Church Worship as a Journey to Heaven
Should we be content with prayer only and neglect learning?
Q917 · The Life of Prayer
Abba Dorotheos says, “If you wish that thoughts, holy in faith, should in time of need have a calming action in arresting wrong movements, thoughts, and feelings, study them always, frequently going over them in your mind—and I have faith in God that you will find peace. Also intersperse your prayer with study. Try to make progress in this, so that at a
100 St. Cyprian of Carthage, The Epistles of Cyprian 7.6 (ANF 5:286).
101 St. Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho 7 (ANF 1:198).
102
St. Dionysius the Areopagite (Pseudo-Dionysius), “The Divine Names” in Pseudo-Dionysius: The Complete Works , trans., C. Luibheid (Paulist Press, 1987) 3.1: p. 68.
103 St. Evagrius of Pontus, Evagrius Ponticus: The Praktikos. Chapters on Prayer , trans., John Eudes Bamberger (Cistercian Publications, 1972) 87–88: p. 69–70. 104
St. Evagrius of Pontus, Evagrius Ponticus: The Praktikos. Chapters on Prayer , trans., John Eudes Bamberger (Cistercian Publications, 1972) 81: p. 68–69.
105 St. Evagrius of Pontus, Evagrius Ponticus: The Praktikos. Chapters on Prayer , trans., John Eudes Bamberger (Cistercian Publications, 1972) 113: p. 74.
moment of bodily or spiritual affliction you may be able to suffer it without grief, without oppression and with patience.”106