From Monachos.net
Below are collected four complete homilies on prayer by St Theophan the Recluse, delivered between 21st November and 20th December, 1864.
- Three suggestions for praying in a manner corresponding to the meaning of prayer: preparation; praying with attention and feeling; not going to ordinary work immediately after prayer. Also, instruction on keeping a prayer rule, learning one's prayers, and keeping attention focussed during prayer.
- How the soul can be taught to ascend to God and converse with him: dedicating time in the morning to the contemplation of God; turning every action to the glory of God; turning often to God with short prayers.
- A third level of prayer: the unceasing turning of the mind and heart to God, obtained by cultivating the fear of God, the remembrance of God, and the constant, loving calling upon God.
- That prayer cannot be obtained without the practice of the virtues, nor can virtue be practised without prayer.
Translated from the Russian by Revd Fr Michael van Opstall, January 2007