What is the relationship between metanoias and prayer?

If prayer is the offering up of a rational sacrifice, then through metanoias, the body cooperates with the mind in this offering, as the apostle said: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,

317 See A Monk of the Baramous Monastery (H. G. Bishop Macarius), An Introduction to Metanoias in Spiritual Direction (Arabic), fourth printing (2002): p. 10.

acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service” (Rom. 12:1). The Lord Christ taught us the model prayer that begins with the words, “Our Father, who art in heaven,” thus granting the faithful the boldness of children who may address the Father with great daring. But they ought also to be armed with the spirit of divine fear, as He says, “A son honors his father, and a servant his master; if then I am a Father, where is my honor; and if I am a Master, where is my reverence?” (Mal. 1:6). By performing metanoias, we reveal the fear of God that is within us, without negating His Fatherhood. As a matter of nature, a son honors his father; and according to civil law, a servant obeys his employer’s instructions and cares for his wellbeing. A son who does not honor his father comes under the judgment of natural law, and the servant who does not obey his employer comes under the judgment of civil law. This is the case of a son or servant. But for us, according to the law of the divine grace, we ought to honor God as our Father without abusing His love and compassion. For this reason, our prayers are mingled with metanoias; especially the short arrow prayers.

St. Isaac the Syrian teaches us this practice: if our boredom afflicts our prayers for one reason or another, for example, if our emotions are distracted by a certain thought, we ought to perform metanoias, asking God to “nail my flesh with the fear of You” (cf. Ps. 118:120 LXX). He says, “Sow metanoias than psalms among your prayers [if a person is beset by mind-wandering when he prays the psalms and struggles with distraction of thought), and when prayer offers you her hand, she will recompense you for that which you missed from your canon.”³¹⁸

Revealing the importance of metanoias, Marinus Victorinus says, “By kneeling we demonstrate the full form of prayer and petition. So we bend our knees. We ought not merely to incline our minds to prayer but also our bodies. We do well to lower our bodies lest we create an impression of elevation or an appearance of pride.”³¹⁹