Take your time to read these lines, to think about the words, the message they bring,
Take your time to recollect and reflect about their meaning; they are worth centuries of wisdom, and even more…
These words hold a message for you: old and contemporary, forgotten and discovered anew;
They bring you peace and/or restless desire to go on…
1. “People naturally desire that which is beautiful and good.
After all, nothing is more beautiful, more pleasant, than good.
God is good, and when someone desires that which is good, desires God.”
2. “Let the entire life be a time of prayer.”
3. “What can bring greater happiness, than to imitate the angelic choirs on earth; arise for prayer at dawn, praise the Creator in songs and chanting, and afterwards, before the sun shines brightly, commence work. Our companion during every type of work is prayer, and we season the labor with songs, as though with salt. The harmoniousness of spiritual hymns confers upon the soul a joyous and happy disposition.”
4. “Prayer – is an entreaty for the gift, which the believer sends off to God… When you come to sit at table – pray! You partake of bread – thank the Giver! While get dressed in garments, give thanks to Him, who gave them to you! As you put on a cloak, intensify your love for God, who provided us with essential apparel for winter and for summer!… When the day has passed, thank the Lord, who gave us the sun for work in the daytime and light to illumine nighttime for other needs of life… As you look at the sky and reflect on the beauty of the stars, then pray to the Lord of the visible world; pray to the creator of the universe, who in his wisdom created all things… When you see every living creature wrapped up in sleep, then pray again. Pray to Him, who even against our will interrupts our work with sleep and after a brief rest allows us to return to full strength.”
5. “What the sun is for the body, prayer is for the soul. While it is a misfortune for the blind not to see the sun, then what a great misfortune it would be for the Christian not to pray and not to bring the light of Christ into the soul through prayer?… When I see that someone zealously cares about serving God and considers it a great misfortune, not to be able to pray ceaselessly, then I conclude, that he is a trustworthy performer of every virtue and is a temple of God.”
6. “When I say: “Call upon God, beseech Him, entreat Him,” then you answer: “I asked once, twice, three, ten, hundred times, and did not receive.” Do not stop begging, until you receive… It is impossible, actually impossible, that a person, who prays sincerely and calls upon God constantly, would ever fall into sin.”
7. “Through prayer, our soul raises itself heavenwards, embraces God with unutterable embraces, like a child its mother, pleading in tears, asking for heavenly food, expressing its desires and receiving gifts, that surpass all visible phenomena. Prayer – a sacred herald. It delights the heart, allays the soul, … gives a desire for the heavenly kingdom, teaches humility, gives recognition of sin, in one word – enhances the human being with all good, endowing the soul with various virtues.”
8. “Are you intending to pray, then pray! Pray, whether you are traveling, or if you are in bed, pray! You are God’s temple; therefore do not seek a place, only the spiritual disposition… Wherever you might be, if you call upon God, He will hear you.”
9. “Wherever you may be, you can pray anywhere. Only show good will, and neither place nor time will be a hindrance for you. And although you might not be bending your knees, nor beating your breast, or raising your arms to heaven, but have merely displayed a fervent soul, by this you will have fulfilled everything necessary for prayer… God does not regard the place. He desires only a sincere heart and a meek soul.”
10. “When you pray and are heard, then continue to pray, to thank God. If you are not heard, do not abandon prayer, in order that you may be heard. Moreover, do not say, “I prayed and prayed but to no avail”, because this happens frequently for your own benefit. God knows that you are lazy and self-reliant, and that, having received what you needed, you will leave and you will not continue to pray any more. Therefore, through necessity, He forces you to converse with Him more frequently and devote yourself to prayer.”
11. “Many prayers are not heard. Why is that? It is because they ask for useless things. In that case, not to be heard is better than to be heard. Thereby, when we are heard, we shall not exult because of it, and when we are not heard, we will glorify God for that as well.”
12. “When the day is done, it is necessary to thank God for everything, that which He gave us, and for everything, for the good we did. Moreover, it is necessary to confess failings, because if we, willingly or unwillingly, failed – in word, or deed, or in thought only – for all this – we need to ask God’s pardon in prayer. It is very beneficial to reflect on the past mistakes, to guard against them in the future.”
13. “Every word of prayer – is a door or a window into heaven.”
14. “Be people of prayer; like to pray; give an example of prayerfulness and rest assured, that your prayers will be heard.”
1. St. Basil the Great, Long Rule 2. 2. St. Basil the Great, 4th A.B. 3. St. Basil the Great., Letter 2. 4. St. Basil the Great., In Honor of the Martyr Julitta 5. St. John Chrysostom, On Prayer I. 6. St. John Chrysostom, On Prayer II. 7. St. John Chrysostom, Homily 6, On Prayer. 8. St. John Chrysostom, About the Canaanite Woman. 9. St. John Chrysostom, Homily IV, About Ann. 10. St. John Chrysostom, On Repentance. 11. St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on Psalms. 12. St. Basil the Great., Long Rule 37. 13. Metr. A. Sheptyckyj, Publication of the new Missal. 14. Metr. A. Sheptycky,j Letter to Sisters-Nuns.