Degrees of watchfulness

You can’t concentrate your mind at the time of prayer. What can you do?

The Lord sees that your weakness isn’t due so much to your indifference, but more to the conditions of your life. And when he sees that you’re sorry, he forgives you.

We can’t expect the same spiritual watchfulness from people who live in the world as we do from those who’ve left the world behind, that is the monastics. There are difficulties. What can we do? That’s life here on earth. Is anybody free of its problems? Just make sure that you’ve got something to do every hour of the day.

If your time’s taken up completely, you’ll suffer less from lethargy. At the same time, fight to keep your mind with God. I pray that He will grant you peace.

» Saint Theophan the Recluse