Excerpts from Philokalia

 

Excerpts from Philokalia

 Saint Gregory of Thessalonica On the Unceasing Prayer of Christians

(...) Do you see, my brothers, with what kind of glory does Jesus Christ glorify those of his servants who are always with him and who forever call upon his all-holy and sweet name?

(...) Saint Eudokim, as Simeon the Translator relates, was also in Constantinople and in the kingdoms and in royal affairs. He associated with the King and the princes of the palace, with so many cares and distractions. With all this, he had mental prayer always inseparable from his word. And being in the world and in worldly things, the Trismakarios lived an Angelic and supramundane life and was deemed worthy by the rewarder God to receive a blessed and divine end. 

(...) I also beg you, together with the divine Chrysostom, for the salvation of your soul, not to neglect this work of prayer. Imitate those whom we have spoken of and follow them as much as possible. And if the matter seems difficult to you at first, be certain and informed, as if from the face of Almighty God, that this same name of our Lord Jesus Christ, invoked incessantly by us at every moment, will grant us relief from all difficulties, and with much time, as we come to understand it and delight in it, then we will know by experience that it is not impossible, nor difficult, but possible and easy. For this reason, the holy Paul, who knew better than we the great benefit of prayer, commanded us to pray unceasingly. (...) Let us pray with our minds and offer a prayer that is pleasing to God and true. Let us work with our bodies and pray with our souls. Let the outer man perform all bodily services and let the inner man be completely dedicated to the worship of God and never neglect this spiritual work of mental prayer. (Philokalia V, 110, 5 ff.)

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