October 15, 2026, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, prayer is the mystical thread of the Church woven into the seamless robe of Christ. The tightest weave is found in the Divine Liturgy—the warp on which all other prayer has its form. The Liturgy, the work of the people (Gr. leitos ‘people’ + ergos “energy, work), is primarily prayer—the bonding of Life and lives. Whether it be our relations within time and space, within the hidden and humble depths of the heart, or at the altar of the Lamb, it is prayer that shuttles the noetic woof. In its constant fluctuations from side to side, prayer gives color, pattern, tradition and creativity to the tapestry of Life. It is ultimately not us, but the Holy Spirit Who weaves prayer into the fabric of our being. Oh, to be a fair thread in this blessed blanket plaited in prayer!
Prayer has many, many ages. Unfortunately, most of us only scratch the surface of prayer for the majority of our lives. Often we pray, and feel as though nothing changes, neither our hearts nor circumstances in this world. Repentance of mind flees from us, enslaved as we are to self-reliance, rather than being free children of God. Yet, the lives of the saints remind us that no prayer is wasted, not even the slightest watering of the eye. Prayer interpenetrates our lives—for from the moment any one man lifts his soul to the Lord, all mankind is raised to a higher level of life. We should never doubt the power of prayer, nor speak of our prayer as ‘worthless. Concerning this, I know a monk in Christ who once told me the following, and I hope what he says is true. Judge for yourself, and if you think him deluded, please point out his error—but this is what he told me:
“Twenty years ago, I was diagnosed with end-stage testicular cancer. It had spread to my vital organs, and my oncologist gave me a poor prognosis. The tumor marker for this cancer is the alpha-fetoprotein; normal levels are below five, and anything above fifteen is considered dangerous (unless one is pregnant). An AFP above 10,000 is usually a death sentence. Mine was 14,000, and we were pretty sure I wasn’t pregnant. I went through my first round of chemotherapy, and as I was waiting for the results of my blood test, I saw the nurses excitedly talking among themselves as they pointed at a paper. One of them came into the room and told me, We received your results and there is good news. Your AFP dropped from 14,000 to 2,400. At that moment, I heard clear as a bell within my heart a still, small voice which said: ‘Other people’s prayers!’ Coming to myself, I asked her if this was a miraculous drop, but she said that, in the medical field, they do not use such terms. ‘This is very, very good,’ was all she could say. Although I felt the prayers of the Mother of God and St. John of San Francisco because of the many who were praying for me. And in return, I felt a strong impulse to pray for all cancer patients. Slowly, slowly I was waking up to how prayer interpenetrates our lives.”
“After healing from testicular cancer, fast forward eighteen years… I was diagnosed with another stage-four cancer, this time of the lung. Again I felt close to death, knowing lung cancer is a much more aggressive cancer. Yet, through the mystery of obedience and other people’s prayers, I continue in this mortal life. I realize now that what was whispered to me before—that other people’s prayers are upholding my life—is a subtle sensation easily lost through the cares of this world. Seeing that it is by prayer alone that I exist, it becomes obvious that what is holding up the whole world is prayer. Many speak of the end times, yet Saint Silouan assures us that even if just one little soul is praying for the world, God will preserve us—for prayer upholds all!”
“Since the only reason I can find for my continuing breath in this land of the living is other people’s prayers, my moral conscience continually goads me to pray for all those who are praying for me. And when one does that, a marvelous thing happens. We become, as Saint Sophrony writes, a universal center—where the life of other people’s prayers flows into us, and we continue that flow by offering one another up to God in thanksgiving. Then, all becomes gift.
“When we pray for those who are praying for us, our Eucharistic hope becomes strong, even unto the Eschaton. The soul becomes a dovecote toward which the Holy Spirit always homes, and though He often thence take wing, His flight perpetual is in returning. Prayer for the world is a marvelous cycle of life in Word and Spirit. By prayer, the world is preserved—obviously.”
Well, I think this monk dreams this more than lives it, but how do you argue with someone who encourages prayer? Christ and His holy Mother would have us pray all the time—that our lives become truly Eucharistic. This is difficult in our distracted times, where prayer is often set aside, and the moribund amusements of a lotus-eating world take first place. Yet even the slightest prayer offered up with sincerity can change lives and save souls.
One of my favorite stories about prayer is of the prostitute who witnessed a mother weeping over her dead child in her arms. The harlot prayed: ‘Lord, Thou knowest who I am, devoid of all virtue. But for the sake of this poor woman’s grief, have mercy on her and raise her child back to life!’ And lo, the child was given back to his mother alive. May such prayer find its way into our hearts as a healing balm for the sores of the world. For, it is prayer that keeps each one of us in life, even unto Life in Christ.”
Blessed Hieroschemamonk, Abott, Lover of Christ and His Prayer, Silouan, may his memory be eternal!
Source: St. Ignatius Antiochian Orthodox Church Mesa, AZ