Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Often we experience Great Lent as a burden, for fasting makes us irritable, and trying to go to church more often crowds our already crowded schedule. This happens because the entire rhythm and structure of Great Lent was designed for people whose life moved at a slower pace and who, for centuries, lived in Christian societies in which everything was centered around the Church, and therefore they did not have the tension we experience between the demands of society and the practice of our Faith. Yet the Lord in His infinite wisdom placed us exactly in the time and place that we live, and He calls us to practice our Faith in these circumstances, including the keeping of Great Lent.
The key to enlivening our experience of Great Lent so that it is joyful and peaceful rather than a burden is daily prayer. To fast without praying is like doing the work without enjoying the fruits of the work. But to go apart, to quiet down, to light our lamp before the holy icons, to breathe deeply, and then begin to pray - this is our entrance back into Paradise in this life.
Man was created to be in constant communion and converse with the Lord. In the Garden of Eden, our first parents walked with the Lord and talked with Him as with a friend. Because of their sin, they lost this friendship, and they no longer felt His Presence continuously, yet their hearts still longed for this Presence, and their psycho-somatic organism was still designed primarily for living and active communion with Him. To have this relationship, however, became very difficult for them instead of perfectly natural, and prayer (talking to God) became a struggle instead of being easy. Yet it was still the intended primary activity of their life.
We have inherited this same human psycho-somatic organism from our first parents. It is still designed for prayer - living communion with God - as its primary function, and yet simultaneously this primary function is the hardest thing for us to do, because of the devil and sin. Unlike our first parents after the Fall, however, we have the all-sufficient grace of the crucified and risen Christ through baptism and our participation in the life of the Church. If we will only activate this grace through a little effort, the Lord will give us one hundredfold in return.
Let us, then, resolve, to set apart some time every day, even if only a short time, to go into our "closet" - that is, a quiet place alone, as well as the "closet" of our heart - to "return to Paradise," that is, to spend time with the Lord in prayer. We could pray with the Prayer-book, the Psalter, or with our prayer rope (komvoschoinion). What matters is not which prayers we use but that we set aside time every day, that we are regular, and that we struggle for attention in prayer. After awhile, if we are faithful, the loving Lord, who desires our companionship, will reward us with the consolation of His Presence, which is the beginning of Paradise in this life.
A blessed Great Lent to you all! May the Great Week of Christ's Passion find us alert and prepared!
The Life of Prayer for Laymen
Question: How can a Christian find quietness for praying, a Christian who lives in the tumult and noise of a city?
Answer: We should try to obtain as much as possible! We should not be negligent. Because negligence is the greatest danger for the soul of each man. It means you have no mercy for your own soul, and thus you’re in great spiritual danger. You didn’t do your [prayer] rule? Negligence tells you, “It doesn’t matter.” You didn’t fast? Negligence tells you, “It doesn’t matter.” Did you commit fornication? Negligence tells you, “It doesn’t matter.” We should strive as much as we can and God will help us to be saved. The greater the temptations are, the greater the Grace of God will be and the greater the crown. But God will not allow us to be tempted above our strength. If we have prayer and purity of soul and body, the Grace of the Holy Spirit will descend upon us and all great difficulties will easily be solved. These hard times for the salvation of our soul were prophesied by the Holy Fathers. A disciple asked his Elder, “Father, look, we’re powerless and the enemy fights us. If that’s the way it is as now, what will it be like in the last times?” The Elder responded, “Son, in the last times, the monks will be like laymen and the laymen will be like demons!” But I know people who live in the center of [a large city] and lead a pure and spiritual life.
- from an Interview with a Monk on the Holy Mountain, Regarding a Life of Prayer While Living in the World
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