Orthodoxy and modernity. Digital Library

St. Gregory of Nyssa

On Prayer

With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia

© Moscow Metochion of the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius. 1999

The Word of God teaches us the teaching of prayer, in which it sets forth to His worthy disciples, who are carefully seeking knowledge of prayer, by what prayerful utterances they ought to incline God's ears. And I venture to suggest from what has been written that the present assembly must first learn, not how to pray, but what must be prayed, which perhaps many have not heard. This sacred and divine work – prayer – is abandoned by many during life in negligence and negligence. Therefore, it seems to me that it would be proper to first confirm with words, as much as possible, that we must without fail, as the Apostle says, abide in prayer (Romans 12:12), and then, to listen to the Divine word, which sets forth to us the way in which we should pray to the Lord.

I see that in the present life more care is applied to everything else – one is directed to one thing, the other to the other is directed by the soul, but the good of prayer is not eagerly sought by people. From early morning, the petty merchant sits with goods, trying to show his buyers in the same way, in order to satisfy the needs of the needy and sell his own. And the buyer, intending not to be left without what he needs, if he first seizes another, hastens not to the house of prayer, but to the market. And from everyone who has an equal desire to receive benefits and tries to warn his neighbor with what he cares about, the hour of prayer is stolen, being transferred to the marketplace. Thus he who is engaged in needlework, so he who exercises himself in the sciences, so he is a defendant, so he has received the right to judge – everyone, wholly carried away by concern for what is at hand, consigns to oblivion the exercise in prayer, recognizing the contemplation of God as a loss for the work before him; for whoever is engaged in art considers God's assistance in the work before him to be something useless and useless: therefore, abandoning prayer, he puts his hope in his own hands, not remembering Him Who gave him these hands. And also, whoever takes care to form the gift of speech in himself does not think about Him from Whom he has this gift, but as if he has raised himself to nature,1 he pays attention only to himself and devotes himself to the study of lessons, in the thought that from God's help there will be nothing good for him, his thoroughness

1 The following expressions are translated from a parchment manuscript of the 10th-11th centuries kept in the Moscow Synodal Library, No-71, which reads: πρὸς ε̉αυτὸυ βλέπει καὶ ταˆις τωˆν μαθημάτων προσανέχει σπουδαˆις ο̉υδὲν ε̉κ τˆης τοˆυ Θεουˆ συνεργείας and so on.

gives preference to prayer. Likewise, other occupations with concern for bodily and earthly things do not give the soul leisure to take care of the most important and heavenly things.

That is why this is a great sin in life, constantly increasing more and more from various increments, combined with all human concerns, which is why forgetfulness of God prevails in all, and the good of prayer is not included by people among those who deserve their care. With trade comes covetousness, and covetousness is idolatry. Thus, the farmer does not measure the labor of agriculture with the necessary needs, but, always extending his care to the greatest extent, gives sin a free entrance to the occupation by bringing it into foreign limits. Hence there are endless disputes, when those possessed by such a disease of covetousness enter into contests among themselves about the boundaries of the earth. From this irritation, incitement to evil deeds, and mutual attacks on each other often end in bloodshed and murder. And also the vigorous going to the courts, inventing thousands of excuses for unrighteousness, serve a multitude of different sins. The judge, either arbitrarily distorts the scales of justice for a bribe, or is deceived against his will by those who try to obscure the truth, confirms the untruth. And what if we recount in detail this multitude of types and ways in which sin is mixed with human life?

The cause of sin is nothing else, but the only thing that people do not want to add God's help to the means of achieving what they want. If strenuous effort is preceded by prayer, then sin will not find access to the soul. As long as the remembrance of God is firm in the heart, the inventions of the adversary remain invalid; for in doubtful matters the truth everywhere intercedes for us. Prayer also restrains the farmer from sin, multiplying the fruits in a small space of earth, so that sin no longer enters with the desire for more. Thus, a traveler who enters the military ranks or marriage, so everyone to whatever his aspiration is directed, if he does every deed with prayer and success in what he is engaged in, will be turned away from sin, since nothing contrary will draw his soul into passion. But if anyone departs from God, he will necessarily pass into the power of the enemy. But he is separated from God who is not in union with God through prayer.

Therefore we must first learn in this word, that we must always pray and not lose heart (Luke 18:1). For the consequence of prayer is that we are with God: and whoever is with God is far from his adversary. Prayer is the guardian of chastity, the good direction of irritability, the curbing of arrogance, the cleansing remedy against rancor, the extermination of envy, the destruction of unrighteousness, the correction of impiety. Prayer is strength to the body, abundance in the home, well-being in the city, the power of the kingdom, the victorious monument in battle, security in peace, the assembly of the separated, the permanent aggregate of those who are united. Prayer is the seal of virginity, the fidelity of marriage, the weapon of travelers, the watchman of those who sleep, courage of those who are awake, fruitfulness to farmers, salvation to those who sail. Prayer is the defender of the accused, the release of the prisoners, the calming of the afflicted, the encouragement of the afflicted, the satisfaction of the rejoicing, the consolation of the weeping, the crown of those entering into marriage, the celebration of the birthday, the funeral shroud of the dying. Prayer is communion with God, contemplation of the invisible, undoubted confidence in what is desired, equality with the Angels, advancement in good, the overthrow of evil, the correction of sinners, the enjoyment of the present, the realization of the future. Prayer to Jonah made the whale a dwelling place, Hezekiah from the gates of death3 brought back to life, and turned the flame into a dewy spirit for three youths (Dan. 3:50). She erected a monument of victory over the Amalekites to the Israelites, and struck down one hundred and eighty-five thousand Assyrians in one night with an invisible sword; and besides this, one can find in the

2 According to the same manuscript it reads:κατα τοˆυ ε̉πιτηδέυματος ώ τοις α̉λλοτρίοις ο̉ροις́.