Prayer and commitment

 

[...]Words of prayer have the quality of always being words of commitment. You cannot simply say words of prayer without implying , " If I say that, then that is what I am going to do when the occasion lends itself ". When you say to God, " at all costs, at all costs, O Lord, save me ",
you must remember that you must put all your will into that, because one day God will say, "here is the price to pay".

The ancient writers said," Give blood and God will give you the Spirit ". That is the price. Abandon all, you will receive heaven' abandon enslavement, you will acquire freedom. As your will is already engaged not only in the act of praying but in all the consequences of this prayer, so also must your body be, because a human being is not simply a soul engaged for a while in a body. It is a being which is body and soul, one unique being which is Man.

There is a physical effort to be made in prayer, the physical attention, the physical way in which you pray. Fasting, if food has made you too heavy for prayer, is involved in it too. If you do this, you will be knocking at a door.[...]

From the book "Creative prayer"
by Metropolitan Anthony (Bloom) of Sourozh

 

"Κύριε εκέκραξα..."

ήχος πλ. α'

byzantine choir of chanters Trikkis Melodoi

 

 

Υάκινθος