Sadly, some of my Doctors of the Church postings disappeared in 2013, but I have found other references to the work of perfection through prayer from St. John Chrysostom, whose feast day is September 13th.
Prayer is the light of the soul
"There is nothing more worthwhile than to pray to God and to
converse with him, for prayer unites us with God as his companions. As our
bodily eyes are illuminated by seeing the light, so in contemplating God our
soul is illuminated by him. Of course the prayer I have in mind is no matter of
routine, it is deliberate and earnest. It is not tied down to a fixed timetable;
rather it is a state which endures by night and day.
Our soul should be directed in God, not merely when we suddenly
think of prayer, but even when we are concerned with something else. If we are
looking after the poor, if we are busy in some other way, or if we are doing any
type of good work, we should season our actions with the desire and the
remembrance of God. Through this salt of the love of God we can all become a
sweet dish for the Lord. If we are generous in giving time to prayer, we will
experience its benefits throughout our life.
Prayer is the light of the soul, giving us true knowledge of
God. It is a link mediating between God and man. By prayer the soul is borne up
to heaven and in a marvellous way embraces the Lord. This meeting is like that
of an infant crying on its mother, and seeking the best of milk. The soul longs
for its own needs and what it receives is better than anything to be seen in the
world.
Prayer is a precious way of communicating with God, it gladdens
the soul and gives repose to its affections. You should not think of prayer as
being a matter of words. It is a desire for God, an indescribable devotion, not
of human origin, but the gift of God's grace. As Saint Paul says: we do not know
how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too
deep for words.
Anyone who receives from the Lord the gift of this type of
prayer possesses a richness that is not to be taken from him, a heavenly food
filling up the soul. Once he has tasted this food, he is set alight by an
eternal desire for the Lord, the fiercest of fires lighting up his soul.
To set about this prayer, paint the house of your soul with
modesty and lowliness and make it splendid with the light of justice. Adorn it
with the beaten gold of good works and, for walls and stones, embellish it
assiduously with faith and generosity. Above all, place prayer on top of this
house as its roof so that the complete building may be ready for the Lord. Thus
he will be received in a splendid royal house and by grace his image will
already be settled in your soul.
A reading from the homilies of St John
Chrysostom (Hom 6 on Prayer)
And, attributed to St. John Chrysostom, are these short prayers, one to be said each hour of every day.
O Lord, of Thy heavenly bounties, deprive me not.
O Lord, deliver me from the eternal torments.
O Lord, forgive me if I have sinned in my mind or my thought, whether in word or in deed.
O Lord, free me from all ignorance and forgetfulness, from despondency and stony insensibility.
O Lord, deliver me from every temptation.
O lord, enlighten my heart which evil desires have darkened.
O Lord, as a man have I sinned, have Thou mercy on me, as the God full of compassion, seeing the feebleness of my soul.
O Lord, send down Thy grace to help me, that I may glorify Thy name.
O Lord Jesus Christ, write me down in the book of life and grant unto me a good end.
O Lord my God, even if I had not done anything good before Thee, do Thou help me, in Thy grace, to make a good beginning.
O Lord, sprinkle into my heart the dew of Thy grace.
O Lord of heaven and earth, remember me, Thy sinful servant, full of shame and impurity, in Thy kingdom. Amen.
O Lord, receive me in penitence.
O Lord, forsake me not.
O Lord, lead me not into misfortune.
O Lord, quicken in me a good thought.
O Lord, give me tears and remembrance of death, and contrition.
O Lord, make me solicitous of confessing my sins.
O Lord, give me humility, chastity, and obedience.
O Lord, give me patience, magnanimity, and meekness.
O Lord, implant in my the root of all good--Thy fear in my heart.
O Lord, vouchsafe that I may love thee from all my soul and mind and in everything do Thy will.
O Lord, shelter me from certain men, from demons and passions, and from any other unbecoming thing.
O Lord, Thou knowest that Thou dost as Thou
wilt, let then Thy will be done in me, a sinner, for blessed art Thou
unto the ages. Amen.
