Chapter 73
On Prostrations, the Reading of Psalms, and Prayer of the Heart
73.2.1 May the mercy of God be with you!
73.3.1 You’ve grown fond of prostrations... And that’s good. But don’t forget that beneath the prostrations there must be prayer from the heart – to glorify God from the heart, to give thanks from the heart, to ask from the heart, whether in your own words – which is better – or in memorised ones, only let the heart be present everywhere...
73.4.1 If you want the psalms not to distract you, read a commentary on them and clarify their meaning... Then, never read too many... and read unhurriedly, pondering each word. When the heart grows warm from this, you can leave the psalms aside... Remember the story about a certain elder who would read only one ‘Glory’, and then would withdraw into his heart and contemplation... and so he prayed.
73.5.1 About prostrations – whether to make waist bows or full prostrations – what’s there to discuss? But what you’re doing is good: ten waist bows and one full prostration... You can freely make them, sometimes to the waist, sometimes to the ground.
73.6.1 Prostrations are prostrations, but the main thing is a life lived rightly. A life lived rightly proceeds with fear and trembling, from the remembrance of God that never departs and accompanies every step. From this comes sobriety. But before everything else—zeal for salvation, strong and unsparing.
73.7.1 The fourth volume of the Philokalia is entirely addressed to cenobites, and there prayer is not discussed. Volume Five concerns the hesychasts more, and there—on prayer. But throughout the entire Philokalia there are no explanations of my own: it is all patristic writings. It seems to me that you ought not to turn away a brother who is a scholar. But what you know, tell him plainly; and what you do not know, say about it: I do not know. Whether anything comes of this or not, you need not concern yourself with it. Fasting is a saving work, and the service of the Liturgies is beneficial. – What will people say about N if nothing comes of it, or if something bad comes of it... N is not responsible for that. As God blesses. God loves those who labor, as long as they are humble and don’t think too much of themselves. We can do nothing truly good without the Lord and His grace.
73.8.1 A nun’s question about N. is answered by the opening words: ‘To pray sometimes with words, sometimes with the intellect.’ – But it needs to be clarified that one cannot pray with the intellect without words either; it’s just that these words are not heard aloud, but are pronounced mentally there, inside, in the heart. It’s better to put it this way: pray sometimes with audible words, and sometimes with inaudible, silent words. The only thing you need to care about is that both audible and inaudible prayer come from the heart. The rest that’s added here is nonsense, namely: ‘Closing your eyes, clenching your lips and teeth, pronounce the words of the prayer without touching your tongue to your teeth... hold your breath... through nasal breathing it’s even better...’ These and similar additions are no good at all... When prayer comes from the heart, everything else is forgotten. But the inexperienced will read this and start doing it that way and believe that this is real prayer.
73.9.1 The question, surely, was about the Jesus Prayer. – How much nonsense has been heaped up about this holy prayer?!! – But the matter is simple: do you believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is your only Saviour? – If you believe, cry out to Him: «Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me». But the clever scholars forgot about faith and focused all their attention on the words; so they started spinning tales about the tongue, and the lips, and breathing, and the head with the beard, and sitting posture. Prayer alone isn’t enough, but also a strong zeal for salvation... When this zeal is present, it will teach you how to proceed. And you must keep your conscience pure: that’s the main thing...
73.10.1 May the Lord bless you! Be saved!
73.11.1 Your well-wisher, Bishop Theophan.
73.12.1 .