THT THAEE METHODS OF PIIAYIR 6t

Attributed to St Symeon the New Theologian:The Three Methods of PraYer

INTRODUCTORY NOTE

The short work that follows, also known by tIle zitle llcthod ol hcrcd

Prcyct aad Arunivcrlcss, recommends a psychosomatic technique to be

used io combination with the invocation ofthe name of-lesus. From at

least the fourteenth century onwards it har be(n attributed to St

Symeon the New Theologian, but since r9r7 serious doubts have been

eipressed ebout the authorship. Fr lrende Hausherr, noting the

parallefs trtween this text and the treatise On Wotchlulvs ond tk

Gwding of rc Hcar by Nikiphoros the Monk, in which a clocely

similar psychocomatic technique is described in somcwhat firller

detail,t concludes that Nikiphoros is the author of both works.2 lt is

in fad unfikcfy that Nikiphoros wrote lic Thtcc Mcthds of Prcyct'

ascribed to Symeon. ] The traditional attribution to the New

Theologian may contain at least an element of truth; if not by Symcon

hims.[: Itd Thrcc MctMs perheps emanated from the circle of his

disciptes. For the time bring th€ question of its precise &te end

proveruncc remairs open. St Makerioc and St Nikodimoc provide only

a mod.- Greek paraphrase o[ thc work, and we have therefore

I Sct ldow, pp. ro1-o.

'1" '"d& d'@w t*t<t5 . (Ad..@lh Ch6tb@ n,, []5] RdrE,

'etl PP rt]-+

Ar€hbrhop B$il (Kntah.nr),lo tk l4hr 4 Ch.tn,btdt St-r tl' Na t,|,.J,86,P lt' n

' , Ei.ct' dk .ttrtbuti.'n to Syn o.\ bur t yt tbthiB .bout Nild,CDd { dF F..ibL .!tho'

ofl}, I N t't..M.I S.t Atrtq$o Rto, 'Niefdo l'trkst (Xltt *c ): .k|tr oriLr.dni .l L vit .

r!I'oFB', h Obvi.t R:qE (cd.l, lst dJ tdlo: .Sro4 rd! frb@rld (lt gutro, 'ttt

L PP E -

9t .

bqsed our trarulation on the criticel cditlon ofthe original text made byHausherr.I

The centnl theme in llc Thrcc Mcthods is the need to gu.rd thehean. The fint rwo methods ofpnyer described by thc autXor are inhis view defective, and indeed potentially dangerous, prccidv becausethey neglecr the need for such guardingl tt .hldd aiwavs bcremembered that, when the word i-hean' ii used in this and'm.erruother texts, it signifies not merely the emotions and alrections but thlspiritual centre of the human person viewed as a unified whole; thehean, as the author states here. is .where all the powers of the soulreside'.t To assist us in guarding the heart, the author of Il" nr..,l/crAo& proposes a psychosomatic technique involving rhree features:hrst, a panicular bodily posture, with the chin resting on the chest andthc gaze dirccted towards the ruvel (other foun""-nth_ccnturv t.xsspeak of 6xing the gaze on the place of the heart rather then on thenavel;; secondly, control over the breathing, rc thet its pace is sloweddown; thirdly, inncr cxploration by the intellect, whicir searches forthe place of the heart. All of this, so ir scems, is meant to preccderather than to ac.company the recitation of the fesus prayer; it isintended as a preliminary exercise to assist our conccntrati;n b€forewe embarlt on the actual invocation of the Holy Name.

Modem Westem writcs have compared this poycheonutictechnique with cenain methods used in yoga and in Su6sm. but theparalfefs should not be exaggeratcd. ] Tt.

",itho, o[ Th. fhr.c tr!.thd,

placts the technique in a specifically Christologicrl contexti itspurpose is to prepare us for ,the invoc.tion of Jesus Christ'.a Anvsuch technigue is certainly to be employed with prudence, and its

Ib:::"n inflict grave damage on a person's physical and menal

health. Significantly Thc Thrcc Mahds emphasizes the imponance ofobedience to a spiritual father who can act, in this and in.limatters. asour 'unerring guide'.5 Alrnost all teachers in the Onhodox Churchtoday likewise insist that anyone wishing to emberk on the psvchoso_matic techniquc should do so only undei the personal guid:nle of an

t-ln L DttH. d Mn M,.Adc, Ip. trerr.

'S.. pp rr-r. . a'nFR rh. (;lsrry {p. atu

.'-s.. Birhop K,llirtd (w.F), .PnylB ${h dF body rh. h6ychli mrh.d .d non_(

Y'*n prdklt , in sosdBt tqpooug tst.n rhurcrs i.tu ,+r (,eer,. pp. 6_ lr.

I Sa.. b.lo*. p. 6e.

ST SIME()N TIIE NE\ ' THEOIOGIAN

experi€nced mast€r. The Jesus Prayer can be practised in its frrllness

l'ithout th. use of eny physical mcthod at all Nevenheless the

technique outlined here is theologically defensible, restingas it does on

a souni docrrine of the human person, As St Gregory P'l'rnas Pointsout,! and as the opening paragraph of c Thrcc Mcthotk clearly states,

m:n is a unity of Ldy ind rcul; the body is an es.srntial asPect of our

toral personh'ood, ani so it is not to be neglected or ignored but used

dynamically in the task of PraYer.

ThePhilokalia

The Philokalia: \'olurne 4cmpibdfu saint Nikodinos oftl.r Hofu Morntain a saint

^lnkatios of cotinth

Iaber& Iaber Limited

Tlu.ee Nledrocls of PrryerAttributed to Sai t Symeoll the New Theologiall(pp.6a 7s)

The Three Methods of prayer

1".: 1* three mcthods of prayer and .trentiveness, by mr.ans of

which the soul is either uplrfted or cast down. Whoever cmploys thcscmethods at

.the right time is uplifted, but whocver .-plop the-

foolishly and at the wrong rimr is cast down. Vigilance ani prayershould be as closely linked together as the body to tf,e sorrl, for tire oneeannot stand wirhour the other. Vigilance lirct gocs on ahead lkc ascout and engages sin in combat. prlyer then foliows afterwards, andirutantly destroys and exterminates all thc evil thoughrs with whichvigilance has already been battling, for attentiveness alone cannotexterminate them. This, then, is the gate oflife and death. lfby meansof vigilancc w1 keep prayer pure, wi make progress; but if ie leareprayer unguarded and pcrmit it to be dcfiled, our elf,ons are null andvoid.

Since, then, as we said, there are three methods ofattcntiveness andprayer, we should explain the distinctive features of each, so that hewho aspires to attain lile and wishes to set to work may with firmassurance select what suits him best; otherwise through ignorance hemay choose what is worse and forfeit what is better.

THE FIRST MF-THOD OF PRAYER

Thc distinctivc features of the lirct merhod of prayer are these. Whena person srands

ft prayer, he raises hands,'eyes and intellectheavenwards, and 6lls his intellect with divine thoughts, with imagesof celcstial beauty, of the angelic hosts, of the abodeiof thc nqhreo"us.In brief, at r-he rime of prayer he assembles rn his intellet dl thit he has

' S.c h.loq, p tlr-6.

ST SYM€ON TI{E NEr|r ' T}TEOLOGIAN THE THREE METHODS OF PBAYER 69

heard from Holy Scripture and so rouses his rcul to divine longing as

he g".e. to*".i" hea"en, and sometimes he she& tean But when

,o.i*n" p."yt in this way, without him redting it his hean grows

o-,rd ani eialted, and hi regards whet is happening to him as the

iffect of divine grace rnd enireats God to allow him alwrys to b€-

enqaged in r}lis activity Such assumptions, however' are signs of

dets]on, because the good is not good when it is not done in the right

way.i[, th.n,

",rch " p"rson is pursuing a life ofstillness and seclusion, he

will almost inevitably become demnged. And even if this do€s not

haooen to him, it wilibc impossiblr fo; him to attain a state of holiness

o.'di.p""sion. Those who adopt this method of prayer have also been

deludld lnto thinking that they sec hghts with their bodily eyes' smell

sweet scents, h.", u"oice., "ni

.o onl s,t-a have become completely

oossessed by demons and wander Fom place to Placc in their m'dtress'

i)ther" fail io r".ognize the dcvil when be transforms himself into an

aneel oflight (cf. r Cor. r I ' t4); and, Putting their trust in him, they

.oitinu. it "r,

in.orrigiblb state ofdelusion until theit death, refusing

to accept the "olln""l-of "nyone "lse.

Still oth€rs, incited by the devil,

have committed suicide, throwing themselves ovcr r PreciPice or

hanginq themselvestide-ed. *h" can describe all the various forms of deception

emplove<l by the devil? Yet from what wc have said any sane P€rson."r, und"rsi"nd the kind of harm that may result from this 6rst

method of attentiveness. Even if someone who has adoptcd this

method may perhaps avoid the evils we have mentioned because he

lives in a community - for it is solitaries who arc especially subject to

them - none the less he will pass his entire life without making any

ProSress.

THE SECOND METHOD OF PRAYER

The second form of prayer is this. A Frson withdnws his intellect

from seruory things and conc€ntftrt€s it in himrr, guards his senscs,

and collects all hithougha; and he advances oblivious of the vanities

of this world. Sornetimes he cxamines his thoughts, lotnctimes Pay!

attention to the words of the prayer he is addressing to God, andsomctimes drags back his thoughts whcn they have been taken 6ptive;and when he ic ovcrcome by passion he forcefully strives to rccoverhimsell

One who stmggles in this way, howwer, can never be at pcace orwin the cro\a'n ofvictory. He is like a percon fighting at night: he hcarsthe voices of his enemits and is wounded by them. but he carulot seeclerrly who they are, where they come Fom, and how and for whatpurpose they assail him. Such is the damage done to him because of thcdarkness in his intellect. FEhtint in this manner, he cannot ever escapchis noetic enemies, but i! wom out by them. For all his efforts he gainsnothing. Falsely imigining that he is concentrated and attentiv;, h€falls victim unawares to self-esteem. Dominated and mocked bv it. hedespises and criticizes othen for their lack of attentiveness. Inr.giningthat he is capable of becoming the shepherd of sheep, he ls li[e thiblind man who undcrtakes to lcad the blind (cf. Matt. rt : r4).

Such are the characteristics of the second method of prayer, andevery one striving after salvation can see wh:t harm it does. Yet thissecond method is better than the 6nt, just es a moonlit neht is betterthan a nitht that is pitch-dark and starless.

THE THIRD METHOD OF PRAYER

Lrt us now \in to 3p€ak about the third method of pnyer, which istruly astonishing rnd hard to explain. For those ignorant of it, it is notonly dificult to undentand but vinually inctedible, and there are vcryfew to be found who practise it. lt scems to me that it hat desened usalong with the virnre ofobedience. For it is the love of obedience thatdelivers us from entanglement with this cvil world, rendering u.r fiecfrom anxiety rnd impassioned craving, lt makes us wholehearted andunflagging in pursuit ofour aim - provided, ofcourse, that we 6nd anuncrriqg 8uide. For if through obedience you make yourself dcad toevery worldly and bodily attachmentr how can anything tnnsientemlave your intellect? If you entrust all thc cere of your soul and bodyto God and to your spirirual father, no longer liv'ing for yourself ordesiring the good opinion of others, what anxiety can distract you?

THE TIIAEE METHODS OF PRAYER 7lST SYMEON THE NE\v THEOLOGIAN

This third method, thcn, destroys the invisible wiles ofthe demoru,

with which as with ropes they scek to drag dovrn the intcllert into all

manner ofdevious thoughts. Sct at liberty, the intellect wages war with

its full str€ngth, scrutinizing the thoughts insinruted by the enemy and

with masterful dexterity expelling them, while fie heart in its Purityoffers prayers to God. This is the beginning of a life of true seclusion,

and those who fail to make such a b,eginning exhaust tlremsclves in

vaiD.The starting-point of this third method of Pray€r is not to gaze

up*ard", to tai". otte's hands aloft, to concentrate one's thoughtr-and

to call down help from heaven. These, as we said, arc the marks ofthe

6nt form of delusion. Nor does it begin, as the second mcthod does,

by keeping gurrd over the senses with the intellect, while failing to

observe thc enemies who attack from within. ln such a case, a person is

stmck by the demons instead of striking them; when wounded he is

unawarc ofit; taken captive, he cannot retaliate atairut his caPtoB. His

enemies constantly attack him, from behind and even face to [ace, and

6ll him with self-esterm and arogance.lfyou desire to embark on this lfht-giving and ioyfrr'l task' begin as

follows. You must 6rst Practise exact obediencc, as described above,

and so act always with a Pure consciencei lor without obedienc! it is

impossible lor your cooscience to be pure' And you must keep you-r

conscience puri in three resPccts: first, with resPect to God; second,

with respect to your spiritual hther; and third, with resPect to other

peoplc and to material things. With resPect to God you must keep

your conscience pure by refraining hom doing anything that conllicts

with the worship due to Him. With rcsPect to your sPiritual f.rh€r do

everythiog hc tdls you to do, ncither more nor less, and bc guided by

his purpose and will. With resPect to other people, you must keep

youi conscience p,rre by not doing to them anything that you hate 1cf.iobit 4 : r5) and that you do oot want them to do to you. With

respcct to material things, you must take carc not to mi$u3€ th€m,

whether food, drinl or clothing. tn brief, do cverything as if you wert

in the presence of God, so th.t your conscience does not rebule you in

any way.Having cleared the grorlnd and indicrted in a prcliminary way thc

true character of attentivcness, let us now speak clcarly and concisclyabout its characteristics. True and unerring rttentiv€lrcss and prayermean that the intellect keeps watch over lhe heart while it pnp; it

should always be on patrol within the hean, and from within - fromthe depths of the heart - it should olhr up its prayers to fu. Once ithas tasted within the hean that thc Lord is bounriftl (cf ps. 34 : 8.LXX), then the intcllcd will have no desirt to leave the hean, and itwill repcat the words of the Aposde Peter, 'lt is good for us to be here'(Matt. r7 : 4). lt will kcep watch always within the hean, repulsiqgand expelling all thoughts sown there by the enemy. To thoee wh6have no knowledge of this practice it appears extremely hanh andarduous; and indeed it is oppressive end laborious, not only to theuninitiated, but also to those who, although genuinely expericnced,have not yct felt the delight to be found in the depths of thc hern. Butthose who have savoured this delight proclaim with St Paul, .Who willsep6rate us from the love of Christ?' (Rom. s : 35).

Our holy fathers hearkened to the l-ord's words, .Out of the heenproceed evil thoughts, murdcn, adulteries, unchastity, thefu, pcriur-ies, blasphemies; thesc are the things that deile a man' (Mrtt.15 : r9-ro); and they also hearkencd to Him whcn He eniotu us toclcense the inside of the cup so that the outside mey allo be dem (cf.Matt. r3 : 25). Hcncl they abandoned all other forms of spiritudlabour and conc.entrated wholly on this one task ofguerding thc hean,convinced dut through this pnctice they would also poc.ress everyother virtue, whcrcas without it no virtue could be firnrlv egtablisd.Some of the fithen have cdled this pnctice stillncss of th. h."n,oth€rs rttentivcne$, othen the guarding of the herrt, others watchfrrl-ness and rcbuttal, md otiers qgain the investigrtion of thoughts andthe guarding of the intellect. But dl of thcm alike worked the-eerth oftheir own hean, and in thir uy they werc fcd on the divine manna (cf.Exod. 16 : r 9).

Ecclesiastes is referring to this whcn he sayr,'Reloicc, O youngm.n, in your youth; .nd walk in the ways of your hean' (Eccles.r r : 9), blamelesr, expclling angcr from your hcrrt; end .if thc spiritof the rulcr ris€s up against you, do not desen your place' (Eccles.ro : 4), by 'placc'meaning the heen. Sirnilarly our tord also sap,'Out of the hert procred evil thoughts'(Matt. r5 : r9),and.Do notbe dtutracted'(Luke | 2 : 29). And again, 'strait is the gate and oarrowir the way that leads to life'(Matt. 7 : r4). Elsewhere He also says,'Blessed rre the poor in spirit'(Matt. J : l)i that is to say, blessed irethocc who are destitut€ of cvery worldly thought. St Petcr s.yslikewise,'Be watchfi , be vigilant, becausc your adversary, thc devil,

ST SYMEON THE NEW THEOLOCIAN THE THRTE METHODS ()F PRAYER

walkc about likc a roaring lion, scekig whom he may devour'(r Pa.

5 : E). And St Paul writes vcry plainly to thc Ephcsians ebout tlrequarding of the hean, 'We do not wrestle {airrst flesh and blood'

[tph. o-, rr1, and so on. And our holy fatherc have alrc spoken in

their writings about guarding the heart, as thoac who wish can see for

themsclves by reading what St Mark the Arcetic, St John Klimakos' St

Hesychi<x the Priest, St Philotheo of Sinai, St lsaiah th€ Solitrry and St

Varsanuphios, and the entire book llown uThc Poradic of ic Fotkn,'

have to sav about the subiecr.ln shon, if you do not guard your intellect you cannot attain Purity

of heart, so as to be counted wonhy to see God (cf Mett. 5 : r8).

Without such watch.fr ness you cannot becomc Poor in sPirit' orgrieve, or hunqer and thint after righteousness, or be truly merciful, or-pure in hean,-or a peacemaker, or be persecuted for the seke ofjustice

icl Man. 9 : 3-ro). To speak generally, it i! imPossible to acquirc all

the other virtues exc€pt through watc ulness. For this reaton you

must pursue it more diligently than anyhing else, so as to learn from

experience thesc things, unknown to others, that | .m sPeaking to you

about. Now if you would like to leam also about the method of pnyer,

with God's help I will tell you ebout this too, in so far rs I can.

Above all else you should strive to acquire thrce things, and so begin

to attain what you seek. Thc 6nt is Feedom from anxiety with rcspcct

to everything, whether rearcnable or serseless - in other words, you

should bo dead to everyrhing. Secondly, you should strive to prcservc e

pure conscience, so that it has nothing to reproach you with. Thirdly,

you shor.rld bc completely detached, so that your thougha inclirrc

towards nothing worldly, not even your own body.Then sit down in a qui€t cell, in a corn€r by yourself, md do whet I

tell you. Cloce the door, and withdnw your intellect from evcrythingworthless and tnrsient. Rest your beard on your chest, and focus yourphysical gaze, tqlether with the whole of your intellect, upon thc

centre of your belly or your navel, Restrain drc dnwing-in of brceth

through your nortrils, so as not to breatlrc easily, and search irui&younelf with your intellect so as to hnd the place of thc heart, wherc

' Th. titL PofdJs. ir .pplid ln FnkuLt ro dE l,'dd t hd, of PrlLdiq, lut .15 ddtbrc.dlt to .nt worl d E$,ptirn

'rb.r.ttici.D. .sfi !

-dE Sbtdd ,ttu t'6 d tqq.o t

tll. ^nittqau.

Cf. ** Syri.c ou.cdo.' dnpit.d b, A!t^-I,rA,Ik |!''da d G..r..{tk1r.,,/ fdd'.6, E.T., E.A. wrllir Bu*c (r vob. tgldsr trsrl

all the powen of the rcd rcside. To start with you will 6nd tlreredarkness and an irnpenetrable dcnsity. Latcr, when you pcrsirt andpractise this task day and nighr, you will find, es though miraclloudy,an unceasing ioy. For as soon as the intelkc{ attairu the place of t}rehcart, at oncc it sees things of which it previously knew nothing. lt r€e!the_ ope-n space within the h€rrt and it bchotds itselfentirely liminousand firll of discrimination. From then on, from whatevcr sidc Idistractive thoutht may tppear, beforc it has come to cornplction andassumed a form, the intellect immcdiately drives it away end dcrc,oysit with the invocation of Jesus Christ. From this proint onwadr thcintellect bcgins to bc full ofnncour lgairut the demons end, rouring itsn.tural angcr against its no€tic encmies, it pursues tll€m and striLesthem down. The rest you will learn for yourself, wlth Godt help, bykceping guard over your intellect end by retaining Jesus in your hcan.As the saying goes, 'Sit in your cell and it will teich you everything.'r

Qrcion: Why cannot thc monk ettain pcrfection by mcans of thc6nt and se.cond form of keeping guerd?

,{a.r*tr: Becausc he does not embarl on them in the proper order.St John Klimakoo lilens these nr€thods to a ladder, saying, .Someqrrtail th€ir paisions; oth€B practisc palmody, pcrsevering-met ofthc tirft in thisi otlers d€vote themrlves to pray€r; and oihcrs turntheir gaze to the depths of contemplation. When examining thisquestion let us use the enalogr of a ladder.'2 Now those who w-ant toascend a Iaddcr do not sart at the top and climb down, but ltart at thcbonom and climb up. They ascend thc fint step, then thc se.cond, andso ahe rest in tum. ln this way we can rsccnd from eanh to hcavcn, If,thcn, wc wilh to att.in the perfect stature of the fulness of Christ, likechildren who are growing up we murt ltrrt to climb the lad&r rctbefore us, until progressing st€p by srep we rcach tle level of a firll-growll man and then of an old man

, The frrst €c in th€ monasric atate i! to cunail the pqssions. Thir irthe stage of beginnen.

- The

1e9ond nrng or stage whereby a person grows up rpiritudlylrom adolescence to youth is criduously to practis. p,salmody. Forwhen the pas.sions have been cunailed and laid to rest, pralmody bringr

' ,p?hrirdb, .lph^$.dc.i o0ccrb.\ Md.r 6i 1.T., Ssr.r 8.n dhr W.rd. D, lrrtl! oItrtu F.tl.,a: Tk Alpt'&itt@I Cdlrdro (rnd.d., t--o.jdyorlo.d. Irr,\p. rlr.

' 5r lolD Khular, tl' r./&. 4Drnd,{s . sr.p r (26. }Eviiir |,orc)i E.t, p,{a.

ST SYMEON THE NEt ' THEOLOGIAN THE TI{REE MTIHODS OF PRAYER 7t

delight to the tongue and is welcomed by d, since it is not Possibleto

"ing ,o the Lnid in a stnnge land (cf Ps I17 : 4), that is to sey,

tsom -an impa.csioned hean. This is the mark of those who are

beginning to make progress-Th.

tf,ind -ng

ot "tage

in life, marking the sPirituil transition from

youth to manhood, is to Persevere in Prayer. This is the stage ol thos€

who are already well advanced. Prayer diffen from psalmody iust as

the full-grown man diflers from the youth and the adolerent,

accordin[ to the scheme that we are following.

In addltion there is a founh rung or etage in spiritual life, thet ofthe

old man with grey hain. This signifies undeviating abaorption in

contcmplation, and this is the state of the perfect. So the iourney is

compleie and the top of the ladder has been reached

Since this is the way in which matters have been appointed and

arranged by thr SPirit, it is not Possible for a child to grow uP to

rnanh-ood and to aitain old ege excePt by mounting the fint mng of

the ladder and so climbing up to perfection by the four steps in

successlon.For someone who desires sPiritual rcbirth, the first steP towards

the light is to curtril the passions, that is to say, to guard the hean; for

it is impossible otherwise to cunail the Passions' The next stagc is to

devotc oneself to psalmody; for whcn the Passioru have been curtailed

and hid to r€st through tht heart's resistanc-e agairut them, longing for

intimate union with -God

infl.nrs the intellect. Srengthened by this

longing the intcllect repulses all distrecti"e thoughts that encircle the

h.ai,itt.mpting to gei in, and it r€bulE them through anentiveness

So it applies itseli assiduously to the second stage, that of attentivenesg

"rrd pny.r. This then stirs up the evil spiris, and thc blasts of Passion

violendy agitate the deptha ofthe heart. But through the invocation of

thc Lord Jius Christ they are uttcrly routed and all thc rumult melts

like wax in the firc. But though they-have bcen driven out of the heart

thc demons continue to disturb the intellect externally through the

senscs. However, because they can only trouble it superficially, the

intellcct son r€gains it.s s€renityi none the less, it can never be

completely free from the attacks ofthe demoru. Such freedom is to be

found only among those who have attained full manhood - who are

tot.llv detached Fom ever6hing visible and who devote themselves

unceJsingly to giving rttention to'the hean. After that' those who have

""hi.".d-"tt.nii'"ttiss are ra$ed litde by little to the wisdom of old

age, that is to say, they ascend to conternplation; and this is the stage ofthe perfect.

Thus if you pnctise all this in due sequenc-e, completing each phaseat the right tim€, your hean will first bc cleans€d oi the isgiors, andyou will then bc able to concentnte wholly on pcalmody; you will be

lble t9 wage war against the thoughtr that arc roused by ihi senscs anddisturb the surface of the intellect and you will gaze heavenwar&, ifneed be, alikc with your physical and your spiritu.rl eyes, and will prayin- tru€ punty. Yet you rhould gaze upwards only occasionally becauscof the enemies that lic in ambruh in the air.

God asks only this of ur, thar our hean be purified throughwatchfulness. fu St Paul says, if the root is holy, rc also will tLbrancbes and the fruit be holy (cf Rom rr : 16). But if wirhoutfollowing the sequence of which we have spoken you raise eyes andintellect to h€aven in the hope ofenvisaging noetic realities you wilt seelantasies rather than the truth. Becaur our hetn i.r still unpurified, aswe have said rnany times, the first end the second mcthods ofatt€ntiveDeca do not promote our pragress. When we build a housc wedo not put on the roof before laying rhe foundations - this isimpossible. We first lay the fioundati,ons, thcn build the housc, and6nally put on tJre rooi We must do the same in relation to spiritudrnatters. FiBt we must lay the spirirual foundrtions ofthe house, that isto say, we must watch ovrr the hern and cunail the passioD! arisingfrom it. Then we must build the walls ofthe spiritual housc. that is tisay, through the sccond form of ettentivctre$ wc must repulse theturbulence of the evil spirib that fight us by means of the externalsenses, and must Fee ourselves as quickly as pocsible from theirettacks. Then we must put on the roof, that is to say, detech ourrelvesentirely from all things and give ourselves wholly to God. In this waywe complete our spiritual house in Christ Jesw our lord, to whom bcglory throughout all the ages. Amen.