Contents

Preface

Background to the appearance of the manuscript

About the manuscript itself

Handwriting

Translation of the manuscript

About prayer

Chapter I

Chapter II

Chapter III

Chapter IV

Chapter V

Chapter VI

Chapter VII

Chapter VIII

Chapter IX

In San Francisco, the manuscript of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco was published, which was translated from Serbian by Archimandrite Vasily (Pronin). This summer, through the works of Archpriest Peter Perekrestov from San Francisco (California, USA), a collection was published with previously unpublished texts that belong to the pen of the famous saint of the 20th century – St. John (Maximovich), Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco. In particular, the collection includes two handwritten works of the saint: “On Prayer” and “On Communion,” which were translated from Serbian by Archimandrite Vasily (Pronin). The volume of the publication is 73 pp. The book was printed with the blessing of Bishop Victor, Metropolitan of Tver and Kashinsky.

Let us recall that for the first time, back in 2012, having identified the manuscript “On Prayer” in the archival documents of Father Vasily (Pronin), we, having worked through the document, have already written a short research essay and published the manuscript for the first time in one of the periodicals of the UOC: Monich Alexander, priest. About prayer // Living Spring (Orthodox interlocutor). No.–11–12 (99–100); Monich Alexander, priest. About prayer (Continued) // Living Spring (Orthodox interlocutor). – No. 1–2 (101–102).

Preface

Before getting acquainted with the text of the word “On Prayer”, let’s dwell in a few words on a newly discovered handwritten document.

Firstly, this work has already been published in the above sources. The author of the word “On Prayer” is the saint known to world Orthodoxy and devotee of piety of the 20th century, now canonized John (in the world Mikhail Maksimovich) (06/04/1896 – † 07/02/1966)1.

Background to the appearance of the manuscript

The background to the origin of the manuscript of the word “On Prayer” is directly related to the famous ascetic of the Orthodox Church, but already in Transcarpathia – Archimandrite Vasily (Pronin) (09/08/1911 – 01/05/1997).

From the biography of Vladimir Pronin, a student at the Bitola Seminary (1929–1931), and subsequently at the Faculty of Theology at the University of Belgrade (1931–1937), it is known that his spiritual father was a hieromonk, and subsequently a bishop and archbishop John (Maksimovic)2.

The latter, as is known, since 1929, was a teacher and educator at the Serbian Seminary of the Ohrid Diocese in the city of Bitola, and on May 28, 1934, he was ordained bishop and appointed to the Shanghai Diocese.

Visible communication between them lasted only five years, from 1934, when (Despite the fact that visible communication between them lasted only five years, from 1934 communication between them took on an epistolary form. Although in 1934) Father John was elevated to the rank of bishop, and he left for distant Shanghai, cordial communication between them continued until the death of the saint, now in writing form3. The archives of the Mukachevo diocese preserved a unique and deeply spiritual correspondence between St. John and the then hieromonk Vasily (Pronin)4.

As is known, in addition to his ascetic works, Saint John left behind unique ascetic, homiletical and theological articles, works, and books. One of these works is the word “On Prayer.”

After a short stay in rural parishes (After short stays in parishes) of the Mukachevo diocese, in April 1940, Hieromonk Vasily (Pronin) was transferred for pastoral service to the Intercession Church-monument to Russian soldiers in the city of Uzhgorod5.

Feeling the need for spiritual guidance and advice, Hieromonk Vasily constantly maintained contact with Bishop John (Maximovich) of Shanghai, who, among other things, was always keenly interested in the state of church affairs in Subcarpathian Rus.

On February 15, 1941, Father Vasily received (receives the second surviving) letter from Bishop John, which sheds (the first) light on the manuscript of the word “On Prayer.” Considering the importance of this letter for our publication, we present it in full, in the original:

In it we read:

“Dear Father Vasily! I received your postcard a long time ago, but because of various things I kept putting off writing a reply, although I had the postcard almost always in front of my eyes. […] May the Lord help you to continue to work in His Holy Name and bring benefit to the souls of those who will be entrusted to your care .

Do not lose heart if difficulties arise. “He who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:22) and in today’s time, without temptation, he is not a good shepherd. The struggle against faith is going on everywhere. May the Lord give you success in your work. The Carpatho-Russian region has preserved its faith and nationality for centuries, despite all attempts to replace them with others. He has always been and will remain close to my heart and great love for his students, whom he prepared for the service of the Church. Convey your wishes to others whom you see. I will be very glad if you translate into Russian and publish my word “On Prayer.” I kindly ask you to send me a few copies then.How do you live internally and are saved? May the Lord guide and help you! May God’s blessing be upon you.

With love, John, Bishop of Shanghai” 6.

In the same year, on April 15, Bishop John wrote another letter, in which he congratulated Father Vasily on the Easter holiday, briefly described his situation and was interested in church affairs in Carpathian Rus’. And again he mentioned the word “About prayer”:

“Christ is Risen! Dear father Vasily. Thank you for your congratulations on the Happy Holidays. I was very glad to receive news from you, as well as views of the temples. […] I was glad some time ago to receive a letter from Fr. Vasily Grechka. The news of the election of Fr. to bishop brought me great joy. Feofan Sabov. Has he already been ordained, where and when? I am happy for the diocese and for my good student. I remember all my students, the Carpatho-Russians, and my soul is with them. May the Lord grant you and all of them to work for the region where the Russian people so need shepherds for the benefit of the Holy Church and our Motherland. You asked me about the publication of my word “On Prayer” in a Russian translation. I will be very glad if you manage to do it.I am very worried about my students in other countries, as well as about everyone I know. […] Be strong, do not lose heart, if when things get hard, trust in the Risen Christ, always serve Him. May the Lord bless and keep you!

With love, John, Bishop of Shanghai”7.

Thus, in two letters dated February 15 and April 15, 1941, Bishop John twice asks Hieromonk Pronin to translate into Russian and publish his word “On Prayer.”

About the manuscript itself.

The manuscript of the word “On Prayer” is divided (by the decoder, and, accordingly, by its author into nine parts.) into 9 parts, (Last written) written on 9 pages of A4 paper. Unfortunately, the date of writing the word “On Prayer” (- missing) remains unknown. At the end of the manuscript the signature is Hieromonk John. (The signature indicates that the work was written while he was still a hieromonk. He accepted the priesthood in 1926, on the feast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the temple.) John (Maksimovich) accepted the priestly rank in 1926, on the feast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the temple.

Thus, this was the period when Pronin and Maksimovich were in the capacity of student and teacher, respectively. However, for well-known reasons, Pronin could not publish this manuscript either during this period or during his studies at the Faculty of Theology. Most likely, the manuscript reached Pronin already in Transcarpathia. This is indicated by indirect circumstances. First, letters dating back to 1941. Secondly, being under the subordination of Bishop Vladimir (Rajic) of Mukachevo-Pryashevsky, who was from Serbia and who undoubtedly knew Bishop John, the possibility of publishing the work was doubled. It is possible that it was during this period that Maksimovich asked Pronin to publish his work.

Handwriting.

Judging by the personal file, hundreds of manuscripts, as well as the surviving original letters of Hieromonk Vasily (Pronin) to Bishop John (Maksimovich) and their analysis, the handwriting of the identified translation of the manuscript of the word “On Prayer” is the handwriting of Father Vasily (Pronin). There is absolutely no doubt about the authenticity of the document.

Translation of the manuscript.

Only one circumstance is of intriguing interest. In both letters, Bishop John asks Father Vasily to “translate into Russian and publish” the word “On Prayer.” The fact is that the discovered manuscript was written in Russian. The question is, from what language did Pronin translate this manuscript? When? Did anyone help him with this? The issue of translation remains a mystery. After all, we are not talking about stylistic or spelling proofreading of the manuscript, but about a specific translation.

The fact that the original manuscript was written in Serbian, English, or, given the ministry of Bishop John in Shanghai, in the Shanghai dialect of Chinese cannot be excluded. If Father Vasily translated the original of this manuscript from Serbian, English or Chinese, then this circumstance only enhances the importance of its publication. From the biography of Pronin’s father, we know that he spoke many foreign languages, including English and Serbian, and was fond of oriental languages.

In those places where small pieces of pages were torn out or where the translation text was completely lost, we placed square brackets in which we cited (printed) words or expressions that we thought were appropriate to the meaning of the text.

Thus, for the first time, we publish a clear translation of Father John (Maksimovich) “On Prayer” as edited by Hieromonk Vasily (Pronin).

Dear readers! By publishing this manuscript, we do not want to make any sensation or discovery, but we want to say that, among other things, monk Vasily (Pronin) was a spiritual child (confessor) of St. John of Shanghai. And today, when the saint’s manuscripts are just becoming the subject of scrupulous study, I think this word “On Prayer” will occupy a worthy niche in the matter of collecting the works of the San Francisco saint.

Let the reader not judge us that we did not reduce or cut down the work for some stylistic, spelling or other reasons. The work was written by one saint, translated by another equally famous ascetic and confessor and is worthy of publication.

Archpriest Alexander Monich

About prayer

Chapter I

In order for a Christian to always receive God’s gracious help, he must be in continuous communication with God and constantly in touch with the outside world. The means for this is prayer. Prayer is a conversation between a person and God, a pious conversation between the human soul and its Creator.

Prayer is divided into external and internal. External prayer is expressed in words or signs; With inner prayer, a person prays in his soul.

External prayer without internal prayer has no value, because it is Pharisee, hypocritical prayer. God hears inner prayer even when it is not expressed in anything. But in most cases, our inner prayer is expressed in some way. All movements of our soul affect our body. And just as one can immediately see whether a person is cheerful or [sad], since the body receives impressions from the soul, [that’s right] and a pious mood strives for the body to submit [to it]. And also the expression of our religiosity through movements or other signs [is expressed] by the need of our soul. Therefore, those who say that only internal prayer is sufficient are wrong: in most cases such people do not pray at all. We can only pray with internal prayer, but in addition to this, external prayer is also needed from time to time. It is necessary for our prayerful mood to intensify, because every expressed feeling is intensified. Therefore, usually our internal prayer is connected with external, or public, or private prayer.

Chapter II

Public worship is a prayer that is performed on behalf of the cathedral, on behalf of the Church. Private prayer is the prayer of one or more people without the mediation of God’s servants. Anyone can perform private prayer. And it is in his will whether he will read certain prayers or will pray as his spiritual mood indicates to him.

Public prayer, especially prayer in the Church, is more important than private prayer. Christ said “Where there are two or three congregations in My Name, there I am in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20).

God loves that people are saved together and therefore founded the Church, that is, a society of all who rightly believe in God, who have Christ as their head, who have as their goal the regeneration and perfection of the members on earth and their bliss in heaven. For this salvation, you must be a member of the Church and take part in its life. Members of the Church should gather for common prayer in churches – places dedicated to God, where everything reminds of heaven.

In churches we can more easily free ourselves from earthly cares and direct all our attention to prayer.

By praying together, we express our love for each other, and therefore, during public services, there is no need to read private prayers, but we need to follow the worship service, and together express signs of worship (throwing, bowing, etc.). Such prayer increases the pious mood and enthusiasm of those praying, because it is transmitted from one to another. God, although he hears everyone in every place, is especially present with his grace in churches, which is revealed to people in many visions (St. Andrew the Fool saw the Intercession of the Mother of God; St. Seraphim of Sarov saw Christ during the Little Entrance; the service of angels with St. Spyridon of Trimythous, etc.). “Prayer at home is dear to God, but prayer in church is even dearer,” was revealed to Saint Righteous Juliana (who lived in the 17th century).

According to the church canons (80th Rule of the Council of Trula), a Christian who did not come to a church meeting for the Liturgy for three Sundays should be excommunicated from the Church, and if a sacred person, then expelled from the clergy. Only those who lived completely alone in the desert did not gather for common prayer, but where there were several hermits nearby, they spent Saturday and the week together, gathering for Divine services.

Participation in public worship is proof that we belong to the Church, and removal from worship is a sign of apostasy from the Church. It is necessary to attend divine services in a church not only on Sundays and holidays, but, if possible, every day.

Chapter III

It is important to attend public worship, but do not dare to omit private prayers because of this. These two types of prayers complement each other. Separate prayer is absolutely necessary, because often, and especially during a shortened Divine service, a person cannot be satisfied with prayer in church alone.

In addition, individual prayer has some good characteristics that general prayer does not have.

A solitary person can better delve deeper into prayer. When no one is present, a person thinks that no one sees him except the One who saw Nathanael under the fig tree (John 1:48), and therefore completely devotes himself to prayer, telling God everything that is on his heart. Therefore, the saints of God set aside a significant part of their time for prayer, not only joint, but also individual.

A prayerful disposition, says one ascetic, is a thermometer of a person’s state of mind. Since a person strives more for prayer, he stands better spiritually.

To be unwilling and to have no desire to pray means to be spiritually asleep and spiritually dead.

Chapter IV

What should you pray for? Prayers are divided into praise, thanksgiving and petition.

In the first place is the prayer of praise, when we glorify God and magnify Him for His perfections like the heavenly angels. Then a person does not think at all about himself and his needs, but directs his entire spiritual gaze to God.

Prayer of thanksgiving is a need of the human soul, which feels Divine care for itself. In it, a person acknowledges God for his virtue and, without seeking anything else for himself, expresses his feelings of gratitude to God for the mercies he has received. Christ praised the Samaritan, who returned to give thanks for the healing, and reproached his friends who did not do it (Luke 17:12-19). “Give thanks in everything: this is the will of God regarding Christ Jesus in you,” writes the Apostle Paul (1 Thess. 5:18).

Petitionary prayer differs from the first two prayers in that in it a person asks something from God.

They often pray not only out of pure love for God, but also in anticipation of the good that they hope to receive from Him. But this prayer is also pleasing to God and very useful to man, elevating his spirit to God. By praying such a prayer, a person feels his dependence on God and strengthens his hope in Him. By this one learns to ask for help from Almighty God, from man, or from one’s own mind and strength. The Lord commanded that we turn to Him not only with praise or gratitude, but also with a request for our needs: “seek and you will find” (Matthew 7:7); “Until now, ask for nothing in My name: ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be filled” (John 16:24). The Lord Himself gave us a model of private prayer, and He Himself prayed such a prayer to God the Father.

God does not wait for us to show Him our needs, since He Himself knows them. But it is necessary for us that we remember God more often and see more clearly that all the good that we have comes from Him. Therefore, God often gives us His blessings only after our warm prayer. And about the expulsion of evil spirits from man, Christ definitely said: “This generation does not come forth except through prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21).

We need to pray to God for all our needs, both spiritual and physical. Prayer is much better when we pray for spiritual good. Every Christian should first of all pray for his own salvation and for the salvation of his loved ones. His love for his neighbors must embrace the whole world, and he must pray for all people. This should be done especially by the shepherd, who is obliged to take care of human souls, because shepherding is connected with the priesthood, mediation between God and people. The Apostle Paul writes to Timothy: I urge you, first of all, to make prayers, intercessions, supplications, and thanksgivings for all men (1 Timothy 2:1).

The priest must especially pray for his flock, so that God will help him lead them along the right path. These prayers to God are the sweetest. When Solomon prayed to God that God would give him wisdom to rule the people, the Lord gave him, in addition to wisdom, also earthly glory and wealth.

And Christians are commanded not to worry about earthly things, but “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all this will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).

Therefore, the first prayer should be about spiritual needs. When a shepherd prays to God for help in his work, the Lord – the Supreme Shepherd – will very soon fulfill this prayer. But it must be with full faith and love for God and the people for whom we pray.

Chapter V

Prayer should always end with surrendering oneself to the will of God. Often we make mistakes in choosing what is harmful and useful for us and ask God for what is harmful both for us and for others. Therefore, we sometimes do not receive from God what we ask. But this does not mean that God does not hear us.

God hears us and will give us something else, more useful, instead of what we prayed for. Having received this, we are filled with peace of mind and feel in our hearts that this is the answer to our request.

It happened that the great saints did not receive what they asked for in their prayers, and God revealed to the Apostle Paul himself in a vision that it was good for him that his prayer should not be fulfilled (2 Cor. 12:9). Sometimes the Lord grants our prayer later so that we may increase our zeal in prayer and show our faith.

We must not weaken in prayer even when it seems to us that God has turned His face away from us and does not hear our prayer. Christ ended His parable about the unjust judge with the words: “Does not God want to take vengeance on His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night, and are patient for them? I tell you that their vengeance will be done quickly” (Luke 18:7–8).

The Lord praised the Canaanite woman, who persistently asked Him, and fulfilled her request (Matthew 15:21-28; Mark 7:24-30). So we should never lose hope that God will fulfill our request: we will pray until we receive or feel that our prayer is not in the will of God.

Chapter VI

We must pray not only when we feel the need for something, but the whole life of a Christian should be prayer, especially the life of a shepherd. The Apostle Paul says: “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). This does not mean that a person should only pray and do nothing else. But this means that a person must always have a prayerful mood and at every moment have in his mind that he is in the face of God and is talking to Him in his soul. Therefore, continuous internal prayer is commanded. You cannot enter this state right away. Those who say that apart from internal prayer, no others are needed, are wrong, since only one who has been trained in external prayer can engage in constant prayer.

Chapter VII

Prayer has different degrees. Most often it happens that we have no desire to pray, despite the fact that the time for prayer has come. In this case, you need to overcome yourself and read certain prayers, pronouncing or reading every word with attention. In the beginning it will be only mechanical work, and prayer will be only external. But this is not the prayer of a hypocrite and a Pharisee, about whom Christ said that they honor Him only with their lips, but that their heart is far from Him (Matthew 15:8). The Pharisees did not try to get closer to God spiritually, and prayed only in order to appear pious before people. And here a person wants to pray without thinking about human praise, but prays only with external prayer because his spirit is not prepared for prayer at that hour.

During this outer prayer, the mood for sincere prayer comes. We just need to desire this and follow the prayers we read. In this case, there is no need to force yourself to feel anything or evoke a feeling in yourself: it would be insincere. If we read the prayers carefully, then we will be prepared for prayer.

First, we will become interested in what we are reading, and we will no longer have to force ourselves to be attentive. After this, we receive a desire to pray and find spiritual satisfaction in it.

Then we devote ourselves to prayer, forgetting about everything earthly, transferring our thoughts to God. Finally, we reach the highest degree of prayer when our mind is always directed towards heaven, and when our spirit is in continuous conversation with God. A person is aware of everything: he can do everything and think about everything, but at the same time his mind prays to God and asks Him for guidance. This is already continuous prayer, which everyone should strive for, but only great prayer books and zealots of piety can have it.

Sometimes, when they devote themselves not only to internal, but also to external prayer, they feel such bliss that they forget everything worldly and anticipate the bliss of eternal life with God. This state does not last long. “Take away from me the waves of Your grace, so that I do not die from the fullness of bliss,” one ascetic prayed.

But the rest of the time, such ascetics are so animated that no burdens of this worldly life are able to defeat the peace and bliss that reigns in their souls. They joyfully endure everything for the sake of the name of Christ. Faith is their firm support. They are in constant communication with the heavenly light.

One day people from his region came to St. Seraphim of Sarov (June 2, 1833) and asked him what to convey to his relatives. The monk then looked at the icons and said: “These are my relatives.” These were not just words, but constant communication with the saints became the reason that they actually became the best and dearest friends of the great prayer book.

Of course, only a few can achieve this state. But every Christian must work himself and direct his neighbors to prayer; He must work as hard as he can to receive the gifts of grace that are received through prayer.

Chapter VIII

The strength of faith, spiritual peace, strengthening of spiritual abilities, a feeling of the immediate proximity of God and His saints – this accompanies prayer.

In addition, through prayer we receive numerous gifts for our spiritual and earthly needs, especially for the former.

When we pray for something that is useful to us or our loved ones, the Lord often fulfills our requests so quickly that we do not have time to say the prayer in words or mentally, and the mind receives what we prayed for. This should convince us that God cares for us even when we do not immediately receive what we ask for.

God gives us in prayer many gifts for which we did not pray, since the power of prayer does not consist in spoken words or thoughts, but the power of prayer is communication with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit helps us in our weaknesses, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, “but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered” (Rom. 8:26).

Prayer is also a means to strengthen love and reconciliation with enemies. When we pray for someone, we create a disposition towards him, and he, without knowing it, feels the love shown to him, and his heart becomes softer. Therefore, we must always pray not only for ourselves, but also for others living and dead.

The shepherd should especially pray for his flock, since this is one of his main responsibilities towards them. If he neglects this responsibility, then he cannot successfully fulfill the rest. In prayer he draws strength for his work.

Chapter IX

Every Christian should pray at least three times a day: in the evening, in the morning and at noon, especially if he is a clergyman. I must set myself a certain time for prayer every day and not leave it unless absolutely necessary.

When he wakes up in the morning, his first thought should be addressed to God; when he gets up, he must spend as much time in silence as circumstances allow him.

Also, before going to bed, every Christian should pray to God, repenting of sins and praying to God so that the coming day will be more successful in a good life and God’s law.

If, outside of a certain time, a Christian feels the desire to pray, he should not abstain. Let him pray only with inner prayer if there is a need for it and he is in society. If you are free, you should leave other worries [and continue] prayer while the mood continues. Saint John Chrysostom [says: “If you wake up at night and feel the desire to pray, kneel down and your guardian angel will pray with you. If you [fall asleep] and don’t get up, the angel will retreat from you and the devil will come [?].”

The [Ancient] fathers advise that if during prayer some [any] word or expression particularly attracts our attention and evokes a sensation, we should not read longer while it continues. It is better to read less with feeling than more without feeling. We must determine [share] what prayers we will read, but this should not be just a formal fulfillment of the rule and without a purpose.

You must first calm down a little and then read the prayers carefully, and then give the soul some time to remain under the influence of the perfect prayer. And then, with faith in God’s help, begin your studies. Amen.

Prepared for publication
Archpriest Alexander Monich
, Candidate of Theology, Scientific Secretary of the Theological and Historical Research Center named after Archimandrite Vasily (Pronin)

* * *

Notes

On July 2, 1994, Archbishop John was canonized.

Monich Alexander, protodeacon. The life path of Archimandrite Vasily (Pronin) (09/08/1911–01/05/1997)

Monich Alexander, protodeacon. Correspondence of Saint John (Maximovich) with Hieromonk Vasily (Pronin). Materials for the canonization of Archimandrite Vasily (Pronin) / Orthodox Litopis. Journal of the Mukachevo-Uzhgorod Orthodox Diocese. – No. 9 (15). – Listopad-Gruden. – 2009. – P. 26–29.

Letters from Bishop John (Maksimovich) of Shanghai to Hieromonk Vasily (Pronin) have been preserved, which date back to 07/31/1939; 02/15/1941; 04/15/1941 // Archive of the Mukachevo Orthodox Diocese (hereinafter referred to as AMPE).

On June 27, 1947, by decree No. 344 of Bishop Nestor of Mukachevo and Uzhgorod (Sidoruk, 10/22/1945–06/03/1948), Abbot Vasily was given a second, confirming the previous, decree on the appointment of the rector of the temple-monument to Russian soldiers in the city of Uzhgorod. / Personal file of Archimandrite Vasily (Pronin) // AMPE.

Letter from Bishop John (Maksimovich) of Shanghai to Hieromonk Vasily (Pronin) dated February 15, 1941 // AMPE.

Letter from Bishop John (Maksimovich) of Shanghai to Hieromonk Vasily (Pronin) dated April 15, 1941 // AMPE.