“Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, and for the love of the
Spirit, that you strive together with me in your prayers to God for me” (Romans 15:30)
St. Paul was writing to Rome, a church he had never visited, yet he was certain that they had been praying for him. Prayer is what makes the Church one in Christ. Without prayer we are no more than any secular organization. Prayer is what unites us with the Holy Trinity and with one another. It is the language we all speak, though we do so in a variety of tongues.
I could make two great circles embracing our parish. The outer rim includes all who are on our record books as “members in good standing.” When called to account for our membership by the Diocese or national church, this is the number I relate. I am well aware, however, of an inner circle comprising those who truly pray for one another. This “little flock,” as Christ called it, believe in the power of prayer not only as theoretically helpful in times of stress or distress. They have felt the overwhelming gift of the Holy Spirit which had been sent from the Father through Jesus Christ, a present of that Presence which fills the whole being with a renewal of life. The inner circle of faithful is not exclusive. All may enter. Everybody is invited. The only requirement is unconditional surrender to the power of the Spirit and faith in Christ Jesus.
Nothing is more intimate than prayer, not even love. Better stated, prayer is the ultimate expression of love, especially when we reduce love to the world’s definition, having something to do with affection between two humans, or even sexual relations. Prayer is a union between God and human beings, joining things of the earth with beings above. It unites the eternal with the transient. No action can surpass that of prayer.
Indeed, I could describe my life’s mission, or in secular business terms my “job description,” in two steps:
A. To bring outsiders into the outer circle of identifiable Orthodox Christians;
B. To draw those in the outer circle into the inner fellowship of true believers. To aid them in acquiring a taste for the spiritual life. To go beyond the definition of Orthodoxy as obligations and minimal duties: Church attendance, annual dues, even enjoyment of liturgical music and iconography. One can do these things without ever feeling the joy of the Spirit. Unfortunately, it’s possible to be baptized and buried as an Orthodox Christian without sharing the blessings of the blessed who live in prayer, to pass through this world as strangers.
Here is a passage from a homily on the Lord’s Prayer written by St. Gregory of Nyssa describing the essence of prayer:
“The effect of prayer is union with God, and if someone is with God, he is separated from the enemy. Through prayer we guard our chastity, control our temper and rid ourselves of conceit. It makes us forget injuries, overcomes envy, defeats injustice and makes atonement for sin. Through prayer we obtain physical well-being, a happy home, and a strong, well-ordered society—.Prayer is the seal of virginity and a pledge of faithfulness in marriage. It shields the traveler, protects the sleeper, and gives courage to those who keep vigil—.It will refresh you when you are weary and comfort you when you are sorrowful. Prayer is the delight of the joyous as well as the consolation of the afflicted—.Prayer is intimacy with God and contemplation of the invisible—.Prayer is the enjoyment of things present and the essence of things to come.”