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Prayer
and daily life Ana Smiljanic |
In the limited space of "The Missionary" in this issue, we have tried to
incorporate as many teachings on prayer as was possible . Teachings that
the ancient, as well as contemporary fathers of our One, Holy, Catholic
and Apostolic Church have bequeathed to us, their spiritual offspring.
We have attempted to bring our God-seeking readers closer to the
different aspects of prayer life; to define prayer as precisely as is
possible; to bear witness of its inseparability from life, and to
demonstrate through examples of Orthodox prayers, what one should pray
for and how. It is clear however, that prayer is not just another
subject that can be analyzed, nor exhausted. As a living conversation of
the soul with God, prayer is uncontainable and boundless, just as our
God is uncontainable and boundless. It follows that we cannot
stop at only reading about prayer, but that praying is work,
sometimes very hard work at that, requiring action. We know from the Holy Scripture that the holy apostle
Paul and through him, Christ Himself, teaches us: "Pray without
ceasing." (1 Thess. 5:17). How do we incorporate prayer into our
busy and stressful daily lives which are so full of commitments,
deadlines and fatigue? Is
it possible to be with God in one's thoughts and heart when we are at
work, in a crowded bus, on a jammed highway, in school, even at overdue
times of leisure and rest? It is possible say the saints and fathers of
our Church, and they prove this with awe-inspiring examples from their
very lives. It is possible, but first a change of direction deep within
us must occur. A
significant and radical shift that implies abandoning the habitual
behaviors of old self-gratification, and at every moment, assigning God
to the center place of our life. This fundamental change is essential
because it is the only way to humility which is the prerequisite of true
prayer. "O God, cleanse me, a sinner, for I have never done any
good before Thee". This
is the humble cry of St Makarios the Great in one of the prayers that
make up the morning rule for all Christians. It is never too late for
this change of direction, as we are taught by the example of the prayer
of the robber on the right hand side of Christ on the cross: "Lord,
remember me when Thou comest into Thy Kingdom" (Lk.23:42). Nor is
it ever too early, for we know "neither the day nor the hour
wherein the Son of man cometh" (Mat. 25:13).
We must bear in mind that anything we do, think or say is in the
presence of God. God alone knows our hearts, our minds and our thoughts
"from the womb", from the moment when we were still
unconscious of our existence. Let us try therefore, to never forget,
even for a moment, that we are always standing in the presence of the
Living God. In doing so we
acquire an attitude of prayerfulness, which will in time enable us to
turn to God at any moment. That sincere and contrite prayer may flow not
only from our lips, but also from our hearts.
Holy icons which we have in our homes can aid us in this effort
to become ever-conscious of God's presence. These images of saints
remind us at all times of God's omnipresence, of eternity. Sometimes in
times of temptation, when we are beset with anger, impatience,
sloth, depression, or any other passion of the soul, a simple glance at
the icons will drive away temptation and encourage us to repent.
A lighted candle or vigil light in front of the icons will
certainly help us, for this light will remind us of God’s eternal
light.
In order to live a life of prayer based on the Gospel, our
spiritual nurturing is of utmost importance. Just as we feed our bodies
with the fruits of the earth in order that we might live, so we must pay
attention to how we nourish our souls. This is the Word of God, the Holy
Scriptures, especially the Holy Gospel and the epistles. Careful and
prayerful reading of the Scriptures gradually reveals the Will of God
and is a means of fulfilling us, while at the same time it nourishes and
inspires prayer in us. It is also useful to read other God-inspired
Orthodox literature, and the works of the holy fathers. These are not
books we read as novels, but slowly, repetitively, all the time striving
to understand the wisdom within and to apply it to our lives. The better
we know our faith, the firmer we stand in prayer.
Other than the Holy Scriptures, it is important to own and use a
prayer book. The Orthodox prayer book is a
collection of morning and evening prayers, as well as prayers for
specific needs (before and after meals, before and after study, in times
of illness, etc.). The prayers of the morning and evening rule should
never be omitted, even if shortened but uttered with prayerful
attention. Imagine a day that begins with God's blessing: with
glorifying the Holy and Life-Giving Trinity; with the Lord's Prayer, the
Sign of the Cross; with the offering of the first fruits of the day to
our Heavenly Father. Imagine
a day in which we strive to do God's will in all things, asking for His
blessing before beginning any kind of work; a day in which we thank God
for the fruits of the earth which He bestows upon us and feeds us, a day
in which we direct our thoughts to God even with the shortest of
prayers: "Help me, O Lord", "Lord have mercy".
Imagine a day that ends with the confession of our sins before
God, that most intimate conversation of the soul with its Creator,
asking for the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos and all the
Saints and with the supplication for a quiet and easy sleep. This truly
is a day in which everything is blessed, a day for which we say
"This is the day which the Lord hath made" (Ps 118:24).
But do our days look like this? Is such a thing at all possible
in the world we live? Of course it is! We only need to try a little
harder, to work more on it, for after all prayer is work and action. Is
it too great a sacrifice for us if we try to get up ten or fifteen
minutes earlier than we usually do, in order to begin our day with God?
If we do this over a period of time, the day will come when we will not
be able to start our day without the morning rule, the soul itself will
long for prayer. Think about how we find time to sit in front of the
television, to leaf through the daily press, to surf the Net, or to
become immersed in the latest best-selling novel, especially in the
evenings when we complete our daily work, the children are in bed and
the telephone is quiet. Sometimes we fight our fatigue to see the end of the movie,
or to finish the last page
of the novel. The very
thought of prayer on the other hand, incites a sudden yawning reaction,
we are "too tired" and suddenly prayer seems pointless.
Let us take the first step.
Let everything else become less important than our prayer to
God.: "The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take
it by force" (Mat.11:12). When we pray, especially at first, all
kinds of thoughts will beset us, as will fatigue, boredom, a feeling of
pointlessness. Let us not forget in these moments to cry to God for
help. Many of the prayers in the prayer books were conceived by saints,
the fathers of our Church. Bear in mind that the words we read were
uttered by many holy tongues, therefore it is fitting to turn to them
and ask for their intercession.
Besides private prayer, in order to live a full and complete life
as a Christian, it is of utmost importance to regularly participate in
communal prayer. There is no Christian life and no salvation outside the
Church. For this reason we must strive that regular Church attendance
become our second nature.
Once we acquire the habit of starting and ending our day with
God's blessing, when we become used to the knowledge that at al times in
our life we stand before God, then prayer will flow more easily and
naturally at any other time during the day. There are short prayers that
we can say in our minds in any place, not attracting attention. The
prayer of the publican: "Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner";
the Jesus prayer, which is very similar: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of
God, have mercy on me a sinner".
We can turn to the Theotokos in prayer: "Most Holy Theotokos,
have mercy on us!" or to a Saint: "Saint _______, pray to God
for us!" In this respect, the Psalter offers a plethora of brief
prayers which will surely aid us in times of grievance, sorrow, or any
temptation: "Incline Your ear, O Lord, Hear my prayer!"
or "Lead my soul out of this dungeon", or one of the short
prayers by St John Chrysostom: "O Lord, I, being a human being,
have sinned; do Thou, being God, forgive me in Thy
loving-kindness."
Life without prayer is a superficial life, a two-dimensional life
limited to time and space. Prayer is the means by which a third
dimension is revealed to us, the means by which we discover that
everything possesses a measure of eternity and infinity. Prayer,
together with fasting and good deeds (done in God's name) are the most
powerful tools which God bestowed on us to make us worthy of working out
our salvation, in acquiring the Heavenly Kingdom, and Life eternal.
Is there anything in this life that can even remotely compare to
a sincere conversation with our Heavenly Father, confident that He
knows our needs even when we ourselves do not know them, that He hears
every sigh that is hidden within our hearts, and sees every unshed
tear? "Ask, and it
will be given to you," teaches the Lord, "Seek, and you will
find; knock and it will be opened to you." And He adds: "What
man is there among you, who, if his son asks him for bread, will give
Him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?"
(Mat.7:7-11) O Lord, Jesus Christ, who Yourself prayed before Your Holy Passion on the Cross with the words: "…that all who believe in Me may be one, as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in us…", in Your loving-kindness help us sinners make a good start. Give us the gift of repentance, humility and wholeness, and deem us worthy of glorifying you in a life of prayer in all the days of our lives, that we too may, when the dawn of Your unending Day comes, be one in You.
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