John Chrysostom, On Prayer

it will be opened to you; For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. And again elsewhere: "What man is there among you," he says, "who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him? With such words and such hopes the Lord of all has called us to prayer; and it is fitting for us, obeying God, to live always in hymns and prayers, holding more precisely to the worship of God than to our own soul; for thus it will be ours to live always the life that is fitting for human beings. For whoever does not pray to God, nor desires to enjoy divine conversation continually, is dead and soulless, and does not partake of understanding. For this very thing is the greatest sign of foolishness: not to know the greatness of the honor, nor to love prayer, nor to consider it the death of the soul not to worship God. For just as this body of ours, when the soul is not present, is dead and foul-smelling; so a soul, not moving itself to prayer, is dead, and wretched, and foul-smelling. But indeed that one ought to consider being deprived of prayer more bitter than any death, Daniel, the great prophet, teaches us well, choosing rather to die than to be deprived of prayer for only three days. For the king of the Persians did not command him to be impious, but for only three days was seeking to find an accusation. For without the divine impulse, none of the good things would come into our souls; but the impulse of God assists our labors, and lightens them well, if it sees us loving prayer, and continually beseeching God, and expecting all good things to come down from there. Therefore, when I see someone not loving prayer, nor having a warm and intense love for it, it is already clear to me that this person possesses nothing noble in his soul. But when I see someone insatiably holding to the worship of God, and counting not praying continually among the greatest of losses, I conclude that such a person is a steadfast practitioner of every virtue, and a temple of God. For if a man's attire, and the step of his foot, and the laughter of his teeth, announce things about him, according to the wise Solomon, much more are prayer and the worship of God a sign of all righteousness, being a certain 50.777 spiritual and divine garment, pouring much comeliness and beauty upon our minds, ordering the life of each person, not allowing anything base or improper to have power over the mind, persuading one to revere God and the honor from Him, teaching one to send away all the sorcery of the Evil One, driving out shameful and improper thoughts, setting the soul of each person in contempt of pleasure. For this pride alone is fitting for those who worship Christ, to be a slave to nothing shameful, but to keep the soul in freedom and a purified life. That it is, therefore, completely impossible to live with virtue without prayer, and to journey through life with it, I think is clear to all. For how could anyone practice virtue without continually approaching and falling down before its provider and giver? And how could anyone desire to be temperate and just, without gladly conversing with the One who demands these things and more than these from us? But I wish to show in brief that even if prayers find us full of sins, they quickly cleanse us. And yet what could be greater or more divine than prayer, when it appears to be a certain antidote for those whose souls are sick? Accordingly, the Ninevites are the first who appear to have dissolved their many sins against God through prayer. For as soon as prayer took hold of them, it both made them righteous, and a city accustomed to living with licentiousness and wickedness and a lawless life,

ἀνοιγήσεται ὑμῖν· Πᾶς γὰρ ὁ αἰτῶν λαμβάνει, καὶ ὁ ζητῶν εὑρίσκει, καὶ τῷ κρούοντι ἀνοιγήσεται. Καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ πάλιν· Τίς ἐστι, φησὶν, ἐξ ὑμῶν, ὃν ἐὰν αἰτήσῃ ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ ἄρτον, μὴ λίθον ἐπιδώσει αὐτῷ; ἢ ἐὰν ἰχθὺν αἰτήσῃ, μὴ ὄφιν ἐπιδώσει αὐτῷ; Εἰ οὖν ὑμεῖς, πονηροὶ ὄντες, οἴδατε δόματα ἀγαθὰ διδόναι τοῖς τέκνοις ὑμῶν, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ὁ Πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος δώσει Πνεῦμα ἅγιον τοῖς αἰτοῦσιν αὐτόν; Τοιούτοις μὲν λόγοις καὶ τοιαύταις ἐλπίσιν ἐπὶ προσευχὴν παρεκάλεσεν ἡμᾶς ὁ τῶν ὅλων Κύριος· ἡμᾶς δὲ προσήκει τῷ Θεῷ πειθομένους ἀεὶ ζῇν ἐν ὕμνοις καὶ προσευχαῖς, ἀκριβέστερον τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ λατρείας ἐχομένους, ἢ τῆς ἑαυτῶν ψυχῆς· οὕτω γὰρ ἡμῖν ὑπάρξειε ζῇν ἀεὶ τὴν πρέπουσαν ἀνθρώποις ζωήν. Ὅστις γὰρ οὐ προσεύχεται τῷ Θεῷ, οὐδὲ θείας ὁμιλίας ἀπολαύειν ἐπιθυμεῖ συνεχῶς, νεκρός ἐστι καὶ ἄψυχος, καὶ οὐ μετέχει τοῦ φρονεῖν. Αὐτὸ γὰρ τοῦτο μέγιστον ἀφροσύνης σημεῖον, τὸ μὴ ἐπίστασθαι τὸ μέγεθος τῆς τιμῆς, μηδὲ ἐρᾷν προσευχῆς, μηδὲ θάνατον ἡγεῖσθαι ψυχῆς τὸ μὴ προσκυνεῖν τῷ Θεῷ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸ σῶμα τοῦτο τὸ ἡμέτερον, ψυχῆς μὴ παρούσης, νεκρόν ἐστι καὶ δυσῶδες· οὕτω ψυχὴ, μὴ κινοῦσα ἑαυτὴν εἰς προσευχὴν, νεκρά ἐστι, καὶ ἀθλία, καὶ δυσώδης. Ἀλλὰ μὴν ὅτι γε θανάτου παντὸς πικρότερον ἡγεῖσθαι προσήκει στερηθῆναι προσευχῆς, διδάσκει καλῶς ἡμᾶς ∆ανιὴλ, ὁ μέγας προφήτης, μᾶλλον δὲ ἑλόμενος ἀποθανεῖν, ἢ τρεῖς ἡμέρας μόνας στερηθῆναι προσευχῆς. Οὐ γὰρ ἀσεβῆσαι τούτῳ προσέταξεν ὁ τῶν Περσῶν βασιλεὺς, ἀλλὰ τρεῖς ἡμέρας μόνον σκοπούμενος εὑρεῖν. Ἄνευ γὰρ τῆς θείας ῥοπῆς οὐκ ἄν τι τῶν ἀγαθῶν εἰς τὰς ἡμετέρας ἔλθοι ψυχάς· Θεοῦ δὲ ῥοπὴ συνεφάπτεται τῶν πόνων ἡμῖν, καὶ τούτους ἐπικουφίζει καλῶς, ἂν ἴδῃ προσευχὴν ἀγαπῶντας, καὶ συνεχῶς τοῦ Θεοῦ δεομένους, καὶ πάντα ἐκεῖθεν τὰ ἀγαθὰ καταβήσεσθαι προσδοκῶντας. Ὅταν οὖν ἴδω τινὰ μὴ φιλοῦντα προσευχὴν, μηδὲ θερμὸν ἔρωτα ταύτης ἔχοντα καὶ σφοδρὸν, ἤδη μοι οὗτος δῆλός ἐστιν ὡς οὐδὲν γενναῖον ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ κέκτηται. Ὅταν δὲ ἴδω τινὰ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ λατρείας ἀκορέστως ἐχόμενον, καὶ τὸ μὴ προσεύχεσθαι συνεχῶς ἐν ταῖς μεγίσταις ἀριθμοῦντα ζημίαις, τεκμαίρομαι τὸν τοιοῦτον πάσης ἀρετῆς ἀσκητὴν εἶναι βέβαιον, καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ ναόν. Εἰ γὰρ στολισμὸς ἀνδρὸς, καὶ βῆμα ποδὸς, καὶ γέλως ὀδόντων ἀναγγέλλει τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ, κατὰ τὸν σοφὸν Σολομῶντα, πολλῷ μᾶλλον εὐχὴ καὶ ἡ λατρεία Θεοῦ σημεῖόν ἐστι δικαιοσύνης ἁπάσης, στολή τις 50.777 οὖσα πνευματικὴ καὶ θεία, πολλὴν εὐμορφίαν καὶ κάλλος καταχέουσα ταῖς ἡμετέραις διανοίαις, τὸν ἑκάστου ῥυθμίζουσα βίον, οὐκ ἐῶσα φαῦλον οὐδὲν οὐδὲ ἄτοπον τῆς διανοίας κρατεῖν, αἰδεῖσθαι πείθουσα τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ τὴν παρ' αὐτοῦ τιμὴν, πᾶσαν τοῦ Πονηροῦ γοητείαν ἀποπέμπεσθαι παιδεύουσα, τοὺς αἰσχροὺς καὶ ἀτόπους ἐξελαύνουσα λογισμοὺς, ἐν ὑπεροψίᾳ τῆς ἡδονῆς καθιστῶσα τὴν ἑκάστου ψυχήν. Αὕτη γὰρ ἡ ὑπερηφανία μόνη πρέπει τοῖς τὸν Χριστὸν σεβομένοις, τὸ μηδενὶ δουλεύειν αἰσχρῷ, ἀλλὰ τηρεῖν ἐν ἐλευθερίᾳ τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ βίῳ κεκαθαρμένῳ. Ὅτι μὲν οὖν παντελῶς ἀμήχανον ἄνευ προσευχῆς ἀρετῇ συζῇν, καὶ μετὰ ταύτης πορεύεσθαι τὸν βίον, οἶμαι δῆλον ἅπασιν εἶναι. Πῶς γὰρ ἄν τις ἀρετὴν ἀσκήσειε μὴ προσιὼν καὶ προσπίπτων συνεχῶς τῷ ταύτης χορηγῷ καὶ δοτῆρι; πῶς δὲ ἄν τις ἐπιθυμήσειεν εἶναι σώφρων καὶ δίκαιος, μὴ ὁμιλῶν ἡδέως τῷ ταῦτά τε καὶ πλείω τούτων ἀπαιτοῦντι παρ' ἡμῶν; Βούλομαι δὲ ἐπιδεῖξαι διὰ βραχέων, ὅτι κἂν ἁμαρτημάτων γέμοντας αἱ προσευχαὶ λάβωσιν ἡμᾶς, ταχέως ἀποκαθαίρουσι. Καίτοι τί μεῖζον γένοιτ' ἂν προσευχῆς, ἢ θειότερον, ὅταν ἀλεξιφάρμακον φανῇ τι οὖσα τοῖς τὰς ψυχὰς νοσοῦσιν; Οὐκοῦν πρῶτοι Νινευῗται φαίνονται διὰ προσευχῆς ἀναλυσάμενοι τὰς πολλὰς πρὸς Θεὸν ἁμαρτίας. Ἅμα τε γὰρ ἔλαβεν αὐτοὺς ἡ προσευχὴ, καὶ δικαίους ἐποίησε, καὶ πόλιν εἰθισμένην ἀκολασίᾳ καὶ πονηρίᾳ καὶ παρανόμῳ βίῳ συζῇν,