Peace to you,
When i pray i don't know what to say, and i don't really know how to pray from the heart. People speak of how much comfort and benefits they get from prayer, but i have no idea what it feels like.
If you could help me brothers and sisters i would appreciate it.
Pray for me,
Michael
Comments
Pray some of the Agpeya, and practice praying the Jesus Prayer. 'Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me'.
It is more important to pray in the heart, that is to seek to find that place in your soul where Christ comes to meet you.
Do not seek feelings or comfort, pure spiritual feelings and comfort will come, if they come, as a gift from God. But just spend a set amount of time, ten minutes a few times a day, praying the Jesus Prayer slowly and with as much attention as you can. And try to pray the prayer as you go about your business.
And pray one or two of the Hours from the Agpeya, or as much of each Hour as you are able.
If you make space in your heart for God then He will visit you and will find a place prepared for Him within your heart.
May God give you strength and consolation as He wills
Father Peter
Pray some of the Agpeya, and practice praying the Jesus Prayer. 'Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me'.
I second that advice also.
I felt the same once, and my FoC told me the same thing. I really recommend that. Pray from the Agpeya as much as you can.
Also, try this:
Let's say you feel hurt, try to find the words in the agpeya to express your problem. Soon, you'll find that the prayer from the Agpeya has become your own.
Even though you may not understand it fully, or it may not mean much to you, be sure that it means a lot to the devils who understand it also.
Trust me, the agpeya is one the best books we have. Even the Greek Orthodox think its brilliant.
If we wait with prayer untill we can do it perfectly, we'll never pray. Just start, follow the guidance of your FOC and listen to Fr Peter too, he gave you amazing advice!
The Agpeya is no doubt the best place to start. The basic structure of the Agpeya teaches us to first seek the glory of God, then to thank Him (Thanksgiving Prayer), then to bow our spirits penitentially before Him (Ps. 51), then to invoke His Grace according to the manner men of the Spirit have come to experience and relate to it (the Psalms), then to take Heed to His Word etc.
You may wish to consult also particular prayers of the Saints composed for specific purposes. You can see two examples of such prayers here:
http://erkohet.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=19&Itemid=26
The page to which the above link directs will be progressively updated.
As Fr. Peter suggests, we seek quality of heart rather than quantity of words. The Jesus prayer is an example of arrow-like prayers which if practiced repeatedly in a spirit of humility and sincere meditation have a powerful effect on the soul. For a brief summary of the purpose and effect of arrow prayers and a few examples of others apart from the Jesus prayer which you can use according to your specific circumstance and condition, see the following:
http://erkohet.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=75:aselection&catid=40:smnufasting&Itemid=16
As with the previous page, the page to which the above link directs will also be progressively updated.
To make a final point stemming off the instruction relayed by Hos Erof concerning praying as a school of prayer in and of itself, I recall a Syrian Orthodox prayer in my prayer book which is in fact specifically intended as a prayer for preparing to pray. Now that I have been reminded of it I will try and copy it onto the above-linked website in due time.
The basic structure of the Agpeya teaches us to first seek the glory of God, then to thank Him (Thanksgiving Prayer), then to bow our spirits penitentially before Him (Ps. 51), then to invoke His Grace according to the manner men of the Spirit have come to experience and relate to it (the Psalms), then to take Heed to His Word etc.
That's very interesting Iqbal, i never saw it that way.
The Agpeya holds a lot of treasures - that's very true. I'm really glad we have it and use often in our Church.
26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Having just celebrated the feast of Pentecost, pray to the Holy Spirit to teach you how to pray. Also, as others mentioned, if you have trouble praying on your own, pray already made prayers like the agpeya, the psalms, a hymn, a spiritual song, or just a prayer (the litanies at the end of each of the sagda (prostration) prayers of pentecost are especially beautiful. You are ment to pray them while kneeling down. Here are the links for it:
The First Litany
http://tasbeha.org/hymn_library/view/1084
The Second Litany
http://tasbeha.org/hymn_library/view/1110
The third Litany
http://tasbeha.org/hymn_library/view/1119
There's more to the Agpeya than what the eye sees.
The best thing about the CoC is that it encourages prayer from the Agpeya and it really understands its importance. That in itself, is admirable.
Praying from your heart is not always recommended. Even Christ said "When you pray, say "Our Father..." - not everything I want to say from my heart is right.
I don't particularly think that God wants to hear what's in my heart all the time.
We should pray for problems etc, and for all the smallest things, but praying from your heart - and having a "Chin-wag" or "chit-chat" with God during prayer isnt orthodox - is it???