Prayer

Prayer is the raising of the mind and heart to God — the living conversation and communion with Him that is the very breath of the Christian life.

Oversimplified

• Prayer is communion with God: speaking to Him, listening, and simply being with Him.
• Even in his original, uncorrupted state man needed to maintain his connection with God; how much more do we, after the Fall.

Summary

Prayer, in the Orthodox tradition, is far more than asking God for things: it is the lifting of the whole person — mind and heart — to God, and the communion with Him for which humanity was made. "Even as man was created without corruption and in pure health, he still needed to maintain connection with God" (paraphrased);[^1] how much more so do we, after the fall, need to maintain our relationship with God. The tradition knows many forms — the Church's liturgical prayer, the Psalms, set prayers morning and evening, and above all the ceaseless "prayer of the heart" (the Jesus Prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner"). Its aim is not chiefly to change God's mind but to change us — to purify the heart (the nous), to keep us in living relationship with God, and to open us to His grace. Cross-link Hesychasm, Nous, Grace, Suffering.

Sources

[^1]: Michael Pomazansky, Orthodox Dogmatic Theology.