“James 5:16 draws the contrast to such Spiritless worship and prayer: “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” Thus, fruitful prayer is not a matter of volume or display of religiosity.” We don’t have to shout or put on a show of piety to get God’s attention. The whisper of our hearts reaches the ears of God in an instant.” (Fr. Basil)
“Prayer is often a window through which we see within. We strive to pray silently so that we can hear God’s whispers into our hearts. We also pray to God for courage to face these insights and realizations, that we might have the humility and courage to work through them. These moments of clarity, of insight and realizations about ourselves and our life, are revelations indeed.” (Fr. Joshua Makoul)
“The delay in seeing our prayer requests fulfilled, in having our questions answered, is yet another point on which our life of prayer is tested….We should not be discouraged and disillusioned when we do not receive what we ask for in prayer. God may be testing our persistence. Let us not tire easily….Our drowsy yawning, our flight even from the very first disappointment when everything seems to bother us, our indifference, accompanied by much carelessness and doubt, indicate quite clearly that in the final analysis we do not really know what we want and what we seek. There are times when it is clear, as when we do not ask today what we were asking just yesterday, that we do not really need what we pray for. The illness of constant change in our desires, easily understood psychologically, can affect and torment our life of prayer. Essential changes in the way we pray come from mystical experiences, divine breezes, subtle whispers of the Holy Spirit in humble, peaceful and understanding hearts. As our hearts improve, so does our attitude in prayer.” (Monk Moses)
“We can go on indefinitely ignoring, justifying, and living with what conflicts with our consciences. Never before has a civilization provided as many gadgets that draw us away from our scruples. We have electronic and chemical devices which will put us in touch with anywhere on the planet except with that nook in our hearts that whispers to us who we really are and who we ought to be.” (Fr. Vladimir Berzonsky)
“In the public square we hear other shrill voices, voices of political rhetoric, angry and anxious for retaliation. These voices must not be allowed to drown out the still small voice of the Lord, whispering in our hearts and calling us to love….And this interior work of Christian love is not incompatible with the other tasks of the soldier and the citizen. It will be difficult to perform all three of these tasks at the same time, and for mere men it may be impossible. But not for Christian men and women, for we know the living God. And with God, all things are possible.” (Fr. Lawrence Farley)