Night Prayer - FIRST PRACTICAL STEPS. How to pray at night & What to do when prayer doesn't come?

Summary

The speaker emphasizes the importance of consistent, disciplined prayer during the night, highlighting the necessity of patience and humility in spiritual growth. They discuss practical steps to maintain focus, suggesting gradual increases in prayer duration and the use of various prayer tools like the Octoechos and Menaion. The talk also touches on the importance of waiting for Christ during prayer and the value of creating personal prayer booklets to stay engaged. The speaker advises against rigidity, advocating for flexibility and consistency to avoid despondency and pride, ultimately encouraging prayer for the whole world.

Takeaways

• 📚 There is no shortcut in the process of learning to pray; time, patience, and humility are essential for genuine transformation.
• 🌙 Night-time prayer requires discipline in controlling the mind and body to stay awake without it consuming all your energy and focus.
• 🔄 The initial focus of night-time prayer is a shift from self to spiritual struggle, with a gradual introduction of prayer forms like the Jesus prayer.
• ⏳ It's advised not to stay awake for more than an hour for prayer, especially for those with worldly responsibilities, to maintain balance.
• 🙏 The core of night-time prayer is waiting for Christ, and this waiting should be the foundation of one's prayer life.
• 🕰 Adjusting prayer times and durations can be guided by the experience of prayer itself, which teaches when and how to pray effectively.
• 🛠 Expanding the prayer toolkit with various forms of prayer and active engagement is crucial for maintaining focus and combating sleepiness.
• 📖 Utilizing collections like the Octoechos and Menaion, which contain prayers and canons dedicated to the Saints, can enrich one's prayer routine.
• 🤝 Prayers for communion, preparation for feasts, and prayers for various life moments help in maintaining a continuous connection with the spiritual realm.
• 🔑 Personalizing prayer by creating one's own collections (philokalias) and engaging in active prayer forms like writing or making prayer booklets keeps the mind alert.
• 💡 Flexibility in prayer is vital; while consistency in prayer times and content is encouraged, one should not become despondent or prideful due to rigid adherence to rules.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video script?

The main focus of the video script is to discuss the practice of prayer by night, emphasizing the importance of patience, discipline, and the gradual introduction of different forms of prayer into one's spiritual routine.

Why is it necessary to invest time and patience in prayer according to the script?

It is necessary to invest time and patience in prayer because prayer feeds from what happens inside ourselves, and any deep, serious change or transformation within ourselves requires time and happens over time.

What is the initial struggle described in the script when beginning to pray at night?

The initial struggle described is the discipline of controlling one's mind and body to wake up and stay awake without it consuming all of one's energy and focus.

What is the recommended maximum duration for a lay person to stay awake for prayer during the night?

The recommended maximum duration for a lay person to stay awake for prayer during the night is one hour.

What is the primary reason for staying awake during the night as mentioned in the script?

The primary reason for staying awake during the night is to wait for Christ, providing a space and time to wait for Christ to reveal Himself.

How does the speaker suggest one should approach the timing of their night-time prayer?

The speaker suggests allowing prayer itself to teach when and for how long one should pray, whether earlier or later in the night, and to listen to the experience of prayer for guidance.

What is the significance of maintaining a chunk of sleep according to the script?

Maintaining a chunk of sleep is significant because it is more restful for the body and mind than breaking sleep in the middle, as two or three hours on both sides are not as restful as one larger chunk of sleep on either side of the night-time vigil.

What are some of the tools or methods the speaker mentions to keep oneself awake and focused during prayer?

Some of the tools or methods mentioned include physical acts of prayer like standing and prostrations, creating personal prayer booklets or philokalias, writing thank-you notes, and praying for various categories of people.

How does the speaker describe the process of selecting prayers and saints for one's personal prayer routine?

The speaker describes the process as one of personal discernment, where over time one becomes attuned to which prayers and saints are most effective for their spiritual state at any given time, similar to a mechanic selecting the right tools for a job.

What advice does the speaker give regarding consistency and flexibility in one's night-time prayer routine?

The speaker advises aiming for consistency, particularly in the time one wakes up and the duration of staying awake, but also emphasizes the importance of flexibility to adapt to how one feels each night, preventing despondency or pride.

What is the speaker's stance on the necessity of a spiritual father's guidance in one's prayer journey?

The speaker acknowledges the ideal situation of having a spiritual father's guidance but also reassures that God's help is available to all, regardless of whether one has a spiritual father or not.

Outlines

00:00

🌙 Embracing the Discipline of Nighttime Prayer

The speaker emphasizes the importance of a disciplined approach to nighttime prayer, acknowledging the necessity of patience and humility in the spiritual journey. They stress that true transformation requires time and cannot be rushed, even when learning from books or listening to teachings. The focus shifts from self to spiritual struggle, introducing prayer gradually and not rushing into contemplative or silent prayer. The foundation of nighttime prayer is waiting for Christ, and the speaker advises against staying awake for more than an hour, recommending a gradual increase in prayer time.

05:07

⏰ Balancing Prayer with Rest and Practical Advice

The paragraph discusses the balance between prayer and rest, suggesting not to break sleep in the middle but to allow for a chunk of sleep either before or after prayer. It also touches on the personalization of prayer times and the importance of listening to prayer as it will guide the practitioner. The speaker provides practical advice for laypeople with responsibilities, recommending not to exceed an hour of wakefulness for prayer and to gradually refine one's prayer tools and methods.

10:08

📚 Expanding the Prayer Toolbox and Preparing for Feasts

The speaker talks about expanding one's prayer repertoire, including the use of the Octoechos and Menaion, which are collections of prayers dedicated to the Saints. They describe how these collections can be used throughout the year and especially in preparation for major feasts. The speaker also mentions the importance of praying the canon for an upcoming feast in the days leading up to it, as a form of preparation and reverence.

15:12

🙏 Personalizing Prayer with Saints and Sacraments

The speaker shares personal practices, such as praying to various Saints who have been significant in their spiritual journey. They also discuss the importance of giving thanks for sacraments like Baptism, Chrismation, and Confession, as well as preparing for death and the judgment day. The paragraph highlights the personalization of prayer and the acknowledgment of the support and intercession of the Saints.

20:15

🛠️ Crafting Prayer Tools and Engaging the Mind

The paragraph explores the idea of creating one's own prayer tools, such as philokalias or booklets of prayers, as a way to engage the mind and fight sleepiness during prayer. The speaker provides examples of how to create these booklets and the importance of physical acts in prayer, such as standing or prostrating, to maintain alertness and focus.

25:18

📝 Active Prayer Through Writing and Gratitude

The speaker suggests writing prayers, thank-you notes, and blessings as a form of active prayer that keeps the mind busy and the heart engaged. They describe the process of creating these notes and the spiritual significance of writing prayers by hand, which imprints the words and deepens the prayer experience, even when not in a traditional prayer posture.

30:19

🌏 Praying for Others and Avoiding Spiritual Extremes

The speaker encourages praying for family, friends, and those facing difficulties, as well as for categories of people such as the sick and the dying. They discuss the importance of consistency in prayer while allowing for flexibility to adapt to one's feelings each night. The paragraph warns against the dangers of despondency and pride and emphasizes the importance of spiritual guidance, even in the absence of a spiritual father.

🙌 The Role of Prayer in Spiritual Growth and Discipline

In the concluding paragraph, the speaker reflects on the role of prayer in spiritual growth, stating that prayer itself will teach how to pray and guide the practitioner. They stress the importance of discipline and consistency in prayer time and content, while also allowing for personal adaptation. The speaker ends with an encouragement to continue in prayer, seeking God's blessing for all, including themselves.

Keywords

💡Prayer

Prayer is a form of communication with a deity or a higher power, often involving praise, petition, confession, or thanksgiving. In the context of the video, prayer is the central theme, focusing on its practice at night, emphasizing the importance of persistence and consistency in prayer life. The speaker discusses various forms of prayer, such as active and contemplative prayer, and how they can be integrated into one's nighttime vigil.

💡Night-time vigil

A night-time vigil refers to the practice of staying awake during the night for the purpose of prayer or contemplation. In the script, the night-time vigil is presented as a disciplined spiritual exercise where the practitioner waits for Christ, engages in prayer, and cultivates a deeper connection with the divine. The concept is integral to the video's message, illustrating the commitment and dedication required for spiritual growth.

💡Spiritual struggle

Spiritual struggle, as mentioned in the video, is the ongoing effort to overcome personal limitations and grow closer to God. It involves the discipline of the mind and body to maintain wakefulness and focus during prayer, especially during the night-time vigil. The term is used to describe the internal conflict between the desire to pray and the natural inclination towards sleep or distraction.

💡Contemplative prayer

Contemplative prayer is a form of prayer characterized by silent meditation and deep listening to God. The video suggests that this type of prayer can be introduced gradually during the night-time vigil, but it is not the primary focus initially. Contemplative prayer is part of the spiritual journey that deepens as one becomes more adept at controlling the mind and body during prayer.

💡Active prayer

Active prayer, as discussed in the script, involves more physical and verbal engagement in prayer, such as reciting prayers, making prostrations, and using prayer ropes. It is contrasted with contemplative prayer and is recommended for those who are still learning to control their minds and bodies during the night-time vigil.

💡Humility

Humility is the quality of being modest and respectful, often associated with a recognition of one's own limitations. In the video, humility is linked to the necessity of patience and the acknowledgment that deep spiritual transformation takes time. It is a foundational attitude for those embarking on the journey of night-time prayer and vigil.

💡Philokalia

Philokalia refers to a collection of texts in Eastern Orthodox tradition that focus on the practice of the contemplative life in Christ. In the script, the speaker mentions creating personal philokalias, which are custom collections of prayers and spiritual readings that can be used during times of prayer, especially when one is struggling to maintain focus.

💡Menaion

The Menaion is a liturgical book in the Eastern Orthodox Church that contains services for the saints commemorated throughout the year. The video mentions the Menaion as a resource for prayers and canons dedicated to the saints, which can be used to enrich one's night-time vigil and prayer life.

💡Octoechos

The Octoechos is a liturgical book used in the Eastern Orthodox Church that contains services for the eight tones of the Byzantine musical system. It is mentioned in the video as another resource for prayers and hymns that can be incorporated into the night-time vigil, providing a structured approach to prayer.

💡Spiritual father

A spiritual father is a mentor or guide in the spiritual life, often a priest or elder who provides counsel and direction. The video script emphasizes the importance of having a spiritual father's guidance in one's prayer life, but also acknowledges that God's guidance is always available, even in the absence of a human mentor.

💡Despondency

Despondency refers to a state of despair or loss of hope, often resulting from perceived failure or lack of progress. In the context of the video, despondency is warned against as a potential pitfall when one feels unable to maintain the discipline of night-time prayer. The speaker encourages flexibility and consistency to avoid falling into this state.

💡Pride

Pride, in the spiritual context of the video, is a dangerous extreme that can arise from success in one's prayer life, leading to self-importance and a sense of superiority. The speaker cautions against this, emphasizing the need for humility and recognizing that spiritual growth is a journey that requires ongoing effort and reliance on God's grace.

Highlights

Introduction to night-time prayer and its practical application.

Importance of patience, time, and humility in developing a disciplined prayer life.

The significance of controlling mind and body to stay awake and focused.

Transition from focusing on oneself to focusing on waiting for Christ.

Gradual increase in night-time prayer duration, with a maximum recommended time of one hour.

Prayer will guide you on how to pray effectively.

Importance of maintaining a chunk of uninterrupted sleep for rest.

Expanding and refining tools of prayer, including collections of prayers and physical acts of prayer.

Use of the Octoechos and the Menaion as valuable prayer resources.

Reading canons and akathists to prepare for significant feasts and to maintain a state of readiness for Communion.

Personal examples of Saints to pray to and their significance in the speaker's life.

The role of gratitude and preparation in daily prayer life.

Creating personal collections of prayers (philokalias) as a practical way to stay engaged.

Flexibility and consistency in night-time prayer routine to avoid despondency and pride.

Encouragement to seek guidance from a spiritual father but also to trust in God's help if one is not available.

Final blessing and encouragement to persevere in prayer and pray for the world.

Transcripts

Hello everyone. Today we'll talk a bit more about prayer,

about prayer by night, and just like in our previous videos

I hope to keep things very simple and very practical,

things that we can actually apply and do so that they help us in this attempt of

ours to learn how to keep vigil, how to keep

watch and pray during the night; and from the very

beginning, in this spirit of being practical,

I must tell you something that I dislike telling you but

it is it is necessary: there is no way that we can skip

any of these steps, there is no way in which we can ignore parts of this

process, and although I'm aware we may read a

book in a week, for instance, something like

the Ladder of Divine Ascent by Saint John of the Ladder,

or if you listen to a series of podcasts, or even if you watch these videos,

they may come into quick succession one after the other,

but that doesn't mean that our life has changed, that we have

appropriated the things that we've learned about

simply because we've read about them or because we've heard them.

It is unavoidable that we need to invest time and patience

and all the humility that comes from this need for patience.

The painful reality is that prayer feeds from what happens inside ourselves

and any deep, any serious change, any serious

transformation within ourselves requires time, and it happens in time,

not from one month to the other. Once we've acquired

the discipline of being able to control our minds and our bodies to the point of

being able to wake up and keep ourselves awake

without that taking away all our energy and all our focus,

then we can gradually begin to move our focus from ourselves, from

our bodily struggle to a more spiritual

struggle by slowly introducing prayer.

This is not yet the time for contemplative prayer

or silent prayer, the Jesus prayer; they can be introduced slowly, in small

doses, as long as they are balanced still by

active forms of prayer, by physical forms of

prayer, but this is not yet their time. What

happens now essentially is a change of focus, a

change of attention from almost being exclusively focused on

ourselves in order to keep ourselves awake to

focusing on a reason for being awake and that reason

is waiting. Whenever in doubt---'Why am I doing this?

Why am I awake? Why am I not resting? Why am I continuing to push

myself when I can see that my prayer doesn't

go any deeper, when I can see that there are no tears, there is no real

repentance in me? Why do I keep doing this?' Well,

we do this---and this is the time when this should become

the foundation of your night- time prayer---we do this because

we are waiting for Christ: this is the basic, the underlying

understanding of your prayer now and your prayer at

any given moment in your life. We provide this space, we provide this

time in order to wait for Christ to reveal Himself to us.

So as you are awake in the dead of the night,

put it in your heart and in your mind that

no matter what you do, no matter what prayer you read or what prayer you say

or what action you do in order to keep yourself awake,

regardless of what you do, you are in fact ultimately

simply waiting, you are waiting for Christ. In practical terms,

this is also the time when you may slowly and gradually increase the amount

of time you keep yourself awake; you can go from

10-15 minutes to half an hour or maybe 45 minutes;

I would definitely advise against staying awake for more than an hour---this

would be the maximum I personally would advise

you to keep yourself awake as a lay person,

as someone living in the world that has responsibilities such as

a family with children and a spouse and a job,

as someone who has to drive places or who is responsible for other people---

an hour would be the absolute maximum I would personally recommend. But as you

pray, prayer will teach you everything:

prayer will teach you when to pray, if you should pray earlier in the night

or later in the night and closer to the morning;

if you should pray for 20 minutes or 40 minutes;

if you should continue to keep to a more active form of prayer

or if you can switch quicker to a more contemplative kind of prayer.

Prayer, if you learn to listen to it, the simple experience,

the act of prayer, will teach you how to pray. One more

thought about time: whatever you do

and for how long you pray, whether you pray better

earlier in the night or later in the night and closer to the morning,

try to allow yourself a chunk of rest, a chunk of sleep. If you sleep,

for example, for six hours a night or seven hours a night,

don't break those six hours at the very middle; in other words, don't

sleep for three hours then you wake up, you do your night vigil, and then you

sleep for three more hours; it's much better if you rest for

40 minutes or an hour and then you wake up and you pray

and then you have five hours of serious rest

until you have to wake up and face the new day, or

if you go through five hours of rest and then you wake up and you pray

and then you just snooze for 40 more minutes,

that's much more restful for your body and your mind

than if you break your sleep straight at the very middle,

because two or three hours on both sides are not as restful as one larger

chunk of sleep on either side of your night-time vigil. In this new

stage of your prayer, you need to expand

the range of the tools that are available to you.

On the one hand you need to expand and refine

the tools of prayer itself, and on the other hand you need to expand

and also refine the tools of your active prayer,

the things that you do in order to keep yourself awake,

and also the things that you do when prayer doesn't flow,

and that will happen: it is absolutely natural

and it's part of your growth to encounter

nights or weeks or months when prayer doesn't flow easily, but that's

not an excuse for you to skip your night-time vigil,

you still have to show up, you still have to offer that

time as a sacrifice to Christ and as a place and time when you wait for Him;

but because prayer doesn't flow, you need to be

able to select from amongst this series of tools that are available to

you; and I need to go through a few examples

of such tools of prayer and tools of active

prayer or tools of waiting, in order to just give you

an idea of what I mean by that, but only use these as

examples that I've learned from my experience;

trust that the Holy Spirit will teach you

what to do and how to pray, so that you acquire your own personal

prayer. For me, for example there are certain

collections of prayer that have proven very useful to me.

I of course use the usual prayers: midnight prayers,

evening prayers, the prayers said during the services of Vespers and the

service of Matins, but mostly

I love the Octoechos and the Menaion, and I always have them nearby. This, for

instance, is the Octoechos, and this, as well as the Menaion,

are collections of prayers, collections of

canons dedicated to the Saints of the Church.

The Menaion has one or several canons for each Saint that we commemorate in our

Church calendar, so during the whole year, every day there

will be prayers and canons of prayer for

each Saint of every single day, in the Octoechos there are canons to

selected Saints, such as the Powers of Heaven, or Saint John

the Baptist, the Apostles, Saint Nicholas, obviously the Theotokos, and Christ, and

the Resurrection and the Holy Cross, and I

use them by---you can see I've already marked them so I always know exactly

where I go, I know that the first sign, here for

instance, will take me to the Monday service

dedicated to the powers of heaven, because my name is

Seraphim, and apart from Saint Seraphim of Sarov, I

also pray to Seraphim, one of the kinds of the

Powers of Heaven; then the next sign

will take me to Saint Nicholas to whom I try to pray every single day,

to read one of his canons; and then of course I've got

other signs---where are they, here--- for the prayers for the departed, which

are on Saturday, the Resurrection

which will be on Sunday, and so on. When there is a big feast approaching,

for example, such as the Dormition of the Mother of

God or the Nativity or any other of the main Saints or the main

Feasts of the Lord, I will use the canon for that particular

Saint for that particular Feast, and I will

read that canon every day for a week or two weeks or 40

days before the actual feast. So, for example,

before the feast of Saint Nicholas, or before the feast of

the Nativity of the Lord, 40 days before the actual feast I will begin to

pray and say either an akathist to that

particular Saint or to that particular Feast or read the

canon of the service of Matins for that

particular feast, and that allows me to prepare myself

for the feast, that allows me to prepare myself to welcome

Saint Nicholas and all the Saints I love in a

better way than if I just show up in church on that day only;

but then there are also collections of prayers

from the early centuries, there are also the Prayers for Communion, before

Communion, which I try to say every night: rather

than read all of them the night before

I receive communion, I try to split them so that I pray

those prayers every single day, whether or not

I commune the following day, because that keeps me in a state of

being aware that I'm always preparing to receive Communion,

and I'm also thanking God for having received Communion

even if that didn't happen today or this week

or even this month, I should forever and always prepare myself to

receive Communion, because receiving Communion is nothing

short from receiving Christ Himself, which is our judgment; to receive Christ

in myself is to face Christ, face to Face, person to

Person, and that is the judgment day,

and I should be preparing for that day every single day,

and I should also be grateful and express that gratitude

for having received Him, having received His Body and His

Blood, even if that happened last week or last month or last year.

So that is also one part of my night-time prayers, I then of course have

a series of Saints to whom I pray constantly:

Saint Seraphim, Saint Nicholas, St Isaac the Syrian,

St Joseph the Betrothed, Saint Xenia, Saint Matrona,

Saint Mary of Egypt, Saint George the Great Martyr,

Saint Elias the Prophet, Saint Sophrony, Saint Silouan, St Paisios, St Porphyrios,

all of these and many others are the Saints who have chosen me

and have protected me and helped me on my way

at some point or another in this 20-something years of me

being in the Church, and I try to remember them

always even if it is just making one bow or one prostration

and saying 'thank you' or 'pray for me', 'intercede for me', 'guard me now and in

the time of my judgment'. Then there are certain

moments in life for which I try to always prepare,

I try to give thanks to God for having received the Sacrament of Baptism

and of Chrismation, I try to express my gratitude for

all the times that I've received forgiveness for my sins

through the Sacrament of Repentance and Confession,

I try to thank God for the fact that I am a monastic and I am a priest,

this is something I try not to let go of and

that of course comes with praying to Saint John Chrysostom and Saint Basil and

Saint Gregory the Theologian, the great Hierarchs and the Teachers of

priesthood; I try to prepare for the time of my death,

I try to prepare for the time of me facing

Christ at judgment day; I try to pray for everyone,

not only myself, those people whom I love, those people who've asked for my prayers,

and the people whom I don't even know, and I try to pray on their behalf as

well, for their moment of death, because we all die,

for their moment of judgment, because we shall all go through that dreadful moment.

There are all these types of prayer, which I call tools, that are set before

me, and many, many others; there are of course

my own personal philokalias,

collections of prayers, which I can always turn to; there are the

Church's collections of prayers, such as the Psalms, for example; there are

readings from the New Testament; there are readings from

certain lives of Saints from the Old Testament: Saint Moses the Great Prophet,

St Elias the Great Prophet, Saint David the Great Prophet: all of

these are like tools which I have before

myself when I begin to pray, and every night

feels different and looks different, and in time you'll become attuned

and you will know which set of tools will serve you best that

particular night, and you'll know how to switch from one

to the other; you will know how to grow from a colder kind of prayer to a

more alight, on-fire type of prayer; you'll

learn which tools serve you better when your heart is slightly asleep

or your heart fails you and is not really

on fire with love for Christ; you will know

what prayers work best; you will know what Saints are closer to you

and quicker to come to your help; and you will be just like a mechanic

or an electrician: you will see the problem

in your heart and your soul, and you will know

which tools serve you best because you will have already learned

your skill. But that's why you can't rush through previous stages, because if

you get here and you don't know your skill, you will

be like an electrician trying to do something and instead of

using the right tools, you will not know the correct tools and

you might get yourself electrocuted and definitely you will not be able to

just get the job done. Apart from these tools

which are tools of prayer, there are also more refined tools, also,

of keeping yourself awake, of keeping your mind

busy, and sometimes this is all you can do: your soul simply doesn't want

to start, your your heart is just like a car that

died in the middle of the road and just refuses to restart,

and you've got this soul that doesn't want to restart,

and these very simple choices: you either abandon and you go back to sleep and to

your rest, and this is what your body and

your passions and the devil want you to do;

or you can revert to that basic underlying understanding of your

night-time vigil as a time of simply

waiting for Christ, and in that case you just need to have something to do

while those 40 minutes of your usual prayer

will pass by, and there are all sorts of things that you can do---

never, ever, ever abandon the physical acts of

prayer we've mentioned in our previous video:

standing up instead of sitting down, prostrations and bows,

but apart from these there are other slightly more refined

things you can do: you may for example collect your own prayers,

you may make these collections of prayers, your own philokalias---

we've spoken about them at large in a previous video---

you may just sit down and cut paper and make little drawings, or if

you can't draw, just cut from old

calendars icons of the Theotokos or of Christ

which you then glue to these booklets which you make, and then just

write these prayers, either by hand or, again, you cut them from

copies from your prayer books and then you glue them together and you

sew them together and you create these beautiful booklets, your own

philokalias, collections of prayers which you can use in times of

spiritual emergency. Let me show you a few---

I've put these aside to show to you but these are by far not you know

the best I've done, now I'm protecting my work---

these, for instance, are two very simple examples,

I've simply cut the paper, I've cut cardboard,

and then I've also cut the text of the service,

this is the canon of the Resurrection, which I also try to incorporate in my

night-time prayer as often as I can throughout the year, regardless of where

we are during our calendar, and I've simply

glued them together then I've punctured the paper and I've sewn it

together with some wool and I created

this booklet which then I just keep by my side---it's always readily available---

and I can use it. Similarly, this one has--- I think, yes---

the prayers during Vespers, as a priest I can use them,

but also you can use them as laypeople as well---there are collections of these

prayers available--- and on the cover of this little booklet

I've used an icon of the Mother of God which I found in an old calendar,

instead of burning them or finding other uses for them, I just

cut them and I reuse them in these little philokalias.

And this one which I've not finished yet is a bit more

complex---again, I've cut bits and pieces of paper and I've created this

accordion-style booklet in which I've

written by hand also the canon of the Resurrection; and you

can get creative and you can make

those beautiful letters at the beginning, and

as you write these things or you copy them out or as you

paint your little drawings or your letters at the beginning of

a prayer, your mind is busy with something so it is easier for

you to fight sleep, but at the same time your mind is

busy with something that allows prayer

to reverberate somewhere at the back of your mind, at the back of your heart:

while you write a prayer, while you copy a prayer, unavoidably

your mind is engaged with that prayer, with an expression,

with the word that you are writing at that particular moment:

as you write the word 'Christ' or 'My Lord', 'My

God', as you write 'Save me' or 'Have mercy on me',

that word is imprinted in you, and even if you're not on your knees or

collapsed to the floor in prayer, you are still praying, you are still

preparing that soil of your heart for the time when the

seed of prayer will fall down and will catch root;

in other words, you're not going back to sleep,

and you're not wasting your time, you are doing

still the necessary preparation work for deeper, more

personal prayer at some future time when God so wills and blesses us to

be able to to do it. You may also pray: you may pray

for your family, you may also pray for your

friends, you may pray for the people who go through a particular

problem at that moment, you may also pray for categories of people

such as people who fight with a certain disease,

people who have found out that day that they have

a serious disease or a terminal disease, you may pray for the people around them,

their families, their friends, their loved ones, the doctors and the

nurses and the priests who struggle to help them,

you may pray for the people who are dying at that particular moment or who

are facing their death during that day or that night, you may---for instance, I

pray, I pray for everyone who

are sending us their names to pray, and I've got categories: personal

people, these for instance are all the people

who have sent us names to pray for them,

and I have them either in church or in my cell and I pray for them as often

as I can, these have been sent to us before

Christmas last year and we still have them, we still pray for them,

and at night, blessing these people and just reading their names is one of

these more active forms of prayer that helps me

get through my waiting time, through my waiting vigil;

you may also do things like, for example, these are

thank-you notes which I write to people who have sent us a donation,

I've cut these new pieces of paper and I'm

writing a small prayer and a small blessing for everyone

who have sent us a donation and I'm going to send them with a little

booklet or something to show my gratitude and my appreciation,

and you may think this is weird to do this at night time,

but it's not, because as I say that prayer, as I

write that blessing, my heart actually blesses these people, so it is a form of

prayer, but it is a more active, practical form of prayer

that keeps me awake while still keeping me praying

for you all. Prayer itself, the experience of

prayer itself will teach you, you personally, what are your

ways of praying in a more contemplative way

or praying in a more active sort of way, but

in time you will need to discover and create collections of

types of prayer so that like any other skilful mechanic, electrician,

or prayerful person, you will be able to discern

your problem at any given moment, your temptation at any given moment,

and then experience will have taught you which tool from each

category is more helpful, more useful for you at

that given moment. I don't want to finish this recording before

I tell you one more thing, because it is very important and I don't want you to---

oh, the candles have run out---I don't want you to either

fall into pride or into despondency, so please pay attention for just five

more minutes: Whatever you do, try to be

flexible, try to allow fluctuations in your

night-time prayer: whatever happens, aim to be consistent, aim to

always wake up at the same time, aim to always

keep yourself awake for the same amount of

time, aim to always go through at least a general

content, the same content of your night-time vigil,

such as some prostrations and some prayers,

remembering certain Saints and so on; so aim for consistency, particularly

in terms of when you wake up and for how long

you are awake, but do not grow despondent if you cannot do that all the

time, if you need to change that from time to

time, do it; don't become a slave

to rules, because these rules are man-made, I mean

we made them, so they they have absolutely no value,

it is important to try to be consistent with your

time when you wake up and for how long you're awake,

just because that will make it easier for your body and your brain to function,

but no rule is absolute, allow yourself the freedom, the

flexibility, to adapt to how you

feel every single night; that is very important, because

that will prevent you from the main extremes, which are also the main dangers

in our entire spiritual life and therefore also

in our night-time vigil: the first danger and extreme is that you

will fail to follow this rule, and because in your mind if you

fail to follow that particular rule that means you fail to pray,

there's a great danger that you'll just abandon everything,

and that's called despondency; the other extreme

is that you will continue to succeed and you'll have success after

success in your night-time vigil, and

that comes with another risk which is equally

damning, the risk of pride. Ideally,

you shouldn't attempt this without the advice, the wisdom, and the

supervision of your spiritual father, but that is an ideal world in

which every one of us has a spiritual father

and that spiritual father is readily available to us, but even this

should not worry you too much and should not

prohibit you from trying to pray--- God knows if we have a spiritual father

or if we don't, and God is readily available to help us

anywhere we live, whoever we are, however we are.

Aim to be consistent, allowing yourself

plenty of flexibility; aim to be consistent, aim to have a

discipline about your prayer, get yourself before your

icons every night,

and the experience of prayer, the act of prayer will teach you how to pray:

prayer itself will teach you what a spiritual father would have

taught you in an ideal world. Take

comfort, great comfort and courage from this, and

keep on going forward, and as you do pray for the whole world,

including this sinful, pitiful monk who tries his best to help you.

May God bless all of us beyond our wildest hopes

and dreams, dear ones. Amen.