Conferences IX & X - On Prayer

John Cassian

Summary of Main Points

• The main virtues: unceasing prayer and purity of heart: “The end of every monk and the perfection of his heart
  incline him to constant and uninterrupted perseverance in prayer: and, as much as human frailty allows, it strives after
  an unchanging and continual tranquility of mind and perpetual purity.” (II.1.p.329)
  
• Abandon anxiety and purify the emotions: “First anxiety about fleshly matters should be completely cut off. Then,
  not only the concern for but in fact even the memory of affairs and business should be refused all entry whatsoever;
  detraction, idle speech, talkativeness, and buffoonery should also be done away with; the disturbance of anger, in
  particular, and of sadness should be entirely torn out; and the harmful shoot of fleshly lust and of avarice should be
  uprooted.” (III,1 p.330)
  
• How to prepare for prayer: “For whatever our soul was thinking about before the time of prayer inevitably occurs
  to us when we pray as a result of the operation of the memory. Hence we must prepare ourselves before the time of
  prayer to be the prayerful persons that we wish to be. For the mind in prayer is shaped by the state that it was
  previously in, and when we sink into prayer, the image of the same deeds, words and thoughts plays itself out before
  our eyes. …Therefore before we pray we should make an effort to cast out from the innermost parts of our heart
  whatever we do not wish to steal upon us as we pray, so that in this way we can fulfill the apostolic words: ‘Pray
  without ceasing.’ And: ‘In every place lifting up pure hands without anger and dissension.’” (III,3 p.331)
  
• Simplify your life: “The elders….understood that whatever exceeds the minimum of daily food and the unavoidable
  requirements of the flesh contributes to worldly concern and anxiety… If working for one solidus were able to
  provide for the needs of our body, but we wished to exhaust ourselves by more effort and labor for the sake of
  earning two or three solidi; and if two tunics were enough clothing for day and night, but we succeeded in becoming
  the owners of three or four; and if a dwelling of one or two rooms were enough, but we were moved by worldly
  ambition and a desire for spaciousness to build four or five rooms, exquisitely furnished and larger than required by
  utility…we would be displaying the passion of worldly lust wherever we could.” (V,4/5 p.333)
  
• Distractions are inevitable: “If only we were able to enjoy uninterruptedly these spiritual thoughts in the same
  way and with the same ease that we usually conceive their beginnings… the mind has no constancy of its own.”
  (VII.1/2 p.334)

A brother came to Abbot Pastor and said: "Many distracting thoughts come into my mind, and I am in danger because of them." Then the elder thrust him out into the open air and said: "Open up the garments about your chest and catch the wind in them." But he replied: "This I cannot do." So the elder said to him: "If you cannot catch the wind, neither can you prevent distracting thoughts from coming into your head. Your job is to say 'No' to them."

Next page >>>