Letter 20

From: Braulio of Zaragoza, bishop To: Emilian (monk) Date: ~640 AD Context: Braulio writes to a monk under his pastoral care on the subject of prayer, offering guidance on the practice and meaning of continuous prayer in the monastic life. To Emilian, beloved son in Christ, greetings, You have asked me how to pray without ceasing, as Paul commands, when the demands of the day make sustained prayer impossible. It is a question that every serious Christian eventually asks, and the answer is not what you might expect. Unceasing prayer does not mean uninterrupted vocal prayer. If it did, the Apostle would be commanding the impossible, and he does not do that. What it means — or what the tradition of those who have thought most carefully about it means by it — is a disposition of the soul that orients everything toward God. When you work with your hands, you can be praying. When you read, when you eat, when you walk between the monastery buildings — all of these can be done in a spirit of attention to God's presence that is itself a form of prayer. The short prayers the monks call "ejaculations" — brief invocations offered frequently throughout the day — are one practical expression of this. Train yourself to return to God's presence at regular intervals, not just at the canonical hours but in the small spaces between tasks. Over time, this becomes natural, even automatic, in the way that breathing is natural and automatic. The obstacle is distraction, and the obstacle behind distraction is usually anxiety. What are you anxious about? If you can name it and bring it explicitly before God, you will find that the anxiety itself becomes a form of prayer rather than an enemy of prayer. Write to me if this is helpful or if you have more questions. Your father in God, Braulio