Vigils Reading

THE OPPOSITION OF THE FALLEN SPIRITS TO PRAYER

From the writing of Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov3

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The devil employs all his efforts to hinder prayer or to make it powerless and ineffective. For this spirit, cast down from heaven for pride and rebellion against God, infected with incurable envy and hatred for the human race, burning with thirst for the destruction of men, sleeplessly engaged day and night in man’s ruin, it is intolerable to see weak and sinful man detach himself by prayer from everything earthly, enter into conversation with God Himself and go out from this conversation sealed with the mercy of God, in hope of inheriting heaven and seeing even his frail body transformed into a spiritual body. This spectacle is unbearable for a spirit who is forever condemned to creep and crawl, as in mud and stench, in thoughts and feelings exclusively carnal, material, sinful, and who must finally be cast down and confined for all eternity in the prisons of hell…

Only in extreme need, especially if obedience requires it, may the time appointed for prayer be given up to some other occupation. Without an extremely important reason never abandon prayer, beloved brother! He who abandons prayer abandons his salvation; he who is careless about prayer is careless about his salvation; he who quits prayer renounces his salvation.

A monk must be very cautious, because the enemy is trying to surround him on all sides with his wiles and snares to deceive, incite, confuse, seduce him from the way enjoined by the commandments of the Gospel, and ruin him in time and eternity… But the enemy’s wiles are turned to profit by a watchful ascetic. Seeing a murderer constantly near him with a drawn dagger raised to strike, the helpless, powerless monk who is truly poor in spirit unceasingly cries for help to the all- powerful God with vigorous shouting and tears, and obtains it…

This conflict never ceases day or night, but it becomes specially intense and furious when we stand for prayer. Then, according to the expression of the holy Fathers, the devil gathers the most monstrous thoughts from everywhere and pours them on our soul.” First he reminds us of all who have wronged or offended us. He tries to present all the insults, wrongs and injuries inflicted on us in the most lurid colours. He points out the necessity for retaliation and resistance to them by demanding justice, common sense, the public good, self-preservation, self-defense.

It is obvious that the enemy tries to shake the very foundation of prayer, namely forgiveness and meekness, so that the building erected on this foundation may collapse of its own accord… Angry thoughts dissipate prayer; they blow it aside, just as a violent wind scatters seeds thrown by a sower on his field; so the field of the heart remains unsown, and all the ascetic’s hard work comes to nothing. It is a well-known fact that forgiveness of wrongs and offenses, changing condemnation of our neighbours into kindness and mercy so that we excuse them and blame ourselves, provides the only solid basis for successful prayer.”…

Although a true servant of God is allowed to undergo a struggle with the many forms of solicitation and temptation to sin offered by satan and arising from our nature warped by the fall, yet God’s right hand is constantly supporting and guiding him. The very struggle brings the greatest profit, giving the combatant spiritual experience, a clear and exact understanding of the corruption of human nature, of sin, of the <devil>, leading the wrestler to contrition of spirit, to weeping and mourning over himself and all mankind..