29. Do not say, after spending a long time at prayer, that nothing has been gained, for you have already gained something. And what higher good is there than to cling the Lord and to persevere in unceasing union with Him?
The Ladder, John Climacus, Step, 28, Prayer
I have learned, slowly, to pray more, almost exclusively the Prayer of Jesus. There is an irrational feeling that this is not productive since I have many temporal things to do, and because of my passions and insensitivity, I do not feel God very much.
I am reminded of a phrase my friend, Fr Michael, rails against. He hates it when someone says, often apologetically, "At least I will pray for you". This is the MOST we can do, and our actions are fruitless without prayer.
Try praying for those you are concerned about with lengthy sessions of the Jesus prayer. This is hard, but is the only work that will succeed; it gives wings to all our other work.
Priest Seraphim Holland 2014 St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, McKinney, Texas
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