Chapter 26
On Prayer Rule and Progress in Prayer
26.2.1 The mercy of God be with you!
26.3.1 So your situation has become fully settled. May the merciful Lord bless it for you! Prepare yourself to carry out your ministry—as a teacher in the monastery school—with full attention, diligence, and fear of God, as a work that the Lord Himself has laid upon you. Let it be the first object of your prayers and your desires. Put everything else behind it, because in fulfilling it lies your salvation. This work is a small part of apostolic ministry and a continuation of their labor of preaching to children.
26.4.1 You wish to have a prayer rule. A good desire. Your former rule was good too; but since you’ve fallen out of the habit of it, here’s a new one. In the evening and in the morning, say the morning prayers and the prayers before sleep. To these add the short little prayers—the twenty-four of Saint John Chrysostom that are found among the prayers before sleep, repeating each one five times. Then call upon all the saints: apostles, prophets, hierarchs, martyrs and female martyrs, venerable fathers and venerable mothers, and all who in every way have pleased God by pleasing Him. This in general, and by name: the Lord Jesus Christ, the Mother of God, your Guardian Angel, the saint whose name you bear, the saints to whom altars are dedicated in the monastery; the saints whom you venerate according to your circumstances – such as Saint Tikhon... and others. Conclude with remembrance of the living and the departed for whom you pray... Mother abbess and the sisters.
26.5.1 Never rush through your prayers, but recite them unhurriedly, with the thoughts and feelings that are expressed in the prayers you are reading. Before beginning your prayer rule, always prepare yourself a little, gathering your thoughts and trying with your attention to stand before the Lord, to whom you are about to pray. The chief disposition in prayer should be one of repentance, for we all sin much... A contrite spirit, a heart contrite and humble God will not despise... In every rule, pray about your sins, in which you have transgressed... What should we strive to attain through prayer? – That the heart should be warmed by love for God and the feeling toward God should not depart... For this purpose the Jesus Prayer is appointed: ‘Lord, Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner’... Repeat this prayer more often and reach the point of habit, so that your tongue repeats it by itself.
26.6.1 Please know that for success in prayer one must strive to adorn the heart with all virtues... especially with: humility, contrition, obedience, and renunciation of one’s own will. One must establish the faith that God sees and hears everything, and knows all our secrets. That’s why one must attend to oneself and drive away everything bad, and as soon as it breaks through in thoughts or feelings – immediately cast it out, and right then repent and ask forgiveness.
26.7.1 Do you have any of my little books? Tell me... I’ll send you what’s most needed.
26.8.1 May the Lord bless you!
26.9.1 Bishop Theophan.
26.10.1 .