In this rare interview recorded shortly before his repose in 1993, St. Dumitru Staniloae, one of the greatest Orthodox theologians of the 20th century, talks about continuous prayer for people living busy lives. Fr. Dumitru was imprisoned for 5 years due to his faith during the oppressive Communist Regime in Romania. The Romanian Orthodox Church has approved the canonization of 16 new saints during the synodal sessions held on July 11-12th 2024. Holy Confessor Priest Dumitru Stăniloae is one of them. The local proclamation of the canonisation of Saint Dumitru Staniloae took place on October 4, 2025 at Cernica Monastery, Bucharest, Romania.
Recorded: July 1993, Cernica Monastery Cemetery, Bucharest, Romania
St. Dumitru:
Question: Is the Jesus Prayer the most direct path to God?
Answer: It is… the most direct path. Meaning, any prayer is a direct path to God, but the Jesus Prayer… because Jesus is the closest to us, and it is a short prayer that we can repeat continuously, but we should repeat it, always thinking of all that Christ has meant for us, of His love for us, of the need to be gathered in Him, of the need to be delivered from sin, which is not only separation from Him, but also separation from others.
In it, we are helped to fulfill what Christ asks of us, to love Him, to imitate His sacrifice, to love others, to turn away from sin, sin which is separation and division from God and from people. And you can repeat it always…
You must go to spiritual people who practice it… But they do not say that they practice it, they do not want to boast that they practice it, but it is noticeable that they practice it… In any case, always keep the thought of Christ within you. Say at least: “Lord Jesus, Lord Jesus, Lord Jesus,” continuously, at least in your mind, if you cannot say it aloud, because few are the monks who have time to do only this prayer. People are busy with many things, but they can always keep Jesus in their thoughts. Always have the thought of Jesus and the will to be near Him and the will for Him to be near you. And from this, draw the conclusion that you have the duty to be with others, not to be unkind towards others… to be good towards others…
Question: What is the role of monasteries in the present context?
Answer: In monasteries, we can find very spiritual people. They are people of continuous prayer. And we go to them to learn this will for prayer, to see how they have renounced all worldly things, so that we too do not struggle too much for the things of the world. They are the citadels of Christ. If we want to have a strong connection with Christ, we should go to monasteries and seek out spiritual people, people who practice the Jesus Prayer or at least think unceasingly of Jesus…
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