Elder Optina on Prayer

This publication offered to the reader is based on the experience of prayerful communication with God by people who have devoted their lives to it. That is why the practical advice of the Optina Elders is so important for modern... Christians. Prayer is a heavy burden, accompanied by the necessity to discipline oneself and constant temptations, but, as St. Varnava of Optina emphasized, it is also the "key to unlocking spiritual joy, peace, and tranquility." And St. Joseph of Optina wrote: "Prayer is the food of the soul. Do not starve your souls..."