Nowadays, when the world is frantically rushing forward, enriching itself with new technology and opportunities, the human soul is faced with a difficult choice. We live in an era that can be called “digital” without exaggeration. Our hands are constantly holding gadgets that have become an extension of ourselves; our thoughts are often preoccupied with the flow of information coming from screens, and our ears are constantly picking up melodious but distracting notification signals. In this incessant noise and whirlwind of digital impressions, how can we preserve the most essential thing—that quiet inner life with God, which is called prayer? How can we not lose our precious treasure—a contact with our Heavenly Father?
Photo: Pxhere
What Is the Prayer of the Heart in the Digital Age?
Let’s start with the very concept of prayer. For Orthodox Christians, prayer is not just a mechanical utterance of words, but a living communion with God; it is the breath of the soul and acquiring the Holy Spirit. The Holy Fathers call it “the prayer of the heart”, or “the Jesus Prayer”. St. Nilus of Mt. Sinai writes in his work, A Word on Prayer: “Prayer is a conversation of the mind with God.”1 This is not just mental activity, but spiritual concentration and immersion into the depths of your heart where God abides.
In the contemporary world the “prayer of the heart” is taking on new facets. Previously, the main obstacles on the way to prayer were external passions, worldly vanity, and bodily weakness; but now new, hitherto unknown enemies have been added to them: digital temptations, information overload, and the permanent presence of entertaining content. The prayer of the heart in the digital age is, first of all, a struggle for attention and watchfulness amid a cacophony of digital signals.
This is the art of keeping your mind focused on God, despite endless pop-up notifications, watching feeds, and the possibility of “fast” information consumption.
The spiritual ascetics of the past taught us how to deal with distraction. St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) says in his fundamental work, Ascetic Experience:
“The scattered life, so dangerous in essence, is especially harmful in the doing of God’s work, in the work of salvation, which requires constant vigilance and attention.”2
Nowadays, the scattered life has increase many times over. The mind, accustomed to quickly switching between applications and reading short and superficial messages, loses the ability to perform deep and focused prayer.
How Can We Use Technology for Our Good?
However, you should not despair and completely abandon technology. The Church as a living body has always sought to adapt to changing conditions, using everything that can contribute to spiritual salvation.
And modern technology, with the right approach, can become our helper.
Audio Prayers and Spiritual Audio Materials
Today, there are many resources offering high-quality recordings of prayers, akathists, sermons, and the Lives of saints. This is especially helpful to those who have difficulty reading, or who want to pray during household chores, on journeys, or when their eyes are tired of the screen. Listening to audio prayers can help us get attuned to a prayerful mood, comprehend the words of prayer, and absorb their meaning. It is important to choose reliable sources so as not to encounter distorted interpretations or spiritual misconceptions. Audio recordings of church services read by monks or experienced readers, as well as spiritual lectures by reputable theologians, can serve as good examples.
Apps with a Calendar of Fasts and Services
Smartphones can become reliable assistants in our spiritual life if we use them properly. There are a wealth of Orthodox apps that contain:
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A Church calendar showing the dates of fasts, saints’ feast-days, and daily readings from the Holy Scriptures. It helps us live the Church life, keep abreast of latest events, and prepare for fasts and feasts.
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The texts of services for those who want to follow the service at home or on the road.
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Prayer-books with the opportunity to search for the prayers you need, adjust the font size and create favorites.
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Spiritual articles and instructions, to strengthen your faith.
Such apps enable you to have the necessary information at hand, remind you of important spiritual events, and thus facilitate a more conscious and regular prayer practice. But you must keep in mind that these are just tools, not a substitute for living experience. An app cannot substitute for your personal presence at church services or live communication with your father-confessor.
Online broadcasts of services—for those who are unable to attend church due to illness or other valid reasons, livestreaming services from Orthodox websites or parish channels can be a consolation and an opportunity to join the common prayer of the Church. However, there should also be vigilance here, so that watching may not turn into passive entertainment.
Practical Tips for Organizing a “Digital Fast”
In addition to using technology wisely, it is critical to learn how to limit its negative impact. Organizing a “digital fast” is a conscious choice aimed at freeing up time and attention for spiritual efforts.
Awareness of the Problem
The first step is to recognize that excessive use of gadgets really distracts us from God and spiritual life. Look at your behavior: How long do you spend aimlessly flipping through news feeds, watching short videos, and communicating in instant messengers, which does not bring any spiritual benefit? St. Basil the Great taught:
“There are two powers in the mind: the evil, demonic power, which draws us to demonic apostasy; and the Divine, good power, which elevates us to God’s likeness.”3
If our mind is constantly preoccupied with the digital realm, then God is not in it.
What should we do?
1. Prioritizing: Decide for yourself which is more important to you: fleeting entertainment or eternal salvation? How often do you find time for your morning and evening prayer rule, and how long does it take you to “check notifications”? Try to reset your priorities. Introduce the following rule: Spiritual matters go first, and then (if there is some time and energy left, and if it’s truly necessary) digital activity.
2. Setting time limits:
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“Hours without a screen”: Choose periods during the day when you completely abandon the use of your smartphone and computer. This may be the morning time before prayer, meal times, or the evening hours before bedtime.
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“Hours without notifications”: Almost all contemporary gadgets allow you to set the “don’t disturb” or “focus” mode. Use these functions during prayer, work, and rest. Protect yourself from continually receiving new messages.
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“Digital day off”: Once a week—for example, on Sunday—try to spend a day without the internet and social media. True, modern reality sometimes makes total abstinence from gadgets impossible, but you can limit their use as much as possible.
3. Information sources control:
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Delete unnecessary apps. If any application makes you addicted or makes you waste your time, feel free to delete it. Remember that information can be obtained in another way, more consciously.
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Unsubscribe from the excessive. On social media and messengers, unsubscribe from all groups and newsletters that are not of spiritual benefit or just distracting. Keep only what is really important.
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Limit your time on social media. Set limits to your daily use of social media. There are apps that help you track and limit the time spent on certain programs.
4. Conscious use of spiritual tools:
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Audio prayers are for prayer only. If you use audio recordings, focus on prayer alone. Don’t scroll through your phone while listening, and don’t be distracted by other notifications.
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Apps as helpers: Use calendar and prayer-book apps consciously. Don’t turn them into a subject for constant study, but use only as an auxiliary tool for spiritual life.
5. Substitution. The most important thing in any restriction is substitution. The freed time and attention must be filled with the sublime.
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Give more time to prayer. Devote this time not only to the general prayer rule, but also to private prayer, penitential prayer, and prayer for your loved ones.
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Reading the Holy Scriptures and spiritual literature. Open the Gospel, the Epistles, and Patristic works. These are food for the soul.
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Charitable acts. Helping others, volunteering, taking care of your family—everything that brings you closer to God through love for your neighbor.
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Stillness and contemplation. Try to spend some time in silence, contemplating the beauty of God’s Creation and reflecting on eternity.
6. Spiritual guidance: Don’t be afraid to seek advice from your spiritual father. It will help you identify your individual boundaries and ways to combat digital addiction, taking into account your spiritual state.
The world around us is changing all the time. But the spiritual laws the human soul lives by remain unchanged. Prayer is the foundation of our faith, our breath, and our life. Digital technology, as a tool, can both favor it and hinder it. The choice is in our hands.
Let us do what the Apostle Paul taught us, proving what is acceptable unto the Lord (Eph. 5:10), and strive to use everything that surrounds us for His glory and for the salvation of our souls. Let our smartphones not become the gateways to the world of vanity and a scattered life, but windows into the spiritual realm; and let notifications not remind us of worldly chores, but of the need to turn to God. May the prayer of the heart not fade away in us, but, on the contrary, grow stronger in this new, complicated, but blessed reality.
The path to watchfulness in the digital age is that of conscious choice, ceaseless struggle and trust in God’s help. May the Lord help us in this good cause!
