John Chrysostom, On Anna I

the first prayer being made to the priest and the son of the priest, so that you might learn the meek and gentle disposition of the woman. And it came to pass, it says, when she continued long in prayer before the Lord, that Eli the priest watched her mouth. Here the author attests a twofold virtue in the woman, both perseverance in her prayers, and the watchfulness of her mind; the one, by saying, She continued long; the other, by adding, Before the Lord; for we all pray, but not all of us before God. For when the body is lying on the ground, and the mouth is prattling in vain, the mind wanders everywhere through the house and the marketplace, how will such a person be able to say that he prayed before God? For he prays before the Lord who gathers his soul from every side, and has nothing in common with the earth, but has transported himself to heaven itself, and has cast every human thought from his soul; just as this woman then did; for having gathered her whole self together, and having concentrated her mind, she called upon God with a soul in anguish. But how does he say that she also continued long in prayer? And yet the measure of the woman's prayer is short. For she did not draw out long speeches, nor did she extend her supplication to a great length, but she said a few and simple words. Adonai Lord Eloi Sabaoth, if you will indeed look upon the affliction of your handmaid, and remember me, and not forget your handmaid, but will give to your handmaid a man-child, I will give him before you as a gift until the day of his death. And wine and strong drink he shall not 54.646 drink, and a razor shall not come upon his head. What kind of multitude of words is this? What then did he mean by saying, She continued long? She continually uttered the same things, and did not desist, spending much time with the same words. Thus, indeed, also in the Gospels Christ commanded to pray. For having told the disciples not to pray according to the Gentiles, and not to use vain repetitions, He also taught us a measure of prayer, showing that being heard lies not in the multitude of words, but in the watchfulness of the mind. How then, he says, if one ought to pray with few words, did He tell them a parable to the effect that one must always pray, that there was a certain widow, who by the continuity of her entreaty overcame a cruel and inhuman judge, who had neither fear of God nor regard for men, by the frequency of her approach? And how does Paul also exhort, saying, Continuing steadfastly in prayer, and again, Pray without ceasing? For if one ought not to draw out long speeches, and yet pray continually, the one is contrary to the other. But it is not contrary, God forbid, but even exceedingly consistent. For both Christ and Paul commanded that prayers be made short and frequent, with short intervals. For if you extend your speech to a great length, often becoming heedless, you have given much opportunity for the devil to approach and to trip you up, and to lead your mind away from what is being said; but if you make your prayers continuous and frequent, taking up all the time with their frequency, you will be able to be sober-minded easily, and you will make the prayers themselves with much watchfulness. This is indeed what she also did, not drawing out long speeches, but approaching God often and more frequently. Then, since the priest silenced her—for this is the meaning of, He watched her mouth, and her lips moved, but her voice was not heard—she was constrained both to obey the priest, and to desist from her prayer. Her voice, therefore, was silenced, but her boldness was not silenced, but her heart cried out the more within. For this is prayer in the highest degree, when the cries are offered up within; this is especially the mark of a soul that has laboured, to display its prayer not by the tone of the voice, but by the eagerness of the mind. 3. Thus also did Moses pray; wherefore, though he uttered nothing, God says, Why do you cry to me? For men hear only this voice, but God, before this, hears those crying from within. It is possible, then, both to be heard without crying out, and while walking in the marketplace to pray in one's mind with great precision, and with friends

τὴν πρώτην εὐχὴν πρὸς τὸν ἱερέα καὶ τὸν παῖδα τοῦ ἱερέως γενομένων, ἵνα μάθητε τὸ πρᾶον καὶ τὸ ἥμερον φρόνημα τῆς γυναικός. Καὶ ἐγένετο, φησὶν, ὅτε ἐπλήθυνε προσευχομένη ἐνώπιον Κυρίου, καὶ Ἠλεὶ ὁ ἱερεὺς ἐφύλασσε τὸ στόμα αὐτῆς. ∆ιπλῆν ἐνταῦθα ὁ συγγραφεὺς ἀρετὴν μαρτυρεῖ τῇ γυναικὶ, καὶ τὴν καρτερίαν τὴν ἐν ταῖς εὐχαῖς, καὶ τὸ τῆς διανοίας ἐγρηγορός· τὸ μὲν, διὰ τοῦ εἰπεῖν, Ἐπλήθυνε· τὸ δὲ, διὰ τοῦ προσθεῖναι, Ἐνώπιον Κυρίου· πάντες μὲν γὰρ εὐχόμεθα, ἀλλ' οὐ πάντες ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὅταν γὰρ τοῦ σώματος ἐπὶ γῆς κειμένου, καὶ τοῦ στόματος εἰκῆ ληροῦντος, ἡ διάνοια πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκίας καὶ τῆς ἀγορᾶς περιέρχηται, πῶς ὁ τοιοῦτος δυνήσεται εἰπεῖν, ὅτι ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ ηὔξατο; Ἐνώπιον γὰρ Κυρίου εὔχεται ὁ πάντοθεν ἑαυτοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν συλλέγων, καὶ μηδὲν ἔχων κοινὸν πρὸς τὴν γῆν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς αὐτὸν τὸν οὐρανὸν ἑαυτὸν μετοικίσας, καὶ πάντα ἀνθρώπινον λογισμὸν ἀπὸ τῆς ψυχῆς ἐκβαλών· καθάπερ οὖν καὶ αὕτη ἡ γυνὴ ἐποίησε τότε· ὅλην γὰρ ἑαυτὴν συναγαγοῦσα, καὶ συντείνασα τὴν διάνοιαν, ἐκάλει τὸν Θεὸν μετ' ὀδυνωμένης ψυχῆς. Πῶς δέ φησιν, ὅτι καὶ ἐπλήθυνε τὴν εὐχήν; καίτοι γε βραχὺ τὸ μέτρον τῆς εὐχῆς τῆς γυναικός. Οὐ γὰρ μακροὺς ἀπέτεινε λόγους, οὐδὲ εἰς μῆκος τὴν ἱκετηρίαν ἐξέτεινεν, ἀλλ' ὀλίγα καὶ ψιλὰ εἶπε ῥήματα. Ἀδωναῒ Κύριε Ἐλωῒ Σαβαὼθ, ἐὰν ἐπιβλέπων ἐπιβλέψῃς ἐπὶ τὴν ταπείνωσιν τῆς δούλης σου, καὶ μνησθῇς μου, μὴ ἐπιλάθῃς τῆς δούλης σου, καὶ δῷς τῇ δούλῃ σου σπέρμα ἀνδρὸς, δώσω αὐτὸ ἐνώπιόν σου δοτὸν ἕως ἡμέρας θανάτου αὐτοῦ. Καὶ οἶνον καὶ μέθυσμα οὐ μὴ 54.646 πίεται, καὶ σίδηρος οὐκ ἀναβήσεται ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ. Ποῖον τοῦτο πλῆθος ῥημάτων; Τί ποτ' οὖν ᾐνίξατο εἰπὼν, Ἐπλήθυνε; Συνεχῶς τὰ αὐτὰ ἐφθέγγετο, καὶ οὐκ ἀφίστατο πολὺν δαπανῶσα χρόνον διὰ τῶν αὐτῶν ῥημάτων. Οὕτω γοῦν καὶ ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις ὁ Χριστὸς ἐπέταξεν εὔχεσθαι. Εἰπὼν γὰρ τοῖς μαθηταῖς, μὴ κατὰ τοὺς ἐθνικοὺς εὔχεσθαι, καὶ μὴ βαττολογεῖν, καὶ μέτρον ἡμᾶς εὐχῆς ἐδίδαξε· δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐκ ἐν τῷ πλήθει τῶν ῥημάτων, ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ νήψει τῆς διανοίας κεῖται τὸ ἀκουσθῆναι. Πῶς οὖν, φησὶν, εἰ ὀλίγα δεῖ εὔχεσθαι, παραβολὴν εἶπεν αὐτοῖς πρὸς τὸ δεῖν ἀεὶ προσεύχεσθαι, ὅτι χήρα τις ἦν, ἣ τῇ συνεχείᾳ τῆς ἐντεύξεως ὠμὸν δικαστὴν καὶ ἀπάνθρωπον, οὔτε Θεοῦ φόβον, οὔτε ἀνθρώπων ἔχοντα αἰδῶ, τῇ πυκνότητι τῆς προσόδου κατέκαμψε; Πῶς δὲ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος παραινεῖ λέγων, Τῇ προσευχῇ προσκαρτεροῦντες, καὶ πάλιν, Ἀδιαλείπτως προσεύχεσθε; Εἰ γὰρ δεῖ μὴ μακροὺς ἀποτείνειν λόγους, καὶ συνεχῶς εὔχεσθαι, ἐναντίον τοῦτο ἐκείνου. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστιν ἐναντίον, μὴ γένοιτο, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα συμβαῖνον. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς καὶ ὁ Παῦλος βραχείας καὶ πυκνὰς ποιεῖσθαι τὰς εὐχὰς ἐκέλευσαν ἐξ ὀλίγων διαλειμμάτων. Ἂν μὲν γὰρ εἰς μῆκος ἐκτείνῃ τὸν λόγον, ὀλιγωρήσας πολλάκις, πολλὴν ἔδωκας τὴν ἄδειαν τῷ διαβόλῳ προσελθεῖν, καὶ ὑποσκελίσαι, καὶ τὴν διάνοιαν ἀπαγαγεῖν τῶν λεγομένων· ἂν δὲ συνεχεῖς καὶ πυκνὰς ποιῇς τὰς εὐχὰς, τὸν καιρὸν ἅπαντα τῇ πυκνότητι διαλαμβάνων, δυνήσῃ σωφρονεῖν εὐκόλως, αὐτάς τε τὰς εὐχὰς μετὰ πολλῆς ποιήσῃ τῆς νήψεως. Ὃ δὴ καὶ αὕτη ἐποίει, οὐ μακροὺς ἀποτείνουσα λόγους, ἀλλὰ συχνῶς καὶ πυκνότερον προσιοῦσα τῷ Θεῷ. Εἶτα ἐπειδὴ ἐπεστόμισεν αὐτὴν ὁ ἱερεύς· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ, Ἐφύλασσε τὸ στόμα αὐτῆς, καὶ τὰ χείλη αὐτῆς ἐκινεῖτο, φωνὴ δὲ αὐτῆς οὐκ ἠκούετο· ἐβιάσατο καὶ ὑπακοῦσαι τῷ ἱερεῖ, καὶ τῆς εὐχῆς ἀποστῆναι. Ἐπεστόμιστο οὖν αὐτῆς ἡ φωνὴ, οὐκ ἐπεστόμιστο δὲ ἡ παῤῥησία, ἀλλὰ μειζόνως ἡ καρδία ἔνδον ἐβόα. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι μάλιστα εὐχὴ, ὅταν ἔνδον αἱ βοαὶ ἀναφέρωνται· τοῦτο μάλιστα ψυχῆς πεπονημένης, μὴ τῷ τόνῳ τῆς φωνῆς, ἀλλὰ τῇ προθυμίᾳ τῆς διανοίας τὴν εὐχὴν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι. γʹ. Οὕτω καὶ Μωϋσῆς ηὔχετο· διὸ καὶ μηδὲν αὐτοῦ φθεγγομένου, φησὶν ὁ Θεὸς, Τί βοᾷς πρός με; Ἄνθρωποι μὲν γὰρ ταύτης μόνον ἐπακούουσι τῆς φωνῆς. ὁ δὲ Θεὸς πρὸ ταύτης τῶν ἔνδοθεν κραζόντων ἀκούει. Ἄρα ἔστι καὶ μὴ κράζοντας ἀκούεσθαι, καὶ ἐπ' ἀγορᾶς βαδίζοντας εὔχεσθαι κατὰ διάνοιαν μετὰ πολλῆς ἀκριβείας, καὶ μετὰ φίλων