Archimandrite
Sophrony on True Prayer
In recent months, Archimandrite Sophrony has become one of
my favorite writers on Orthodox contemplative practice. Before becoming a beloved monk on the Holy
Mountain, Mount Athos, Father Sophrony traversed the whole terrain of Asian
philosophy and religion – he even lived for some years as a yogi in India –
before re-converting to his childhood faith: the Eastern Orthodox Church.
The following is an excerpt from his book “His Life is Mine[1].” It is on real prayer as it’s viewed from the
Orthodox perspective:
To pray like that
every morning is not easy[2].
But if we pray from our heart,
with all our attention, the day will be stamped by our prayer and everything
that happens will take on a different character. The blessing that we have
sought from the High God will beget a gentle peace in our soul which will
have a miraculous effect on the way we see and interpret the world. The
man of prayer beholds the surrounding scene in another light. Concern is
quickened and the intrinsic quality of life enhanced. In time prayer will
penetrate our nature until gradually a new man is born of God. Love for God,
Who verily sends His blessings upon us, liberates the soul from extraneous
pressure. The one imperative is to preserve this loving tie with God. We shall
not care what people think of us, or how they treat us. We shall cease to be
afraid of falling out of favor. We shall love our fellow men without thought
of whether they love us. Christ gave us the commandment to love others but
did not make it a condition of salvation that they should love us. Indeed, we
may positively be disliked for independence of spirit. It is essential in these
days to be able to protect ourselves from the influence of those with whom
we come in contact. Otherwise we risk losing both faith and prayer. Let the
whole world dismiss us as unworthy of attention, trust or respect- it will not
matter provided that the Lord accepts us. And vice versa: it will profit us
nothing if the whole world thinks well of us and signs our praises, if the Lord
declines to abide with us. This is only a fragment of the freedom Christ
meant when He said, ‘Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you
free’ (John 8.32). Our sole care will be to continue in the word of Christ, to
become His disciples and cease to be servants of sin. For ‘whosoever
committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the
house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make
you free, ye shall be free indeed’ (John 8.34-36). The end result of prayer is
to make us sons of God, and as sons we shall abide forever in the house of
our Father. ‘Our Father which art in heaven…’.
with all our attention, the day will be stamped by our prayer and everything
that happens will take on a different character. The blessing that we have
sought from the High God will beget a gentle peace in our soul which will
have a miraculous effect on the way we see and interpret the world. The
man of prayer beholds the surrounding scene in another light. Concern is
quickened and the intrinsic quality of life enhanced. In time prayer will
penetrate our nature until gradually a new man is born of God. Love for God,
Who verily sends His blessings upon us, liberates the soul from extraneous
pressure. The one imperative is to preserve this loving tie with God. We shall
not care what people think of us, or how they treat us. We shall cease to be
afraid of falling out of favor. We shall love our fellow men without thought
of whether they love us. Christ gave us the commandment to love others but
did not make it a condition of salvation that they should love us. Indeed, we
may positively be disliked for independence of spirit. It is essential in these
days to be able to protect ourselves from the influence of those with whom
we come in contact. Otherwise we risk losing both faith and prayer. Let the
whole world dismiss us as unworthy of attention, trust or respect- it will not
matter provided that the Lord accepts us. And vice versa: it will profit us
nothing if the whole world thinks well of us and signs our praises, if the Lord
declines to abide with us. This is only a fragment of the freedom Christ
meant when He said, ‘Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you
free’ (John 8.32). Our sole care will be to continue in the word of Christ, to
become His disciples and cease to be servants of sin. For ‘whosoever
committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the
house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make
you free, ye shall be free indeed’ (John 8.34-36). The end result of prayer is
to make us sons of God, and as sons we shall abide forever in the house of
our Father. ‘Our Father which art in heaven…’.
Of all approaches to
God prayer is the best and in the last analysis the only
means. In the act of prayer the human mind finds its noblest expression.
The mental state of the scientist engaged in research, of the artist creating a
work of art, of the thinker wrapped up in philosophy- even of professional
theologians propounding their doctrines- cannot be compared to that of the
man of prayer brought face to Face with the living God. Each and every kind
of mental activity presents less of a strain than prayer. We may be capable
of working for ten or twelve hours on end but a few moments of prayer and
we are exhausted.
means. In the act of prayer the human mind finds its noblest expression.
The mental state of the scientist engaged in research, of the artist creating a
work of art, of the thinker wrapped up in philosophy- even of professional
theologians propounding their doctrines- cannot be compared to that of the
man of prayer brought face to Face with the living God. Each and every kind
of mental activity presents less of a strain than prayer. We may be capable
of working for ten or twelve hours on end but a few moments of prayer and
we are exhausted.
Prayer can accomplish
all things. It is possible for any of us lacking in natural
talent to obtain through prayer supranatural gifts. Where we encounter a
deficiency of rational knowledge we should do well to remember that prayer,
independently of man’s intellectual capacity, can bring a higher form of
cognition. There is the province of reflex consciousness, of demonstrative
argument; and there is the province where prayer is the passageway to
direct contemplation of divine truth.
talent to obtain through prayer supranatural gifts. Where we encounter a
deficiency of rational knowledge we should do well to remember that prayer,
independently of man’s intellectual capacity, can bring a higher form of
cognition. There is the province of reflex consciousness, of demonstrative
argument; and there is the province where prayer is the passageway to
direct contemplation of divine truth.
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