You ask for silent prayers, and this is good, for God hears the unspoken groanings of the heart. He who fashioned the ear knows every inward sigh, and no sound need reach the air for Him to receive it. Yet do not imagine that prayer alone, even the most fervent, suffices while the hands remain idle and the will unchallenged. For if prayers could bring us to the kingdom without our own contribution, why do not all become Christians? Do we not pray for the whole world? But the wicked do not become good without offering something of themselves. Prayers profit greatly when we also add our own part, turning from sin, showing mercy, striving after virtue.
Let your silent prayer be matched by a life that shouts with righteous deeds. The heavenly Father, who feeds even adulterers and sorcerers, desires not the death of the sinner but that he should turn and live. Honor God not only with quiet lips but with works and deeds, for He has honored you not by words alone but by what He has done. Be merciful, as your Father is merciful, and then your silent prayers will ascend as a sweet savor, powerful and effective.