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(63) Live with your heart the words of the Saviour's prayer to His Father:   "As Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us" (St. John XVII. 21), and strive by every means to become united to God yourself, and to unite others to Him.  Maintain by every means mutual, pious union, not sparing either yourself or anything belonging to you, for the sake of maintaining the union of love.  For God is our almighty Life giver, and the all-merciful Giver of all things.  He will support our life in our labors for our neighbor's benefit, if necessary, and will give us everything needful, if we spend our property for the sake of maintaining mutual love.

(64) When praying, we must remember that we are members one of another, and therefore that we must pray for all, as the prayer "Our Father ..." teaches us.  The Apostles and all the saints are examples of this.  If we remember this, and pray for others, then the holy angels will also pray for us, as members of the one Kingdom of Christ, of the one Church, of one body.  "With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." (St. Matthew VII. 2).

(65) During general prayer let your whole heart be in God, and do not on any account let it cling for a single moment to anything earthly; have also an ardent love for human souls, love for the sake of God, and be zealous for their salvation; pray for them as for those who are in great misery, for it is said: "All we who are subjected to the enticements of the evil one are in misery".

(66) What does the holy Church instill in us by putting in our mouths, both during prayer at home and in church, prayers addressed, not by a single person, but by all? She instills in us constant mutual love, in order that we should always and in everything, during prayer and during worldly intercourse, love one another as our own selves - in order that we, imitating God in three Persons, constituting the highest Unity, should our­selves be one formed of many.  "That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also, may be one in Us" (St. John 17, 21).  Common prayer on the part of all teaches us also to share earthly needs with others, so that in life also we may have everything in common and as one - that is, that mutual love should be evident in everything, and that each one should use his capacities for the good of others, not hiding his talent in the ground - that he should not be selfish and idle.  If you are wise, give advice to the foolish.  If you are educated, teach the ignorant.  If you are strong, help the weak; if rich, help the poor.

(67) When praying with people, we sometimes have to pierce through with our prayer as if it were the hardest wall - human souls, hardened and petrified by earthly passions - to penetrate the Egyptian darkness, the darkness of passions and worldly attachments.  This is why it is sometimes difficult to pray.  The simpler the people one prays with the easier it is.

(68) When you pray endeavor to pray more for others than for yourself alone, and during prayer represent to yourself vividly all men as forming one body with yourself, and each separately as a member of the Body of Christ and your own member, "for we are members one of another" (Ephesians IV. 25).  Pray for all as you would pray for yourself, with the same sincerity and fervor; look upon their infirmities and sicknesses as your own; their spiritual ignorance, their sins and passions, as your own; their temptations, misfortunes, and manifold afflictions as your own.  Such prayer will be accepted with great favor by the Heav­enly Father, that most gracious, common Father of all, with Whom "there is no respect of persons" (Romans II. 11), "no variableness" (James I 17), that boundless Love which embraces and preserves all creatures.

(69) Do not be slothful in praying fervently for others at their request, or of yourself, and together with them; you will thus obtain a recompense from God - the grace of God in your heart, which shall rejoice you and strengthen you in faith and love for God and your neighbor.  These words are true; they are taken from experience.  In general, we do not pray very willing­ly for others, but more out of obligation and habit, and without our heart fully participating in the prayer; we must force our­selves to pray from the whole heart, with great faith, with great boldness, in order that we may obtain great and rich mercy from the bountiful and greatly-endowing God! "Let him ask," it is said, "in faith nothing wavering: for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed" (James I. 6).  It pleases the Lord, the common Father of all, when we pray for each other willingly with faith and love, for He is Love, ready to forgive all for their mutual love.  The Holy Spirit said: "Pray one for another, that ye may be healed." (James V. 16).  You see how pleasing to God, and how efficacious, is the prayer for one another.

(70) A Christian ought to pray for all Christians, as for himself, that God may prosper them in life, in faith, and in spiritual wisdom, and may free them from sins and passions.  Why? In accordance with Christian love, which sees in all Christians, its own members and members of God the Christ, the common Saviour of all, desires for them the same as for itself, and strives by every means to do unto them as unto itself.

(71) When a strange, proud, evil spirit disturbs you before or during the reading of the prayers to the Lord God, or to the Mother of God, then represent vividly to yourself that all those present in the temple are the children of the heavenly, almighty, unoriginate, infinite, most merciful Father, and that the Lord is their Father, and pray to Him boldly, peacefully, joyfully, freely, before the face of all men, fearing neither mockery nor contempt, nor the malice of the children of this world.  Do not be crafty nor ashamed before the face of man; do not doubt, but pray sincerely to the Heavenly Father; especially say the Lord's Prayer, reverently, peacefully, not hurriedly: in general, read all the prayers quietly, evenly, with reverence, knowing before Whom you are saying them.

(72) . .. "For where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I in the midst of them" (St. Matthew XVIII. 20).  I reve­rence even two or three praying together, for in accordance with the Lord's promise He Himself is in the midst of them.  I reve­rence still more a numerous congregation.  Collective prayer is speedily fulfilled, and bears much fruit when it is united, unan­imous ("gathered together in My name"). The assiduous prayer of the Church for the Apostle Peter immediately ascended before the throne of the Lord, and the Lord sent His angel to miracu­lously deliver Peter from the prison, whom Herod wished to destroy.  The unanimous prayer of the Apostles Paul and Silas brought down upon them wonderful heavenly help from the Holy Spirit.  (Acts XII. 5-11; XVI. 24-6).

(73) My God! how the love and sincere sympathy of our neighbor towards us rejoices our hearts! Who shall describe this blessedness of the heart, penetrated with the feeling of others' love towards me, and my love for others? It is indescribable! If here on earth mutual love so rejoices, then with what sweetness of love shall we be filled in heaven, when we shall dwell with God, with the Mother of God, with the heavenly powers, with God's saints? Who can imagine and describe such bliss, and what earthly temporal things could we not sacrifice in order to obtain the unutterable bliss of heavenly love? God, Thy name is Love! Teach me true love, strong as death.  I have most plenteously tasted its sweetness from my communion in the spirit of faith, in Thee, with Thy faithful servants, and have obtained plenteousness of peace and life through it.  Strengthen, O God, that which Thou hast created in me.  O, had it ever been thus all the days of my life! Grant that I may oftener be in the communion of faith and love with Thy faithful servants, with Thy temples, with Thy Church, with Thy members!

(74) My sweetest Saviour having come down from heaven for the service of mankind, Thou didst not only preach the Word of Heavenly Truth in the temple, but Thou wentest through the towns and villages, Thou didst not shun anyone; Thou visitedst the houses of all, especially of those whose fervent repentance Thou didst foresee with Thy divine gaze.  Thus, Thou didst not remain sitting at home, but wert in loving intercourse with all.  Grant to us, too, to be in such loving intercourse with Thy people, so that we pastors should not shut ourselves up in our houses away from Thy sheep as if in castles or prisons, only coming out of them for services in the church or to officiate in the houses of others, only out of duty, only with prayers learned by heart.  May our lips be freely opened to discourse with our parishioners in the spirit of faith and love.  May our Christian love for our spiritual children be opened and strengthened by animated, free, and fatherly conversation with them.  O what sweetness, what bliss Thou hast concealed, Lord, our boundless Love, in the spiritual converse warmed by love of a spiritual father for his spiritual children! And how is it possible not to strive upon earth with all our might after such bliss? Yet it is only a faint beginning, only a faint likeness of the heavenly bliss of love! Especially love the communion of good works, both material and spiritual. "To do good and to communicate forget not" (Hebrews XIII. 16).

(75) The Church, praying together, is a powerful force of God, defeating regiments of demons and capable of soliciting from God every perfect gift, every aid, every intercession, deliverence and salvation on.

(76) The Lord loves and listens to prayers more when we do not pray alone and only from ourselves and for ourselves alone, but all together, from all and for all.

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