Chapter 64
On the Essence of Prayer and the Feeling of Contrition
64.2.1 May the mercy of God be with you!
64.3.1 The essence of prayer is noetic standing before the Lord with a cry to Him in some feeling—whether of thanksgiving, or doxology, or petition, or contrition, or fear, or hope, or some other feeling directed toward the Lord—so that as soon as there is no feeling toward the Lord, there is no prayer. When someone is in a feeling, he has no time to attend to external posture—whether of the whole body or of its various parts, lips, tongue, fingers. Your attention must stand in the heart, but not before the heart; before the Lord. If the Lord is not in your attention, there is no prayer.
64.4.1 You make many prostrations. That is good; but make sure that along with this there is also attention to the Lord, and feeling. The feeling most fitting for us is contrition: A contrite spirit—a heart contrite and humble God will not despise. This comes from the fear of God, and the fear of God is awakened by the remembrance of death and God’s judgement. Every time you approach prayer, kindle in yourself the fear of God and contrition, and then pray, not allowing these feelings to weaken. It is easiest to be in the fear of God and contrition in the church. Make it your care to be in the church always with these feelings. And then at home you’ll be in them too... And God’s blessing on you!
64.5.1 I’ve reviewed the elders’ letter and their reply to your question. There are good thoughts in the letter—you should keep them in mind. As for what shouldn’t be agreed with, I’ve crossed that out.
64.6.1 Have you replied to their response? If not, answer them this way: since you couldn’t justify your prayer practice by patristic guidance, I’m declining to follow you, fearing I might fall into error. Innovations are destructive.[1] Through them the enemy digs a pit for us.
64.7.1 Tell that young brother to whom you’ve passed on the practice of eldership to abandon it.[2] Let him stir up in himself a contrite spirit and humility, and with these feelings let him pray to the Lord, standing with attention in his heart and always walking in the presence of God and in remembrance of death. Let him seek and pray for what Maximus Kapsokalivis sought and found. That is the straight path. He showed no special methods, but had only one longing for the good that he finally received. That spiritual fire and warmth is a good thing... But it’s completely different from what is produced by old-age techniques or any other such methods.[3] When the Lord grants that gift, then everything will go differently, and the Jesus Prayer will sound differently too.
64.8.1 May the Lord bless you!
64.9.1 Be saved!
64.10.1 I ask for your prayers.
64.11.1 Your well-wisher, Bishop Theophan.
64.12.1
64.13.1 (A question. “Is this how I understand prayer: if I were to ask you for something, would you require me to keep my intellect on my lips or at the tip of my tongue or to control my breathing and so forth, or only to attend to your person?[4] – So too my Lord.”)