ABSTRACT
Prayer reveals the true dimensions of the association between God and the world, of the true and total nature of the ascetic in regard to self-involvement and commitment to God. Accordingly, this chapter will deal, in the first place, with John’s understanding of prayer as divine-human dialogue, with the eschatological implications of prayer, and with those forces which act as a rupture in this association. There follows a discussion of prayer as an ‘introverted’ and an ‘extroverted’ act, and, finally, an examination of certain specific aspects of prayer related to and focused on the ‘Jesus Prayer.’ John speaks of prayer as the touchstone of the monk’s spirituality. It is ‘the
disclosure of stature, an indication of one’s condition . . . a sign of glory.’
