feel joyful feelings; and he thinks that this is already the fruit of prayer. And he becomes more and more arrogant. He began to have visions; and he is still consoled. And it seemed to him that sometimes he was walking in a wonderful garden; and so every time it was gratifying for him to begin prayer. Only once did he talk with someone in the know, and he was asked: does he delve into the words of prayer? And he didn’t even know that it was necessary. And as he began to delve into the words and reproach himself, so the comforting feelings and all sorts of visions disappeared; because it's all wrong. Stick to humility, self-reproach and simplicity!”

Elder John (Alekseev) (1873-1958) writes in one of his letters: “It is good that you practice the Jesus Prayer. The Holy Fathers called prayer the queen of virtues, for it will attract other virtues. But, as high as it is, it requires a lot of work. The Monk Agathon says: “Prayer until the last breath involves the labor of a difficult struggle.”

You perform 100 in the morning and in the evening, this amount is enough for you, just try to do it with attention; but don’t be embarrassed that you have a dry heart; however, force yourself; just keep your attention, as I told you, in the upper part of your chest. At work and in front of people, try to stand intelligently before God, i.e. to have the memory of God that He is here. If psalms and akathists move you more, read them if you have time.

We do not dare ask the Lord for unceasing and sincere prayer, which you strive for, - such a state is found in very few people; you can hardly find it out of a thousand and one people, said St. Isaac of Syria, and they come to such spiritual measure by the grace of God for deep humility. Don’t strive for warmth of heart - it comes without our searching and waiting; Our work must be in prayer, and success already depends on grace, Don’t look for more and don’t get excited. In spiritual life, leaps are inappropriate, and patient gradualness is required. You are still young physically and spiritually. St. Climacus writes: “Open the soul of a novice - and you will see the irregularity, the desire in him for unceasing prayer, eternal mortal memory and complete freedom from anger - such a state is only for the perfect.” The sign of prayer is warmth of heart and contrition of heart, and in order to recognize oneself as insignificant and cry out to the Lord: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner,” or in other words, you can pray as it is more convenient for you.”

Venerable Elder Theodosius of the Caucasus (1841-1948) instructed them to say the Jesus Prayer and said that if people knew what awaited them after death, they would pray to God day and night.

Holy Schema-Archimandrite Lavrenty of Chernigov (1868-1950) He himself constantly practiced the Jesus Prayer and taught the sisters. He indicated how to pray to someone by inhalation and exhalation. “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,” inhale, and “have mercy on me, a sinner,” exhale.

And to one girl (in response to her request to bless the rosary) he said: “Prayer is a good thing, an angelic one, and you hold your little finger with your thumb on the fingers of your left hand and read ten prayers: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” ", and then go to the nameless one and so on in order. And now you will have the skill to pray. The mind must be constantly directed into prayer, otherwise it wanders everywhere».
Elder Savva (1898-1980):“Do not think that the Lord does not hear prayer. He is the first to take care of the correction of sinners. Only people themselves do not want to struggle a little with themselves, to pull themselves up, they are fainthearted, they themselves do not allow the Lord to save them and help them. Those who combine the Jesus Prayer with breathing do very well. This means breathing the name of Jesus! Such a prayer will bring the heart closer to God, sanctify it, the Lord will, as it were, put a seal on it, where evil spirits can no longer enter. And when prayer becomes breathing, he is no longer afraid of Satan, for he is protected by Divine grace, such people feel that the Lord is always with them: saving, covering and delivering from the enemy. Grace so transforms the heart that a person becomes above the earth and passions. Such a soul does not look at anything on earth, but is completely devoted to God, because grace brings such sweetness, such joy that the soul forgets everything earthly. And we will force ourselves to acquire constant prayer.

You need to combine prayer with breathing like this.

Before lunch : inhale - exhale - have mercy on me, a sinner. After lunch: inhale - Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, exhale - Through the prayers of the Mother of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

At any time, in any place, during any activity in your heart, you should always cry out to Him, at least briefly: “Lord, have mercy!”, “Lord, help!” If we understand what unceasing prayer means, then it is easy for us to understand that it is needed to pay attention to ourselves, to bring us to our senses, because we are often beside ourselves. We are everywhere, but not in ourselves. Not in your heart, not in your inner man. Let us constantly force ourselves to acquire constant prayer, and through it all the virtues.

After communion of the Mysteries of Christ, you must certainly read the Jesus Prayer in order to maintain grace, preferring this heartfelt prayer to reading books and especially conversations with people, which only lead to condemnation.”

From the memories of the elder’s spiritual children:

Father believed that it would be good not to talk about worldly affairs, except for what is necessary, and asked everyone to constantly remain in prayer: “After all, we still need to breathe, so, it would be good to say as we inhale: “Lord,” and as we exhale: “Have mercy.” " Inhale the Lord and exhale everything unclean and sinful from yourself.”

“It’s hard to study, it’s even harder to pray, but what to do?” You need to work, force yourself to pray. You can pray standing, sitting, walking along the road, lying down...

“At first, prayer is felt in the lips, then in the larynx, and then closer and closer to the heart. And when the prayer of the heart is established, then no one and nothing will interfere with the person. Prayer seems to happen on its own in his heart. At the same time, you experience indescribable sweetness!

Hegumen Nikon Vorobyov (1894-1963) in letters to his spiritual children he writes about the Jesus Prayer: “When they arise (thoughts inspired by the enemy), constantly say: “Lord have mercy” or the Jesus Prayer. Most often, the first prayer until these demonic suggestions disappear. Remember the words: Bypassed, bypassed me(demons), and in the name of the Lord I resisted them. They treated me like bees on a honeycomb, and in the name of the Lord I resisted them. Everyone should do this. We cannot do anything with our strength. We must be humble in everything.

In a state of complete cooling and darkening of the soul, it is imperative to follow the rule, despite the coldness, distraction, etc. “Give blood and receive spirit”...

The Lord said: The Kingdom of God is within you. That is why the Holy Fathers so persistently instruct everyone, if possible, to always say the Jesus Prayer. Through it a person enters into himself . I am writing about this now because During long church services, especially during Lenten, it is very convenient and easy to say the Jesus Prayer and create for a long time. The devil does his best to divert a person from this activity. You need to know this and resist it, and force yourself to this wondrous prayer.”

Schema nun Antonia (Kaveshnikova) (1904-1998):“Shut your mouth better, seven locks, as the holy fathers say, know your business: say the Jesus Prayer, how much good it brings in life. Silence is an Angel's Prayer. It cannot compare with our human prayer. Keep quiet more and listen more, because from her (Angel's prayer) help in everything! “My tongue is my enemy,” it is true. He brings so much evil and disorder in life.”

“I am very grateful to you, father, for these convincing explanations.” Until now I have tried to follow your thought. I tried to understand the stages of the Jesus Prayer, i.e. how this sacred work develops. But I would like to ask. Is it easy? Or is struggle and effort needed? If the Kingdom of God “is in need and the needy women delight it” (Matthew 11:12), then, probably, compulsion is also necessary in the Jesus Prayer, because with its help alone one can become a partaker of the Kingdom of God, for the contemplation of the Uncreated Light, as I read from the saint Gregory Palamas, is the Kingdom of Heaven. How is the struggle carried out?

“Of course, a struggle is necessary,” answered the wise saint, “and the ascetic must shed a lot of blood.” The saying of the fathers: “Give blood, receive spirit” perfectly confirms this. Without a struggle, Adam also lost paradise, although he contemplated God. Moreover, it is required of us to acquire Divine grace. Those who preach that struggle is unnecessary are mistaken. Saint Maximus says: “Knowledge without practice is demonic theology.” Before the Fall, prayer was performed easily, like the incessant praise of the Angels. However, after the fall, struggle and labor are required, through which the righteous in the Kingdom of God return to their former state.

- I would really like you to describe this struggle.

— The first and intense struggle is to gather a person’s mind. Refuse from surrounding objects, circumstances, events, states, thoughts - not only bad, but also good. For the mind that moves away from God dies and decays, like a fish thrown out of the sea, out of the water. Saint Isaac the Syrian speaks about this: “As it happens to a fish deprived of water, so it happens to a mind deprived of the memory of God and floating in the memory of the world.” The mind after the Fall resembles a dog that strives to run all the time and is unusually agile in running. He resembles the prodigal son in the parable, who wanted to leave his father’s house, took his property (desire - will) and squandered and squandered it, “living dissolutely.” This is what the fathers say, and above all Saint Gregory Palamas (as mentioned earlier), who labored in internal work.

- Wonderful idea! - I exclaimed. - But how can you concentrate?

- Just like it happened with the prodigal son. What do we read in the relevant passage? “When he came to his senses, he said: “How many of my father’s hired servants have an abundance of bread, and I am dying of hunger!” I will get up and go to my father.” He got up and went to his father... And the father said to his servants: “...Bring the fatted calf and kill it: let us eat and have fun. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” And they began to have fun” (Luke 15:17-24). And the prodigal mind needs to come to its senses from its absent-mindedness. Feel the sweetness and happiness in your father’s house and return to it, and there will be a great holiday there. And he will hear a voice: “My son was dead and is alive, he was lost and is found”; and the dead mind will come to life. Only when the mind returns to the heart will joy come - such as that of someone who was in a foreign land and came to his home, as Nikifor the Monk writes about. “Just as a husband who was away from home, when he returns, does not know what happens to him from joy at the sight of his children and wife, so the mind, united with the soul, is filled with inexpressible bliss and joy.” Concentration of the mind occurs when the heart is warmed. My elder of blessed memory, at sunset, tested his inner state and contemplated the images of nature, and then, when his heart warmed up, he began the Jesus Prayer and continued it until dawn, when the Divine Liturgy is celebrated. Then...

- Father, forgive me for interrupting. I didn't quite understand you. What does it mean to “warm the heart”?

“The example of the prodigal son will help you.” “When he came to his senses, he said: “How many of my father’s hired servants have an abundance of bread, while I am dying of hunger!” I will get up and go to my father...” I.e. he remembered the bliss in his father’s house and at the same time his own poverty and decided to return to his father. It takes considerable effort to compel the will and desire to return. This is why we pray the Jesus Prayer. We try to see our own sinfulness and poverty. We remember the day's falls. We experience various events and sins (however, barely touching them, i.e. externally) and behave as if we are at the judgment seat and the trial is underway. The Lord is on the throne, and we are in the dock. Having felt this, we begin to cry out: “Have mercy on me.” In this case, you need to cry, because in crying the correct prayer is performed. The Fathers say that anyone who strives for deep prayer and deep monastic life must learn to cry and live in constant self-condemnation, self-reproach, consider himself worse than everyone else, treat himself like a dirty animal, located in the darkness of delusion and ignorance. He must be the first to condemn himself, for he is honored with grace, as St. Basil the Great says: “He who condemns himself for his sins and does not expect reproof from others, that is, he who condemns himself before the sentence, will receive justification.” He who condemns himself first, says the proverbs of Solomon, prepares himself in this way to prayer. Saint Isaac writes somewhere: “Before prayer, let us fall on our knees, wring our hands and consider ourselves condemned.” Then thoughts of self-reproach will come. They can be new every time. When considering these thoughts, you cannot imagine them in images. And a truly repentant mind will descend into the heart, and we will begin to cry and continuous prayer will begin. Let me explain with an example from worldly life. A young man who remembers an offensive thought thrown in his direction by someone and thinks about it feels pain in his heart and immediately begins to feel sad. The same is observed with those who labor in prayer; but their motives are certainly not worldly and selfish. The ascetic says within himself: “I have caused grief to Christ, I have distanced myself from Divine grace” - and so on. Such thoughts deeply crush the heart. A contrite heart in a feeling of repentance (not under external pressure) is hurt and grieves more when the body suffers. This contrition constantly keeps the mind in the memory of God, and the “contrite” is unable to sleep even at night, feeling as if he were among hot coals. Consequently, the fourth, intense stage of the Jesus Prayer begins, when a contrite heart thinks about God day and night; this is called continuous prayer. It is achieved, I repeat, after several minutes of intense prayer with tears, and then its effect is felt inside for many days. It must be emphasized that the feeling of unworthiness is absolutely necessary for performing the Jesus Prayer. The greatest success is determined by the greatest awareness of one's sinfulness. Without such awareness there is no true prayer. Therefore, prayer must be combined with sorrow. And indeed, the fathers teach that the ascension to Heaven is closely connected with the descent into oneself. To the extent that we focus our attention on the depths of the soul, we will discover her secrets; along with repentance, the Kingdom of Heaven comes to the heart, and it is transformed into paradise and Heaven. Only with repentance do we gain the vision of the Kingdom.

— Are there cases when a person, having realized his sinfulness, becomes disappointed and gives up the fight?

- Of course, there are. If this happens, it means that the devil planted the idea of ​​sinfulness in order to drive us into despair. When we, having felt sinfulness, turn to God and in prayer ask for His grace, this is a sign of the gift of God, the action of the grace of Christ.

“In addition to the feeling of sinfulness,” the elder continued, “there are other ways to warm the heart.” Memory of death. “I think that these are the last hours that I live, and soon demons will appear and take my soul.” This thought, coming without images, causes fear and moves us to prayer. This is what Abba Theophilus advises; in “Fatherland” it is written how approximately we can think: “What fear, and horror, and trembling will seize us when the soul is separated from the body! Then a great multitude of opposing forces will come to us - the rulers of darkness, the leaders of evil, principalities and powers, the spirits of sin. And they will take a soul deserving of punishment and present to it all its sins, committed by knowledge and ignorance from youth until the present hour. And they will blame her for everything that she has done. What horror will take possession of the soul at the moment when the decision is made and it leaves the body! This will be the hour of violence against her when she sees what is in store for her. However, the divine forces will resist the demonic and will show her good deeds. And the decision will come from the Righteous Judge, andThen the upcoming soul will feel the fear and horror that covers it. And, if she turns out to be worthy, the demons will be put to shame and she will be taken away from them. And she, comforted, will rejoice greatly in her life, according to the spoken word: “And from sickness, sorrow and groaning” (Isa. 35:10). And, saved, she will go to a place of unspeakable joy and glory and settle there. If they find that the soul has lived carelessly, it will hear the terrible words: “Let the wicked depart and not see the glory of the Lord.” Then suddenly it will comeA day of wrath, a day of sorrow and violence, a day of darkness and darkness. She will be thrown into the underworld, condemned to eternal fire and will receive punishment for endless times. Where is her military glory? Where are the empty honors? Where is the contentment? Where is the peace? Where is the brilliant life? Where are the pleasures?Where's the pride? Where is the wealth? Where is the secular success? Where is father? Where is mother? Where's brother? Who can free the soul when fire burns it and it suffers so bitterly?”

Opposite thoughts are equally appropriate - about the sweetness of paradise, the glory of the saints and the great love of God. Especially on the day when the Divine Liturgy was celebrated and you partook of the Holy Mysteries.

- Father, the world, hearing such reasoning, expresses doubt and unbelief. There are many theologians and even clergy who disagree with them, claiming that they are not for the world and at the same time referring to the holy fathers. They divide the fathers into “fasters” and “social ministers” and prefer the latter in worldly life, since their teaching is more “down to earth,” while the teaching of the former (“fasters”) is suitable for monasteries. I don’t know how true such reasoning is.

— You have touched on a huge topic, which has many different sides and aspects and, therefore, requires considerable time. However, I can't help but offer a few general answers. First of all, my father, it is impossible to divide the fathers into fasters (or mystics) and social ministers, just as it is impossible to divide theology into mystical and non-mystical and spiritual life into monastic and secular (in other words, some teachings are given, supposedly, for the world, others are for monks). All the theology of the Orthodox Eastern Church is mystical and all spiritual life is ascetic. Consequently, all the holy fathers have the same thoughts, the same life, the same teaching. All have found the blessed state of knowledge of God, all have “put on Christ,” and the Holy Spirit lives and works in all of them. Therefore, fasting fathers are always social ministers, and the so-called social ministers are certainly fasting. The social activities of fathers are certainly the result of a feat. All those who are engaged in public affairs are not simply sociologists, or psychologists, or moralists, or educators, but theologians in the full sense of the word. They live first for God and then try to help man live for Him. So their social ministry is a form of theology, life in Christ, life in the Holy Spirit and life in the Church. Truly the Church is the place of Orthodox theology and theology is the voice of the Church. All fathers had the same traits. They were characterized by Orthodox theology, church consciousness and priestly and monastic service. Consequently, it is a big mistake to divide them necessarily into fasters and public figures, since such a division has enormous consequences in spiritual life and leads to blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

— Don’t you think that some fathers, such as Saints Basil the Great and John Chrysostom, who often preached sermons on social topics, were much closer to the people?

- Of course it is. However, as stated earlier, several necessary clarifications must be made. First, this does not mean that they did not live in tears, prayer and fasting. Those. their social teaching is inseparable from their inner life. The holy father cannot be dissected because sometimes he can be seen as a sociologist and sometimes as a moralist. There is a huge difference between a sociologist and a theologian. They are driven by various reasons and motives. Their anthropology is very different. Secondly, if some of the fathers preached sermons mainly on social topics, they did this because they received admonition from God to speak so to a specific person living in a specific country. We must not forget that the word of a prophet, apostle and saint is pronounced according to the maturity and spirituality of the people to whom it is addressed. If the word has some imperfection, this is explained not by the peculiarities of the approaches and way of thinking of the holy father, but by the inability of the world to accommodate anything more; not because the father does not know this, but because it cannot understand the herd. Let me emphasize that in many social affairs the spirit of hesychasm is clearly manifested.

To be more specific, I will dwell on the case of St. John Chrysostom, which you mentioned a little earlier. Saint John Chrysostom is considered a public figure; his works can be read by everyone. Many associate his teachings with various social and ethical problems, but do not know that he led a silent ascetic life in fasting, tears, sorrow, continuous prayer, and remembrance of death etc. If any of the silent monks reads his works, he will immediately recognize the hesychast father. I will quote to you a passage from his holy teaching and then make a few comments. He talks about prayer (the general teaching about prayer), its dignity, and the fact that in order to gain fruits one must have a mind collected in a heart contrite in a feeling of repentance. “The great weapon is prayer, an impeccable treasure, wealth that is never wasted, a serene haven, the foundation of silence, the root, source and mother of countless blessings - this is what prayer is, stronger than the kingdom itself... Prayer, I say, is not represents something sluggish and full of negligence; it is accomplished with raised hands, a grieving soul, and a collected mind. For, being such, she ascends to Heaven... So, let us warm our conscience, grieve our souls, remembering our sins, grieve not in order to be upset, but in order to prepare and be heard, in order to fast and watch and reach heaven itself. Nothing drives away carelessness and absent-mindedness more than grief and sadness, squeezing the mind on all sides and returning it inside itself. Anyone who strives like this and prays a lot with such prayer will be able to gain joy in his soul.” He goes on to say that only then will a person gain boldness in prayer when he is forced to consider himself worse than everyone else.

“This is what, my father, the greatest hesychast said,” continued the hermit. — Let's note a few points. Firstly, Chrysostom closely connects prayer with spiritual sorrow and a collected mind. To perfect prayer, the mind must be returned “to itself” from distraction. Secondly, for the effect of internal prayer to be effective, warmth of the heart is first necessary, as mentioned earlier. The heart warms up, the mind returns, and we indulge in prayer. Thirdly, this warmth of heart comes along with the memory of sins, with self-reproach, with the feeling that we are worse than everyone else - “lower than any creature.” Only when we live in prayer do we acquire spiritual joy, the grace of Christ. Do you recognize the hesychast father?

— I am amazed by the reading and analysis of this passage from the work of Chrysostom. I was impressed by the thought of the holy father.

- Can I clarify?

- Of course.

- This is not the personal opinion of St. John Chrysostom, but the teaching of the Church through him. We cannot talk about the thoughts of the fathers in such a way as if we considered them philosophers, sociologists, moralists, but we are talking about the teaching of the fathers as members of the glorious body of Christ, enlightened by the Holy Spirit. Living in the Church, we destroy the impersonal and through the action of the Holy Trinity we become individuals. And the mind is enlightened and becomes the pulpit of the Holy Spirit. Every great work in the Church begins with obedience. The fathers subordinated their freedom to God, changed and became instruments of God. And they lived and preached in order to help others.

- Thank you for the correction. Show me some love, explain one more thing to me. Earlier we said that if a desert monk reads the work of, for example, St. John Chrysostom, he will recognize the ascetic father. Why can’t we grasp this, but we consider such ascetics as Chrysostom to be purely public figures, far from inner work?

“This happens because the Holy Spirit does not abound in us. The Holy Scriptures, the works of the fathers, were written by those enlightened by the Holy Spirit and, therefore, are interpreted and become understandable only with His illumination. Anyone who has the mind of the fathers, in whom the Holy Spirit acts, reading any work of any father, will by the Holy Spirit identify a hesychast, a faster, a friend of the Lord. Saints are recognized only by saints, for they lead a similar life, have a common experience, the same way of expression. The words they use and sometimes the way they express themselves capture the grace that abounds in the holy father. Thus, if a person who has the experience of seeing God reads the prayers of St. Basil the Great, contained in the Divine Liturgy named after him, he will understand that the saint saw the Uncreated Light, although he did not speak about it directly. If the various patristic works are studied by sociologists or moralists who do not have the Holy Spirit, they begin to divide and isolate them. It seems to me that such an isolated, fragmentary use of the works of the fathers outside the ascetic spirit, in order to confirm our unclean and anthropocentric views, is the greatest heresy. When we consider a father outside of ascetic, repentant, etc. spirit, we share it. Every division is a change. This is what all heretics do. They use quotes without understanding them, without having the conditions for correct interpretation. Therefore, to implement today’s slogan “back to the fathers!” what is needed is not only a simple study of the patristic texts, but also an effort to imitate their life: to live in the Holy Church, in the Holy Sacraments and holy virtues, in order to cease being impersonal and become individuals, worthy members of Christ.

At that moment, a blessed novice appeared next to us and asked what to bring for me. The elder got extremely carried away and forgot to observe the necessary monastic duty of hospitality: to present something as a blessing so that you would bless it and at the same time receive the blessing of his cell. However, the conversation was so spiritual that the elder completely lost sight of the custom.

- Bring something to your father...

- What should I bring, father? Turkish delight, jam or something else?

Having given the appropriate instructions, the elder began to praise his novice. - I am not worthy to have such novices. The Lord, saddened by my sins, sent me angels. I have no novices, but angels who serve me. How can I thank the All-Holy God? This novice, who has just arrived, has the thoughts of a small child, which is absolutely necessary for those engaged in mental prayer, which we are talking about. The Holy Fathers teach that anyone who wants to be saved must become a madman (“We are fools for Christ’s sake”), that is, in the words of Christ, a holy fool or a child (“Unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matt. 18, 3)). Although we have all fallen into great sins, however, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, we can acquire spiritual adolescence and a child’s mind in relation to evil. The law of spiritual life is opposite to the law of life according to the flesh. In the carnal life, a person gradually ages from youth, while in the spiritual life, being cleansed of sin, which ages a person, he becomes young, a child.

The novice brought a dish with the blessing of kaliva lokum and some water. I took the glass in my hands and asked the elder for a blessing, saying:

- Pray that I become a child or a “madman”!

There are times when you cannot pray at all, when you become numb; then you feel the need to only ask for prayers and blessings. This is what you experience on the Mountain—you don’t pray, but you ask for prayers.

- Bless.

“The Lord bless,” they answer you.

Not “good afternoon”, “good evening”, “good night”. Almost the only other options of their kind are: “Good patience, wakefulness, good paradise, good end...”

In those moments when I asked for blessings and ate the sweetest delight, I said to myself: “Long life to the old man! Live so that we, sinners, may also live...”

There was deep silence. It was clear that the elder was saying the Jesus Prayer. He seemed to be in divine captivity. It was very difficult for me to speak. However, it is necessary.

- No, no, don’t say that, for we accept you as our brothers living in the world, fighting a good fight and having grace from the Lord.

- How can we compare our grace with yours?

- Nevertheless, you have greater grace than we, for “where lawlessness abounds, grace abounds” (Rom. 5:20). The Lord showers you with great mercy to keep you in His love. The Lord loves you more.

“I take this as an expression of your humility,” I said, overcome by his love and humility. - However, I want to return to what we talked about earlier. You pointed to the warming of the heart. The fact that it happens when thinking about hell, heaven, one’s sinfulness, and the like. Doesn't this create problems? After all, before that you said that we need to pray without images. The mind must be undistracted. Will such thoughts interfere with the purity of prayer?

“First of all, I want to emphasize that they are not thoughts... just thoughts.” This is not an imaginative, but a smart activity. We don't just think. We are living. For example, while thinking about hell and how it was the most suitable place for me because of my countless sins, I found myself in that pitchless darkness. I experienced its unbearable severity and indescribable suffering. When I came to my senses, my entire cell emitted a stench... You cannot understand the hellish stench and the torment of condemnation...

I became more and more aware that I was next to a holy elder who kept his mind in hell. I didn’t want to interrupt him with a request for an explanation...

- Warming through such thoughts occurs before prayer. For when prayer begins in the warmth of the heart, any thought on such topics is prohibited, and we try to bring the mind and heart into the words of prayer. In this way, the ugliness that the fathers talked so much about is achieved. The mind is characterized by the absence of ghosts and dreams.

Inner prayer is a feat. It strengthens the believer in his struggle with the devil, while at the same time being a mournful and bloody struggle. We try to concentrate the mind in the words of prayer in order to make it dumb and voiceless with every thought (no matter whether good or evil) that the evil one brings to us, i.e. so as not to listen to thoughts coming from outside and not to respond to them. One must completely neglect thoughts and not want to interact with them, in any way to achieve complete silence of the mind, since this is the only way to keep the soul in serenity, so that prayer will act effectively. It is known that from the mind thoughts are directed to the heart and disturb it. A troubled mind tripods and blows, Just as the wind raises waves on The sea, a whirlwind of thoughts, stirs up a storm in the soul. Inner prayer requires attention. This is why the fathers talk about combining fasting and prayer. Fasting keeps the mind constantly awake and ready for every good deed, while prayer attracts Divine grace.

In order for prayer to be attentive, we use various means.

Before we begin the sacred work of prayer, let us keep in mind that throughout its entire duration we are required to have ardent desire and hope with faith, complete dedication and boundless patience associated with trust in the love of God. We start with “Blessed be God...” We read “To the King of Heaven...”, the Trisagion. Then, with contrition and tenderness, we say the 50th Psalm (repentance) and immediately after it “I Believe.” At this time, we try to keep the mind quiet and silent. We warm the heart with various thoughts without images, as mentioned earlier; when it warms up and we may shed tears, we will begin the Jesus Prayer. We pronounce the words slowly, trying to ensure that the mind does not wander and followed the flow of words. They need to follow each other and between

thoughts and events did not interfere with them. After “have mercy on me,” we immediately begin “Lord Jesus Christ...”; a certain circle is formed and the interference of the devil is eliminated. You need to know that the devil strives in any way to break the coherence of words and penetrate the mind and heart. He strives to open a small crack, plant a bomb (thought) and throw away all holy efforts. We cannot allow him to do this... Let us say the Jesus Prayer loudly (with our lips) so that the ear can listen, thereby the mind will receive help and become more attentive. Another way is to slowly say a prayer with your mind or heart and after “have mercy on me,” wait a little until your attention weakens, and then start again from the very beginning prayer. In those cases when, to warm our hearts, we resort to thoughts about our sinfulness, it would be good to add the word “sinful,” as the fathers advise. That is: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Thanks to this, we emphasize what we feel. However, if the mind gets tired of saying the entire prayer, it should be shortened: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me”; or: “Lord, have mercy on me”; or: “Lord Jesus.” Also, when a Christian succeeds in creating a prayer, the words can be shortened. Sometimes you stop at the word “Jesus”, which is repeated continuously (“Jesus”, “Jesus”, “Jesus”, “My Jesus”), and then a wave of peace and grace will cover you. You need to remain in this sweetness that will appear to you and not interrupt your prayer. Even to fulfill the rule set for you. Retain this warmth of your heart and take advantage of God’s gift. For we are talking about a great gift that God sent from above. This warmth will finally help to rivet the mind to the words of prayer, descend into the heart and remain there. If anyone wants to devote the whole day to prayer, let him listen to the advice of the holy fathers: pray for some time, read for some time and then again devote himself to prayer. Also, when we do needlework, we will try to read a prayer.

By the way, the person doing the prayer is helped by the appropriate body position. When praying for many hours, the fathers recommend sitting on a bench, closing your eyes or fixing them on a stable point, preferably on the chest - the place where the heart is located. Saint Gregory Palamas gives the example of the prophet Elijah, who, as the Holy Scripture says, “went up to the top of Carmel, and bent down to the ground, and put his face between his knees,” and thus abolished the drought. “And he remained there, and the sky became dark with clouds and with wind, and a great rain fell” (I Sam. 18, 42-45). This is how, my father, through prayer in this position, the prophet opened the sky. Likewise, we open Heaven, and streams of Divine grace descend into our dry heart.

Later I read the passage quoted from the work of St. Gregory Palamas, which the elder pointed out to me. The philosopher Barlaam ironically called the hesychasts having a soul in the navel,” and Saint Gregory the God-Bearer, defending their position and activities, replied, “And this Elijah, perfect in the vision of God, bowed his head to his knees and thereby, with great effort, gathering his mind in himself and in God, resolved long-term drought." The holy contemplative father also recommends fixing the eyes as a good auxiliary means: "Do not move your gaze from place to place, but concentrate it on some supporting point - on the chest or navel; thanks to this position of the body, the sight, the power of the mind will return inside the heart.”

“Besides,” the elder continued, “the place plays an important role.” It should give silence and ensure external calm. Appropriate timing is also necessary. After a working day, the mind is usually distracted by many things, so the fathers recommend practicing mental prayer, mainly in the morning, for an hour or two before sunrise, when the mind is alert and undistracted and the body has received rest. Then we will reap rich fruits.

- If, father, the mind is scattered and I see that this happens often, what method can be used to collect it?

- For many reasons, there are fruitless days and hours when it is difficult to pray. Dealing with it at these moments is tiring and painful. However, if we are strong, the grace of God will help us. find prayer again; thanks to her, we will invariably become successful in our vision of God. I will show you several ways to help overcome these barren days and hours.

First of all, you must never lose courage. Then: at such times you need to pray mainly with your lips. It is possible that strong people (those with grace) have a gift and can easily focus their minds on the words of prayer and pray continuously. We, weak and sinful, filled with passions, need to make every effort and truly shed blood. We need, when we see that the mind is constantly scattered and wandering, to ask God for help. Just like the Apostle Peter,when he saw a strong wind and, beginning to drown, cried out: “Lord, save me” (Matthew 14:30), we will do the same when a storm of thoughts and negligence arises. What happened to the Apostle will happen to us: “Jesus immediately stretched out his hand and supported him.” Those.through fervent prayer, with the help of God, all these excuses, found in order to distract the mind, will dissipate, burned invisibly by the name of Christ. I repeat, you should not give in to panic in such cases, but you must continue to resist the devil. It should be the stronger, the stronger the attack of the evil one...

During the hours of prayer, one must also not listen to even good thoughts. For they excite the mind, and when excited, it also receives evil thoughts. So, good thoughts during prayer open the way along which the devil marches triumphantly, breaking the sacred work of prayer; and we fall into spiritual adultery. Therefore, the fathers say that a mind that moves away from the memory of God during the Jesus Prayer and wanders here and there commits spiritual adultery. He betrays God and renounces Him. Isn’t the greatest sin the betrayal and rejection of the Sweetest Jesus, to the joy of a good-hating and envious enemy?

Moreover, if we cannot concentrate the mind so that it does not wander, we will face a struggle and require even greater effort. A boat, my father, can float on the sea or under a sail (if there is wind), or with the help of oars (if there is no wind). So it is in prayer. It goes well when the warmth of Christ’s grace acts in us. In the absence of it, labor is needed to advance by oars, i.e. greatest struggle.

Then let's turn to our fathers for help. Let us read their books to focus our minds. When we feel tenderness while reading, we will stop it and begin to engage in the Jesus Prayer. So, in other words, it should be borne in mind that books are read with an attentive heart, and not with a dry mind. We will study books that are written with the heart and read with pleasure with the heart too. That is, it is recommended to read and at the same time pray the Jesus Prayer. Let's begin to pronounce various psalms of the prophet David, or we turn to psalmody. It is also good to select in advance several touching troparia, which talk about divine love, about our sinfulness, about the Second Coming, about crying out to God for help, and the like, and continuously pronounce them, but not sing them. Or read various touching prayers composed by holy fathers, for example, Saint Isaac the Syrian. I have already said before that in such cases you need to read aloud. And one more thing: if prayer becomes a burden, it is said using the rosary. Of course, then we have little fruit, but we should never stop even for the slightest rest from it. I repeat again that in these cases great patience and endurance are required. Perhaps the thoughts that come will be useful for us. We will use them for cleansing.

— Do they help cleanse yourself? Like this?

“When the devil sees that we are praying and trying to concentrate the attention of the mind in prayer, he uses all means to dispel it, he uses every possible means, resorting mainly to those thoughts that especially torment us. It hits a sensitive spot, causing us a lot of suffering. It inspires voluptuous thoughts in a voluptuous person, money-loving thoughts in a money lover, and ambitious thoughts in an ambitious person... So, according to the thoughts that usually come during prayer hours, we can understand our vulnerabilities, the impurity that is in us, the existence of passions, and we can direct our attention there and struggle.

- Father, forgive me for interrupting. I realize that I have little experience in the matter of the Jesus Prayer. However, when I put in the effort and do it, I get a headache due to fatigue; often pain occurs in the heart. What is this? What should you do in such cases?

— Headache and heart pain arise at the beginning of the feat of a believer struggling in spiritual work. Sometimes he feels like his head is splitting; likewise the heart. He has such a severe headache that he thinks he is dying. This pain (partly physical) is explained by the unaccustomment of the mind to such activities and the special position of the body. At the same time, a person often becomes the target of an attack by the devil, trying to stop prayer. Headaches require persistence; Regarding the heart, it must be said that it is possible,the believer began this work prematurely, using methods unsuitable for him. However, heart pain can help him, since it gives him a reason to concentrate his mind in the place where it hurts and perform continuous prayer.

- This thought of yours is very compressed; I would like you to explain in more detail, more specifically. Why is persistence necessary when the mind suffers?

- Because then its purification immediately begins. It is expressed in tears. They begin to flow like a river, the mind is cleared and descends into the heart. Sorrow and anxiety cease - thanks to tears that cannot be stopped, that cannot be explained, that no effort has been made.

He fell silent. I saw a large tear glisten on his face and illuminate it. I involuntarily shed tears too. His voice and bright thoughts awakened my petrified heart. I remembered Saint Arseny, about whom the Fatherland says: “They told about him that all his life, sitting at needlework, he had a piece of linen on his chest for the tears that fell from his eyes. When Abba Pimen heard about his death, he shed tears and said: “Blessed are you, Abba Arseny, because you mourned yourself here in the world. For whoever does not mourn himself here will weep forever in another life. Either here it’s arbitrary, or there it’s in agony. It's impossible not to cry”.

He interrupted me.

“You don’t need to stop right away,” he said, “as if emerging from a sea of ​​inexhaustible tears, as soon as any pain arises.” Because these thoughts are inspired by the devil, who is extremely crafty, insidious and cruel and seeks to destroy us, to put us to eternal death. The worker of prayer knows the tricks of the evil one and his plans. He whispers: “Stop praying, because you will go crazy, because your heart will hurt.” I’ll read you an example from Fatherland: “There was a certain monk who, every time he started to pray, was seized with chills and fever, accompanied by a headache. And he said to himself: “Behold, I am sick and will soon die. I will rise before death and say a prayer.” And as soon as it ended, the heat stopped. So, this is the thought the brother opposed when he prayed and defeated the evil one.” Therefore, the practitioner of prayer must overcome any sorrow...

- Father, I would like you to tell me more about heartbreak. I know that the fathers attach great importance to it and consider it as a convenient way when going through the Jesus Prayer. If you find it necessary, tell me any thoughts on this topic.

- What you just said is true. The fathers who practiced the Jesus Prayer, or rather, lived in it, passed through this stage and, therefore, attached great importance to it. This sorrow must come - this is certainly understandable to those who constantly engage in the Jesus Prayer. They attach great importance to it, because thanks to this sorrow we understand that the mind descends into the heart and, through the action of the Holy Spirit, unites with it; and peace reigns in the soul and body, the mental part of the soul is cleansed and thoughts are clearly distinguished. They can only be clearly distinguished when we understand their development and the result to which they lead. The hesychast, who outwardly commits no sin, is perfectly familiar with the state of the sinner. This happens because, as a result of ascetic experience, he knows well the passage of thoughts in the mind - its path and completion. That is why the following fact is observed: an ascetic whose heart becomes extremely receptive under the influence of prayer can, while praying for someone, almost immediately understand what state he is in. He becomes perspicacious.

But I will state everything in order.

Earlier we said that prayer aims at the unity of the whole person, that is, the three forces of the soul. You need to focus your attention in the heart, then the mind and heart connect. For, according to the fathers, first of all the heart feels the presence of God, the presence of grace, and only then the mind perceives them. The fathers first came to know God through life, and then theologized, defending their life experience. So, the heart feels the warmth and sweetness of the presence of the Holy Spirit. On the contrary, the absence of grace is recognized by indifference and coldness of heart. I repeat: first they love God with their hearts and then with their minds. The commandment of the Lord is clear: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind...” (Luke 10:27). Perhaps you know that reason is not rejected by the Church, but after the Fall it lacks the flexibility to comprehend God. However, when the inner spiritual sense develops, then he will be able to perceive God. The heart is capable of judging whether we fall or keep the commandments of God. Unity of mind and heart is achieved only through the action of the All-Holy Spirit. By repentance and keeping the commandments of Christ we acquire grace; and by its action the mind finds the heart and unites with it. This is an important step in the Jesus Prayer and God-seeing. This is why a person's heart must be broken. “God will not despise a contrite and humble heart” (Ps. 50:19). Of course, in order to bring the mind into the heart, many use various other methods, but it must be said that the safest is repentance. Therefore, it is very good to mourn your sins, have sorrow in the heart (sometimes also warmth) and generally capture heart movements and feelings. But this must be done gradually. It may happen that the sharp effect of prayer in the hearts of the weak and unrefined will cause a slight disturbance, which, although it will not have serious consequences, will nevertheless stop the prayer. In such sorrow, it is advised to say the Jesus Prayer with your lips. But, if the heart is able, it is recommended to listen to it even during grief. Of course, this remains to be determined by our experienced and spiritual father. This grief is healing, natural and saving. Many ascetics believe that they have a heart defect; they visit doctors, and they do not find any illness in them. This is gracious sorrow. She says that prayer has descended into the heart and acts there. This is a very important point.

— I have heard that many saints felt how prayer began to act in the heart at a certain moment; they felt well that she was a gift from God

at the request of the Mother of God. Is this true?

- Of course. Many holy hesychasts are well aware of the moment when prayer begins to act in the heart. And then they continuously create it, no matter what kind of work they do. It doesn't stop in them at all. Indeed, they perceive it as a gift from the Most Holy Theotokos. Saint Gregory Palamas, who prayed before the icon of the Mother of God and repeated: “Enlighten my darkness,” acquired the gift of theology. It must be said that love for the Mother of God is closely connected with love for Christ. We love the Mother of God because we love Christ, or we love Her because we want to achieve love for Christ. The Fathers put it well. Saint Herman, Patriarch of Constantinople, says: “If You had not interceded, the Mother of God, no one would have appeared holy... no one can be saved except by You, the Mother of God.” And Saint Gregory Palamas says: “She is the only border between created and uncreated nature; no one would come to God if it were not for She and the Mediator born from Her; and neither Angels nor men would have gifts from God except through Her.” We receive many gifts thanks to the Mother of God. Having given us the greatest gift - Christ, will She not also give others? Therefore, when praying, we must say not simply: “Intercede for us,” but: “Most Holy Theotokos, save us.”

— I would like to return to the question that arose in my mind when you spoke about the unity of mind and heart. The mind, having descended into the heart, remains there constantly. But, if this is so, how can a person work, perform his service and the like?

- First of all, the mind does not mix with the heart and is not abolished. He becomes perfect and returns to his natural state. It is unnatural when he is outside his essence (heart). Through prayer he throws away everything foreign. After the mind has descended into the heart, what remains, so to speak, is a small excess. With such an excess You can do other things without taking your mind away from your heart. For example, a hesychast priest prays out loud during the Divine Liturgy or says something appropriate when performing the Sacrament to a deacon or another priest, and at the same time does not remove his mind from his heart. However, if the “excess” of the mind is turned to inappropriate things, you can completely and completely cut it off from your essence. That is why the ascetic touches his rosary during prayer hours - in order to occupy this excess and not cause harm to the mind. You probably understand well that thanks to this “excess” the devil cruelly fights against us.

“Sweet is what is pure in the heart and

constant memory of Jesus and what is happening

from her is indescribable enlightenment.”

Elder Paisius's teaching on the Jesus Prayer, like his teaching on monasticism, is closely connected with the teaching on this subject of his teacher and friend Schemamonk Vasily. Therefore, we will first briefly convey the teaching about the Jesus Prayer of Elder Basil, as set out by him in the prefaces to the books of St. Gregory of Sinai, Blessed Philotheus of Sinai and Blessed Hesychius of Jerusalem.

Elder Basil begins his preface to the book of Saint Gregory by pointing out the incorrectness of the opinion of those who think that mental work is appropriate only for those who are perfect, those who have achieved dispassion and holiness. Those who think so limit their prayer to the external performance of psalmody, troparions and canons, not understanding that such external prayer is assigned to us by the holy fathers only as temporary in view of the weakness and infancy of our minds, so that we, gradually improving, ascend to the level clever doing and in no case remained with only external prayer. According to St. Gregory, only infants tend to, when performing external prayer with their lips, think that they are doing something great, and, consoled by the amount of reading, to cultivate an inner Pharisee within themselves. According to Saint Simeon the New Theologian, one who confines himself to the external practice of prayer cannot achieve inner peace and succeed in virtue, for he is like one fighting his enemies in the darkness of the night; he hears the voices of his enemies, receives wounds from them, but does not see clearly who they are, where they came from, how and why they are fighting him? According to Saint Isaac the Syrian and Saint Nilus of Sora, if someone wanted, in addition to mental prayer, to repel the enemy’s attack with only external prayer and external feelings and resist any passion or evil thought, he would soon find himself defeated many times over: for demons, defeating him in the struggle and again voluntarily submitting to him, as if defeated by him, they mock him and dispose him to vanity and arrogance, proclaiming him a teacher and shepherd of the sheep. From what has been said, one can see the power and measure of both mental prayer and external prayer. One should not think that the holy fathers, by keeping us from immoderate external prayer and turning us to mental prayer, are thereby degrading external prayer. It won't happen! For all the sacred rites of the Church are established in it by the Holy Spirit, and they all reflect the mystery of the incarnation of God the Word. And there is nothing human in church rites, but everything is a work of God’s grace, not increased by our merits and not diminished by our sins. But we are now talking not about the statutes of the Holy Church, but about the special rule and residence of each of the monks, i.e. about mental prayer as such a work, which, through zeal and sincerity of heart, and not just words spoken without attention by the lips and tongue, usually attracts the grace of the Holy Spirit. And not only the perfect, but also every beginner and passionate person can intelligently engage in this mental activity, guarding the heart. And therefore, Saint Gregory of Sinai, who more than anyone else and to the greatest detail has examined and discussed with the grace of the Holy Spirit living in him, the lives and writings and spiritual deeds of all the saints, commands us to make every effort about mental prayer.

Likewise, Saint Simeon of Thessalonica commands and advises bishops, priests, monks, and laity to say this sacred prayer at all times and at every hour and, as it were, to breathe it, for there is no stronger weapon either on earth or in heaven, he says he is together with the holy apostle, like the name of Jesus Christ. Know also this, good worker of this sacred work, that not only in the desert or in solitary hermitage there were teachers and numerous practitioners of this sacred rite, but also in the greatest laurels and even in cities. For example, His Holiness Patriarch Photius, elevated to the patriarchate from the senatorial rank and not being a monk, already in his high post learned smart work and succeeded in it to such an extent that, according to Saint Simeon of Thessalonica, his face shone with the grace of the Holy Spirit like a second Moses. According to the same Saint Simeon, Patriarch Photius also wrote a wonderful book about smart doing. He also says that Saint John Chrysostom, and Saints Ignatius and Callistus, being patriarchs of the same Constantinople, wrote their books about this internal work.

So, if you, objecting to mental prayer, say that you are not a desert dweller to engage in this work, then you will be rebuked by Patriarch Callistus, who learned mental prayer while serving as a cook in the great Lavra of Athos, and by Patriarch Photius, who, being already a patriarch , learned the art of heartfelt attention. If you are lazy to engage in mental sobriety, citing obedience, then you especially deserve censure, for, according to St. Gregory of Sinaite, neither the desert nor solitude are as useful in this activity as reasonable obedience. If you say that you do not have a teacher who would teach you this work, the Lord himself commands you to learn from the Holy Scriptures, saying: “try the scriptures, and in them you will find eternal life.” If you are confused, not finding a silent place, you are refuted by St. Peter of Damascus, who says: “This is the beginning of man’s salvation, to leave behind one’s own desires and understandings and to fulfill God’s desires and understandings, and then in the whole world there will be no such thing or place.” that could hinder salvation." If you are confused by the words of Saint Gregory of Sinai, who speaks a lot about the delusion that occurs during this activity, then this holy father himself corrects you by saying: “We should neither fear nor doubt when calling on God. For even if some have gone astray, having become corrupted in mind, know that they suffered this from self-indulgence and arrogance. If anyone seeks God in obedience with questioning and humility, he will never be harmed by the grace of Christ. For, according to the words of the holy fathers, the entire demonic regiment cannot harm someone who lives righteously and immaculately and avoids self-indulgence and arrogance, even if they raise countless temptations against him. Only those who act self-confidently and self-advisedly fall into delusion. Those who, stumbling over the stone of the Holy Scriptures, shy away from smart work for fear of delusion, turn white into black and black into white. For the holy fathers teach us not to prohibit mental activity about the causes of delusion that occurs, but to protect us from delusion. Like Saint Gregory of Sinaite, commanding those studying prayer not to be afraid or doubt, he also points out the reasons for delusion: self-indulgence and arrogance. Wishing that we should not receive harm from them, the holy fathers command that we study the Holy Scriptures and be guided by them, having brother and brother as a good advisor, according to the word of Peter of Damascus. If you are afraid to begin smart work out of reverence and in simplicity of heart, I am ready to be afraid along with you. But one should not be afraid of empty fables according to the proverb: “If you are afraid of a wolf, do not go into the forest.” And one should fear God, but not run from Him and not renounce Him.

For some, physical weakness is no small obstacle to doing mental prayer. Not being able to endure the labors and fasts that the saints did, they think that without this it is impossible for them to begin intelligent work. Correcting their mistake, Saint Basil the Great teaches: “abstinence is determined to each according to his bodily strength” and, I think, it is not safe, having destroyed the strength of the body through immeasurable abstinence, to make it inactive and incapable of good deeds. If it were good for us to be relaxed in body and lie as if dead, barely breathing, then God would have created us that way. If He did not create us this way, then those who do not preserve God’s beautiful creation the way it was created sin sin. The ascetic must be concerned about only one thing: whether the evil of corruption is hidden in his soul, whether sobriety and zealous turning of thoughts to God have weakened, whether the spiritual sanctification and the resulting enlightenment of the soul has not been darkened in him. For if all the good things mentioned increase in him, then there will be no time for bodily passions to arise in him, when his soul is occupied with heavenly things and does not leave the body time to excite passions. With such a structure of the soul, the one who takes food is no different from the one who does not. And he performed not only fasting, but also complete non-eating and is praised for his special care for the body: for moderate living does not inflame lust. In connection with this, Saint Isaac says: “If you force a weak body beyond its strength, you inflict double confusion on the soul.” And Saint John Climacus says: “I saw this hostile (womb) resting and giving vigor to the mind.” And in another place: “I saw her melt away with fasting and arousing lust, so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in the Living God.” This is what the story that St. Nikon recalls teaches: already in our times, one old man was found in the desert, who had not seen a single person for thirty years, had not eaten bread, eating only roots, and he admitted that all these years he had been prodigal. demon. And the fathers decided that it was not pride or food that was the cause of this fornication, but the fact that the elder was not taught intelligent sobriety and opposition to the enemy’s tricks. That is why Saint Maximus the Confessor says: “Give the body according to its strength and direct all your feats to smart work.” And Saint Diadochos: “fasting has praise in itself, and not according to God: its goal is to bring those who wish to chastity.” And therefore it is not appropriate for the ascetics of piety to philosophize about it, but to await the outcome of our dispensation in the faith of God. In no art do artists judge the result of the work by the tool, but they expect the end of the work and judge the art by it. Having such an establishment about food, do not place all your hope in fasting alone, but fast according to the measure and strength of yours, strive for smart work. In this way, you can avoid pride, and you will not disdain God’s good creations, giving God praise for everything.

And the Apostle Peter says: “Be sober, be vigilant, the devil is your adversary, like a lion he walks roaring, looking for someone to devour” (). And the Apostle Paul, obviously, writes to the Ephesians about heartfelt guarding: “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities and powers and against the rulers of the darkness of this world” (). The Venerable Hesychius, a presbyter, theologian and teacher of the Jerusalem Church, who wrote a book of 200 chapters about the mental invocation of Jesus in the heart, that is, about mental prayer, cites the following evidence about it from Divine Scripture: “blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” ( ) and again: “Take heed to yourself, lest there be a secret word of iniquity in your heart” (). And the apostle says: “Pray without ceasing” () and the Lord himself says: “Without Me you cannot do anything. Whoever is in Me and I in him, he will produce much fruit.” Our divine and God-bearing father John Climacus cites the following evidence from Holy Scripture about this sacred prayer and true silence of the mind: “the great worker of great and perfect prayers said: I want to speak five words with my mind,” and so on. and again: “I sleep, but my heart watches” (Song of Songs 5:2); and again: “I cried out, speaking, with all my heart” (). Our God-bearing father Philotheus, abbot of the monastery of the Bush of the Most Holy Theotokos on Sinai, who compiled a small book of priceless pearls of divine wisdom on guarding the heart, places the words of the Holy Scripture as the unshakable foundation of his teaching: “in the morning we slaughtered all the sinners of the earth” () and: “The Kingdom of God is within there are you” () and “the kingdom of heaven is likened to pea grain and beads and kvass”; and again: “Keep your heart with all care” () and again: “I delight in the law of God in the inner man: I see another law opposing the law of my mind and taking me captive” (). Our Divine Father Diadochos, Bishop of Photikie, in his word on the mental Jesus prayer, gives the following reasons from Holy Scripture: “no one can speak of the Lord Jesus except by the Holy Spirit” () and from the Gospel parable about the merchant looking for good beads, he concludes about prayer: “This is a valuable bead, which a person can acquire at the cost of all his possessions and have inexpressible joy in its acquisition.” Our venerable father Nicephorus the faster, in his word on guarding the heart, likens this divine mental act of prayer in the heart to a treasure hidden in a field and calls it a “burning lamp.”

Our divine and God-bearing father Gregory of Sinaite, who by doing this prayer in the holy Mount Athos and other places achieved the highest vision of God, who, with divine wisdom, compiled the Trinity songs that are sung weekly all over the world, who also composed the canon of the life-giving cross, gives the following certificates about this divine prayer from divine scripture: “remember your Lord without fail” (Deut. ch. 18) and again: “in the morning this is your seed, and in the evening let not your hand leave” (), and again: “even if I pray with my tongue, my spirit prays, my mind but mine is without fruit (); I will pray with my lips, I will also pray with my mind,” and: “I want to say five words with my mind,” and so on. He cites John Climacus as a witness, who also relates these words to mental prayer. A follower in the apostolic footsteps, an invincible pillar of the Orthodox faith, who at the Florence Council tore apart the Doukhobor heresies of the Latins like a cobweb network with the fiery sword of the spirit and the truth of Orthodox dogmas, the most holy, wise and verbal Metropolitan of Ephesus Mark writes about the divine Jesus Prayer: “It would be fitting to pray unceasingly, according to the commandment, and to offer worship to God in spirit and truth; but the disposition of worldly thoughts and the burden of caring for the body removes and removes many from the Kingdom of God that exists within us and prevents us from remaining at the mental altar, offering spiritual and verbal sacrifices to God according to the divine apostle, who said that we are the temple of God living in us and that His divine Spirit lives in us. And there is nothing surprising if this usually happens to many who live according to the flesh, when we see some monks who have renounced the world, mentally overwhelmed by the actions of passions, subjected as a result to great confusion, darkening the rational part of the soul, and therefore unable to achieve with all their desire true prayer. Sweet is the pure and constant memory of Jesus in the heart and the ineffable enlightenment that comes from it.” Our venerable father, the Russian saint Nil of Sorsky, who compiled a book on the mental guarding of the heart, uses the following words of Holy Scripture: “from the heart come evil thoughts and defile a person” () “it is fitting to bow down to the Father in spirit and truth” and so on. Another Russian luminary, Saint Demetrius of Christ, Metropolitan of Rostov, who composed a word on the internal mental practice of prayer, cites the following passages of Holy Scripture: “My heart says to you: I will seek the Lord; I will seek my face for you; I will seek your face, O Lord,” and again: “In the same way that the trees desire the springs of water, so my soul desires thee, O God,” and again: “Praying with all prayer and supplication at all times in the Spirit.” He, along with Saint John Climacus and Gregory of Sinaite and Saint Nilus of Sora, attributes all these words to mental prayer. Likewise, the church charter, setting out the church rules on bowing and prayer, cites the following words of Divine Scripture about this divine prayer: “God is Spirit; He wants the spirit and truth of those who swear” (24). He also cites the testimony of the holy fathers in that part of their teaching that relates to mental prayer, and after that he says: “here we finish the word about holy and sacred and ever-memorable mental prayer,” and then moves on to the one prayer that is holy for all, indicated church rites. Thus, by the grace of God, we have shown that the God-bearing fathers, made wise by the Holy Spirit, establish the foundation of their teaching about the mental sacred act of prayer secretly performed according to the inner man on the immovable stone of the Divine Scripture of the New and Old Testament, from where, as from an inexhaustible source, they borrow numerous testimonies.

In the third chapter of his message on mental prayer, Elder Paisios says that this prayer is a spiritual art. “Let it be known that the divine fathers call this sacred mental making of prayer art. So Saint John Climacus in word 23 about silence says: “if you have learned this art by experience, then you know what I’m talking about. Sitting on high, watch if you know how: and then you will see how and when, and from where, and how many, and what kind of thieves are coming to steal the grapes. Having become tired, this guard gets up and prays, then sits down again and courageously continues the first task.” Saint Hesychius, the presbyter of Jerusalem, says about this same sacred prayer: “sobriety is a spiritual art, which completely delivers a person, with the help of God, from passionate thoughts and words, and from evil deeds.” Saint Nicephorus the faster says about the same thing: “Come, and I will reveal to you the art, or better yet, the science of eternal heavenly life, which introduces its worker without labor and sweat into the haven of dispassion.” The above-mentioned fathers call this holy prayer art, I think, because just as a person cannot learn art on his own without an artist, so it is impossible to learn this mental practice of prayer without a skillful mentor. Its assimilation, according to Saint Nicephorus, comes from teaching to the majority and even to all; rare people receive from God without teaching, through the pain of doing and the warmth of faith.

The fourth chapter of the message talks about what kind of preparation one who wants to undergo this divine work must have. Since this divine thing is higher than any other monastic feat and is the completion of all labors, the source of virtue, the subtlest and hidden in the depths of the heart of the mind, the invisible enemy of our salvation extends over it the invisible, subtle and barely comprehensible to the human mind networks of its various seductions and dreams. Therefore, anyone who wants to learn this divine work must, according to Saint Simeon the New Theologian, surrender himself into complete obedience to a person who fears God, a zealous keeper of His divine commandments, experienced in this mental feat, who can show his student the right path to salvation. By humility, born from obedience, such a person will be able to avoid all the deceptions and snares of the devil and always practice this mental activity quietly, silently, without any harm and with great success for his soul. If, having given himself over to obedience, he would not have found in his father, who was skilled in this divine prayer by his own deed and experience, a mentor, for at present experienced mentors of this work have become completely scarce, then still he should not fall into despair , but continuing to abide in true obedience according to the commandments of God with humility and fear of God, and not in an arbitrary and willful life without obedience, which is usually followed by deception, and, placing all hope in God, together with your father, obey the teachings of our venerable fathers, subtly teaching this divine work and from them learn this prayer. And in any case, the grace of God will hasten and instruct the fathers through the prayers of the saints to learn, without any doubt, this divine work.

The fifth chapter contains the teaching of what this sacred prayer is in its quality and effect. Saint John Climacus in word 28 about prayer says: “prayer is, in its quality, the coexistence and union of man and God: by action, the affirmation of the world, reconciliation with God, the mother and daughter of tears, the propitiation of sins, a bridge through temptation, a fence from sorrows, contrition of battles, the work of angels, food for all bodiless, future joy, endless work, the source of virtue, the cause of talents, secret prosperity, food for the soul, enlightenment of the mind, an ax to despair, proof of hope, liberation from sorrow, the wealth of monks, the treasure of the silent, weakening rage, mirror of prosperity, indication of measure, detection of fortune, indicator of the future, seal of glory. Prayer is truly for the one who prays both the judgment seat, and the judgment itself, and the throne of the judgment of the Lord before the future Throne.” Saint Gregory of Sinai writes in chapter 113: “prayer is in beginners, like a fire of joy, emitted by the heart; in the perfect, like light, fragrant, active” and in another place: “prayer is the preaching of the apostles, the action of faith or, better, immediate faith, the manifestation of those who hoped for, the realized love, the angelic movement, the power of the incorporeal, their work and joy, the gospel of God , revelation of the heart, hope of salvation, sign of sanctification, formation of holiness, knowledge of God, the appearance of baptism, the betrothal of the Holy Spirit, the joy of Jesus, joy of the soul, the mercy of God, the sign of reconciliation, the seal of Christ, a ray of the mental sun, the morning star of hearts, the establishment of Christianity, the appearance reconciliation of God, the grace of God, the wisdom of God, or, better, the beginning of self-wisdom, the appearance of God, the work of monks, the dwelling of the silent, or better, the source of silence, the seal of angelic dwelling.”

Blessed Macarius the Great says about prayer: “the head of every good effort and the pinnacle of all deeds is to endure in prayer, through which we can always acquire other virtues by asking from God; Through prayer, those who are worthy receive communion with the holiness of God and spiritual action, and the union of the mind, directed towards the Lord, with ineffable love with Him. He who always forces himself to persevere in prayer with patience is kindled toward God with divine zeal and ardent desire from spiritual love, and, according to his measure, accepts the grace of spiritual sanctifying perfection” (Conversation 40, Chapter 2). Saint Simeon, Archbishop of Thessalonica, says about this same sacred prayer: “this divine prayer is the invocation of our Savior: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God: have mercy on me, and there is prayer, and supplication, and confession of faith, and the giver of the Holy Spirit and the giver of divine gifts , and cleansing of the heart, and the casting out of demons, and the indwelling of Jesus Christ, and the source of spiritual thoughts and divine thoughts, and the deliverance of sins, and the healing of souls and bodies, and the giver of divine enlightenment and the source of God’s mercy, and the giver of the humble revelations and mysteries of God, and salvation itself, because it bears within itself the saving name of our God: which name is the name that is given to us, Jesus Christ the Son of God” (chapter 296). Likewise, other God-bearing fathers, writing about this holy prayer, testify to its action and the ineffable benefits that come from it and the success through it in the divine gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Who, seeing how this most sacred one leads the ascetic to such a heavenly treasure of various virtues, will not be inflamed with God’s zeal for always doing this prayer, so that through it he may always preserve in his soul and heart the all-sweet Jesus and unceasingly remember His most dear name in himself, inexpressibly inflamed by it to love His. Only he will not feel an ardent desire to begin this mental exercise of mental prayer, who is seized by the attachment of thoughts to the things of life, who is bound by the bonds of worries about the body, which lead and alienate many from the Kingdom of God that exists within us, who by deed and experience has not tasted the ineffable divine the sweetness of this most beneficial activity, who has not understood what hidden spiritual benefit this thing contains within itself. Those who want to be united by love with the sweetest Jesus, having spat upon all the beauties of this world and all its pleasures and bodily peace, will not want to have anything else in this life but to constantly practice the heavenly practice of this prayer.

In the last sixth chapter of his letter, Elder Paisios writes about some external techniques for teaching this prayer to beginners. Before presenting his instructions, instead of a preface, we will give a brief note on this matter from one of our contemporary ascetics, who writes the following: “the goal of mental prayer is unity with God, who is Spirit, and unity with whom can therefore only be spiritual. As for the external techniques used by some ascetics when practicing this prayer, then, of course, they are of secondary importance. In imperfect people, the soul of a person is conformed to the body, say the fathers. Therefore, the silence of the soul must be preceded by the silence of the body, that is, its deanery, as John Climacus says. And for the concentration of mind necessary for prayer, certain external living conditions and even body positions may also be suitable. But it would be a mistake to think that the feat of growth in spiritual prayer can depend on external conditions and techniques. One thing is certain, that since the essence of prayer is to pray with the mind in the heart, then, in accordance with this, our mind should be directed into the heart. And everything else is of secondary importance. Therefore, in the Russian Philokalia all mentions of external techniques are omitted” (Arch. Feofan of Poltava). After this preliminary remark, let us turn to the message of Elder Paisios. He writes: “since in ancient times the practice of mental prayer flourished in many places where the holy fathers had their presence, and there were many teachers of this spiritual work then, when writing about it, they spoke only about the spiritual benefits arising from it, without having the need to write about the very method of doing this, befitting beginners. When they saw that the true teachers of this work, far from deception, began to diminish, then, prompted by the Spirit of God, so that the true teaching about the beginning of this prayer would not become impoverished, they described both the very beginning and the way how beginners should learn this prayer and enter with their minds the lands of the heart , and undeceptively perform a prayer there with the mind.

Saint Simeon the New Theologian speaks about the beginning of this work as follows: “true and undeceitful attention and prayer consists in keeping the mind, during prayer, of the heart and always turning within it and from the depths of it sending up prayer to the Lord. Having tasted here that the Lord is good, the mind no longer moves away from the abode of the heart and, together with the apostle, says: “It is good for us to be here,” and always surveying the places there, drives out the thoughts sown by the enemy.” Further, he speaks about the same even more clearly: “sitting in a silent cell in some secluded corner, with attention do what I tell you: “close the door, distract your mind from all vanity, press your beard to your chest, directing it with mind and sensual eye. Slow down your breathing so that you are not breathing too freely. And try to mentally find a place in your heart inside your chest, where all your spiritual strength naturally likes to reside, and, first of all, you will find there unrelenting darkness and rudeness. When you continue and do this work both night and day, you will find, oh miracle! constant fun. For as soon as the mind finds a place in the heart, it immediately sees what it has never seen: it sees the air in the middle of the heart and itself, all bright and full of reasoning. And from then on, no matter where a thought arises, before it turns into action or becomes an idol, by calling on Jesus Christ, he drives it away and destroys it. Hence the mind, having anger against demons, raises natural anger against them and, driving them away, overthrows mental opponents. You will learn many other things with God’s help by keeping your mind and holding Jesus in your heart.” (A word about three types of attention and prayer).

The Venerable Nicephorus the faster, teaching even more clearly about entering the heart with the mind, says this: “First of all, let your life be silent, free from worries and peaceful with everyone. Then, entering your cell, shut yourself up and sit in one of the corners, do as I tell you: “You know that when we breathe, we inhale air into ourselves; We exhale it not for the sake of anything else, but for the sake of the heart, for the heart is the cause of life and warmth of the body. The heart attracts air in order to release its warmth through breathing and to obtain fresh air for itself. The instrument of such activity is the lung, which, being created porous by the Creator, constantly, like fur, brings in and takes out the surrounding air. Thus, the heart invariably fulfills the purpose for which it was designed for the well-being of the body. So, sit down and, having collected your mind, lead it along the path that the air goes to the heart and force it to descend into the heart along with the inhaled air. When he enters there, what follows will not be gloomy or joyless.” He further writes: “therefore, brother, train your mind not to leave there quickly: for at first it becomes very depressed from the inner seclusion and crampedness. When he gets used to it, he no longer wants to remain in external wanderings: the Kingdom of Heaven is within us. When we look at it there and seek it with pure prayer, then everything external appears to us as vile and hateful. So, if you immediately, as has been said, enter with your mind the place of your heart that I have shown you, give thanks to God and glorify Him, and rejoice, and always adhere to this doing, and it will teach you what you do not know. You should also know this, that when your mind is there, it should not remain silent and idle, but should have as its constant work and teaching the prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, and should never stop doing this. class. It keeps the mind from elevating itself, makes it inaccessible and elusive to the machinations of the enemy, and raises it to the love of God and to everyday divine desire. If, after working hard, you cannot enter the lands of the heart, do as I tell you, and with God’s help you will find what you are looking for. Do you know that the rational principle of every person is in his chest? It is here, even with the silence of our lips, that we speak, and reason, and perform prayers, and much more. Let this rational principle, having removed every thought from it (you can, if you want), say: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me,” and force yourself to cry out to this alone, instead of any other thought, always within. If you maintain this order for some time, the heart entrance will open to you, as we wrote to you, without any doubt, as we ourselves have learned from experience. The whole face of virtues will come to you along with much-desired and sweet attention: love, joy, peace, etc.”

The Divine Gregory of Sinai, also teaching how one should invoke the name of the Lord in the heart with the mind, says: “sitting in the morning on a seat in one quarter, bring the mind down into the heart and keep it there. Bending over with tension, experiencing pain in your chest, shoulders, and neck, constantly cry out with your mind or soul: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.” When the frequency of repetition becomes too cramped and painful, perhaps even unsweetened (which does not happen because of the monotony of food eaten often, for it is said: those who eat me will still hunger -), changing your mind to the other half, say: “Son of God, have mercy on me.” " And repeating this half many times, you should not change it often out of laziness or boredom, because plants that are often transplanted do not take root. Restrain the breathing of your lungs so that it is not too free. For the breath of air emanating from the heart darkens the mind, preventing or not allowing it to descend to the heart and scatters thought. Not allowing it to the heart, it consigns it to oblivion or sets it up to learn something other than what it should, leaving it to insensibly remain in what it should not. If you see the impurities of evil spirits, that is, thoughts arising or transformed in your mind, do not be horrified, do not be surprised; even if good understandings of certain things appear to you, do not heed them, but, holding your breath as much as possible, and keeping your mind in your heart and calling on the Lord Jesus often and constantly, you will soon burn and destroy them, striking them with the divine name. For the Climacus says: In the name of Jesus, slay the warriors, for there is not a single stronger weapon, either in heaven or on earth.” Further, the same saint, teaching about silence and prayer, continues: “Your sitting must be in patience, for the sake of him who said: “They endure in prayer;” and it is not necessary to get up soon, weakening due to painful difficulty and mental appeal and frequent raising of the mind. Therefore, bowing down and collecting your mind in your heart, call on the Lord Jesus for help. Feeling pain in your shoulders, often having headaches, endure all this, seeking in the heart of the Lord: those in need have the Kingdom of God and those in need delight. The same father also speaks about how prayers should be performed: “This is what the fathers said: One, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me. All. The other half: Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me, and this is more convenient due to the infancy of the mind and weakness, for no one can purely and completely secretly call the Lord Jesus by himself, but only by the Holy Spirit. Like a baby who cannot speak, he cannot yet perform this prayer articulately. Out of weakness, he should not often change the calling of names, but slowly for the sake of retention.” Also: “some teach to say prayer with the lips, others with the mind; I think both are necessary. For sometimes the mind is exhausted from despondency to pronounce it, sometimes the lips. However, one should cry out silently and unabashedly, so that the feeling of the soul and the attention of the mind, confused by the voice, do not move away until the mind, as usual, succeeds in its work and receives the strength from the Spirit to pray strongly and in every possible way. Then he will no longer have the need to speak with his lips, and he will not be able to, being able to perform prayer perfectly with his mind alone.” From what has been said, it is clear that the above-mentioned fathers give a very clear teaching about the methods of teaching smart work to beginners. From their teaching one can understand the instructions about this work of other ascetics, although the latter did not speak out with such clarity.

This concludes the message of Elder Paisius about the mental Jesus Prayer.

Holy Fathers on the Jesus Prayer (continued) The Venerable Macarius of Optina (1788-1860) writes in one of his letters: “Your grief over coldness towards God must be replaced by humility and surrender to the will of God, and not be embarrassed, as the Holy Fathers of us are about this.” strengthen...You write that the Jesus Prayer has left you almost completely; but it seems that you have abandoned it, and it is not at all the reason. Try, as much as possible, to engage in it verbally and in service, for the Lord gives prayer to the one who prays. But one should also not be embarrassed for not acquiring this sacred gift. Look at your scattered structure and morality - the world and its vanity darken the light of the mind; and you and your sim are connected by strong bonds. If you are deprived of this much-desired gift of prayer, turn to those means by which we can prove the love of God - to the fulfillment of His holy Gospel commandments: he who loves Me keeps My commandments (cf. John 14:21), - among which you will find humility, without which not a single virtue can be favorable to God ... "Reverend Ambrose of Optina (1812-1891). Elder Ambrose commanded many, both in writing and orally, to pray the short Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.” Thus, he wrote to one person: “May God bless you to leave the usual rule and constantly adhere to the Jesus Prayer, which can calm the soul more than performing a large cell rule. One of the former experienced elders named Vasily explained it this way: he who adheres to a large cell rule, when he fulfills it, is incited by vanity and conceit; when for some reason he cannot fulfill his rule, he becomes embarrassed. And he who constantly adheres to the Jesus Prayer equally remains in a humble mood, as if he is doing nothing, and has nothing to ascend with.” Hieroschemamonk Nikolai (Tsarikovsky), confessor of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra (1829-1899), also taught his new spiritual children to pray unceasingly, to breathe , so to speak, the mental prayer of Jesus, saying that it can be performed without rosary, but with humility and patience. That she has great power, that with her you can live comfortably and safely in the world, but without her it is difficult even in a monastery. It especially needs to be used when the enemy attacks and tries either through external feelings or through sinful thoughts to enter the soul. Even when he, taking advantage of a person’s inexperience or negligence, penetrates his heart and begins to powerfully force him to sin, acting on the blood, then only one prayer of Jesus, spoken with the mind in the heart with faith and love, can drive out this fierce enemy from the heart. patience and diligence. She, like a substance like fire, invisibly, by the power of God, scorches the devil and his demons, so that, unable to bear it, he leaves the person.” Question: The Jesus Prayer, Father, is not working well for me. It seems like a simple thing that could be done everywhere and always, but no, it’s forgotten. Elder: Yes, it’s like a simple thing, but it’s uncontrollable; I said it several times and forgot, I remembered, I said it a dozen more times, and again I was distracted. You say one hundred a day, but you imagine that you are going through prayer. Therefore, in the beginning, you must definitely go through the counting numbers until you get the hang of it... Father also told me that the Jesus Prayer must be said separately, rarely; and when thoughts come, it is usually the devil who instills them in order to distract attention from prayer. But this is where you need to go deeper and more diligently into prayer, and your thoughts, that is, the devil himself, burned by the terrible name of Jesus, flees. And sometimes the enemy holds you by the heart and irritates you with hatred and condemnation. Once the priest told me: “There are many who cry, but not about what is needed; there are many who mourn, but not about sins; There are many who seem to be humble, but are not truly. To succeed in the Jesus Prayer, you must behave humbly in everything: in your gaze, in your gait, in your clothes.” The elder said that the Jesus Prayer brings great benefit to those who do it; and you definitely need to get used to creating it. She will comfort you, especially during illness. If someone is accustomed to creating it always, then he will create it even in illness; and he will not be so bored; prayer will serve as a consolation for him. And if a person, being healthy, does not practice prayer, then when he falls ill, he will not be able to pray, as if he does not have the skill; and it’s hard for him. And therefore, while you are healthy, you need to learn and get used to prayer, and do it often; although not purely, you will still humbly say: Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner! But the heart is contrite and humble, it is said, God will not despise. Rev. Barsanuphius of Optina (1845-1913): “The whole world is, as it were, under the influence of some force that takes possession of the mind, will, and all the spiritual powers of a person. One lady told me that she had a son. He was religious, chaste, and generally a good boy. He became friends with bad friends and became an unbeliever and depraved, as if someone had taken possession of him and was forcing him to do all this. It is obvious that this extraneous force is an evil force. Its source is the devil, and people are only tools, a means. This is the Antichrist coming into the world, these are his forerunners. The apostle says about this: he will send them a spirit of delusion, a spirit of flattery... Without accepting the truth of love... A person remains, as it were, defenseless. He is so possessed by this evil force that he does not realize what he is doing. Even suicide is suggested and committed. Why is this happening? Because they do not take up arms: they do not have the name of Jesus and the sign of the cross with them. No one will agree to say the Jesus Prayer and the sign of the cross: these are such antiquities that have completely outlived their time... We believers have a great weapon! This is the power of the Life-Giving Cross. Just think, it becomes scary for non-believers; they are completely defenseless. This is the same as if a man, completely unarmed, went into a dense forest at night; Yes, the first beast that comes along will tear him to pieces there, and he has nothing to defend himself with. We will not be afraid of demons. The power of the sign of the cross and the name of Jesus, terrible for the enemies of Christ, will save us from the evil snares of the devil... Constantly have with you the Jesus prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner,” and open your thoughts... The name of Jesus destroys all the devil’s attacks , they cannot resist the power of Christ. All the wiles of the devil crumble into dust. Performing the Jesus Prayer is very important... The Apostle Peter says: Be sober, be vigilant, for your adversary the devil, like a lion, roars, seeking whom he may devour (1 Pet. 5:8). How, therefore, it is necessary to always say the Jesus Prayer, which is a strong weapon against the enemy! The Lord said: ...in My name the demons will be destroyed... (Mark 16, 17). This prayer reveals to man the eternal Mysteries of God... We have one sword - the Jesus Prayer. It is said: “Strike the invisible warriors with this sword, for there is no stronger weapon either in heaven or on earth.” If you think about these words, it becomes scary that there is no stronger weapon even in heaven. “In the name of Jesus, every knee will bow, of heaven, and of earth, and of the underworld, and every tongue will confess, as the Lord Jesus Christ...Holy Fathers on the Jesus Prayer (continued) St. Barsanuphius of Optina (1845-1913): The Jesus Prayer has enormous significance in the life of a Christian . This is the shortest path to achieving the Kingdom of Heaven, although this path is not easy, and having embarked on it, we must be prepared for sorrow. True, other prayers are also of considerable importance, and a person who goes through the Jesus Prayer listens to prayers and hymns in church, and performs the obligatory cell rules. And yet, it is the Jesus Prayer that, more than others, brings a person into a repentant mood and shows him his weaknesses, therefore, it brings him closer to God. A person begins to feel that he is the greatest sinner, and this is all God needs. The enemy tries in every possible way to divert the Christian from this prayer; he fears and hates it most of all. Indeed, a person who always performs this prayer is preserved by the power of God unharmed from enemy snares. When a person is completely imbued with this prayer, it opens the gates of heaven for him, and even though he did not receive special gifts and grace on earth, his soul will boldly cry out: Open for me the gates of righteousness... (Ps. 117, 19). And here is the enemy inspires various thoughts to confuse the unreasonable, saying that prayer requires concentration, tenderness, and so on, and if this is not the case, then it only angers God. Some listen to these arguments and abandon prayer to the delight of the enemy. One should not listen to tempting thoughts, one must drive them far away from oneself and, without being embarrassed, continue the work of prayer. Even if the fruits of this labor are unnoticeable, even if a person does not experience spiritual delight and tenderness, still prayer cannot remain ineffective. She silently carries out her work. During the stay of the famous elder Father Leo in Optina, one monk, who had been going through the Jesus Prayer for twenty-two years, fell into despondency - it seemed as if he did not see any favorable results of his work. He went to the elder and expressed his grief to him. “Here, father, I have been praying the Jesus Prayer for twenty-two years and I don’t see any use.” “What use do you want to see?” – asked the elder. “Well, father,” the monk continued, “I read that many, by performing this prayer, acquired spiritual purity, had wondrous visions, and achieved complete dispassion.” And I, the accursed one, sincerely realize that I am the greatest sinner, I see all my depravity and, thinking about this, walking along the road from the monastery to the monastery, I often tremble lest the earth open up and swallow up such a wicked man as I. Have you ever seen how mothers hold their children in their arms? - Of course, I have, father, but how does this apply to me? - Well, that’s how it is. If a child is drawn to the fire, and even cries because of it, will the mother allow the child to get burned? Of course not, she will take him away from the fire. Or women and children went out in the evening to get some air, and one baby reached out to the moon and cried: let him play with it. What should a mother do to console him? You can't give him the moon. She will take him into the hut, put him in a ripple, shake him... That’s what the Lord does, my child. He is good and merciful and could, of course, give a person any gifts he wants, but if he does not do this, then it is for our own good. A feeling of repentance is always useful, but great gifts in the hands of an inexperienced person can not only cause harm, but also completely destroy him. A person can become proud, and pride is worse than any vice: God opposes the proud. Every gift must be suffered. Of course, if the king simply gives a gift out of his generosity, then it is impossible to refuse and throw it back in his face; we must accept it with gratitude, but also try to use it profitably. There have been cases when great ascetics, having received special gifts, for pride and condemnation of others who did not have such gifts, fell into the depths of destruction. “But still, I would like a gift from God,” the monk continued, “then it would be more peaceful to work.” , and more joyful. - Do you think it’s not God’s mercy towards you that you sincerely recognize yourself as a sinner and work hard, saying the Jesus Prayer? Continue to do the same, and if the Lord pleases, He will give you heartfelt prayer. A few days after this conversation, a miracle happened through the prayers of Father Leo. One Sunday, when that monk obediently served food to the brethren and, putting the bowl on the table, said: “Receive, brethren, obedience from me, the poor one,” he felt something special in his heart, like some kind of blessed fire suddenly set it on fire. From delight and awe, the monk’s face changed and he staggered. The brothers, noticing this, hurried to him. “What’s wrong with you, brother?” - they asked him in surprise. “Nothing, my head hurt.” “Are you crazy?” “Yes, that’s right, you’re crazy, help me, for God’s sake, get to my cell.” They escorted him out. He lay down and completely forgot about food, forgot everything in the world and only felt that his heart was burning with love for God and for his neighbors. Blissful state! From then on, his prayer became no longer oral, as before, but mental-heartfelt, that is, one that never stops and about which the Holy Scripture says: I sleep, but my heart watches... (Song. 5, 2). However, , the Lord does not always send mental-heart prayer; some people pray verbal prayer all their lives. They die with it, without feeling the delights of heartfelt prayer, but such people should not lose heart. For them, spiritual delights will begin in the Future Life and will never end, but will increase with every moment, comprehending more and more of God’s perfections, saying in awe: “Holy, Holy, Holy.” The Jesus Prayer is divided into three, even four steps The first stage is oral prayer, when the mind often runs away and a person needs to use great effort to collect his scattered thoughts. This is a labor prayer, but it gives a person a repentant mood. The second stage is mental-heart prayer, when the mind and heart, mind and feelings are at the same time. Then prayer is performed continuously, no matter what a person is doing: eating, drinking, resting - the prayer is still being performed. The third stage is creative prayer, which is capable of moving mountains with one word. For example, the Venerable Hermit Mark the Thracian had such a prayer. One day a monk came to him for edification. In the conversation, Mark asked: “Do you now have prayer books that can move mountains?” As he said this, the mountain they were on shook. Saint Mark turned to her as if she were alive: “Stay calm, I’m not talking about you.” Finally, the fourth step is such a high prayer that only Angels have and which is given, perhaps, to one of all humanity. The late Father Ambrose had an intelligent and heartfelt prayer. This prayer sometimes placed him outside the laws of nature. So, for example, during prayer he was separated from the ground. His cell attendants were honored to see this. Lately, the priest had been ill and was reclining in bed all the time, so he could not go to church. All services, except mass, were performed in his cell. Once they celebrated an all-night vigil. Father, as always, was reclining. One cell attendant stood in front of the icon and read, and the other stood behind the priest. Suddenly he sees that Father Ambrose sits down on the bed, then rises ten inches, separates from the bed and prays in the air. The cell attendant was horrified, but remained silent. When it was his turn to read, another, standing in the place of the first, was granted the same vision. When the service was finished and the cell attendants went home, one said to the other: “Did you see?” “Yes.” “What did you see?” “I saw that the priest separated from the bed and prayed in the air.” “Well, that means it’s true, otherwise I thought that it was just me imagining this. They wanted to ask Father Ambrose about this, but they were afraid: the elder did not like it when they said anything about his holiness. He would sometimes take a stick, hit the curious person and say: “You fool, you fool, why are you asking the sinful Ambrose about this?” - and nothing more. Previously, the Jesus Prayer was performed not only by monks, it was also obligatory for lay people (for example, the famous historical figure Speransky, publisher of laws, practiced the Jesus Prayer and was always joyful, despite his many different labors). Now even the monks are distrustful of this feat. One, for example, says to the other: “Did you hear?” “What?” “Yes, Father Peter began to say the Jesus Prayer.” “Really?” Well, that's right, it will drive you crazy. There is a proverb: there is no smoke without fire. Indeed, there have been cases when people went crazy, but why? Yes, they took up this prayer on their own, without blessing, and, having started, they immediately wanted to become saints, they climbed straight to Heaven, as they say, and then they broke down. (Father Benedict was recently in Optina. He had long conversations with Father Barsanuphius and the question about the Jesus Prayer received the answer: “All servants of God - both in the monastery and in the monastery - go through the Jesus Prayer, only the labor one, that is, the first stage.” However, at this level there are up to a thousand gradations, and those who go through this prayer rise , so to speak, from one line to another. But a person cannot determine for himself at what level he stands. To count one's own virtues would be pharisaical pride. We must consider ourselves to be lower than everyone else and strive to receive from the Lord those gifts that the Jesus Prayer undoubtedly brings with it - repentance, patience and humility... It is not difficult for anyone to say the words: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me,” and the benefits are enormous. , this is the most powerful weapon for fighting passions. One, for example, is proud; the other is overwhelmed by lustful thoughts, it seems she doesn’t even see men, but is always in her thoughts for fornication; the third is envious, but there is no strength to fight sins, where can I get them? The only thing is in the Jesus Prayer. The enemy does his best to distract her from it. Well, what nonsense is it to repeat the same thing over and over again, when neither the mind nor the heart participates in prayer, it is better to replace it with something else. Don't listen to him - he's lying. Continue to practice prayer, and it will not remain fruitless. All the saints held on to this prayer, and it became so dear to them that they would not exchange it for anything... The Jesus prayer brings us closer to Christ... The other day, a hermit-schemnik comes to me. - I am becoming despondent, Abba, because I don’t see a change for the better in myself, and yet I wear a high angelic image. After all, the Lord will strictly punish the one who is a monk or a schema-monk only for his clothes. But how to change? How to die to sin? I feel completely powerless... - Always say the Jesus Prayer and leave everything to the will of God. - But what is the benefit of this prayer if neither the mind nor the heart participates in it? - Enormous benefit. Of course, this prayer has many divisions: from the simple pronunciation of this prayer to creative prayer, but for us to be at least on the last step is saving. All enemy forces flee from the one who says this prayer, and sooner or later he is saved. - Resurrected! - exclaimed the schema-monk, I will no longer be discouraged. And so I repeat: say a prayer, even if only with your lips, and the Lord will never leave us. To say this prayer, you do not need to study any sciences... The action of this prayer is shrouded in the greatest mystery. It does not consist in just saying the words: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner,” but it reaches the heart and mysteriously settles in it. Through prayer we enter into communion with the Lord Jesus Christ, we pray to Him, and we merge with Him into one whole. This prayer fills the soul with peace and joy in the midst of the most difficult trials, in the midst of all the cramped conditions and bustle of life. I received a letter: “Father, I’m suffocating! Sorrows press in on all sides, there is nothing to breathe, nothing to look back at... I don’t see joy in life, its meaning is lost.” What do you say to such a grieving soul? What must we endure? And sorrows, like a millstone, oppress the soul, and it suffocates under their weight. Note that I am not talking about unbelievers and atheists now, not about those who yearn when they have lost God - I am not talking about them. No, believers who have embarked on the path of salvation, souls under the influence of Divine Grace, lose the meaning of life. They do not know that this state is temporary, transitional, which must be experienced. They write: “I am falling into despondency, something dark surrounds me.” I am not saying that such grief is legitimate, I am not saying that this grief is the lot of every person. This is not a punishment, it is a cross, and this cross must be borne. But how to carry it? Where is the support? Others look for this support and consolation from people, think to find peace in the world - and do not find it. From what? Because they are looking in the wrong place. Peace, light and strength must be sought in God, through the Jesus Prayer. It will become very difficult for you, darkness will surround you - stand in front of the image, light the lamp, if it was not lit, kneel down if you can, or even so, say: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!” Say it once, twice, three times, say it so that not only your lips pronounce this prayer, but it reaches your heart. However, the sweetest name of the Lord will certainly reach the heart, and little by little melancholy and sorrow will disappear, the soul will brighten, quiet joy will reign in it...”

Monday, 25 Feb. 2013

Many are trying to understand the stages of the Jesus Prayer, how this sacred work develops. Is it easy? Is struggle and effort necessary? Is coercion necessary?

Fragment from the book: Archimandrite Hierotheos (Vlahos) - One night in the desert of the Holy Mountain

— I want to return to what we talked about earlier. You pointed to the warming of the heart. The fact that it happens when thinking about hell, heaven, one’s sinfulness, and the like. Doesn't this create problems? After all, before that you said that we need to pray without images. The mind must be undistracted. Will such thoughts interfere with the purity of prayer?

“First of all, I want to emphasize that they are not thoughts... just thoughts.” This is not an imaginative, but a smart activity. We don't just think. We are living.

For example, while thinking about hell and how it was the most suitable place for me because of my countless sins, I found myself in that pitchless darkness. I experienced its unbearable severity and indescribable suffering. When I came to my senses, my entire cell emitted a stench... You cannot understand the hellish stench and the torment of condemnation...

I became more and more aware that I was next to a holy elder who kept his mind in hell. I didn’t want to interrupt him with a request for an explanation...

- Warming through such thoughts occurs before prayer. For when prayer begins in the warmth of the heart, any thought on such topics is prohibited, and we try to bring the mind and heart into the words of prayer. In this way, the ugliness that the fathers talked so much about is achieved. The mind is characterized by the absence of ghosts and dreams.

Inner prayer is a feat. It strengthens the believer in his struggle with the devil, while at the same time being a mournful and bloody struggle. We try to concentrate the mind in the words of prayer in order to make it dumb and voiceless with every thought (no matter whether good or evil) that the evil one brings to us, i.e. so as not to listen to thoughts coming from outside and not to respond to them.

You need to completely neglect your thoughts and not want to talk to them, in any way to achieve complete silence of mind, since this is the only way to keep the soul in serenity, so that prayer will be effective.

It is known that thoughts from the mind are directed to the heart and disturb it. A troubled mind also troubles the soul. Just as the wind raises waves on the sea, a whirlwind of thoughts raises a storm in the soul.

For inner prayer it is necessary attention.

That's why fathers talk about combination of fasting and prayer. Fasting keeps the mind constantly awake and ready for every good deed, while prayer attracts Divine grace.

For that, To make prayer attentive, we use various means.

Before we begin the sacred work of prayer, let us keep in mind that throughout its entire duration we are required to have ardent desire and hope with faith, complete dedication and boundless patience associated with trust in the love of God.

• We start with “Blessed be God...” We read “To the King of Heaven...”, the Trisagion.
• Then, with contrition and tenderness, we say the 50th Psalm (repentance) and immediately after it “I Believe.” At that time We try to keep the mind quiet and silent.
• We warm the heart with various thoughts without images, as mentioned earlier; when it warms up and we may shed tears, we will begin the Jesus Prayer.
• We pronounce the words slowly, trying to ensure that the mind does not wander and follows the flow of words. It is necessary that they follow each other and that thoughts and events do not wedge between them.
• After “have mercy on me” let's start right away “Lord Jesus Christ...”; a certain circle is formed and the interference of the devil is eliminated. You need to know that the devil strives in any way to break the coherence of words and penetrate the mind and heart. He strives to open a small crack, plant a bomb (thought) and throw away all holy efforts. We can't let him do this...
• Let's say the Jesus Prayer loudly (with lips) so that the ear also listens, thereby the mind will receive help and become more attentive.

Another way is to slowly say the prayer with your mind or heart and after “have mercy on me,” wait a little until your attention weakens, and then start the prayer again from the very beginning.

In those cases when, to warm our hearts, we resort to thoughts about our sinfulness, it would be good to add the word “sinner” as the fathers advise. That is: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner” .

Thereby we emphasize what we feel.

However, if the mind becomes tired of reciting the entire prayer, it should be shortened: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me” ; or: “Lord, have mercy on me” ; or: "Jesus Christ".

Also, when a Christian succeeds in creating a prayer, the words can be shortened. Sometimes they stop at a word “Jesus” , which is repeated continuously ( “Jesus”, “Jesus”, “Jesus”, “My Jesus”), and then a wave of peace and grace will cover you. You need to abide in this sweetness that will appear to you, and do not interrupt the prayer.

Even to fulfill the rule set for you. Retain this warmth of your heart and take advantage of God’s gift. For we are talking about a great gift that God sent from above. This warmth will finally help to rivet the mind to the words of prayer, descend into the heart and remain there. If anyone wants to devote the whole day to prayer, let him listen to the advice of the holy fathers: pray for some time, read for some time and then again devote himself to prayer. Also, when we do needlework, we will try to read a prayer.

By the way, the one who does the prayer is helped by appropriate body position.

Saint Gregory Palamas gives the example of the prophet Elijah, who, as the Holy Scripture says, “went up to the top of Carmel, and bent down to the ground, and put his face between his knees,” and thus abolished the drought. “And he remained there, and the sky became dark with clouds and with wind, and a great rain fell” (I Sam. 18, 42-45). This is how, my father, through prayer in this position, the prophet opened the sky. Likewise, we open Heaven, and streams of Divine grace descend into our dry heart.

Later I read the passage quoted from the work of St. Gregory Palamas, which the elder pointed out to me. The philosopher Barlaam ironically called the hesychasts having a soul in the navel,” and Saint Gregory the God-Bearer, defending their position and activities, replied, “And this Elijah, perfect in the vision of God, bowed his head to his knees and thereby, with great effort, gathering his mind in himself and in God, resolved multi-year drought.”

The Holy Contemplative Father also recommends as a good auxiliary remedy eye fixation: “Do not move your gaze from place to place, but focus it on some reference point - on the chest or navel; thanks to this position of the body, the power of the mind dissipated outside through vision will return inside the heart.”

“Besides,” continued the elder, “ location plays an important role. It must give silence And ensure external calm.

It is also necessary appropriate time. After a working day, the mind is usually distracted by many subjects, so the fathers recommend practicing mental prayer, mainly in the morning, within an hour or two before sunrise when the mind is alert and undistracted and the body has received rest. Then we will reap rich fruits.

- If, father, the mind is scattered and I see that this happens often, what method can be used to collect it?

- For many reasons, there are fruitless days and hours when it is difficult to pray. Dealing with it at these moments is tiring and painful. However, if we are strong, the grace of God will help us. find prayer again; thanks to her, we will invariably become successful in our vision of God.

I'll show you several ways, which help overcome these barren days and hours.

First of all, in no way You can't lose courage.

Then: at such times you need to pray, mainly, lips. It is possible that strong people (those with grace) have a gift and can easily focus their minds on the words of prayer and pray continuously. We, weak and sinful, filled with passions, need to make every effort and truly shed blood. We need, when we see that the mind is constantly scattered and wandering, to ask God for help. Just as the Apostle Peter, when he saw a strong wind and began to drown, cried out: “Lord, save me” (Matthew 14:30), so we will do the same when a storm of thoughts and negligence arises. What happened to the Apostle will happen to us: “Jesus immediately stretched out his hand and supported him.” Those. through fervent prayer, with the help of God, all these excuses, found in order to distract the mind, will dissipate, burned invisibly by the name of Christ. I repeat, You shouldn’t panic in such cases, but it is necessary to continue to resist the devil. It should be the stronger, the stronger the attack of the evil one...

During prayer hours You can’t even listen to good thoughts. For they excite the mind, and when excited, it also receives evil thoughts. So, good thoughts during prayer open the way along which the devil marches triumphantly, breaking the sacred work of prayer; and we fall into spiritual adultery. Therefore, the fathers say that a mind that moves away from the memory of God during the Jesus Prayer and wanders here and there commits spiritual adultery. He betrays God and renounces Him. Isn’t the greatest sin the betrayal and rejection of the Sweetest Jesus, to the joy of a good-hating and envious enemy?

Moreover, if we cannot concentrate the mind so that it does not wander, we will face a struggle and require even greater effort. A boat, my father, can float on the sea or under a sail (if there is wind), or with the help of oars (if there is no wind). So it is in prayer. It goes well when the warmth of Christ’s grace acts in us. In the absence of it, labor is needed to advance by oars, i.e. greatest struggle.

Then let's turn to our fathers for help. Let us read their books to focus our minds.

When, while reading, will we feel tenderness, let’s stop it and start practicing the Jesus Prayer.

So, in other words, it should be kept in mind that books are read with an attentive heart, and not with a dry mind. We will study books that are written with the heart and read with pleasure with the heart too. That is It is recommended to read and at the same time pray the Jesus Prayer.

Let's become recite various psalms of the prophet David or let's turn to psalmody. It is also good to select in advance several touching troparia, which talk about divine love, about our sinfulness, about the Second Coming, about crying out to God for help, and the like, and continuously pronounce them, but not sing them. Or read various touching prayers composed by holy fathers, for example, Saint Isaac the Syrian. I said earlier that in such cases need to read aloud.

And further: if prayer becomes a burden, it is said using the rosary. Of course, then we have little fruit, but we should never stop even for the slightest rest from it. I repeat again that in these cases it is required great patience and endurance. Perhaps the thoughts that come will be useful for us. We will use them for cleansing.

— Do they help cleanse yourself? Like this?

“When the devil sees that we are praying and trying to concentrate the attention of the mind in prayer, he uses all means to dispel it, he uses every possible means, resorting mainly to those thoughts that especially torment us. It hits a sensitive spot, causing us a lot of suffering. Instills voluptuous thoughts in a voluptuous person, money-loving thoughts in a money lover, and ambitious thoughts in an ambitious person...

So, by the thoughts that usually come during prayer hours, we can understand our vulnerabilities, the impurity that is in us, the existence of passions, and we can direct our attention and struggle there.

- Father, forgive me for interrupting. I realize that I have little experience in the matter of the Jesus Prayer. However, when I put in the effort and do it, I get a headache due to fatigue; often pain occurs in the heart. What is this? What should you do in such cases?

— Headache and heart pain arise at the beginning of the feat of a believer struggling in spiritual work. Sometimes he feels like his head is splitting; likewise the heart. He has such a severe headache that he thinks he is dying. This pain (partly physical) is explained by the unaccustomment of the mind to such activities and the special position of the body. At the same time, a person often becomes the target of an attack by the devil, trying to stop prayer.

Headaches require persistence; Regarding the heart, it must be said that perhaps the believer began this work prematurely, using methods unsuitable for him. However, heart pain can help him, since it gives him a reason to concentrate his mind in the place where it hurts and perform continuous prayer.

- This thought of yours is very compressed; I would like you to explain in more detail, more specifically. Why is persistence necessary when the mind suffers?

- Because then its purification immediately begins. It is expressed in tears.

They begin to flow like a river, the mind is cleared and descends into the heart.

Sorrow and anxiety cease - thanks to tears that cannot be stopped, that cannot be explained, that no effort has been made.

He fell silent. I saw a large tear glisten on his face and illuminate it. I involuntarily shed tears too. His voice and bright thoughts awakened my petrified heart. I remembered Saint Arseny, about whom the Fatherland says: “They told about him that all his life, sitting at needlework, he had a piece of linen on his chest for the tears that fell from his eyes. When Abba Pimen heard about his death, he shed tears and said: “Blessed are you, Abba Arseny, because you mourned yourself here in the world. For whoever does not mourn himself here will weep forever in another life. Either here it’s arbitrary, or there it’s in agony. It’s impossible not to cry.”

He interrupted me.

“You don’t need to stop right away,” he said, “as if emerging from a sea of ​​inexhaustible tears, as soon as any pain arises.” Because these thoughts are inspired by the devil, who is extremely crafty, insidious and cruel and seeks to destroy us, to put us to eternal death. The worker of prayer knows the tricks of the evil one and his plans. He whispers: “Stop praying, because you will go crazy, because your heart will hurt.”

I’ll read you an example from Fatherland: “There was a certain monk who, every time he started to pray, was seized with chills and fever, accompanied by a headache. And he said to himself: “Behold, I am sick and will soon die. I will rise before death and say a prayer.” And as soon as it ended, the heat stopped. So, this is the thought the brother opposed when he prayed and defeated the evil one.” Therefore, the practitioner of prayer must overcome any sorrow...

- Father, I would like you to tell me more about heartbreak. I know that the fathers attach great importance to it and consider it as a convenient way when going through the Jesus Prayer. If you find it necessary, tell me any thoughts on this topic.

- What you just said is true. The fathers who practiced the Jesus Prayer, or rather, lived in it, passed through this stage and, therefore, attached great importance to it. This sorrow must come - this is certainly understandable to those who constantly engage in the Jesus Prayer. They attach great importance to it, because thanks to this sorrow we understand that the mind descends into the heart and, through the action of the Holy Spirit, unites with it; and peace reigns in the soul and body, the mental part of the soul is cleansed and thoughts are clearly distinguished. They can only be clearly distinguished when we understand their development and the result to which they lead. The hesychast, who outwardly commits no sin, is perfectly familiar with the state of the sinner. This happens because, as a result of ascetic experience, he knows well the passage of thoughts in the mind - its path and completion.

That is why the following fact is observed: an ascetic whose heart becomes extremely receptive under the influence of prayer can, while praying for someone, almost immediately understand what state he is in. He becomes perspicacious.

But I will state everything in order.

Earlier we talked about the fact that prayer aims at the unity of the whole person, that is, the three forces of the soul.

Need to focus attention in the heart, then the mind and heart connect. For, according to the fathers, first of all the heart feels the presence of God, the presence of grace, and only then the mind perceives them. The fathers first came to know God through life, and then theologized, defending their life experience. So, the heart feels the warmth and sweetness of the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Against, lack of grace is recognized by indifference and coldness of heart.

I repeat: First they love God with their hearts and then with their minds. The commandment of the Lord is clear: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind...” (Luke 10:27).

Perhaps you know that reason is not rejected by the Church, but after the Fall it lacks the flexibility to comprehend God. However, when it develops inner spiritual feeling, then he too will be able to perceive God.

The heart is capable of judging whether we fall or keep the commandments of God. Unity of mind and heart is achieved only through the action of the All-Holy Spirit.

By repentance and keeping the commandments of Christ we acquire grace; And by its action the mind finds the heart and unites with it.

This is an important step in the Jesus Prayer and God-seeing. This is why a person's heart must be broken. “God will not despise a contrite and humble heart” (Ps. 50:19).

Of course, in order to bring the mind into the heart, many use various other methods, but it must be said that the safest is repentance.

Therefore, it is very good, when mourning your sins, to have sorrow in your heart (sometimes also warmth) and generally to capture heart movements and feelings. But this must be done gradually.

It may happen that the sharp effect of prayer in the hearts of the weak and unrefined will cause a slight disturbance, which, although it will not have serious consequences, will nevertheless stop the prayer. In such sorrow it is advised to say the Jesus Prayer lips.

But, if the heart is able, it is recommended to listen to it even during grief. Of course, this remains to be determined by our experienced and spiritual father. This grief is healing, natural and saving. Many ascetics believe that they have a heart defect; they visit doctors, and they do not find any illness in them. This gracious sorrow. She says that prayer has descended into the heart and acts there. This is a very important point.

— I have heard that many saints felt how prayer began to act in the heart at a certain moment; they felt well that she was a gift from God through the intercession of the Mother of God. Is this true?

- Of course. Many holy hesychasts are well aware of the moment when prayer begins to act in the heart. And then they continuously create it, no matter what kind of work they do. It doesn't stop in them at all. Indeed, they perceive it as a gift from the Most Holy Theotokos.

Saint Gregory Palamas, who prayed before the icon of the Mother of God and repeated: “Enlighten my darkness,” acquired the gift of theology. It must be said that love for the Mother of God is closely connected with love for Christ. We love the Mother of God because we love Christ, or we love Her because we want to achieve love for Christ. The Fathers put it well. Saint Herman, Patriarch of Constantinople, says: “If You had not interceded, the Mother of God, no one would have appeared holy... no one can be saved except by You, the Mother of God.” And Saint Gregory Palamas says: “She is the only border between created and uncreated nature; no one would come to God if it were not for She and the Mediator born from Her; and neither Angels nor men would have gifts from God except through Her.” We receive many gifts thanks to the Mother of God. Having given us the greatest gift - Christ, will She not also give others? Therefore, when praying, we must say not simply: “Intercede for us,” but: “Most Holy Theotokos, save us.”

— I would like to return to the question that arose in my mind when you spoke about the unity of mind and heart. The mind, having descended into the heart, remains there constantly. But, if this is so, how can a person work, perform his service and the like?

- First of all, the mind does not mix with the heart and is not abolished. He becomes perfect and returns to his natural state. It is unnatural when he is outside his essence (heart). Through prayer he throws away everything foreign.

After the mind has descended into the heart, what remains, so to speak, is a small excess. With such an excess, you can do other things without taking your mind away from your heart.

For example, a hesychast priest prays out loud during the Divine Liturgy or says something appropriate when performing the Sacrament to a deacon or another priest, and at the same time does not remove his mind from his heart.

However, if the “excess” of the mind is turned to inappropriate things, you can completely and completely cut it off from your essence.

That is why the ascetic, during the hours of prayer, goes through beads— to take up this excess and not cause harm to the mind. You probably understand well that thanks to this “excess” the devil cruelly fights against us.

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