Chapter 1

What Prayer Is

Prayer is earnest, penitent invocation of the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; it brings us near, unites us, and joins us with the Lord. It is our reverent prayerful remembrance of Christ our Savior. When practiced constantly, prayer becomes a guardian of our inner life, of our thoughts and feelings, and prevents anything impure and unworthy from entering the soul.

Be so kind as to contemplate all this, take it as your guide, and read it often, to renew in your memory how you ought to act.

St. Theophan the Recluse