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1.93 (ƒγ΄) The nature of the one praying must be well smoothed and softened, like that of children, so that, like theirs, it may readily receive the development ordained by prayer. Therefore, do not be neglectful, you who love to be joined to it.

1.94 (ƒδ΄) Not all possess the same purpose in prayer; one has one, and another another. For one prays, if it is possible, for his heart to be always with the prayer, and to ascend beyond it; another, that he may not be interrupted by thoughts in it. But all pray, either to be preserved in good things, or not to be carried away by evil things.

1.95 (ƒε΄) If it is from prayer, no one is without humility; for he who prays in humility is contrite; therefore, he who is outwardly audacious does not pray in humility.

1.96 (ƒστ΄) The one who prays, looking to the widow who brought her case against the harsh judge, should not lose heart because of the slowness of the good things of prayer.

1.97 (ƒζ΄) Prayer will not remain with you, who linger on thoughts within and conversations without; but it will be seen returning to the one who, for its sake, cuts off most things.

1.98 (ƒη΄) If the words of prayer do not penetrate into the loins of the soul, tears will not be permitted to flood the cheeks of the face.

(15∆_352> 1.99 (ƒθ΄) Tears well up for a farmer, when the seeds cast upon the earth are not in sight; but for a monk, tears gush forth, who pursues the words of prayer not without labor.

1.100 (ρ΄) Prayer is the key to the kingdom of heaven. He who possesses it as he ought, 1424 sees the good things laid up for its friends. But he who has no confidence in it considers only present things.

2.1 (ρα΄) The mind cannot say with confidence to God in the time of prayer: You have broken my bonds, to You I will offer a sacrifice of praise, unless cowardice and sloth, much sleep and gluttony, from which comes stumbling, are broken off by a desire for better things.

2.2 (ρβ΄) He who wanders in prayer stands outside the first veil; he who accomplishes it with a single thought comes within. But he alone has peered into the Holy of Holies, who with the peace of natural thoughts also contemplates the things concerning the [essence] which surpasses all understanding, and is deemed worthy of some manifestation of light from there.

2.3 (ργ΄) Whenever the soul is at leisure from external things, then something like a flame encircling it, renders it entirely red-hot like iron made so by fire, and the soul is indeed the same, but no longer tangible, just as the red-hot iron is not, to external touches.

2.4 (ρδ΄) Blessed is he who in this life has been deemed worthy to be seen thus, and to behold his own statue, by nature clay, become fiery by grace.

2.5 (ρε΄) For the beginners, the law of prayer is imposed like a master (15∆_354>; but for the advanced, it is like a love that drives a hungry man to a sumptuous feast.

2.6 (ρστ΄) For those who pursue the active life well, at one time prayer is like an overshadowing cloud, keeping burning thoughts away from them; at another, sprinkling them with drops as of tears, it shows them spiritual contemplations.

2.7 (ρζ΄) A song will be found to be a sweetening of a lyre, which is struck by someone from without; but a soul, if the mystical address in the spirit does not come to it in prayer, is not by nature shown to be easily moved to compunction. For the words, "What we should pray for as we ought, we do not know," and the rest, lead the one who prays to this.

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1.93 (ƒγ΄) Λειανθῆναι δεῖ καλῶς καί ἀπαλυνθῆναι, ὥσπερ τῶν παίδων, τήν φύσιν τοῦ εὐχομένου, ὡς ἄν κατά τήν ἐκείνων, εὐείκτως δέξηται τήν ἐκ τῆς εὐχῆς ἐνταττομένην ἀνάπτυξιν. ∆ιό μή ἀμέλει, ὁ συναφθῆναι ταύτῃ φιλῶν.

1.94 (ƒδ΄) Οὐ πάντες τόν αὐτόν σκοπόν ἐν εὐχῇ κέκτηνται· ἄλλος μέν ἄλλον, καί ἄλλος δέ ἕτερον. Ὁ μέν γάρ εὔχεται, εἰ οἷόν τε, μετά τῆς εὐχῆς εἶναι τήν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ πάντοτε, καί πρός τό ὑπεραναβῆναι αὐτῆς· ὁ δέ ἵνα μή λογισμοῖς ἐν αὐτῇ περικόπτηται. Πάντες δέ εὔχονται, ἤ συντηρηθῆναι ἐν ἀγαθοῖς, ἤ μή συναπαχθῆναι κακοῖς.

1.95 (ƒε΄) Εἰ ἐξ εὐχῆς, οὐδείς ἀταπείνωτος· συντρίβεται γάρ ὁ ἐν ταπεινώσει εὐχόμενος· οὐκ ἄρα ἐν ταπεινώσει προσεύχεται, ὁ ἔξωθεν θρασυνόμενος.

1.96 (ƒστ΄) Πρός τήν χήραν, τήν πρός τόν ὠμόν τήν δίκην κινοῦσαν κριτήν, ἀφορῶν ὁ εὐχόμενος, οὐκ ἐκκακίσῃς διά τήν βραδυτῆτα τῶν ἀγαθῶν τῆς εὐχῆς.

1.97 (ƒζ΄) Οὐ παραμείνῃ σοι εὐχή, τῷ πρός τά συλλογιζόμενα ἔσωθεν, καί ὁμιλούμενα ἔξωθεν ἐμβραδύνοντι· ἡ αὐτή δέ ὀφθήσεται ὑποστρέφουσα, τῷ δι᾿ αὐτήν ὑποτεμνομένῳ τά πλείονα.

1.98 (ƒη΄) Εἰς λαγόνας ψυχῆς εἰ μή εἰσδύνουσι τά ῥήματα τῆς εὐχῆς, οὐκ ἄν εἰς τάς τοῦ προσώπου σιαγόνας τά δάκρυα περικλυσθῆναι συγχωρηθήσονται.

(15∆_352> 1.99 (ƒθ΄) Ἀνατέλλουσι γεωργῷ μέν τά δάκρυα, μή κατ᾿ ὄψιν τῶν σπερμάτων ῥιφθέντων τῆς γῆς· μοναχῷ δέ τά δάκρυα ἀναβλύζουσιν, οὐκ ἀπονητί μετερχομένῳ τά ῥήματα τῆς εὐχῆς.

1.100 (ρ΄) Κλείς οὐρανῶν βασιλείας εὐχή. Ταύτην ὁ κατέχων ὡς δεῖ, 1424 ὁρᾷ τά ἀποκείμενα ἀγαθά τοῖς φίλοις αὐτῆς. Μόνα δέ τά παρόντα περισκοπεῖ, ὁ παῤῥησίαν ἐν ἐκείνῃ μή ἐσχηκώς.

2.1 (ρα΄) Οὐ δύναται ὁ νοῦς ἐν καιρῷ τῆς εὐχῆς μετά παῤῥησίας λέγειν πρός τόν Θεόν· ∆ιέῤῥηξας τούς δεσμούς μου, σοί θύσω θυσίαν αἰνέσεως, εἰ μή δειλίας καί ῥαθυμίας, πολυυπνίας τε καί ἀδηφαγίας, ἐξ ὧν τό πταίειν, ἐπιθυμίᾳ τῶν κρειττόνων, ἀποῤῥαγῇ.

2.2 (ρβ΄) Ἔξω τοῦ πρώτου καταπετάσματος ἵσταται, ὁ ἐν εὐχῇ ῥεμβόμενος· ἔνδοθεν γίνεται, ὁ μονολόγιστον ἐξανύων αὐτήν. Μόνος δέ εἰς τά Ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων παρέκυψεν, ὁ μετά τῆς εἰρήνης τῶν φυσικῶν λογισμῶν καί τά περί τῆς πάντα νοῦν ὑπερεχούσης [οὐσίας] διασκεπτόμενος, καί τινος ἐκεῖθεν φωτοφανείας καταξιούμενος.

2.3 (ργ΄) Ὁπόταν ἀπό τῶν ἔξωθεν σχολάσασα ᾗ ἡ ψυχή, τότε οἷά τις φλόξ περικυκλώσασα ταύτην, ὡς σίδηρον καθάπαξ τῷ πυρί πεπυρακτωμένην ὅλην καθίστησι, καί ἔστι ψυχή μέν ἡ αὐτή, οὐκέτι δέ καί ἁπτή, ὡς οὐδέ ὁ πυρακτωθείς σίδηρος, ταῖς ἔξωθεν ἐπαφαῖς.

2.4 (ρδ΄) Μακάριος ὁ ἐν τῷ βίῳ τούτῳ οὑτωσί θεωρηθῆναι ἀξιωθείς, καί τόν αὐτόν φύσει πήλινον ἀνδριάντα, χάριτι πύρινον κατιδών.

2.5 (ρε΄) Τοῖς μέν εἰσαγομένοις οἷά τις δεσπότης, ὁ νόμος ἐπίκειται (15∆_354> τῆς εὐχῆς· τοῖς προκόψασι δέ, ὡς ἔρως ὁ συνελαύνων πεινῶντα καθάπερ πολυτελῆ πρός ἑστίασιν.

2.6 (ρστ΄) Τοῖς καλῶς τήν πρακτικήν μετερχομένοις, ποτέ μέν ἡ εὐχή νεφέλη καθάπερ ἐπισκιάζουσα, τούς καυστικούς ἀπείργει ἐξ αὐτῶν λογισμούς· ποτέ δέ σταγόνας οἷα δακρύων τούτους ἐπιψεκάζουσα, δείκνυσι τά πνευματικά θεωρήματα.

2.7 (ρζ΄) ᾨδή μέν ἥδυσμα κιθάρας, τῆς κρουομένης ὑπό τινος ἔξωθεν εὑρεθήσεται· ψυχή δέ μή συνερχούσης αὐτῇ ἐν εὐχῇ τῆς ἐν πνεύματι μυστικῆς προσφωνήσεως, εὐκατάνυκτος οὐ πέφυκε δείκνυσθαι. Τό γάρ, Τί προσευξώμεθα καθό δεῖ οὐκ οἴδαμεν, καί τά ἑξῆς, εἰς τοῦτο ἐνάγει τόν προσευχόμενον.