Chapter 146

There is No Requirement to Pronounce the Jesus Prayer Unceasingly

The generation of prayer during handiwork is the mercy of God — and pray then in the work itself. You grieve that the Jesus Prayer is not continuous, that you do not pronounce it unceasingly — this is not required... What is required is a constant feeling toward God, which can be present during conversation, during reading, during observing and considering something... But since the Jesus Prayer, when you pray it, is in the true form, continue to act thus, and this prayer... will expand its domain. (9, 155)