He has communion (communication) with Another only who can listen, who hears the Other (his will, his desires, his abilities, his measure, etc.). If you want to say something to someone, to convey, to give – you must first listen carefully, listen, look, hear, understand… (= study, research) the interlocutor, the one to whom you want to convey, give something (not just speak out, or throw away verbal rubbish – but so that you are heard, accepted, your gift is received, so that the deed, word, gift is not empty, in vain). “I have become all things to all men, so that I might by all means save some.” There is no need to hurry (to give, to speak-tell), you first need to study the interlocutor, to know with whom I am talking, to whom I am giving, how to give, say, so that they accept-assimilate, in what language, under what conditions, etc., so that there is sense, to achieve the goal! Do you want to hear something, accept? – You also have to listen carefully (with all your being: ears, eyes, intuition, etc.). So, in communication (prayer) the main thing is obedience, listening! And the condition for obedience, listening is silence, hesychia! The basis of prayer-communication is obedience: acceptance of the Other and self-giving to the Other! The science of prayer (catechism) begins with obedience, and ends (if there is an end in this infinite assimilation to God) with absolute obedience
(I do the will not mine, but of the Father, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, the Holy Trinity and all the Saints live in me; and I belong completely to Others!).
The essence of prayer is to hear-receive God, not to tell God (Who knows everything, Who has already accepted us all long ago, in Christ became a perfect Man! God has heard us – fully accepted-assimilated-understood-heard) something, to suggest, or to add something. We are already entirely God’s in Christ, it remains for man (for each created hypostasis) to fully accept God (everything Divine that we can accept-hypostatize-assimilate). Therefore, the essence of the ascetic feat of catechism is not rhetoric and eloquence, but silence, to hear God and receive the Holy Spirit (God’s Grace-Energy) – the common for us and for God – personal, hypostatic mode of existence in Divine Humble Love! Therefore, all efforts – verbal and active – must be directed not to change, enrich, add something to God, but to change oneself, to become capable of having communion, common with God – the Grace of the Holy Spirit (like unites with like – the mode of existence of man must become love-mercy-humility; here is the ascetic task and the goal by grace!). The task of prayer is not to shout to God, but to shout to oneself! And to become humble! Therefore, prayer is not words, canons, akathists, rites of worship-sacraments, but a right spiritual life – Orthodox faith-trust and Orthodox good-deed in love to Jesus Christ, and in the name (for the sake) of the Lord Jesus Christ to the image of God.
It is good to speak about God (about the mysteries of the Orthodox faith, about dogmas, about the laws of spiritual life, etc.) and to God (to address with prayers, psalms, hymns…), but the best is to cleanse oneself for God, to assimilate to God by fulfilling His commandments, His will (to desire as God, to will as God, to feel as God, to have mercy as God, etc.)! Therefore, the essence of the prayer of the catechumen is the struggle with passions, the cleansing of one’s heart, the fervent fulfillment of all God’s commandments. The fruit of such prayer will be mercy-humility, and to the humble-merciful God gives the grace of the Holy Spirit, that is, baptizes with the Holy Spirit!
Prayer is a hypostatic state of the whole being – to be all hearing, all seeing, all acting in love-thanksgiving, all obedient-silence, complete self-giving to God-Love!..
Prayer = mind + will + feelings, directed together to God! The Holy Fathers write about different levels of prayer: oral, mental-heartfelt, heartfelt, hesychia. But everything must start from the very beginning. Therefore, the first level, the prayer of the beginning catechumen – is to keep the mind in the words of prayer (to listen and understand what I am saying-praying). Gradually, the heart will begin to come to life and respond with corresponding feelings to the words of prayer, in which the attentive and reverent mind is. And most importantly – the will-desire to fulfill the will of God, which is expressed in prayer, that is, repentance! Do not forget – prudence and advice with the one who catechizes you, with your friend-advisor. And I will also say: all knowledge about God, ideas, emotions, reflections, icons, images… all this has its place before prayer-standing, all this should lead me to prayer-standing before God, and then it must be left behind, so that there is nothing between me and God (no image, icon, idea, prejudice – God is absolutely not like that, God-Personality is absolute Freedom, Humility, always Unique and Unrepeatable; and if you had communion with God yesterday, then today do not seek yesterday’s God, today, if God wants to reveal Himself, He will be absolutely different from yesterday…), otherwise it will not be communion with the Personal Free God, but idolatry!