What does praying in the room mean in the Lord Christ’s words: “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Matt. 6:6)?

The answer

St. Aphrahat follows Origen²⁷³ in understanding this to mean that the proper place for prayer is within; that is, in a person’s heart. We also find this understanding in St. Ephrem’s work, “Hymns on Faith.”²⁷⁴

St. Aphrahat says, “Purity of heart is a prayer, more so than all the prayers which are prayed in a loud voice, and silence being joined together with a luminous mind is better than the loud voice when a person cries out. My beloved, now give me your heart and your mind, and hear about the power of pure prayer and see how our righteous forefathers were triumphant before God through their prayer and how it became a pure offering (Mal. 1:11) for them.

For the offerings were accepted through prayer (Gen. 4:4).

And it furthermore changed the flood (Gen. 8:20–22).

And it healed barrenness (Gen. 18; 1 Sam. 1–2).

And it destroyed armies (Josh. 12).

And it revealed the mysteries (Ex. 3:2).

And it divided the sea (Ex. 14; Josh. 4).

And it forced a passage through the Jordan (Ex. 14; Josh. 4).

And it withheld the sun and made the moon to standstill (Josh. 10:12–13).

And it destroyed the unclean and it caused fire to come down (Num. 16:35; 1 Kings. 18:38; 2 Kings. 1:10).

And it shut up the heaven (1 Kings. 17:1).

And it caused to ascend from the pit (Dan. 6).

And it saved from the fire (Dan. 3).

And it delivered from the sea (Jon. 2).

And its power is very great, just as the power of pure fasting is great.”²⁷⁵

Fr. Tadros Yacoub Malaty