Prayerful Stillness of the Heart

We must pay closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. — HEBREWS 2:1

On the second Sunday of Great Lent, we commemorate St. Gregory Palamas. Fittingly, in the day’s Epistle, St. Paul reverberates prayerful words of the Psalms, reminding us to pay closer attention.

How do we pay closer attention to what we have heard? Typically, we seek quietude. At times, however, perhaps more often than not, it is difficult to find a time or place to be quietly still in this world. Stillness, as long as it is dependent upon the conditions outside of us, seems impossible. Thankfully, we have the example of the saints to better understand a stillness beyond the noise around us. Truly a guiding light of Orthodoxy and a messenger of grace, St. Gregory, as a teacher and defender of hesychasm, reminds us how to pay closer attention by drawing upon words spoken long before his lifetime: “Be still,” as God told Cain. Through prayerful stillness of the heart, we become attentive to what we have heard.

What have we heard is the Word of God. Certainly, we hear the Word through Scripture. Beyond that, however, the Word is God. Through prayerful stillness of the heart, we cultivate a living relationship with God—growing more perfectly united with God, and by virtue of this union, we unite with each other. Through prayerful stillness of the heart, our service to others becomes informed by Christ Himself. Regardless of the chaos around us, a soul that is prayerfully still will keep anchored to God, lest we drift away from Him.

This week’s reflection is written by Danielle Xanthos, MA, MDiv

Icon courtesy of Fr. Matthew Garrett (holy-icons.com)