Prayer and the Heart
- Michael Haldas
- Sep 10, 2024
- 3 min read
“The asceticism of prayer is important for each one of us. It is not always easy to pray. Quite the opposite! Prayer may bore you, it may remain superficial and scanty. That is why many Christians do not pray at all and do not force themselves to perform prayer. However, in order for us to experience the joy of prayer we must make inner efforts to pray attentively. It is necessary for our mind, which is the energy of the heart, to rise from distraction and come down into the heart so that they can unite. This is the only way we can acquire both peace of mind and peace of heart simultaneously.” (Metropolitan Serafim Joanta)
“Prayer is a great encounter, because two great mysteries meet in it: God and the human heart, which, according to the Church Fathers, is an incredible and inexplicable mystery. We easily and recklessly blame people, discuss their behavior, draw conclusions about them, and accuse them. We think that we know everything about people, but in fact, we know nothing about them. The other person, even if it’s our neighbor, our husband, our wife, or our child, is one great stranger, because he or she is a great mystery to us. Why? Because each of them harbors a human heart within, and the depth of the human heart is unfathomable.” (Fr. Charalampos Papadopoulos)
“It is of the nature of inner prayer to reveal the hidden passions concealed in the human heart and to tame them. Inner prayer shows us our captivity to the fallen spirits, making us realize our imprisonment and freeing us from it…To him who prays constantly with contrition of spirit, with the fear of God and with attention, God Himself gives gradual progress in prayer. From humble and attentive prayer, spiritual action and spiritual warmth make their appearance and quicken the heart.” (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov)
“First and foremost, the goal of this cleansing is to purify the heart. Even good thoughts during prayer open the way for the devil to slip in, which ultimately results in the adultery of our spirit…The second quality of fervent prayer is thanksgiving. Gratitude to God warms the heart and fills our supplications with zeal and devotion. Lack of appreciation for our blessings makes the heart cold. Then our appeals to God become demands rather than childlike requests to our Heavenly Father.” (Dynamis 1/13/2021, Fr. Basil)
“…should the laity practice silence? Of course not, many will say. But I’m not talking about external silence, for even monastics labor in the monastery, fulfill various duties, serve and help people in the world and therefore aren’t silent. There’s another silence that’s necessary both for monastics and for people in the world: inner silence, that is, the desire to be alone with God in your heart. In this state, a man goes deeper into himself, examines his thoughts and actions, and remains in unceasing prayer and the remembrance of God. According to the Apostolic word, we must all constantly contemplate Christ the Savior with the eyes of our hearts, that is, everywhere: at home, outside, in bed, during work and rest, and learn humility, love, patience, and obedience from Him. Whoever lives like this is silent, is a hermit, although he lives in the world…” (St. Seraphim Chichagov)
‘When praying, keep to the rule that it is better to say five words from the depth of your heart than ten thousand words with your tongue only.” (St. John of Krondstat)
"The basic condition for the Prayer of the Heart is the belief that it is not merely prayer but rather true communion with God." (Archimandrite Aimilianos)
“It is necessary to rouse the heart to pray, otherwise it will become quite dry. The attributes of prayer must be: love of God, sincerity, and simplicity.” (St. John of Krondstat)
“Prayer is the way that truth is worked into your heart to create new instincts, reflexes, and dispositions.” (Pastor Timothy Keller)
“The Jesus Prayer – ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner’ - is an ancient meditative prayer that is meant to draw the deepest part of ourselves, the nous or heart, to Christ.” (Sacramental Living)