Ranks of Prayer
Pray without ceasing.
—1 Thessalonians 5:17
“Prayer is the primary work of the moral and religious life,” wrote St. Theophan the Recluse (1815-1894). Theophan, once a bishop who retreated into the Russian wilderness to live as a hermit, spent hours each day giving spiritual advice in letters. This spiritual “Dear Abby” was particularly known for his writings on prayer.
“The root of this life is a free and conscious relationship with God, which then directs everything,” he continued. “It is . . .THIS ARTICLE ONLY AVAILABLE TO SUBSCRIBERS.
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Thomas S. Buchanan is a member of the Orthodox Church and lives in Chester County, Pennsylvania, with his wife and three children. He is a senior editor of Touchstone.
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more from the online archives
30.2—March/April 2017
on Reading Don Quixote in Its Original Christian Context by Luis Cortest
32.1—January/February 2019
The Diabolical Failure of Leaders in the Present Crises by James M. Kushiner
