Глава 3. О том, что эта священная умная молитва есть духовное художество

Let it be known that our Divine Fathers call this sacred mental practice of prayer art. Saint John Climacus in his 27th homily on silence, teaching about the sacrament of this mental prayer, says: “If you have thoroughly studied this art, then you cannot help but know what I am saying. Sitting on high, watch, if you only know how, and then you will see: how, when, and where, and how many, and what kind of thieves come to come in and steal your grapes. This guard, tired, gets up and prays; then he sits down again and courageously resumes his previous work.” Saint Hesychius, presbyter of Jerusalem, says about this sacred prayer: “Sobriety is a spiritual art, completely, with the help of God, freeing a person from passionate thoughts and words, and evil deeds” (chapter 1). Saint Nicephorus the Faster, teaching about it, says: “Come, and I will announce to you art, or better yet, science, eternal, or better yet, heavenly residence, leading its worker, without labor and safely, into the haven of fearlessness.” The holy fathers, as shown, call this holy prayer art, I think, because just as a person cannot learn art on his own without a skilled artist, so it is impossible to learn this mental practice of prayer, without a skillful mentor. But this matter, according to Saint Nicephorus, comes to many, or even to all, from teaching; the rare ones, without teaching, through the pain of doing and the warmth of faith, accepted it from God. The church rule according to the charter and sacred church books, which Orthodox Christians, lay and monks, must bring daily as tribute to the heavenly King, can be read orally by anyone literate and performed without any teaching. And with the mind in the heart it is impossible to offer God the mysterious sacrifice of prayer, since this is a spiritual art without learning, as indicated above. Being a spiritual art, it also constitutes the constant work of monks; so that not only by renunciation of the world and those in the world, a change of name at tonsure, a peculiarity of clothing, celibacy, virginity, purity, spontaneous poverty, separateness of food and place of residence; but also with the most mental and spiritual attention and prayer in the inner man, the monks had excellent work that was superior to worldly people. You might be interested in: