Prayer Conditions

Ἔτι δ ἄλογον καὶ τοιούτῳ τινὶ παραδείγματι χρήσασθαι πρός τὸ προτρέψασθαι ἐπὶ τὸ εὐξασθαι καὶ ἀποτρέψασθαι τοῦ ἀμελεῖν τὴν εὐχὴν. Ὡωπερ οὐκ ἔστι παιδοποιήσασθαι χωρὶς γυναικὸς καὶ τῆς εἰς παιδοποιίαν χρησίμου παραλαμβανομένης ἐνεργείας· οὕτως τῶδε τινῶν οὐκ ἄν τις τύχοι μὴ οὕτως εὐξάμενος, μετὰ διαθέσεως τοιᾶσδε, πιστεύων οὕτως, οὐ πρὸ τῆς εὐχῆς τόνδε βιώσας τὸν πρόπον. Οὐ Βαττολογητέον οὖν, οὐδὲ μικρὰ αἰτητέον, οὐδὲ περὶ ἐπιγείων προσευκτέον, οὐδὲ μετά ὀργῆς καὶ τεταραγμένων λογισμῶν ἐπὶ τὴν προσευχὴν ἐλθετέον· ἀλλ’ οὐδὲ χωρὶς καθαρεύσεως ἔστιν ἐπινοῆσαι γινομένην τῇ προσευχῇ σχολήν· ἀλλ’ οὐδὲ ἀφέσεως ἁμαρτημάτων οἴον τε τυχεῖν τὸν εὐχόμενον, μὴ ἀπὸ τῆς καρδίας ἀφιέντα τῷ πεπλημμεληκότι καὶ συγγνώμης τυχεῖν ἀξιοῦντι ἀδελφῷ. Ὠφέλειαν δὲ έγγίνεσθαι τῷ ὅν δεῖ τρόπον εὐχομένῳ, ἤ ἐπὶ τοῦτο κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν ἐπειγομένῳ, πολλαχῶς ἠγοῦμαι συμβαίνειν. Καὶ πρῶτον γε πάντως ὤνατό τι ὁ προς τὸ εὔξασθαι ταθεὶς κατὰ τὸν νοῦν, δι’ αὐτῆς τῆς ἐν τῷ εὔχεσθαι καταστάσεως Θεῷ παρεσταναι ἑαυτὸν καὶ ἐκείνῳ λέγειν σχηματίσας, ὡς ἐφορῶντι καὶ παρόντι· ὥσπερ γὰρ αἰ τοιαίδε φαντασίαι καὶ ὑπομνήσεις, τῶνδέ τινων περὶ τὰ ὥν γεγόνασιν αἰ ὑπομνήσεις, μολύνουσι τοὺς λογισμοὺς τοὺς έν ταῖδε ταῖς φαντασίαις γεγενημένους·τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον πειστεόν, ἐνησιφόρον εἴναι μνήμην πεπιστευμένου τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ κατανοοῦντος τὰ ἐν τῷ ἀδύτῳ τῆς ψυχῆς κινήματα· ῥυθμιζούσης ἐαυτὴν ἀρέσκειν ὡς παρόντι καὶ ἐποπτεύοντι καὶ φθάνοντι ἐπὶ πάντα νοῦν, τῷ ἐτάζοντι καρδίας καὶ ἐρευνῶντι νεφρούς.  Ὠριγένης, Περὶ Εὐχὴς

And yet it is not unreasonable so as to incline a man to prayer and also to discourage neglect of it that we employ an illustration such as this: just as the generation of children cannot be without woman and that activity which is necessary for the generation of children, so one will not obtain certain things without praying in a certain way, that is, with a certain disposition, a certain faith, a certain prior way of living. Thus one should not babble, nor ask for little things, nor should one pray for worldly things, nor should one enter into prayer with anger and troubled thoughts; for to give one's mind to prayer without being free from guilt is vain; nor shall one's prayers obtain forgiveness of sins unless from the heart there is forgiveness of the one who has offended and the acquisition of pardon from that brother. That which benefits comes to the one who prays rightly, or according to his ability drives himself to do so, coming to be, I think, in many ways. And first it is surely in every way an advantage to the one whose mind is intent on prayer, while in the state of praying, to place himself before God and there to speak to Him as if He were looking on and present; for just as certain mental images and recollections connected with things remembered may obscure thoughts born of other mental images, in like manner one may be persuaded that the recollection of the God of our faith profits us,He who knows the movements within the sanctuary of the soul, the rhythms as it disposes itself to please Him who is present, He who enters into every mind, He who examines the heart, He who searches the deeps.  Origen, On Prayer