Prayer And Devotion

Maria ergo, cum venisset, ubi erat lesus, videns eum, cecidit ad pedes eius... Ecce, devotio, semper ad pedes Domini; unde Lucae septimo: Maria stans retro secus pedes Domini; et decimo: Sedens secus pedes Domini, audiebat verbum illius. Non legitur de Martha, quod ceciderit ad pedes; quia non sic devota nec sic calida, ut Maria; Deuteronomii trigesimo tertio: Qui appropinquant pedibus eius accipient de doctrina illius. Et subditur fidelis confessio: Et dixit ei: Domine, si fuisses hic, frater meus non fuisset mortuus; in quo insinuat virtutem Domini, ut soror prius fecerat; sed iila amplius dixit, quod adhuc resuscitaret , si vellet; et haec ob reverentiam tacuit et ob devotionem flevit et amplius Dominum movit, sicut infra patebit. In quo innuitur, quod Dominus magis audit gemitum cordis quam sonum oris; Gregorius: Veraciter orare est amaros in compunctione gemitus et non composita verba resonare ; unde primi Regum primo dicitur, quod Anna largiter flevit et tacite oravit. Sanctus Bonaventura, Commentarius In Evangelium Ioannem, Caput XI Source: Here, p882

Then Mary, when she had come where Jesus was, fell at his feet... 1 Behold devotion is always at the feet of the Lord. In the seventh chapter of Luke, 'Mary standing behind the feet of the Lord,' and in the tenth, 'Sitting at the feet of the Lord, she heard His word.' 2 This is not said about Martha, that she fell at His feet, because she was not so devout or fervent as Mary. In the thirty third chapter of Deuteronomy, 'Those who shall draw near His feet will receive His teaching.' 3 And it speaks of faithful confession. 'And she said to Him, O Lord, if you were here my brother would not have died.' in which she hints at the power of the Lord, as her sister had previously done, but she says more, even that He might resurrect him, if He wished. But this is not voiced because of reverence and there are tears because of devotion, which moved the Lord more, as we have said. In which it should be understood that the Lord listens more closely to the groans of the heart than to the sounds of the mouth. Gregory says, 'True prayer is in the groans of bitter compunction and does not resound with composed words.' Hence in the first book of Kings is is said that Hannah wept greatly and prayer silently. 4 Saint Bonaventura, Commentary On The Gospel Of Saint John, Chapter 11 1 Jn 11.32 2 Lk 7.38, 10.39 3 Deut 33.3 4 Moralia 33.23.43, 1 Kings 1.10

A Little Perseverence

Οταν δυνηθῇς δύο μῆνας εὐχῇ, καὶ τῇ ἡσυχία προσκαρτερῆσαι, τότε κἂν ὄνυχά πού τινα, ἢ φαντασίαν μικράν τινα ἐν νῷ λαβεῖν δυνήσῃ τῆς ἐπιπόνου τληπαθείας, καὶ τῆς πολυμόχθου διαγωγής, τῶν διὰ πάσης τῆς ζωῆς προσανεχόντων τῷ μονήρει κανόνι, καὶ τῇ ἀκτυπησία. Ἅγιος Νειλος, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΣΠΑ' Ἱλαριος Πρεσβυτέρῳ Source: Migne PG 79.185a

When you are able to persevere two months in prayer and quiet, then you may have a certain sniff or a brief glimpse of the laborious toil and burdensome years of those who through their whole lives are bound to silence by the monastic rule. Saint Nilus of Sinai, Book 1, Letter 281, to Hilarius the Presbyter

Silence In Heaven

Factum est silentium in caelo quasi media hora Est silentium quod est contemplatio. Coelum est anima justi. Unde: Coleum sedes mea est; et: Coeli enrrant gloriam Dei. Cum igitur quies contemplativae viae agitur in mente, silentium fit in coelo: quae quia in praesenti non est perfecta, non hora, sed media hora fieri perhibetur. Hugo De Sancte Victore, Miscellanea, Liber VI, Tit II De silentio animae contemplativae Source: Migne PL 177.812c

'There was silence in heaven for almost half an an hour.' 1 It is the silence that is contemplation. Heaven is the soul of the righteous man. Hence, 'Heaven is my seat.' 2 And, 'The heavens announce the glory of God.' 3 Therefore when the quiet of the contemplative life is practiced in the mind, there is silence in heaven, which because it is not perfect in the present, lasts not for an hour, but for part of an hour. Hugh Of Saint Victor, Miscellanea, Book 6, Chapter 2, On the Silence of the Contemplative Soul 1 Apoc 8.1 2 Isaiah 66.1 3 Ps 18.2

Accusations And Silence

Mirum forsitan videatur vobis, fratres, cur Dominus apud praesidem Pilatum a principibus sacerdotum accusetur, et taceat, nec nequitiam eorum sua responsione convincat, cum utique ingestam accusationem nonnisi refellere soleat subsecuta defensio. Mirum, inquam, fiat, fratres, quod arguatur Salvator, et taceat; taciturnitas enim interdum pro consensu habetur; videtur namque confirmare, quod objicitur, cum non vult respondere, quod quaeritur. Accusationem ergo suam Dominus tacendo confirmat? Non plane accusationem suam tacendo confirmat, sed despicit non refellendo; bene enim tacet, qui defensione non indiget. Ambiat defendi, qui metuit superari. Festinet loqui, qui timet vinci. Christus autem cum condemnatur, et superat; cum judicatur, et vincit, sicut ait propheta: Ut justificeris in sermonibus tuis, et vincas cum judicaris. Quid ergo opus erat ei loqui ante judicium, cui ipsum judicium erat plena victoria. Vincit enim cum judicatur Christus, quia sic innocens approbatur; unde ait Pilatus: Innocens ego sum a sanguine hujus justi. Melior est igitur causa, quae non defenditur, et probatur; plenior justitia est, quae non verbis astruitur, sed veritate fulcitur. Taceat lingua necesse, ubi ipsa aequitas sibi adest; taceat in bono negotio, quia et malas causas obtinere consuevit. Nolo sic defendi justitiam, sicut solet iniquitas excusari. Quod vincit Christus, non orationis est, sed virtutis; scit enim Salvator, qui est sapientia, quomodo tacendo vinceret, quomodo non respondendo superaret: atque causam suam mavult comprobare quam dicere. Quae enim res illum compelleret ad loquendum, cum silentium satis sufficeret ad vincendum? Sed fortasse metus eum cogeret, ne salutem perderet, nisi quod ipsa erat tota causa victoriae; suam enim salutem perdidit, ut salutem omnium lucraretur; in se vinci maluit, ut victor esset in cunctis. Sed quid de Christo loquar? Susanna mulier apud inimicos suos tacuit, et vicit. Non enim apud Danielem judicem verborum se ratione defendit, non patrocinii sermone tutata est; sed in sancta femina, tacente lingua, pro ea castitas loquebatur. Castitas enim Susannae adfuit in judicio, quae eam defendit et in paradiso; ibi enim pudori ejus consuluit, 143 hic saluti; ibi ne macularetur pudicitia, hic ne innocentia damnaretur. Castitas ergo Susannae et presbyteros, et impudicos convicit in paradiso, et in judicio falsos accusatores obtinuit, bisque victrix reos facit testimonii, quos reos fecerat adulterii. At quem tandem judicem meretur castitas? Danielem puerum juniorem, nec dum pubescentis aetatis. Multum igitur de Deo pudicitia consequitur, cum judicem virginem promeretur; secura enim est de victoria castitas, cui est judicatura virginitas. Pudicitiae autem causam, nisi vir pudicus audire non debuit; talem enim arbitrum meretur castimonia, apud quem non periclitetur verecundia. Cognito igitur Daniel Susannae negotio, cum eam falsis accusationibus vellet plebs imperita damnare, ait idem: Mundus ego sum a sanguine hujus. Quo dicto peccantis populi revocavit errorem. Hac ergo voce circa Susannam Daniel utitur; qua circa Dominum usus est Pilatus; ait enim Pilatus: Mundus ego sum a sanguine hujus justi. Eadem igitur sententia solvitur pudicitia, qua est absoluta justitia. Sed Daniel melius quam Pilatus; ille enim pudicum sanguinem non condemnat, sed liberat; hic autem justum sanguinem et confitetur, et tradit. Quid enim profuit testimonium perhibuisse innocentiae, et velut reum addixisse nequitiae, nisi quod gravius peccatum est, unum eumdemque et pronuntiare justum, et tradere quasi criminosum? Ipse enim iniquitatis suae testis est, qui ore absolvit, et corde condemnat. Laverit licet manus suas Pilatus, tamen sua facta non diluit; et quamvis abstergere se putaverit justi sanguinem de suis membris, eo tamen sanguine mens ejus tenetur infecta. Ipse enim occidit Christum, qui eum tradidit occidendum; judex enim constans et bonus, ne sanguinem innocentis addiceret, nec invidiae cedere debuit, nec timori. Daniel ergo melius quam Pilatus: ille peccantis populi revocavit errorem; hic autem furentis Synagogae sacrilegium confirmavit. Sanctus Maximus Taurinensis, Homilia XLVI , De accusato et judicato Domino apud Pilatum Source: Migne PL 57.331c-334b

Perhaps it seems a wonder to you, brothers, why the Lord at the court of Pilate, when He was accused by the chief priests, was silent, and did not convict their wickedness with His own answer, 1 when an accusation is not customarily allowed unless it is possible that it might be refuted by a subsequent defence. Let there be wonder here, brothers, that the Saviour is accused and is silent, for silence is held to be consent, since it seems to confirm what is asserted when one chooses not to answer what is asked. Did, then, the Lord confirm his own accusation with silence? No, plainly His silence did not confirm His accusation, but he scorned a rebuttal, for he is wisely silent who is in no need of defence. He who is keen to defend himself fears that he shall be overcome. He makes haste to speak who fears to be overthrown. But when Christ is condemned, He overcomes, and when He is convicted He conquers, as the prophet says, 'That you be justified in your words, and triumph when you are judged.' 2 What need, then, was there for Him to speak before judgement, when that judgement was full of victory? For Christ triumphs when he is judged because He is proved innocent, whence Pilate says, 'I am innocent of the blood of this righteous man.' 3 Thus better is that cause which is not defended and is proved. Greater is the righteousness which no words prop up but which the truth supports. It is necessary that the tongue be silent when justice is near, for the tongue is silent in good affairs and accustomed to labour for bad cases. Righteousness is not defended in the way that wickedness is customarily excused. Christ does not conquer with speeches but with virtue. The Saviour, who is wisdom, knows how to conquer by silence and how to overcome without answering, and in this way He prefers to prove His own case than to speak. What is it that would compel one to speak when silence is sufficient to conquer? But perhaps fear compels, lest safety be lost? Yet that was the whole cause of victory, that He should lose his safety so that He might advance the salvation of everyone. He preferred for Himself to be conquered so that He might be a victor for everyone. But why do I speak of Christ? Susanna was silent before her enemies and triumphed. 4 For it was not until Daniel that her cause was defended with words, nor was she protected with speech by lawyers, but in holy womanhood, with a silent tongue, she spoke for her chastity. Susana was chaste in judgement, which she defended in the garden. There she looked to her modesty, here to her salvation. There lest her modesty be defiled, here lest innocence be damned. Therefore the chastity of Susanna convicted the wicked elders in the garden, and in court revealed false accusers, and twice the victorious woman makes them guilty by witness who would have made her guilty of adultery. But what judge should chastity have? Daniel, a youth, who had not yet reached the age of maturity. Therefore modesty receives much from God when it merits a virginal judge. For chastity is certain of victory when it is judged by virginity. But the cause of modesty should not be heard unless before a modest man, for chastity merits such a judge, and it will be endangered without it. Thus Daniel understood Susanna's case, and when the unlearned people wished to condemn her with false accusations, he said, 'I am clean of this blood.' Which saying he exposed the error of a people at fault. With this voice Daniel was of use to Susanna, which then Pilate employed for the Lord, for he said: 'I am clean of the blood of this righteous man.' Thus modesty quashed the same sentence with its perfect justice. But Daniel was better than Pilate, since he did not condemn modest blood, but freed it, while the latter confessed blood to be righteous and then handed it over. What use to have held to the witness of innocence and then to have assented to the guilt of wickedness, unless that the sin is heavier to pronounce one and the same man just and then to hand him over as a criminal? He is a witness of his own wickedness who with his mouth absolves and with his heart condemns. Pilate may wash his hands, but he cannot make his act clean. Though he thinks to scrub the blood of a righteous man from his members, yet his mind is stained with it. For he kills Christ who hands him over to his killers. The good and constant judge, lest he abandon innocent blood, should not be overcome by envy or fear. Therefore Daniel was better than Pilate, for the former exposed the error of a people in fault, and the latter confirmed the sacrilege of the enraged Synagogue. Saint Maximus of Turin, Homily 46, On the Accusation And Judgement of the Lord before Pilate 1 Mt 27.12 2 Ps 50.6 3 Mt 27.24 4 Dan 13

Caring For Oneself

Aἰδεῖσθε δὲ πλέον ὑµᾶς αὐτοὺς, καὶ τὴν πιστευθεῖσαν εἰκόνα, καὶ τὸν πιστεύσαντα, καὶ τὰ Χριστοῦ πάθη, καὶ τὰς ἐκεῖθεν ἐλπίδας, πίστιν µὲν ἔχοντες ἣν παρειλήφα τε, καὶ ᾗ συνετράφητε, µεθ' ἧς καὶ σώζεσθε, καὶ σώζειν ἄλλους πιστεύεσθε· οὐ γὰρ πολλῶν, εὖ ἴστε, τὸ ὑµέτερον καύχηµα. Τὸ δὲ εὐσεβὲς µὴ ἐν τῷ πολλάκις περὶ Θεοῦ λαλεῖν, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ τὰ πλείω σιγᾷν εἶναι τιθέµενοι· γλῶσσα γὰρ ὄλισθος ἀνθρώποις µὴ λόγῳ κυβερνωµένη· καὶ ἀκινδυνοτέραν ἀκοὴν ἀεὶ λόγου νοµίζοντες, ὥστε τι µανθάνειν ἥδιον, ἢ διδάσκειν περὶ Θεοῦ· τὴν µὲν ἀκριβεστέραν τούτων ἐξέτασιν τοῖς οἰκονόµοις τοῦ λόγου παραχωροῦντες· αὐτοὶ δὲ λόγῳ µὲν εὐσεβοῦντες ὀλίγα, ἔργῳ δὲ πλείονα, καὶ τῇ τηρήσει τῶν νόµων µᾶλλον ἢ τῷ θαυµάζειν τὸν νοµοθέτην, τὸ περὶ αὐτὸν φίλτρον ἐπιδεικνύµενοι, φεύγοντες κακίαν, διώκοντες ἀρετὴν, πνεύµατι ζῶντες, πνεύµατι στοιχοῦντες, τούτῳ τὴν γνῶσιν ἕλκοντες, ἐποικοδοµοῦντες τῷ θε µελίῳ τῆς πίστεως, µὴ ξύλον, µηδὲ χόρτον, µηδὲ καλάµην, ὕλην ἀσθενῆ καὶ ῥᾳδίως δαπανωµένην, ἡνίκα ἂν πυρὶ κρίνηται τὰ ἡµέτερα, ἢ καθαίρηται· ἀλλὰ χρυσὸν, ἄργυρον, λίθους τιµίους, τὰ µένοντα καὶ ἱστάµενα. Ταῦτα πράσσοιτε, καὶ τούτοις ἡµᾶς δοξά ζοιτε εἴτε παρόντες εἴτε ἀπόντες, εἴτε µεταποιούµενοι τῶν ἡµετέρων λόγων, εἴτε ἄλλο τι προτιµότερον ἄγοντες· καὶ γίνοισθε τέκνα Θεοῦ καθαρὰ καὶ ἀµώµητα, ἐν µέσῳ γενεᾶς σκολιᾶς καὶ διεστραµµένης· καὶ µὴ περιπλέκοιτο ὑµῖν τὰ τῶν κύκλῳ περιπατούντων ἀσεβῶν σχοινία, µηδὲ σειραῖς τῶν οἰκείων ἁµαρτιῶν περισφίγγοισθε, µηδὲ ταῖς βιωτικαῖς µερίµναις συµπνίγοιτο ὑµῖν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ἄκαρποι γίνοισθε· ἀλλ' ὁδῷ πορεύοισθε βασιλικῇ, µὴ ἐκκλίνοντες εἰς δεξιὰ, µηδὲ εἰς ἀριστερὰ, καὶ διὰ τῆς στενῆς ὡς πλατείας ὑπὸ τοῦ Πνεύµατος ὁδηγούµενοι. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος ὁ Ναζιανζηνός, Λόγος Γʹ Source: Migne PG 35.524a-525a

Rather show perfect care for yourselves, and for the entrusted Image, 1 and Him who entrusted it, and the passion of Christ, and your hope from that, holding to the faith that you received, and in which you were nurtured and are being saved and which you trust to save others, for not many, be certain, have your boast. Do not account piety to be found in often speaking about God but for the larger part in silence, since the tongue is a dangerous thing to men if it is not governed by reason, 2 and think that listening is always less perilous than talking, just as learning about God is more pleasant than teaching. Leave the more painstaking enquiry into these things to those who are the stewards of the Word and yourselves worship a little in words but more by deeds, rather by keeping the Law than by wondering about the Lawgiver, showing your love for Him by fleeing from wickedness and pursuing virtue, and by living in the Spirit and walking in the Spirit, and drawing your knowledge from Him, and building on the foundation of the faith, not wood or hay or stubble, that are weak materials which will easily be spent when fire shall prove our works or destroy them, but gold and silver and precious stones, which will remain and endure. 3 May it be that you do these things and so give us glory, whether we are present or absent, whether you partake of our speeches or prefer to be doing something else, and may you be the children of God, pure and blameless in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, 4 and may you never be entangled in the snares of the wicked that go round about, or bound with the chain of your own sins. May the Word in you never be smothered with the cares of this life so that you become unfruitful, but may you walk in the King's Highway, turning aside neither to the right nor to the left, but led by the Spirit pass through the narrow gate. 5 Saint Gregory Nazianzus, from Oration 3 1 Gen1.27 2 James 3.1-12 3 1 Cor 3.12-15 4 Phil 2.15 5 Mark 4.19, Prov 4.27, Mt 7.13-14

Words And Silence

Ἐπειδὴ οὐ μικρὸν κακὸν, τοῖς εἰκῆ καὶ μάτην φλυαροῦσιν ὑπάρχει τῆς γλώττης ἡ ὀξύτης, τοῦτου χάριν ἀντὶ θύρας, καὶ μοχλοῦ τὴν σιωπὴν τίθησην ὁ ἅγιας Μωϋσης· διὰ γὰρ τοῦτο δύο εἰλήφαμεν ὤτα, μίαν δὲ γλῶσσαν, ἴνα πλείονα ἀκούωμεν πρὸς σωτηρίαν, ἤπερ λαλοῦμεν, διὰ πράξεων ἀγαθῶν μᾶλλον βοῶντες, καὶ θείων κατορθωμτων. Καλῶς οὖν αὐτός τε ο Μωϋσης, καὶ οἱ ἱερεῖς, καὶ οἱ Λευῖται, παντὶ τῷ Ἰσραὴλ ἀπεστέλλοντο λέγοντες· Σιώπα, Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἄλουε τὰ λόγια Κυρίου. Ἅγιος Νειλος, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΣΟΖ’, Ἡρακλειτῳ Σκολαστικῳ Source: Migne PG 79.184c

Since it is not a little evil, as a door and bar, Moses demands silence from those who recklessly and vainly talk nonsense with an eager tongue, for being in possession of two ears and one tongue, we should hear much more for our salvation than speak, 1 and rather have our crying out done through good works and Divine deeds. Rightly, therefore, Moses sent off the priests and Levites, and all Israel, saying, 'Be silent, Israel, and hear the words of God.' 2 Saint Nilus of Sinai, Book 1, Letter 277, to Heraclitus the Scholar 1 cf Diogenes Laertius 7.1.23, on Zeno of Citium 2 Deut 27.9

The Spirit And Speech And Silence

Τὸ στόμα μου ἤνοιξα καὶ εἴλκυσα Πνεῦμα, καὶ δίδωμι τὰ ἐμαυτοῦ πάντα, καὶ ἐμαυτὸν τῷ Πνεύματι, καὶ πρᾶξιν, καὶ λόγον, καὶ ἀπραξίαν, καὶ σιωπήν· μόνον ἐχέτω με, καὶ ἀγέτω, καὶ κινείτω καὶ χεῖρα, καὶ νοῦν, καὶ γλῶσσαν, ἐφ' ἂ δεῖ καὶ βούλεται· καὶ ἀπαγέτω πάλιν ἀφ ὦν δεὶ, καὶ ὦν ἄμεινον. Ὄρανόν εἰμι θεῖον, ὄρνανον λογικὸν, ὄργανον καλῷ τεχνίτῃ τῷ Πνεύματι ἁρμοζόμενον καὶ κρουόμενον. Χθὲς ἐνήργει τὴν σιωπήν; τὸ μὴ λέγειν ἐφιλοσόπουν. Σήμερον κρούει τὸν νοῦν; ἠχήσω τὸν λόγον, καὶ φιλοσοφήσω τὸ φθέγγεσθαι. Καὶ οὔτε λόγος οὕτως εἰμὶ, ὡς λέγειν ἐπιθυμεῖν, τὸ σιωπᾷν ἐνεργούμενος· οὔτε σιωπηλὸς οὔτω καὶ ἀμαθὴς, ὡς ἐν καιρῷ λόγου τιθέναι φυλακὴν τοῖς χείλεσιν· ἀλλὰ καὶ κλείω καὶ ἀνοίγω τὴν ἐμὴν θύραν Νῷ, κιὰ Λόγῳ, καὶ Πνεύματι, τῇ μιᾷ συμφυϊᾳ τε καὶ θεότητι. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος ὁ Ναζιανζηνός, Λόγος ΙΒ´ Source: Migne PG 35.844a-b

I opened my mouth and I drew in the Spirit, 1 and I give my all and myself to the Spirit, both action and speech, and inaction and silence, only let Him hold me and guide me, and move both hand and mind and tongue where it is needed and He wills, and again restrain it as it is needed and is best. I am a divine instrument, a rational instrument, an instrument tuned and played by an adept artist, the Spirit. Yesterday His work was silence. I thought not to speak. Does He strike my mind today? Speech shall be heard, and I will think on speaking. I am neither so talkative, as to desire to speak, when He works silence, nor so reserved and unlearned as to set a guard on my lips when it is time to speak, but I close and open my door according to the Mind and Word and Spirit of one nature and Deity. Saint Gregory Nazianzus, from Oration 12 1 Ps 118.131

Fasting And Silence

Τῆς σαρκὸς τὸ σκίρτημα, καὶ τὴν αἰσχρὰν ἔφεσιν, τῷ τῆς νηστείας ἰμάντι μαστιξαντες, καὶ τῷ λόγῳ πείσωμεν ἡσυχάζειν. Ἅγιος Νειλος, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΡΞΗ´, Σωφρονι Τριβουνῳ Source: Migne PG 79.149b

The exaltation of the flesh and the shameful urge is disciplined with the whip of fasting, even by this use of reason we persuade it to enter into silence. Saint Nilus of Sinai, Book 1, Letter 168 to Sophronius the Tribune

A Treatment Of Thieves

Ἤν τις μέγας ἡσυχαστὴς ἐν τῷ ὄρει τῆς Ἀθλίβεως· καὶ ἤλθον ἐπάνω αὐτοῦ λῃσταί· καὶ ἔκραχεν ὁ γέρων· καὶ ἀκούσαντες οἱ γείτονες αὐτοῦ ἐπίασαν τοὺς λῃστὰς, καὶ ἔπεμψεν αὐτοὺς τῷ ἡγεμόνε, καὶ ἔβαλεν εἰς φυλακήν. Καὶ ἐλυπήθηαν οἱ ἀδελφοὶ, λέγοντες, ὅτι Δι' ἡμᾶς παρεδόθησαν. Καὶ ἀναστάντες ἀπῆλθον πρὸς τὸν ἀββᾶν Ποιμένα, καὶ ἀνήγγειλαν αὐτῷ τὸ πρᾶγμα. Καὶ ἔγραψε πρὸς τὸν γέροντα, λέγων· Ἐννόησον τὴν πρώτην προδοσίαν πόθεν γέγονε, καὶ τότε βλέπεις τὴν δευτέραν. Εἰ μὴ γὰρ προεδόθης πρότερον ἐκ τῶν ἔσωθεν, οὐκ ἂν τὴν δευτέραν προδοσίαν ἐποίησας. Ἀκούσας δὲ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν τοοῦ ἀββᾶ Ποιμένος, ἧν δὲ ὀνομαστὸς εἰς ὅλην τὴν χώραν, καὶ μὴ ἐξερχόμενος ἐκ τοῦ κελλίου αὐτου, ἀναστὰς ἦλθεν εἰς τὴν πόλιν, καὶ ἐξέβαλε τοὺς λῃστας ἐκ τῆς φυλακῆς, καὶ δημοσίᾳ ἠλευθέρωσεν αὐτούς. Ἄποφθέγματα των Αγίων Γερόντων, Παλλάδιος Ελενουπόλεως Source: Migne PG 65.344a-b

There was a great hermit dedicated to silence in the mountain of Athlibeos. Some thieves came upon him and the old man cried out. The neighbours, hearing him, seized the thieves and sent them to the magistrate, and he threw them into prison. The brothers were grieved by this and said, 'Because of us they have been put in prison.' They rose up and went to Father Poemen and told him about it. He wrote to the hermit saying, 'Think on the first betrayal and where it comes from and then see the second. If you had not first failed within, you would not have committed the second betrayal.' On hearing the letter of Father Poemen read, though the hermit was renowned in all the district for not coming out of his cell, he arose, went to the city, took the thieves out of prison and liberated them in public. Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Palladius of Galatia

A Good Father

Εἴπεν ὁ ἀββᾶς Ψενθαῖσιος καὶ ὁ ἀββὰς Σοῦρος καὶ Ψώῖος, ὅτι Ἀκούοντες τῶν λόγων τοῦ Πατρὸς ἡμῶν τοῦ ἀββᾶ Παχωμίου μεγάλως ὠφελούμεθα, εἰς ζῆλον ἀγαθῶν ἔργων διεγειρόμενοι. Ὁρῶντες δὲ αὐτοῦ καὶ σιωπῶντος τὴν πρᾶξιν λόγον οὖσαν, ἐθαυμάζομεν, πρὸς ἀλλήλους λέγοντες, ὅτι Ἐνομίζομεν πάντας τοὺς ἁγίους οὕτως πεποιεῐσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκ κοιλίας μητρὸς αὐτῶν ἁγίους καὶ ἀτρέπτους, καὶ οὐχὶ αὐτεξουσίους· καὶ τοὺς ἁμαρτωλοὺς μὴ δυναμένους ζῆν εὐσεβῶς, διὰ τὸ οὕτως κτισθῆναι αὐτούς. Ἄτρι δὲ βλέπομεν τὴν ἀγαθότητα τοῦ Θεοῦ φανερῶς ἐπὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἡμῶν τούτο· ὅτι ἐξ Ἑλλήνων γονέων ὤν, τοσοῦτον θεοσεβὴς γέγονε, καὶ πάσας τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐνδεδυμένος ἐστὶν. Οὐκοῦν καὶ ἡμεῖς δυνάμεθα καὶ πάντες ἀκολουθῆναι αὐτῷ, ἀνθ' ὤν ἀκολουθεῖ τοῖς ἁγίοις· Ἅρα τὸ γεγραμμένον τοῦτό ἐστι· Δεῦτε πρὸς μὲ, πάντες οἱ κοπιῶντες καὶ πεφορτισμένοι, κἀγὼ ἀναπαύσω ὑμᾶς. Συναποθάνωμεν οὖν καὶ συζήσωμεν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τούτῳ, ὅτι ὀρθῶς ὁδηγεῖ ἡμᾶς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν. Ἄποφθέγματα των Αγίων Γερόντων, Παλλάδιος Ελενουπόλεως Source: Migne PG 65.436d-437a

Abba Psenthaisius, Abba Suras and Abba Psoius said: 'By listening to the words of our Father, Abba Pachomius, we were greatly helped and roused to zeal for good works. And seeing that even the act of his silence was a lesson, we were amazed and said to one other: 'We thought that all the holy ones were created so by God and never changed from the womb of their mother, not by their own will, and that sinners could not live devoutly, because they had been made so. But now we see the goodness of God manifest in our father, for he is of pagan parents and he has become so pious, and he is endowed with all the commandments of God. Thus even we can follow him as he followed the holy ones. Truly it is written: 'Come to me, all you who labour and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.' 1 Let us die and let us live with this man, then, because he has led us to God in the right way.' Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Palladius of Galatia 1 Matt. 11.28

Silence And Speech

Quare cum silentio? Quia in multiloquio non effugietur peccatum, quia hoc admonuit Apostolus, quia ante Apostolum propheta dixit: Obmutui et humiliatus sum et silui, etiam, a bonis: et dolor meus renovatus est. Nihil magis extra se cor hominiis effundit, quam multiloquium; nihil citius incurrit vaniloquium, aut stultiloquium, aut etiam turpiloquium, quam multiloquium. Ideo propter multiloquium fugiendum, silemus etiam a bonis, ne detar occasio malis.     ...Tectus magis aestuat ignis. Unus motus animi, si verbositate foras non effunditur, jugi rotatu, sicut flamma ignis, intus circumvolvitur; omniaque interioris conscientiae perlustrans, ea offendit de quibus ei dolor compunctionis salubriter renovatur. Cor quoque quia foris non evaporat, intus concalescens ex igne compunctionis urente, ignem creat lucentuem, quem in meditatione sursum dirigit. In meditatione, inquit, meae exardescet ignis. Sic fit ut qui silente? foris hominibus didicit, ipsi Deo intus loqui incipiat. Locutus sum, inquit, in lingua mea: Notum fac mihi, Domine finem meum. Praesentium contemptor, et quae retro sunt oblitus, de fine interroget: ecce quare silentio. Isaac Cisterciensis Abbas, Sermo L, In Natali Apostolorum Petri et Pauli, Source: Migne PL 194.1859a-b

And why silence? Because loquacity does not drive sin to flight, which the Apostle admonished, and before the Apostle the Prophet said, 'I was dumb and I was humiliated and I was silent,' and even, 'for the sake of the good, and my grief was renewed.' 1 He who is always speaking pours out nothing more than his own heart to men, and nothing so swiftly runs into vain speech or foolish speech, and even talk of filth, than much speech. Therefore one must fly loquacity. Let us be silent for the sake of the good, lest we give an occasion for evil. ...Hotter the blaze of the hidden fire.  2   There is one movement of the soul if verbosity does not pour it outside itself; it revolves in its yoke, like a flame of fire, turning around within and brightening all the things of the interior conscience, those things which offend by which the grief of compunction is well renewed. Also, the heart which does not let itself evaporate outside itself, with the burning of the fire of compunction heating it within, creates the light of the fire which in meditation directs one above. 'In meditation,' he says, 'my fire blazed up.' 3 So will it not be for him who is silent? He has learned from men outside, within he begins to speak to God. 'I spoke with my tongue,' he says, ' make known to me, O Lord, my end.' 4 He who has contempt for present things, and forgets what is behind, will enquire concerning the end. And so understand why he is silent. Isaac of Stella, from Sermon 50, On the Feast of Peter and Paul 1 Ps 38.3 2. Ovid Met 4.64 3. Ps 38.4 4 Ps 38.5

Silence And Fasting

Εἶπεν ὁ ἀββᾶς Δουλᾶς· Ἐὰν ὁ ἐχθρὸς  βιάζηται ἡμᾶς καταλιπεῖν τὴν ἡσυχιαν, μὴ ἀκούσωμεν αὐτοῦ· οὐδὲν γὰρ ὅμοιον αὐτῆς, καὶ τῆς ἀσιτίας. Συγκρίνεται εἰς συμμαχίαν κατ' αὐτοῦ· ὀξυδορκίαν γὰρ παρέχουσι τοῖς ἔνδον ὅμμασιν. Ἀποφθέγματα Ἅγίων Γερόντων, Παλλαδιος Source: Migne PG 65.161b-c

Father Doulas said, 'If the enemy presses on us to abandon silence, let us not listen to him, for nothing is equal to it but fasting. These two join together to fight against him, for they sharpen the inner vision. Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Palladius of Galatia

Deeds And Merits

Deus qui loqui dat, tacere facit; et imperat silentium, qui inserit verbum; dominatur divinus sermo, non servit, quia Deus verbum; et ideo non cum jubetur loquitur, sed cum jubet; non cum exigitur, sed cum donat; non cum cogitur, sed cum venit. Unde, fratres, et cum venit audite, et cum non venit sustinete, et cum se donat accipite, et cum se negat orate; quia hoc doctor accipit, quod meretur auditor. Sanctus Petrus Chrysologus, Sermo LXXXVI Source: Migne PL 52.441-442

God who gives the power to speak, makes silent, He who implants the Word. The Divine speech is not ruled, because the Word is God, and therefore He does not speak when He is commanded but when He commands, not when He is importuned, but when He gives, not when He is forced, but then He comes. Whence, brothers, when He comes, listen; and when He does not, be patient; and when He gives Himself, receive Him; and when He does not, pray; because this teacher does what a listener merits. Saint Peter Chrysologus, from Sermon 86

A Prophetic Silence

Cum autem pertransissent septem dies, factum est verbum Domini ad me, dicens.   In eo quod septem diebus moerens sedit, et post diem septimum verba dominicae jussionis accepit ut loqui debuisset, aperte indicat quia eisdem diebus moerens tacuerat. Missus autem ad praedicandum fuerat, et tamen septem diebus sedens tacebat. Quid est hoc quod nobis propheta sanctus in hoc suo silentio innuit, nisi quia ille loqui veraciter novit, qui prius bene tacere didicerit? Quasi enim quoddam nutrimentum verbi, est censura silentii. Et recte per excrescentem quoque gratiam sermonem accipit, qui ordinate ante per humilitatem tacet. Hinc enim per Salomonem dicitur: Tempus tacendi, et tempus loquendi. Non enim ait, Tempus loquendi, et tempus tacendi, sed prius tacendi praemittit tempus, et postmodum subdit loquendi, quia non loquendo tacere, sed tacendo debemus loqui discere. Si ergo propheta sanctus qui missus ad loquendum fuerat diu prius tacuit, ut postmodum recte loqueretur, pensandum nobis est quanta ei culpa sit non tacere, quem nulla cogit necessitas loqui. Sanctus Gregorius Papa I, In Ezechielem Prophetam, Liber Primus, Homilia XI Migne PL 76 907

When seven days had passed the word of the Lord came to me saying...1 In which seven days he sat mourning and after the seventh day he received the word of the Lord's command that he should speak, openly indicating that he was silent during those days of mourning. He was sent to preach yet for seven days he sat silent. And what is this that the holy Prophet teaches us in his silence but that only he knows truly how to speak who before speaking has learned to be silent? For as a sort of nourishment of the word is the span of silence. And rightly by a growth of grace he receives the word, who before on account of humility is silent. Whence it is said by Solomon: 'A time for silence, and a time for speaking.' 2 It is not said, 'A time for speaking and a time for silence,' but first comes the time of silence and after comes the time of speaking, because it is not in speaking that we learn to be silent, but by silence that we learn to speak. If therefore the holy Prophet who was sent to speak was first silent that afterward he should speak correctly, we should think how much fault there may be to the one who is not silent, whom no necessity drives him to speak.   Pope Saint Gregory the Great, on Ezekiel, Book 1, from Homily 11 1 Ez 3.16 2 Eccl 3.7

A Prayer Request

Θοῦ, Κύριε, φυλακὴν  τῷ στόματί μου. Παρακαλέσας τὸν Δεσπότην ἀκουσθῆναι αὐτοῦ τὴν εὐχὴ καὶ εὐπρόσδεκτον γενέσθαι, ὄρα ποίαν προσάγει πρώτην αἴτησιν, ποίαν ἰκετηρίαν. Οὐ γὰρ εἴπε, Δός μοι χρήματα, δός μοι τιμὰς παρὰ ἀνθρώποις, δός μοι κραῆσαι τῶν εχθρῶν, δός μοι παιδία· οὐδὲν τούτων, ἀλλὰ πάντα ἀφεὶς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐῥῥῖφθαι, αἰτεῖ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ταῦτα ἂ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ αἰτεῖν δίκαιον. Τί οὖν; οὐ δεῖ, φησὶν, αἰσθητὰ αἰτεῖν; Δεῖ μὲν μετὰ μέτρου δὲ ὡς ὁ Ἰακὼβ λέγων· Ἐαν δῷ μοι Κύριος ἄρτον φαγεῖν, καὶ ἱμάτιον περιβαλέσθαι· ὡς ὁ Χριστὸς ἐκέλευσεν εὔχεσθαι λέγοντας· Τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον· πρὸ δὲ πάντων τὰ πνευματικά. Ὅ καὶ αὐτὸς ποιεῖ λέγων· Θοῦ, Κύριε, φυλακὴν τῷ στόματί μου. Εἶδες σύνεσιν; εἶδες φιλοσοφίαν; πόθεν ἄρχεται τῆς αἰτήσεως; Ἀπὸ τοῦ μεγίστου τῶν κατορθωμάτων, καὶ ὅ πάντῶν αἶτιόν ἐστι τῶν κακῶν ἀμελούμενον· ὥσπερ τῶν ἀγαθῶν, σπουδαζόμενον. Τὰ γὰρ μυρία κακὰ τῆς γλώττης ἡ εὐκολία ἐργάζεται, ὥσπερ οὖν τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἡ ἀσφάλεια. Ὥσωπερ οὖν οὐδεν ὄφελος οἰκίας, οὐ πόλεως, οὐ τειχῶν, οὐ πυλῶν, οὐ θυρῶν, ἂν μὴ ὦσιν οἱ φυλάττοντες, καὶ εἰδότες πότε μὲν δεῖ κλείειν, πότε δὲ ἀνοίγειν· οὕτως οὐδὲ γλώττης ὄφελος, οὐδὲ στόματος, ἂν μὴ λογισμὸς ᾗ τὴν κλεῖσιν καὶ τὴν ἄνοιξιν μετὰ ἀκριβείας καὶ πολλῆς τῆς ἐπιστήμης ἐπιτετραμμένος, καὶ εἰδὼς τίνα μὲν ἐκφέρειν δεῖ, τίνα δὲ ἔνδον κατέχειν. Οὐ τοσοῦτοι γὰρ, φησὶν, ἔπεσον ἀπὸ μαχαίρας, ὅσοι ἀπὸ γλώττης. Καὶ πάλιν ὁ Χριστός· Οὐ τὰ εἰσερχόμενα εἰς τὸ στόμα κοινοῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἐκπορευόμενα ἀπὸ τοῦ στόματος. Καὶ πάλιν ἕτερος· Ποίησον τῷ στόματί σου θύραν καὶ μοχλόν. Οὕτος δὲ ἐπειδὴ σφόδρα δύσκολον ὄν οἴδε τὸ πρᾶγμα, καὶ εὐχὰς προστίθησι, καὶ τὸν θεὸν εἰς τὴν συμμαχίαν ταύτην καλεῖ. Μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἐκεῖνος τὸ αὐτο τοῦτο αἰνίττεται, ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ· Τίς δώσει ἐπὶ τῶν χειλέων μου σφραγίδα πανοῦργον; Δεῖ μὲν γὰρ καὶ τὰ παρ' ἡμῶν εἰσφέρειν· διὸ δὴ καὶ ἐν τάξει προστάγματος αὐτὸ τέθεικε λέγων· Ποίησον θύραν καὶ μοχλόν. Δεῖ δὲ καὶ τὴν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ συμμαχίαν καλεῖν, ἵνα καὶ ἡ ἡμετέρα σπουδὴ εἰς ἔργον γένηται. Φυλάττωμεν τοίνυν τὸ στόμα διηνεκῶς ᾗ κεκλεισμένον, ἀλλ' ἵνα κατὰ καιρὸν ἀνοιγηται τὸν προσήκοντα.  Ἔστι γὰρ ὅτε ἡ σιγὴ μᾶλλον ὠφέλησε λαλιᾶς, ὥσπερ καὶ λαλιὰ μᾶλλον σιγῆς. Διὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ σοφωτατος ἐκεῖνος ἔλεγε· Καιρὸς τοῦ σιγῆσαι, καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ λαλῆσαι. Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, Εἰς Τον ΡΜ' Ψαλμον

'Place, Lord, a guard on my mouth.' 1 When he has asked the Lord to hear his prayer and that it might be received, observe that first he makes a request, a certain supplication. For he does not say: 'Give me wealth, give me honour among men, give me victory over my enemies, give me children,' none of these things he says, but leaving all these things cast down on the earth, he asks from God that which it is right to ask. What then? Should one then not seek material things? Certainly but in moderation, as Jacob says, 'If the Lord gives to me bread for eating and clothes for wearing,' 2  for so Christ commanded us to pray, saying. 'Give us today our heavenly bread.' 3 Spiritual things are before everything. And to it he attends, saying, 'Give, Lord, a guard to my mouth.' Do you perceive the prudence of it? Do you see the wisdom from whence he asks? From this comes great correction and it is the cause of every evil if neglected, but the cause of goods if for it you have care and diligence. The easy ways of the tongue give birth to innumerable evils, as again with caution and care it gives birth to goods. As, then, a house does not benefit, nor the city, nor the walls, nor the gate, unless there are those who guard, and who know when to open and when to close, so with the mouth and the tongue there is no profit, unless reason knows accurately and with prudence what things to close to and open to, what things to let go forth and what things to retain. For there are not as many swords, it says, as the number of tongues that speak. 4 And Christ says, 'It is not what goes in through the mouth that defiles a man, but that which goes forth from the mouth' 5 And again another says: 'Make for your mouth a gate and and a bar.' 6 And because he knows that this is truly difficult he adds a prayer, and calls on God to bring aid. For truly this is meant when he says, 'Who shall give to my lips a cunning seal?' 7  And we should join in this and hold to the same teaching, saying 'Make a gate and bar.' We must call on God for aid, that our zeal become an effective work. Therefore let us perpetually guard our mouth that it not always be closed, but opened at the right time. For not always should silence be preferred to speech, nor speech to silence. Thus that most wise man said, 'There is a time to be silent and a time to speak.' 8 Saint John Chrysostom, Exposition of the Psalms, from Psalm 140 1 Ps 140.3 2 Gen 28.20 3 Mt 6.11 4 Sirach 28.22 5 Mt 15.11 6 Sirach 28.28 7 Sirach 22.33 8 Eccl 3.7

The Mouth of the Righteous

Μετὰ τοῦτο ἤνοιξεν Ἰὼβ τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ Ὅτι δίκαιος ἀνοίγει τὸ στόμα, οὐχ ἁπλῶς οὑτωσὶ προσήκει προσέχειν τοῖς λεγομένοις, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἐκ τῶν λόγων ἀναζητεῖν ὠφέλειαν. Μεστὰ γὰρ ἀεὶ ὠφελείας τὰ τοιαῦτα ῥήματα τῶν ἁγίων· καὶ ἀνοίγων τὸ στόμα δίκαιος, κεκρυμμένους δημοσιεύευ θησαυρούς. Διὸ καὶ τὸ σκεῦος τῆς ἐκλογῆς ὁ Παῦλος ἐπιστέλλων φησί· Τὸ στόμα μου ἀνέῳγε πρὸς ὑμᾶς, Κορίνθιοι. Καὶ περὶ τοῦ Κυρίου γέγραπται ὅτι Ἀνοίξας τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ ἐδίδασκε. Καὶ ἁπλῶς ἐκεῖνος μαρτυρεῖται στόμα ἀνοίγειν, ὁ σιωπῆς μέτρα πρότερον διδαχθείς. Οὐκεοῦν καὶ Ἰὼβ ἀνοίγει τὸ στόμα μετὰ τοῦτο· τουτέστι μετὰ το μέγα τρόπαιον, μετ' ἐκεῖνα τὰ πάθη, οὐκ ἀβασανίστως φθέγγεται περιαλγῶν τῷ σώματι, τῆς γλώσσης φθανούσης τὸ τῆς φρονήσεως ἔνθεσμον, ἀλλὰ σωφρονῶν καὶ ταῖς φωναῖς ὑποδείκνυται. Δηλοῖ δὲ καὶ τὴν γαλήνην τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ τῶν ῥημάτων τὸ ἐμπρεπὲς ἡ τοῦ ἀνοῖξαι τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ μαρτυρία. Ὠριγένης, Εκλογαι Εἰς Τον Ιὠβ

After this Job opened his mouth. 1 Because it is a righteous man that has opened his mouth, he should not seek to conform to those who have spoken, but he should seek that from his words he do good. Full of goodness indeed always are the words of the holy, and when the righteous mouth opens it brings forth hidden treasures. Thus even that vase of election, Paul, writes, saying, 'My mouth has opened itself to you, O Corinthians.' 2 And concerning the Lord it is written, 'Opening His mouth He taught them.' 3 And he bears witness to this opening of the mouth, who before has been taught in silence. Thus Job opened his mouth after this, that is, after the great trophy, after his sufferings, not without affliction of his body speaking of grief, the law of prudence coming before the work of the tongue, for in the voices of those who are temperate this is shown. And clear then is the tranquility of the soul and the weightiness of the words, of whom, in given witness, it is said, he opened his mouth. Origen, On Job, Fragments  1 Job 3.1  2 2 Cor 6.11  3 Mt 5.2

A Star Shone Forth

Καὶ ἔλαθεν τὸν ἄρχοντα τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου ἡ παρθενία Μαρίας καὶ ὁ τοκετὸς αὐτῆς, ὁμοίως καὶ ὁ θάνατος τοῦ Κυρίου· τρία μυστήρια κραυγῆς, ἅτινα ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ θεοῦ ἐπράχθη. Πῶς οὖν ἐφανερώθη τοῖς αἰῶσιν; Ἀστὴρ ἐν οὐρανῷ ἔλαμψεν ὑπὲρ πάντας τοὺς ἀστέρας, καὶ τὸ φῶς αὐτοῦ ἀνεκλάλητον ἦν καὶ ξενισμὸν παρεῖχεν ἡ καινότης αὐτοῦ, τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ πάντα ἄστρα ἅμα ἡλίῳ καὶ σελήνῃ χορὸς ἐγένετο τῷ ἀστέρι, αὐτὸς δὲ ἦν ὑπερβάλλων τὸ φῶς αὐτοῦ ὑπὲρ´πάντα· ταραχή τε ἦν,  πόθεν ἡ καινότης ἡ ἀνόμοιος αὐτοῖς. Ὅθεν ἐλύετο πᾶσα μαγεία καὶ´πᾶς δεσμὸς ἠφανίζετο κακίας· ἄγνοια καθῃρεῖτο, παλαιὰ βασιλεία διεφθείρετο θεοῦ ἀνθρωπίνως φανερουμένου εἰς καινότητα ἀϊδίου ζωῆς· ἀρχὴν δὲ ἐλάμβανεν τὸ παρὰ θεῷ ἀπηρτισμένον.  Ἅγιος Ἰγνάτιος Ἀντιοχείας, Ἐπιστολή Προς Ἐφεσιους

And hidden from the prince of this world was the virginity of Mary, and her child, and the death of the Lord; three loud crying mysteries, in silence wrought by God. How, then, was He manifested to the world? A star shone forth in heaven brighter than all the other stars, the light of which was inexpressible, and its strangeness and its novelty. And all the rest of the stars, with the sun and moon, formed a chorus to this star, and its light was greater than them all. And there was agitation as to whence this new and unfamiliar thing came. Hence every kind of bewitchment was destroyed and every bond of wickedness disappeared; ignorance was washed away and the old kingdom ruined, God being manifested as man for the renewal of eternal life, and now that took a beginning which by God had been prepared. Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Ephesians

Prayer and Direction

Εἰ δὲ ἡ φωνὴ καὶ ἡ λεξις τῆς νοήσεως χάριν δέδονται ἡμϊν, πῶς οὐχὶ αὐτῆς τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ τοῦ νοῦ ἐπακούει ὁ Θεὸς, ὅπου γε ἥδη ψυχὴ ψυχῆς, καὶ νοῦς νοὸς ἐπαῖει; Ὅθεν τὰς πολυφώνους γλώσσας οὐκ ἀναμένει ὁ Θεὸς, καθάπερ οἱ παρὰ ἀνθρώπων ἑρμηνεῖς, ἀλλ' ἀπαξαπλῶς ἀπάντων γνωρίζει τὰς νοήσεις· καὶ ὅπερ ἡμῖν ἡ φωνὴ συμαίνει, τοῦτο τῷ Θεῷ ἡ ἔννοια ἡμῶν λαλεῖ, ἥν καὶ πρὸ τῆς δημιουργίας εἰς νόησιν ἤξουσαν ἠπίστατο. Ἔξεστιν οὖν μηδὲ φωνῇ τὴν εὐχὴν παραπέμπειν, συντείνοντα, μόνον δ' ἔνδοθεν τὸ πνευματικὸν πᾶν εἰς φωνὴν τὴν νοητὴν, κατὰ τὴν ἀπερίσπαστον πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἐπιστροφήν. Ἐπεὶ δὲ γενεθλίου ἡμέρας εἰκὼν ἡ ἀνατολὴ, κὰκεῖθεν τὸ φῶς αὔξεται ἐκ σκότους λάμψαν τὸ πρῶτον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοϊς ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ καλινδουμένοις ἀνέτειλε γνώσεως ἀληθείας ἡμέρα κατὰ λόγον τοῦ ἡλίου, πρὸς τὴν ἑωθινὴν ἀνατολὴν αἱ εὐχαί. Ὅθεν καὶ τὰ παλαίτατα τῶν ἱερῶν πρὸς δύσιν ἔβλεπεν· ἵνα οἱ ἀπαντιπρόσωπον τῶν ἀγαλμάτων ἱστάμενοι πρὸς ἀνατολὴν τρέπεσθαι διδάσκωνται. Κατευθυνθήτω ἡ προσευχή μου ὡς θυμίαμα ἐνώπιόν σου· ἔπαρσις τῶν χειρῶν μου θυσια ἑσπερινὴ, οἱ Ψαλμοὶ λέγουσι. Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Στρωματεων, Λόγος Ἑβδομος, Κεφ Ζ'

If voice and expression for the sake of understanding are given us, how can God not hear the soul itself, and the mind, since assuredly soul hears soul, and mind, mind? Whence God does not wait for loquacious tongues, as interpreters among men do, but He has knowledge of the thoughts of all, and what the voice intimates to us our thought speaks to God, which even before creation He knew would come into our mind. Prayer, then, may be sent forth without the voice, by focusing the whole spiritual nature within on the voice of the mind for undisturbed turning towards God. And since the dawn is an image of the day of birth, and from there the light which has shone at first from the darkness grows, there has also dawned on those wallowing in ignorance a day of the knowledge of truth, for by reason of the sun, prayers are made looking towards the dawn in the east. Whence also the most ancient temples' entrances looked towards the west, that people might be taught to turn to the east when facing the images. 'Let my prayer be directed before You as incense, the uplifting of my hands as the evening sacrifice,' say the Psalms. 1 Clement of Alexandria, Stromata, Book 7, Ch 7 1 Ps 140.2

The Voice That Cries Out

Voce mea ad Dominum clamavi: id est, non corporis voce, quae cum strepitu verberati aeris promitur; sed voce cordis, quae hominibus silet, Deo autem sicut clamor sonat. Qua voce Susanna exaudita est: et de qua voce ipse Dominus praecipit, ut in cubiculis clausis, id est, in secretis cordis sine strepitu oretur. Nec facile quisquam dixerit hac voce minus orari, si nullus verborum sonus reddatur ex corpore; quoniam et silentes cum in cordibus oramus, si alienae ab affectu orantis cogitationes intercurrant, nondum dici potest: Voce mea ad Dominum clamavi. Neque hoc recte dicitur, nisi cum sola anima, nihil carnis nihilque carnalium intentionum in oratione attrahens, loquitur Domino, ubi solus audit; clamor autem etiam iste dicitur, propter vim ipsius intentionis.  Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensi, Enarratio in Psalmum III

'With my voice I have cried out to the Lord', 1  that is, not with the voice of the body, which is sent forth with the sound of the reverberation of the air, but with the voice of the heart, which is silent to men, but to God sounds like a cry. By this voice Susanna was heard, and with this voice the Lord Himself commanded that in closed closets, 2 that is, in the hidden places of the heart, without noise, one should pray. Nor would anyone easily say one prays less with this voice, if no sound of words is emitted from the body, because even when in silence we pray within the heart, if by unwanted disposition the thoughts of the one praying are troubled, it cannot yet be said, 'With my voice I have cried out to the Lord.' Nor is this said rightly, save when the soul alone, taking to itself nothing of the flesh, and nothing of the intent of the flesh, in prayer speaks to God, where He only hears. But even this is called a cry because of the strength of its intention. Saint Augustine of Hippo, Expositions on the Psalms, Psalm 3

1 Ps 3:4
2 Mt 6:6
3 Ps 3.5 
4 Dan 2.45 

Speech and Appearances

Εἴπε πάλιν, ὅτι Ἔστιν ἄνθρωπος δοκῶν σιωπᾶν, καὶ ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ κατακρίνει ἄλλους· ὁ τοιοῦτος πάντοτε λαλεῖ. Καὶ ἔστιν ἄλλος, ἀπὸ πρωϊ ἔως ἑσπέρας λαλῶν, καὶ σιωπὴν κρατεῖ· τουτέστιν ὅτι ἐκτὸς ὠφελείας οὐδὲν λαλεῖ. Ἀποφθεγματα των ἀγιων γεροντων, Παλλαδιος

Again Father Poemen  said, 'There is a man who seems to be silent and in his heart he condemns another, and so this man is speaking all the time. There is another man who talks from dawn until dusk and maintains silence, that is, he speaks only what is profitable.' Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Palladius of Galatia