Boris Bobrinskoy

This article by Father Boris Bobrinskoy focuses on prayer considered in its constitutive relationship to the Holy Spirit. It is a study in spiritual theology that articulates dogmatic reflection and mystical deepening. The central idea is that Christian prayer is not merely addressed to the Holy Spirit, but that it is fundamentally carried, inhabited and fulfilled by him, in accordance with the Pauline and patristic tradition. The author shows that the Holy Spirit is not a mere auxiliary to human prayer, but its active subject at the heart of the believer. On the theological level, the article makes a significant contribution to Orthodox pneumatology by illuminating the role of the Spirit as the inner principle of all prayer life, thereby enriching the understanding of the relationship between the Trinity and the spiritual experience of the Church.

This article by Father Boris Bobrinskoy, drawn from a paper delivered at the Saint Sergius Institute in 2007, examines the relationship between the Eucharist and the prayer of the heart in the Orthodox tradition. Rooted in long-held personal theological reflection, it draws on the Church Fathers, the Philokalia, and contemporary theologians such as Afanassieff, Schmemann, and Staniloae. The central idea is that these two spiritual realities, far from being opposed, share an organic complementarity articulated around three dimensions: exclusive, inclusive, and apostolic. The article shows that the prayer of the heart possesses an implicit Trinitarian structure and that the Eucharist cannot be reduced to its communal dimension. Its theological contribution lies in the integration of hesychasm within ecclesial and sacramental life, their common purpose being the dispensation of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.