John Chrysostom, On Prayer

he says, and the earth is my footstool. What house will you build for me? says the Lord; or what is the place of my rest? But nevertheless Paul builds a house through holy prayers. I bend, he says, my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And indeed from that one might see the power of holy prayers, that Paul, who ran as if winged through the whole world, and inhabited a prison, and endured scourgings, and wore a chain, and lived in blood and dangers, and drove out demons, and raised the dead, and stopped illnesses, trusted in none of these things for the salvation of men, but fortified the earth with prayers, and after the signs and the resurrection of the dead, he ran to prayers, like some athlete to the wrestling school from a crown. For prayer is the provider both of the resurrection of the dead and of all other things; and rightly so; for the power that water has for trees, this prayers have for the life of the saints. By watering his soul during this night, Paul, 50.784 endured all terrible things with ease, offering his back to the blows like a statue. Thus in Macedonia he shook the prison; thus he broke the chains with prayers as a lion; thus he snatched the keeper of the prison from error; thus he destroyed the tyranny of demons. And indeed we know those things, which he writes to all men: Persevere in prayer, being watchful in it, with thanksgiving, praying at the same time also for me, that a word may be given to me in the opening of my mouth with boldness, to speak the mystery of the Gospel. What do you say? Do prayers give us so much boldness, as to dare to beseech God for Paul? What soldier dares to entreat the king for the great general? And yet no general is so much a friend to the king as Paul is to God; but nevertheless prayers bring us to such honor, as to dare to beseech God for Paul. Thus also Peter the great, brighter than heaven, escaped the prison, most of all indeed through his own virtue, and the common salvation of men, but then also the prayer of the Church quickly opened the closed doors of the prison. For not in vain did Luke add that prayer was made without ceasing by the whole Church for Peter, but so that we might learn how much strength prayers possess in the heavens, so as to deliver Paul and Peter from dangers, the pillars of the Church, the chiefs of the apostles, renowned in heaven, the wall of the world, the common protection of all land and sea. Tell me, how did Moses save Israel in wars? Did he not hand over the weapons and the army to his disciple, while he himself set up his prayers against the multitude of the adversaries? teaching us that the prayers of the righteous have a much greater power than weapons, and horses, and money, and armies. For this reason also the whole army, and many myriads, had their hope of salvation in the prayer of the prophet; for when Moses prayed, the Jews prevailed, but when he ceased from prayer, they were inferior to their adversaries. So also we, when we pray, shall easily prevail over the devil, but when we are indolent, we exercise the Evil One against ourselves. And indeed Moses saved the people who had sinned through prayer alone, and through it alone he obtained divine visions and countless good things. For it made his life similar to those who dwell in heaven. Prayer rebuked the power of fire, and tamed lions; the one in the case of Daniel, the other it accomplished in the case of the three young men. Through which, I think, it has also made clear to all, that it easily snatches all whom it finds in danger from the impending terrors. Prayer

φησὶν, ἡ δὲ γῆ ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν μου. Ποῖον οἶκον οἰκοδομήσετέ μοι; λέγει Κύριος· ἢ τίς τόπος τῆς καταπαύσεώς μου; Ἀλλ' ὅμως οἶκον ὁ Παῦλος οἰκοδομεῖ διὰ τῶν ἁγίων εὐχῶν. Κάμπτω, φησὶ, τὰ γόνατά μου πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἵνα κατοικήσῃ ὁ Χριστὸς διὰ τῆς πίστεως ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν. Καὶ μὴν κἀκεῖθεν ἴδοι τις ἂν τὴν δύναμιν τῶν ἁγίων εὐχῶν, ὅτι Παῦλος ὁ διὰ πάσης τῆς οἰκουμένης ὥσπερ ὑπόπτερος τρέχων, καὶ δεσμωτήριον οἰκῶν, καὶ μάστιγας ὑπομένων, καὶ φορῶν ἅλυσιν, καὶ ζῶν ἐν αἵματι καὶ κινδύνοις, καὶ δαίμονας ἐλαύνων, καὶ νεκροὺς ἐγείρων, καὶ παύων ἀῤῥωστήματα, οὐδενὶ τούτων ἐθάῤῥησεν εἰς σωτηρίαν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλὰ ταῖς προσευχαῖς ἐτείχισε τὴν γῆν, καὶ μετὰ τὰ σημεῖα καὶ τὴν τῶν νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν, ἐπὶ τὰς προσευχὰς ἔτρεχεν, ὥσπερ τις ἀθλητὴς ἐπὶ παλαίστραν ἀπὸ στεφάνου. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως τῶν νεκρῶν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων ἡ προσευχὴ χορηγός· καὶ εἰκότως· ἣν γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν δένδρων ἰσχὺν ἔχει τὰ ὕδατα, ταύτην ἐπὶ τοῦ βίου τῶν ἁγίων αἱ προσευχαί. Ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ ταύτῃ ἄρδων τὴν ψυχὴν ὁ Παῦλος, 50.784 πάντα ὑπέμενεν εὐχερῶς τὰ δεινὰ, παρέχων τὰ νῶτα ταῖς πληγαῖς ὥσπερ ἀνδριάς. Οὕτως ἐν Μακεδονίᾳ τὸ δεσμωτήριον ἔσεισεν· οὕτω τὰ δεσμὰ διέῤῥηξεν ὥσπερ λέων ταῖς προσευχαῖς· οὕτω τὸν τοῦ δεσμωτηρίου φύλακα τῆς πλάνης ἐξήρπασεν· οὕτω τὴν τυραννίδα τῶν δαιμόνων κατέλυσε. Καὶ μὴν κἀκεῖνά γε ἴσμεν, ἃ γράφει πρὸς πάντας ἀνθρώπους· Τῇ προσευχῇ προσκαρτερεῖτε, γρηγοροῦντες ἐν αὐτῇ, ἐν εὐχαριστίᾳ, προσευχόμενοι ἅμα καὶ περὶ ἐμοῦ, ἵνα μοι δοθῇ λόγος ἐν ἀνοίξει τοῦ στόματός μου ἐν παῤῥησίᾳ, λαλῆσαι τὸ μυστήριον τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου. Τί λέγεις; τοσαύτην ἡμῖν παῤῥησίαν αἱ προσευχαὶ διδόασιν, ὡς ὑπὲρ Παύλου τολμᾷν τὸν Θεὸν ἱκετεύειν; τίς τολμᾷ στρατιώτης ὑπὲρ τοῦ μεγάλου στρατηγοῦ τὸν βασιλέα παρακαλεῖν; Καίτοι γε οὐδεὶς οὕτω στρατηγὸς τῷ βασιλεῖ φίλος, ὡς Παῦλος τῷ Θεῷ· ἀλλ' ὅμως εἰς τοσαύτην ἄγουσιν ἡμᾶς αἱ προσευχαὶ τιμὴν, ὡς ὑπὲρ Παύλου τολμᾷν τὸν Θεὸν ἱκετεύειν. Οὕτω καὶ Πέτρος ὁ μέγας, ὁ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ λαμπρότερος, τὸ δεσμωτήριον διέφυγε, μάλιστα μὲν διὰ τὴν οἰκείαν ἀρετὴν, καὶ τὴν κοινὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων σωτηρίαν, ἔπειτα μέντοι καὶ ἡ προσευχὴ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας κεκλεισμένας τοῦ δεσμωτηρίου τὰς θύρας ταχέως ἀνέῳξεν. Οὐ γὰρ εἰκῆ προσέγραψεν ὁ Λουκᾶς, ὅτι Προσευχὴ δὲ ἦν ἐκτενὴς ὅλης τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ὑπὲρ τοῦ Πέτρου, ἀλλ' ἵνα μάθωμεν ἡμεῖς, ὅσην ἰσχὺν ἐν οὐρανοῖς αἱ προσευχαὶ κέκτηνται, ὡς Παῦλον καὶ Πέτρον κινδύνων ἀπαλλάττειν, τοὺς στύλους τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, τοὺς κορυφαίους τῶν ἀποστόλων, τοὺς περιβοήτους ἐν οὐρανῷ, τὸ τεῖχος τῆς οἰκουμένης, τὸ κοινὸν φυλακτήριον πάσης γῆς καὶ θαλάττης. Εἰπέ μοι, πῶς ὁ Μωσῆς τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ἐν πολέμοις διέσωσεν; οὐ τὰ μὲν ὅπλα καὶ τὴν στρατιὰν τῷ μαθητῇ παρέδωκεν, αὐτὸς δὲ τὰς εὐχὰς ἀντέστησε τῷ πλήθει τῶν ἀντιπάλων; διδάσκων ἡμᾶς, ὅτι καὶ ὅπλων, καὶ ἵππων, καὶ χρημάτων, καὶ στρατοπέδων πολλῷ μείζονα δύναμιν ἔχουσιν αἱ προσευχαὶ τῶν δικαίων. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ πᾶς ὁ στρατὸς, καὶ πολλαὶ μυριάδες, ἐν τῇ προσευχῇ τοῦ προφήτου τὴν ἐλπίδα τῆς σωτηρίας εἶχον· προσευχομένου μὲν γὰρ τοῦ Μωσέως, ἐκράτουν Ἰουδαῖοι, πεπαυμένου δὲ τῆς προσευχῆς, ἔλαττον εἶχον τῶν ἀντιπάλων. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς προσευχόμενοι μὲν, ῥᾳδίως τοῦ διαβόλου κρατήσομεν, ῥᾳθυμοῦντες δὲ, καθ' ἑαυτῶν ἀσκοῦμεν τὸν Πονηρόν. Καὶ μὴν καὶ τὸν λαὸν ἀσεβήσαντα, διὰ προσευχῆς μόνης διέσωσε Μωσῆς, καὶ τῶν θείων ὄψεων καὶ μυρίων ἀγαθῶν διὰ ταύτης ἔτυχε μόνης. Αὕτη γὰρ αὐτῷ καὶ τὸν βίον παραπλήσιον ἐποίησε τοῖς οἰκοῦσι τὸν οὐρανόν. Προσευχὴ πυρὸς δύναμιν ἤλεγξε, καὶ λέοντας ἡμέρωσε· τὸ μὲν ἐπὶ τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ, τὸ δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν τριῶν ἐργασαμένη παίδων. ∆ι' ὧν, οἶμαι, καὶ δῆλον πεποίηκεν ἅπασιν, ὅτι πάντας, ὅσους ἂν λάβῃ κινδυνεύοντας, ῥᾳδίως ἐξαρπάζει τῶν ἐπηρτημένων δεινῶν. Προσευχὴ