“When we Pray continually, God will enlighten us as to what we must do in each situation, even the most difficult. God will speak in our heart. He will find ways.”
Saint Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia
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“Everywhere, wherever you find yourself, you can set up an altar to God in your mind by means of Prayer.”
Saint John Chrysostom
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“When the mind is not distracted by worldly matters and remains united to God, then even the ‘Good day’ that we say becomes a blessing.”
Saint Gavrilia, the Ascetic of Love
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“A servant of the Lord stands bodily before men, but mentally he is knocking at the gates of Heaven with Prayer.”
Saint John Climacus
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“When the Soul by the Holy Spirit comes to know the Mother of God; when in the Holy Spirit the Soul becomes kin to the Apostles, the Prophets, and all the Saints and Righteous Ones, then she is irresistibly drawn to that world, and cannot remain, but is bothered, and thirsts, and cannot cease from Prayer, and although the body becomes exhausted and wants to lie down on a bed, even while lying in bed the Soul longs for the Lord and the Kingdom of the Saints.”
Saint Silouan the Athonite
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“The person who belongs to Christ turns everything into Prayer. He makes both difficulties and tribulations into Prayer. Whatever happens, he begins, ‘Lord Jesus Christ…’. Prayer is beneficial for everything, even the simplest of things… All matters are sorted out with Prayer. But your Prayer must be endued with love… You musn’t have anxiety, but trust in God’s Love and Providence…”
Saint Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia
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“Express your prayer not merely in words but in the moral attitude of your Soul. This is how you Pray continually – not by offering Prayer in words, but by joining yourself to God through your whole way of life, so that your life becomes one continuous and uninterrupted Prayer.”
Saint Basil the Great
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“Pray when you are happy, and Pray when you are sad.”
Saint Theodoros the Ascetic
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“Have your mind on God and your heart will leap spontaneously.”
Saint Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia
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“Whether you are in Church, or in your house, or in the country; whether you are guarding sheep, or constructing buildings, or present at drinking parties, do not stop Praying. When you are able, bend your knees, when you cannot, make intercession in your mind, ‘at evening and at morning and at midday’. If Prayer preceded your work and if, when you rise from your bed, your first movements are accompanied by Prayer, sin can find no entrance to attack your Soul.”
Saint Ephrem the Syrian
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“The person who belongs to Christ turns everything into Prayer. He makes both difficulties and tribulations into Prayer.”
Saint Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia
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“We must let the Holy Spirit into our hearts. Everything good that we are doing for Christ’s sake renders us the Holy Spirit, but most of all it is achieved through a Prayer, which is always in our hands.”
Saint Seraphim of Sarov
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“If you are making something, you must call to mind the Creator of all things; if you see the light, remember the Giver of it. If you put on your clothes, recall Whose gift they are and thank Him Who provides for your life. In short, let every action be a cause of your remembering and praising God, and lo! You will be Praying without ceasing and therein your Soul will always rejoice.”
Saint Peter of Damascus
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“Let us Pray continuously, even while lying on our bed, while we’re preparing for bed, or while we’re resting.”
Saint Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia
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“The Soul must be constantly ready and alert and always in contact with the spiritual headquarters, that is, God. Only then, it will feel secure, full of hope and joy. When I was in the army, during the war, I was a radio operator. I noticed that we felt secure only when we communicated with the Army Division on an hourly basis. When our communication was limited to every two hours, we felt a little bit insecure; sometimes, when we could only be in touch with them twice a day, we felt uncomfortable, lonely and lost. The same thing applies to our Prayer. The more we Pray, the more secure we feel, on a spiritual basis, of course.”
Saint Paisios the Athonite
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“Whoever loves God might think about Him day and night, because no activities can stand in the way of loving God.”
Saint Silouan the Athonite
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“May the Sweetest Jesus be always in your thoughts, may He be a harbour to which you return again and again… Furthermore, do not cease to call upon the Panagia to help whenever you have need, and more.”
Saint Luke the Surgeon, Archbishop of Simferopel
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“Make your heart a Monastery. There sound the semandron, there call your vigil, cense and whisper ceaseless Prayers. God is next to you.”
Saint Luke the Surgeon, Archbishop of Simferopel
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“I beg of you, may Jesus be the sweet meditation of your heart.”
Saint Nikodemos of Mount Athos
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“Make sure that you do not limit your Prayer merely to a particular part of the day. Turn to Prayer at any time.”
Saint John Chrysostom
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“Always Pray before you start any work. Say ‘God, give me strength and enlightenment’ and then start your work. And in the end, say ‘Thank God’.”
Saint Tikhon of Mount Athos
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“May you be well. May you have joy! Repent, my children… May you have Prayer… day and night… wherever you walk, wherever you are found, wherever you are standing, always you should say: ‘My Christ, have mercy on me!’ With a sweet tongue speak to God, that your Prayer might reach Him.”
Saint Sophia Kleisoura the Eldress
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“However hard the devil may try, he cannot enter and dwell in the Soul that is wholly occupied by Christ, because he cannot fit; there is no empty place for him.”
Saint Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia
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“With Christ a person is filled with Grace and so lives above evil. Evil does not exist for him. There is only good, which is God. Evil cannot exist. While there is light there cannot be darkness. Nor can darkness encompass him because he has the Light.”
Saint Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia
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“The Soul that loves the Lord cannot help Praying, for she’s drawn to Him by the Grace she has come to know in Prayer. We are given Churches to Pray in, and in Church the Holy Offices are performed according to books. But we cannot take a Church away with us, and books are not always to hand, but interior Prayer is always and everywhere possible. The Divine Office is celebrated in Church, and the Spirit of God dwells therein, but the Soul is the finest of God’s Churches, and the man who Prays in his heart has the whole world for a Church. However, this is not for everyone.”
Saint Silouan the Athonite
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“The principal thing is to stand with the mind in the heart before God, and to go on standing before Him unceasingly day and night, until the end of life.”
Saint Theophan the Recluse
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“Throughout the day, try to remember God more often. If you feel bad, turn to Him: “Lord, I feel bad, help me.” If you feel good: “Lord, Glory to You, thank You for this joy.” If you are worried about someone: “Lord, I am worried about him, help him.” Whatever happens, turn it into Prayer.”
Saint Ambrose of Optina
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“Why did God advise us to Pray without ceasing? Is it because He perhaps wants us to “sit up and beg” before Him? No, God does not want that. God wants us to benefit. He knows that when we Glorify Him, with our free will, like the Angels, continually, day and night, our Soul is truly given rest because our true interests lie there.”
Saint Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia
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“The person who belongs to Christ turns everything into Prayer. He makes both difficulties and tribulations into Prayer. Whatever happens to him, he begins, ‘Lord Jesus Christ…’… Learn to love Prayer, familiar converse with the Lord.”
Saint Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia
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“The person who loves Spiritually feels Prayerful, so that he can be found within God and his brother.”
Saint Amphilochios Makris of Patmos
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“We should give thanks to Him, as it is said: ‘In everything give thanks’ (I Thess. 5:18). Closely linked to this phrase is another of Saint Paul’s injunctions: ‘Pray without ceasing’ (I Thess. 5:17), that is, be mindful of God at all times, in all places, and in every circumstance. For no matter what you do, you should keep in mind the Creator of all things. When you see the light, do not forget Him who gave it to you; when you see the sky, the Earth, the sea and all that is in them, marvel at these things and Glorify their Creator; when you put on clothing, acknowledge Whose gift it is and praise Him Who in His Providence has given you life. In short, if everything you do becomes for you an occasion for Glorifying God, you will be Praying unceasingly. And in this way your Soul will always rejoice, as Saint Paul commends (cf. I Thess. 5:16).”
Saint Peter of Damascus
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“Consistently Pray in all things, so that you might not do anything without the help of God… Whoever does or busies himself with anything without Prayer does not succeed in the end. Concerning this, the Lord said: ‘Without Me you can’t do anything’ (John 15:5).”
Saint Mark the Ascetic
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“Prayer of the heart comes when one makes an effort; to those who do not strive, it will not come.”
Saint Theophan the Recluse
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“The body at work but the thought with God – such should be the state of a true Christian.”
Saint Theophan the Recluse
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“Whatever you are doing, with whomever you are speaking, whether you are going somewhere or sitting, let your mind be with the Lord.”
Saint Theophan the Recluse
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“Pursue daily affairs as tasks assigned by God, and done for Him. This way, no worldly task will distract from God, rather draw you closer to Him.”
Saint Theophan the Recluse
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“One must ensure that the Soul does not only make petition to God when standing in Prayer, but during the whole day, as much as possible, one must unceasingly ascend to Him and remain with Him. In order to begin this task, one must first, during the course of the day, cry out to God more often, even if only with a few words, according to need and the work of the day. Beginning anything, for example, say ‘Bless, O Lord!’ When you finish something, say, ‘Glory to Thee, O Lord’, and not only with your lips, but with feeling in your heart. If passions arise, say, ‘Save me, O Lord, I am perishing.’ If the darkness of disturbing thoughts comes up, cry out: ‘Lead my Soul out of prison!’ If dishonest deeds present themselves and sin leads you to them, Pray, ‘Set me, O Lord, in the way’, or ‘do not give up my feet to stumbling.’ If sin takes hold of you and leads you to despair, cry out with the voice of the publican, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ Do this in every circumstance, or simply say often, ‘Lord, have mercy’, ‘Most Holy Theotokos save us’, ‘Holy Angel, my guardian, protect me’, or other such words. Say such Prayers as often as possible, always making the effort for them come from your heart, as if squeezed out of it. When we do this, we will frequently ascend to God in our hearts, making frequent petitions and Prayers. Such increased frequency will bring about the habit of mental conversation with God.”
Saint Theophan the Recluse
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“Accustom the mind to living in the presence of God. Let him force himself to ceaselessly behold God, for He is near; and let him ascend to the feeling that he is seen by God. This practice is the doorway to God, the opening of Heaven to the mind.”
Saint Theophan the Recluse
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“Remembrance of God is something that God Himself grafts upon the Soul, but the Soul must also force itself to persevere and to toil. Work, making every effort to attain the unceasing remembrance of God. And God, seeing how fervently you desire it, will give you this constant recollection of Himself.”
Saint Theophan the Recluse
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“Where Prayer is absent, pride is present.”
Saint Nikolai Velimivoric
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“Journey freely with God within you; you will not lose the way, and you will not be left without shelter.”
Saint Nikolai Velimivoric
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“You ask how you can save yourself when sin stands at every step and you sin at every moment? At every step, at every moment, call upon the Saviour, remember the Saviour and you will save yourself and others.”
Saint John Kronstadt
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“When you eat food – remember the hungry, thirsty and suffering.”
Saint Gabriel, the New Confessor of Georgia
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When asked, “How are you, Geronda?”, Father Tikhon would answer: “My heart is inflamed in Prayer.”
Saint Tikhon of Mount Athos
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“I always remember what one of my Abbots once said to me: Your mind to God, your hand to the plough.”
Saint Gavrilia, the Ascetic of Love
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“Action before thought contains pride. One must not be in a hurry to act; one must first think and Pray before acting. When Prayer comes first, then it is not the froth of the mind, its frivolity, but the Sanctified mind that will guide the process.”
Saint Paisios the Athonite
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“Remember God more often than you breathe.”
Saint Gregory of Nazianzus