When your heart aches for prayer. Simple advice to help you pray again
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- Опубліковано 2 жов 2024
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The video 'When your heart aches for prayer. Simple advice to help you pray again' was recorded by Fr Seraphim (Aldea) at Iona Monastery (The Orthodox Monastery of the Mother of God and All Saints of Iona), on the Isle of Iona.
Pray for me father. In a month or so I shall be driving to my first parish. I am a mere teenager and hope to show my parents truth. I have grown up in a Baptist home and hope to live a monastic life in a nearby monastery. I again ask father to pray for me. I pray as well for those not and are reading this to seek truth always. Christos anesti.
Thankyou🌄
God bless you.
In my opinion (and experience): don't try to show the truth to others, be them your parents.
Try to live in Christ (and He is The Truth and the Life and the Way) , and Christ and the Holy Spirit will do the work of showing the truth to those around you.
There is a big temptation behind us wanting to show the truth (our truth...) to others.
Be blessed, God bless you and don't forget you go to Church for Christ and not for humans (I myself am a sinner and tend to disappoint people at times...).
🙏🙏🙏❤️☦️
God bless you, young man. I too have recently found the true Church. I am old and partially disabled. My wife Cathy is not on board. Please pray for us. Father God, bless this child of yours 🙏☦️🙏
Thank you for this video, Father. I am having a very horrible struggle with my mind, and I was in a very dangerous disposition right before I saw this video. As I clicked it, peace opened my heart and I could do nothing but cry. I feel like Christ used your video to calm my soul.
Please, pray for me. Thank you again.
I am so grateful to Christ for using the work of the Monastery to soothe your pain, dear one. He must have so much love for you!
I, too, am experiencing this. From the moment I heard the beautiful music, I broke. I am hurting physically, after a long bout of chronic illness then a beautiful respite which got my hopes up, now with the return of symptoms, I feel crushed. My mind aches. My sense of self is shaken. I needed this guidance desperately, as I need prayer, desperately.
Thank you, Father! I have an unrelated prayer request for anyone willing. I've been offered a full time paid position at my local homeless shelter where I've been volunteering for a short while. The work is obviously very difficult but very rewarding. Please pray that I may discern God's will for me, and that if this is His will for me, may He grant me the strength and grace to endure the challenges that will come.
I will pray for you, from central rural Canada.
You are in my prayers
Beautiful beautiful singing.
Oh, what a beautiful alleluia at the start of the video! So peaceful over there, what a beautiful place!
"It is Christ himself praying in you, to the Father". These words changed my perspective on prayer. I never thought about it like that but indeed it is Christ in our soul praying to the Father! I struggle with consistently praying throughout the day but I will keep that line close in heart when I pray. Reading the Psalms keeps me grounded & calm, and I feel more peaceful inside and is another way for me to start getting ready to pray after reading psalms. Oh, how I pray the Holy Spirit teaches me to pray better each day! I love the idea of saying a little prayer here and there, when looking at someone, entering a room, beginning a task, etc. is beautiful! I know that if I do this practice, I will start with no trouble being able to pray more consistently throughout each day which is my struggle at the moment. God bless you Father! I hope you are blessed and keeping well! Thank you for sharing! ❤
My dear one, the more you open yourself to prayer, the more it will force its way through the little openings we allow it. Don't get legalistic about when and how (remain in the calmness of the Psalms) and don't worry about that moment of 'great prayer' - that will come with absolute certainty, because it is a gift from God and God longs to offer this gift to us as much (if not more) than we long to receive it. Just do the little things you can, Christ's love will do the rest.
The little wooden chapel is so beautiful! I can definitely smell the fresh wood over here. The glass pained icons are sweet. Thank you Father Serafim for the important message on this video🙏 🐝🌺🐳🐌
The little shepherd's hut feels like an embrace. Like my grandmother's embrace, something terribly tender, loving and protective. It is only made of wood and the icons are traditional peasants' icons on glass (a local tradition from Romania) but the grace of God that abides with us through the Sacraments does not mind a humble dwelling ❤️
@@mullmonastery How beautiful Father!- Katia.
@@mullmonasterycan you please do a UA-cam video on end times situation in churches around the world. We are seeing lot of corruption in different orthodox Christian church leaders around the world. 😭😭😭🙏🙏🙏
I cried through most of this video. Thank you Father.
Me, too. 🙏🏻
So beautiful and peaceful over there. Thank you Father.Asking your prayers in this serene place
May God bless us all, Mrs Mihaela. Please remember us in your prayers too.
Amin
I enjoy alot listining to your voice and thank you very much for all your advice
Thank you father god bless you please pray for me i am sinner
I love how passionate you are when you speak. Blessings to you and all Orthodox Christians. ☦️
I don't always watch your videos, but when I do tune in, it is always precisely what I need and eerily applicable. thank you for allowing the Holy Spirit to speak through you to us. Christ is in our midst.
God bless and strengthen you, Father. Such beautiful advice. Praise be to God! I appreciate you. Your videos give much hope to everyone who may need a simple word to help them through the day.
Please keep me in your prayers. 🙏
Once again I am wondering how deep is that well of wisdom and enlightenment that exists within you. I have noticed during my life how prayer can be mundane for a long time, and, then comes a prayer bursting from my lips. I did not know that prayer comes from God, I thought it came from me. I am excited about this and will have to ponder and process this revelation. Thank you my dear Father Aldea. Since the first time I heard you, you have been nothing but blessings to me. God love your "little creature's" heart and soul.
My dear one, the depth of prayer comes when Christ and us are united in His Love and God Himself loves the world from within us. We become springs of prayer and eternal life because we become one with Him Who Is by His nature the Spring of All Life. There is a beautiful morning prayer of the Optina Fathers which contains this line: 'Lord, teach me how to pray. Pray Yourself in me'
@@mullmonastery I found two beautiful prayers under the name of the Optina Elders, the one of which you speak of also being known under the name of St Philaret of Moscow, so I will copy them both here for anyone who wishes to read them.
Morning Prayer of Philaret of Moscow
Sometimes referred to as the "Morning Prayer of the Optina Elders."
O Lord, grant me to greet the coming day in peace, help me in all things to rely upon your holy will.
In every hour of the day reveal your will to me.
Bless my dealings with all who surround me.
Teach me to treat all that comes to throughout the day with peace of soul and with firm conviction that your will governs all.
In all my deeds and words, guide my thoughts and feelings.
In unforeseen events, let me not forget that all are sent by you.
Teach me to act firmly and wisely, without embittering and embarrassing others.
Give me strength to bear the fatigue of the coming day with all that it shall bring.
Direct my will, teach me to pray.
And you, yourself, pray in me.
Amen.
The Morning Prayer of the Last Elders of Optina
O Lord, grant that I may meet all that this coming day brings to me with spiritual tranquility.
Grant that I may fully surrender myself to Thy holy Will.
At every hour of this day, direct and support me in all things.
Whatsoever news may reach me in the course of the day, teach me to accept it with a calm soul
and the firm conviction that all is subject to Thy holy Will.
Direct my thoughts and feelings in all my words and actions.
In all unexpected occurrences, do not let me forget that all is sent down from Thee.
Grant that I may deal straightforwardly and wisely with every member of my family,
neither embarrassing nor saddening anyone.
O Lord, grant me the strength to endure the fatigue of the coming day and all the events that take place during it.
Direct my will and teach me to pray, to believe, to hope, to be patient, to forgive and to love.
AMEN.
@@mullmonastery Thank you Father for these additional words and your patience.
@@colmwhateveryoulike3240 Thank you and God Bless you.
@@colmwhateveryoulike3240 Thank you for posting the 2 prayers. God bless you☦️
Fr. Aldea may as well be a father of the Desert. He speaks with the voice of those "old men" in the caves, and he always "tells a word for our salvation". Thank you, Abba, and God bless you.
Voice of a monk by th Grace of .
God.. 👌👌👌👌
☦️ κύριε Ιησούς Χριστέ ελέησον με τον αμαρτωλό
Amen
Every Christian no matter what denominations needs to watch your videos ❤
I find that I cannot wait to pray, but there are things preventing me like from doing so. Mostly it's people that are keeping me from praying. I understand that people are important, but I have come to love and protect my prayer time so much that I get short and irritable when people won't stop talking and let me alone. Selfish, I know.
There is nothing selfish in wanting to pray, dear one. Christ Himself taught us to withdraw from those around us in order to pray. But you are right, you should try to respond to their constant distraction with love and patience, especially if they are unable to understand what they are doing. In time, this may be the process by which you learn to love and to forgive, and you may see that the little prayer you do manage to say will feel stronger and more filled with love. The love we give to those around us is the open door through which we receive Christ's Endless Love for us.
I sympathize. I remember trying to train myself in prayer when my children were younger. It was so difficult. If my husband and I got up early, they heard us, and got up also. I had to look to God for help. I regret the times I got impatient with them. Some have left the Church, and I often think those moments of impatience certainly didn't encourage them to stay. Now, I can only pray to God about them. I have to leave them in God's hands. Ask God to show you how to make this time. It might not happen immediately. Also, forgive, love these distracting people. They obviously need you, and being kind to them is God's will, as you have discerned. It's great you have a desire to pray. Keep nourishing your soul with the Word of God, and good preaching, like you hear on this channel. God will guide you to the right time and place. I found, that meeting people to pray, made it easier. We made a rule, pray . Chat over cuppa afterwards. Hope this helps.
Dear Father, this video was most helpful and at the right time. Glory be to our God. Amen. Amen. Amen.
Fr. Seraphim third time I am listening to this..today... and am sure I will listen again and again to help reinforce. It is so much information that speaks directly to me and so so beneficial. I am beyond words to express myself and the gratitude I have for this wisdom you shared that will strengthen the struggle I endure. I am beyond grateful! ✝️🙏🏼❤🕊
Thank you for this message and an explanation of prayer as I've never heard before. Yes it is that Holy Spirit led prayer that makes itself known and is so powerful. When you said it is Christ praying in us to the Father it made so much sense. I was very blessed by your words and I have to say.... the singing at the beginning was lovely as well.
I found this extremely helpful and will embrace it. Thank you brother!
Glory be to God, dear Leo. This gives us joy and great courage to keep going forward with our work. Please remember us in your prayers.
Amin,cu Doamne ajută! Părinte drag,multumesc inca o dată și mereu,pentru cuvintele spuse din inimă și care ajung la inimă!
Bunul Dumnezeu să vă dăruiască toate cele de folos trupesc și sufletesc ,asemenea intregii obști!
Lo and behold -
in a crazy world -
a song and a groan:
a monastic soul.
In loneliness silently
to God crying out
and with noisy-sweetness
quelling all my doubts.
Treasury of trembling hope:
,,You could save them all...''
gathers all your tears,
shatters all your bones.
By the Spirit to be trampled -
your being you have spread -
Longing a ,,reward'' -
forgiveness for the dead.
Thank you Father. You touched my heart and mind. ✝️🕊️🙏
Finally, my dear one! Thank you for your peaceful video, father! Where can I find this soft version of allelujah? Thanks from Brazil :)
May God bless us all, dear Roger. May the Holy Spirit teach us to pray for each other, so we may all be saved together.
It is so beautiful to see you in the new chapel on Iona! And how it is like the human heart can be: small as a structure in the outside but inside I see it is so expansive and beautiful! Thank you for telling us about prayer and orienting ourselves toward God always. 🕊
That is such a beautiful image, dear Patricia. Thank you so much for that good thought. May God bless us all, and may we learn His will for us by loving each other and praying for one another.
Watching from Ethiopia God bless you father
Thank-you Fr. for this inspiring talk. In the Catholic Church this is the Feast of the Sacred Heart - so it was very fitting. A popular Catholic short prayer is: JESUS, MEEK AND HUMBLE OF HEART, MAKE MY HEART LIKE UNTO YOURS."
Thank you so very much for this guidance as I am a catechumen and am attending catechism classes in preparation for baptism in future. My favorite prayer is the Nicene Creed because it is how I rationalize my decision between Roman Catholicism and Orthodoxy. I used to listen to listen to pop music in my 2 hour walk but I now use the 2 hours as I am walking to pray the Creed as my dedication to the Father Almighty.
Thank you Father. I look forward to meeting ŷou in the flesh.
Thank you! For several years your words have touched my heart and brought me through some of my darkest hours. How I long for and have longed for our Lord in my prayers! The Icon is Mary behind you calls me to jump to her arms as though she is ready to catch me in her vestment so that I can be near Jesus. Thank you, thank you thank you...
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May God bless us all!
Very nice Father ☦️
I'm going through a panic attack and your voice hearing you speak about prayer just calmed me down. No one was able to help me today but you. Now that the pressure in my head is gone I can pray.
"If you are too protestant even for that..."
I don't know why, but as a Protestant, that tickled me. :)
WOW and DOUBLE WOW!!! This video from you is the most powerful, magnificent and enlightening wisdom that you have shared with us. Thank you so so much for sharing your experience and insights. Your incident where you purposed the cross on a steamy window and viewed the world through it and imagining a small cross on peoples foreheads were both amazing. Your pearls of advice are truly worth more than any precious jewels on this earth. I will take these and apply them. Also, lastly but the most important to myself, is your advice on prayer as since coming to Christ I have tried to pray but seem to have a 'prayer block' but I will now take Bible verses which speak to me and start with just praying those to Christ together with The Lord's Prayer. Thank you once again for this most beautiful video. 💚💙💜
GO IN CHRIST EVERY DAY 🤍🤍🤍
Glory be to God for all good things, dear Julie.The Lord's Prayer is so beautiful and so profound, so much more than we realise. If you also add the Jesus Prayer (or the Prayer of the Heart, as it is also known) - 'Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner' - your heart will soon learn to pray even when your mind is unable to follow it in prayer. Be blessed, dear one, be blessed.
Hello again Seraphim Aldea. Thank you for your reply. I just wanted to say that your loveliness (Christ shinning through you) is beautiful.
Bible verse Philippians 4 : 8 - "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. This verse encapsulates your teachings absolutely.
Blessings to yourself and all at your Monastery also.
GO IN CHRIST EVERY DAY 🤍🤍🤍
Father bless,
This video has been inspiring to me as you have addressed a struggle I have been having over the last few weeks with my self-discipline around watching videos, especially in the evening. I needed the nudge to return to the good practices I use to have, so I might refind the place where I can receive grace which I am better at losing than receiving.
If any protestan hears your advice and take it to heart. Then they are not too far away from the truth. Let us pray the make the small jump and realize that doctrine plays a big role on your wisdom.
Let's pray they can receive the Eucharist they urgently need. Good bless you.
Father I just received this afternoon prayer bracelet from Mull Monastery. Decided to pray the Jesus prayer around it and found myself
Tearing up. I think if I can only do at least that daily it will jumpstart my prayer life back where I want it to be.
Fr. Bless! This was so helpful! Thank you 🙏🏼❤🕊
Thank you Fr. Seraphim for your beautiful instructions on how to pray. It is such a wonderful video in a splendid tiny chapel with all the precious icons. After watching some of your videos, I found 2 beautiful icons in a Christian charity shop that I just love.
Dear Father, I felt you were speaking directly to me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Amen. Fiat!❤
Father, pray for me, the poor servant of God, Aleksandar, to find my short prayer that will be the connection with the grace of God that you mention.
Happy Father's Day! Father Serafim much gratitude and appreciation;-) love bbh
🙏🏻 amen thank you Father bless
Can you tell us about the icons behind you?
Thank you, just what I needed to hear. Thank you Father.
❤🥀❣⚘🌹
Thank you Father ! Thanks to you I find hope again in this world. May God take you in his grace !
I came to a realization after so many years that no sacrificial love would be needed if people knew the grace of the Holy Spirit. As St. Siouan suggests. It would’ve been Paradise on Earth. Unfortunately, many people don’t know the grace of the Holy Spirit and therefore ask not for the Kingdom of Heaven, but for their own. The Holy Spirit teaches your soul to repent and love. Whereas the spirit of the world asks for his own for his own purposes and agendas. The spirit of the world is the spirit of I, ME and not of the other,for the other. So we are here making sacrifices regardless of faith, creed, or morals. We will have to suffer for the lack of love regardless of faith, creed or morals. Everyone will suffer. Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, Moslem, Hindu, atheists. Everyone. That’s how it is. And it will get worse. The difference is to suffer for the sake of the Lord and to suffer in vain.
I am a 17 year old romanian young man who is trying his best every day.
Been living around the bad people for 14 years. And this was not my choice. I couldn t help it. It was God s will. Of course I wish I would have a group of high value friends and a feminine cute orthodox girlfriend who loves the same music I do and who always supports me. But, God ain t a gene and He knows better than I do. I do my part of work and then God does His.
Dumnezeu să ajute românașii noștri credincioși! ❤Amin.
I love listening to father. Thank you for your words dear seraphim
I fall asleep listening to a sermon or a Christian podcast, is this also bad?
Oh boy I absolutely love the singing at the beginning of this video....is there a full recording of this somewhere? I would really love to listen to this more. Thank you for your videos, they are wonderful.
Pomaže Bog! Oče blagoslovi! Možete li uključiti automatske titlove prijevoda na druge jezike? Koliko vas ima bratije u manastiru? Dolaze li Škoti na službe? Zanimaju li se za Pravoslavlje?
I need your prayers father
The little that I have, I offer with all my heart, dear one. Please remember us in your prayers too.
@@mullmonastery ❤
I love your videos. I have a lot of problems with praying, and I have been trying hard. I am diagnoced with adhd, and i cannot take medicine, because that interfere with my bi-polar (type 2, a milder type of bipolarity) conditon. That makes it unbelivable difficult to focus during my prayers. It is impossible to turn of that massive stream of thougts that is always flooding my inner self.
Do you have any tips, or do you know some place where I can get help with this?
God bless you, Father.
I experience the same thing that you’re describing, and my parish priest advised me to always say your prayers out loud, and when your mind starts to wander, try praying louder. And it helped!
This is your cross. Someone close to me has the same cross. Carrying this cross daily, you are with Jesus Christ. You also need a Simon of Cyrene helping you to pray. Meeting with someone or a community of people regularly, helps this person. Sometimes the person falls asleep, but then the community is praying. God is full of mercy. He loves you as you are. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is also great. In fact, also the sacrament in the penitential. Your difficulty with prayer, God knows better than you do. Don't worry, trust in God. Let the Holy Spirit work. When prayer is alone, it's the letter I, self centered. When you pray with others it's two or more, we have t letter, like the Cross. Arms reaching out to others in love. I heard this once, and it helps me and my friend to go meet community for prayer.
Sooo beautiful and soo needful...thank you Farther! May God help us all 🙏
Your talks are a blessing from Hashem, I am joyful that you have been healed so that you help heal our hearts...💜
Keep up the good work and may God bless you and your family
Please pray for me 😭 my name is Mariam
Thank you 🙏 so much for these messages.
Lord have mercy ☦
Please continue to upload videos, you must do this. You are helping people all over the world.
Through the prayers of our holy fathers Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on us. Thank you Fr Seraphim
Thank you for explaining the difference between Saints and those of us beginning our relationship. All such good advice!I will not have to feel inadequate when I use my will, (force) to Love others. I will remember it's a process. I may be flawed, the Lord is not. Glory be to God.
Shalom Father 🕊Shalom 🕊
Thank you, Father Seraphim! I needed that.
Thank you father! Remember me in your prayers🙏🏽
Thank you Father. I appreciate so very much these words of advice you provided. God bless you.
Wonderful practical advice! The 3 goals are: forgive, love and not to judge. And if you can't love then do the deeds of love. Do the little humble acts and big results will follow! I particularly like silently blessing anyone who comes in our path. Of course, I then get distracted by the world and stop. Slow but sure progress! ❤🧡💛💚💙💜
I found out a few days ago through dna testing that I’m almost half Scottish but I haven’t looked into it properly yet. I started off coming to the Orthodox Church a few years ago by myself and was wondering how I got there. I think maybe I have some Celtic orthodox ancestors that have prayed for me.
Wonderful ❤️ Be blessed ☦️
Amen. May we all be blessed, dear one
Thank you, Father, for your enthusiastic words and advice. I must return like a votary to the little altar, a niche in the wall in the living room, with our ikon of the Blessed Virgin Mary and statues of saints and light the two candles and do the Liturgy of Hours. I have adopted prostrations in making the sign of the cross as you do Father. I used to get up in the middle of the night and pray as you advised in another video. It’s a matter of going back and starting over again and again like the maniac tiger shark you described going round and round in a spiraling circle.
I like the circuling shark analogy. I know that occasionally, i for one can run ahead and be too familiar with Jesus and our Mother. So i have to check myself. I think i know when i do that as after prayer sometimes, if I'm talking to someone, I'll be jokey and afterwards realise my mistake or presumptuousness in prayer.
❤🔥Immensely helpful !
God Bless you Father. I struggle here too. Very good advice.
Let's collect small prayers, like bees collect the honey.
Father Seraphim, your blessing.
Who is depicted on the icons either side of your arms?
Be the BEE !! Thank you and God as we gather the nectar of your words ...
Hello Father, where can I find the chant in the beginning of the video? Thank you for your words.
This is exactly what I have been needing to hear. In the first three minutes you described exactly how I have been feeling. Thank you for sharing this today 🙏
Fr. thank you for sharing the Spirit’s life working in you.
My heart aches for answers to my prayers 😞
Absolutely beautiful. I have melted into a warm and grateful puddle of joy listening to this
I am so blessed to hear such profound wisdom today 🙏🙏.Thank you Fr , May God bless and keep you in His Holy Divine Will 🙏🌹
Minunat
Bless you and THANK YOU for guiding me back to correct path
God Bless you Fr Seraphim .. Your words are such a guidance for me. Seem to be what I need at the moment..❤❤❤❤God Bless you and have mercy on us!❤
Father thank you for your beautiful words of Wisdom..God bless and keep
Question, Will we go back to animal sacrifices in the Lord's Millennium reign? See Zachariah 14
brother in Christ
MEANING RECONCILIATION CREATION
Thank you, gloriously true .
The Jesus Prayer and The Lord's Prayer are the two I learnt by heart to recite whenever before I am able to make a prayer 😄 🌻🌼🌷
The simile of a happy shark circling and closing in its prey (one's most desirable prayer) really makes me laugh heartily!
Thanks, Father Seraphim Aldea ❤
Amen 🙏🙏🙏
~ Saturday June 17, 2023 @ 0728 hours
☦️☦️☦️
Thank you Lord Jesus for inspiring men of God even in our times. It shows that you have not abandoned your flock.
Pray for me I’m a teen guy looking into orthodoxy pray that I’ll be guided to truth ☦️☦️☦️ may Christ bless you
Father, you got it wrong.. the bee actually wanted to get closer to you!
Thank you for this amazing video!
In Christ,
I believe you will be spared good work my friend
Just out of curiosity....Is this order of priests similar in beliefs to orthodox Roman Catholics? I know I am showing my ignorance here but I don't really know this and wonder about these orthodox sects. IMHO I think they are closer to the raw teachings of Christianity.
Very useful guidance. Thank you.