Chapter 1. Prayer as a Path to Unity with God and Purification from Passions

Since God is bliss itself, mercy, and the abyss of goodness, everyone who enters into union with Him necessarily becomes a partaker of His mercy. They are united with Him through the acquisition of godlike virtues (as far as this is possible for a person) and through prayerful communion.

Although the pursuit of godlike virtues makes a person capable of divine union, it does not in itself create it. Only sincere, fervent prayer is sacred – it directs a person to God and unites him with Him. In its essence, prayer is a union of intelligent creatures with their Creator. It achieves its goal when the act of prayer, through warm tenderness and contrition of the heart, rises above earthly passions and sinful thoughts.

The mind, while it is under the power of passions, cannot unite with God. Therefore, being in such a state, a person does not receive God’s grace during prayer.

However, the more resolutely the mind rejects passionate thoughts, the more it becomes involved in sincere weeping for its sins and heartfelt contrition. In accordance with this tenderness, a person is also honored with God’s gracious consolation. A long stay in these feelings with humility ultimately completely transforms and heals the willpower of the soul.

Chapter 2. The Trinity of Mind and the Deed of Unceasing Prayer

When the human mind becomes threefold, while remaining one, it unites with the Divine Triune Unity. In this state, it closes off every entrance to temptation, error, and delusion, rising above the flesh, the world, and the devil. Having escaped their snares, the mind dwells completely in itself and in God, savoring inner spiritual joy.

The mind becomes threefold, while remaining one, thanks to:

• Returning to oneself — which is the vigilant guarding and preserving oneself from sin;
• Ascending through oneself to God — which is accomplished through pure prayer.

When a person is in this inner concentration and yearning for God, he restrains the chaotic flow of his thoughts by an effort of will. Thanks to this, he spiritually draws closer to God, touches the ineffable, tastes the blessings of the future age, and with his inner spiritual sense knows how good the Lord is, as the Psalmist says: “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps. 33:9).

To bring the mind into this state of trinity (so that it simultaneously protects itself, is protected by God, and creates prayer) may not be so difficult for a short time. But to remain in it for a long time is extremely difficult. Working on any other virtue is easy and pleasant compared to this feat of prayer.

Because of this, many, fearing the narrowness and difficulties of prayer, lose the spaciousness of God’s gifts. Those who patiently overcome this path are honored with great divine intercession. God gives them the strength to easily bear and endure any trials, to move forward with joy, turning the difficult into the easy. They are given almost angelic power to accomplish what is above human nature, according to the word of the Prophet: “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not be weary; they will walk and not faint” (Isa. 40:31).

Chapter 3. True Purity of Heart and the Danger of Spiritual Deception

The word “mind” refers to both the activity of thinking itself and the power that generates these thoughts (which in the Holy Scriptures is also called “heart”). It is thanks to this main power that our soul is a thinker.

In those who practice prayer, the activity of the mind (theological thought) is purified relatively easily. However, the soul itself, which gives rise to these thoughts, will not be purified unless all its other powers are purified at the same time. The soul is a single whole, with many faculties. If evil penetrates even one of them, the whole soul is defiled, since all its powers are closely interconnected through the unity of human nature.

Sometimes, due to special attention during prayer, some single action of the soul may temporarily seem pure. However, it cannot be concluded from this that the whole soul has been purified. If a person during prayer sees his mind pure and illuminated by the light of understanding or prayerful contemplation, and because of this considers himself completely purified, he falls into deception and self-deception. With pride he opens the door wide to the tempter.

If a person, knowing the deep impurity of his heart, does not rise through this temporary glimpse of purity, then with its help he will see even more clearly the flaws of the other powers of his soul. This helps him:

1. Grow in humility;
2. To increase the heart’s weeping and sorrow;
3. Seek spiritual medicine for every strength of your soul.

Thus a person purifies his active part through righteous deeds, his thinking part through spiritual knowledge, and his contemplative part through sincere prayer. Only in this way is true, perfect, and lasting purity of heart and mind achieved. It is not acquired by anyone and never otherwise than through perfection in actions, constant contrition, spiritual contemplation, and unceasing prayer.