A Homily on Prayer of the Mind, the Heart, and the Soul (Part 1)

He who with steadfastness and reverence practices attentive prayer, pronouncing its words aloud or in a whisper, as need requires, and enclosing his mind in the words, he who in his prayer struggle constantly rejects all thoughts and fantasies, not only sinful and vain ones, but even those that seem good, to him the merciful Lord grants in His time mental, heart, and soul prayer.

Brother! It is not beneficial for you to receive prematurely heart-felt, grace-filled prayer! It is not beneficial for you to feel prematurely spiritual sweetness! Having received them prematurely, without having first acquired the knowledge with what reverence and caution one must guard the gift of God’s grace, you might use this gift to your detriment and the destruction of your soul.[1] Moreover, it is impossible by your own efforts to bring forth in yourself grace-filled, mental and heart prayer: for it belongs to God alone to unite the mind with the heart and soul, divided in us by the fall. But if we foolishly force ourselves and seek to bring forth by our own effort alone those gifts which are sent solely by God, we shall labor in vain. And it is well if the harm were limited to the loss of labor and time! Often proud seekers of the states proper to restored human nature subject themselves to the greatest spiritual affliction, which the holy Fathers call spiritual delusion. This makes sense: the very fundamental starting point from which they begin their action is false. How then should not the consequences too be false? Such consequences, called spiritual delusion, have various forms and degrees. Spiritual delusion is most often concealed, but sometimes it is manifest, often places a man in a disordered, ridiculous and most pitiful state, often leads to suicide and ultimate spiritual ruin.[2] But spiritual delusion, understood by many in its obvious consequences, must be studied and grasped at its very beginning: in the false thought which is the foundation of all errors and disastrous spiritual states. In the false thought of the mind already exists the whole structure of spiritual delusion, as in a seed exists the plant which must spring from it when it is sown in the earth. Saint Isaac the Syrian said: “Scripture says: ‘The kingdom of God does not come with careful observation’ (Lk. 17:20) of expectation. Those who struggled with such a spiritual disposition were subjected to pride and a fall. But we shall establish our heart in the deeds of repentance and in a life pleasing to God. The gifts of the Lord, however, come of themselves, if the temple of the heart is pure and not defiled. That we should seek with deliberation, I say, the high gifts of God has been rejected by the Church of God. Those who undertook this were subjected to pride and a fall. This is not a sign that anyone loves God, but a sickness of the soul. And how should we strive for the high gifts of God when the divine Paul boasts of sorrows and acknowledges as the highest gift of God communion in the sufferings of Christ!”[3]

In your prayer struggle, rely wholly on God, without Whom even the least progress is impossible. Each step toward success in this struggle is a gift of God. Deny yourself and give yourself to God, that He may do with you as He wills. And He, the All-Good, wills to grant you what neither mind nor heart “has not entered” into (1 Cor. 2:9): He wills to grant such good things as our mind and heart, in their fallen state, cannot even imagine. It is impossible for one not having acquired purity to obtain even the slightest understanding of the spiritual gifts of God either through imagination or through comparison with the most pleasant soul-level sensations known to man! With simplicity and faith commit your care to God. Do not obey the counsel of the deceiver, who in paradise said to our forefathers: “you will be like God” (Gen. 3:5). Now he proposes to you an untimely and arrogant striving to acquire the spiritual gifts of heart prayer, which, I repeat, only God bestows, for which there is appointed a time and place of its own. This place is the whole vessel, both soul and body, purified from the passions.

Let us take care to free the temple—soul and body—from idols, from sacrifices to idols, from things sacrificed to idols, from all that pertains to idolatry. As the holy prophet Elijah brought down all the priests and prophets of Baal to the stream Kishon and there put them to death, so let us immerse ourselves in the weeping of repentance, and in this blessed stream mortify all the principles that compel our heart to offer sacrifices to sin, all the justifications by which such sacrifice is justified and excused. Let us wash the altar and all that surrounds it with tears: let us double and triple the washing: for the spiritual impurity of the soul requires tears in abundance for its cleansing. Let the altar be built of stones in the name of the Lord—of sensations drawn solely from the Gospel; let there be no place here for the sensations of the old man, however innocent and refined they may seem (1 Kings 18). Then the great God will send down His all-holy fire into our hearts and make our hearts temples of grace-filled prayer, as He has spoken with His divine lips: “My house shall be called a house of prayer” (Mt. 21:13).

First let us direct our attention to bodily passions, to the consumption of food and to the lustful impulses which most depend upon excess in this consumption. Let us strive to wisely arrange the state of our flesh, giving it enough food and sleep that it may not become too weakened and remain capable of struggles. Giving it so little that it constantly bears within it death, not coming alive for sinful movements. According to the Fathers, in the consumption of food and sleep habit means much: therefore it is very beneficial to accustom ourselves beforehand to moderate and, if possible, meager consumption.[4] Saint Isaac the Syrian spoke thus of fasting and watchfulness: “He who has loved communion with these two virtues throughout his life will become an intimate of chastity. As the beginning of all evils is the satisfaction of the belly and weakness from sleep, which kindle the passion of lust, so too is the holy path of God and the foundation of all virtues fasting and watchfulness, and vigilance in God’s service through the crucifixion of the body for entire nights by depriving it of the sweetness of sleep. Fasting is the protection of every virtue, the beginning of struggle, the crown of the self-controlled, the beauty of virginity and sanctification, the brightness of chastity, the beginning of the Christian path, the mother of prayer, the source of chastity and wisdom, the teacher of silence. It precedes all good deeds. As the desire for light follows from the health of the eyes, so from fasting performed with discernment follows the desire for prayer. When one begins to fast, from fasting comes the desire for communion with God in the mind. The body of one who fasts cannot bear to spend the whole night on the bed. When the seal of fasts is placed upon a man’s lips, then his thought learns compunction, his heart pours forth prayer, his face is clothed in lamentation, shameful thoughts are far from him. Joy is not seen in his eyes, he is an enemy to whims and empty talk. Never has it been seen that one fasting with discernment was enslaved to evil desire. Fasting with discernment is a great temple of all virtues. He who does not care for it does not leave a single virtue unshaken. Fasting is a commandment given from the beginning to our nature for its protection in the consumption of food; from the violation of fasting fell the created foundation of our being.[5] From where ruin flowed, from there in return the ascetics begin to walk toward the fear of God, when they begin to keep God’s law.” He who gives himself over to excessive sleep and gluttony cannot but defile himself with lustful movements. As long as the soul and body are agitated by these movements, as long as the mind is pleased with fleshly thoughts, just so long is man incapable of the new and unknown movements which are awakened in him from the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit.

As much as fasting is needed for one desiring to begin and make progress in mental prayer, so much does he need silence or extreme seclusion—in general, the greatest possible withdrawal from wandering. Living in a monastery, go out as seldom as possible; when away from the monastery, return as quickly as possible; when visiting the city or village, guard your senses with all attentiveness, so as not to see or hear anything spiritually harmful, so as not to receive an unexpected and unforeseen mortal wound. In the monastery know the church, the refectory, and your cell; go to the cells of other brothers only for a good reason; if possible, do not go at all; visit the cell of your teacher and spiritual father, if you are so blessed as to have found a teacher in these times; and even then visit at the proper time and according to real need, not at all from despondency or for idle talk. Accustom yourself to silence, so that you can remain silent even among people. Speak as little as possible, and only when absolutely necessary. It is hard to endure the suffering of silence for one accustomed to distraction; but everyone desiring to be saved and make progress in spiritual life must absolutely subject himself to this suffering and accustom himself to solitude and silence. After a brief period of labor, silence and solitude will become desired because of the fruits which the wise hesychast’s soul will not be slow to taste. The Venerable Arsenius the Great, living in the world, prayed to God that God teach him how to be saved, and heard a voice proclaiming: “Arsenius! Flee from men and you will be saved.” When the Venerable entered the Egyptian Scetis, where great holy monks led their life, he again prayed to God: “Teach me to be saved”, and heard the voice: “Arsenius! Flee, be silent, be still: these are the roots of freedom from sin.” Saint Isaac the Syrian speaks of the Venerable Arsenius the Great: “Silence helps hesychasm. How? Living in a populous monastery, it is impossible for us not to meet someone. Even the angel-like Arsenius, who loved hesychasm more than others, could not avoid this. It is impossible not to meet the fathers and brothers living with us; this meeting happens unexpectedly: and when someone is going to church or to some other place. When this most blessed man (the Venerable Arsenius) saw all this, and that him, as one living near a human settlement (although he lived in the Egyptian Scetis filled with perfect monks), it was impossible for the most part to avoid close contact with worldly people and monks dwelling in those places, then he learned from grace this manner—constant silence. If by necessity he opened the door of his cell for some, they were comforted only by the sight of him—conversation and its necessity remained superfluous.” The same Saint Isaac says: “Love silence above all else:[6] it brings you near to the fruit. A tongue is insufficient to set forth the good things born from silence. First we force ourselves to silence: then from silence is born in us something that teaches us the silence that gave it birth. May God grant you to feel something born from silence. If you begin to live this way of life, I cannot even say what light will shine upon you from this. Do not think, brother, that the wondrous Arsenius, as is told of him, that when the fathers and brothers came visiting him, he received them in silence and sent them away in silence—acted thus only because he wished to. He acted thus because first he forced himself to this practice. A certain sweetness is born in time in the heart from the training of this practice, and with exertion instructs the body to remain in silence. In this way of life are born to us many tears and a wondrous vision.” Saint Isaac in Homily 75 says: “Over a long time, being tempted from right and left, having tested myself repeatedly through the following two ways of living, receiving from the adversary (the devil) countless wounds, having been deemed worthy of great mysterious protections, I, instructed by God’s grace, through many years and experiences have acquired the following experiential knowledge. The foundation of all virtues, the calling out of the soul from the captivity of the enemy, the path leading to divine light and life, is contained in these two ways of living:[6] to gather yourself into yourself in one place, and to fast unceasingly. This means: to establish for yourself wisely and prudently a rule of abstinence in your stomach in a constant, never-to-be-left dwelling, in unceasing practice and remembrance of God. From this flows obedience of the senses, from this flows watchfulness of the mind, from this flows the taming of the fierce passions moving in the body, from this flows meekness of thoughts, from this flows the movement of bright thoughts, from this flows zeal in the practice of virtues, from this flows high and subtle understanding, from this flows immeasurable tears at all times and remembrance of death, from this flows that pure chastity which stands far from every fantasy tempting the mind; from this flows quick-sightedness and keenness of perception of distant things (that is, good and evil which might be distant consequences of every action); from this flows the deepest mysterious understanding which the mind grasps through the power of God’s Word, and the innermost movements arising in the soul, and the discernment and distinguishing of spirits from the holy powers, and true visions from vain fantasies; from this flows fear of the ways and paths in the sea of thought, cutting off negligence and carelessness, from this flows the flame of fervor, trampling down every disaster, raising one above every fear—that ardor which despises every lust and destroys it from the thought, produces forgetfulness of every memory of the passing and of all that belongs to this world and age. In short, from this flows the freedom of a true man, the joy and resurrection of the soul, its repose with Christ in the Kingdom of Heaven. But if anyone neglects these two ways of living, let him know that he has not only deprived himself of all the aforesaid, but by despising these two virtues has shaken the foundation of all virtues. As these two virtues are the beginning and head of God’s work in the soul, the door and path to Christ—if one keeps them and endures in them, so, on the contrary, if one abandons them and turns away from them, he comes to the two opposite ways of living, that is, to bodily wandering and to shameless gluttony. These are the beginning of what is opposite to what has been said above, and prepare a place in the soul for the passions.”

“This first principle above all else resolves the senses, which have already come into obedience, from the bonds by which they were held. What happens from this? From this come unseemly and unexpected occurrences, close to falls, the uprising of mighty waves, fierce heat kindled by sight, taking possession of the body and holding it in its power, easy slippings in the (adopted devout) way of thinking, irresistible thoughts leading toward a fall, cooling of the warmth toward God’s works and gradual weakening in love for hesychasm;[7] finally, complete abandonment of the begun way of life, renewal of forgotten evils and instruction in new ones, previously unknown, because of unceasing new meetings, involuntarily and in many forms presenting themselves to the sight in moving from land to land, from place to another place. Passions, mortified in the soul by God’s grace and destroyed in the mind by the forgetfulness of their memory, begin again to come into motion and impel the soul to commit them. This is what—I do not count in detail all the rest—is revealed (in the monk) from the first principle, that is, from bodily wandering, by the rejection of patient suffering in silence. What also comes from the other principle, that is, when the work of swine begins? In what does the work of swine consist, if not in abandoning the belly without a rule for it, if not in unceasing satisfaction of it without a fixed time for fulfilling its need, in contrast to the custom of rational creatures? What follows from this? Heaviness of the head, considerable weighing down of the body with weakening of the shoulders. From this comes the necessity of negligence in God’s service, appears sloth, not allowing one to perform bows during the prayer rule, negligence toward customary genuflections, darkening and coldness of thought, dullness of mind, lack of discernment because of the disturbance and especial darkening of thoughts, thick and dense darkness spread over the whole soul, abundant despondency in every work of God, and equally in reading, because of incapacity to taste the sweetness of God’s Word, abandonment of the needful exercises; an uncontrolled mind, wandering over all the earth; accumulation of abundant moisture in all the members, unclean fantasies at night, presenting to the soul vile and base images filled with lust, and in the soul itself fulfilling its unclean desire. The bed of this wretched one, his garments and his very body are defiled by the multitude of shameful discharges flowing from him as from a source. And this happens to him not only at night but also during the day; the body constantly drips filth, and defiles the thought, so that man because of such circumstances is deprived of hope to preserve chastity, for the sweetness of impulses works in all his body with unceasing and unbearable heat, and before him form seductive mental images depicting before him beauty, exciting him at every time, and incline the mind to unite with them (with these mental images of beauty). Without doubt, he unites with them by musing on them and desiring them, because of the darkening of his discernment. This is what the Prophet spoke of: “Such is the reward of your sister Sodom, who enjoyed herself, eating bread to fullness” etc. (Ezek. 16:49).[8] But the following was also said by some of the great wise men: ‘If someone feeds his body, providing it with pleasure, he casts his soul into a great struggle. Such a one, if he ever comes to himself and wishes to force himself and restrain, will not be able to do so because of excessive bodily heat, because of the violence and might of excitations and deceptions captivating the soul with their lusts.’ Do you see here the subtlety of godless forces? Again the same one says: ‘The pleasure of the body, with its softness and moisture of youth, becomes the cause of the rapid acquisition of passions by the soul, death embraces it, and thus it falls under God’s judgment. On the contrary, the soul, unceasingly practicing in the remembrance of its obligations, rests in its freedom, its cares are diminished, it cares about nothing (temporal), cares about virtue, bridling the passions and guarding the virtues, it is gradually in progress, in carefree joy, in a good life and in a refuge without disaster. Bodily pleasure not only strengthens the passions and raises them against the soul, but even uproots it from its foundations. By it the belly is set on fire toward incontinence and lustful disorderly sensations. It impels one to eat food at an unseemly time. One warred against by it does not wish to endure a small hunger so as to master himself, because he is captive to the passions.’ In a similar manner reason all the holy Fathers, whom we do not cite here so as not to extend the Homily greatly.”

Having surrounded our way of life externally with abstinence from excess and pleasure in the consumption of food and drink, having guarded it by the solitude depending on us, that is, by remaining within the monastery and avoiding acquaintance outside and inside the monastery, let us direct our attention to the spiritual passions. Let us first direct our attention, according to the commandment of the Lord, to anger (Mt. 5:22), which has pride as its foundation.[9] Let us forgive our fathers and brothers, those dwelling near and far, the living and the departed, all offenses and injuries inflicted upon us by them, however heavy these injuries may be. The Lord commanded us: “When you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your sins. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your sins” (Mark 11:25–26). First of all pray for your enemies and bless them (Mt. 5:44), as instruments of divine providence, through whom recompense has been made to you for your sins during this brief earthly life, so as to save you from the recompense you deserve in eternity from the torments of hell. When you act thus, when you love your enemies and pray that all blessings, temporal and eternal, be granted to them, then only will God come down to your aid, and you will overcome all your adversaries with your prayer, you will enter with your mind into the heart temple to worship the Father in Spirit and Truth (Jn. 4:24). But if you let your heart harden with grudge-bearing and justify your anger with your pride, then God your Lord will turn away from you, and you will be trampled under the feet of Satan. With every vile thought and sensation he will trample you, you will not be able to resist him. But if the Lord deems you worthy to place at the foundation of your prayer struggle freedom from malice, love, non-judgment of neighbors, merciful excuse of them, then with especial ease and speed you will conquer your opponents, you will attain pure prayer.[10]

Know that all passions and all fallen spirits are in the closest kinship and union with one another. This kinship, this union, is sin. If you have submitted to one passion, then through submission to this one passion you have submitted to all other passions. If you have allowed yourself to be taken captive by one evil spirit, through conversation with the thoughts he implants and through being drawn into these thoughts or fantasies, then you have entered into slavery to all spirits. After your defeat, they will hand you over to one another, like a captive.[11] This the holy Fathers teach, this experience itself teaches. Watch yourself, and you will see that, having allowed yourself to be overcome in something voluntarily, after that, in something entirely different, in which you would not wish to yield victory, you will be overcome involuntarily; and so it will be until through careful repentance you restore your freedom. Having placed at the foundation of your prayer struggle freedom from anger, love and mercy toward neighbor, commanded by the Gospel, with resolution reject every conversation with thoughts and every fantasy. To meet every thought and fantasy, say: “I have wholly given myself to the will of my God, and therefore there is for me no need to dispute, suppose, foretell, for ‘the Lord is near. Be anxious about nothing’ the Holy Spirit commands me together with all those who truly believe in Christ, ‘but in every situation, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God’ (Phil. 4:5–6). ‘Be prudent’, that is, reject satiation and pleasure, reject deceptive thoughts and fantasies, ‘and be watchful in your prayers,’ all your care ‘casting upon Him’ (on God), ‘because He cares for you’ (1 Pet. 4:7, 5:7). ‘I desire therefore that the men’, that is, Christians who have become perfect in the prayer struggle, ‘pray in every place’, ‘lifting up holy hands’, the mind and heart, purified from passions, filled with humility and love, ‘without anger and dissension’, that is, being free from all malice toward neighbor, free from agreement with thoughts and pleasure in fantasies (1 Tim. 2:8). Hate ‘every false way’, and you will be directed ‘to all the commandments’ of the Lord” (Ps. 118:128). The false way is conversation with thoughts and fantasy. He who has rejected this conversation and fantasy can inherit all God’s commandments, can perform God’s will in the midst of his heart (Ps. 39:9), unceasingly cleaving through prayer to the Lord, drawing his prayer with humility and love. “You who love the Lord, hate evil!” (Ps. 96:10), the Holy Spirit exhorts us.