LISTENING
When
someone has a problem, you must listen to him carefully. The entire time that
he is talking do not show him that you got tired, because then you lost
everything. One time I was listening to a young man for nine hours without
moving. This is why I got a problem with my intestines!
St.
Paisios the Hagiorate
PREPARATION FOR PRAYING
To
pray, you need to create for yourself the proper “climate”. Then the Lord
himself will teach us how to pray. An Elder used to say that in order to have
light in your house, you need to install in your house the right hardware,
switches, etc. Therefore, there are certain prerequisites to praying. These
are: 1) some preparatory prayers, 2) to ask the Lord to have tears, 3) burning
incenses, 4) lighting of a candle, 5) silence, 6) no worrying, 7) some prior
study (i.e. lives of Saints), 8) removal of yourself from everybody and
everything, 9) burning oil lamp, 10) desire to be happy, 11) complete
dependence from God, and 12) complete let go of yourself for God.
St Porphyrios of Kafsokalivia
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