Catholic Analects: Tears And Prayer

17 Jul 2015

Tears And Prayer

Πρότερον περὶ λήψεως δακρύων προσεύχου, ἵνα διὰ τοῦ πένθους μαλάξῃς τὴν ὑπάρχουσαν ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ σου ἀγριότητα, καὶ ἐξαγορεύσας κατὰ σου τὴν ἀνομίαν σοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ, παρ' αὐτοῦ ἀφέσεως τεύξῃ. Κέχρησο τοῖς δάκρυσι πρὸς παντὸς αἰτήματος κατόρθωσιν· λίαν γὰρ χαίρει σου ὁ Δεσπότες ἐν δάκρυσι προσευχὴν δεχόμενος. ̓Εὰν πηγὰς δακρύων ἐκχέῃς ἐν τῇ προσευχῇ σου, μηδαμῶς ἐπαίρου ἐν σεαυτῷ ὡς ὑπὲρ τοὺς πολλοὺς ὤν· βοήθειαν γὰρ προσείληφεν ἡ προσευχή σου, ἵνα δυνηθῇς προθύμως ἐξαγορεύειν σου τὰς ἁμαρτίας, καὶ ἐξευμενίσασθαι τὸν Δεσπότην διὰ τῶν δακρύων. Μὴ οῦ̓ν εἰς πάθος τρέψῃ τὸ τῶν παθῶν ἀλέξημα, ἵνα μὴ πλέον παροργίσῃς τὸν δεδωκότα τὴν χάριν· πολλοὶ δακρύοντες ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτιῶν, επιλαθόμενοι τοῦ τῶν δακρύων σκοποῦ, μανέντες ἐξεπλάγησαν. Στῆθι ἐμπόνως, καὶ προσεύχου εὐτόνως, καὶ ἀποστρέφου τὰς τῶν φροντίδων καὶ διαλογισμῶν ἐπιτεύξεις· ταράττουσι γὰρ καὶ θορυβοῦσί σε, ἵνα ἐκλύσως τοῦ τόνου.

Εὐάγριος ὁ Ποντικός, Περι προσευχῆς

First pray that you may receive tears, so that by means of sorrow you may be able to calm the state of your soul, and by confessing your lawlessness to the Lord, you may obtain forgiveness from him. With tears make every request effective, for it greatly delights your Master to receive prayer with tears. But even if you let flow fountains of tears in your prayer, never be exalted in yourself, as if you were superior to many, for your prayer has received aid so that you may be able to confess your sins easily and propitiate the Lord through tears. Do not, then, turn into a passion this guard against passions, lest you anger all the more He who gave you this grace. Many indeed who weep over their sins have forgotten why they are weeping; gazing elsewhere, they have madly wandered away. Stand fast in your labour and pray with strength, and repulse the schemes of cares and thoughts: they trouble and shout at you in order to undo your strength.

Evagrius Ponticus, On Prayer

17 Jul 2015

Tears And Prayer

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