Quotes from Gleb Pokrovsky

Many people treat prayer in an inverted way, thinking that it is one's efforts and the preparatory steps that give rise to prayer, rather than the prayer itself giving birth to good works and all the virtues.

Find a quiet place to sit alone and in silence; bow your head and shut your eyes. Breathe softly, look with your mind into your heart; recollect your mind—that is, all its thoughts—and bring them down from your mind into your heart. As you breathe, repeat: "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me," either quietly with your lips, or only in your mind. Make an effort to banish all thoughts; be calm and patient, and repeat this exercise frequently

Unceasing calling upon the name of God cures one not only of passions, but also of actions; and as a medicine affects a sick man without his comprehension, similarly the invocation of the name of God destroys passions in a manner beyond our comprehension." —St. Barsanuphius the Great "The more rain falls on the earth, the softer it makes it; similarly, Christ's holy name gladdens the earth of our heart the more we call upon it.

O Lord and Master of my life, Take from me the spirit of sloth, despair, lust of power, and idle talk, But grant rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to your servant. Yes, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own faults, and not to judge my brother and my sister, For You are blessed unto ages of ages. Amen.

stimulation, where all is subordinated to the one aim of centering the whole attention of body and soul upon God, in the sense that the world is sought and known in the beauty of God, not God in the beauty of the world.

mean you do it to purify your whole outlook and get an absolutely new conception of what everything's about.

With the name of Jesus, or with sincere thought on Jesus, a great power is united: it drives away passions, forbids demons, and fills the heart with heavenly stillness and joy.