The real “Caution” was composed about a century and a half ago by the venerable Optina elder Macarius (Ivanov). It is addressed to those who wish to pass through the Jesus Prayer intelligently, but do not have skilled mentors-leaders for this. However, to the same extent, the creation of Elder Macarius can be addressed to all Christians – as advice not to seek high spiritual gifts and similar states in oneself, but to humbly follow the path of fulfilling Christ’s commandments, relying in everything on the will of God. Citing the testimonies of the great ascetic fathers, the elder convinces: an untimely aspiration to a “high”, “contemplative” life threatens with temptation, self-promotion, and often not only spiritual, but also physical death.

At the same time, the Monk Macarius, who himself experienced the path of intelligent action, in no way seeks to turn away his contemporaries’ monks and pious laypeople from the saving prayer in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was commanded by the holy fathers. He only states: the measure of the original is oral prayer, not accompanied by any “artistic methods”, information about which is contained in the works of the holy fathers.

The same thing is very clearly written about in his instructions on the Jesus Prayer by the contemporary of Elder Macarius, Saint Ignatius (Bryanchaninov): “Novices should maintain, when practicing the Jesus Prayer, one reverent attention, one concentration of the mind on the words of the prayer. (…) Here is my (initial) covenant to you: do not seek the place of the heart. Do not set out in vain to explain to yourself what the place of the heart means; it is satisfactorily (in due time) explained by one experience. If God wishes to give you this knowledge, He will give it in due time. Engage exclusively in the prayer of repentance with all diligence; try to bring repentance through prayer”1.

Also, the Monk Macarius explains in what spiritual state one should perform the Jesus Prayer, what the active life of a Christian should be like, and what spiritual fruits one must strive to attain who prays in the name of Christ. We believe that the “Warning” of the Optina elder will be useful and will help modern Christians who strive for spiritual life to avoid various tricks of the enemy of the human race and not become a victim of temptation or wrong “thoughts” about themselves.

Warning to those reading spiritual fathers’ books and those wishing to go through the intelligent Jesus Prayer

There were two reasons for writing this warning.

The first and main reason is explained by the translator of the patristic writings from Greek into Slavic, an experienced prayer worker, the Moldavian elder Paisius Velichkovsky, in his letter to the elder Theodosius, archimandrite of the Sophronius Desert, where he writes as follows:

“I confess spiritually to Your Holiness that the printing of the books of the Holy Fathers in both Greek and Slavic languages ​​inspires me with both joy and fear. Joy – because they will no longer be consigned to complete oblivion, and those who are zealous for their salvation will have the opportunity to purchase them more freely. Fear – because I fear and tremble that they may no longer be offered not only to monks, but also to laypeople – like any other book that is on sale. The same ( laypeople ) arbitrarily, without the guidance of those experienced in performing experienced prayer, taking up the passage of this conveniently can become victims of temptation. And because of the temptation, as if there were no blasphemy from the foolish against this holy and unconditional act, attested by many great holy fathers.”

(Having presented the previous example of blasphemy against prayer, the elder continues):

“I fear and tremble at what I have already said before: may beauty not befall those who arbitrarily perform a rational act, and may beauty not be followed by blasphemy, and blasphemy by doubt in the truth of the teachings of our God-bearing fathers.

Therefore, the God-bearing Fathers, regarding this prayer to the disciple ( Jesus ), lay its beginning and foundation in true, unhypocritical obedience. From obedience comes humility. And it preserves the one who cares from all kinds of temptations that threaten to pass this path on his own. And how is it possible without obedience, guided only by his reason – why would beauty inevitably go to such a terrible and terrible deed, that is, to this prayer, without any instruction to force himself and avoid various temptations of the enemy, to this prayer and its ascetics in a very cunning way? Impossible”2.

Another reason for the warning was a manuscript by an unknown writer, in which various prayer actions and spiritual consolations are explained, which the Siberian elder Basilisk was similar to. In this manuscript, the author wrote an indifferent conviction for the passage of intelligent and heartfelt prayer, providing that the main goal in this act is the search for high gifts and spiritual consolations, which can lead to very dangerous consequences in terms of the temptation of hostility. Although this manuscript is still in a few hands and is known to few, it is impossible to remain silent about it; it is written convincingly; the evidence is adapted from the books of the fathers; and the dangerous side of this subject is kept silent, so that someone who does not fully know the teachings of the holy fathers can easily be carried away by such a conviction, and especially someone who has not happened to see himself or hear from others about those who have been spiritually damaged by such an act. To see the truth more clearly, let us present the testimony of the holy and God-bearing fathers as to whether the intelligent practice of the Jesus Prayer is accessible to many and whether it is a correct and safe goal to seek spiritual gifts and comforts through this practice.

From the consideration of the entire teaching of the holy fathers, it is clear that the temporary creations of the Jesus Prayer in a correct and lawful manner are indeed sometimes endowed by the Lord with great spiritual gifts and revelations of mysteries, and various spiritual comforts, which by the grace of God work intelligently in the souls of humble and worthy prayerful ones; but they achieve this very little.

Saint Isaac the Syrian says:

Just as out of many thousands there is scarcely one who has fulfilled the commandments and all that is lawful with a small defect and has attained purity of soul, so out of a thousand there is scarcely one (of those who have undergone a rational act) who has been found worthy, with great caution, to attain pure prayer, to break this barrier and receive this sacrament, for it was impossible to please, because it was not pleasing; very few have succeeded; and he who has attained through the sacrament, which is already through this prayer, scarcely, by the grace of God, remains from generation to generation.

From these words of Saint Isaac it is clear that “if, according to the convinced idea, everyone indifferently undertakes the passage of intelligent prayer, aiming at achieving high gifts and spiritual comforts, then inevitably many must fall into one of two extremes: either they will be caught in the charm of necessary, unacceptable enemies. no success, they will be recklessly confused, because high spiritual prayer, according to Saint Isaac the Syrian, will please one out of countless people”4.

The holy and God-bearing fathers wrote about great spiritual gifts not so that everyone would recklessly strive to receive them, but so that those who do not have these, hearing about such high gifts and revelations received by the worthy, would realize their deep weakness and great insufficiency, and mercy for the inclination to all inclinations seeks salvation.

The Holy Ladder writes:

“Just as the poor, seeing the royal treasures, become even more aware of their poverty: so too the soul, reading the stories of the great virtues of the holy fathers, becomes more humble in its thoughts”5.

And in another place this saint says:

“To marvel at the work of these saints is a commendable thing; to be jealous of them is salutary; but to suddenly want to become an imitator of their life is a foolish and impossible thing.”6

And Saint Isaac the Syrian says:

“If you say that some Fathers wrote about what purity of soul is, what health is, what dispassion is, what vision is: then they did not write so that we might seek it prematurely with expectation; for it is written that the kingdom of God does not come with expectation7 (Luke 17:20). And in whom such an intention was manifested, they acquired for themselves pride and a fall. But we will bring the region of the heart into order by works of repentance and a life pleasing to God; but the Lord’s comes of itself, if the place in the heart is pure and undefiled. What we seek “with observance,” I understand, God’s high gifts, has been rejected by the Church of God; and those who accepted it have acquired for themselves pride and a fall. And this is not a sign that a person loves God, but a disease of the soul. And how can we seek the high gifts of God, when the divine Paul boasts of tribulations, and honors the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings as a high gift of God”8 (i.e., the endurance of tribulations and sufferings).

Similarly, in another place, Saint Isaac says:

“Any person who, before having perfected the first part (i.e., the active part), passes on to this second (i.e., the contemplative part), who is attracted by its sweetness, not to mention his own laziness, incurs the wrath (of God) for not having first mortified his limbs, that is, cured the infirmities of his thoughts by patient exercise in committing the shame of the cross, but dared to dream in his mind about the glory of the cross. Having subdued the desires of the flesh, but relying on what the ear has heard and what is written with ink, he rushed straight ahead, to walk a path full of darkness, when he himself is blind in his eyes. For even those whose sight is sound, being full of light and having acquired for themselves leaders of grace, are in danger day and night, while their eyes are full of tears, and they continue their service in prayer and weeping. all day, even the night, because of the horrors that await them on the way and the meeting. mixed with deceptive ghosts of this. They say: What is from God comes by itself, and you will not feel it. This is true, but only if the place is clean, not defiled. If the pupil of your spiritual eye is unclean, then do not dare to direct your gaze at the solar ball (thought), so as not to lose even this small ray, that is, simple faith, and humility, and heartfelt confession, and small deeds that are possible for you, and not to be thrown into the only region of spiritual beings, which is impenetrable darkness, that which outside of God is a semblance of hell, as the one who was not ashamed to marry in unclean clothing was thrown out”9.

Here Saint Isaac clearly showed that those who seek sweet spiritual sensations in prayer with hope, and especially long prematurely for the vision and contemplation of the spiritual, fall into the beauty of enmity and into the region of darkness and obscuration of meaning, being abandoned by God’s help, and given over to demons for shame and abuse.

After the pitiful story of Malpat and Asina, who were tempted by the devil, Saint Isaac says:

“I have not said this here in vain, but – so that we may know the reproach of the demons who desire the death of the saints, and not desire the height of a reasonable life (reasonable visions – note), otherwise – we will be ridiculed by our cunning adversary: ​​for even now I see that I see, that I see, that they teach about the secrets of dispassion.”

Regarding people who are full of passions and enter into studies about the relationship between the corporeal and the incorporeal, and are no different from sick people who teach about health, one of the saints wrote:

“Blessed Paul, when he learned about the disciples who neglected the commandments and did not overcome their passions, but desired the bliss of contemplating the mysteries, which is possible after purification, said to them: Put off first the old man of passions, and then desire to put on the new man, renewing himself (Col. 3:9–10), and do not desire that vision of mine and the other apostles, which works perfectly by grace; for God “has mercy on whom he wills, and hardens whom he wills” (Rom. 9:18). For who can resist His face, or resist His will? God sometimes gives freely; sometimes He demands works and purification, and then sends the gift; and sometimes even after works and purification He does not give it here, but preserves it, in order to grant contemplation in its place”10.

Saint Gregory of Sinai, a zealous teacher of rational action, writes in the chapters on silence:

“Near and near the original and self-acting demons usually spread networks of thoughts and pernicious dreams and prepare ditches of falls, since their city is still under the power of the barbarians. And there is no need to be surprised if one of them has gone astray, or gone mad, or has accepted and is accepting beauty. (…)

There is nothing surprising in the fact that beginners make mistakes even after much work. (…) The remembrance of God, or intelligent prayer, is higher than all works; but he who shamelessly and boldly desires to bring to God and confess Him purely, and he who is tired of acquiring Him in himself, easily kills himself from demons, if they allow him to do so. (…) The Lord, merciful to us, seeing how quick we are to high things, often does not allow us to fall into temptation, so that everyone, realizing his arrogance, turns to real action on his own, before he becomes a disgrace and a laughingstock for demons, and we weep for them, and we divide into the wicked and the perfect with it, and the strong and the perfect despised and the perfect, and acts with us, and acts with us, and cares with him and acts in spirit with us; to constantly wield the spiritual sword, “which is the word of God” (Eph. 6:17); while the weak and the inexperienced use flight as a stronghold, with reverence and fear, refusing the confrontation and not daring to enter into it beforehand, and thus avoiding (soulful) death”11.

This Saint also says that not everyone should and can be taught the intelligent practice of prayer, as he writes in 15 chapters.

“Those who do not keep the psalms at all do well, if they prosper. Such do not need psalms, but should be in silence, incessant prayer and contemplation, if they have attained enlightenment. For they are united with God and should not cast their mind away from Him and throw it into confusion (or into a crowd of thoughts). (…) It is not possible to teach others this act (i.e. the unceasing Jesus Prayer). The simple and the illiterate novices12 are able to do so; because obedience for the sake of humility is capable of every virtue. But the disobedient, whether they are simple or learned, are not taught this science, lest they fall into beauty; for the self-willed cannot escape the arrogance that usually accompanies beauty, as St. Isaac says. Some, not thinking of the harm that is coming, teach by their own efforts to keep the memory of God (i.e. the Jesus Prayer) in order that the mind may become accustomed to this memory and love it, which is impossible, especially for those who are accustomed to living according to their own way. For since their mind is impure through negligence and high-mindedness and is not cleansed by tears, they are more apt to have shameful images of thoughts than to prayer, while the unclean spirits that nest in the heart, being troubled by the terrible name (of God), gnash, desiring to destroy.

Moreover, one should know that intelligent prayer requires no small amount of attention, effort, and labor. Whoever wants to perform this act in his mind, therefore Saint Symeon the New Theologian commands the following:

“After (establishing in your heart) perfect obedience, which, as we have said, you must have towards your spiritual father, do all your other deeds with a clear conscience, as if you were before God: for without obedience it is impossible to be pure in conscience. You must keep your conscience pure in three respects: towards God, towards your spiritual father and towards other people, as well as towards the things and objects of the world (life).

In relation to God, you have a duty to keep your conscience clear, not allowing yourself to do anything that you know does not appease God and is displeasing to Him.

With regard to your spiritual father, do only what he commands you, and do not allow yourself to do anything more or less, but follow his intention and his will.

You keep a clear conscience towards other people, not allowing yourself to do to them anything that you hate and would not want them to do to you.

And regarding things you must keep your conscience clear, always using them as they should – namely food, drink, clothing.

And in short, do everything as if you were before God, and in no matter what you do, do not allow your conscience to accuse you and strike you with the thought that you did not do it well.”14

Whoever has the opportunity and the will to live according to this instruction of St. Symeon the Theologian, he, without a doubt, with humility and hope for God’s help, can touch the teaching with the work of heartfelt prayer, using at the same time other joys of the holy fathers, that is, dissolving prayer with the memory of death, the memory of the former life and the recollection of his sins in appearance (in addition to memory) and will maintain contrition of spirit and humility and weeping, “for we have a struggle with proud demons”15, says St. Philotheus of Sinai. This division should also have in mind the goal of true prayer, and not the one that the aforementioned writer presents, that is, the search for gifts and spiritual comforts. True, the righteous ascetics did not seek gifts, but, on the contrary, some of them prayed to God that gifts would be taken from them and given. “If some of them,” says Saint Isaac the Syrian, “accepted gifts, they accepted them out of need (for the common good) or out of their own simplicity”16.

The Venerable Callistus and Ignatius write: “Do not seek prematurely that which will come in its time.”17 And elsewhere, these saints, citing testimony from the book of Saint Isaac about the Divine manifestation in us and the essential grace-filled enlightenment, warn the inexperienced, saying thus:

“This is Jerusalem and the kingdom of God, hidden within us, according to the word of the Lord (Luke 17:21). This region is a cloud of God’s glory, into which only the pure in heart will come to see the face of their Master. Only he himself does not seek the manifestation of God within himself, so as not to receive him who is truly darkness, and falsely presents himself as light.”18

What is the true purpose of prayer? Saint Cassian the Roman, in his letter to Leontius, the abbot, writing about his conversation with Abba Moses, says that the saint provides this goal of spiritual life with purity of heart, that is, its purification from passions.

How is this goal achieved?

By keeping God’s commandments; and through this, when someone gathers the old man, that is, the passions, he will be pleased with pure and spiritual prayer, according to what Saint Isaac the Syrian said:

“It pleases the person (i.e., spiritual prayer) when, by keeping the commandments of the Lord, which are opposed to sin, both internally and externally, sin is gathered. Whoever loves these commandments and uses them according to the order, it will become necessary for him to be free from many human affairs, that is, to merge with the body and be outside of it, so to speak, not according to nature, but according to necessity. Whoever leads a life in the image of the Lawgiver (i.e., according to his example), and is guided by his commandments, it is impossible for him to remain in sin. Therefore, the Lord promised in the Gospel that he who keeps the commandments will make a dwelling in him” (John 14:23)19.

In Macarius of Egypt, in the book of Seven Words, we read:

“And if someone, not having prayer, forces himself only to prayer in order to receive a prayer of grace, and does not force himself to humility, to love, and to observe the other commandments of the Lord, then sometimes, at his request, a prayer of grace is given to him, even partially in peace and he liked it, but . For he does not have meekness, because he did not force it, and did not prepare himself to be meek; he does not have humility, because he did not ask for it and did not force himself for it; he does not have love for all, because he did not care about it, and did not seek it strongly in prayerful request. For everyone who forces and burdens himself, even against the desire of his heart, to prayer, must also force himself to love, and to meekness, and to all patience, and to generosity, according to what is written, with joy; (…) And you also have to force yourself to humiliate yourself, to consider yourself worse and lower than everyone else”20.

In the same book and in the same word it is also said that one is always close to falling:

“If someone forces himself to pray until he receives a gift from God, but does not force himself to this, that is, to humility, to love, to meekness, and to other virtues, and does not tire himself out to the same extent, then sometimes God’s grace comes to him according to his prayer and request; for God is good and merciful, and gives to those who ask of Him what they ask. But, not having prepared and not accustomed himself to the virtues listed above, he either loses grace, or accepts and falls, or does not keep up with it because of arrogance; because he does not surrender himself with all his will to the commandments of the Lord. The abode or tranquility of the Spirit is humility, love, meekness, and other commandments of the Lord”21.

And again this saint says:

“If humility and love, simplicity and kindness are not closely connected with prayer, then prayer itself, or rather, this guise of prayer, can bring us very little benefit.”22

The aforementioned writer, in urging the practice of intelligent prayer, ostensibly presents the spiritual structure and lifestyle of only selected ascetics who have already cleansed themselves of passions, but he is silent about how, at the beginning, a spiritual struggle with passions takes place through prayer. In the introduction to the book of St. Neil Sorsky it is said:

“Place on one side the commandments of Christ, on the other – the constant prayer: “Leave us our duties”. And accept as an unbreakable rule: do not transgress any commandment. That is: do not indulge in lust, do not be angry, do not judge, do not slander, do not lie, do not speak vainly, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, pray for those who do evil; also – avoid lust, love of money, lustful thoughts, sadness, vanity and contempt, and simply all sins and thoughts of the evil. And with that, begin to learn intelligent action, listening carefully to how many times a day, despite the accepted rule, you transgress the commandments, what sins, passions and evil thoughts you are struck with”23.

This passage, firstly, shows how a reasonable action should be connected with the observance of the commandments of God, about which the aforementioned writer nowhere speaks affirmatively, but only mentions a little narratively at the end of his epistle. Secondly, it shows that the doer of prayer does not suddenly enjoy the desired fruits, although the aforementioned persuader and quick promise of success in this. From the teachings of the holy fathers it is clear that the learning of a reasonable action requires much, not only labor and feat, but also time. Saint John Chrysostom writes:

“This is not a matter of one or two days, but of many years and a long time, and of great effort and labor, before the enemy is driven out and Christ dwells.”24

In the writings of St. Hesychius and Nicephorus the Monk, although many details are presented on how the training of the rational act should be carried out at the beginning, but those who have not yet experienced it should mainly adhere to the instructions of St. Callistus and Ignatius, because they gradually explain the guidance for the passage of the rational act, placing many people ahead of it for its preparation. First, these saints say that the beginning of every act according to God is living according to the commandments of the Savior and that whoever wants to live according to God must strive to fulfill all of God’s commandments, especially to maintain peace with his neighbors and have love for everyone. They further write that first of all he must choose a spiritual mentor and have perfect obedience to him and the cutting off of his will before him. Having set forth the signs of true obedience, they further explain that the doer of this, with the Orthodox faith, should be full of good deeds, avoid gossip and confusion, sadness and care, be silent and speechless, and give thanks to God for everything; recognize one’s weakness, and worthily endure temptations, with hope in God and expectation of spiritual benefit from Him; during the changes that occur, not to despair, but with faith and patience to await changes for the better, and especially to plunge into the depths of humble wisdom, considering oneself from the heart the most sinful and the most useless of all people, because humility covers many of our ailments and more than other virtues propitiates God for us. These saints also advise to be careful about spiritual pleasures. They also wrote a chapter on Divine and feigned consolation, where it is shown how the evil enemy cunningly and subtly tries to seduce not only inexperienced but also skilled ascetics with false consolations, inclining them to some subtle sleep so that they cannot distinguish consolations. The main sign of a temptation is when a person takes false feelings of joy or the consolation of hostility for grace, or accepts false advice for true. Why, in order to avoid harm, these saints advise, in such a case, to ask someone who can teach not only from Divine Scripture, but also from experienced Divine education. If there is no such one, then it is better not to accept consolation, but to humbly resort to God, from a sincere heart, considering oneself unworthy of such dignity and vision.

Although the Apostle Paul mentions joy among other fruits (Gal. 5:22), one must be very careful not to be carried away by a false sense of joy, as St. Ladder writes about this, saying: “With the hand of humility, reject the joy that comes, as unworthy of it, so that you do not be seduced by it and do not accept a wolf instead of a shepherd.”25 True and unheard-of joy, as can be seen from the very enumeration of spiritual fruits by the apostle, also belongs to a large extent to the spiritual. Just as the gifts of the Holy Spirit begin with the least, that is, with the fear of God, and reach gradually; in the same way, spiritual fruits begin not with the highest, but with the lowest, that is, moderation in all things and meekness, which will be a living faith, all mercy towards one’s neighbor; then goodness, of which the prophet Habakkuk and St. Isaac the Syrian speak: “The eye of good will not behold evil.”26 Further, long-suffering in sorrows and temptations, internal and external, and peace from thoughts and every passion. If someone with these virtues, called by the Apostle the fruits, dissolves his prayer, and has attained in due time spiritual joy, he can enjoy it worthily and righteously, being full of humility and love, which, according to the word of the Apostle, “never fails” (1 Cor. 13:8).

By the way, let’s talk about beauty in general; St. Gregory of Sinai writes:

“You, if you are silent well, I wish to be with God, never accept anything you see, whether sensual or spiritual, outside or inside, even if it is an image of Christ, or an Angel, or a Saint, or a light dreamed or printed in the mind. The mind itself has the natural power to dream and can easily build ghostly images of what it desires, in those who do not listen to it dangerously, and thus do harm to themselves. harm; but be always dissatisfied with this, keeping the mind colorless, invisible and ugly. Often even that which was sent by God, as a test for the crown, has turned to harm to many. Our Lord wants to test our self-control, where it inclines. But he who has seen something mentally or sensually and accepts it without asking the experienced, is easily – although it is from God – tempted or must be tempted, as quick to accept thoughts. God is not indignant at those who listen carefully to Him, if, out of fear of temptation, they do not accept what is from Him without question and due testing, but rather praises them as wise. For it is a great labor to comprehend the truth clearly and to be pure from that which is abominable to grace; because the devil has a custom, especially for beginners, to present his beauty under the guise of truth, transforming his evil into spiritual.”27

And in Symeon the New Theologian it is said:

“Standing on this path, those who see light with their bodily eyes, smell odors with their nose, hear voices with their ears, and so on, are also tempted. Some of these have become enraged and wander from place to place in madness. Others have been seduced by the devil, who has transformed himself and appeared to them in the form of an angel of light, but they did not recognize him, and have remained incorrigible to the end, not even listening to the advice of any brother. Others of these have taken their own lives, being incited to do so by the devil; others have thrown themselves into the abyss; others have been choked. And who can recount the various temptations with which the devil tempts them, since they are innumerable?”28.

This beauty is especially susceptible to those who, without purifying themselves from passions, raise their minds to heaven and imagine heavenly goods and the deeds of angels and others, as it is written in Symeon the New Theologian in the same chapter above:

“When someone, standing in prayer and raising his hands and his eyes and his mind to heaven, holds divine thoughts in his mind, imagines heavenly blessings, the works of angels and the abodes of saints, and in short, everything heard in the Divine Scriptures, he gathers them into his mind, because he reflects on his mind, and by reflecting he incites his soul to the desire and love of God, and sometimes even sheds tears and weeps. At the same time, little by little (the one praying in this way) begins to boast in his heart, without realizing it; it seems to him that what he does is from the grace of God for his comfort, and he prays to God to make him worthy to always be in such an action. And this is a symbol of beauty: for good is no longer good if it is not done in a good way and as it should be”29.

What does it mean when things do not go well and as they should? Saint Simeon in response cites testimony from the book of Saint Ladder, who likens the images of attention and prayer to a ladder of four steps, and says:

“Some tame the passions and humble themselves; others sing, that is, pray with their lips; others practice intelligent prayer; others reach contemplation… Those who, continues St. Symeon, “take to descend these steps, do not begin from the upper ones in order to descend to the lower ones, as from the lower ones they go to the upper ones, but take the first, then the second, then the third and finally the fourth. And, first, one must strive with the mind and tame the passions; second, practice psalm-singing, that is, pray with the lips, because when the passions are diminished, then prayer naturally brings pleasure and delight even to the tongue and is considered a sin before God; third, pray intelligently; and fourth, enter into contemplation. He who goes through all these things in order, each in its own time, can, after his heart is cleansed of passions, completely immerse himself in psalmody, and resist thoughts, and look at heaven with sensual eyes or contemplate it with the intellectual eyes of the soul, and pray purely and truly.

All these testimonies from the teachings of the holy and God-bearing fathers are written out of a desire to benefit one’s neighbor and to warn the inexperienced and weak, so that they do not recklessly and presumptuously strive beyond their measure to complete a reasonable work, lest they fall into the allurement of enmity, and there be the insults of demons and . But this is by no means written in order to restrain and turn away from this work anyone who, in reason and according to the teachings of the holy fathers, desires to complete it. We rejoice in those who can reasonably and worthily unite with the Lord through this blessed work; And to those who have not achieved this and are weary of completing this work, we advise them to read the books of the fathers with due attention, so that they may recognize the truth and the allurement, and the foundations of enmity, and keep themselves from undertaking beyond their measure.

It is fitting and useful for many to remember the words of St. Isaac the Syrian, who advises using the form of prayer according to the way of one’s life and according to the measure of one’s spiritual disposition, saying: “Your prayer should be in accordance with your life.”31 And in another place: “It is difficult to explain anything lofty to a child of elementary and infantile age (spiritual).”32 Not only does the Father but the Apostle command to pray with verbal prayer beforehand, as it is written in the Epistle to the Hebrews: “For by this we offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name” (Heb. 13:15).

Also, the Venerable Peter of Damascus teaches to first of all undergo active prayer, explaining that contemplative prayer is granted later, by the grace of God, not by the will of man, but by the will of God, when his heart and mind are turned and can accommodate it, as is said in the 2nd book:

“Give prayer to him who prays” (1 Sam. 2:9), that is: God gives intelligent prayer to him who prays well, through bodily prayer, and he diligently abides in it – invisible and unimaginable, from the pure fear of God. And again, to him who does this well – the guidance of creatures and from it – the fascination of the mind for theology and the good work of the future, God grants to him who “is abolished” from everything (Ps. 45:11) and is instructed in this by deed and word, and not by hearing only”33.

* * *

Notes

Seeker of Unceasing Prayer. Instructions of St. Ignatius on the Jesus Prayer for Beginners. – Published by the Brotherhood “Neopalyma kupina” with the participation of the publishing house “Khram”. – Moscow, 1991.

The letter of the venerable elder Paisios is given by us in a modern Russian translation: the language of the original may not have been equally understandable to everyone. (This letter was printed in the book of the life and writings of the elder Paisios in the first edition of 1847, on pp. 265, 266, 267. – note by the venerable elder. Macarius .)

Abba Isaac the Syrian, “Ascetic Words,” Word 16. – “Rule of Faith,” Moscow, 1993.

Right there, Word 21.

Reverend Father John, “Ladder”, 26, ch. 211. St. Petersburg. 1995.

Right there, Word 4, chapter 42.

Option: “… with discretion.”

Abba Isaac the Syrian, “Ascetic Words,” Word 55. – “Rule of Faith,” Moscow, 1993.

Abba Isaac of Syria, “Ascetic Words,” Word 2. – “Rule of Faith,” Moscow, 1993.

Abba Isaac the Syrian, “Ascetic Words,” Word 55. – “Rule of Faith,” Moscow, 1993.

“Benevolence”, vol. 5. Chapters of St. Gregory of Sinai. “Instruction to the Silent”, vol. 7. – Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra. Sergiev Posad, 1993.

Not according to the simple custom of those so called, but in the obedience of those who are with a spiritual father, with the cutting off of one’s will and mind. – Note. exegesis of Elder Macarius.

“Benevolence”, vol. 5. Chapters of St. Gregory of Sinai. “On Prayer and Silence”, ch. 8. – Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra. Sergiyev Posad, 1993.

Venerable Simeon the New Theologian. “Creation”, vol. 2, word 68. – Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra. Sergiyev Posad, 1993.

“Benevolence”, vol. 3. Chapters of St. Philotheus of Sinai “On Sobriety”, ch. 13. – Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra. Sergiyev Posad, 1993.

Abba Isaac of Syria, “Ascetic Words,” Word 36. – “Rule of Faith.” Moscow, 1993.

“Benevolence”, vol. 5. Chapters of Patriarch Callistus and his associate Ignatius Xanthopoulos, ch. 59. – Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra. Sergiyev Posad, 1993.

Ibid., goal 60.

Abba Isaac the Syrian, “Ascetic Words,” Word 21. – “Rule of Faith,” Moscow, 1993.

Venerable Macarius of Egypt. “Seven Words”, Word 13. – “Spiritual Conversations”. – Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra. Sergiyev Posad, 1994.

Ibid., goal 14.

Venerable Macarius of Egypt. “Seven Words”, Word 3, ch. 5. – “Spiritual Conversations”. – Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra. Sergiyev Posad, 1994.

These words of Reverend Neil Sorsky are given here in a translation into modern Russian.

These words from the “Words to the Monks” by St. John Chrysostom are also given here in a translation into modern Russian.

“The Staircase”, Word 7, No. 57. – St. Petersburg. 1995.

Abba Isaac the Syrian, “Ascetic Words,” Word 21. – “Rule of Faith,” Moscow, 1993.

“Benevolence”, vol. 5. Chapters of St. Gregory of Sinai. “Instruction to the Silent”, vol. 7. – Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra. Sergiev Posad, 1993.

Venerable Simeon the New Theologian. “Creation”, vol. 2, word 68. – Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra. Sergiyev Posad, 1993.

Venerable Simeon the New Theologian. “Creation”, vol. 2, word 68. – Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra. Sergiyev Posad, 1993.

Venerable Simeon the New Theologian. “Creation”, vol. 2, word 68. – Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra. Sergiyev Posad, 1993.

Abba Isaac the Syrian, “Ascetic Words,” Word 5. – “Rule of Faith,” Moscow, 1993.

Right there, Word 74.

Peter Damaskin. “Creation”, Slovo 24. – Moscow, 1993.