Warm, succinct
suggestions on making the prayer of the heart come alive from Moscow pastor Fr.
Artemy Vladimirov.
We very much
pity those Orthodox Christians who think that the best rest for their exhausted
soul is to watch television news. This isn’t a bad thing, perhaps, but it’s a
dead thing. You may spend all of the earthly time you have been allotted with
such distractions, but you will never be at peace. If you want to calm your
mind and ease your heart, try calling instead on the most holy name of Jesus
Christ, without haste and with only one intent: to attract His attention and
repent of your sins.
To stand before
the face of God, to cleanse your heart and sanctify the space of your life by
invoking His name, this is your aim. We don’t know how God cleanses our heart
by His name, but we believe that He does so in a supernatural way. In saying
the Jesus Prayer, it is not so important whether you are “a monk or a drunk,”
but you are to be very steadfast, attentive, humble, mild, and concentrated.
Try taking a
walk for ten minutes as you invoke His miracle-working name, and you will see
spiritual profit. Begin in a simple, humble manner, “Oh, Lord Jesus Christ,
have mercy on me a sinner.” You may even do this somewhat mechanically, knowing
that this tradition has been sanctified by generations of saints, but as you
walk and pray, try not to think of anything else. Just walk in the presence of
God.
In these ten
minutes, you will find that your fevered mind is soothed, that the noisy bazaar
of your thoughts has become light, clear, and direct, and that your heart has
begun to say other prayers in a manner that satisfies you. You pray, you
breathe, you speak to God; you are not just repeating empty words. What does it
mean to have your mind in your heart? It means that you are to control your
feelings. You are not to admit invaders into your heart, but are to check your
heart with your mind, to observe everything that takes place there. To have
your mind in your heart is exactly what our Lord prescribes to us in His
commandment: When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut
thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret…”.
What does it
mean to shut the door? It means to banish every earthly image or passion with
the concentration of your mind and will. When we pray we should not admit
feelings of lust or open our hearts to the snake of irritation; we are to rid
ourselves of everything that is unpleasant. To have your mind in your heart is
to control the space of your heart. It is the kingdom of God Almighty and of
nothing else.
If you make
progress in this humble prayer, you will begin to understand that this
commandment is very complete. Your heart will be filled with a spiritual warmth
that embraces the center of your feelings. You will come to understand what
attentive prayer is, and that your heart has been created for ceaseless prayer.
Ceaseless prayer is not a perpetual repetition of this or that word or phrase.
The Holy Fathers say that it is the feeling of your heart. Just as you view the
objects of this world with open eyes, so your heart, warmed by prayer to God,
will partake of the spiritual world. This will be due, not to your piety, but
to God’s grace. Unceasing prayer may have no words, but you will walk and sleep
in the presence of God.
Archpriest
Artemy Vladimirov
Road to Emmaus magazine
2/25/2009
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