LISTENING
When someone has a problem, you must listen to him carefully. The entire time that he is talking do not show him that you got tired, because then you lost everything. One time I was listening to a young man for nine hours without moving. This is why I got a problem with my intestines!
St. Paisios the Hagiorate
PREPARATION FOR PRAYING
To pray, you need to create for yourself the proper “climate”. Then the Lord himself will teach us how to pray.
An Elder used to say that in order to have light in your house, you need to install in your house the right hardware, switches, etc. Therefore, there are certain prerequisites to praying. These are: 1) some preparatory prayers, 2) to ask the Lord to have tears, 3) burning incenses, 4) lighting of a candle, 5) silence, 6) no worrying, 7) some prior study (i.e. lives of Saints), 8) removal of yourself from everybody and everything, 9) burning oil lamp, 10) desire to be happy, 11) complete dependence from God, and 12) complete let go of yourself for God.
St Porphyrios of Kafsokalivia
Translated by Dr. Nick Stergiou
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