Prayer

“Prayer is the test of everything. If prayer is right everything is right.”

– St. Theophan the Recluse (1815-1894)

“Prayer is more essential to us, more an integral part of ourselves, than the rhythm of our breathing or the beating of our heart. Without prayer there is no life. Prayer is our nature. As humans we are created for prayer just as we are created to speak and to think. The human animal is best described, not as a logical or tool-making animal or an animal that laughs, but rather as an animal that prays, a Eucharistic animal, capable of offering the world back to God in thanksgiving and intercession.”

– Metropolitan Kallistos (Ware)

Prayer is the touchstone of a person’s spiritual life. It discloses the true stature and authentic condition of one’s life. Prayer is what ultimately reveals who we are in relation to God and other people. Moreover, in the Orthodox tradition, prayer does not constitute a stage––whether preliminary or ultimate––in the spiritual life; rather, it is a pervasive activity that permeates all stages and all aspects of life. Prayer presupposes a life that is fully integrated with the life of the world rather than something that only happens at a particular point in our daily or weekly routine. Our aim in reciting prayers on given occasions, and retiring for prayers at particular moments, is to advance from the stage of saying prayers to the point of becoming prayer. To adopt the words of an early theologian, Origen of Alexandria (175-254 AD), “The entire life of a saint is one great, unbroken prayer.” Our goal is to become fiery flames of prayer, living prayers, comforting those in despair and warming those in need.

There are many different ways of praying. Yet prayer cannot be experienced by means of a detached perception or an external connection, in the same way that objects external to us are experienced. Prayer must be personally lived or “touched,” as St. John of the Ladder (579-649 AD) says in his Ladder of Divine Ascent. Prayer cannot exist in itself—it exists, as the English term denotes, only as the activity of someone at prayer. Simply put, a “pray-er” is a praying person. Prayer is not merely a text, but a living human being with a burning heart. “Prayer” is a relationship word; it can never be thought of in abstraction, isolated from others or from God. Prayer presupposes and aims at mystical connection or sacramental encounter. Unless this is clearly understood, all talk about prayer tends to falsify what is at stake. As such, prayer is truly universal. Prayer is not the privilege of the few but the vocation of all.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople  

ARTICLES ON PRAYER

The Discipline of Prayer

Select Articles

The Discipline of Prayer

Praying the Jesus Prayer

Select Articles

Praying the Jesus Prayer

Spiritual Father as Guide & Mentor

Select Articles, Podcasts, & Videos

Spiritual Father as Guide & Mentor

PODCASTS

The Jesus Prayer | Exploring the Inner Kingdom

by Metropolitan Kallistos Ware

Lecture Series on the Lord's Prayer

by Father Thomas Hopko

VIDEO RESOURCES

Why Prayer Matters

Pray Simply, Pray Always

The Key to Prayer

If we attend Church services, do we need to pray on our own? If we pray on our own, do we need to attend the services? Prayer matters, and goes hand in hand with the services. Without the Liturgy, prayer is just talking to ourselves. And without prayer, Liturgy is just empty ritual.

Do you want to pray more, but aren’t sure where to start? Draw some inspiration from the life of Symeon, a pious man profiled in the book “Ascetics in the World.” His life shows how even a simple prayer rule can open our lives to God’s grace.

It’s one thing to talk about why Church services and prayer are important, and another to do them. How do we start? The key is something simple, and something very easy to overlook: silence.

How to Start & Keep a Prayer Rule

Why You Need a Prayer Rope

How to Pray without Ceasing

In this episode of Bee the Bee, we share 4 keys to help you start (and stick to) your daily prayer rule.

What is a prayer rope and how can it help us?

How can we pray without ceasing? Author Frederica Mathewes-Green explores the history and theology of prayer, pulling out practical ideas to implement in our busy lives.

What is the Jesus Prayer?

Frederica Mathewes-Green on the Jesus Prayer

The Lord’s Prayer

The Jesus Prayer is a short prayer often said with the aid of a prayer rope. The goal is to get the prayer from the head into the heart—to activate within the heart constant communion with God.

In this video Frederica talks about the Jesus Prayer: why it’s important, how to practice it, and what is meant to accomplish.

This lecture on the Lord Pray is called:”Praying & Living As the Lord Jesus Taught” and was given by Father Steven Tsichlis of Saint Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church.