When you come before God in prayer, be in your thought like an ant, like something crawling on the ground, like a child lisping. And in his presence make no pretence of knowledge. Approach God rather with the heart of a child. Go into his presence to receive the loving care with which parents look after their little children.
–Saint Isaac of Syria (Seventh Century)
First of all, pray to acquire tears, in order to soften with mourning the savageness of your soul. You will then easily confess with honesty before the Lord all the sins that you have committed and you shall receive forgiveness from Him. Use your tears to succeed in every request of yours. For the Lord is greatly pleased when you pray with tears. If during your prayer you shed fountains of tears, do not pride yourself that you are above many others. This is not your accomplishment; it is assistance for your prayer from the Lord, so that you will be able to thus confess your sins willingly and appease Him. When you believe that you do not need tears in your prayer for your sins, consider how far you have drifted away from God, when “you should constantly be near Him” and then you will weep more fervently.
–Saint Nilus of Sinai (d. 430)
Do not pray for your desires to be realized, because they certainly do not agree with the will of God; but rather, as you were taught, say in your prayer: “Let Your Will be done” (Matt 6:10), and for every single thing, you should likewise ask God that His Will be done, because He wants whatever is best and beneficial for your soul.
–Saint Nilus of Sinai (d. 430)
If you are patient, you will always pray with joy. Strive to keep your mind deaf and mute during the hour of prayer. Only thus will you be able to pray.
–Saint Nilus of Sinai (d. 430)
How many of you say: I should like to see His face, His garments, His shoes. You do see Him, you touch Him, you eat Him. He gives Himself to you, not only that you may see Him, but also to be your food and nourishment.
–Saint John Chrysostom (347-407)
How is it that we do not die of love in seeing that God Himself could do no more than shed His divine blood for us drop by drop? When as man He was preparing for death, He made Himself our food in order to give us life. God becomes food, bread for his creatures. Is this not enough to make us die of love?
— Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
