Chapter 10
On the Prayer of Intellect and Heart
10.2.1 Prayer should always be an offering of intellect and heart to God. When, lifting ourselves to God, we glorify God, give thanks to Him, and ask Him for the gift of spiritual goods—with awareness and feeling of His greatness, His benefactions, and His generous mercy—then we are praying, or we are in a state of prayer. All our prayers, which are contained in prayer books and church books, include everything just mentioned; and if, when we read these prayers, we not only pronounce the words but also hold the same thoughts and feelings, then that is true prayer. If you pray in this way, then all is well. If, by praying in this way both in church and at home, you reach the point through long practice of your prayer that prayerful thoughts and feelings become united with your intellect and heart, so that whether you are standing in prayer or not, those feelings and thoughts do not depart from your attention and always keep it fixed on God – then you have ascended to the highest degree of prayer, which may rightly be called prayer of the intellect and heart. It occurs in the soul even without words, during conversation with others and while occupied with some task. This uninterrupted attention to God, or walking before God, is unceasing prayer...
10.3.1 The Jesus Prayer is a great help for this; it concentrates attention on God very powerfully and makes it strong. From this you can see where the place of this prayer is and what is required for success in it. Here are the stages of prayer.
10.4.1 1. Habituation to the customary prayer rules in church and at home.[1]
10.5.1 2. The uniting of prayerful thoughts and feelings with the intellect and heart.[2]
10.6.1 3. Unceasing prayer; The Jesus Prayer can be applied to all these, but its proper place is in unceasing prayer.
10.7.1 The chief condition for success in prayer is the purification of the heart from passions and every attachment to anything sensory. Without this, prayer will always remain at the first level, or the read prayer. As the heart is purified, the read prayer will gradually transform into the prayer of the intellect and heart, and when it is completely purified, then unceasing prayer will be established.
10.8.1 How you should act. In church, follow the divine service and hold in your mind the thoughts and feelings that the service offers. At home, awaken in yourself prayerful thoughts and feelings, and keep them in your soul with the help of the Jesus Prayer. May the Lord bless you!
10.9.1 Bishop Theophan.