Prayer as Love

Saint Porphyrios teaches that continual prayer without effort where grace overshadows bringing unexplainable joy, requires divine Eros, a burning love for Christ. The relationship between God and the believer must become one of mutual desire: God, the Lover, desires the beloved, and the beloved strives to reach the Lover. This love is most profound when expressed as thanksgiving. our efforts in prayer should not be done out of duty but as a necessity and selflessness, similar to the need to eat. To prepare for such prayer we read the divine offices with love filling our hearts with gladness.

Our task in prayer is to find a way to enter into the love of Christ which is experienced as divine light, allowing our soul to awaken our love in the embrace of  Christ’s love and become holy. We abandon ourselves to divine Eros. Our primary aim is love: for Christ, the Church, and our neighbor. prayer based on this love and craving for God creates a union that is Paradise on earth. It is expressed through love for our neighbor and the desire for everyone's salvation, even our enemies.

The efforts made in prayer should be driven by the love of Christ, aiming to experience His love more deeply.

Reference: Wounded by Love, Saint Porphyrios, on prayer

Engaging in True Prayer: Guidance from Saint Porphyrios

When Saint Porphyrios advises, "let the Lord himself teach us to pray. Don’t try to learn it on our own," he emphasizes that true prayer is a gift from God and should be guided by Him. It is not merely a technique or a set of words to be learned but a relational and spiritual practice that deepens through God's grace. Acknowledging that we cannot perfect our prayer life solely through our efforts requires humility and openness to the Holy Spirit's guidance.

We must remember that prayer is about a personal relationship with God. Allowing the Lord to teach us means engaging in a dynamic and responsive relationship where God leads and we follow. Saint Porphyrios underscores the importance of seeking God’s direct instruction and inspiration in the journey of prayer.

Saint Porphyrios also advises us to "make entreaty to receive the divine light of divine knowledge." This divine light refers to the spiritual insight and understanding that comes from God, allowing one to perceive and comprehend spiritual truths more deeply. By asking for this light, a person opens themselves to the transformative grace of God, which enlightens the mind and heart, leading to a more profound and genuine relationship with Him. It is a call to humble oneself and recognize the need for God's guidance and wisdom in one's spiritual journey.

This divine light he refers to is the same divine light mentioned by Saint Symeon the New Theologian, who often spoke about the experience of the divine light as a tangible encounter with God’s uncreated energies. He described it as an overwhelming, transformative experience that brings profound spiritual enlightenment and union with God.

This divine light is understood in Orthodox theology as the uncreated energy of God, through which believers can experience His presence and grace. Both saints emphasize the importance of seeking this light through prayer, humility, and a deep commitment to living a holy life, as it is through this light that one comes to a true knowledge of God and is transformed in His likeness.

Saint Porphyrios, in his unassuming way, shows the path of humility and calls us to a prayer life that is mystical, opening ourselves to the uncreated energies of God. When we experience these in the form of light, we are experiencing true prayer and a direct relationship with God. This should be our aim in prayer.

Reference: Wounded by by Love, Saint Porphyrios, pg 114

Prayer before prayer

Saint Porphyrios recommends that we recite a prayer from the Divine Liturgy that comes before the reading of the Gospel before we pray. Here is my interpretation of this prayer:

Lord, enlighten my heart with Your divine light, illuminating the innermost part of my soul. 

I acknowledge Your authority and deep love for humanity, Your compassionate and benevolent nature. Enlighten me with Your divine truths, holiness, and wisdom. Transform me and lead me to a deeper relationship with You. 

Give me spiritual insight and perception to discern Your spiritual truths. Help me comprehend the teachings of the Gospel to understand how to live a life in accordance with Your will. I stand in awe and respect of Your commandments, recognizing their divine origin and authority. 

Help me struggle against my passions and sinful inclinations, attaining a decisive victory over these desires through Your help and my personal effort, so that I may lead a life guided by the Holy Spirit in harmony with Your will. 

Orient both my thoughts and actions towards pleasing You, maintaining a holistic approach to my spiritual life. 

I acknowledge You as the ultimate source of light and enlightenment for both my soul and body, embrace Your divine presence, desiring Your guidance, and sanctification.  

Have mercy on me.

Reference: Wounded by Love, Saint Porphyrios,  pg 114

How Do We Make Prayer?

True prayer comes from our cooperation with the Holy Spirit.:

John 14:26: “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”

Romans 8:26-27: “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.

Our church fathers teach this as well:

St. Basil the Great: “It is especially important to teach those who pray how to ask from the Holy Spirit for those things which are absolutely necessary for the soul. For He is the source of sanctification and spiritual enlightenment; He gives the inner strength necessary for the soul’s health, and transforms the spirit.” (On the Holy Spirit, Chapter 26)

St. John Chrysostom: “The Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. This means that the Spirit, by means of the inexplicable groans of prayer, suggests to us what we should pray for, what it is right to request in prayer.” (Homilies on Romans, Homily 15)

St. Seraphim of Sarov: “The true aim of our Christian life consists in the acquisition of the Holy Spirit of God. Prayer, fasting, vigil, and all other Christian practices, however good they may be in themselves, do not constitute the aim of our Christian life, although they serve as the indispensable means of attaining this aim.” (Conversation with N. A. Motovilov)

St. Symeon the New Theologian: “When a man’s mind is perfectly united to God and receives the energy of the Holy Spirit, he prays to God in the Spirit and is fully aware of what he is saying and of the prayer’s content, having been illumined by the divine light.” (The Discourses, Chapter 25)

Prayer requires humility to be aware of the voice of the Holy Spirit. Our petitions should reflect this humbleness. The most powerful prayer for Orthodox Christians is the Jesus prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner.” As we quiet ourselves and emerge our soul in His love reciting this prayer, divine grace will flow into our heart. We will see the world with new eyes and find it effortless to do the will of our God.

It all happens through the work of the Holy Spirit. It is through Him we make true prayer.

Reference: Wounded by Love: Saint Porphyios, pg 113

Turn Your Mind to God Continually

To experience the love and joy of God in our life we must make a continual effort in prayer. God’s love is always present no matter where we are or what we are doing. We must live every moment in a way aware of His loving presence and embrace This love. 

In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Paul exhorts "pray without ceasing."[2] This is a direct call for continual, unceasing prayer. The Bible repeatedly emphasizes the importance of continual, persistent, devoted prayer as a vital spiritual discipline for believers. Jesus, Paul, and the early church all modeled this practice.

How is this possible? This requires a passionate love of Jesus Christ. His life provides us with an image we should desire to copy. It is based on love. Our soul longs for His love and is not seeking an intellectual understanding. It desires much more, something that only comes from a deep place in our heart. This we find when we desire to fulfill all He asks of us out of our pure love. This is not a simple obedience based on any sense of obligation. Where obligation is involved there is not the fulness of love. We follow Him only because we love Him. In this way we become worthy of His love, always seeking to follow what he taught. Then continuous prayer becomes effortless and natural.

It’s is through continuous prayer based on our love in Him that we will find the Kingdom He promises.

Reference: Wounded by Love, Saint Porphyios, pg 113

The Essence of Prayer: Seeking the Eternal

Our soul yearns for communion with God who is the eternal source of love and joy.

 “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” Psalm 42:1-2

Within every human soul lies an innate desire to be united with the divine, transcending the temporal confines of this world.  

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11

 “For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.” 2 Corinthians 5:1-5

This longing is not merely an emotional or intellectual pursuit but a profound spiritual aspiration to connect with the heavenly.

Prayer is a sacred dialogue that transcends words, leading us into the mystery of God's infinite presence, satisfying the yearnings by of our soul. In prayer, we reach beyond our limited understanding, uniting with the divine mystery. Since God is incomprehensible and infinite, He cannot be fully grasped by the human mind intellectually. It is in this mystical encounter experienced in prayer that  we grasp the fullness of His love and the joy that our hearts deeply crave.

Seeking God is a continuous journey, one that requires fervor and persistence. Prayer is not a momentary act but a ongoing quest for intimacy with the Creator. This fervent seeking must be supported  by a love for God, constantly reaching out to Him in every moment of life. We must approach prayer with zeal, for it is through this fervent pursuit that we draw nearer to the divine.

In essence, prayer is the soul's response to the divine call. It is a journey into the mystery of God's eternal love, a pursuit of the joy that only He can provide. We find God in the silence of prayer, beyond our comprehension, yet intimately present in our lives and intimately knowable through his energies. By engaging  in fervent and continuous prayer, we are drawn closer to God, experiencing the fullness of His love and the eternal joy our soul seeks.

Reference: Wounded by Love, Saint Porphyrios, pg 113

How to Explain to a Protestant Believer the Error of the Idea of “Once Saved Always Saved”

The error seen by Orthodox Christians in the idea of “once saved, always saved” is best explained by emphasizing the necessity of synergy (cooperation) between human free will and God’s grace in the process of salvation. Here are some key points:

1. Synergy: Orthodoxy teaches that salvation is a dynamic process involving both God’s grace and human cooperation. Salvation is not a one-time event but a lifelong journey. While God’s grace initiates and sustains salvation, humans must respond with faith, repentance, and ongoing commitment to God’s commandments.

2. Free Will: Orthodox theology emphasizes that humans have free will and must continually choose to follow Christ. The idea of “once saved, always saved” undermines the importance of free will and the possibility of falling away from faith through sin or apostasy.

3. Theosis (Deification): Salvation in Orthodoxy is often understood as theosis, the process of becoming more like God. This process requires continuous spiritual effort, participation in the sacraments, prayer, and repentance. It is a transformative journey that cannot be fully accomplished in a single moment.

4. Scriptural Basis: Orthodox Christians would point to various Scripture passages that indicate the need for perseverance and the possibility of falling from grace. For example:

•Philippians 2:12: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”

•Hebrews 3:12-14: “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.”

•Matthew 24:13: “But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

5. Church Fathers: The teachings of the early Church Fathers emphasize the ongoing nature of salvation and the need for continual faithfulness and repentance. They teach that Christians must remain vigilant and steadfast in their faith throughout their lives.

6. Sacramental Life: In Orthodoxy, the sacraments (especially Confession and the Eucharist) are essential means by which believers receive God’s grace and are strengthened in their spiritual journey. Regular participation in these sacraments is necessary to maintain and grow in one’s relationship with God.

By presenting these points, an Orthodox Christian can suggest that the Protestant doctrine of “once saved, always saved” oversimplifies the complex and ongoing nature of salvation as understood in the Orthodox tradition.

A Protestant defending the doctrine of “once saved, always saved” (also known as eternal security) might present the following points:

1. Scriptural Assurance: Protestants often cite specific Bible verses that they believe clearly support the idea of eternal security. Key passages include:

• John 10:28-29: “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”

• Romans 8:38-39: “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

• Ephesians 1:13-14: “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”

2. Nature of Salvation: Many Protestants believe that salvation is a gift from God that cannot be earned or lost by human actions. They emphasize that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross fully atones for all sins—past, present, and future. Once a person is truly saved, their salvation is secure because it is based on Christ’s perfect work, not on their own efforts.

3. New Creation: Protestants may argue that when a person is saved, they become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) and are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. This transformation is seen as a fundamental change that ensures the believer’s eternal security.

4. God’s Faithfulness: They would assert that God is faithful to keep His promises. If God promises eternal life to those who believe in Jesus, then He will be faithful to preserve them. This assurance is based on God’s unchanging nature and His commitment to His covenant.

5. Understanding of Perseverance: Some Protestants differentiate between those who genuinely possess faith and those who only profess faith. They believe that those who are truly saved will persevere in their faith until the end because of the work of the Holy Spirit within them. Those who fall away may not have been truly saved to begin with (1 John 2:19).

6. Context of Warnings: While acknowledging the numerous warnings in the New Testament about falling away, Protestants might interpret these as hypothetical or as means to encourage believers to examine themselves and strive to live faithfully, rather than as indications that salvation can be lost.

By presenting these points, a Protestant would argue that the doctrine of “once saved, always saved” is well-supported by Scripture and is consistent with the nature of God’s grace and promises.