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In this video, Metropolitan Neophytos of Morphou tells us how to infuse our daily life with meaningful prayer. These saint-inspired practices can transform our mornings, elevate daily tasks, and deepen our connection with God.
Video source: Metropolitan Neophytos of Morphou Homilies
Watch the full interview here: https://youtu.be/nunBXjaODMk
Church of Saint Cyprian and Justina, Meniko, Cyprus, August 11, 2022
Met. Neophytos:
“How we pray during the Divine Liturgy?” I told you that we don’t go there in order to pray. However, some of us, due to the fact that they pray a lot at home, or in their cars, or at work, when they attend the Liturgy, their heart continues to pray, without pursuing it themselves. Do you understand what I mean?
We don’t go to the Liturgy holding a prayer rope in our hand. While the priest says, “For the peace from above and for the salvation of our soul,” we go, “Lord Jesus Christ have mercy upon me.” [Priest]: “For our Archbishop Chrysostom…” [We continue], “Lord Jesus Christ have mercy upon me.” That’s not the way, my child. These are unhealthy things. We have only one Divine Liturgy a week, not two. We have our prayer rope and pray at home with it. And I’m asking you to pray with it a lot. But only at home. At work. In your car. While walking, lying in bed, however you like, however possible.
Saint Ephraim of Katounakia said, “When you wake up in the morning, you sit up, the first thing you [must] do is to cross yourself.” In a decent manner, not like playing a musical instrument! You make a good sign of the Cross saying, “Glory to God!” “Thank you for judging me worthy of waking up from my death.” For sleep is a small death. You may not wake up. So many people went to sleep and never woke up. They slept “the sleep of death.” So, you sit up and say, “Glory to God, for blessing me with life today, my Christ.” “Let Your strength come for this day too, my God.” People in the past used to say these. I remember my father saying these in the morning and he was a man who didn’t know how to sign a document. Then you’ll go to the bathroom.
It’s not the Bishop of Morphou who says these things but Saint Ephraim of Katounakia. A great hesychast of Mount Athos. A disciple of the Great Saint Joseph the Hesychast. He said, “Then you’ll go to the bathroom to wash.” You go on, “Lord Jesus Christ have mercy upon me,” quietly, sweetly, the saint instructed. “Lord Jesus Christ have mercy upon me.” “My Lord, Jesus, have mercy on me.” “Holy Theotokos, help me this day like always.” And now you’re going to the bathroom. You wash your hands and instead of thinking, “Do I look good today?” “What about my wrinkles?” “How is my moustache?” I’d better be praying, “Lord Jesus Christ have mercy upon me.” Or, “Have mercy upon every child on earth and then have mercy upon my children too.” This is how people prayed in the past. And their prayers were answered by God because they prayed for other people’s children first, and then their own.
But we pray for our Anthony, Dimitris, Maria and that’s it! Hm? No-one else. This is our whole world. This is how our heart starts to receive a signal. A signal or else frequency with our Triune God. This is where the Divine Liturgy starts from. The Divine Liturgy starts from your bed, when you sit up, when you go to the basin where you wash and then you go and put your clothes on. Prayer again. Commemorating names again. If you commemorate names, this is a prayer too. You don’t need to say, “Lord Jesus Christ have mercy upon me” all the time.
For example, I know that Irene is going to have a difficult operation this day. “My Christ take care of Irene today,” “Saint Nikephoros, Saint Cyprian, intercede for Irene today.” My Anna is taking an exam today, “Dear Christ, help Anna who is taking an exam today.” This is prayer too. I know that there was a blast in the capital of Lebanon [refers to 2020 Beirut explosion]. “Please my Christ, go to Beirut and help the people not despair after this disaster.” In this way you “open” [i.e. expand] your prayers. Don’t limit your prayers to your own people or even the ones of the same faith. Include believers and unbelievers as well. You heard there was an earthquake in Turkey. Pray for them.
We shouldn’t be thinking about how they invaded Cyprus or that Erdogan turned Hagia Sophia into a mosque. Pray for them too. This is what our Gospel tells us to do [Matthew 5:44]. Then you go to the kitchen to have breakfast. Cross yourselves before and after. Some people don’t have anything to eat for breakfast. But we do, Glory to God! Make these three words also a part of your life: “Glory to you, O God, our Hope, Glory to You.” Right?
Or, this prayer Saint Paisios taught me, “Great is the name of the Holy Trinity. Most Holy Theotokos, protect us,” [also as “put a shield over us”]. Before you go to work, you all have phones that connect to the Internet, find a site which has the saints of the day. Antonis says, “Vimatarissa.” It seems it’s a site. “Vimatarissa” says our cameraman. And there are many more. Find the saint of the day. You are not priests or chanters [to know by heart] but you should know whose feast day it is.
Today it was the feast day of a great Cypriot saint, Saint Spyridon “who performed the miracle against the barbarians” [i.e. the intercession of the saint for the protection of the city of Corfu against the Ottoman siege in 1716]. May he do the same against the barbarians of today. So, keep on commemorating the saint of the day. Do you know why? Because it’s his feast day. What I’m going to say now comes from another saint, Saint Iakovos [Tsalikis]. He said to me, “My Neophytos, the saint likes to have a day of glory on his feast day.”
“He wants his service too and his Doxastikon and his Apolytikion as well.” “The saint wants to be invoked, to be glorified, to be thanked.” “After you’ve done these things, glad as he is on his feast day,” “the saint will forget the times you grieved him.” “And the saint will grant you your requests.” If I know that there’s a Saint Charalambos Church in Deneia [neighboring village], on his feast day, I’ll go there and venerate the saint. I can’t go to the Liturgy [in the morning] because I had to go to work, ok. I can go in the afternoon to honor him, or find his icon [to venerate].
