Friday of the First Week of Lent

The Gospel according to St. Luke (11: 1-10)

“Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” 2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.” 5 And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? 8 I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”

    Teach us to pray… Yes O Lord teach me because until now I do not know how to pray like I should…

    At many times I feel that my prayer returns to my bosom…

    At many times I pray with a distracted mind…

    At many times boredom affects me during prayer…. So I try to shorten my prayer…

    At many times I pray without understanding…

    At many times I pray without emotions…

    Many times I feel that I disgrace the Lord with my prayer…

    And it appears to me that there is no good out of my prayer… My body stands with obligation… And my thoughts seem to be collected only briefly…

    This is my prayer… I repeat the words and move the lips… But the heart!!

    Therefore I pray to You my Master with Your Holy Apostles… Teach me to pray… Truly it is within Your full humanity that you took from our Holy Virgin Mother that you prayed, so You have planted in our new nature the life of partaking with the Father.

    But I need You teach me to pray…

    To pray with the Spirit and pray with the mind…

    To praise with the spirit and praise with the mind…

    Allow me to enter into Your dwellings during prayer…

    Shake the stones of the heart with the storm of the Spirit… And when You gift Your Winds inside of me, a gushing flow of water proceeds from the springs or the eyes, the springs of Water…

    I shall remain asking that You teach me to pray throughout my life, since the joy of partaking of You and its mysteries I have not reached yet. And even when I have tasted briefly, I continue to desire to remain within them.

    Therefore, teach me to pray… So my mouth shall sing Your praises…

    Teach me to pray without negligence… Until the fire of Your love is kindled within my heart…

    Teach me to pray without ceasing when my soul is weaned from its preoccupation with anything other than You…

    Teach me to pray with reverence when I feel the Grace of being within Your presence…

    Teach to pray for Your name to be glorified and Your kingdom to be extended.

    Teach me to pray for Your will to be done, not mine. And when I say it, I mean it fully. Thus when I pray, I leave any desire, if it does not agree with Your will.

    Teach me to pray for those who wrong me and the sinners. And to forgive them from all my heart and all my mind, and to pray that they may receive every blessing and grace from Your hands and that no sin is counted against them. Until now I have not experienced the power of this prayer… I say it many times every day, yet I only live it briefly… Therefore teach me this prayer, Yourself, since with Your Power You forgave those Crucifying You.

* “The Friend at Midnight”

    You have likened Yourself, my Master, with The Good Shepherd, with the Good Samaritan, with the Father who accepts His Prodigal Son. Also with the Hen that gathers Her chicks, and with the Widow who lost the denarius and found it… Many times You wished to convince my soul with Your ever existing goodness, and Your loving kindness towards mankind and Your will to save under all circumstances…

    And thus You have likened Yourself with a Friend whose friend comes to Him asking… My Master, You are closer than the Brother and nearer than the Friend… Your are the Fountain of care… You are the Heavenly Father that is full of mercy that is indescribable and incomprehensible to the mind of angels or humans.

    Therefore my Master teach me to pray and to be present near to You and plead… Let me knock Your door at all times my Master with trust that You are opening Your bosom and accepting the calling of Your loved ones…

Let me ask with trust of sons and supplication of sons and love of sons… Only let me please the heart of my Father by becoming a son of obedience, a son of joy and supplication.

* “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds”

    If anyone but You my Master says it, who can believe? But You said it while performing it since Your times are honest and truthful without which heaven and earth shall pass away.

    Everyone who asks receives… How generous are Your gifts O my Master… Grant me… Grant me…

    Your sayings guide me to the path of acceptable request: Seek first the Kingdom of God… Thy Kingdom Come.

    I ask that Your Kingdom come within my life with truth not words… Rule over my heart in its entirety, and may no one else rule… Free me from the things that own me and rule over me…

    Free me from pleasures… For the One who desires has been overtaken…

    Free me from the love of what is in the world… For whoever loves it, has been overruled by the world.

    Free me from myself… For whoever loves oneself destroys it…

    Free me from fear… So fear does not rule over me… But Your Peace does…

    Your Kingdom is within me, You have established it with Your Cross… Your Kingdom is Godly… freedom and peace of heart and everlasting joy.

    So the kingdom and spirit of darkness can escape, the kingdom of Satan, the killer of people, the liar and son of the liar.

    Let me have assurance that You will answer the request of my heart…

    The Lord grant you your heart’s desire… Listen and Answer… You Who accept prayers… Everyone shall come to You.

Fr. Louka Sidarous

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