Chapter 46

On Warmth of Prayer and Spiritual Coldness

^46.2.1 May the mercy of God be with you!

^46.3.1 Your health, God willing, will return in full strength... Endure for now. And don’t forget to give thanks to God, who humbles your soul through weaknesses. But the feeling that you’ve had enough—drive it away. It is not pleasing to God. Because it means you’re dissatisfied with God’s arrangements for you... and you want to tell Him what to do. Make sure to receive Holy Communion during this fast. May the Lord visit your soul and dwell in it!

^46.4.1 That you strive, when you say the prayer, to penetrate the meaning of each word and to pronounce the prayer with feeling—this is the very essence of prayer. Make yourself always do this.[1] But when you pray with feeling, where is your attention, if not in the heart? Feeling always draws attention to itself. The mind is a bustling marketplace.[2] You cannot pray to God there. That sometimes prayer goes well… and by itself… This is a good sign. It means that prayer has begun to take root in the heart. Guard your heart from attachments, strive to remember God, seeing Him before you and acting in His presence, help those who have nothing and those in need… and your prayer will soon take wing. That prayer disappears and leaves coldness… grieve over this… Be contrite and entreat God and the Lady Theotokos not to let warm prayer depart.

^46.5.1 True prayer is a gift of God! And pray for this. Spiritual coldness is preceded by the heart’s attachment to something, preoccupation with something, anger and judging others… discontent and some indulgence of the flesh, self-pampering… and the scattering of thoughts! Guard yourselves from these things, and there will be less spiritual coldness…

^46.6.1 May the Lord bless your labors upon yourselves!

^46.7.1 The heart! But where is life, if not in the heart?

^46.8.1 Your intercessor, Bishop Theophan.