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Sayings of the Fathers (Systematic Collection, Latin)

tr. Chadwick, 1958; selections

12. Part 12: That We Ought to Pray Earnestly and Unceasingly

They said of Abba Arsenius that on Saturday evening he put his back to the setting sun and stretched out his hands towards heaven, and prayed, until at dawn on Sunday the rising sun lit up his face: and then he sat down again.

The brothers asked Abba Agatho: “Father, which virtue in our way of life needs most effort to acquire?” And he said to them: “Forgive me, I think nothing needs so much effort as prayer to God. If a man is wanting to pray, the demons infest him in the attempt to interrupt the prayer, for they know that prayer is the only thing that hinders them. All the other efforts of a religious life, whether they are made vehemently or gently, have room for a measure of rest. But we need to pray till we breathe out our dying breath. That is the great struggle.”

Abba Dulas, the disciple of Abba Bessarion, said: “I once went into the cell of my abba, and found him standing in prayer, with his hands stretched towards heaven. He stayed like that for fourteen days. At the end he called me and said: “Follow me.” We went out and took our way through the desert. I grew thirsty, and said to him: “Abba, I am thirsty.” He took off his cloak, and went away a stone’s throw: and he prayed, and brought me the cloak full of water. And we went to the city of Lycus, and came to Abba John, and greeted him, and prayed. Then they sat down and began to talk about a vision which they had seen. Abba Bessarion said: “The Lord has given a commandment that the temples be destroyed.” And so it was done. They were destroyed.

Abba Evagrius said: “If your soul grows weak, pray. As it is written,¹ pray in fear and trembling, earnestly and watchfully. We ought to pray like that, especially because our unseen and wicked enemies are vehemently trying to hinder us.”

He also said: “When a contrary thought enters the heart, do not cast around here and there in your prayer, but be simply penitent—and so you will sharpen your sword against your assailant.”

Epiphanius, of holy memory, the bishop from Cyprus, was told this by the abbot of his monastery in Palestine. “By your prayers we have kept our rule; we carefully observe the offices of terce, sext, none and vespers.” But Epiphanius rebuked him and said: “Then you are surely failing to pray at other times. The true monk ought to pray without ceasing, ought always to be singing psalms in his heart.”

Abba Isaiah said: “A priest at Pelusium was holding a love-feast: and while the brothers in church were eating and conversing, he rebuked them thus: ‘Be silent, my brothers. I know of one brother who is supping among you, and his prayer mounts in the sight of God like a darting flame.’”

Abba Lot went to Abba Joseph and said: “Abba, as far as I can, I keep a moderate rule, with a little fasting, and prayer, and meditation, and quiet: and as far as I can I try to cleanse my heart of evil thoughts. What else should I do?” Then the old man rose, and spread out his hands to heaven, and his fingers shone like ten candles: and he said: “If you will, you could become a living flame.”

Some monks called Euchites,² or “men of prayer,” once came to Abba Lucius in the ninth region of Alexandria. And the old man asked them: “What work do you do with your hands?” And they said: “We do not work with our hands. We obey St Paul’s command and pray without ceasing.” The old man said to them: “Do you not eat?” They said: “Yes, we eat.” And the old man said to them: “When you are eating, who prays for you?” Again, he asked them: “Do you not sleep?” They said: “We sleep.” And the old man said: “Who prays for you while you are asleep?” They would not answer him. And he said to them: “Forgive me, brothers, but you do not practise what you say. I will show you how I pray without ceasing though I work with my hands. With God’s help, I sit and collect a few palm-leaves, and plait them, and say: ‘Have mercy upon me, O God, after thy great mercy: and according to the multitude of thy mercies do away with mine iniquity.’”³ And he said to them: “Is that prayer, or is it not?” They said: “It is prayer.”

And he said: “When I stay all day working and praying in my heart, I make about sixteen pence. Two of these I put outside the door, and with the rest I buy food. And he who receives the two pennies outside the door, prays for me while I am eating and sleeping: and so by God’s grace I fulfil the text: ‘Pray without ceasing.’”

Some brothers asked Abba Macarius: “How should we pray?” And the old man said: “There is no need to talk much in prayer. Spread out your hands often, and say: ‘Lord, have mercy upon me, as thou wilt and as thou knowest.’ But if war presses into the soul, say: ‘Lord, help me.’ He knows what is best for us, and has mercy.”

They said of Abba Sisois that unless he soon lowered his hands when he stood up to pray, his mind was snatched up into the heavenly places. So if he happened to be praying with another brother, he quickly lowered his hands and ended the prayer, so that his mind should not be rapt or remain in prayer too long for his brother.

An old man used to say: “Constant prayer soon cures the mind.”

One of the fathers said: “No one can see his face reflected in muddy water: and the soul cannot pray to God with contemplation unless first cleansed of harmful thoughts.”

An old man once visited Mount Sinai. And when he was going away, a brother met him by the path, and groaned, and said: “Abba, we are afflicted by drought. There has been no rain.” And the old man said: “Why do you not pray and ask God?” And he said: “We have been praying and asking God constantly, and still there is no rain.” And the old man said: “I believe you are not praying intently enough. Shall we try whether it is so? Come, let us stand and pray together.” He stretched out his hands to heaven and prayed; and at once the rain fell. The brother was afraid at the sight, and fell down and worshipped him. But the old man fled away from that place.

The brothers told this story. “We once visited some old men, and after the usual prayer we exchanged greetings and sat down. And after we had talked together, we made ready to go, and asked once again for prayer to be made. But one of the old men said to us: ‘What, have you not prayed already?’ And we said: ‘Yes, father, when we came in, we prayed, and since then we have been talking.’ And he said: ‘Forgive me, brothers; one brother, while he was sitting and talking with you, offered a hundred and three prayers.’ And with these words he prayed, and sent us away.”

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