11/16/2022
St. Justin (Polyansky) of Ufa and Menzelinsk
O, my beloved, if only you would delve into the meaning of our prayers, understand their meaning and acquire the spirit of prayer!
The penitential prayers of this beginning, “O God, cleanse me,” and the others remind the attentive reader of the times of the Old Testament, when fallen mankind sighed to Heaven, which was closed to him, for mercy.
In order not to get lost in the various methods and definitions of the Jesus Prayer, it’s enough to follow these teachers: St. John Climacus, St. Nilus of Sora, Fr. Seraphim of Sarov, and Dorotheos.
Begin, for example, to reflect on the goodness of God, and you’ll see that you’re surrounded by the mercies of God both physically and spiritually, and you’ll fall before God in an outpouring of feelings of gratitude.
Absorb every word of prayer, bringing the meaning of every word into your heart; that is, understand what you read and feel what you have understood.
Thus, if you want to pray, gather all your thoughts, lay aside all external, earthly cares, and present your mind to God and gaze upon Him.
A great prayerful power is at work in the prayers of the Holy Fathers, and whoever enters into them with all his attention and zeal will certainly taste of this prayerful power to the extent that his state of mind converges with the content of the prayer.
Let the mind fast, not permitting empty and bad thoughts; let the heart fast, refraining from sinful feelings; let our will fast, directing all our desires and intentions to the one thing needful...
To make our disposition towards fasting firm, we have to accustom ourselves to fasting slowly, carefully, not all at once, but gradually—little by little.
Fasting is a necessary means for success in the spiritual life and for attaining salvation; for fasting—depriving the flesh of excessive food and drink—weakens the force of sensual drives.
Thus, let us begin on these fasting days to give ourselves to an intent study of fasting and prayer; and let us, at the same time, begin to fast and pray indeed.
So, sinful soul! Listen and hearken to the voice of Jesus, your Redeemer Who loves you; and follow Him, and you’ll understand.
Besides the commandments of Christ that are obligatory for all, there are also His more personal commandments...
All Christian ascetic labors and virtues are accomplished and completed in patience.
A true Christian must also be at peace with God. But it’s impossible to be at peace with God without continuous repentance.
Thus, let us follow the Lord step by step, first mentally, according to the instructions of the sacred Gospel history, in order to see and list all the commandments of Christ; and then let us take care to fulfill them in deed as well, that we might love our Lord, God, and Savior with all our heart and soul.
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