'On Prayer' is the 28th chapter of St John Climacus' 'Ladder of Divine Ascent', a treatise comprised of 30 chapters (steps) concerning the spiritual life. St John urges his readers to "pray in all simplicity" and to forget over-complicated words in prayer. The "simple and unadorned lisping" of children is enough to win the heart of the Lord. St John reminds us that the tax collector and the prodigal son both received forgiveness by a single phrase. Our prayer should therefore contain more heart than intellect. The reader is warned that our minds can be distracted in searching for words. [...]

The Church at Prayer – The Mystical Liturgy of the Heart By Archimandrite Aimilianos of Simonopetra Published by Indiktos, Athens, 2005. “Let us leave the earth below and let us become like flames of fire, so that we too can ascend to where God is.” ‘The Church at Prayer’ is a book compiled of various sermons delivered by the Athonite Elder at various monasteries and parishes in Greece and Cyprus. Elder Aimilianos discusses some of the most important aspects of our lives as Orthodox Christians, with chapters on Prayer, the Divine Liturgy, Spiritual Study, and the Spiritual life. The first [...]