Silence - Week 4: Thursday

1 Thessalonians 5:17

Pray without ceasing.

St Basil the Great

For prayer and psalmody, however, as also, indeed, for some other duties, every hour is suitable, that, while our hands are busy at their tasks, we may praise God sometimes with the tongue (when this is possible, or, rather, when it is conducive to edification); or, if not, with the heart… Thus we acquire a recollected spirit—when in every action we beg from God the success of our labors and satisfy our debt of gratitude to him who gave us the power to do the work, and when, as has been said, we keep before our minds the aim of pleasing him. If this is not the case, how can there be consistency in the words of the apostle bidding us to “pray without ceasing,” with those other words, “we worked night and day.”

Silence - Week 4: Wednesday

1 Samuel 1:12-13

And as [Hannah] kept praying before the Lord, Eli watched her mouth. And as [Hannah] spoke in her heart, only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard.

St John Chrysostom

For I seek those tears which are shed not for display but in compunction; those which trickle down secretly and in closets and in sight of no person, softly and noiselessly; those which arise from a certain depth of mind, those shed in anguish and in sorrow, those which are for God alone. Such were Hannah’s, for “her lips moved,” it is said, “but her voice was not heard.” Her tears alone uttered a cry more clear than any trumpet. And because of this, God also opened her womb and made the hard rock a fruitful field.

Silence - Week 4: Tuesday

Luke 5:16

So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.

Cyprian of Carthage

Not by words alone, but also by deeds has God taught us to pray. He himself prayed frequently and demonstrated what we ought to do by the testimony of his own example. As it is written: “But he himself was in retirement in the desert, and in prayer,” and again, “He went out into the mountain to pray and continued all night in prayer to God.” But if he who was without sin prayed, how much more ought sinners to pray, and if he prayed continually, watching through the whole night with uninterrupted petitions, how much more ought we to lie awake at night in continuing prayer!

Silence - Week 4: Monday

Matthew 6:6

“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.“

St. Augustine of Hippo

Enter into your inner chamber. Do not let the door stand open to the boisterous, through whom the things that are outside profanely rush in and assail the inner self.

Jesus Prayer - Week 3: Saturday

St. John Climacus, Ladder of Divine Ascent, Step 28.5

Let your prayer be completely simple. For both the publican and the prodigal son were reconciled to God by a single phrase.

St. John Climacus, Ladder of Divine Ascent, Step 28.10

Do not attempt to talk much when you pray lest your mind be distracted in searching for words. One word of the publican propitiated God, and one cry of faith saved the thief. [Talkativeness] in prayer often distracts the mind and leads to fantasy, whereas brevity makes for concentration.

Jesus Prayer - Week 3: Friday

St. John Chrysostom, Letter to Monks (PG 60, p. 753)

The remembrance of the name of Jesus rouses the enemy to battle. For a soul that forces itself to pray the Prayer of Jesus can find anything by this prayer, both good and evil. First it can see evil in the recesses of its own heart, and afterwards good. This prayer can stir the snake to action, and this prayer can lay it low. This prayer can expose the sin that is living in us, and this prayer can eradicate it. This prayer can stir up in the heart all the power of the enemy, and this prayer can conquer it and gradually root it out. The name of the Lord Jesus Christ, as it descends into the depths of the heart, will subdue the snake which controls its ranges, and will save and quicken the soul. Continue constantly in the name of the Lord Jesus that the heart may swallow the Lord and the Lord the heart, and that these two may be one. However, this is not accomplished in a single day, nor in two days, but requires many years and much time. Much time and labor are needed in order to expel the enemy and instate Christ.

Jesus Prayer - Week 3: Thursday

Luke 18:35-39

Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging. And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant. So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. And he cried out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet, but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Jesus Prayer - Week 3: Wednesday

St. Gregory of Palamas

At first it may appear very difficult to you, but be assured, as it were from Almighty God, that this very name of our Lord Jesus Christ, constantly invoked by you, will help you to overcome all difficulties, and in the course of time you will become used to this practice and will taste how sweet is the name of the Lord.

Then you will learn by experience that this practice is not impossible and not difficult, but both possible and easy. This is why St. Paul, who knew better than we the great good which such prayer would bring, commanded us to pray without ceasing. He would not have imposed this obligation upon us if it were extremely difficult and impossible, for he knew beforehand that in such case, having no possibility of fulfilling it, we would inevitably prove to be disobedient and would transgress his commandment, thus incurring blame and condemnation. The Apostle could have had no such intention.

Jesus Prayer - Week 3: Tuesday

1 Thessalonians 5:17

Pray without ceasing.

St. Gregory the Theologian

Say God’s name in prayer more often than you breathe.

St. Gregory of Palamas

Let no one think, my brother Christians, that it is the duty only of priests and monks to pray without ceasing, and not of laymen. No, no; it is the duty of all of us Christians to remain in prayer always. It is a heavenly habit used to overcome temptation. It is constantly conversing with God.

Jesus Prayer - Week 3: Monday

St. John Climacus

Saint John Climacus has said, you can “flog your enemies, (i.e. the temptations) with the name of Jesus, for there is no stronger weapon in heaven or on earth” (The Ladder of Divine Ascent, Step 21). This method works best when one practices the prayer without ceasing, joining “to every breath a sober invocation of Jesus’ name” (Evagrius of Pontus). When one practices the continual “prayer of the heart,” and when the temptations to sin enter the heart, they are met by the prayer and are defeated by grace.

Psalms & Agpeya - Week 2: Saturday

Conclusion of Every Hour, the Agpeya

Lord, receive from us our prayers in this hour and in every hour. Ease our life and guide us to fulfill Your commandments. Sanctify our spirits. Cleanse our bodies. Conduct our thoughts. Purify our intentions. Heal our diseases. Forgive our sins. Deliver us from every evil grief and distress of heart. Surround us by Your holy angels, that, by their camp, we may be guarded and guided, and attain the unity of faith, and the knowledge of Your imperceptible and infinite glory. For You are blessed forever. Amen.

Evagruis, On Prayer

What is good, except God? Then let us leave to Him everything that concerns us and all will be well. For He who is good is naturally also a giver of good gifts.

Psalms & Agpeya - Week 2: Friday

Good Friday 9th Hour Litanies

O Lord, who commended Your spirit into the hands of the Father when You were crucified at the ninth hour; and led the thief who was crucified with You into Paradise, do not neglect me, O good One, nor reject me, I who am lost. Rather sanctify my soul, enlighten my understanding, and allow me to partake of the grace of Your life-giving sacraments; so that when I taste Your goodness I may offer You praise unceasingly, longing for Your glory above all things O Christ our God, save us.

St. John Cassian

At the sixth hour the spotless victim, our Lord and Saviour, was offered to the Father, and mounting the cross for the salvation of the whole world he destroyed the sins of the human race. At the ninth hour, he penetrated hell and extinguished the inseparable darkness of Shoal by his shining brilliance. He broke open its gates of bronze, smashed its iron bars, and, having savingly captured the captivity of the holy ones who had been shut up in the cruel darkness of hell, bore it off with Him to heaven.

Psalms & Agpeya - Week 2: Thursday

Pope Kyrillos IV

There are no bad days and good days, but there are days of prayer and days without prayer. Those without prayer are empty and void because they have been filled with our desires and lusts.

St. Athanasius the Apostolic

Praying with the psalms is a remedy for the soul.

Psalms & Agpeya - Week 2: Wednesday

Psalm 50 (51):1-5, 12, 13

For the End; a psalm by David; when Nathan the prophet came to him, at the time he went in to Bathsheba.

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your great mercy; And according to the abundance of Your compassion, blot out my transgression. Wash me thoroughly from my lawlessness And cleanse me from my sin. For I know my lawlessness, And my sin is always before me… Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence; and do not remove Your Holy Spirit from me.

St. Augustine, Expositions on the Psalms (Psalm 51)

Hear therefore these words, and say thou with him: "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your great mercy;" (ver. 1). He that implores great mercy, confesses great misery. Let them seek a little mercy of You, that have sinned in ignorance: “Have mergy," he says, "upon me, according to Your great mercy." Relieve a deep wound after Your great healing. Deep is what I have, but in the Almighty I take refuge. Of my own so deadly wound I should despair, unless I could find so great a Physician.

Psalms & Agpeya - Week 2: Tuesday

St. Athanasius the Apostolic, On the Interpretation of the Psalms

For no matter what you seek, whether it be repentance and confession, or help in trouble and temptation or under persecutions, whether you have been set free from plots and snares or, on the contrary, are sad for any reason…, you want to praise and thank and bless the Lord, each of these things the Divine Psalms show you how to do, and in every case, the words you want are written down for you, and you can say them as your own.

Psalms & Agpeya - Week 2: Monday

Psalm 62 (63):1-4

O God, my God, I rise early to be with You;
My soul thirsts for You.
How often my flesh thirsts for You
In a desolate, impassable, and waterless land.
So in the holy place I appear before You,
To see Your power and Your glory.
Because Your mercy is better than life,
My lips shall praise You.

St. Basil the Great, Exegetic Homilies (Psalm 1) 

The Book of Psalms has taken over what is profitable from all. It foretells coming events; it recalls history; it frames laws for life; it suggests what must be done; and, in general, it is the common treasury of good doctrine, carefully finding what is suitable for each one. It cures the old wounds of souls completely, and it brings speedy improvement to the recently wounded, the diseased it treats, and the unharmed it preserves. It is the elementary exposition of beginners, the improvement of those advancing, the solid support of the perfect, the voice of the Church. It brightens the feast days; it creates a sorrow which is in accordance with God. For, a psalm calls forth a tear even from a heart of stone. A psalm is the work of angels, a heavenly institution, the spiritual incense.

Praise & Psalmody - Week 1: Saturday

St. Basil the Great

The work of praising attracts the service of the angels because this is a function of their existence. Thus they come closer to those who imitate in their ways.

St. Gregory the Theologian, Gregorian Liturgy

Who has established the rising of the choir of the incorporeal among men, who has given to the earthly the praising of the seraphim, receive from us also our voices together with the invisible. Count us with the heavenly hosts.

Bishop Mettaous, The Spirituality of the Praise

Praise is a means of offering a living sacrifice in the New Testament, to Him who offered Himself as an acceptable sacrifice on the Cross.

Praise & Psalmody - Week 1: Friday

Psalms 33:2

I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

St. Augustine of Hippo, Expositions Of The Psalms 34.3

When are you to “bless the Lord?” When he showers blessings on you? When earthly goods are plentiful? When you have a plethora of grain, oil, wine, gold, silver, slaves, livestock; while your mortal body remains healthy, uninjured and free from disease; while everything that is born on your estate is growing well, and nothing is snatched away by untimely death; while every kind of happiness floods your home and you have all you want in profusion? Is it only then that you are to bless the Lord? No, but “at all times.” So you are to bless him equally when from time to time, or because the Lord God wishes to discipline you, these good things let you down or are taken from you, when there are fewer births or the already-born slip away. These things happen, and their consequence is poverty, need, hardship, disappointment and temptation. But you sang, “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall be in my mouth always,” so when the Lord gives you these good things, bless him, and when he takes them away, bless him. He it is who gives, and he it is who takes away, but he does not take himself away from anyone who blesses him.

Praise & Psalmody - Week 1: Thursday

Exodus 15:1

Now Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to God and spoke, saying:“Let us sing to the Lord, for He is greatly glorified. Horse and rider He has thrown into the sea. The Lord became my helper and the shield of my salvation; He is my God, and I will glorify Him; My father’s God, and I will exalt Him.

Origen, Commentary On The Song Of Songs, Prologue 4

As the perfect Bride of the perfect husband, then, she has received the words of perfect doctrine. Moses and the children of Israel sang the first song to God when “they saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore” and when they saw “the strong hand” and the mighty strong arm “of the Lord and [when they] believed in God and Moses his servant.” Then they sang, therefore, saying, “Let us sing to the Lord, for he is gloriously magnified.” And I think that nobody can attain to that perfect and mystical song and to the perfection of the Bride which this Scripture contains unless he first marches “through the midst of the sea upon dry land” and, with “the water becoming to him as a wall on the right hand and on the left,” so makes his escape “from the hands of the Egyptians.” [Then] he “beholds them dead on the seashore” and, seeing the strong hand with which the Lord has acted against the Egyptians, believes in the Lord and in his servant Moses. In Moses, I say—in the law, and in the Gospels and in all the divine Scriptures. For them he will have good cause to sing and say, “Let us sing unto the Lord, for he is gloriously magnified.”

Praise & Psalmody - Week 1: Wednesday

Psalms 33:2

I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

St. Basil the Great, Homilies On The Psalms 16.1

The prophet seems to promise something impossible. For how can the praise of God be always in a person’s mouth? When he engages in the ordinary conversations pertaining to daily life, he does not have the praise of God in his mouth. When he sleeps, he will keep absolute silence. And how will the mouth of one who is eating and drinking produce praise? We answer to this that there is a certain spiritual mouth of the inner person by which he is fed when he partakes of the word of life, which is the bread that comes down from heaven. Concerning that mouth the prophet also says, “I opened my mouth and panted.” The Lord even urges us to have it open wide so as to receive plentifully the food of truth. “Open your mouth wide,” he says, “and I will fill it.” The thought of God, therefore, having been once for all molded and, as it were, sealed in the authoritative part of the soul, can be called praise of God, since it is always present in the soul. Moreover, according to the counsel of the apostle, the zealous person can do all things for the glory of God, so that every act and every word and every work has in it power of praise. Whether the just person eats or drinks, he does all for the glory of God.