St. Theophan the Recluse - 3 Forms of Prayer

One of the Orthodox Church’s many great teachers of prayer, St. Theophan the Recluse, referred to three stages, or levels, of prayer:

1. Prayer of the lips
2. Prayer of the mind
3. Prayer of the heart

This teaching has proven to be very popular amongst Orthodox Christians. However, I much prefer to think of these three things not as levels of prayer, but as forms of prayer. The reason is that although each form is higher than the last, all three are practised by even the most advanced practitioners of prayer.

Prayer of the lips is how we all learn to pray: we say certain prayers, we speak to God in our own words, we read from prayer books. Often this form of prayer will take place at certain times of day, such as morning and evening. There are various levels within this "beginner's" stage. St. Theophan always reminded his spiritual children that they will have times when their prayer would be dry, when it would feel like a chore. He always insisted that they should pray nonetheless and strive to develop a habit of prayer. For the moment we refuse to battle through those dry patches, and instead give up on prayer as something meaningless due to a lack of feeling, prayer dies altogether.

Prayer rope

Prayer of the mind is when the prayers we say become so familiar that we can pray inwardly throughout the day. The prayers become not only words that we have memorised, but also prayers of the Church that have become our own; as personal and intimate as our very own words. Although this is thought of as the second stage of prayer, beginners can and do practice it. But as with prayer of the lips, so too with prayer of the mind, there are many levels within this stage of prayer. Someone who manages to quietly say just the Lord's prayer when they have a quiet carriage on a train, and someone who manages to say all of Compline by heart amidst noise and distraction, are both practising prayer of the mind to a lesser and greater extent.

Another version of the prayer rope

Of all prayers of the mind, one in particular has enjoyed special attention for centuries: the Jesus prayer. There is more than one version of it, but the most popular forms are: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner", and "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me/us". Because this is concise and so easy to remember, it can be repeated over and over again at any time and in any situation. Some like to use a prayer rope (komboskini) to aid concentration: passing a knot of the rope through the forefinger and thumb with each invocation. However, we should remember our Lord's warning about praying in secret, and be mindful that the prayer rope does not become a form of showing off. If there is a need for discretion, one's fingers can do just as well as an aid to concentration.

Prayer of the heart is when prayer becomes not only something we say and do, but something we are; it is when the Holy Spirit prays within us, and accompanies every action. For prayer of the mind we must seek a little privacy or solitude or free pockets of time, but those very few who acquire prayer of the heart are praying even when they are doing other things. It has been said that such people continue to pray even while asleep. Many associate prayer of the heart with the Jesus prayer, and the two have become synonymous. While this prayer appears to be the most tried and tested "method" of acquiring the highest level of prayer, prayer of the heart is much broader than the Jesus Prayer.

When reading monastic literature about such advanced practitioners of prayer, one can sometimes be left with the impression that such holy people need not make any conscious effort to pray any more. I think this is a misconception. Such people continue to “say their prayers”, and they continue to go to church to participate in common worship.

Very few of us will ever acquire prayer of the heart. Indeed, it is not something one can achieve by effort alone; it is a gift from God. But all of us can practice prayer of the lips and prayer of the mind. And in so doing, we keep ourselves in the company of the saints who never abandon such forms of prayer.

vassilios-papavassiliou