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.

3 According to the manuscript, instead of α̉υτˆων it reads ε̉κ τωˆν.

there are thousands of examples, from which it becomes clear that of all that is valued in life, nothing is higher than prayer.

But although it is time to devote ourselves to the prayer itself, let us nevertheless add something else to the word, because, by God's grace, we have many blessings of all kinds, and for recompense for what we have received, we have this only thing – the opportunity to pay the debt to the Benefactor by prayer and thanksgiving. For this reason I reason that if we continue our conversation with God for the rest of our lives, abiding in thanksgiving and prayer, then our recompense will be as invaluable as if we had not yet taken care to lay the foundations for the fulfillment of this duty – to repay the Benefactor with something. The continuation of time is divided into three sections: past, present, and future. These three divisions encompass the Lord's beneficence to us. Will you think about the present? You live in the Lord; or about the future? He is for you the hope of what is expected; Or about the past? Thou wouldst not have existed, if thou hadst not received existence from Him; thereby you are blessed by Him, because you have received from Him being, and you are also benefited by the fact that you use being, because in Him you live and move, as the Apostle says (Acts 17:28). And the hopes for the future depend on this same beneficence.4 You yourself have power only in the present, so that if you did not cease to thank God at all times, you would hardly be able to give thanks for the present, not finding any way to give credit both for the future and for the past. And we are so poor in the due gratitude5 that we are not grateful as far as possible, I do not say the whole day, not even devoting the greater part of the day to contemplation of God. Who has spread out the earth for me? Who by his invention has made even the moist nature impassable? Who hath built me the heavens as a tent to dwell in (Isaiah 40:22)? Who bears the lamp of the sun before me? Who sends springs to the valley? Who prepared the riverbed for the rivers? Who gave me the dumb animals into my service? Who made me, inanimate dust, a partaker of life and understanding? Who formed this mortal in the likeness of the image of God? Who has brought the image of God, darkened in me by sin, back to its original babbling? Who draws me, expelled from paradise, removed from the tree of life, hidden in the abyss of material life, to primordial bliss? there is none that understandeth (Rom. 3:11), says the Scriptures. Considering this, we should give thanks endlessly and unceasingly throughout the entire time of life.

But now almost all human nature is vigilant for one material thing, about this all its thoroughness, for this all its zeal, this is the subject of both remembrance and hope. Vigilant and irrepressible in every matter is human nature to desire more, wherever anything greater can still be found: whether it be in honor and glory, in the abundance of possessions or in the infirmity of irritability, everywhere our nature intends to achieve more in this, but there is not even a thought of the true blessings of God, or known by promise.

But it is time to investigate, if possible, the meaning of the sayings used in prayer; for it is evident that it becomes possible for us to obtain what we desire only when we know how to ask for it. Wherefore what doctrine is taught about this? And when you pray, it is said, do not speak superfluously, as the pagans do, for they think that in their verbosity they will be heard (Matt. 6:7). Although the content of this teaching, being set forth to us simply, may in itself be clear and does not require any more subtle investigation, it is nevertheless worthy of investigation for us: what is the meaning of utterance: superfluous speech,6 so that, having ascertained the meaning of this word, we should not do what is forbidden to us.

It seems to me that the Lord chastes the vanity of the mind, restrains those who plunge into vain desires, and therefore He invented this hitherto unused and newly composed utterance to denounce the foolishness of those who amuse themselves with desires of useless and vain things. For the word is prudent, sensible and

4 According to the manuscript, instead of ε̉νεργίας, it reads: ε̉υεργεσίας.