Prayerful Stillness of the Heart

Prayer is a way to invite stillness (and God) into our lives.

We’re still near the beginning of our Lenten journey, and St. Gregory Palamas reminds us how important it is to humble ourselves before God. Himself a monk of Mount Athos, Gregory was a great proponent of hesychasm, or contemplative prayer, as a way to draw near to an ineffable God.

During Great Lent, we perhaps seek quiet more (or more deliberately) than in other seasons. Of course, daily life does not stop, and we may struggle to carve out quiet moments amid the swirl of everyday activities. Prayer is a way to invite stillness (and God) into our lives, and when we do, He meets us where we are. As we hear in the Gospel lesson read on this second Lenten Sunday (Mark 2:1–12), “Christ was in the house,” which was full, and “they came bringing to Him a paralytic carried by four men.” Like this paralyzed man, we need others to help bring or lead us to Christ. And other times, we need to be like one of the four men … and carry others to Christ.

There are many blessings we receive as IOCC Frontliners, and one of the greatest and most humbling is when we are able to help lead people back toward Christ, symbolically carrying them when they are paralyzed spiritually as a result of the tragic loss they are going through. Please keep in your prayers all of our Frontliners, along with the brave first responders, and especially those we serve and minister to—that our efforts remain pure and lead others to Christ and His glory!

This week’s reflection is written by Rev. George Gartelos, of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Tulsa, OK.

Icon courtesy of the estate of Mr. Diamantis John Cassis.