“Fasting and ascetic struggle are prerequisites for prayer. But for prayer to be proper and effective one must have compassion for others. For it is a rule of many Christians in our time not to want to have any worries. Even retired people who sit around all day don’t want to approach an abandoned child, for this requires work and effort, which will disturb their serenity.”
– Elder St. Paisios in ‘Spiritual Awakening’