How to Pray

Gerontissa Makrina had the gift of prayer since a child. Once she asked with tears our Lord to show her how to pray. That night an Angel of the Lord appeared to her in an all-white robe and taught her how men ought to pray depending on their spiritual condition. According to the Angel’s suggestions, if the soul experiences a perfect Love for God, then one should pray with his hands raised. If humility and remembrance of his sins prevail in his heart, then one should cross his hands on his chest and lower his head. If the soul is engaged in a battle against passions and experiences the ultimate humiliation (ie. Άκρα ταπείνωση), one should pray with his hands ‘tied’ behind his back, like a convict. Then the Angel started praying on his knees, weeping, like he was embracing Christ’s feet, revealing thus the soul’s awareness of its utter insignificance and its ineffable joy and comfort from God. (Pp. Words of the Heart, Gerontissa Makrina Vassopoulou 1921-1995, pp60-61).

See also by Gerontissa Makrina and How to Pray, How to Deal with Someone You Can’t Stand Dealing with