Prayer of the Heart Archives - Page 2 of 3

Prayer of the Heart in an Age of Technology and Distraction, Part 9

11/07/2019

By Fr. Maximos (Constas) The metaphors used by Scripture and the Church are not random and arbitrary, and the deeper you dig into any particular symbol the more meaning it will generate. Those who work with plants and gardening, or maybe biologists who know about reproduction, and the activity of seeds and sperm will be able to unpack even more insight. But the thing about a seed is that seeds remain dormant until they are

Prayer of the Heart in an Age of Technology and Distraction, Part 8

10/31/2019

By Fr. Maximos (Constas) The shift from exterior to interior is not simply a monastic idea. It’s part of basic Christian living. We don’t do this because we’re told to, but because it’s what’s good and best for us. This is what’s best for us. I’m reminded of one of the many wonderful quotes from Augustine’s Confessions where he says to God, “I was looking everywhere for you, but I was looking outside of myself.” I

Prayer of the Heart in an Age of Technology and Distraction, Part 7

10/24/2019

By Fr. Maximos (Constas) St. Paul says you are the dwelling place of God. Is this how we normally understand ourselves? To be dwelling places inhabited by God? This is a very powerful assertion; do we take it seriously and understand what it means and what our lives mean in the context of such a statement? Do we live consistently with such a statement? It’s a wonderful thing to be able to begin the day

Prayer of the Heart in an Age of Technology and Distraction, Part 6

10/17/2019

By Fr. Maximos (Constas) The Orthodox Church is a bottomless spring of spiritual wisdom, granting the eternal life of Christ to all who ardently seek it. Through the millennia this wisdom has been captured for us in part in the writings of the Fathers, the lives of the saints, and the various collections of sayings of the monastic fathers. Among the most prized literary possessions of the Church is the spiritual classic The Philokalia, which

Prayer of the Heart in an Age of Technology and Distraction, Part 5

10/10/2019

By Fr. Maximos (Constas) Worst of all is the so-called smartphone which I like to call the dumb phone, which is essentially a portable computer. I was with my family for thanksgiving and everyone came into the house with an iPad under his arm, and they literally had them sitting on the table and would check them every now and then. It’s very rude; it’s very divisive and destructive of community. And you might say,

Prayer of the Heart in an Age of Technology and Distraction, Part 4

10/03/2019

By Fr. Maximos (Constas) Growing up we used to read newspapers in the house, and now they’re harder to find. The rise of the internet has had a very negative impact on journalism. The text of the newspaper is literally surrounded by advertisements, all of them literally screaming for your attention. There are ever-new methods of attracting your attention. It’s a struggle just to focus on the text in front of you, and I think

Prayer of the Heart in an Age of Technology and Distraction, Part 3

09/26/2019

By Fr. Maximos (Constas) Man is a creature of great depth, created by God, but after the Fall we are easily distracted from the depths, being enamored with mere surface appearances. What in our world today serves to distract us from the depths, and what can we do about it? It’s hard not to hark back to the saint of the day—Isidore of Pelusium, for a very famous quote that merits repeating. Despite that he

Prayer of the Heart in an Age of Technology and Distraction, Part 2

09/19/2019

By Fr. Maximos (Constas) The sayings of the desert fathers are really remarkable—some of the oldest Christian literature we have and yet it sounds so contemporary, fresh, modern, and relevant, partly because the whole ethos is just stripped down to the essentials and simplicity of the desert. There is a story from Abba Poemen who is one of the more prominent desert fathers. Apparently a layman from a nearby city had heard about his reputation

Prayer of the Heart in an Age of Technology and Distraction, Part 1

09/12/2019

By Fr. Maximos (Constas) I was intrigued by the organic connections that the feast of the Presentation which we’re still celebrating and obviously of the Mother of God with the Crucifixion and Resurrection, largely through the prophecy of Symeon, who at this remarkable moment in the Temple says that this Child is a sign that will be spoken against and is set for the rising and falling of many in Israel, and turning to the Theotokos he

From the Prayer of Jesus to Prayer of the Heart (Part II)

01/29/2019

Once this prayer [the Prayer of Jesus] has taken root within us, our heart is illumined by a deep confidence, in which we are spared of the former blindness that allowed us to pray only with the lips. Now we welcome prayer as an ineffable treasure. As spiritual guides have so often declared, “the Prayer of Jesus is a joy that elicits a response of thanksgiving.” At this point in the spiritual pilgrimage, the heart

Archive

Prayer of the Heart in an Age of Technology and Distraction, Part 9

Prayer of the Heart in an Age of Technology and Distraction, Part 8

Prayer of the Heart in an Age of Technology and Distraction, Part 7

Prayer of the Heart in an Age of Technology and Distraction, Part 6

Prayer of the Heart in an Age of Technology and Distraction, Part 5

Prayer of the Heart in an Age of Technology and Distraction, Part 4

Prayer of the Heart in an Age of Technology and Distraction, Part 3

Prayer of the Heart in an Age of Technology and Distraction, Part 2

Prayer of the Heart in an Age of Technology and Distraction, Part 1

From the Prayer of Jesus to Prayer of the Heart (Part II)

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