“THE TEST OF EVERYTHING IS PRAYER”
In the Orthodox Church, we are taught that the quality of our faith is vitally linked to the practice of prayer. Simply put, our relationship with the Holy Trinity is dependent upon the authenticity of prayer. One of the great axioms of the Holy Fathers is that “the theologian is the one who prays and the one who prays is the theologian.”
Accordingly, those who grow in faith do so because their prayer is genuine, while those who eventually lose their souls do so only because they fail to give themselves over to a life of prayer. As St. Theophan the Recluse says, “Prayer is the test of everything, the source of everything and the director of everything; for if our prayer is right, then everything else will be right also.”
So what must we do in order to recover the kind of prayer that makes a difference in our daily lives?
First, we must make time for prayer on a regular, daily basis—in the morning and evening. The saints call this the “Rule of Prayer.” No one makes progress in the spiritual life without being obedient to this simple rule. Why is this important? Because prayer needs its own time so that we can devote body, mind, and soul wholly to God. This is what Christ means in the gospels when He says, “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father Who is in secret.” (Mat. 6.6)
Second, we must seek God continually by praying to Him without ceasing. This is the teaching of the scriptures in that we must be mindful of God in everything we do. “I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise shall always be in my heart.” (Ps. 34:1) “Seek God and your soul shall live.” (Ps 69:1) “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.” (Mat. 5:6). Whether we are at work, or at home with the children, or driving in the car, we pray by being mindful of the Lord continually.
Third, we must commit ourselves to the Liturgical and Sacramental life of the Church. The testimony of Orthodoxy is that our personal prayer will never be true unless we gather together as the Body of Christ. Our corporate prayer, the prayer of Christ’s Body, and our personal prayer, go hand-in-hand. These two types of prayers are truly symbiotic in that they cannot live—one without the other.
Fourth, we must cleanse our hearts of ill will towards others. We must remove from our souls the presence of any malice towards our brother or sister. For as we pray in the prayer of St. Ephrem the Great, “O Lord, grant me to see my own sins and not to judge my brother…” Here we learn that God accepts our prayer only as long as we forgive others the wrongs they have committed against us.
Fifth, we must be faithful to the fast days and the fasting seasons of the Church. Why is this so important? Because the Church knows that as human beings we are psychosomatic creatures: how we treat our bodies has a great effect upon the life of the soul. The deep meaning of the fast is simply to teach us about the necessity of moderation—we eat in order to live and not the other way around. Conversely, those people who have become slaves of their stomach and who “string together breakfast with dinner,” (eat all day long) as St. John Chrysostom says, will never be capable of prayer. Carnality and contemplation are diametrically opposed.
Lastly, we must surrender our lives in humble obedience to a spiritual father. For we will never progress in prayer without having somebody to help us along the way. In America today, it is a sad fact that most Christians are really “lone-ranger” Christians. They think they can do it on their own. “Me and Jesus, that’s all that I will ever need.” But this is a dangerous assumption. The Holy Fathers love to say that the person who has chosen himself as his own spiritual guide has chosen a fool.
Let us never forget this one thing: that the greatest treasure of our Christian Orthodoxy is its teaching on prayer. May God help us to see how valuable this treasure truly is! More importantly, may God help us to pray sincerely, faithfully, and unceasingly.
Fr. Paul Jannakos
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