Praying in the Spirit and Truth Means Praying in the Presence of the Holy Spirit

On 2 June 2013 His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church delivered a sermon in the historical chapel of Saint Great Martyr George of the Patriarchal Residence in which he explained the significance of the Evangelical pericope of the 5th Sunday after Easter, of Saint John the Evangelist, chapter 4:5-42, also named the Sunday of the Samaritan woman.

Praying in the truth means praying on the base of the confession of the truth of the right faith

The Patriarch of Romania explained what praying in the spirit and truth means: “Praying in spirit and truth is very important in this Gospel, because it shows us that the man’s prayer does no longer depend on the place where it is said, but on the mood in which it  is said. Praying in spirit and truth means a communion with God made through the prayer enlightened by the Holy Spirit and through the confession of the truth of the right faith. Praying in spirit and truth means that we pray in the presence of the Holy Spirit. This is why in the Orthodox Church the first prayers begin with Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth who are everywhere and accomplish everything … Thus, the Spirit relates the creature to the Creator. We pray in the Holy Spirit because He opens the creatures to God the Creator to receive the saving grace and answer the love of God. This is why Saint Paul the Apostle says: ‘We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans, because you are His sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”

Therefore, this prayer in the Holy Spirit is the true prayer and not a formal prayer only on the lips, but a prayer from the bottom of one’s heart, from all soul, because the Holy Spirit is hidden in the soul of the human, and enlightens the mind and warms the heart to make them answer the love of the Heavenly Father. So, praying in truth means praying on the base of the confession of the right faith. Not any faith is truth, but only the right faith which means confessing the divinity of Jesus Christ and the truth of the Resurrection”, His Beatitude said, as Trinitas Radio station informs.

The Primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church has also conveyed a message to parents and children: “On the occasion of the Sunday dedicated to the cherishing of the children and parents, namely the Christian family, we urge the parents to allot more time to children, to help them cultivate faith, hope and love, the freedom to do good, not harm, do good to those around them, and appreciate spirituality and traditions of the Romanian people, wherever they may be. We also urge the children to love their parents and teachers better, to pray for them and show them their gratitude. We pray the Risen Jesus Christ to enlighten the souls of the parents, children and of the young Christians and fill them with peace.

Next Sunday, the Orthodox Church will be on the 6th Sunday after the Holy Easter, of the Blind born man.

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