St. Theophan the Recluse on Prayer during the All-Night Vigil
He went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all
night in prayer to God (Luke 6:12). That’s the foundation and the beginning of our
all-night vigils. The heat of prayer drives away somnolence, and spiritual zeal
prevents us from feeling the flow of time. True men of prayer never notice the
flow of time: it seems to them that they barely started praying when they
already see the light of day. However, before you achieve this level of
perfection, you’ve got to work really hard.
It is this work of
praying all night long that hermits take on; that coenobitic monks do; that
godly and pious lay people carry out. Although all-night prayer is difficult,
its fruit — the peace of the soul and warmth in spite of exhaustion of the body
— remains in one’s soul forever. It is a precious feeling for those who are
willing to succeed in spiritual living!
That is why people
don’t want to discontinue the all-night vigils in places like Mount Athos. They
are aware of the fact that it is hard to stay awake at night but they are
reluctant to put an end to this tradition because it is beneficial for the
soul. Sleep makes one’s flesh inert and sluggish; vigilance makes one’s flesh
humble. A person who gets enough sleep will hardly engage in spiritual exercise
because he doesn’t like it; a vigilant person is quick like a chamois and
ardent in the spirit. If you want to teach your flesh to do good, like a slave,
there is no better method to achieve good results than frequent wakefulness. It
is during those times that your flesh can fully feel the domination of the
spirit and learn to obey it; it is thanks to vigils that your spirit can pick
up the skill of governing your flesh.
Translated by The Catalog of Good Deed
