The Words of Prayer – Not the Main Thing, but an Instrument

In your last letter you mentioned the action of the Jesus Prayer in all things. May the Lord bless this good beginning! In the action of this prayer there should be no image standing between the mind and the Lord, and the words pronounced are not the main thing, but the mediating thing. The main thing is the noetic standing before the Lord in the heart. This is noetic prayer, not the words. The words here are the same as the words of any other prayer. The essence of noetic prayer is in walking before God; and walking before God is an unwavering consciousness, a conviction that God, as he is everywhere, is also within you and sees all your inner self – sees even more than you see yourself. This consciousness of God’s eye looking within you must also have no image, but must consist solely of simple conviction, or feeling. One who is in a warm room feels how the warmth surrounds him and penetrates him. The same must happen in our spiritual being from the omnipresent and all-embracing God, who is fire (See: Deut. 4:24).

The words “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me” though they are an instrument, not the essence of the work, are a very powerful and efficacious instrument; for the name of our Lord Jesus is terrible to the enemies of our salvation and a blessing to those who seek him. Do not forget that this work is simple and has no eccentricities, and should have none. Pray to the Lord about everything, and to the Most Pure Lady and to your Guardian Angel, and they will teach you all things, either themselves or through others.

(Letter 704, vol. 4, p. 171)