EXPLANATION on the Prayer Rope by SERBIAN RTOC

Discussions of the prayer services of the Church. Prayer requests. Please pray for all who post here. All Forum Rules apply. No polemics. No heated discussions. No name-calling.
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Maria
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Re: EXPLANATION on the Prayer Rope by SERBIAN RTOC

Post by Maria »

Icxypion wrote:
jgress wrote:

Hm, you're right that you don't always have a clear feeling. I guess I mean that in my personal experience, I've often been rather passive, as if I just expected God to fill me with good feelings, without bothering to focus on keeping the meaning of the words of the prayer in my mind. When the feelings wouldn't come, I would get discouraged after a while. But that's precisely the point of the Jesus prayer! You're continually asking for Christ's mercy, and His mercy should be what's in your mind.

What have you found helps you resolve this, or refocus and remain in the right or most beneficial frame of mind when praying?

In several books I have read, it was mentioned that when certain devout priests were censing people during the Divine Liturgy, they failed to cense certain people, but strangely censed an area in the church were no one was present. It turns out that when certain folks could not make the Divine Liturgy, but were praying devoutly at home, the priest would cense these people who were spiritually present. However, when another person was present in church bodily, but was so concerned about worldly affairs that he was not spiritually present, the priest did not see him and did not cense him.

One of the books, a biography of St. Nicholas Planas (a contemporary of St. Nectarios of Aegina), stated that St. Nicholas Planas could discern who was spiritually present and who was not at Holy Services, and when asked why he censed a certain area of the church, or did not cense certain persons who were present, he gave the above explanation.

Thus, I try to be spiritually present in all my prayers following the command: Let us be attentive!

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner.

Matthew
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Re: EXPLANATION on the Prayer Rope by SERBIAN RTOC

Post by Matthew »

Maria wrote:

In several books I have read, it was mentioned that when certain devout priests were censing people during the Divine Liturgy, they failed to cense certain people, but strangely censed an area in the church were no one was present. It turns out that when certain folks could not make the Divine Liturgy, but were praying devoutly at home, the priest would cense these people who were spiritually present. However, when another person was present in church bodily, but was so concerned about worldly affairs that he was not spiritually present, the priest did not see him and did not cense him.

One of the books, a biography of St. Nicholas Planas (a contemporary of St. Nectarios of Aegina), stated that St. Nicholas Planas could discern who was spiritually present and who was not at Holy Services, and when asked why he censed a certain area of the church, or did not cense certain persons who were present, he gave the above explanation was given.

Thus, I try to be spiritually present in all my prayers following the command: Let us be attentive!

Wow, what a lovely and amazing story. I pray that we all can achieve that kind of devotion and attentiveness in prayer.

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Maria
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Re: EXPLANATION on the Prayer Rope by SERBIAN RTOC

Post by Maria »

Icxypion wrote:
Maria wrote:

In several books I have read, it was mentioned that when certain devout priests were censing people during the Divine Liturgy, they failed to cense certain people, but strangely censed an area in the church were no one was present. It turns out that when certain folks could not make the Divine Liturgy, but were praying devoutly at home, the priest would cense these people who were spiritually present. However, when another person was present in church bodily, but was so concerned about worldly affairs that he was not spiritually present, the priest did not see him and did not cense him.

One of the books, a biography of St. Nicholas Planas (a contemporary of St. Nectarios of Aegina), stated that St. Nicholas Planas could discern who was spiritually present and who was not at Holy Services, and when asked why he censed a certain area of the church, or did not cense certain persons who were present, he gave the above explanation was given.

Thus, I try to be spiritually present in all my prayers following the command: Let us be attentive!

Wow, what a lovely and amazing story. I pray that we all can achieve that kind of devotion and attentiveness in prayer.

I fail constantly in my attempts to be attentive. Nevertheless, I do not beat myself with a wet noodle as that would lead to scrupulosity, which is not a virtue. Instead, I repent, and keep trying to be attentive to the spiritual reality that God is truly present.

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner.

Matthew
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Re: EXPLANATION on the Prayer Rope by SERBIAN RTOC

Post by Matthew »

Yes, scrupulosity does have the appearance of piety and godly zeal, but it is rooted in passions rather than being a means of overcoming them.

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Maria
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Re: EXPLANATION on the Prayer Rope by SERBIAN RTOC

Post by Maria »

May we all strive to be attentive in our prayers and at Holy Services, so that our Lord will always be present to us.

Remember the scripture: "Where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there am I in the midst of them."

  • Matthew 18:20.

Whenever I am alone in my room or outside praying, I pray with the Holy Fathers, with the Theotokos, and with my favorite saints, so that Christ becomes present to us. Once I was walking home, a two mile trip, because my car had broken down. There had been stories of a molester who was stalking women in our area. Certainly, I was afraid, so I started praying the Jesus prayer mentioned as one prayed at Mt. Athos:

  • Lord Jesus Christ, Son and Word of the Living God, through the prayers of the Most Holy Theotokos and of all the saints, have mercy on us and save us.

All fear vanished and I arrived safely at home in record time.

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner.

Matthew
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Re: EXPLANATION on the Prayer Rope by SERBIAN RTOC

Post by Matthew »

Lord have mercy! There are so many perverts around today, surely many more than were around in the 40s or 50s.

Glory to God for the shield of the Jesus Prayer.

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