Let us love Christ! Then the name of Christ will resound from us – accompanied by our longing, warm feeling, love. In fact, we will shout His name secretly, without words. May Christ free us from every presence of the old man in us! Let us turn to him in prayer to give us tears before prayer!
But let us beware: Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth. Pray humbly: Am I worthy to give me such grace, my Christ? Then the tears turn into tears of gratitude. I’m excited; I have not done the will of God, but I seek His mercy. Pray to God with longing and love, calmly, with gentleness, meekly, without extortion. As you say Jesus’ prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, say it slowly, humbly, gently, following the words of warm love for God.
Pronounce the name of Christ with spiritual sweetness. Say the words one by one: Lord … Jesus … Christ …, have mercy on me, gently, tenderly, with love, silently, secretly, thoughtfully, but also with ascension to God, with longing, with warm love, without straining, without forcing or inappropriate stress, without mental cramps and self-compulsion. How a mother expresses herself when she loves her child: My child! … My daughter! … My darling! She expresses herself longingly and with mercy.
Longing! That is the whole secret. Here the heart speaks: My child, my soul! My Lord, my Jesus, my Christ, my Jesus! … What is in your heart and mind, you express with all your heart, with all your soul (Luke 10:27). Sometimes it is good to say the prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me aloud, so that your senses can hear it, so that your ear can hear it. Namely, we are soul and body. And soul and body affect each other. However, when you love Christ deeply, you prefer to remain silent and to pray intelligently. Then the words stop. There is an inner silence. It precedes the coming of divine grace, union with God, and the merging of the soul with the Deity, and then follows it. When you find yourself in this state, words are unnecessary. It is something that is experienced, something that is not explained. Only he who experiences this state understands what is happening to him. The feeling of love overwhelms you, unites you with Christ. You are filled with love and admiration, and thus you show that you have divine love in you, perfect love.
Divine love is selfless, simple, true. The most perfect way to pray is to pray in silence. Prayerful silence … This is where worship takes place. In silence, in secret. This is where true worship or worship of the True God takes place. However, in order to experience this, you need to reach a certain spiritual level. Then the words give way to silent prayer. That is how you worship, you enter into the mysteries of God.
We don’t need to talk much. We need to allow God’s grace to speak. I uttered the words: Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, and new vistas opened before me. Tears of joy, tears of delight, flowed from my eyes because of the love and baptismal sacrifice of Christ. Longing! It hides the real greatness, in fact – paradise. Because you love Christ, you say these five words of prayer to Him with longing, from the heart, and then – the words are gradually lost. Your heart is so full that it is enough for you to say just one word: My Jesus !, and that is the end of you. You run out of words. Love is better expressed without words. When a soul truly and brightly loves the Lord, it prefers silence and intelligent prayer. The flood of divine love fills the soul with joy and delight. … I feel that God Almighty is in front of me. I spread my arms and open my soul to be united with Him, to partake of the Deity.
Elder Porphyrios of Mount Athos