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June 1, 2018

75. In the Calm of the Storm

Hurricane_Isabel_from_ISS

Strong winds whip fiercely around the eye of the hurricane, but the eye remains calm. When you find yourself in an environment of busy, rushing chaos or conflict among people, keep your focus on your heart and pray. Ask the Lord to give you His peace. Beware of getting caught up in the drama. Refuse to take the tempting bait, an invitation to join in the passionate thoughts and feelings others that lead toward sin. Avoid feeding the storm by your own words and actions. If you feel the passion of anger, or other passion, rising within you, reject it in your mind and ask the Lord to purify your heart quickly. Pray for everyone involved that the Lord with bless them.

Do not emotionally react, but prayerfully, thoughtfully respond in harmony with the Way. You are not responsible for what others say and do to you, but what you say and do to others in return. Whatever is directed at you, only offer back what is pure and good in the Name of Jesus Christ.

Do not be deceived by thinking that because you are calm that you are better than others. Remember your own sins and be on guard for thoughts of self-righteousness and judgmental superiority. If you are victorious in a particular moment, realize that you have not reached the spiritual heights. Pride distracts us from watchfulness by filling us with self-satisfaction for our success. Maintain your humility. Remember your own faults. Do not judge others as worse than yourself, but rather, as a fellow sinner struggling to heal the passions, be a humble agent of peace and advocate for love. If you are successful, give thanks to God, who gave you the strength.

Read: Matthew 5.1-12; Mark 4.35-41; Romans 12:17-21; Colossians 3.1-17

June 1, 2018June 1, 2018

74. The Turtle

pexels-photo-turtle

Consider the turtle (or tortoise, if you like). It interacts with its natural environment, but when it feels threatened, it withdraws into its own shell for protection.

Be actively involved in the world around you for your own good and for the sake of others, but do not forget to take the time to withdraw into yourself to pray with your heart. Do not isolate yourself from the people around you, yet be on guard against harmful, soul-corrupting influences.

When you gather yourself, remember who you are. Remind yourself what you are called to do. Defend your heart and mind against the evil spiritual powers and the false ideologies of the world by Grace through prayer. This strategy is not purely defensive. It provides the atmosphere for healing, the staging ground for prayer, and the preparation for ministry to others.

Read: Psalm 31; Matthew 6.5-6

June 1, 2018

73. The Prayer Rope

Prayer ropes

Lord, have mercy.

This is a very simple prayer. It is a powerful prayer. With these few words, you can call upon the Creator and Master of the Universe to ask Him to pour out His Grace upon you. Through this prayer, humbly ask God to forgive your sins, purify your heart, heal your souls, and help you in everything by His Power. Whenever you pray these words, whether alone or in a service of the Church, speak with God with focused attention from your heart.

Another valuable prayer from the Treasury of the Church is the Jesus Prayer:

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.

You may choose to use a bit longer form:

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Pray the Jesus Prayer prayer with your heart wherever you go. Also, pray this prayer during times of private prayer in silence with focused attention. These are not empty words, but communication with the Living God Himself, who loves you and desires for you to experience the fullness of salvation.

To help maintain your focus and to keep track of the number of times you pray the Jesus Prayer, you may use an Orthodox prayer rope (komboskini). Run your thumb across the knots of a prayer rope, one knot for each time you say the prayer. The rope is not necessary, of course, but helpful. As a weapon increases the effectiveness of a warrior, the prayer rope may enhance your effectiveness in prayer by helping you pray with greater focus and more often.

If you carry the prayer rope with you, be discreet and private. Do not show it off publically as an outward sign of your religiousness. Use the prayer rope to cultivate humility and attract the Divine Grace, not to attract the attention of others.

Use the prayer rope to pray for yourself and others. Instead of saying, “have mercy on me,” you may ask God to have mercy on someone else by name. If praying for someone else, omit the words, a sinner.

Consider the prayer rope as a training device to improve your health and increase your strength, as well as a sword in spiritual battle.

As always, remain under the guidance and care of your Priest with regard to your work in prayer.

Read: Psalm 50 (51); Romans 10.12-13; Philippians 2.5-11; Matthew 6.7; 23.5; Luke 18.9-14; 35-43; 1 Thessalonians 5.16-24; 1 John 4.13-18

May 31, 2018

72. In the Silence

Grass Panorama Landscape Nature Meadow Mountain

Always pray silently with your heart wherever you are as often as you can. Pray at home, pray while traveling, pray at work, pray while you eat, pray when alone, pray when in the midst of a crowd.

During focused times of prayer, find a silent place fee from distraction. Begin your time of prayer by calming your body and your mind. Disconnect from the distractions around you. Still the thoughts swirling in your mind. If a thought arises, calm it down. Take advantage of the external silence to seek internal calmness through prayer.

By your prayer, seek to acquire the fulness of inner stillness (hesychia), which is only possible through the work of Grace. One who has acquired this inner stillness possesses the gift of unceasing prayer. The interior silence we seek is not passive emptiness, but the fulness of the Holy Spirit at work within us.

When you find a place of silence, pray. Speak to God with your heart and listen carefully.

Read: 1 Kings 19:11-13; Psalm 46.8-10; Psalm 131; Matthew 14.13, 22-24; Mark 1:35; Luke 5.15-16; Acts 10.9; Romans 8.22-27

May 30, 2018May 30, 2018

71. Breathe (Pray)

Slowly, take a deep breath and exhale. Repeat. Repeat once again.

Now, continue to breathe normally, naturally.

Your life depends upon your breathing. If you stop breathing, your body will die.

Prayer is breathing for the soul. When you pray with your heart, you invite the Life-Giving Energy into your soul. Your soul is then nurtured with Life.

Everything that you have been taught to be and to do as an Orthodox Christian assumes that you are regularly and actively praying. If you do not neglect to give your body oxygen, do not neglect to attract God’s Grace through prayer mingled with humility and repentance.

Consider a fish swimming in the water. If the fish jumps out of the water, it cannot breathe or move freely. If you do not pray, you are like a fish out of water. Without prayer, you cannot live as an Orthodox Christian naturally should live.

Your body normally breathes on its own, involuntarily, without you having to think about it. May your heart likewise learn to (noetically) pray continually, keeping your soul and body always in harmony with the Way, even as your mind attends to your daily tasks. This unceasing prayer is a gift from God.

Remember always to pray everywhere.

Read: Philippians 4.6-7: 1 Thessalonians 5.16-18