The prayers of those in prison

In the prisons, we were so tightly guarded and restricted that our thoughts could only rise upwards, vertically, toward God.

…And naturally, in times of great trouble, people pray with all their strength. In the prisons, the trouble was truly immense.

The prayers of the prisoners were received by God. I call it “received” because they were strengthened through it, so that, despite all the misery and cruelty inflicted upon them, they experienced a serenity and joy that could come only from above—from God. These prayers, uttered in the harsh confines of the prisons, were perhaps akin to the prayers of the holy Fathers in the desert or the holy martyrs who, while the fire raged beneath them, joyfully prayed and thanked God for the sacrifice they offered to His Holiness. In many cases, this was precisely what the prayers in prison resembled.

For those of us on the outside, the prayers and the way of life of these prisoners suggest a path of humility and effort—a call to embrace asceticism as much as possible: through fasting, through prayer, through metanias, and through patience in the face of life’s insults, patience without complaint. In doing so, our prayers may be accepted by God in a manner akin to those of the prisoners.

(Fr. Sofian Boghiu – Confessors in Communist Prisons. Miracles. Testimonies. Milestones, pp. 137-138)