What practical steps lead us to practice prayer?

First: Focus your inner gaze on God, your heavenly Father. St. Basil says, “When you begin prayer, forget every creature, seen and unseen, and begin to praise God, the Creator of everything; for it is said, ‘So He said to them, “When you pray, say, Our Father”’ (Luke 11:2).”⁶³

St. Ambrose says, “Not everyone who prays ascends the mountain, for there is prayer that turns to sin (cf. Ps. 108:7). But whoever prays well, whoever lifts himself from the cares of earth to thoughts of Heaven, climbs to the topmost peak (cf. Ps. 23:3) and all his concern is things sublime. But there is no question of someone climbing to the top if he is loaded with anxious cares to get rich and to be a person of great importance. He is not going to reach the mountain-top if he is casting a covetous eye on some one else’s possessions. Only the person who seeks God will make the ascent; only the one who asks God to help him on his way. All great souls, all sublime and elevated souls, reach the top of the mountain. It is not simply to any and every one that the prophet says: ‘Get up upon a high mountain, you who bring good tidings to Sion. Lift up your voice with strength, you who bring good news to Jerusalem’ (Isa. 40:9). It is not with the footsteps of your body that you must climb this mountain, but by the sublimity of your deeds. Follow Christ in such a way that you yourself can be a mountain; for: ‘Mountains are all around it’ (Ps. 124:2).”⁶⁴

St. Evagrius says, “When the mind no longer contains images of earthly things during prayer, it has become strong.”

Second: Regulate the needs of your body in harmony with the hours of prayer. Let prayer take priority over the needs of the body. St. Basil says, “When you take food to nourish your body, you can scarcely be induced to leave the table before you have fully satisfied your need and, except for an urgent reason, you will not readily do so. How much more eagerly ought you to linger over spiritual nourishment and strengthen your soul with prayer; for the soul is as far superior to the body as heaven is above the earth and heavenly things above those of earth. The soul is an image of heaven because the Lord dwells within it, but the flesh is of earth, wherein live mortal men and irrational beasts. Regulate the needs of your body, therefore, in conformity with the hours of prayer and be prepared to dismiss arguments which would draw you away from observance of the rule; for it is the way of the devils to urge us

62 “Pseudo-Athanasius’s Life and Activity of the Holy and Blessed Teacher Syncletica,” trans., Elizabeth A. Castelli, in Ascetic Behavior in Graeco-Roman Antiquity: A Sourcebook , ed., Vincent L. Wimbush, 265– 311. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1990) 80: p. 298.

63 St. Basil of Caesarea, Monast. Cap . 1.

64 St. Ambrose of Milan, Commentary of St. Ambrose on the Gospel according to Saint Luke , trans., Ide M. Ni Riain (Dublin: Halcyon Press. 2001) 5.49: p. 131.

to be absent during the time of prayer on the pretext of a seemingly worthy reason, so that they may plausibly draw us away from saving prayer. Do not make excuses, saying, ‘Alas, my head! Alas, my stomach!’ alleging invisible proofs of nonexistent pain … for the sake of taking rest. Rather, be constant in secret prayer which God beholds in secret and will repay you for openly (Matt. 6:18).”⁶⁵

Third: When you are in church, speak only of that which glorifies God and do not be a chatterbox. St. Basil says, “‘The heavens show forth the glory of God’ (Ps. 19:1). The praise of God is a duty belonging to angels. This one duty, referring glory to the Creator, belongs to every army of the heavenly creatures. Every creature, whether silent or uttering sound, whether celestial or terrestrial, gives glory to the Creator. But, wretched men, who leave their homes and run to the temple, as if to enrich themselves somewhat, do not lend their ears to the words of God; they do not possess a knowledge of their nature, they are not distressed, although they have previously committed sin; they do not grieve at remembering their sin, nor do they fear the judgment; but, smiling and shaking hands with one another, they make the house of prayer a place of lengthy conversations, pretending not to hear the psalm which solemnly protests and says: ‘In the temple of God all shall speak his glory’ (Ps. 29:9). You not only do not speak his glory, but, you even become a hindrance to the other, turning his attention to yourself and drowning out the teaching of the Spirit by your own clamor. See to it that you do not at some time leave condemned along with those blaspheming the name of God … Let the tongue sing, let the mind interpret the meaning of what has been said, that you may sing with your spirit, that you may likewise sing with your mind (1 Cor. 14:14). Not at all is God in need of glory, but He wishes you to be worthy of winning glory. Therefore, ‘What a man sows, he will also reap’ (Gal. 6:7). Sow glorification, that you may reap crowns and honors and praises in the kingdom of heaven. This statement, ‘In his temple all shall seek his glory,’ was made not unfittingly in a digression, because some in the temple of God talk endlessly until their tongue aches; and these enter without profit. Would that it might be only without profit and not with harm!”⁶⁶

Fourth: Be earnest in prayer with faith and flee the distractions of the thoughts. St. Basil says, “We ought to pray for divine help, not with laziness or a scattered mind here and there. Such a person not only fails to receive what he asks, but even angers God. If a person stands before a ruler, his eyes are steady, inside and out, for fear of punishment; how much more should we stand before the Lord with alertness and awe? But if you are beset by a certain sin, you will not be able to pray steadily and with all your strength. Examine yourself, so that whenever you stand before God, your thoughts are fixed on Him, and God will forgive you; for it is not out of negligence, but out of weakness that you are unable to be present before Him as you ought. If you commit yourself to this, you will not leave Him until you receive. If you do not receive what you ask, this is because your request was inappropriate or lacking in faith, or because you offered your prayer negligently, or because you ask for things that

65 St. Basil of Caesarea, On the Renunciation of the World (FOTC 9:28–29).

66 St. Basil of Caesarea, Homilies on the Psalms 13 On Psalm 28 (FOTC 46:209–210).

are not good for you, or because you ceased from praying. Oftentimes, people ask: Why do we pray? Is God ignorant of our needs? Without doubt, He knows, and He gives us abundantly all temporal things even before we ask. However, we should first ask for the things that are good and for the kingdom of heaven, and thereafter we receive what we desire; but let us ask patiently and faithfully, ask for what is good for us, and let us not hinder our prayers by disobeying our consciences.”⁶⁷

St. Cyril the Great says, “It is our duty therefore to ‘pray without ceasing’ (1 Thess. 5:7), according to the words of the blessed Paul, as well knowing, and being thoroughly assured, that He Whom we supplicate is able to accomplish all things. ‘For let a man’ it says, ‘ask in faith, in nothing divided: for he who is divided is like a wave of the sea, troubled and blown about by the wind. For let not,’ it says, ‘that man think that he will receive anything of the Lord’ (James 1:6–9) … for if you do not believe that He will incline unto you, and gladden you, and fulfill your request, do not draw near to Him at all … But that God will incline His ear to those who offer Him their prayers, not carelessly nor negligently, but with earnestness and constancy, the present parable assures us. For if the constant coining of the oppressed widow prevailed upon the unjust judge, who feared not God, neither had any shame at men, so that even against his will he granted her redress (Luke 18:1–8), how shall not He Who loves mercy, and hates iniquity, and Who ever gives His helping hand to them that love Him, accept those who draw near to Him day and night, and avenge them as being His elect?”⁶⁸

Fifth: Leave matters in God’s hands. St. Augustine believes that the secret behind God answering David’s prayers and giving ear to the words of his mouth (Ps. 54:2) is that David surrendered matters into God’s hands; leaving decisions in His hands: “For sick you are; do not dictate to the physician the medicines he may choose to set beside you. If the teacher of the Gentiles, Paul the Apostle, says, ‘For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought’ (Rom. 8:26) how much more we?”⁶⁹ He again says, “Let not a sick man draw back from the hands of the physician, let him not give advice to the physician. So it is with all these things temporal.”⁷⁰

Sixth: Ask faithfully, not quarrelsomely. St. Augustine says, “Now the wholesomeness of faith is this, that it makes us seek, that we may find; ask, that we may receive; and knock, that it may be opened to us. Whereas the man who gainsays it, does really shut the door of God’s mercy against himself.”⁷¹

Seventh: Seek God Himself rather than worldly matters. Prayer, to St. Augustine’s mind, is the language of the soul’s longing for God. It is a manifestation of the heart’s desire.

67 See St. Basil of Caesarea, Const. Mon. 1 (PG 31:1325–1338).

68 St. Cyril of Alexandria, A Commentary upon the Gospel According to St. Luke: Part II , trans. R. Payne Smith (Oxford University Press, 1859) 119: pp. 552–553 amended.

69 St. Augustine of Hippo, Expositions on the Book of Psalms 54.5 (NPNF I/8:207) amended.

70 St. Augustine of Hippo, Expositions on the Book of Psalms 54.5 (NPNF I/8:207).

71 St. Augustine of Hippo, A Treatise on Man’s Perfection in Righteousness 19.40 (NPNF I/5:174).

“Prayer is a mind that is full of love reaching out for God. It occupies the mind and heart, thought and will, knowledge and love. A perfect life for the good Christian is holy desire.”⁷²

“For an easy thing it is for a man to desire anything of the Lord, and not to desire the Lord Himself; as if forsooth that which He gives could be sweeter than Himself that gives.”⁷³

“For when you ask for temporal things, you ask for nothing. ‘Whoever shall drink of this water, shall thirst again’ (John 4:13) … Ask what may suffice you; speak Philip’s language, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us’ (John 14:8). The Lord says to you, ‘Have I been so long time with you, and have you not known Me? Philip, he who sees Me, sees the Father also’ (John 14:9). Render then thanks to Christ, made weak for you that are weak, and make ready your desires for Christ’s Divinity, to be satisfied therewith.”⁷⁴

“By the words, ‘if anything’ [you ask the Father in my name, I will give you (John 16:23)], should not be understood anything whatever, but anything that is not really nothing in connection with the life of blessedness. And what follows, ‘Hitherto you have asked nothing in My name,’ may be understood in two ways: either, that you have not asked in my name, because a name that you have not known as it is yet to be known; or, you have not asked anything, since in comparison with that which you ought to have asked, what you have asked is to be accounted as nothing.”⁷⁵

“God does not forbid you to love these things, [but He wants you] not to set your affections upon them for blessedness, but to approve and praise them to this end, that you may love your Creator … For this the bridegroom gives earnest, that in his earnest he may himself be loved. Well then, God gave you all these things: love Him that made them.”⁷⁶

“Do not look for anything else from God, except God.”⁷⁷

“Does he say, ‘I will confess to Your name, O Lord,’ because You give me fruitful manors, because You give me gold and silver, because You give me extended riches, abundant money, most exalted dignity? No. But what? ‘For it is a good thing.’ Nothing I find is better than Your name.”⁷⁸

72 St. Augustine of Hippo, Tr. on 1 John 4:6.

73 St. Augustine of Hippo, Expositions on the Book of Psalms 77.2 (NPNF I/8:360).

74 St. Augustine of Hippo, Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament 95.6 (NPNF I/6:543) amended.

75 St. Augustine of Hippo Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 102.2 (NPNF I/7:390) amended.

76 St. Augustine of Hippo, Ten Homilies on the First Epistle of St. John 2.11 (NPNF 1/7:474) amended.

77 St. Augustine of Hippo, The Works of St. Augustine: A Translation for the 21st Century: Part III—Sermons; Volume IX: Sermons 306–340A , trans., Edmund Hill, ed., John E. Rotelle (New City Press, 1994) 331.4: p. 192.

78 St. Augustine of Hippo, Expositions on the Book of Psalms 54.10 (NPNF I/8:208) amended.

“Let us not, therefore, be prompt in arguments and indolent in prayers [for them]. Let us pray, dearly beloved, let us pray that the God of grace may give even to our enemies, and especially to our brethren and beloved.”⁷⁹

“‘The Eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous’ (Ps. 34:15) … I cry unto Him, and yet have tribulation. Only hold fast to His ways, and when you are in tribulation, He hears you. But He is a Physician, and still have you something of putrefaction; you cry out, but still He cuts, and takes not away His Hand, until He has cut as much as pleases Him. For that Physician is cruel who hears a man and spares his wound and putrefaction. How do mothers rub their children in the baths for their health; do not the little ones cry out in their hands? Are they then cruel because they spare not, nor hearken unto their tears? Are they not full of affection? …. So our God also is full of charity, but therefore He seems not to hear, that He may spare and heal us for everlasting.”⁸⁰

“You have made us for Yourself and our heart is unquiet till it find rest in You.”⁸¹

Eighth: Pray for others. St. Ignatius of Antioch says, “And pray without ceasing on behalf of other men. For there is in them hope of repentance that they may attain to God.”⁸²