Continuing discussion on prayer, drawing on materials from the talk I gave to the Orthodox youth at last weekend’s festival for the altar-feast of the Romanian parish, I should like to share some thoughts on preparing to pray, and as we celebrate the feast of St Theophan the Recluse, we may profit from his guidance on prayer.Continue reading
Category Archives: Uncategorized
The inner experience of prayer.
Dear brothers and sisters,
As we begin the Apostles’ Fast, I thought I would post some thoughts on prayer that I shared at the Romanian youth meeting which I and some of our young parishioners attended on Saturday evening.
For that occasion, I decided to talk about prayer, knowing that we often have a rather two-dimensional understanding of what prayer actually is. We think of prayer as something that we do, or say, but the whole challenge of Orthodox Christian living is to make our whole life into prayer… so prayer is something that we become.Continue reading
“Do not Seek Enjoyment in Prayer” – St. Ignatiy (Brianchaninov)
The soul of prayer is attention. Just as the body is dead without the soul, prayer without attention is dead. The spoken prayer turns into empty words without attention and the one who prays is counted amongst those who take the Lord’s name in vain.Continue reading
14/27 June: The Sunday of All Saints at St John’s
Dear brothers and sisters,
This coming weekend, we will celebrate the Sunday of All Saints with Small Compline and confessions at 16:30 on Saturday afternoon, and the Hours and Liturgy on Sunday morning at 11:00.Continue reading
A prayer of our holy father St. Isaac the Syrian
Lord Jesus Christ, my God: Thou didst weep for Lazarus and shed tears of sorrow and compassion for him. Continue reading
Pentecost-Trinity
Dear brothers and sisters,
This is a reminder that the service at tea-time today will be vespers, rather than compline. Confessions will be heard after the service, and I must thank all who visited the chaplaincy for confessions, yesterday. Confessing so many parishioners throughout the day was extremely helpful, given the busyness of this festal weekend.
BLESSED ARE YOU, O UPPER ROOM!
Blessed are you, O Upper Room, so small
in comparison to the entirety of creation;
yet what took place in you
now fills all creation –
which is even too small for it.
Blessed is your abode, for in it was broken
that Bread which issues
from the blessed Wheat Sheaf,
and in you was trodden out
the Cluster of Grapes that came from Mary
to become the Cup of Salvation.
Blessed are you, O Upper Room;
no-one has ever seen
nor ever shall see, what you beheld:
Our Lord became at once
The Altar, Priest, Bread, and Cup of Salvation.
In His own person
He could fulfil all these roles;
none other was capable of this:
Whole Offering and Lamb,
Sacrifice and Sacrificer,
Priest and the One destined to be consumed.
St Ephrem the Syrian