My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE
ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY: DAILY PRACTICE AND
DISCIPLINE OF THE FAITH.
Before the Orthodox Christian can begin his daily practice and discipline of the faith he/she must free himself/herself of all worldly cares and distractions. Stripped of all thought of these temporal things, caring about them, one will then turn freely to our Savior Jesus Christ. Nothing can obstruct our communion and union with Him. How can the believer concentrate on prayer or contemplation when his/her mind is overwhelmed with thoughts of daily concerns, responsibilities, and cares of life? To accomplish the spiritual goals set for us, one must have discipline and be willing to sacrifice all else in order to succeed in our endeavor. Knowing, however, how weak we are, we must turn to God and seek His help and guidance.
The All-Knowing God knows how weak we could be at the beginning of our religious life, how easily we are distracted and turn back to the things of the world and way of life. However, our Lord very clearly told us not to turn back and not be found unprepared fo enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Our commitment to Him must be sincere and total and not temporary and superficial. It is imperative that secular life must not dominate our spiritual life but the other way around. Jesus says to everyone who believes in Him, "If you love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15).
Practicing our Christian faith is challenging but most rewarding. We pray in Jesus’ name because when we are in union with Him, our will corresponds with His will. Thus, what we ask for is exactly what Christ wants to give. Prayer is for the glory of God the Father, not for our own glory, so we also pray, "Our Father."
For the Orthodox Christian, daily prayer, meditation and contemplation are rooted in Hesychia (inner stillness) and the continuous repetition of the Jesus prayer. The Desert Holy Fathers and later Saints like Saint Gegory Palamas and Saint Maximus the Confeesor ta fiught that contemplation begins by turn away from worldly distractions to quiet the passions. Orthodox fills the heart and mind with a specific cry: "LORD JESUS CHRIST, SON OF GOD, HAVE MERCY ON ME , A SINNER." Every word is kept active to anchor the soul in Christ’s presence.
The Holy Fathers of the Church emphasize always reading the Gospels and Psalms daily, not just for academic study, but to slowly chew on and internalize God’s word. The Holy Fathers insist that deep contemplative prayer should be approached with humility and ideally under the guidance of a parish priest or spiritual father. Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov, a 19th century Russian bishop who wrote extensively about the Jesus Prayer, warned against practicing it intensively without guidance. He sid to go slowly, to pray with attention to the words, not to rush or try to manufacture spiritual experiences. The prayer itself is simple, but the spiritual life it open up is complex.
In Orthodox theology, prayer and meditation are seen as essential in the process of theosis (deification), which is the transformative process of becoming more like God in one’s life. This, of course, is not a literal becoming divine but rather a process of growing in spiritual intimacy and likeness of God. Orthodox Christian prayer takes various forms, and each serving different spiritual needs and expressions:
Corporate Liturgical Prayer: This is communal prayer experienced during the Divine Liturgy and other divine services of the Church. It is designed to involve the whole person — body, mind, and soul — in worship. There is of course the Private Prayer which involves the use of the Jesus Prayer repeated as a way to foster a continuous awareness of God’s presence. While meditation in Orthodoxy whose goal of seeking a more profound and transformative encounter with God.
All spiritual ascesis deepens one’s relationship with the Almighty God, encourages spiritual growth and maturity. Prayer, meditation and contemplation bestow on the believer inner peace, healing and strength to confront life’s many challenges. One has to admit that in today’s secular world man faces enormous obstacles to practice his/her faith. However, with God’s help we can overcome them and although we live in the world, we are not of the world. In our Holy Orthodox Tradition, the well-known Lenten Prayer of Saint Ephraim summarizes inner discernment: "Grant me to see my own faults and not to judge my brother."True discernment is neve weaponized against others: it is used to examine one’s own soul.
For the Orthodox Christian there can be no spiritual life without the Mysteriake Zoe or Sacramental Life for without it all else becomes theoretical and abstract. The Holy Eucharist is the central and highest Mysterion or Sacrament in our Holy Church,serving as the ultimate expression of communion with God and the body of believers. Orthodoxy views the Holy Eucharist not as one option among many, but as the core and completion of all spiritual life. Partaking in the chalice unites the believer intimately with Christ, offering Eternal life and forgiveness of sins. "Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, UNLESS YOU EAT THE FLESH OF THE SON OF MAN AND DRINK HIS BLOOD, YOU HAVE NO LIFE IN YOU. WHOEVER EATS MY FLESH AND DRINKS MY BLOOD HAS ETERNAL LIFE, AND I WILL RAISE HIM UP AT THE LAST DAY" [John 6:53-54).
