The Sermon on the Mount – Spiritual Practice in Secret – Prayer and Fasting

The lecture revolves around the concept of prayer in secret, explaining that prayer is not merely requests or an outward appearance, but a deep relationship of love between human beings and God, practiced with a sincere spirit and pure intention Apart from vain glory.

🕊️ Spiritual and Educational Dimension

• The lecture confirms that prayer itself is a gift from God, as the human does not give anything to God but receives a great blessing just by standing before Him.
• It explains that God rewards the human even for what he receives from prayer, although the human is the primary beneficiary of it.
• It clarifies that prayer in secret does not always mean physical hiding, but rather secrecy in purity of heart and not seeking people’s praise.
• In some circumstances, declaring prayer publicly may be a confession of faith and not a sin, especially if secrecy means denying God.
• It emphasizes the importance of understanding the “spirit of the commandment” and not merely its literal form, because the goal is purity of intention.
• It explains that “closing the door” refers to closing the senses and thoughts from the world and focusing completely on the relationship with God.
• It stresses that prayer is a very private relationship that should not involve people for the sake of appearance or pride.
• It clarifies that repetition in prayer is not wrong if it comes from the heart, but vain repetition is speech without spirit or understanding.
• It indicates that God knows human needs before asking, so prayer should be filled with love and praise, not only requests.
• It calls for prayer to be an expression of a filial relationship with God as a Father, not merely a means to obtain gifts.

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