John Chrysostom, On Prayer

of a profitable life, let no one use those words as a pretext for laziness. For neither can moderation alone save without the other good things, nor care for the poor, nor kindness, nor any other of the virtues, but all must come together in our souls; and prayer lies beneath as a root and foundation. And just as it makes the lower parts of a ship and a house strong and holds them together, so do prayers hold our life together; and without it, nothing good or salvific could happen to us. For this reason Paul constantly urges us, commanding and saying: Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it, with thanks50.779 giving; and elsewhere, Pray without ceasing, he says, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God; and in another place again, Pray at all times in the Spirit, being watchful for this purpose, with all perseverance and supplication. Thus with many and divine words the leader of the apostles constantly calls us to prayer. It is fitting, therefore, being taught by him, to go through life with prayer, and to water the mind continually with it; for we all men need this no less than trees need water. For neither can those bear their fruit unless they drink through their roots, nor shall we be able to teem with the most precious fruits of piety unless we are watered by prayers. Wherefore it is necessary both upon rising from bed to anticipate the sun with the worship of God, and when partaking of a meal, and when about to sleep; rather, even offering one prayer to God each hour, running an equal course with the day; and in the winter season, spending most of the night in prayers, and bending the knees with much fear, attending to sup50.780 plication, counting ourselves blessed in the worship of God. Tell me, how will you see the sun, without worshipping the one who sends the sweetest light to your eyes? how will you enjoy a meal without worshipping the giver and provider of so many good things? with what hope will you come to the time of night? what dreams do you expect to converse with, not having fortified yourself with prayers, but having come to sleep unguarded? You will be contemptible and easily captured by the most wicked demons, who go about continually lying in wait for us, to see whom they might find naked of prayer and snatch away quickly. If, then, they see us fenced in with prayers, they immediately leap away, like robbers and evildoers seeing a sword hanging over the head of a soldier. But if it happens that someone is naked of prayer, he is carried off snatched away by the demons, being thrust into sins and misfortunes and evils. Fearing all these things, we must always fortify ourselves with prayers and hymns, so that God, having mercy on all, may make us worthy of the kingdom of heaven, through his only-begotten Son, to whom be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

ON PRAYER Discourse 2. That prayer is the chief of every good, and the cause of salvation and eternal life, no one at all is ignorant; but it is necessary nevertheless to speak about the matter according to our ability, so that the discourse may make more zealous those who are accustomed to live in prayers and to attend diligently to the worship of God; while those who have lived more lazily, and have left their soul bereft of prayer, may learn the loss of the time that has passed, and not deprive themselves of salvation for the remaining part of

λυσιτελοῦντος βίου, μηδεὶς ἐπὶ προφάσει ῥᾳθυμίας ἐκείνοις κεχρήσθω τοῖς λόγοις. Οὐδὲ γὰρ σωφροσύνη μόνη δύναται σώζειν ἄνευ τῶν ἄλλων ἀγαθῶν, οὐδὲ πρόνοια πτωχῶν, οὐδὲ χρηστότης, οὐδὲ ἄλλο τι τῶν σπουδαίων, ἀλλὰ δεῖ πάντα συνδραμεῖν εἰς τὰς ἡμετέρας ψυχάς· προσευχὴ δὲ ὥσπερ ῥίζα καὶ κρηπὶς ὑπόκειται. Καὶ ὥσπερ πλοῖον καὶ οἰκίαν τὰ κάτωθεν ἰσχυρὰ ποιεῖ καὶ συνέχει, οὕτω τὸν ἡμετέρον βίον αἱ προσευχαὶ συγκρατοῦσιν· ἄνευ δὲ ταύτης οὐδὲν ἂν ἡμῖν ἀγαθὸν, οὐδὲ σωτήριον γένοιτο. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὁ Παῦλος ἔγκειται συνεχῶς ἡμῖν διακελευόμενος, καὶ λέγων· Τῇ προσευχῆ προσκαρτερεῖτε, γρηγοροῦντες ἐν αὐτῇ, ἐν εὐχα50.779 ριστίᾳ· καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ, Ἀδιαλείπτως προσεύχεσθε, φησὶν, ἐν παντὶ εὐχαριστοῦντες· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι θέλημα Θεοῦ· καὶ ἑτέρωθι πάλιν, Προσεύχεσθε ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ ἐν πνεύματι, εἰς αὐτὸ ἀγρυπνοῦντες, ἐν πάσῃ προσκαρτερήσει καὶ δεήσει. Οὕτω πολλαῖς καὶ θείαις φωναῖς ἐπὶ προσευχὴν ἡμᾶς καλεῖ συνεχῶς ὁ τῶν ἀποστόλων ἡγεμών. Προσήκει τοίνυν ὑπ' ἐκείνου παιδευομένους, μετὰ προσευχῆς πορεύεσθαι τὸν βίον, καὶ ταύτῃ συνεχῶς τὴν διάνοιαν ἄρδειν· χρῄζομεν γὰρ οἱ πάντες ἄνθρωποι ταύτης οὐχ ἧττον, ἢ τὰ δένδρα τῶν ὑδάτων. Οὔτε γὰρ ἐκεῖνα δύνανται ἐκφέρειν τοὺς καρποὺς, μὴ πίνοντα διὰ τῶν ῥιζῶν, οὔτε ἡμεῖς τοῖς πολυτιμήτοις καρποῖς τῆς εὐσεβείας δυνησόμεθα βρύειν, μὴ ταῖς προσευχαῖς ἀρδόμενοι. ∆ι' ὅπερ χρὴ καὶ τῆς κλίνης ἀπανισταμένους φθάνειν ἀεὶ τὸν ἥλιον τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ λατρείᾳ, καὶ τραπέζης ἁπτομένους, καὶ καθεύδειν μέλλοντας· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην ὥραν μίαν προσευχὴν τῷ Θεῷ προσφέροντας, ἴσον τῇ ἡμέρᾳ δρόμον τρέχοντας· ἐν δέ γε τῇ τοῦ χειμῶνος ὥρᾳ, καὶ τῆς νυκτὸς τὸ πλεῖστον μέρος εἰς προσευχὰς ἀναλίσκοντας, καὶ τὰ γόνατα κάμπτοντας σὺν πολλῷ τῷ φόβῳ τῇ δεήσει προσ50.780 έχοντας, μακαρίζοντας ἑαυτοὺς ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ λατρείᾳ. Εἰπέ μοι πῶς ὄψει τὸν ἥλιον, μὴ προσκυνήσας τὸν πέμποντα τοῖς σοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς γλυκύτατον φῶς; πῶς ἀπολαύσεις τραπέζης, μὴ προσκυνήσας τὸν τοσούτων ἀγαθῶν δοτῆρα καὶ χορηγόν; μετὰ ποίας ἐλπίδος ἐπὶ τὸν τῆς νυκτὸς ἥξεις καιρόν; ποίοις προσδοκᾷς ὀνείρασιν ὁμιλῆσαι, μὴ τειχίσας σαυτὸν προσευχαῖς, ἀλλ' ἀφύλακτος ἐπὶ τὸν ὕπνον ἐλθών; Εὐκαταφρόνητος καὶ εὐάλωτος τοῖς πονηροτάτοις δαίμοσιν ἔσῃ, οἳ περιέρχονται συνεχῶς καιροφυλακτοῦντες ἡμᾶς, τίνα λαβόντες γυμνὸν προσευχῆς ἀναρπάσαιεν ὀξέως. Ἂν μὲν οὖν ἴδωσιν ἡμᾶς πεφραγμένους ταῖς προσευχαῖς, ἀποπηδῶσιν εὐθέως, ὥσπερ λῃσταὶ καὶ κακοῦργοι, πρὸς τῇ κεφαλῇ τοῦ στρατιώτου ξίφος ὁρῶντες κρεμάμενον. Ἂν δ' ἄρα συμβῇ τινα γυμνὸν εἶναι προσευχῆς, οὗτος ἀνάρπαστος ὑπὸ τῶν δαιμόνων φέρεται, εἰς ἁμαρτίας ὠθούμενος καὶ συμφορὰς καὶ κακά. Ταῦτα δεῖ πάντα φοβουμένους ἡμᾶς, προσευχαῖς καὶ ὕμνοις ἀεὶ τειχίζειν ἑαυτοὺς, ἵνα πάντας ὁ Θεὸς ἐλεήσας, ἀξίους ἀπεργάσηται τῆς τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείας, διὰ τοῦ μονογενοῦς αὐτοῦ Υἱοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΠΕΡΙ ΠΡΟΣΕΥΧΗΣ Λόγος βʹ. Ὅτι μὲν παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ κεφάλαιόν ἐστιν ἡ προσευχὴ, καὶ σωτηρίας καὶ ζωῆς αἰωνίου πρόξενος, ἀγνοεῖ τῶν ἁπάντων οὐδείς· ἀναγκαῖον δὲ ὅμως τὰ κατὰ δύναμιν λέγειν περὶ τοῦ πράγματος, ἵνα τοὺς μὲν εἰωθότας ζῇν ἐν προσευχαῖς, καὶ τῇ λατρείᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ προσέχειν ἐπιμελῶς, σπουδαιοτέρους ὁ λόγος ἀπεργάσηται· οἱ δὲ ῥᾳθυμότερον βεβιωκότες, καὶ προσευχῆς ἔρημον τὴν ψυχὴν ἀφέντες, τήν τε τοῦ παρελθόντος χρόνου ζημίαν μάθωσιν, καὶ μὴ προσαποστερήσωσιν ἑαυτοὺς τῆς σωτηρίας τὸ λειπόμενον τοῦ