Thoughts (during Prayer)
- Michael Haldas
- Jun 27
- 3 min read
“Prayer is strange stuff. As a purely mental event it can be indistinguishable from the running dialog that goes on in our heads all the time. In difficult moments of emptiness and confusion, it can feel like nothing more than self-talk. Where is God in my thoughts?...As the early contemplatives worked the example of Jesus into their own desert psychology, they realized the importance of not getting caught up in interior dialogues; for this gives way to the obsessive thinking that spells the ruin of inner peace, to say nothing of prayer. (Father Stephen Freeman, Martin Laird)
“Instead of kicking out the thought and rejecting its entry into my heart, I’ve started having a conversation with it.” This is the beginning of the fall. When I understand that I have fallen into the trap of talking back to my thoughts, it usually leads to wasting time and losing the battle. We will never be more clever than the temper who has millennia of experience. We should simply stop the conversation by ignoring the attack. But like we said before, it’s so tempting to talk back to the thought, and because of that, we struggle to ignore it and move on. The temptation to engage is strong. This is why watchfulness is the secret of our spiritual life.” (Elder Aimilianos, Bishop Emilianos)
“Now let’s ask ourselves why it is so hard for us to attain pure prayer, which gives us peace of mind. This is because we are under the strong influence of the fall, which constantly divides the inner unity of our being. Our hearts are constantly attacked by extraneous thoughts and desires that break up their wholeness. Let’s not forget that sins and passions (a passion is a recurring sin that becomes a bad habit or vice) are unnatural to humans and are not part of our nature created by God. On the contrary, sin is something extremely abnormal and irrational out of all that exists. But we are so used to sin that we often do not realize what is really part of our original nature and what destroys us. Sin constantly eats away at a person, and unless we fight it, it gradually destroys us.” (Metropolitan Seraphim Joanta)
“And the brother said: “How can the mind pray without ceasing? After all, when we sing or read, when we meet with others and serve, we turn away towards many thoughts and contemplations.” And the Elder responded: “The Divine Scriptures don’t command anything impossible, for the Apostle also sang, read, and served, but nevertheless he prayed unceasingly. Continuous prayer consists in reverently and lovingly keeping your mind attached to God, always hanging on Him with hope, relying on Him in everything, no matter what you do and no matter what happens.” (St. Maximus the Confessor)
“It’s not wrong to think—God gave us our brain for a reason. What we need to avoid are the thoughts that distract us during prayer. However, if you want to maintain watchfulness and keep your mind clear to focus on God beyond the time of prayer, then thinking can become an obstacle. That said, when you’re working, studying, or doing any task, thinking is necessary. Whether you’re solving a problem, doing your job, or learning something new, thinking is essential. We need to think to succeed in our work, support our families and take care of our responsibilities. If you can maintain spiritual awareness while thinking, that’s a different story. But when thinking is needed, like when you’re solving a problem or working, you must allow yourself to think. Thinking is a natural and necessary part of human life—it serves and fulfills us in many ways.” (Bishop Emilianos)
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