Fw: prayer without ceasing

June 12, 2004

Dear Members,

I copied a page from the internet: http://landru.i-link-2.net/shnyves/Prayer_without_Ceasing.html

which gives a snip out of the "Way of the Pilgrim" which I am reading at present ... and feeling

much moved through it to come to this permanent prayer (japa) ... in some form, though this

all can only be by grace. It is from the Christian context ... but possibly some

here may enjoy to read

....

Kind regards

Gabriele

- gabriele ebert

Atma_Vichara

Saturday, June 12, 2004 9:18 PM

prayer without ceasing

Prayer without Ceasing. from The Way of the Pilgrim

(If you are in a great hurry, click here to go to the heart of it.)

[God's Call to the Pilgrim.]

"BY the grace of God I am a Christian man, by my actions a great sinner, and by

calling a homeless wanderer of the humblest birth who roams from place to

place. My worldly goods are a knapsack with some dried bread in it on my back,

and in my breast-pocket a Bible. And that is all.

On the 24th Sunday after Pentecost I went to church to say my prayers there

during the Liturgy. The first Epistle of St. Paul to the Thessalonians was

being read, and among other words I heard these--" Pray without ceasing." It

was this text, more than any other, which forced itself upon my mind, and I

began to think how it was possible to pray without ceasing, since a man has to

concern himself with other things also in order to make a living. I looked at

my Bible, and with my own eyes read the words which I had heard, i.e, that we

ought always, at all times and in all places, to pray with uplifted hands. I

thought and thought, but knew not what to make of it. " What ought I to do! " I

thought. " Where shall I find someone to explain it to me! I will go to the

churches where famous preachers are to be heard; perhaps there I shall hear

something which will throw light on it for me." I did so. I heard a number of

very fine sermons on prayer; what prayer is, how much we need it, and what its

fruits are; but no one said how one could succeed in prayer. I heard a sermon

on spiritual prayer, and unceasing prayer, but how it was to be done was not

pointed out. Thus listening to sermons failed to give me what I wanted, and

having had my fill of them without gaining understanding, I gave up going to

hear public sermons. I settled on another plan--by God's help to look for some

experienced and skilled person who would give me in conversation that teaching

about unceasing prayer which drew me so urgently.

For a long time I wandered through many places. I read my Bible always, and

everywhere I asked whether there was not in the neighborhood a spiritual

teacher, a devout and experienced guide, to be found..."

[Note that a spiritual director or teacher is often essential to spiritual life

and growth. However we cannot often find the right person immediately so we

pray the Lord will lead us to him and we search.]

"At last towards evening [one day] I was overtaken by an old man who looked like

a cleric of some sort. In answer to my question he told me that he was a monk

belonging to a monastery some six miles off the main road. He asked me to go

there with him. " We take in pilgrims," said he, "and give them rest and food

with devout persons in the guest house." I did not feel like going.1 So in

reply I said that my peace of mind in no way depended upon my finding a

resting-place, but upon finding spiritual teaching. Neither was I running after

food, for I had plenty of dried bread in my knapsack. " What sort of spiritual

teaching are you wanting to get" he asked me. " What is it puzzling you !" ...

"Well, it's like this, Father", said I. "About a year ago, while I was at the

Liturgy, I heard a passage from the Epistles which bade men pray without

ceasing. Failing to understand, I began to read my Bible, and there also in

many places I found the divine command that we ought to pray at all times, in

all places; not only while about our business, not only while awake, but even

during sleep,'I sleep, but my heart waketh.' This surprised me very much, and I

was at a loss to understand how it could be carried out and in what way it was

to be done. A burning desire and thirst for knowledge awoke in me. Day and

night the matter was never out of my mind. So I began to go to churches and to

listen to sermons. But however many I heard, from not one of them did I get any

teaching about how to pray without ceasing. They always talked about getting

ready for prayer, or about its fruits and the like, without teaching one how to

pray without ceasing, or what such prayer means. I have often read the Bible and

there made sure of what I have heard. But meanwhile I have not reached the

understanding that I long for, and so to this hour I am still uneasy and in

doubt."

Then the old man crossed himself and spoke. " Thank God, my dear brother, for

having revealed to you this unappeasable desire for unceasing interior prayer.

Recognize in it the call of God, and calm yourself. Rest assured that what has

hitherto been accomplished In you is the testing of the harmony of your own

will with the voice of God. It has been granted to you to understand that the

heavenly light of unceasing interior prayer is attained neither by the wisdom

of this world, nor by the mere outward desire for knowledge, but that on the

contrary it is found in poverty of spirit and in active experience in

simplicity of heart. That is why it is not surprising that you have been unable

to hear anything about the essential work of prayer, and to acquire the

knowledge by which ceaseless activity in it is attained. Doubtless a great deal

has been preached about prayer... But what is prayer! And how does one learn to

pray ! Upon these questions, primary and essential as they are, one very rarely

gets any precise enlightenment from present-day preachers. For these questions

are more difficult to understand than all their arguments ..., and require

mystical knowledge, not simply the learning of the schools. And the most

deplorable thing of all is that the vain wisdom of the world compels them to

apply the human standard to the divine. Many people reason quite the wrong way

round about prayer, thinking that good actions and all sorts of preliminary

measures render us capable of prayer. But quite the reverse is the case, it is

prayer which bears fruit in good works and all the virtues... [T]he Apostle

Paul says, ' I exhort therefore that first of all supplications he made ' (1

Tim. ii,1) The first thing laid down in the Apostle's words about prayer is

that the work of prayer comes before everything else: ' I exhort therefore that

first of all . . .' The Christian is bound to perform many good works, but

before all else what he ought to do is to pray, for without prayer no other

good work whatever can be accomplished. Without prayer he cannot find the way

to the Lord, he cannot understand the truth, he cannot crucify the flesh with

its passions and lusts, his heart cannot be enlightened with the light of

Christ... None of those things can be effected unless they are preceded by

constant prayer...

[The basic method.]

He took my request kindly and asked me into his cell. " Come in," said he;... We

went into his cell and he began to speak as follows. " The continuous interior

Prayer of Jesus is a constant uninterrupted calling upon the divine Name of

Jesus with the lips, in the spirit, in the heart; while forming a mental

picture of His constant presence, and imploring His grace, during every

occupation, at all times, in all places, even during sleep. The appeal is

couched in these terms, Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me. One who accustoms

himself to this appeal experiences as a result so deep a consolation and so

great a need to offer the prayer always, that he can no longer live without it,

and it will continue to voice itself within him of its own accord. Now do you

understand what prayer without ceasing is!" (Emphasis added.)

"Yes indeed, Father, and in God's name teach me how to gain the habit of it," I

cried, filled with joy.

He opened the book [The Philokalia], found the instruction by St. Simeon the New

Theologian, and read: " Sit down alone and in silence. Lower your head, shut

your eyes, breathe out gently and imagine yourself looking into your own heart.

Carry your mind, i.e, your thoughts, from your head to your heart. As you

breathe put, say Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.' Say it moving your lips

gently, or simply say it in your mind. Try to put all other thoughts aside. Be

calm, be patient, and repeat the process very frequently."

I listened closely and with great delight, fixed it in my memory, and tried as

far as possible to remember every detail.

[The Pilgrim found a place to stay in a village nearby. As he tried to practice

this new way of prayer he found himself] "tired, lazy, bored and overwhelmingly

sleepy, and a cloud of all sorts of other thoughts closed round me." [His friend

and spiritual director, the monk, said] "My dear brother, it is the attack of

the world of darkness upon you. To that world, nothing is worse than heartfelt

prayer on our part. And it is trying by every means to hinder you and to turn

you aside from learning the Prayer. But all the same the enemy only does what

God see fit to allow, and no more is than is necessary for us...2

He turned to the teaching of Nicephorus [in The Philokalia] and read, " ' If

after a few attempts you do not succeed in reaching the realm of your heart in

the way you have been taught, do what I am about to say, and by God's help you

will find what you seek. The faculty of pronouncing words lies in the throat.

Reject all other thoughts (you can do this if you will) and allow that faculty

to repeat only the following words constantly, " Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy

on me." Compel yourself to do it always. If you succeed for a time, then

without a doubt your heart also will open to prayer. We know it from

experience.'

"There you have the teaching of the holy Fathers on such cases," said my

[director], " and therefore you ought from today onwards to carry out my

directions with confidence, and repeat the Prayer of Jesus as often as

possible. Here is a rosary. Take it, and to start with say the Prayer three

thousand times a day. Whether you are standing or sitting, walking or lying

down, continually repeat 'Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me'. Say it quietly

and without hurry, but without fail exactly three thousand times a day without

deliberately increasing or diminishing the number. God will help you...

[Later his director told him to say the prayer 12,000 times a day.] I did as he

bade me. The first day I scarcely succeeded in finishing my task of saying

twelve thousand prayers by late evening. The second day I did it easily and

contentedly. To begin with, this ceaseless saying of the Prayer brought a

certain amount of weariness, my tongue felt numbed, I had a stiff sort of

feeling in my jaws, I had a feeling at first pleasant but afterwards slightly

painful in the roof of my mouth. The thumb of my left hand, with which I

counted my beads, hurt a little. I felt a slight inflammation in the whole of

that wrist, and even up to the elbow, which was not unpleasant. Moreover, all

this aroused me, as it were, and urged me on to frequent saying of the Prayer.

For five days I did my set number of twelve thousand prayers, and as I formed

the habit I found at the same time pleasure and satisfaction in it.

Early one morning the Prayer woke me up as it were. I started to say my usual

morning prayers, but my tongue refused to say them easily or exactly. My whole

desire was fixed upon one thing only--to say the Prayer of Jesus, and as soon

as I went on with it I was filled with joy and relief. It was as though my lips

and my tongue pronounced the words entirely of themselves without any urging

from me. I spent the whole day in a state of the greatest contentment... [The

Pilgrim wished to increase the times that he said the prayer and so went to see

his spiritual director.]

He heard me out and then said, " Be thankful to God that this desire for the

Prayer and this facility in it have been manifested in you. It is a natural

consequence which follows constant effort and spiritual achievement.... Now you

see with what admirable gifts God in His love for mankind has endowed even the

bodily nature of man. You see what feelings can be produced even outside a

state of grace in a soul which is sinful and with passions unsubdued, as you

yourself have experienced. But how wonderful, how delightful and how consoling

a thing it is when God is pleased to grant the gift of self-acting spiritual

prayer, and to cleanse the soul from all sensuality! It is a condition which is

impossible to describe, and the discovery of this mystery of prayer is a

foretaste on earth of the bliss of Heaven. Such happiness is reserved for those

who seek after God in the simplicity of a loving heart. Now I give you my

permission to say your Prayer as often as you wish and as often as you can. Try

to devote every moment you are awake to the Prayer, call on the Name of Jesus

Christ without counting the number of times, and submit yourself humbly to the

will of God, looking to Him for help. I am sure He will not forsake you, and

that He will lead you into the right path."

Under this guidance I spent the whole summer in ceaseless oral3 prayer to Jesus

Christ, and I felt an absolute peace in my soul..."

[Editor's note: At the end of the summer, the Pilgrim's spiritual director and

friend died. Also, his job ended and he had to continue his wandering, but this

time, armed with the Jesus prayer, he prayed continuously. I urge you to buy

your own copy of the Way of the Pilgrim and its sequel to learn more of what

happened in this homeless man's life, and his spiritual progress. His life is

symbolic of our own journey.]

1. Often we feel negative about doing something that we produce great good.

However, there will be other signals to indicate that it is God's will, or we

will see intellectually that the negative feeling is unreasonable. I have come

to associate it with the demon who is trying to stop us before good is done.

2. This sort of reaction, finding difficulty in prayer, is common to other forms

of prayer such as meditation and contemplation. We need to recognize it for what

it is and to remember that God's grace is sufficient for us. He will make sure

we can continue to pray and grow spiritually if we do not give up.

3. Remember that the Jesus Prayer can also be a mental prayer, which is perhaps

more useful to us immersed in the normal life of the modern world.

"The events described in the book appear to belong to a Russia [before] ...1861.

" The reference to the Crimean War in the Fourth Narrative gives 1853 as the

other limit of time.Of the Pilgrim's identity nothing is known. In some way

his manuscript, or a copy of it, came into the hands of a monk on Mount Athos,

in whose possession it was found by the Abbot of St. Michael's Monastery at

Kazan. The Abbot copied the manuscript, and from his copy the book was printed

at Kazan in 1884.

In recent years [1930] copies of this ... edition have become exceedingly

difficult to get. There appear to be only three or four copies in existence

outside Russia, and I am deeply indebted to friends in Denmark and Bulgaria for

the loan of copies from which this translation was made..." R.M.French from the

introduction, p. viii.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, promulgated by Pope John Paul II,

recommends this prayer to Catholics.

" 2667 This simple invocation of faith developed in the tradition of prayer

under many forms in East and West. The most usual formulation, transmitted by

the spiritual writers of the Sinai, Syria, and Mt. Athos, is the invocation,

"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us sinners." It combines the

Christological hymn of Philippians 2:6-11 with the cry of the publican [Lk

18:9-14] and the blind men begging for light.[Matt. 9:27] By it the heart is

opened to human wretchedness and the Savior's mercy. 2668 The invocation of the

holy name of Jesus is the simplest way of praying always. When the holy name is

repeated often by a humbly attentive heart, the prayer is not lost by heaping

up empty phrases, but holds fast to the word and "brings forth fruit with

patience." This prayer is possible "at all times" because it is not one

occupation among others but the only occupation: that of loving God, which

animates and transfigures every action in Christ Jesus."

"We must pray literally without ceasing - without ceasing; in every occurrence

and employment of our lives. You know I mean that prayer of the heart which is

independent of place or situation, or which is, rather, a habit of lifting up

the heart to God, as in a constant communication with Him." - Saint Elizabeth

Ann Seton -

The Way of a Pilgrim and The Pilgrim Continues His Way, translated from the

Russian by R. M. French, S.P.C.K., London, first published in 1930, reprinted

in 1963, pp. 1-17.

The black and white images used here are by Rembrandt. They are taken from

Rembrandt, Des Meisters Radierungen in 402 Abbildungen, Herausgegeben von Hans

Wolfgang Singer, 1906.

You can search for The Philokalia, and the Way of the Pilgrim at Amazon.com in

their section on religion and spirituality. Look to at the explanation of the

Jesus Prayer at the site for the Greek Orthodox Church of America. There also

is the Unkranian Greek Catholic Church, i.e. not all of the Greek Churches are

orthodox. Se sure to see the Byzantine Catholic Church in America. For the

Greek Rosary see below.

Catholics should not be anxious reading about the spiritual heritage of the

Orthodox Churches. The Second Vatican Council taught: "Catholics therefore are

earnestly recommended to avail themselves of the spiritual riches of the

Eastern Fathers which lift up the whole man to the contemplation of the divine.

The very rich liturgical and spiritual heritage of the Eastern Churches should

be known, venerated, preserved and cherished by all. They must recognize that

this is of supreme importance for the faithful preservation of the fullness of

Christian tradition..."

This text is used for non-commercial, non-profit religious and educational

purposes only, in support of the web page on How to Pray. No other use is

intended or permitted. This small portion of text from a book of 248 pages and

is used in reliance on Title 17 of the U.S. Code section 107.

Sacred Heart Catholic Church

Awaken to Prayer

Index of all parish pages

Chotki

"Eastern Orthodox rosary. This Oriental form of rosary is known in the Hellenic

Greek Church as Chaplet or String of Knots of Beads, in the Russian Church as

Vervitza (string), chotki (chaplet), or liestovka (ladder), and the the

Rumanian Church as matanie (reverence). Our everyday name of "beads" for it is

simply the Old Saxon word "bede" (a prayer) which has been transferred to the

instrument used in reciting the prayer, while the word rosary is an equally

modern term.

The Rosary prayed by the Eastern Orthodox is a string of 33, 100, or 300 beads

on a string or knots made of wool; they are not divided into decades. On each

bead or knot is prayed the following mantra: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the

Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner." The modern Chotki, as it is known,

calls for a slightly different mantra: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have

mercy on me, a sinner." Having prayed both versions, I can attest that the

latter is easier. Both this mantra and the Glorious mantra above are derived

from the Gospel story of the Pharisee and the tax collector." From ROSARIES OF

ALL KINDS Compiled by Cindy Smith. The rosary link has information on many

types of rosaries. If you are interested in standard Marian Rosary see our page

on prayer. Perhaps the Ecumenical Rosary would be of interest to those looking

for something differen

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June 13, 2004

Thanks again,

Kind regards,

Nagarajagabriele ebert <g.ebert (AT) gmx (DOT) de> wrote: