Now it came to pass, as He was Praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to Pray, as John also taught his disciples.” So He said to them, “When you Pray, say: Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be Your Name. Your Kingdom come. Your Will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the Kingdom and the power and the Glory forever. Amen.”
Jesus Christ Our Lord, God and Saviour
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“Prayer is given to those who Pray.”
Saint Silouan the Athonite
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“Do your Prayer Rule with great care. When you Pray, comprehend what is being said.”
Saint Pachomios of Chios
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“Before all else, let us list sincere thanksgiving first on the scroll of our Prayer. On the second line, we should put confession and heartfelt contrition of Soul. Then let us present our petition to the King of All. This is the best way of Prayer, as it was shown to one of the brethren by an Angel of the Lord.”
Saint John Climacus
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“We should not seek pleasure in Prayer, not even spiritual pleasure. Otherwise, we become like the kind of children that love their father only because he gives them caramels and chocolates. The peace of our Souls is what should be sought in Prayer.”
Saint Paisios the Athonite
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“The best Prayer is the one you say with your own words. Reading a Prayer is not enough. For example, before receiving Holy Communion we read the Service of Preparation for Holy Communion: ‘From lips tainted and defiled, from heart unclean and loathsome sometimes without even understanding the words. You yourself should Pray with your own words. Then you will understand what you are saying to God. This Prayer has great power; great power indeed!”
Saint Ephraim of Katounakia
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“Whenever one Prays, the Prayer must unite with the heart just like you join two different things together with glue.”
Saint Tikhon of Mount Athos
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“Do your Prayer Rule with great care.”
Saint Pachomios of Chios
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“When you Pray, comprehend what is being said.”
Saint Pachomios of Chios
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“You have to prepare for Prayer. Read a bit of the Gospel or the Gerontikon and then Pray. It requires an attempt to take the mind to the Divine space. Study is like a gift which God gives us to direct us to greater Spirituality. With study the Soul is warmed.”
Saint Paisios the Athonite
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“If your Prayer doesn’t end in tears or silence, keep Praying.”
Saint Isaac the Syrian
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“Be true to God always and in everything. If you say the Prayer ‘Our Father’ pronounce each word sincerely, with reverence, fixing your mind and heart upon God alone, not paying attention to anything or anybody around you. If you say any other prayer, say it also with all your Soul, not with your heart divided, not paying undue attention to anything or anybody.”
Saint John of Kronstadt
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“Intending to offer up your Prayer to God, cast aside all Earthly thoughts and cares. Do not engage in the thoughts which come to you at that time, however important or brilliant or necessary they might seem. Render to God the things that are God’s and you will have time to render what is necessary for temporal life in its own time.”
Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov
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“Prayer gives thanks for blessings received and asks for failures to be forgiven and for power to strengthen us for the future; for without God’s help the Soul can indeed do nothing.”
Saint Maximus the Confessor
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“When you stand up to Pray, imagine that Christ has come to earth, and the Judgment is complete. Imagine the Lord leaving with those He has chosen, while you are left behind. Imagine yourself shouting after Him… Then Pray.”
Saint Ephraim of Katounakia
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“I presume that you negligently rushed to complete your Prayer rule, just to get by. Make it a rule, from now on, never to Pray negligently. Nothing is more offensive to God than this. It is better to leave out part of your Prayer rule and to complete the remainder reverently and with fear of God, than to do the whole Prayer rule, and do it negligently. It is even better to read but one Prayer, or fall on your knees and Pray in your own words, than to Pray negligently. If you Pray carelessly, there will be no fruit. Give yourself a thorough reprimand for such carelessness. Let this be clear to you: No one who prays earnestly and with attention ends Prayer without feeling the effect of Prayer. Oh, of what a blessing we deprive ourselves by allowing negligence in Prayer!”
Saint Theophan the Recluse
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“Do not rush one Prayer after another but say them with orderly deliberation, as one addressing a great person for a favour. Do not just pay attention to the words, but rather let the mind be in the heart, standing before the Lord in full awareness of His presence, in full consciousness of His greatness and Grace and justice.”
Saint Theophan the Recluse
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“Although prayer is a habitual action for us, it needs preparation. For anyone who knows how to read and write, what is more usual than reading and writing? Yet if we sit down to read and write we do not do so suddenly, we first get ourselves into the mood for what we are going to do. This kind of preparation is all the more necessary before we start to Pray, particularly if our occupation immediately beforehand was very different from Prayer. So, morning or evening, immediately before you begin to repeat your Prayers, stand awhile, sit for awhile, or walk a little and try to steady your mind and turn it away from all worldly activities and objects. After this, think who He is to Whom you turn in Prayer, then recollect who you are; who it is who is about to start this invocation to Him in Prayer. Do this in such a way as to awake in your heart a feeling of humility and reverent awe that your are standing in the presence of God. It is the beginning of Prayer, and a good beginning is half the complete task.”
Saint Theophan the Recluse
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“You must gather yourself together within your heart and stand there before the Lord. This will show up any speck of dust. Pray, and may God grant your Prayer.”
Saint Theophan the Recluse
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“It is a good Prayer that ends with your falling down before God with the feeling that Thou Who knowest the hearts, save me.”
Saint Theophan the Recluse
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“When you finished your Prayer, do not think that it is all over. Act as if you are attending the Liturgy. Always have a sober mind and keep your thoughts chaste.”
Saint Theophan the Recluse
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“What a man thinks and feels as he Prays to God is more important to God than the words his tongue forms. The tongue is capable of delusion, but the heart does not delude: it shows a man as he is – black or white”
Saint Nikolai Velimivoric
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“Seek God daily. But seek Him in your heart, not outside it. And when you find Him, stand with fear and trembling, like the Cherubim and the Seraphim, for your heart has become a Throne of God. But in order to find God, become humble as dust before the Lord, for the Lord abhors the proud, whereas He visits those that are humble in heart, wherefore He says: ‘To whom will I look, but to him that is meek and humble in heart?’”
Saint Nektarios of Aegina
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“Which Psalms to learn? Memorise those that drop into your heart when you read them. Different people are moved by different Psalms. Begin with Psalm 50…”
Saint Theophan the Recluse
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“We Pray with words until the words are cut off and we are left in a state of wonder.”
Saint Isaac the Syrian
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“In making the Sign of the Cross, believe and constantly remember that your sins are nailed to the Cross.”
Saint John of Kronstadt
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“It’s not an abundance of words that supplicate God, but a pure Soul which manifests good deeds.”
Saint John Chrysostom
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“You must gather yourself together within your heart and stand there before the Lord. This will show up any speck of dust. Pray, and may God grant your Prayer.”
Saint Theophan the Recluse
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“At the times when you remember God, increase your Prayers, so that when you forget Him, the Lord may remind you.”
Saint Mark the Ascetic
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“The more the mind concentrates on Praying, and is being humbled, the more it is enlightened by the Grace of God.”
Saint Paisios the Athonite
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“We have to try to be free from unclean thoughts, especially when we Pray to God. Because it’s not possible for there to be a stench mixed in with a fragrance.”
Saint Seraphim of Sarov
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“A religious hymn is a great blessing for everyone. It brings about a complete Spiritual uplifting and absolute peace and joy in redeemed hearts. It drives away hardness of heart… it dissolves and dissipates despondency.”
Saint Ambrose of Milan
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“Blessed is the mind which, Praying without distraction, acquires even greater longing for God.”
Saint Neilos of Sinai
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“Pray fervently to the Lord God and your cold heart will be warmed by His sweetest Name, for Our God is Fire. Calling upon His Name destroys impure thoughts and also warms our hearts to fullfil His Commandments.”
Saint Anthony of Optina
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“How can you be moved in Prayer, reading and singing of Psalms? In Prayer, the feeling comes from recollecting your sins. The Praying person must bring to mind his deeds, how sinners that have committed similar sins will be judged, and the terrifying words of the Judge: “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire” (Matt. 25:41). During the uttering and singing of Prayers, the feeling comes when the person compels his mind to be attentive to the words and grasp with all his Soul the power that is enclosed in them. If despite this, that feeling is still absent within you, do not weaken but persevere patiently because merciful, generous and long-patient God will accept our endeavours. Always remember the Psalmist’s words: “I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry” (Psalms 40:1). Act in this way and have trust that God’s Mercy will visit you.”
Saint Barsanuphius the Great Elder of Gaza and Saint John the Prophet
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“When Praying, forget all your surroundings and stand before God with a deep realization of your inadequacy and unworthiness.”
Saint John of Kronstadt
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A brother, distressed, approached Saint Ephraim of Katounakia, and begged him: “Elder, say a Prayer for me for my sorrow to go away!” The Elder put his hands on his head and Prayed, as usual. Then the Elder said to him: “Listen, my child. These days in my Prayer God has revealed to me the ‘bridal chamber’ of my Soul; as the Troparion of Holy Week says: I see Your Bridal Chamber adorned, O my Saviour, and I have no wedding garment that I may enter therein. Moreover, He revealed to me the ‘garment’ of my Soul.” The Elder’s face as he said these words was overjoyed. And he continued again: “My child, ask God to show you the ‘bridal chamber’ of your Soul!”
Saint Ephraim of Katounakia
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