 |
Web Hosting by Netfirms | Free Domain Names by Netfirms |
|
|
|
|
Home - People of God - Incarnation - Kingdom of God - Salvation - Sanctification - Trinity - Creation - Prayer - Consecration - Tradition - Saints - Heaven and Hell - Visitors Centre - Site Map Prayer
Introduction
Private prayer When an Orthodox thinks of prayer, he thinks primarily of
public liturgical prayer. The corporate worship of the Church plays a far larger
part in his religious experience than in that of the average western Christian.
Of course this does not mean that Orthodox never pray except when in church: on
the contrary, there exist special Manuals with daily prayers to be said by all
Orthodox, morning and evening, before the icons in their own homes. But the
prayers in these Manuals are taken for the most part directly from the Service
Books used in public worship, so that even in his own home an Orthodox is still
praying with the Church; even in his own home he is still joined in fellowship
with all the other Orthodox Christians who are praying in the same words as he.
‘Personal prayer is possible only in the context of the community. Nobody is a
Christian by himself, but only as a member of the body. Even in solitude, "in
the chamber," a Christian prays as a member of the redeemed community, of the
Church. And it is in the Church that he learns his devotional practice’ (G.
Florovsky, Prayer Private and Corporate (‘Ologos’ publications, Saint Louis), p.
3). And just as there is in Orthodox spirituality no separation between liturgy
and private devotion, so there is no separation between monks and those living
in the world; the prayers in the Manuals used by the laity are the very prayers
which the monastic communities recite daily in church as part of the Divine
Office. Husbands and wives are following the same Christian way as monks and
nuns, and so all alike use the same prayers. Naturally the Manuals are only
intended as a guide and a framework of prayer; and each Christian is also free
to pray spontaneously and in his own words. The directions at the start and conclusion of the morning
prayers emphasize the need for recollection, for a living prayer to the Living
God. At the beginning it is said: ‘When you wake up, before you begin the day,
stand with reverence before the All-Seeing God. Make the sign of the Cross and
say: In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Having invoked the Holy Trinity, keep silence for a little, so that your
thoughts and feelings may be freed from worldly cares. Then recite the following
prayers without haste, and with your whole heart.’ And at the conclusion of the morning prayers a note states:
‘If the time at disposal is short, and the need to begin work is pressing, it is
better to say only a few of the prayers suggested, with attention and devotion,
rather than to recite them all in haste and without due concentration.’ There is also a note in the morning prayers, encouraging
everyone to read the Epistle and Gospel appointed daily for the Liturgy.
By way of example let us take two prayers from the Manual, the first a
prayer for the beginning of the day, written by Philaret, Metropolitan of
Moscow: O Lord, grant me to greet the coming day in peace. Help me in
all things to rely upon Thy holy will. In every hour of the day reveal Thy will
to me. Bless my dealings with all who surround me. Teach me to treat all that
comes to me throughout the day with peace of soul, and with firm conviction that
Thy will governs all. In all my deeds and words guide my thoughts and feelings.
In unforeseen events let me not forget that all are sent by Thee. Teach me to
act firmly and wisely, without embittering and embarrassing others. Give me
strength to bear the fatigue of the coming day with all that it shall bring.
Direct my will, teach me to pray, pray Thou Thyself in me. Amen. And these are a few clauses from the general intercession with
which the night prayers close: Forgive, O Lord, lover of men, those who hate and wrong us.
Reward our benefactors. Grant to our brethren and friends all that they ask for
their salvation and eternal life. Visit and heal the sick. Free the prisoners.
Guide those at sea. Travel with those who travel .... On those who charge us in
our unworthiness to pray for them, have mercy according to Thy great mercy.
Remember, O Lord, our departed parents and brethren and give them rest where
shines the light of Thy face… There is one type of private prayer, widely used in the west
since the time of the Counter-Reformation, which has never been a feature of
Orthodox spirituality — the formal ‘Meditation,’ made according to a ‘Method’ —
the Ignatian, the Sulpician, the Salesian, or some other. Orthodox are
encouraged to read the Bible or the Fathers slowly and thoughtfully; but such an
exercise, while regarded as altogether excellent, is not considered to
constitute prayer, nor has it been systematized and reduced to a ‘Method.’ Each
is urged to read in the way that he finds most helpful. But while Orthodox do not practise discursive Meditation,
there is another type of personal prayer which has for many centuries played an
extraordinarily important part in the life of Orthodoxy — the Jesus Prayer:
"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner." Since it is
sometimes said that Orthodox do not pay sufficient attention to the person of
the Incarnate Christ, it is worth pointing out that this — surely the most
classic of all Orthodox prayers — is essentially a Christo-centric prayer, a
prayer addressed to and concentrated upon the Lord Jesus. Those brought up in
the tradition of the Jesus Prayer are never allowed for one moment to forget the
Incarnate Christ. As a help in reciting this prayer many Orthodox use a rosary, differing somewhat in structure from the western rosary; an Orthodox rosary is often made of wool, so that unlike a string of beads it makes no noise. The Jesus Prayer is a prayer of marvelous versatility. It is a
prayer for beginners, but equally a prayer that leads to the deepest mysteries
of the contemplative life. It can be used by anyone, at any time, in any place:
standing in queues, walking, traveling on buses or trains; when at work; when
unable to sleep at night; at times of special anxiety when it is impossible to
concentrate upon other kinds of prayer. But while of course every Christian can
use the Prayer at odd moments in this way, it is a different matter to recite it
more or less continually and to use the physical exercises which have become
associated with it. Orthodox spiritual writers insist that those who use the
Jesus Prayer systematically should, if possible, place themselves under the
guidance of an experienced director and do nothing on their own initiative. For some there comes a time when the Jesus Prayer ‘enters into
the heart,’ so that it is no longer recited by a deliberate effort, but recites
itself spontaneously, continuing even when a man talks or writes, present in his
dreams, waking him up in the morning. In the words of Saint Isaac the Syrian:
‘When the Spirit takes its dwelling-place in a man he does not cease to pray,
because the Spirit will constantly pray in him. Then, neither when he sleeps,
nor when he is awake, will prayer be cut off from his soul; but when he eats and
when he drinks, when he lies down or when he does any work, even when he is
immersed in sleep, the perfumes of prayer will breathe in his heart
spontaneously’ (Mystic Treatises, edited by Wensinck, p. 174). Orthodox believe that the power of God is present in the Name
of Jesus, so that the invocation of this Divine Name acts ‘as an effective sign
of God’s action, as a sort of sacrament’ (Un Moine de l’Église d’Orient, La
Priére de Jésus, Chevetogne, 1952, p. 87). ‘The Name of Jesus, present in the
human heart, communicates to it the power of deification ... Shining through the
heart, the light of the Name of Jesus illuminates all the universe’ (S. Bulgakov,
The Orthodox Church, pp. 170-171). Alike to those who recite it continually and to those who only
employ it occasionally, the Jesus Prayer proves a great source of reassurance
and joy. To quote the Pilgrim: ‘And that is how I go about now, and ceaselessly
repeat the Prayer of Jesus, which is more precious and sweet to me than anything
in the world. At times I do as much as 43 or 44 miles a day, and do not feel
that I am walking at all. I am aware only of the fact that I am saying my
Prayer. When the bitter cold pierces me, I begin to say my Prayer more
earnestly, and I quickly become warm all over. When hunger begins to overcome
me, I call more often on the Name of Jesus, and I forget my wish for food. When
I fall ill and get rheumatism in my back and legs, I fix my thoughts on the
Prayer, and do not notice the pain. If anyone harms me I have only to think,
‘How sweet is the Prayer of Jesus!’ and the injury and the anger alike pass away
and I forget it all ... I thank God that I now understand the meaning of those
words I heard in the Epistle — "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thes. 5:17)’ (The Way
of a Pilgrim, p. 17-18). Resources "The Jesus Prayer - The Prayer of the Heart" (Monachos.net) Orthodox Prayers and Articles About Prayer (Al Green's Orthodox Site Index) "Prayer - Kindling the Spirit" (sister site: "Orthodox Christianity for Absolute Beginners") Exploration Pascha Cycle - Liturgical Prayer Pentecost Cycle - Domestic Prayer Holy Cross Cycle - Jesus Prayer Nativity Cycle - Icons
|
|
Home - People of God - Incarnation - Kingdom of God - Salvation - Sanctification - Trinity - Creation - Prayer - Consecration - Tradition - Saints - Heaven and Hell - Visitors Centre - Site Map  This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. |
