Prayer and the Great Fast: A "how to" of praise and worship

Dr. Alexander Roman alex@unicorne.org  

Prayer is another aspect of Christian spirituality that is often taken for granted. What we mean by "prayer" is often the recitation of some learned formulas either as a group, in Church or alone. We often have an idea that we are paying tribute to God by way of responsibility to do so. But prayer is much more than this. If prayer to our soul is like breathing to our bodies, the time of the Great Fast is as good as any to review how we spiritually inhale . . .

St Paul reminds us to "pray always." Prayer is what calls down on us the anointing of the Grace of the Holy Spirit to transform our human nature that is darkened and morally weakened by sin.

The God who became Man in Jesus Christ invites us to share in His Life and the Life of the Holy Trinity. We are called to become by Grace what God is by Nature. All depends on our union with God and Christ. And that union depends, first and foremost, on prayer.

But how do we pray? I had an uncle who turned to prayer in a very concerted way toward the end of his life. He prayed the long prayers he found in books. Everyone admired his devotion.

Once, during a long walk, that uncle confided to me that while he prayed for long periods of time, the whole experience was "killing" him. He found it difficult to concentrate, frequently got lost in the wording and verbose phraseologies and, as a result, didn't look forward to his next prayer time.

The method of prayer is something that we are often not taught by those who are experienced prayer practitioners. And that is truly a shame.

On the other hand, we can enhance the level of "quality time" spent in prayer by examining the spiritual teachings in this regard by the Fathers and spiritual teachers of the Church.

Like my uncle, we too sometimes "bite off" more than we can chew in this regard.

We needn't say long, drawn-out prayers to feel that we are communicating with God, something that Christ Himself counsels against in the Gospels.

One method of prayer that was devised to fight distractions and develop a constant inward focus on God is that of saying a short invocation frequently, and throughout the day.

Early Christian monks in the Thebaid would use the beginning words of Psalm 69/70: "O God come to my assistance; O Lord make haste to help me!"

They said this prayer for an hour or two at a time and then said it as they went about their work during the day.

The mental Prayer of Jesus, or "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner," soon established firm roots among Christians as the preferred frequent invocation or "Prayer of the Heart."

There was something about the Holy Name of Jesus that made one want to invoke it, say it and keep it always in one's heart and soul!

Some monks are actually excused from all other prayers as they take up the sole exercise of prayer the Jesus Prayer night and day.

Some of the greatest saints in history have been saints whose prayer life consisted in the invocation of the Divine Name.

Again, how can we pray it?

We are advised to set aside some quiet time in the day, perhaps a half hour, away from distractions.

We could go for a walk somewhere, or do something where external things won't disturb our inner peace.

We can and should get a prayer rope or some prayer beads on which to count. I find that even having something like that in one's hand can help calm down one's tension.

We may then begin, slowly and calmly, to say the Jesus Prayer, pausing after every word or two.

A great help here is using the Jesus Prayer in making the Sign of the Cross, or some other way to slow down its recitation.

We could begin by saying it 33 times in honour of the years that Christ lived on the earth and in honour of the Holy Trinity.

We could say it 100 times but no more at the beginning. Afterwards, we should be attentive to the quiet in our souls, sensing the inner awakening that we desire and ask God for and may be receiving right at that moment.

Instead of focusing on "what it does for me," we should say the prayer as a way to worship and thank God for our salvation. It is a way of confessing Christ's sovereignty over us as our Saviour and Lord, confessing His Divinity, and imploring Him to anoint our souls with the balm of His Mercy.

Some counsel to link the saying of the Prayer with our breathing. As we breathe in, we say: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God" and then, as we breathe out, "have mercy on me a sinner."

Although Christian spirituality is often compared to the struggles of an Olympian athlete, the fact is that we win the victory by how slowly we pray, not how quickly we do it!

Our posture and exterior attitude should be conducive to prayer as well. We should say the prayer before an Icon of our Lord or the Mother of God. The aroma of a beeswax candle or of some incense is also a great way to put ourselves into a prayerful attitude.

Reading the Gospel for a period of time beforehand makes us even more aware of Who it is that we are addressing and seeking union with.

Our prayer time can then move into the saying of some Psalms. These are words that are inspired by the Holy Spirit and they are the ready text that God has given us for prayer to be offered to Him. They are words He wants to hear, as He "looks upon us in the morning."

The fifteen Psalms of Kathisma 18 (Psalms 120-134) were formerly recited on each of the 15 steps that ascended to the Temple of Jerusalem.

The Church sings them every day at the Vespers of the Great Fast, as the Fast is our way of ascending, through prayer and fasting, to our goal that is Christ.

Kathisma 16 constitutes essentially the Psalms prayed by Christ and His Apostles following the Mystical (Last) Supper and so are a great way to enter into the spirit of the Great Fast and of Holy Week.

The long Psalm 118/119 or Kathisma 17 is a hymn of praise of God's Law. The only Person Who kept God's law perfectly was, of course, Christ. It is His Righteousness that we strive to appropriate for ourselves when we pray it. This Psalm is sung daily at Midnight for Christ will return "like a thief in the night" to apply His righteous judgements to the world. It is also sung at funerals since it is Christ's Righteousness that we hope to appropriate before the Judgement Seat of God.

Psalm 21/22 is actually the Psalm that Christ said from the Cross. Although it begins in a sad tone, "My God, my God why have you forsaken me?" it is a great Messianic Psalm that Christ fulfills even as He prays it on the Cross.

Psalm 50/51 is a treasure-chest of sentiments and sighs that reflect the truly penitent soul. It was sung by King David when he repented of his sin of having the husband of Bath-Sheba killed in battle so he could make his wife his own.

The more time we devote to praying and meditating on the Psalms, the more we will feel the inner rustling in our souls wherein God speaks to us, His children, and kindles joy and happiness in our hearts.

There is the Prayer of St Ephrem for the Great Fast, the Canon of St Andrew of Crete that we could say incrementally in every week of the Fast. (It is a standard prayer of preparation for Confession!).

The prayers of the Lenten Triodion that are now on-line communicate to us the spiritual insight of the Church of Christ in our time in the desert which is the Great Fast, during which we return to the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit.

There is much to choose from. We know we can't do everything, however. It is much better to choose a little and be faithful to that, allowing God to warm our minds and hearts through reflection, frequent invocation as with the Jesus Prayer.

We should also linger in an examination of our own lives, where we have been, where we are, and where we are going as far as God is concerned!

We will find that the more time we spend with God, in returning to Him in a more decisive and committed way, to walk with Him - the more we will get to know ourselves.

We might begin to see ourselves for who we really are. That can be a scary experience. But once we strip back the layers of artificiality with which we often cloak ourselves, we may even find ourselves to be entirely loveable and forgivable!

And it is then that we will be better equipped to understand others so as to forgive them and love them too!