Elder Theofanio Theodoropoulos said, when the devil said "your mind will be distracted, you're so tired!": "Let it be so. It means that half the battle is won."
I just want to say we need more positive comments like this. These days it seems like the four walls are closing in, when in reality Christ is risen and is coming again in glory to judge the living and the dead. Knowing this, let's pray with fervor, with our whole heart, aware of His presence. Let's be resolute, patient and humble. Let's savor every moment of grace, and remember those moments next time it's hard to pray. Never abandon or abridge your rule without permission or necessity. How often in the final moments of a long struggle to pray has God touched our hearts? This is how we can learn of His mercy and kindness and love for mankind, would you agree?
When I am not ready to pray, I listen to Orthodox chants like "Kyrie Eleison," which are very repetitive and meditative. This usually gets my mind and my heart quiet before the Lord. Then I am ready to say my prayer rule. Sometimes I will keep the chant on in the background while praying to keep my mind and heart focused on the Lord. God bless you.
I feel like I just go through the motions even when I force myself to pray and it's hard for me to stay focused on what the church is saying. Like during Divine Liturgy, I usually pray by myself during the service without listening to what the church around me is saying. And also, it's hard to hear what other people are saying because sometimes they mumble while singing and I have a bad ear
Thank you Bojan! I've been going through a hard time and not feeling it lately and having to drag myself to my icon corner, and then I feel bad for not feeling like it and wondering if it still "counts." This is very encouraging
My mind keeps coming to work without faith and faith without work. Like these both sit at each end of the specrtum of the lukewarm Christian and the one dragging their feet.
greeting Bojan, I really enjoy your channel I learn a lot of your content, simply and easy. Im Orthodox Christian and ethnicity is Hispanic American, I was a former Catholic and I found in Orthodoxy a very mystical approach of God.
Hello Bojan I hope you will help out a Catholic here:) You have said in your videos that you should get a prayer rule from your spiritual father. I am Roman Catholic but I find that the eastern way of praying fits my temperament much better. I have begun praying St seraphim’s prayer rule but I feel like it is only the bare minimum. I can’t turn to my spiritual father since he is also Roman. Could you share some resources that could help or even your own prayer rule? Thank you in advance, and God bless.
Hello, former Catholic here :) My spiritual director when a Catholic always said that if you set yourself too lengthy a prayer rule the devil will do his best to disrupt it and make you feel bad. He just gave me 3 psalms to say every day (148, 149, 150) as a 'sacrifice of praise'. I found this gave me the strength to say the morning and evening prayers from the Benedictine Diurnal most days, no problem. I also did the consecration to the BVM and that involves 3 Hail Marys when I get up and when I go to sleep. On becoming Orthodox my spiritual father gave me much the same advice as my former Catholic one and basically said not to try too hard. So I have kept the same prayer rule with the Orthodox version of the Hail Mary as substitute and I usually say the morning and evening prayers of the Church also. However don't forget that prayer is not just a thing for the mind, the Orthodox are big on conforming the body also. Therefore prostrations and signs of the cross are also prayers . You may want to add these to your prayer arsenal. And I haven't even touched on fasting which without prayer is mere vanity, but you really need to do that under direction. Basically, 'drift down the Danube' and become Orthodox, you won't regret it!!
Quite right the spirituality in Roman Catholicism is completely different to the spirituality in orthodoxy if you are inclined you should look at finding an orthodox parish and finding a priest there who will guide you God bless you and forgive me if this caused you any offence or upset you in anyway
@@nicksor2543 I like the eastern spirituality more in many ways but I think the Tridentine Mass is the most beautiful liturgy in the world and would never leave it. And even if I were to change I would just go to a Byzantine Catholic Church. I did look into Orthodoxy when I first became a Christian but I wasn’t convinced.
@@gillianc6514 Thank you for the comment. All good ideas, except the last one. I find the Tiber is a far more pleasant river to float down. Hope to see you back home one day;)
Hi Bojan! I used to watch a lot of your content back in the day. I have a question, I heard you once tell a story about a priest, or someone, who died and was incorrupt, but the body was tested and it was found that, because he ate a lot of preserved food, it interacted with the natural decomposition process. I forget what exactly led to him being tested, but I think the point you were trying to make is that we should be careful to not rush calling something a miracle. Would you happen to have more details on this? Or a source? Thanks!
Forcing yourself to pray is not sinful. But SET prayers are sinful, for the repetition of a prayer makes it a spell or incantation (rather than asking God for something), which is vanity and covetousness: because it assumes the power of the words of that set "prayer" have power in themselves. Hence Lord Jesus' words: "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking." - Matthew 6:7 In the same way, expecting a religion/church to be your saviour by participating in it is sinful, because only the Saviour (a Person, 1 Timothy 2:5, not a religion/church/group of men) can be your Saviour. You are made a part of the Saviour's church if you are saved (1 John 5:13, John 5:24, John 11:26, not the other way around. And the way to do this is to believe on His one and FINISHED sacrifice on the cross in YOUR place (for what you deserve): John 6:29 (see John 8:30 for example of "believing on Christ").
Elder Theofanio Theodoropoulos said, when the devil said "your mind will be distracted, you're so tired!": "Let it be so. It means that half the battle is won."
When I read the title of this video my first thought was "I hope not, because I feel like I'm forcing myself most of the time."
positive comment
reply to positive comment
I just want to say we need more positive comments like this. These days it seems like the four walls are closing in, when in reality Christ is risen and is coming again in glory to judge the living and the dead. Knowing this, let's pray with fervor, with our whole heart, aware of His presence. Let's be resolute, patient and humble. Let's savor every moment of grace, and remember those moments next time it's hard to pray. Never abandon or abridge your rule without permission or necessity. How often in the final moments of a long struggle to pray has God touched our hearts? This is how we can learn of His mercy and kindness and love for mankind, would you agree?
Huzzah
When I am not ready to pray, I listen to Orthodox chants like "Kyrie Eleison," which are very repetitive and meditative. This usually gets my mind and my heart quiet before the Lord. Then I am ready to say my prayer rule. Sometimes I will keep the chant on in the background while praying to keep my mind and heart focused on the Lord. God bless you.
Hey Stefan here thank you Bojan for answering the question I asked love the videos 👍 ❤
I feel like I just go through the motions even when I force myself to pray and it's hard for me to stay focused on what the church is saying. Like during Divine Liturgy, I usually pray by myself during the service without listening to what the church around me is saying. And also, it's hard to hear what other people are saying because sometimes they mumble while singing and I have a bad ear
Thankyou Bojan. I had a similiar question and I found this very insightful.
Thank you Bojan! I've been going through a hard time and not feeling it lately and having to drag myself to my icon corner, and then I feel bad for not feeling like it and wondering if it still "counts." This is very encouraging
My mind keeps coming to work without faith and faith without work. Like these both sit at each end of the specrtum of the lukewarm Christian and the one dragging their feet.
greeting Bojan, I really enjoy your channel I learn a lot of your content, simply and easy. Im Orthodox Christian and ethnicity is Hispanic American, I was a former Catholic and I found in Orthodoxy a very mystical approach of God.
Hello Bojan
I hope you will help out a Catholic here:)
You have said in your videos that you should get a prayer rule from your spiritual father.
I am Roman Catholic but I find that the eastern way of praying fits my temperament much better. I have begun praying St seraphim’s prayer rule but I feel like it is only the bare minimum. I can’t turn to my spiritual father since he is also Roman.
Could you share some resources that could help or even your own prayer rule?
Thank you in advance, and God bless.
Brother you should consider converting you cannot have eastern spirituality and be in the Roman church
Hello, former Catholic here :)
My spiritual director when a Catholic always said that if you set yourself too lengthy a prayer rule the devil will do his best to disrupt it and make you feel bad. He just gave me 3 psalms to say every day (148, 149, 150) as a 'sacrifice of praise'. I found this gave me the strength to say the morning and evening prayers from the Benedictine Diurnal most days, no problem. I also did the consecration to the BVM and that involves 3 Hail Marys when I get up and when I go to sleep.
On becoming Orthodox my spiritual father gave me much the same advice as my former Catholic one and basically said not to try too hard. So I have kept the same prayer rule with the Orthodox version of the Hail Mary as substitute and I usually say the morning and evening prayers of the Church also. However don't forget that prayer is not just a thing for the mind, the Orthodox are big on conforming the body also. Therefore prostrations and signs of the cross are also prayers . You may want to add these to your prayer arsenal. And I haven't even touched on fasting which without prayer is mere vanity, but you really need to do that under direction. Basically, 'drift down the Danube' and become Orthodox, you won't regret it!!
Quite right the spirituality in Roman Catholicism is completely different to the spirituality in orthodoxy if you are inclined you should look at finding an orthodox parish and finding a priest there who will guide you God bless you and forgive me if this caused you any offence or upset you in anyway
@@nicksor2543 I like the eastern spirituality more in many ways but I think the Tridentine Mass is the most beautiful liturgy in the world and would never leave it. And even if I were to change I would just go to a Byzantine Catholic Church. I did look into Orthodoxy when I first became a Christian but I wasn’t convinced.
@@gillianc6514 Thank you for the comment. All good ideas, except the last one. I find the Tiber is a far more pleasant river to float down. Hope to see you back home one day;)
Hi Bojan! I used to watch a lot of your content back in the day. I have a question, I heard you once tell a story about a priest, or someone, who died and was incorrupt, but the body was tested and it was found that, because he ate a lot of preserved food, it interacted with the natural decomposition process. I forget what exactly led to him being tested, but I think the point you were trying to make is that we should be careful to not rush calling something a miracle. Would you happen to have more details on this? Or a source? Thanks!
I forget to pray so I have reminders to help me pray
Where should I ask a question?
Sin will teach you how to pray if you don't lose faith for God in the process
Wait. Bojan looks 60 in the illustrations and miloş looks 45. This visual isn’t possible. Thanks for the encouragement
Forcing yourself is the BEST thing you can do, I have never been closer to God than when I CONSISTENTLY forced myself to prayer and to read.
Forcing yourself to pray is not sinful. But SET prayers are sinful, for the repetition of a prayer makes it a spell or incantation (rather than asking God for something), which is vanity and covetousness: because it assumes the power of the words of that set "prayer" have power in themselves. Hence Lord Jesus' words: "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking." - Matthew 6:7
In the same way, expecting a religion/church to be your saviour by participating in it is sinful, because only the Saviour (a Person, 1 Timothy 2:5, not a religion/church/group of men) can be your Saviour. You are made a part of the Saviour's church if you are saved (1 John 5:13, John 5:24, John 11:26, not the other way around.
And the way to do this is to believe on His one and FINISHED sacrifice on the cross in YOUR place (for what you deserve): John 6:29 (see John 8:30 for example of "believing on Christ").
Do you believe in ecumenism
Hope not. I'm new to Orthodoxy which I love but am disturbed by the number of Patriarchs and bishops who DO believe in it.
No