Dear bishops and priests,

for the first time in this third millenium we have entered the seventh, or sabbatical year. The substance of sabbatical year is absolute confidence in the Lord. In the present extremely heavy crisis and mass apostasy from Christ and from the Church it is essential for us priests to accept biblical parameters for both our own and the Church’s renewal! Let us found the celebration of the seventh day upon four biblical pillars (cf. Acts 2:42).

We spoke on this topic with a certain priest of the Roman-Catholic Church and he expressed himself that he is willing to travel every month 400 kilometres there and 400 kilometres back in order to make a prayer community with other two or three priests who similarly perceive this need.

A similar decision to keep the seventh day has also been made by a certain priest who is frequently visited by people seeking with confidence help in their needs and spiritual encouragement. His working week lasts from Sunday to Sunday. He devotes his time to the needy through spiritual talks, prayer for the sick, prayers for liberation from various dependences; simply he is in demand on all sides. When this priest heard of an actual need for priests to celebrate the seventh day, he accepted it even with the consciousness that it will be connected with certain sacrifices.

The model for us priests is our Saviour Himself who used to retire to solitary places so that He could be alone with the apostles and that He could pray. For us this solitary place is also the place of physical, mental and spiritual rest from the pressures of this world. God’s enemy knows how to attack man covertly, and man easily falls into his traps. We can see from history – to the pain of the Church – that even “the cedars of Lebanon” were falling. That is why there is now an extraordinary need of the time for every priest to celebrate the seventh day. Unfortunately, a priest usually cannot keep Sunday because on this very day he has the most work, and many times even Saturday is excluded, since on this day he likewise has a lot of pastoral duties. Nowadays a mere daily prayer in the spirit (cf. Eph 6:18) is no more sufficient, besides this condition God’s Word at many places points at the duty to celebrate the seventh day (Ex 12:16; 20:8-11).

It was not immediately easy for the mentioned priest to say his yes to this demand. Finally the most suitable day for him and for other four priests to retire from the world to solitude was Monday. But this often means to turn off the telephone. People must know that the priest keeps the seventh day in earnest.

What is the substance of keeping the seventh day?

The substance is that every believer, too, should retire from his/her labours, even leave his troubles that bind him, even though these labours and troubles are in some measure a form of purification and repentance. However, any kind of work or even service to people may turn into an idol; one forgets the sense of life and consequently suffers a break predominantly of human relationships and of his family, too. To keep the seventh day holy in such a way that a believing Christian does not work is too little. This Christian is exposed to the pressures of the world, lie and evil, and therefore he needs spiritual support and light. In this life pace one needs to stop time and again and realize the essence, i.e. eternal life which is tied to the main God’s commandment: “You shall love God with your whole heart… and your neighbour as yourself.” (Deut 6:5) The Old-Testament Church used the following means to fulfil it: God’s Word, prayers and community which, however, was rather impersonal and formal. The emphasis was on letter and exterior rather than on the Spirit. In this way the seventh day – the Old-Testament Saturday – was kept holy. For Christians this seventh day is Sunday when we remember Christ’s resurrection but also the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles and on the Church. The substance of celebration does not lie in the fact that we just take part in the celebration of the Eucharist and omit the other three biblical elements. On the contrary: all these four elements must be fully actualized today, and that in the same spirit as it was done by the apostles and the early Church in Jerusalem. The celebration of the seventh day binds every Christian and the more so every priest!

It includes these four elements: 1) prayers, 2) apostolic teaching, 3) fellowship, 4) the Eucharist (cf. Acts 2:42). At that time the fruit was that through the hands of the apostles great wonders were done and that they witnessed in power by their lives that Jesus was alive in His Church. How does a celibate priest want to hold out today, when he is often alone in the parish house, or in a bigger town with one or two more priests who, however, usually have no interest in a true communion in Christ? Regrettably to say, this is the fruit of the insufficient seminary formation of contemporary priests. Such priest desires his own self-realization and takes no interest in a true communion. If he is subordinate, or if he works with some other priest, then he views him as a disagreeable competitor. The other priest is at best only tolerated or suffered by him. If he is a chaplain, he just waits for the moment when he will be able to take decisions on his own or will have a chaplain subordinate to him whom he will annoy just as he considered himself annoyed and restrained. The problem lies in the fact that the future priests are not formed healthily but, on the contrary, are deformed and not prepared for real life and for the needs of the present-day suffering Church. It is necessary to realize time and again that there is a need of conversion and ensuing from it a need of a different view of God and of one’s neighbour as well as of oneself. I should see God as my loving Father and His commandments as really well-tried signposts of life which protect me against the deceptive influence coming from my stony heart as well as from the outer world, but also against the influences of the spirit of lie which performs its world rule in the air (Eph 6:12). One further needs to see the hardest fight, namely the one with one’s own self, that means with one’s old nature or with one’s stony heart or with the sin in us (Rom 7:22f). This has two roots: desirousness and pride, or spiritual blindness (inability to see oneself in truth and self-criticism and to see God’s love either). The basis of keeping the seventh day is prayer. Today there is an extreme pressure of false spirituality through oriental meditations, therefore an extremely actual need for priests is a true interior (Christ-centric) prayer. Here we present well-tried models from personal experience. It is a prayer lasting one or two hours.

Primary helps to this interior prayer are a notepad and the Holy Scripture, a rug for kneeling, a picture of the Lord Jesus, most suitably a cross and near the cross a clock well visible to all.

The model of interior prayer is described in the book Four Words from Ukraine. The one we are presenting here is a little different. If there are more people praying, one of them always repeats God’s word at the beginning. The first five minutes of the prayer may be called a way of purification, the second five minutes a way of enlightenment and the third five minutes a way of communion. These 15 minutes may be used as a morning prayer. It can also be practised by laymen, even by children. However, if we want to continue further in order to fulfil Christ’s call to be with Him (cf. Mt 26:40) at least for one hour (or two), then it brings a far greater benefit. In this case after the first 15 minutes we make a 5-minute break which can be spent in such a way that we write down some inspiration from the prayer in the notepad, or we read something from the Holy Scripture, or we choose a common text, e.g. liturgical texts for Sunday, or we just have rest.

Suitable for the meetings of priests is an exercise in concentration on God’s word and on God’s presence at least for one hour as a whole, or best would be two hours. In the end there is then a short testimony (a 15-minute reflection at the least, which can be followed by a practical discussion). The point is that everyone expresses what encouraged, inspired him in the prayer and in God’s Word.

Concrete instructions for the interior prayer (15 minutes)

Five minutes: At the beginning the leader says God’s word: “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1Jn 1:7) I realize a concrete sin and my general sinfulness. An example of perfect contrition is the penitent criminal on the cross, who through one sentence, by which he turned to Jesus and received that the Lord Jesus was his Saviour and that He was dying for his sins, was saved. We realize the five wounds of Christ. The leader says: “The first wound – the blood cleanses.” We spread our arms in the form of the cross and pray Our Father slowly. Then he says: “The second wound – the blood cleanses.” (Our Father) This is repeated even for the third and fourth time and in the end: “The wound in heart (fifth one) – the blood cleanses.” (Our Father) This takes about five minutes.

The next five minutes: Explanation – God’s word which reveals the mystery of crucifixion with Christ (Gal 2:20; 6:14; Rom 6:6). This mystery is tied to the mystery of a dying grain of wheat (Jn 12:24) and to the loss of soul for Christ’s sake, but also to the first commandment: “You shall love God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength…” (Deut 6:5) And similarly it is tied to the first beatitude: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 5:3) The aim is to separate the richness of soul, the aim is to put off the old man (Eph 4:22), the aim is to stop before God and give Him everything. To be wholly before God, and that in the poverty of spirit, to leave vain thoughts and memories connected with the past or future and to live the present moment, that means together with Christ to be crucified to my will and to sin, and to stand in powerlessness and commitment before the Father.

The beginning of these five minutes is introduced with a sentence disposing to open oneself to this reality. The leader says: “Jesus, crucified with You.” A whole five minutes I can quietly, only with my lips repeat the word: “Jesus, Jesus” and perceive that I am speaking to the living Jesus! I say this word “Jesus” in a whisper so that I do not disturb others and I add in a thought: “Crucified with You”. And I realize the content of what I am saying. I can repeat the word “Jesus” for a while, the word “with You” for a while and the word “crucified” for a while, or for the whole period of time I can just repeat the word “Crucified” and perceive it as a synonym of the word “Jesus”. The word “crucified” may be perceived as a reality that I am crucified (together with Jesus). Similarly I may repeat quietly the word “crucified” and with my mouth or in a thought I may add the word “You” (crucified), “I” (crucified) and realize this reality during whole five minutes.

This is nothing complicated; on the contrary, it is a very simple thing where the purpose is a concentration on this mystery, when I receive it by faith and at the same time I confess it interiorly, even if I do not yet fully understand it. The Spirit of God, who is the author and interpreter of the Scripture, will later explain this mystery to me and initiate me into it. And this is the process of enlightenment.

The last five minutes: God’s word is taken from the Gospel of St. John 19:25-27. Jesus sees me as a disciple, Jesus speaks to me and Jesus gives me His Mother. I receive Her by faith. During these five minutes I am standing with my arms up. A help to an interior communion is long outbreathing with my head tilted back and accompanied with quiet aaaaaaaa. This call is a testimony of faith, that I have received Mary into myself like John under the cross. It is even possible to increase the inward intensity without increasing the sound. At the same time I consciously receive Christ’s testament, Jesus’ Mother as my own – into myself (in sua, eis ta idia). She is the new Eve, She is Immaculate, She is Theotokos – Mother of God, and Jesus gives Her to me as my Mother, as the new Mother, as the new heart, as the new spiritual centre. Here it may be said: “And put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” (Eph 4:24) That new man is not Jesus, He is not created, He is begotten. That new man is the Immaculate Virgin, the new Mother, new Eve, that is Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Through the merits of Christ as well as through Her unique mission as Mother of the Saviour and Mother of the Church She was preserved exempt from all stain of original sin. In what way there is Eve in us along with the sad genetic code of sin is a mystery and it likewise is a mystery how Mary is to be in us through faith along with Her code of grace. She is kecharitomene (Lk 1:28). St. Ambrose expresses the receiving of Mary by the disciple under the cross into himself as a receiving of Her sinless spiritual substance with the following words: “That Her soul may magnify the Lord in us and that Her spirit in us may rejoice in God our Saviour.” (Lk 1:47)

This is the end of the first 15 minutes. There follows a 5-minute break (rest, reading the Holy Scripture).

The next quarter is finished with 5 minutes in which instead of receiving Christ’s testament, as it was in the first part, we now experience Christ’s death.

God’s word: “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” (Lk 23:46) We can realize that through baptism we were buried into Christ’s death (Rom 6:4; Col 2:12) and that the reality of Christ’s death is made present in the liturgy, too. Even in our everyday life we should learn in different situations to enter Christ’s death. The point is that when we choose in faith out of two permitted things, we are to choose the better one (though it may seem to us harder), or when we are being drawn into sin, we are to radically stand up against it. One can say here: “We are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake.” (2Cor 4:10f) or: “Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God…” (2Cor 1:9) Here it can be said – all that we have given up to death may be raised, renewed by God. Speaking about resurrection and avoiding the cross and Christ’s death, and thereby the death of the old man, too, is an empty phrase! The foundation of Christianity, the foundation of Christ’s imitation, the foundation of discipleship is Christ’s cross and our crucifixion with Him. The foundation is our discipleship: “Whoever does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.” (Lk 14:33) So here I live a communion in such a way that I perceive Jesus’ word: “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit,” and I realize that Jesus is committing His spirit into Father’s arms and now even I am doing so together with Christ. I am dying to my plans, ideas, inward richness of soul… I become poor in spirit. Again what helps in this is the inward call aaaaaaaa during the outbreathing. That call aaaaaaaa is like a ray of light through which my spirit ascends together with Jesus’ spirit into Father’s arms. I stand in faith on Golgotha and I am in unity with Jesus.

A 5-minute break follows.

If we pray the whole hour, then in the last 5 minutes of this intensive prayer we experience spiritual calling of a concrete request according to the promise: “If two of you unite in faith, Christ is in the midst of them, and anything that they ask will be done for them.” (cf. Mt 18:19-20) and the next word: “If you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and if you do not doubt in your heart, it will be done.” (cf. Mk 11:23; Mt 21:21-22) This speaks about removing a mountain of problems or demonic powers and it is a prayer for a God’s miracle… I can realize in faith: “If you say”. I say: “Be removed,” … it is removed, namely the spiritual mountain, and then I say: “And be cast into the sea (into hell)…” “If you do not doubt”, “I do not doubt, I believe”. Note: faith cannot be expressed, there must be personal experience. It is always God’s intervention, a miracle, and the condition is always biblical faith, if there is none, nothing will happen in the spiritual sphere. But if I have faith, the fruit of this prayer will sooner or later be seen even in the visible sphere. We must learn to use faith. God gave us a promise and if we have not used it, at the hour of our death when we will be dying we will render accounts of our laziness and unbelief. Removing the spiritual mountains is not a privilege, it is a duty. God in His almightiness wants to work through our faith! The saints who really lived by faith had experience that the Word of God is living and sharp as a two-edged sword (Hebr 4:12).

This is an hour of interior prayer, but it is good to pray 2 hours as a whole. The second hour has the same structure as the first one. Thus briefly as to this simple interior prayer which can be prayed even by students, small children and old people.

St. Paul the Apostle does not use the term contemplative prayer, but he says that we have to pray “in the Spirit” (Eph 6:18). What does it mean to pray in the Spirit? It is, as Jesus says, a prayer connected with watchfulness, not with dullness and day-dreams.

The book Four Words from Ukraine (www.community.org.ua) describes still another form of prayer in the Spirit which builds the community. This prayer, for a change, is loud and has certain preferences of its own.

A prayer in the Spirit may be even the Rosary or other verbal prayers…

If we take the basis of 15 minutes, we can ourselves actualize it daily as a minimum of our interior prayer. An ideal is one hour daily according to the request of Jesus: “Could you not watch with Me one hour?” (Mt 26:40-41) We may recommend those 15 minutes even to people who live in the world. Yet these often surprise us when they start praying the whole hour every day, or some even two hours and it is usually those who have most troubles and of whom we would least expect it. We the priests are regarded as spiritual people, as professionals in spiritual life. Unfortunately, the reality is different. We have learned to speak nicely even about prayer; however, our experience is very weak. The celebration of the seventh day is to us not only a model for the establishment of a community, but it is also a model for interior prayer. Here we will gain experience which we can pass over in our parish. Through the experience of keeping the seventh day God will give power to our word and He will even give an awakening in our parishes.

The basic pillar of the Church in Jerusalem was a prayer. The next pillar besides the prayer was the apostles’ teaching. That is an interpretation of the Scripture according to the apostles, not according to HCT!! So on this seventh day we will reflect in common more deeply on God’s Word. For example we can read over the texts for next Sunday when we shall give a sermon; within about 15 minutes each reads it over in silence and then each says what in particular inspired him. This may be followed by a development of the word, either in the form of prayer or in the form of discussion. But the most important is what God wants to say through this word to me personally!

The next pillar is fellowship. After these two steps – prayer and God’s Word – we may proceed to fellowship (agape). Each says what he experienced, what worries him, experience of faith etc. Simply, man needs to share. The fact that modern families undergo a crisis is caused by the reality that parents have time neither for themselves nor for their children, they are not open with each other, which is practically impossible without prayer. Television is at the least a thief of time that could be devoted to a common prayer and mutual sharing.

At the end of the meeting it is very useful to pray for each one concretely. In the mutual sharing everyone opened what he had at heart, what kind of problems he is going through; then he gives it all to the Lord in a prayer, but at the same time he is also praying for a process of inward growth in Christ. “He must increase (in me), but I must decrease” (Jn 3:30), “until Christ is formed in you” (Gal 4:19). This prayer of intercession in one’s own words should take about one hour, or one can pray so-called erko (one-hour contemplative prayer – see Four Words from Ukraine; www.community.org.ua).

The principle is that the meeting should last 24 hours including the sleep, simply all day. One should not shorten it, it would even be better to leave not until Tuesday morning. This is a biblical demand for keeping the seventh day. If there are conditions, some may e.g. for a certain period of time spend even two days in this way. In such case the next day should be devoted either purely to prayer or to a team work – e.g. a discussion over a common work, such as a compilation of lecture notes for students, that they may be brief and vital, or an elaboration of homilies as a help for priests, or some other team specialization, preparation of a lay mission etc.; all this is born in prayers. It is true that: the one who prays well, the one lives well. Today people long for a true spirituality. Unless priests are spiritual, it will result in apostasy and another spirituality will appear – a spirituality of sects or of the New Age, and the latter is already here in great power, secrecy and insidiousness!!

Conclusion:

Dear bishops and priests, in this third millenium we have for the first time entered the seventh, or sabbatical year. In the present extremely heavy crisis and mass apostasy from Christ and from the Church it is essential for us priests to accept biblical parameters for both our own and the Church’s renewal! Let us found the celebration of the seventh day upon four biblical pillars (cf. Acts 2:42). You, dear fathers, bishops and priests, propagate and actualize this firm foundation – the celebration of the seventh day – of a true internal reform of the clergy that will bring as a fruit the renewal of families, parishes, dioceses and of the Church.

In Christ,

          Fr. Cyril J. Špiřík Ing. ThD. OSBM

          Fr. Eliáš A. Dohnal ThD. OSBM

          Fr. Markian V. Hitiuk ThLic. OSBM

          Fr. Metoděj R. Špiřík ThD. OSBM

Address: Monastery OSBM, 80660 Pidhirtsi, Brody district, Lviv region, Ukraine

www.community.org.ua

Copy to:

• His Holiness Benedict XVI

P.S.: Dear fathers bishops, please, propose to His Holiness to declare an obligatory celebration of the so-called seventh day for all priests, best on Monday (or on some other day in the week). The purpose is that priests should sanctify this day by spending it in small groups in prayers, in fellowship, in apostolic teaching and in the Eucharist (Acts 2:42). Concerning the interior prayer, it is good to devote to it 3-4 hours. Without this foundation the whole model will not work properly.