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← Letters on the Christian Life/Book 1 · Письма о христианской жизни
Chapter 20FeofanPisma.1.20

Письмо 20

The Labor of Prayer

The author encourages the recipient to cultivate a persistent habit of prayer, specifically the Jesus Prayer, despite the initial difficulty.

May the Lord strengthen your zeal to pray and keep on praying. Pray not because it's pleasant, but because you must. Above all, form the habit of the Jesus Prayer.1 Let it cling so tightly to your tongue that the tongue keeps repeating it both consciously and unconsciously.2 This doesn't happen all at once. I don't think you've even started this work yet. It's hard at first. But overcome yourself. May the Lord help you!

Self-Denial and the Wide Path

True devotion requires overcoming self-pity and the natural desire for ease through constant self-denial.

Your question astonished me. . . It's hard to explain—as hard as explaining what day is. You seem to have a little zeal for pleasing God.3 And as for laying down one's life, for the martyrs that was the very deed itself, while for us it means working for the Lord without sparing yourself.4 That's the meaning of the wide, wide one!5 . . Why, for example, don't you feel like getting up right away? You feel sorry for yourself. Why don't you feel like standing up for prayer? You feel sorry for yourself. Why don't you feel like denying yourself certain foods? You feel sorry for yourself. . . It happens over and over again, in much the same way. The body starts crying out as if it's being led to the gallows. Anyone who overcomes this is laying down his life.✦6 . . You can do this every minute by denying yourself, without showing yourself any pity.

Fear of God and the End

We must live in anticipation of death and judgment with holy fear, following the example of the saints.

Of course we must do everything we can so that the moment of death is a moment of blessedness; but whether it is, and will be, that way for everyone—no one can tell. . . That’s why we must await it with fear and trembling.✦ God's goodness is boundless, and He doesn't want trouble or torment for us; but what can be done when we make ourselves unworthy of it?7 What can you do with someone who says, "Depart from me; I don't want to know Your ways"?✦ Who better grasped God's goodness—not with the mind, but with the heart—than the holy8 ascetics?9 But the fear of death and judgment never left them.

The Path of Salvation

Salvation is found in the combination of good works, good dispositions, and a firm resolve to serve the Lord.

Thank God that you have love for the Lord and a desire to please Him. May He preserve this good disposition in you—this little flame, which is light and easily blown about by many winds—and may He cause it to grow into a seraphic fire. Guard that above all else. It's a disaster if it goes out. Pitch darkness will come, and cold, and every kind of disorder.10 Its best support is the labor of doing good, combined with the labor of prayer. In this lies the entire path of salvation. It seems fairly simple and not hard.11 The work of doing good includes: 1. Good deeds: whatever God sends, and whatever you encounter each day, from the moment you wake up until you fall asleep. 2. Good dispositions: humility, gentleness, self-restraint, mercy, and so on. 3. A resolve firm as death, and zeal to work for the Lord with everything, even to the laying down of your life.✦12 All of this taken together as a whole. The first alone without the second is bad, and the second without the third isn't very good either. Do you have it? Glory to God. No? — Then you need to take up, set in order, and keep at the labor of doing good in every form.13

The Practice of Prayer

Prayer is an active struggle that requires bodily discipline and attention to overcome the 'ease of the body'.

This is what the labor of prayer consists of: keeping your mind in your heart before the Lord, gazing always on Him, walking in His presence, and rising toward Him while falling before Him in constant self-abasement—whether you're sitting, walking, or talking.✦✦✦14 Is it hard? Yes—it isn't easy. That's exactly why it's called the labor of prayer. But others say it's easy. . . And as soon as they hear about it, they immediately think: ah, that's nothing—I'll just do it that way. There's no need for prostrations, reading prayers, going to church, or any other physical labor in prayer. Mind and heart—they're in my hands. I'll just pray with them. Good luck!15 And so they begin. . . But the mind scatters and daydreams, the heart runs wild—and nothing comes of it.16 No. Along with the work of doing good, the labor of the prayer struggle is necessary — done with the body and with attention, with mind and heart. And God, seeing this labor, will give heartfelt prayer — light, sweet, sweetening everything. Take heart with patience and force yourself to the work. What you describe as laziness of the body is what Isaac the Syrian calls bodily ease, and he attributes much evil to it. And so it is. Have you ever seen an electrical machine?17 If the chain from the cylinder is led down to the ground, then no matter how much you turn the wheel, the electricity will not be felt — it will all run off into the earth. Bodily ease is just such an enemy. Drive it away. Get angry with the body and put it through a little hardship.18 Pray about this, and the Lord will help. There is a lot of evil in this ease.19

A Rule for Daily Life

The author provides a practical daily schedule, including morning and evening rules, prostrations, and the Jesus Prayer.

Your only time is when you're alone in your room. Make sure to arrange it so that all of it belongs to the Lord—especially the morning hours. . . From the moment you wake up until noon.20 Put your morning prayer in that space. As soon as you wake up, get out of bed. Don't spare the body.21 If it wants to lounge in comfort, get angry and drive yourself out of bed.22 It would be wise to go straight to prayer right then, so everyone thinks you’re still asleep. You already know that bows soften the heart.23 Yes, bows are very important. You should start with them — three, five, or ten. . . until the heart warms; because right after waking, it’s always sluggish and cold. Then read the morning prayers slowly and thoughtfully, keeping the Lord in your sight. Accompany your reading with bows or full prostrations, depending on how your heart feels; but the more often you do it, the better.24 . . Close the reading again with bows, praying to the Lord for what you feel you need, until your heart is satisfied. If necessary, set a specific number of bows for yourself; otherwise, do as many as your soul desires. . . even a hundred. After you've finished your prayer rule, it's good to spend a little time meditating on God, or saying the Jesus Prayer.25 Sit down—or stand, or walk—and say: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me. . . Say this prayer a good many times. . . at least a hundred. Then, throughout the day, say this prayer as often as you can. And during the day it's good to go up to the icon more often and make prostrations according to your zeal: five, ten, or more, with the prayer: Lord, have mercy; O God, be merciful.✦26 . . That's all. Before sleep, follow the same routine, i.e.27 that is.28 a few bows at the start, the prayers before sleep, a few bows again, and at least a hundred Jesus Prayers.29

Church, Reading, and Work

The spiritual life is supported by church attendance, meditative reading of Scripture and the Fathers, and purposeful handwork.

How good it is to go to church to train your spirit in prayer! You know all this. . . So arrange for yourselves to be in church more often—for the Liturgy, or for Vespers, or however you can. If only you could attend church every day for every service, the wellspring of prayer in your heart would open more quickly.30 . . At the very least, come as often as you can. Along with this labor of prayer, you should also read the word of God and the holy31 Fathers. It's good to read the daily Gospel and the daily Epistle each day.32 Do it this way: in the morning, after the Jesus Prayer. Read with reflection, digging into the power of the words and, as much as you can, bringing them home to your heart. It’s good when a passage takes hold of your whole soul. You can walk with it all day, keeping it in your memory. From the holy Fathers: St. Isaac the Syrian, Ephrem, Macarius of Egypt, the Memorable Sayings, the Ladder, Barsanuphius and John, and others.33 Read a little from these every day. You don't need to read a lot. . . Once you've read something, chew on it until it reaches your heart. And that's enough. Here is a sign of useful reading for you. When a passage grabs you so completely that all your thoughts and attention focus on it, that is good. Any other reading is just idle.34 In the evening, or after your midday meal, it's good to read the lives of that day's saints. Keep the Cheti-Minei on hand for that.35 Do you have any handwork? If not, invent some. It's not good to be without handwork. You can't read and pray without a break—and I mean prayer expressed outwardly as well.36 And if you sit idle, your thoughts will start to wander; so you need to invent some handwork to help yourself. Sell your handwork and give the proceeds as alms, asking the Lord for help in the art of praying to Him.37 You yourselves know best how to divide your time between prayer, reading, and manual labor. Just make sure to arrange it so there isn't a single minute of idle time. (When you enter the room, make a few bows; do the same every time you leave.)38

Final Exhortation

The author concludes by reminding the recipient that the heart's burning love for God is the ultimate goal, despite the enemy's constant attempts to distract.

It seems I've already said everything. May the Lord bless you and give you understanding. Just remember that the whole matter is a heart burning toward God, and ceaselessly falling before Him inwardly in compunction.✦39 You have to suffer some, force yourself, and torment yourself without pity. But the enemy never sleeps, and he keeps explaining it all away: this is unnecessary, that isn't needed.✦ His helper is our mind—or rather, our cleverness.40 Lord, have mercy on us!

Read the original Russian

Господь да укрепит вас в усердии – молиться и молиться. Молитесь не потому, что приятно, а потому, что должно. Более всего навыкайте молитве Иисусовой. Пусть так навязнет на языке, чтоб он сознательно и бессознательно твердил ее. Это не вдруг. Вы, думаю, и не брались еще за сей труд. Он тяжел на первый раз. Но победите себя.

Помоги вам Господи!

Ваш вопрос изумил меня. . . Трудно объяснить его, как трудно объяснить, что есть день. У вас, кажется, есть небольшая ревность угождать Богу. А что до положения живота, то для мучеников было это самым делом, а для нас значит: не жалея себя работать Господу. В этом смысл широкой-широкой! .

. От чего, на пример, вам не хочется встать вдруг? Себя жаль. От чего не хочется стать на молитву? Себя жаль. От чего не хочется отказать себе в той или другой пище? Себя жаль. .

. И много-много подобнаго. Тело начинает кричать, как будто его ведут на виселицу. Вот, кто одолеет его; тот живот полагает. . . и это можно каждую минуту, отказывая себе, без жалости к себе.

Конечно, надо всячески хлопотать, чтоб минута смерти была минутой блаженства; но бывает ли и будет ли она для всех такою, этого угадать нельзя. . . Потому со страхом и трепетом ожидать ее надобно. Благость Божия беспредельна, – и не хочет нам беды и муки; но что делать, когда мы делаемся недостойны ея? Что сделать с тем, кто говорит: отойди от меня; путей Твоих ведать не хочу? Кто лучше постигал не умом, а сердцем благость Божию, как св. подвижники?

но страх смерти и суда не отходил от них.

Слава Богу, что у вас есть любовь к Господу и желание угодить Ему. И да сохранит Он в вас сие благое чувство, сей огонек, легкий конечно и задуваемый многими ветрами, и да сотворит возрасти ему в пламень Серафимский. Его-то паче всего берегите. Беда, когда он погаснет. Тьма тмущая настанет и холод и всякое нестроение. Лучшая ему поддержка труд доброделания в связи с трудом молитвенным. Тут весь путь спасения. Кажется немногосложно и нетрудно.

Труд доброделания обнимает:

**1**. Добрыя дела, какия Бог пошлет, и какия кому встретятся в каждый день, с просонок до засыпания.

**2**. Добрыя расположения: смирение, кротость, воздержание, милосердие и проч.

**3**. Крепкую, как смерть, решимость и усердие работать Господу всем, до положения живота. Все это вместе совокупно. Первыя одни без вторых – плохо, и вторым без третьяго не так хорошо.

Есть? – Слава Богу. Нет? – Надобно приобресть, устроить и вести труд доброделания во всех видах.

Труд молитвеный, вот в чем состоит: умом в сердце пред Господом, зреть выну Господа, ходить пред лицем Его, возносясь к Нему и падая пред Ним в самоуничижении непрестанно, и сидя и ходя и беседуя. Трудно? Да, – не легко. За то и называется сие трудом молитвеным. А иные говорят, что легко. . . И как услышат о сем, тотчас подумают: ах, да это ничего, я так буду делать.

Ненужно ни поклонов, ни чтения молитв, ни хождения в церковь, ни другаго какого труда телеснаго при молитве. Ум и сердце – они в моих руках. Ими и буду молиться. Добрый час! Вот и начинают. . . Но ум разбегается и мечтает, сердце блажничает, – и ничего не выходит.

– Нет. При труде доброделания необходим труд подвига молитвеннаго, телесно совершаемаго со вниманием, – с умом и сердцем. И Бог, видя труд сей, даст молитву сердечную, легкую, сладостную, все услаждающую. Воодушевитесь терпением и понудьте себя на труд. То, что вы говорите о разленении тела, это у Исаака Сирианина называется покоем тела и ему он много зла приписывает. Оно так и есть. Видали ли вы электрическую машину? Если цепь от цилиндра проведена к земле, то сколько ни верти колесо, электричество не будет ощутительно – все будет уходить в землю.

Такой же враг и покой тела.

– Прогоните его. Рассердитесь на тело и помучьте его немного. Помолитесь о сем – и Господь поможет. А зла в этом покое много.

Ваше время только то, когда вы у себя в комнате. Его потрудитесь распределить так, чтоб оно все принадлежало Господу, – утренние часы особенно. . . от просонок до 12 ч. – Тут поместите вашу утреннюю молитву. Лишь проснетесь, вставайте. Не жалейте тела.

Если оно блажить хочет, рассердитесь и сгоните себя с кровати. Хорошо, если б сей час же и на молитву, чтоб все думали, что вы еще спите. Вы уже знаете, что поклоны умиляют. Да, поклоны весьма важное дело. Ими надо начинать – три, пять, десять. . . пока посогреется сердце; ибо спросонок оно всегда бывает вяло и холодно.

Потом прочтите утрения молитвы не спешно, со вниманием, зря Господа пред собою. Чтение сопровождайте поклонами поясными или земными, смотря по движению сердца; но чем чаще, тем лучше. . . Заключите чтение опять поклонами, моля Господа о том, в чем чувствуете нужду, пока насытится сердце. Число поклонов, ежели нужно, определите себе сами, а то так, сколько душе угодно. . .

хоть сотню. По совершении молитвословия, хорошо несколько времени провесть в Богомыслии, – или в творении молитвы Иисусовой. Сядьте, – или стоя и ходя, – и говорите: Господи, Иисусе Христе, Сыне Божий, помилуй мя. . . говорите сию молитву побольше раз. . .

уж не менее сотни. Потом и днем, сколько можно чаще, творите сию молитву. И к иконе днем-то хорошо почаще подходить и класть поклоны по усердию: пять, десять, и более, с молитвою: Господи помилуй, Боже милостив буди. . . вот и все. И пред сном такой же порядок, т. е.

несколько поклонов вначале, молитвы на сон грядущим, несколько поклонов опять, и по крайней мере сотню молитв Иисусовых. Как хорошо ходить в церковь для воспитания духа молитвеннаго! Все это знаете. . .

Устройте же себе бывать чаще в церкви за обеднею, или вечернею, или как можете. Если б всякой день и все службы бывать в церкви, то скорее бы разверсся источник молитвы сердечной. . . Бывайте по крайней мере по возможности. К сему молитвенному труду надобно приложить чтение слова Божия и св. Отцев. Хорошо читать каждый день дневное Евангелие и дневный Апостол.

И сделайте так: – утром, после молитвы Иисусовой. Но читайте с размышлением, углубляясь в силу слов и, сколько можно, доводя до сердца. Хорошо, когда какое место займет всю душу. С ним можно ходить весь день, держа его в памяти.

Из св. Отцев: св. Исаака Сирианина, Ефрема, Макария Египетскаго, Достопамятные сказания, Лествицу, Варсонофия и Иоанна и друг. Из них каждый день прочитывайте сколько-нибудь. Много не надо читать. . . Прочитавши что-нибудь, жуйте то, пока дойдет до сердца.

И довольно. Вот вам признак полезнаго чтения! Когда какое место так займет, что все мысли и внимание сосредоточатся в нем, это хорошо. Всякое другое чтение есть праздное.

По вечеру, или после обеда хорошо читать жития святых дневных. Для того под руками имейте Четь-минею. Есть ли у вас какое рукоделие? Если нет, изобретите. Без рукоделия плохо. Читать и молиться (разумею молитву, и вовне выражаемую), нельзя непрестанно. А праздно сидеть, мысли блуждать начнут; так и надобно в помощь себе рукоделие изобресть. Рукоделье продавайте и на милостыню раздавайте, прося Господа о помощи в науке молиться Ему.

Как распределить молитву, чтение, рукоделие, вам самим виднее. Только так распределите, чтоб не было празднаго времени ни минуты. – (Входя в комнату, несколько поклонов; выходя тоже, всякий раз.)

Кажется, все уже сказал. Господь да благословит вас и вразумит. Помните только, что все дело – сердце к Богу горящее, и непрестанно в сокрушении внутренно к Нему припадающее. Надобно поболеть, понудить себя, помучить без жалости. А враг не спит, и все толкует: то ненужно, другое не надобно. Помощник ему наш ум, или наше умничанье. Господи помилуй нас!

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩John.10.11 — I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
  2. ↩Phil.2.12 — Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
  3. ↩Job.21.14 — And they said to God, 'Depart from us; we have no desire to know your ways.'
  4. ↩Song.8.6 — Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is strong as death, passion is fierce as Sheol. Its flashes are flashes of fire, a flame of Yah.
  5. ↩Ps.16.8 — I have set the LORD before me always; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
  6. ↩Gen.17.1 — When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, 'I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless.'
  7. ↩Deut.6.7 — Teach them diligently to your children, and speak of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk along the road, and when you lie down, and when you rise up.
  8. ↩Luke.18.13 — But the tax collector, standing far off, was not even willing to lift his eyes to heaven, but kept beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner.'
  9. ↩Luke.24.32 — They said to one another, "Was not our heart burning within us while he spoke to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?"
  10. ↩1Pet.5.8 — Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩молитве Иисусовой is the Jesus Prayer (continuous invocation of the Name of Jesus), not a general prayer to Jesus.
  2. 2 ↩навязнет на языке is idiomatic for something that sticks on the tongue and is repeated almost automatically; rendered as cling/repeat rather than a medical 'obsession'.
  3. 3 ↩ревность here is spiritual zeal, not jealousy.
  4. 4 ↩положение живота uses older Russian живот = life (cf. Church Slavonic 'lay down one's life'), not 'belly/stomach'.
  5. 5 ↩широкой-широкой is a reduplicated feminine genitive with no explicit noun in this section; the referent is likely something named in the correspondent's question (e.g. a 'wide' road/path/command).
  6. 6 ↩Russian «живот полагает» is the biblical idiom for laying down one's life (not «belly»); it echoes the sacrificial wording of Jn 10:11 / 15:13 in Slavonic-Russian diction.
  7. 7 ↩ея (archaic genitive of она) refers to Благость (goodness); rendered as 'it' for natural English while keeping 'God's goodness' as the antecedent.
  8. 8 ↩Sentence is syntactically incomplete in the source; it continues into s8 (св. ... подвижники). Rendering preserves the break.
  9. 9 ↩подвижники in Orthodox usage can mean ascetics, spiritual athletes, or strivers in podvig; 'ascetics' keeps the devotional sense without monastic over-specificity.
  10. 10 ↩Тьма тмущая is an intensive stock phrase for utter, thick darkness; rendered as “pitch darkness.”
  11. 11 ↩немногосложно can mean “somewhat complex” as one word; here, paired with нетрудно, it is taken as “not very complicated / fairly simple.”
  12. 12 ↩«до положения живота» is the old Russian idiom for self-offering unto death / laying down one's life; rendered as 'even to the laying down of your life' rather than a looser 'to the end of your days'.
  13. 13 ↩«труд доброделания» rendered as the labor of doing good / good works; «приобресть, устроить и вести» as take up, set in order, and keep at.
  14. 14 ↩выну is Church Slavonic for 'always/continually'; rendered as 'always'. самоуничижение is 'self-abasement' / 'self-humiliation' before God, not mere low self-esteem.
  15. 15 ↩Russian «Добрый час!» is an old blessing/well-wish (“may the hour be good”); here it is authorial irony aimed at the self-confident beginner.
  16. 16 ↩«Блажничает» means to be capricious, unruly, or self-indulgent; rendered as “runs wild” for natural modern force without losing the sense of disordered play.
  17. 17 ↩«Электрическая машина» here is the 19th-century electrostatic generator (friction machine with cylinder and wheel), not a modern electric motor.
  18. 18 ↩помучьте is ascetical: mild self-mortification/discipline of the body, not cruel self-harm; 'put it through a little hardship' keeps that force in plain English.
  19. 19 ↩покой here continues the prior thread (покой тела): bodily rest/comfort/ease, not spiritual peace.
  20. 20 ↩Fragmentary clause; likely continues the allocation of the morning hours from s2. «просонок» = just-waking / half-awake state.
  21. 21 ↩«Не жалейте тела» = do not pity/coddle the body; ascetical force, not cruelty for its own sake. Context (next section) urges anger at the body's laziness and rising for prayer.
  22. 22 ↩Russian «оно» continues the prior sentence’s «тело» (the body). «Блажить» here means to pamper itself / take its ease in bed, not spiritual beatitude.
  23. 23 ↩«Умиляют» points to tender softening of the heart (умиление), not mere sentimentality; rendered as 'soften the heart' to keep the spiritual force without archaic 'compunctionate'.
  24. 24 ↩поясные / земные поклоны rendered as waist bows and full prostrations to the ground (Eastern Christian bowing practice).
  25. 25 ↩Богомыслие rendered as 'meditation on God' (recollected thinking of God), not generic mindfulness; молитвословие as the appointed prayer rule/service just completed.
  26. 26 ↩«Боже милостив буди» is the brief form of the Publican's prayer (Lk 18:13); rendered with solemn uncontracted petition.
  27. 27 ↩Trailing «т.» is the first half of the abbreviation «т.е.» (то есть, 'that is' / i.e.), completed in s8 and continued in the next section.
  28. 28 ↩«е.» completes «т.е.» with s7 (= i.e. / that is); the expanded list follows in the next section.
  29. 29 ↩«молитвы на сон грядущим» is the traditional Orthodox name for the evening office/prayers said before sleep; rendered as 'prayers before sleep' rather than the archaic liturgical title.
  30. 30 ↩разверсся is an older/variant form of разверзся ('would open / break open'); rendered as 'would open' for the fountain-source image of heartfelt prayer.
  31. 31 ↩Sentence is cut mid-phrase before 'Отцев' (Fathers) in the next ref; English left incomplete to match the source split.
  32. 32 ↩дневный Апостол is the lectionary 'Apostle' reading (Epistle/Acts); rendered 'Epistle' for modern readability while keeping the daily-lectionary sense.
  33. 33 ↩Достопамятные сказания is rendered as Memorable Sayings (desert-father apophthegmata collections). Лествица is the Ladder of Divine Ascent. друг. expands as и другие, and others.
  34. 34 ↩праздное = idle/fruitless, not festive; kept as 'idle' for the spiritual-discipline sense.
  35. 35 ↩Четь-минея (Cheti-Minei): the Orthodox reading-menology of saints' lives arranged by the calendar day.
  36. 36 ↩«молитву, и вовне выражаемую» marks vocal/outward prayer as distinct from unceasing interior prayer; the claim is that reading and exterior prayer cannot be continuous without interruption.
  37. 37 ↩«на милостыню раздавайте» may mean distribute the handwork itself as alms or, more naturally after «продавайте», give the sale proceeds as alms; the rendering takes the second sense.
  38. 38 ↩Russian «поклоны» are ritual bows/prostrations in Orthodox practice; rendered as 'bows' to stay plain without inventing 'prostrations' when the depth is not specified.
  39. 39 ↩Russian «сокрушение» is rendered as «compunction» (grace-pierced sorrow), not generic guilt or mere regret.
  40. 40 ↩«умничанье» is pejorative clever reasoning / over-smartness, not neutral intellect; «ум» is mind, then sharpened by the contrast.

Letters on the Christian Life companion

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