Saint Theophan compiled this collection at the request of many God-loving people to have in one book the teachings of various saints on such an important subject as prayer and sobriety.
«The matter of prayer is the first matter in Christian life. Prayer is the breath of the spirit. Where there is prayer, the spirit lives; where there is no prayer, there is no life in the spirit,— wrote Saint Theophan to his correspondent. — Prayer itself is the emergence in our heart of one after another of the reverent feelings toward God, — feelings of self-abasement, devotion, thanksgiving, praise, supplication, contrition, submission to God's will, fervent inclination, and so on.»
«Prayer, or the inclination of the heart to God, needs to be awakened and the awakened strengthened, or — which is the same — we need to cultivate the spirit of prayer within ourselves.» For this, the collection we are publishing, «The Holy Fathers on Prayer and Sobriety or Attention of the Heart to God,» will be a wonderful support. The essence of the matter is to establish oneself in the memory of God, or to walk in the presence of God. One means is universally obligatory — to stand in the heart with attention.
Saint Theophan compiled this collection at the request of many God-loving people to have in one book the teachings of various saints on this subject.
It is beneficial for every person to be nourished by the wisdom of the saints, rooted in the Holy Spirit and teaching us in their writings how to achieve inner prayerful silence and standing before God.
