Catechetical Teaching 4. ON CHURCH PRAYER
In our previous exhortations, we discussed fasting and home prayer. Today, we will say a few words about another aspect of the practical life of an Orthodox Christian – Church prayer.
Like home prayer, communal prayer, the prayer of the Church, is an integral part of our communion with God. However, while home prayer concerns only ourselves, communal prayer imposes a special responsibility on us: here we also interact with our neighbors, and God observes our hearts, whether we keep His main commandment of love there.
We know that God is omnipresent, meaning He is present everywhere. However, there is a place on earth where the presence of God is manifested in a special way – the church, or as the Holy Scripture calls it, the House of God.
Each of us has a home. It is the place where we live. We establish rules of conduct there, strive to maintain order, and arrange everything in a way that is comfortable for us. And when guests come to us, we are, of course, happy, and often say, “Dear guests, make yourselves at home,” but we still expect them to remember that they are guests.
Likewise, in the House of God, God dwells. He establishes such rules here that are comfortable for Him. And the main rule was proclaimed by our Lord Jesus Christ: “My house is the house of prayer” (Lk.19:46), and He added about the disrespectful guests, “but ye have made it a den of thieves” (Lk.19:46).
So, if during home prayer we invite God to visit us, during Church prayer we come as guests to His home. And we must strive to behave appropriately so that this rebuke of Christ does not fall upon us. What should we do and how should we conduct ourselves to not become thieves and turn the House of God into a den? It is very simple. If the House of God is a house of prayer, then anything that hinders prayer is theft. And much can hinder prayer.
To prevent prayer from being hindered, rules of conduct are established in the church. It is these rules, specifically how we can avoid becoming thieves, that we will discuss in our next exhortation.
May God bless you all!