10. Once upon a time certain monks, called Euchites, came to Abba Lucius in Enatus, and the elder asked them, saying, "What is your needlework?" They answered, "We do not do handicrafts, but, as the Apostle says, we pray without ceasing." And the elder said, "Do you not eat?" We are eating, they answered. The Elder says: Who prays for you when you eat? And he said to them, "Do you not sleep?" We are asleep, they answered. The Elder says: "Who prays for you when you are sleeping?" And there was no answer to him. Then the elder said to them, "Forgive me, you do not do as you say." I will show you that, while doing my needlework, I pray without ceasing. Having soaked a few twigs, I sit down with God, and, weaving a rope out of them, I say: "Have mercy on me, O God, according to the commands of Thy mercy, and according to the multitude of Thy mercies, cleanse my iniquity" (Psalm 50:1). And he said to them, Is this not prayer? They answered: yes. The Elder said: spending the whole day at work, I earn more or less sixteen coins. Two of them I give to the poor at the door, and with the rest I eat; — and he who accepts two coins prays for me when I eat or when I sleep, and by the grace of God I pray without ceasing.

11. Some asked Abba Macarius, saying, "How should we pray?" The Elder answered them: "There is no need to talk too much, but often raise your hands and say: Lord, as You wish, and as You know, have mercy! But if temptation strikes, say: Lord, help me! And He knows what is good for us, and He does the same to us.

12. In the time of Julian the Rebel, when he descended with his army to the bottom of Persia, he sent a demon to go west as soon as possible and bring him some answer from there. When the demon came to the place where the hermit lived, he remained motionless for ten days, unable to go forward either day or night, because the monk did not cease to pray during these days; and the demon, being idle, returned to him who had sent him. And he asked him, Why hast thou tarried? The demon answered, "I tarried and came back, having done nothing; for I had been ten days guarding Poplius the monk, when he would cease to pray to go further, but he did not cease, which is why I could not go, but returned without having done anything. Then the impious Julian, being angry, said, "Turning back, I will take my vengeance on him." But a few days later Julian was killed by the will of Providence. And immediately, one of the military commanders who were with him, went, took all that he had, and distributed it to the poor, and came to the elder to be a monk — and, having become a great ascetic, he died in the Lord.

13. It was said of Abba Tiphoius, that when he stood at prayer, if he did not immediately give up his hands, his mind was delighted with grief. Therefore, when he happened to pray with the brethren, he tried to lower his hands as quickly as possible, so that his mind would not be enraptured and would not slow down.

14. A certain brother came to a clairvoyant elder and asked him, saying, "Pray for me, father, for I am weak." In response, the elder said to his brother what one of the saints had once said: "He who pours oil on his hand to anoint the weak, himself first receives the fat of the oil, so he who prays for his brother, before he benefits him, himself receives benefit according to the will of his love. Let us pray, my brother, for one another, that they may be healed; for the Apostle also convinces, saying: "Pray for one another, that ye may be healed" (James 5:16).

15. The Elder said that unceasing prayer soon leads the mind to correction.

16. One of the fathers said: just as it is impossible for anyone to see his face in muddy waters, so the soul, if it is not freed from alien thoughts, cannot pray contemplatively.

17. Once a certain elder came to Mount Sinai, and as he was coming out of there, he met a brother on the way, and sighing, he said to the elder, "We grieve, Abba, for the lack of money." The elder said to him: why do you not pray and call on God? The brother said to him, "We pray and supplicate, but there is no rain." The Elder says: why don't you pray with effort? Do you want to know what it is? Let us stand up for prayer. And stretching out his hands to heaven, he prayed, and immediately the rain came. And the brother, seeing this, was afraid, and having fallen, bowed down to him. The elder immediately fled from there.

18. The brethren said, "Once we came to the elders, and when the prayer was said according to custom, we greeted each other and sat down. And after the conversation, intending to depart, we asked them to say the prayer again. Then one of the elders said to us, "Why do you not pray? We answered him, "When we came, Abba, there was a prayer, and since that time we have been conversing to this day." He said, "Forgive me, brethren, because a certain brother sitting with you and conversing has made thirty-three prayers." And when he had said these things, they made a prayer, and let us go.

19. Некий отшельник увидел демона, побуждающего другого демона придти и разбудить спящего монаха. И слышит такой ответ от другого демона: не могу этого сделать; ибо я его пробуждал, и он, вставши, спалил меня, поя псалмы и молясь.

20. Старец был спрошен: что значит непрестанная молитва? И ответил: из самой глубины сердца возсылаемое моление к Богу с прошением полезного. Ибо, не тогда мы только молимся, когда стоим на молитве; но истинная молитва есть та, когда мы можем всегда молиться в себе.

21. Некий брат безмолвствовал в пустыне в своей келии и сильно скорбел от уныния, побуждавшего его выйти из келии; но говорил сам в себе: душа! ты не изнеможешь сидеть в келии; довольно для тебя того, если и ничего не делаешь такого, чтобы никого не соблазнять, никому не вредить, ни получать вред от кого-нибудь. Ты знаешь, от каких бед избавил тебя Господь для того, чтобы ты молчала, и, не рассеиваясь, молилась Богу: ты не пустословишь, не слушаешь бесполезного, не видишь вредящего тебе. Одна у тебя есть брань сердечная, — силен Бог и ее утолит, когда я буду просить смирения, ибо Он знает во всем мою слабость, посему допускает мне искушаться в душе. Когда он размышлял таким образом в себе, много утешения было ему ради непрестанной его молитвы. Учение же сие имел оный брат от святых отцев, состарившихся в пустыне.

22. Старец сказал: чудное дело! мы приносим молитвы так, что представляем Бога присущим и слушающим слова наши; а когда грешим, то делаем так, как бы Он не видел нас.

23. Брат спросил старца, говоря: почему, когда я стою на молитве, возмущает меня помысл? И получил в ответ: потому что диавол, от начала не желающий поклониться Богу всех, был низвергнут с небес и сделался чужд царствия Божия; поэтому, и в нас желая произвести то же самое, он удерживает нас от молитвы.