• Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.

The Philokalia

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Status
Not open for further replies.
Sort by date Sort by votes

Rising_Suns

'Christ's desolate heart is in need of comfort'
Jul 14, 2002
10,836
793
45
Saint Louis, MO
✟31,835.00
Faith
Catholic

I understand this heather, thank you. But I was also under the impression that the wisdom of the Fathers in the Philokalia can be applied to the life of laypeople as well. Atleast, that is what I read in The Way of the Pilgrim. Maybe not to the same level of devotion that a monastic would, but certainly a layperson can appreciate and benefit from saying the Jesus prayer in their every day lives. But I do understand the concern to be fully prepared before hand, considering great wisdom in this book.

Thank you all for the information. It is much appreciated.
 
Upvote 0

MariaRegina

Well-Known Member
Jun 26, 2003
53,283
14,159
Visit site
✟115,460.00
Faith
Eastern Orthodox
Marital Status
Married
Dear Davide:

Have you ever read the book The Mountain of Silence by Kyriakos Markides (available through Amazon.com)? It talks about the difficulty some lay people have when they say the Jesus Prayer which can interfere with their work. In fact, a college professor was instructed not to pray the Jesus Prayer while he was lecturing.

I had the same experience with the Hail Mary when I was in the fourth grade. I was praying that my team would win the religion tournament - we were divided into two teams and it was an oral exam. I was petrified. So I prayed the Rosary. When it came my time to answer a question, all I could do was pray the Hail Mary. So I was disqualified to my team's great dismay.

Hope this helps.
Elizabeth
 
Upvote 0

Rising_Suns

'Christ's desolate heart is in need of comfort'
Jul 14, 2002
10,836
793
45
Saint Louis, MO
✟31,835.00
Faith
Catholic
Elizabeth,
yes thank you. I do see the problem that can arise when one tries to do a lecture and pray at the same time. Or atleast, when you pray with your mouth. But I would be carefull not to use that as a reason to not try to apply interior prayer to our lives. Yes, it may begin as saying words with our mouth, and it may seem cumbersome and difficult when doing other things at the same time, but with some devotion and discipline, the words from our mouth will be transposed to our heart, and we will not need to verbally speak the words anymore. As our heart beats, the words; "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me" will naturally flow and conform to the continual and ceaseless beat of our hearts. And it's at this point, when you are always in a state of prayer, that you can do everything for the glory of God, including giving a lecture.

(atleast, this is what I have read from my research thus far. I have not yet completely devoted myself to the Jesus prayer yet, but I plan to give it all that I have in due time).
 
Upvote 0
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

From AI to the White Sox: Pope Leo XIV’s first 100 days break new ground
Replies
0
Views
108
One Bread, One Body - Catholic
Michie
The Miracle That Gave the Miraculous Medal Its Name
Replies
0
Views
82
One Bread, One Body - Catholic
Michie
The Miracle That Gave the Miraculous Medal Its Name
Replies
0
Views
78
One Bread, One Body - Catholic
Michie
Pope Leo calls for ‘path to unity’ in meeting Orthodox and Catholic pilgrims from the U.S.
Replies
2
Views
165
One Bread, One Body - Catholic
RileyG
WHAT'S YOUR OPINION ON ENCOUNTER MINISTRIES AND THE FLAME OF LOVE MOVEMENT?
Replies
0
Views
151
One Bread, One Body - Catholic
Michie
Menu
Log in
Register