Rugăciunea isihastă și rolul ei în sfințirea sau îndumnezeirea omului
The Hesychast Prayer and its Role in the Sanctification or the Deification of Man

Summary/Abstract: The hesychast prayer is not only an elevation of the mind towards God, accompanied by a steadfast will and a sober sanctification corresponding to this state of mind, but it is also a gift of God’s grace, offered to the devout, who persevere unceasingly in fervent, sincere prayer, pure and undisturbed by passionate thoughts. In their souls the gifts of the Spirit bear full fruit (Galatians 5, 22): tranquility, joy, peace, trust, comfort, gentleness and all the other benefits that spring from true prayer. Whoever has reached this stage of prayer and tasted the unspeakable beauty of her spiritual gifts has reached the light of God’s knowledge, the contemplative life, lived in the Spirit and in truth (John 4, 24). Prayer is the food of our spiritual life, for without it our soul cannot survive. Prayer is our spiritual breath, the means by which we cultivate the relationship of communion with God, we manifest our love and trust towards Him and we acquire from Him all that is useful for our souls and bodies, as the Savior entrusted us, saying: “Whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give it to you” (John 16, 23). The Holy Fathers made prayer the object of their daily activity. They practiced prayer in the ideal way, concentrating their mind on God, removing from it tempting thoughts and passionate imaginings and lowering it into the depths of the heart, to inflame it with the spirit of divine love and turn it into the purified abode of the Holy Spirit.The purity of the humble thought and the sincere and loving heart make the prayer fruitful, descending the divine grace into our souls, to enlighten them and direct them on the path of salvation. In the exercise of prayer, we also ask for the intercession of the saints, because these “households of God” (Ephesians 2, 19) can intervene with Him for us, to protect us from dangers, to deliver us from troubles, to help us overcome sin and to win the crown of salvation. Of all the saints, the Mother of God is our most fervent intercessor and supporter. As the spiritual mother of Christians, she is the perfect model of persistent prayer for the human race. God fulfills our requests especially when we pray for the health, growth, help and salvation of our neighbour. Prayer is the invincible weapon with which we defeat the devil’s devices and illusions, our conversation with God and the royal path on which we direct our steps to heaven.

• Details
• Contents