The command from Paul to “pray without ceasing” to the Thessalonian followers of Jesus (1 Thess 5:17) has captivated sermons and church movements for centuries. The ascetical and contemplative teachers of the Orthodox tradition, the hesychast fathers of Eastern Christianity, have devoted considerable time to exploring this command and cultivating a life of unending prayer. Saint Dimitri of Rostov is undoubtedly part of this tradition. Though countless books have been written on prayer, there is still much to learn. Most of us need to be led into prayer through experience, not just information. Because many have not been led, many do not know how. That is why Saint Dimitri wrote The Inner Man.
Saint Dimitri of Rostov and His Teaching on Prayer
Saint Dimitri of Rostov (1651–1709), a learned theologian and ascetic who preached throughout the Russian countryside in monasteries and churches, wrote on prayer,
“There are many among us who do not know how the inward man is to meditate on God, nor what it even means to meditate on God, nor what it means to pray in the mind… As a man born blind can only hear of the sun’s light, but cannot know what the light is truly like, so these men can only hear instruction about meditating on God and prayer, but they cannot truly understand it” (Dimitri 2022, 9).
Captivated by Paul’s command, Dimitri sought to define what it means to pray without ceasing. He remarks,
“Prayer is directing the mind and thoughts toward God. To pray is to stand before God in your mind, and to gaze upon Him with an unwavering thought, and to speak to Him in fear and awe and reverence. So bring all your thought to bear, lay aside all outward cares of this life, and set your mind on God, and behold Him” (Dimitri 2022, 26).
Encountering Dimitri Through The Way of a Pilgrim
I first encountered Dimitri in the Russian mystical classic The Way of a Pilgrim, translated by R. M. French. In The Way of a Pilgrim, the Pilgrim recalls how the Philokalia deepened his understanding and practice of prayer, pointing him to spiritual writers such as St. Dimitri of Rostov. A pastoral leader, an Abbot, gave the Pilgrim Dimitri’s writings, sparking a discussion on unceasing prayer. Reading that account stirred me to seek out The Inner Man for myself.
A Short Book with Deep Insights
Though only a few pages (with an enlarged font making it appear as a short booklet), The Inner Man provides a profound meditation on continual prayer. Unlike The Way of a Pilgrim, where the Jesus Prayer (“Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy upon me, a sinner”) takes center stage as a way to never-ending prayer, Dimitri instead makes the case that unceasing prayer is found not through greater length or complexity in our prayer journeys, but in being more focused and more frequent. He summarizes, after making this argument:
“So how can one pray without ceasing? Could one maybe pray frequently? Frequent prayer is what is meant, since it indeed is done without ceasing” (Dimitri 2022, 21–25).
The Outward and Inward Life of Prayer
Dimitri explains this in layers, drawing from Matthew 6:6 and 1 Thessalonians 5. He describes the duality of human existence and the layers of praying in our closets as Jesus intended. In The Inner Man, Dimitri unpacks the outward and inward man, outward and inward learning, and outward and inward prayer. However, he also looks at the physical inner room (place) and the spiritual inner room (the place the Kingdom inhabits). Public prayer, shaped by church tradition and liturgy, has its place, but inward prayer is voluntary and arises from the spirit’s urge.
He interprets the “room” Jesus mentions in Matthew as both physical and spiritual, noting that while a physical room limits us by where we are, the inner room of the heart is always available (and discovering this room is most essential). He writes,
“The physical room can hold a single man in silence and seclusion; the inward, spiritual room can fit God and the whole Kingdom of Heaven inside it, just as Christ Himself says in the Gospel: ‘The Kingdom of God is within you’ (Lk 17:21)… And so in this inward chamber of the heart, since a man is often unable to seclude himself behind walls… he both learns how to meditate on God and at the same time can grow into mature manhood” (Dimitri 2022, 14–16).
Dimitri emphasizes that “any Christian (all the more a member of the clergy, by virtue of his calling) must strive first and foremost with all his might to live in constant union with God” (Dimitri 2022, 15).
Conclusion: A Helpful Read for Today
The Inner Man compels readers to wrestle with the world inside them and how it is shaped by the world outside. Although brief, it offers a profound call to inward prayer and communion with God.
I read this booklet as part of my studies at Kairos University, where I am pursuing a Doctor of Ministry focused on the theological, historical, and practical implications of the Lord’s Prayer for the church. In that journey, I have become increasingly intrigued by Russian ascetic writings.
I found Dimitri’s The Inner Man to be a helpful and accessible entry into that tradition, and I would recommend it as a short but enriching read.
