A Guide to Creating a
Prayer Discipline

iiiiiFr. Hopko Lecture of Prayer

iiii1. Praying presupposes:
  iiiiia.) Actively participating in the Liturgy, Confession, Fasting
  iiiiib.) Bible Readings
  iiiiic.) Practicing the Commandments - a life of obedience to the Gospel
  iiiiid.) Seeking God - thirsting after communion with God

iiii2. Every person MUST have a very particular practice that suits that person.
  iiiiia.) Not every discipline of prayer is the same - everyone will do it differently.

iiii3. How does one figure out their particular rule of Prayer?
  iiiiia.) Flee from willfulness - doing whatever you want.
  iiiiib.) Seek- what is God's calling, His providing, empowering, inspiring me to do?

iiii4. How does one do it?
  iiiiia.) Any way you can but not anyway you want.

iiii5. The Church does not mandate a particular rule of prayer on anybody. Everybody has to
iiiiiii have one but the Church does not define its content.

iiii6. In general, the rule is that it should be short rather than long because this has proven to be
iiiiiii more fruitful for most people.
  iiiiia.) It should be regular (at set times)
  iiiiib.) It should be frequent (throughout the day)

iiii7. How do you set it up?
  iiiiia.) You do what you are convinced you can do.
  iiiiib.) Pray as you can -- not as you think you ought to

iiii8. One learns by practice what works and what does not.
  iiiiia.) One works on their rule of prayer all the time.
  iiiiib.) Do not change it frequently but as seldom as possible and only as
aaaanecessary.
  iiiiic.) Circumstances in life change which influence the rule of prayer

iiii9. Never do it on your own.
  iiiiia.) Normally the parish priest is one's guide.
  iiiiib.) Everyone needs to check with another person who is practicing prayer.

iiii10. If you cannot find someone God is the Teacher, Christ is the Master and the Holy Spirit is
iiiiiiii the interior director. God is the one that is ultimately guiding us in spiritual direction.
  iiiiia.) If one is humble
  iiiiib.) "The mouth of the spiritual director is opened by the humility, the
aaaaobedience, the willingness to hear and to practice on the part of the
aaaapetitioner. (Hopko)."
  iiiiic.) The rule of prayer is something received from God.

iiii11. General Common elements of a Rule of Prayer
  iiiiia.) A regular practice of praying with specific prayers.
  iiiiib.) Invoking the Holy Spirit
  iiiiic.) The Trisagion Prayers
  iiiiid.) The Lord's Prayer
  iiiiie.) Other Prayers i.e. Psalms
  iiiiif.) Scripture (read a little at a time)
  iiiiig.) Silence - sitting in the presence of God, emptying one's thoughts. Practice
aaiaiiiiinot thinking. "If you are thinking you are not praying" (Fr. Hopko)
  iiiiih.) Saying the Creed - affirms one's baptism - an exorcism
  iiiiii.) Jesus Prayer- every Orthodox Christian needs a way of staying awake to
aaiaiiiiiGod, even in one's sleep. Repeating a short verse of scripture.
  iiiiij.) Never begin with one's own words.
  iiiiik.) By praying "set prayers" our own prayers grow from them.
  iiiiil.) Intercession for others is a natural fruit of praying. Keep a list if needed.
  iiiiim.) Certain people come to mind as we begin to pray, often people whom we
aaaaiiiiiiwant to block out.
  iiiiin.) Using Prayer Books. Go through them; see what speaks to you and what
aaaaiiiiidoes not.
  iiiiio.) Certain temptations are combated with a corresponding word of God. God
aaaaiiiiireveals what these are to us.

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