THE MANY FORMS OF PRAYER

As mere mortals, the only way we can hope to communicate with God is through prayer. Prayer has many different aspects and can take a variety of forms. St. Gregory Palamas, the 14th century Bishop of Thessalonika - who we commemorate annually on the Second Sunday of Lent - was a staunch advocate of silent, contemplative prayer. He founded a monastic movement called "hesychasm" (from the Greek word "hesychia," meaning "quiet") which encouraged the constant recitation of the Jesus Prayer - Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have Mercy On Me, A Sinner - as a means of drawing closer to God in one's own heart.

While praying in this fashion may bring us a great deal of inner peace, there are other forms of prayer that must be practiced and perfected if our prayer life is to be complete. First, we must offer God PRAYERS OF WORSHIP. He is the Creator; we are His creatures. We must never neglect to give Him praise. God also deserves our PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING. As St. James tells us: "Every good and perfect gift is from above." We must be grateful for all of the benefits God bestows upon us. INTERCESSORY PRAYER is also important. Asking our Lord to fill the needs of others - friend and foe alike - is a vital part of our prayer life. Finally, we must learn the proper way of PRAYING FOR OUR OWN NEEDS. These petitions cannot be selfish and self-serving. We cannot expect God to grant our every whim and desire!

These are the "ingredients" of a proper prayer life for an Orthodox Christian. May we all follow this "recipe" for establishing a prayerful relationship with our Heavenly Father.