How They Pray

They begin and end these prayers in this way. When the psalm is over, they do not hurry to kneel down at once, as some of us do in this country. Before the psalm is properly finished, we rush to throw ourselves down for prayer, in our hurry to reach the end of the service as quickly as possible. For although we have chosen to go beyond the limit fixed long ago by those before us, by adding the remaining psalms to the number, we are eager to get to the end of the service, thinking of rest for the weary body rather than seeking profit and benefit from the prayer. With them, then, it is not so. Before they bend their knees they pray for a few moments, and they spend the greater part of the time in prayer while standing. After this, for the briefest moment, they throw themselves down on the ground, as if simply to worship the divine mercy. Then they rise as soon as possible and, standing upright again with outstretched hands, just as they had stood to pray before, they remain with their thoughts fixed on their prayers. For when you lie stretched out on the ground for any length of time, they say, you are more open to attack, not only from wandering thoughts but also from sleep. And would that we too did not know the truth of this by experience and daily practice! For when we throw ourselves down on the ground, we too often wish this posture to last for some time, not so much for the sake of our prayer as for the sake of resting. But when the one who is to gather up the prayer rises from the ground, they all rise at once. No one would dare to bend the knee before the leader bows down, or to linger when he has risen from the ground, for fear it might be thought that he had offered a prayer of his own, apart from the rest, instead of following the leader to the end. [a]