– I am from Ukraine. I am a cook and work in shifts. After standing 16 hours on my feet, I read the rule lying because I am too weak to stand. May I pray in this way?  

– Yes, you may. Callistus, Patriarch of Constantinople, when he was a cook at the St. Athanasios Lavra on Athos, did not have an opportunity for secluding himself and reading the rule.    Nevertheless, while preparing the meals, he recited the Jesus prayer incessantly and became a great saint. His ascetic works are a part of the Orthodox spiritual collection the “Philokalia.” Pronounce the Jesus prayer all the time and try to direct it into your heart.  

Archpriest Sergiy Baranov