St. Luke of Simferopol on how to pray

When I talk about prayer, they often answer me: "I don't know how to pray. Teach me how to pray." What do I answer?

I answer first of all that prayer is the greatest and most difficult of all human works. We know that no difficult task is learned easily. A long study is needed in all matters, in every art. If long study is needed in the affairs of mankind, then so much the more so in this greatest of all affairs. Study, study, study endlessly - and it will be given to you.

How to start learning? 

Here's how: there are many prayers compiled and written by great saints of God, great saints, great saints and martyrs. …Do not invent your own prayers, pray those that the Holy Church teaches you. But as you read these prayers, delve into every word of them, catch yourself in every distraction, in every distraction from the words of the prayer. If you pray like this, then the holy prayers of the great saints of God will sanctify your souls.

The Jesus Prayer

But there is one more prayer - the Jesus Prayer - it is considered the most important and necessary for all monks.

"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner."

This prayer truly works miracles, and therefore it is considered extremely important, if not the most important of all. Learn this prayer, start with it. Learn it this way: lock the door of your room, stand if you like; even sit on a chair if you like, kneel if you like.

How?

With your head bowed low, first of all, look into your heart, meditating and remembering which of the great multitude of sins torments your heart the most, which is the most repugnant to God.

…Standing, sitting, on your knees, find your most serious sin, lower your head low and beg the Lord Jesus, first of all, for the forgiveness of this sin of yours ... Pray the Jesus Prayer, best of all with the prayer rope and say: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner." And at this time, think about this your most serious sin. Repeat this prayer at least a hundred times, always focusing your thoughts on your most serious and disgusting sin. Starting with this, get used to remembering other sins.

Seek forgiveness.

Praying the Jesus Prayer, you will keep all sins in your mind and ask the Lord for forgiveness not only in the most difficult, but also in all your sins. This prayer will work a miracle in your souls. You will be ashamed; when you begin to confess your gravest sin before God, you will feel an insistent desire to be freed, to be freed from this vile sin without fail.

Way to freedom.

By praying like this day by day, you will be freed more and more from your main sin and from all your other sins, and your soul will be transformed. You yourself will begin to notice how your attitude towards your neighbors will change: you yourself will notice that you are becoming more and more gentle, patient, meek, humble. You will treat people with great care, you will make sure that you do not hurt or offend anyone and anything. And the Jesus Prayer will transform your heart and produce this miracle - the invisible miracle of God's grace in your heart.

Here is what I wanted to tell you about prayer.

And if you want to purify your heart, if you want to fearlessly stand before the Terrible Judge Christ, then follow what I advise you. Pray, pray the Jesus Prayer, and above all, repent and repent.

Repent!

Prayer of repentance should be your most important and constant prayer. But as it cleanses your heart, you will learn to pray not only for yourself, but also for those near and far, for the whole human race, and the most holy, most pleasing to God prayer for those who hate and offend you will come.

Highest form of Prayer.

Earlier I advised you not to imitate the sectarians in composing your own prayers, but now I will say that there is the highest form of prayer - prayer without words, the cry of the soul to God, opening the heavens and bringing us into the most living communion with God.

May the Lord vouchsafe us all to acquire such a prayer! But it will come only when we become true temples of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Homily on the Prayer of the Prophet Elijah

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.

Don’t be misled by those to argue against religion - Saint Luke the Surgeon

 

Teaching of Saint Luke the Surgeon 

Don’t be misled by those to argue against religion.

Different methods are needed to understand spiritual things.

The spiritual world is not investigated by the methods we investigate the material world. These methods are completely unsuitable for investigating the spiritual world with them.... There are phenomena that science will never be able to explain because it does not use the appropriate methods....

 Scientific methods are limited.

Can science tell us how the great prophet Isaiah 700 years before the birth of Christ predicted the most important events of His life? 

How do you explain clairvoyance of saints?

To explain to us the clairvoyant grace which the saints have, and to tell us, by what natural methods the saints acquired this grace, and how they could, as soon as they saw a man unknown, immediately understand his heart and read his thoughts?

Without waiting for the visitor to ask a question, they gave an answer to what troubled him. Let them explain to us in what way the saints foretold the great historical events which in time came to pass exactly as they had prophesied....

Do not be influenced by scientific arguments against faith.

Do not be offended when you hear what they say against the faith. Since those who say them do not understand the essence of it... You should always remember the basic principle that the first Christians knew very well.

The first Christians saw those who knew God to be blessed.

They considered unhappy the man who knows all the sciences, but does not know God. And on the contrary, they considered blessed the one who knows God, even if he knew absolutely nothing of human things.

  

Don’t be distracted by scientific arguments against your faith.

Keep this truth as the greatest treasure of your heart, go straight and don't look left or right. Let not what we hear against Religion make us lose our orientation. To keep our faith which is eternal and unquestionable truth. Amen.

Reference: Orthodox Gladness blog

Are Saints Faultless?

We often have the impression that saints are sinless and infallible, but this is wrong.

People who are great and triumphant in a worldly way manage to seem infallible and sinless.  At their every mistake, at their every failure, they put forth an effort to convince everyone that they are in fact correct.  They refuse to accept their mistakes, or seek forgiveness, so that their image is not destroyed.  They therefore keep a safe distance from others, to avoid being scrutinized.

The saint, however, does not have these fears.  He knows very well that "saint" does not mean one who is sinless or infallible, but one who is repentant.  For this reason he is not ashamed to admit his mistakes, to ask forgiveness, or to reveal his sinful self.  Whereas a great person of this world has many things to hide, the saint has nothing to hide.  And the more he is scrutinized, the more he gains.  For this reason one admires the majesty of his soul, his genuineness.

Taken from The Blessed Surgeon: the life of Saint Luke Archbishop of Simferopol. p 98

Small Things are Important

This short story is an example how the little things demonstrate our firmness in our faith. Valentine Voino-Yassenesky was a highly respected surgeon at the time of the Communist revolution in Russia.  He stands as a example for us because of the faith he demonstrated in a most horrible period of persecution for Christians in Russia.  He later became Bishop Luke and then was affirmed as Saint Luke the Surgeon.

Valentine's deep faith was revealed in his life and work.  His love for the sick and his great interest in the suffering sprang from his faith in God.  He had an icon of the Mother of God hanging in the operating room.  Before an operation he would make the sign of the cross, pray, and then make a cross with iodine on the patient's body.  Only after this would he get down to work.

In the beginning of 1920, however, an examination committee ordered the icon to be removed from the operating room.  Doctor Valentine reacted vigorously without fearing the consequences.  He left the hospital, declaring that he would return only when the icon was returned to its place.  ONe of the representatives of the committee declared with a certain dose of irony: "The operating room is a place of public service.  We have separated the state from the church.  IF your surgeon wishes to pray, that's fine and dandy, but he should keep the icon at home!"

Valentine did not yield.  One admires his courage.  At a time when he was in danger of losing not only his position but even his life, the faithful doctor dared to stand up to the resolute authorities for the sake of his faith.  Hie persistence and unshakable faith in God brought quick results.

The wife of one of the Party members was brought to the hospital in  need of an immediate operation.  She demanded that only Professor Voino-Yassenetsky operate on her.  Valentine was called to the visitor's room and asked to do the operation, but he answered firmly: "I am very sorry but in accordance with my beliefs, I cannot enter the operating room until the icon is first hung in its place."

The husband of the sick woman promised that, if the operation was done, the icon would be back the next morning.  Valentine agreed.  The operation was successful and the husband of the sick woman kept his world.

I recommend that you read his story in the book The Blessed Surgeon by Archdeacon Vasiliy Marushchak.  It will not only give you  a sense of what a strong faith can mean, but also give you an insight to the great difficulties the Russian people faced during the Communist period.