Praying with the Church Fathers

Prayer and theology should be deeply integrated into the life of every Christian. This echoes the maxim of Evagrius of Pontus: "The one who truly prays is a theologian, and the true theologian is one who prays." Understanding this well, our great ecumenical fathers - such as Saint Athanasius, Saint Cyril, Saint Basil, Saint John Chrysostom, Saint Gregory, Mar Ephrem the Syrian, and many others - delivered a rich tradition of prayers that was passed on from generation to generation so that the pure Orthodox faith could be experienced, practiced and perfected through a life of prayer and worship. Unfortunately, this rich tradition of prayer has become scarce in the world today. Our glorious Church has uniquely preserved the daily prayers in the Book of Hours and Psalmody in its tradition for all believers. Along with that rich life of prayer, we offer this small companion and guide to assist in the daily practice of continual prayer for all. The purpose of this work is to provide the faithful with a veritable library of prayers by our great Fathers to continue praying with them in the same spirit, zeal and depth. As we commemorate their exemplary lives on earth and contemplate the reward they received - that "which an eye has not seen nor ear heard" - we adopt their spiritual words of prayer and incorporate them into our own lives so that we may emulate them and be worthy of the heavenly reward.