Chapter 94
On the Frozen Soul and the Rearrangement of the Prayer Rule
94.2.1 May the mercy of God be with you!
94.3.1 I never have time. I’ll write a few lines, though.
94.4.1 Your soul has grown numb... You know how dangerous this is from what was written on the occasion of previous numbings... So make the effort to rouse yourself.
94.5.1 From certain signs one can believe that life is alive; but he doesn’t feel satisfied. Why? Because you’ve abandoned your former standing in prayer... and you’re not returning to it...
94.6.1 It seems to me that you need to replace this falling-away with something... and here’s what I propose... Replace all seven of our daily services with the Jesus Prayer with prostrations. Take as your model the Psalter with Appended Offices, at the end where the cell rules for each day are outlined... There, for each service, a number of Jesus Prayers and a number of prostrations are specified; there are two sets there... one for the slothful, another for the zealous. You should have taken the last one... But since you are weak, you may choose the middle one or a little more than the middle... and please write down... how many prayers – 1) for the Midnight Office; 2) for Matins; 3) for the first Hour... and the other Hours – the third, sixth, and ninth; 4) for the Typika; 5) for Vespers; 6) for Compline; 7) as a rule for him.[1] The main thing is the number of prayers... prostrations... you can leave to your discretion – waist bows and full prostrations... Do the prayer... standing... on your knees, – and sitting, if you get tired...
94.7.1 Having determined this, also set the time when you’ll carry out what’s been appointed... And then – carry it out without fail...
94.8.1 Stand in your heart before the Lord and carry it out. Some troparia can be recited from memory. There are such ones in all the services... like, for example, ‘Behold the Bridegroom...’ and similar ones.
94.9.1 Every service you perform should feel like labor… Throughout the day—and you will often—bear labor for the Lord… and satisfaction, I think, will come.
94.10.1 May the Lord bless this work for you!
94.11.1 Be saved!
94.12.1 I’m hurrying with the translation… and laboring to the point of exhaustion.
94.13.1 There’s a pressing need to finish… It will still take another two or three weeks!
94.14.1 Your well-wisher, Bishop Theophan.
94.15.1