We need prayer. Our families and friends need prayer. Our Church, communities, and country need prayer. The world needs prayer. Have we gotten rusty at prayer? Do we need a refresher? The following excerpts from an article on the archdiocese website can give us a jumpstart.
Prayer is praise, thanksgiving, confession, supplication and intercession to God. "When I prayed I was new," wrote a great theologian of Christian antiquity, "but when I stopped praying I became old." Prayer is the way to renewal and spiritual life. Prayer is aliveness to God. Prayer is strength, refreshment, and joy. Through the grace of God and our disciplined efforts prayer lifts us up from our isolation to a conscious, loving communion with God in which everything is experienced in a new light. Prayer becomes a personal dialogue with God, a spiritual breathing of the soul, a foretaste of the bliss of God's kingdom.
How is one to pray? Only the Holy Spirit can guide us to pray as we should. Just as a child learns to walk by walking, one can best learn to pray by praying, trusting in the help of God. Think about the meaning of every word you pray. Make it your own personal prayer. Be persistent in prayer. Do not yield to carelessness or neglect. Strengthen your prayer through a lively faith in the Lord, a spirit of forgiveness toward others, and genuine Christian living.
As we pray deeply within our hearts we grow in prayer. By the grace of God we suddenly catch a glimpse of the miracle of the presence of the Holy Spirit working within us. At first it is only a spark but later it becomes a flame freeing and energizing our whole being, provided we do nothing to grieve the Holy Spirit; and if we do sin we repent of our sin immediately and ask for God's forgiveness. To experience the fire of God's holy love, to give it space within us to do its cleansing and healing work as a breath of the Holy Spirit, and to use it as light and power for daily living -- such are the goals as well the fruits of true prayer. (1)
Prayerbooks or books on prayer available in the church library:
A Book of Hours by Patricia Egan Brief services of praise that mark the progress of each day, sanctifying the hours of our lives.
The Jesus Prayer (Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner) Traces the development of the Jesus Prayer from the early Church, and discusses of how this prayer can be used today.
A Beginner's Guide to Prayer: The Orthodox Way to Draw Closer to God by Michael Keiser. A Beginner’s Guide to Prayer speaks to the average man or woman on the street who desires a deeper relationship with God but is unsure how or where to begin.
Living Prayer by Metropolitan Anthony Bloom. This book is so good that it is difficult to resist the urge to underline every word.
A Pocket Prayer Book for Orthodox Christians. This pocket-size book (3.5 x 5 inches) contains the standard daily personal prayers of Orthodox Christians, plus prayers for many special needs and circumstances.
Daily Prayers for Orthodox Christians contains prayers in Greek and English. Includes morning and evening prayers, the six psalms, prayers before mealtime, pre-communion and post-communion prayers, small compline, etc.
1. What is Prayer? Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. http://www.goarch.org/ourfaith/ourfaith8634. Accessed May 8, 2011.
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