orthodoxgladness:

How to pray;

When a Byzantine saint of the 10th century was asked how to pray, he said: “A simple prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner. ” The question is how to speak it. Imagine that a person was accused of a crime. It does not matter, deservedly or not, but it is sentenced to the death penalty. No appeals have helped, the verdict is final. He is taken from prison to the central square of the city, on the block. And his path lies past the royal palace. And his last chance is that the king can help. And he must scream: “Sire, have mercy!”, so loud that the king heard and helped. That’s how you have to shout “Lord, have mercy!”. Not in the sense of loud. But that the heart and conscience tremble. With the same hope, with the same desperation … “

Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord have mercy.