In this video, Elder Cleopas of Romania (✝ December 2, 1998) speaks about the mysteries of the prayer of the heart in the Orthodox Christian tradition. He delivered his speech to a group of pilgrims visiting from Macedonia in 1994.
Fr. Cleopa Ilie was forced to live as a hermit in the mountains for nine years 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. Venerable Cleopa of Sihastria Monastery is one of them. They will be officially recognized as saints in 2025.
Video source: DrumulSpreInviere, https://youtu.be/AbOwos5Doe0
July 27th, 1994, Sihastria Monastery, Romania
Elder Cleopa:
When the mind descends into the heart, it encounters two tollhouses, two stations. The first station: the station of imagination. At this station, we must not linger even for a moment. Not even the cherubim or seraphim can imagine God. So, at the station of imagination, we must pass through like lightning. At the gate of the heart, we encounter another station. This is the station of reason. When the mind seeks to descend into the heart, it is attacked by demons known as archons, the theologians of hell and the philosophers of darkness. And what does the enemy do when he sees that you want to bring your mind into your heart? He gives you divine reasoning, not sinful thoughts. Yes, sometimes he offers you some thoughts like: “You rode your horses into the sea, stirring up many waters” [Habakkuk 3:15] or another thought: “Where there are no oxen, the sheep go unfed” [cf. Proverbs 14:4]. When we reach the gate of the heart, the demons present us with spiritual words to keep us preoccupied with them.
[Someone:] But is this pure prayer?
No, says Saint John Chrysostom: “When you pray, do not theologize, for you are mocked by demons.” We must not give attention to the spiritual arguments they bring. When the mind descends into the heart, the Bridegroom meets the bride, Christ and the bride, as the great Apostle Paul said: “I have betrothed you to one eternal Bridegroom” [cf. 2 Corinthians 11:2]. The first sign that the mind has descended into the heart appears in the left breast: a nail of fire emerges. Thus, the heart is set ablaze, and from the heart, the shoulders. The spine heats up, and the whole body becomes as if on fire. In the heart, a divine warmth is born, one that cannot be explained in words. When the body is warmed, the eyes begin to shed abundant tears, so many tears of divine warmth that they cannot be described.
I lived in the mountains, among bears and deer. I met a spiritual father at Mount S. We would gather once every three months. He told me how his mind descended into his heart for 2 hours and 10 minutes. When his mind descended into his heart, he experienced such divine warmth and shed so many tears that he filled five handkerchiefs. He wrung them out five times, so abundant were the tears of God’s love. And after those hours passed, for nearly two months, no earthly thought entered his mind, only heavenly ones. This is the pure prayer of the heart, which only one in 10,000 attains. Saint Isaac the Syrian says: “One in 10,000 of those who strive attains the pure prayer of the heart.” Of those who strive… Beyond the pure prayer of the heart is seeing prayer.
Saint Anthony the Great had the seeing prayer. When Saint Amun of Nitria passed away, he was 1,000 kilometers away from Saint Anthony. Saint Anthony told the monks: “Our brother Amun of Nitria has ascended to heaven.” He saw from here what was happening there. Those who have seeing prayer can be here and see what is happening in Greece, in Italy, in Jerusalem, in Mount Athos. They see all things. This prayer is greater than the prayer of the heart. Above this prayer is self-moving prayer.
This is when a person sleeps, and both their mind and heart continue to pray. Where? As it says in the Song of Songs: “I sleep, but my heart is awake.” Whoever has this prayer prays unceasingly… self-moving. At all times, their mind and heart pray to God. Beyond the seeing prayer, the 9th step is contemplative prayer or spiritual prayer. With this prayer, Paul ascended to heaven, to the third heaven, and did not know whether he was in the body or outside the body. This is the highest prayer, attained only by one person in many generations.
Yes my dear…
[Someone:] But what are they to do? How should they pray?
May Paradise consume you! May Paradise consume you entirely! Well, let us pray as we can, with our tongue, with our lips, with our voice—however we are able. And always, we should desire to reach the highest forms of prayer. If someone dies on the lower rungs of prayer but with the longing to go higher, they will enter Paradise. They are on the path to perfection.
[Someone:] We are all on the lower rungs…
On the lower rungs, but let us have the desire and love to climb to the highest ones. May Paradise consume you!
[Someone:] It is with an iron chain, like that of a hermit. It belonged to Saint Herman of Alaska. It is the cross that Saint Herman of Alaska had. It ended up here at the Father [Cleopa].
Old Man Costache can no longer do it; Old Man Costache is a wreck held together with wire. As for me, my name is Rotten Old Man. And when people ask you, “Is he still around?” say, “No, the Rotten Old Man has passed away. He’s gone.” That’s what you should say: “He’s no longer here, the Rotten Old Man has died.”
[Someone:] But he never truly dies…
May Paradise consume you!
[Someone:] They came all the way from Macedonia. [Say a word] for them, the poor souls…
My dear brothers and sisters, just as I see you here now, my dear ones, may I see you in the Gardens of Paradise!
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