HOW DO WE PRAY THE JESUS PRAYER.

Dear People,

            We are sharing with you this wonderful article on the Jesus Prayer.  The article is written by a priest from Mount Athos and it gives specific directives in how to effectively use the Jesus Prayer for our spiritual benefit.  I found this on a Greek web site and believe that it is very important that we translate it into English for the spiritual edification of Orthodox Christians in America.  What is especially interesting about this article is that 1) the monk who writes the article has personally experienced the spiritual benefits of the Jesus Prayer.  2) The author of the article quotes the real life experiences and benefits of a young Orthodox Christian couple in Thessaloniki, Greece.  The Jesus Prayer literally has transformed the home and lives of this Orthodox Christian couple in Greece.  But before we get into this wonderful practicum on The Jesus Prayer I would like to introduce the article with some notes of what the Jesus Prayer is. 

            In order to enter more deeply into the life of prayer and to come to grips with Saint Paul’s challenge to pray unceasingly, the Orthodox Christian Tradition offers the Jesus Prayer which is sometimes referred to as the prayer of the heart.  The Jesus Prayer is offered as a means of concentration, as a focal point for our inner prayer life.  Though there are both longer and shorter versions, the most frequently used form of the Jesus Prayer is: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”  This prayer, in its simplicity and clarity, is rooted in the Scriptures and the new life granted by the Holy Spirit.  It is first and foremost a prayer of the Spirit because of the fact that the prayer addresses Jesus as Lord, Christ and Son of God; and as St. Paul tells us, “no one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor. 12:3).

            The Scriptures give the Jesus Prayer both its concrete form and its theological content.  It is rooted in the Scriptures in four ways.

1.      In its brevity and simplicity, it is the fulfillment of Jesus’ command that in praying we are not to heap up empty phrases as the heathen do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them. (Matt. 6:7-8).

2.      The Jesus Prayer is rooted in the name of the Lord.  In the Scriptures, the power and glory of God are present in His name.  In the Old Testament to deliberately and attentively invoke God’s name was to place oneself in His presence.  Jesus whose name in Hebrew means God saves is the living Word addressed to humanity. Jesus is the final name of God.  Jesus is the name which is above all other names and it is written that all beings should bend the knee at the name of Jesus. (Phil. 2:9-10).  In this name devils are cast out (Luke 10:17), prayers are answered (John 14:13-14) and the lame are healed (Acts 3:6-7). The name of Jesus is unbridled power.

3.      The words of the Jesus Prayer are themselves based on Scriptural texts: the cry of the blind man sitting at the side of the road near Jericho, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me” (Luke 18:38); the ten lepers called to him, “Jesus, Master, take pity on us” (Luke 17:13); and the cry of mercy of the publican, “God be merciful to me, a sinner” (Luke 18:14).

4.      It is a prayer in which the first step of the spiritual journey is taken: the recognition of our own sinfulness, our essential estrangement from God and the people around us.  The Jesus Prayer is a prayer in which we admit our desperate need of a Savior.  For if we say we have no sin in us, we are deceiving ourselves and refusing to admit the truth” (1 John 1:8).

Finally, Saint Theophan the Recluse says:  “Growth in prayer has no end.  If this growth ceases, it means that life ceases.  The way of the heart is endless because the God whom we seek is infinite in the depths of His glory.  The Jesus Prayer is a signpost along the spiritual journey, a journey that all of us must take.”

HOW DO WE PRAY THE JESUS PRAYER

ΠΩΣ ΝΑ ΛΕΜΕ ΤΗΝ ΕΥΧΗΝ;

            The most common way to pray the Jesus Prayer continuously is either verbally, in a quiet whisper or mentally.  So, in this way, either at work or at home or while travelling we say: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.” We can also say it while we are eating, when we walk and especially when we are in a house of worship: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”  At the beginning of our effort to learn to pray the Jesus Prayer we say it verbally, and then we say it in a whisper.  As we pray Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner, we should say it as often as possible but with humility and with feeling. When we verbalize the Jesus Prayer with our mouth, it allows us to focus our minds on the words of the Jesus Prayer so that the mind is taught to be more attentive to the words we are saying.  It teaches us not to be absent minded in the presence of our Father Confessor or in the presence of someone of importance. So it is even more important that we should not be absent minded when we say the Jesus Prayer.  Using this method is the only way that will bring forth positive results.  If the Jesus Prayer is said with fervor and with passion, then the results will be God-pleasing and beneficial to our souls.

            When we commit ourselves to say the Jesus Prayer verbally throughout the whole day, in spite of what we are doing, with the passing of time, we will feel that the Jesus Prayer will become an indispensible way of life.  While we are learning to pray this way, a paradoxical thing will ppen to us, for a feeling of sweetness and peace will fill our being.  It will feel like we are filled with a sense of sweetness which calls upon us to constantly say: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.  When this happens we spontaneously have the desire to seek and say the Jesus Prayer.  We feel this way because of the sweetness with which it fills our mouths and our lips. When we arrive at this point in developing the habit of saying  the Jesus Prayer we get to the point where we never want to stop saying the name of Jesus Christ.  And if by chance we are interrupted by someone while saying the Jesus Prayer it feels as if we have lost something precious.  We feel this way because the soul feels the absence of the Jesus Prayer and desires to reclaim it.  And as soon it finds the opportunity it immediately begins again: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy, on me, a sinner. 

            Saying the Jesus Prayer verbally is the first stage for all beginners.  It is the beginning for all those who desire with the help of the Holy Spirit to invoke the Jesus Prayer as often as they can. This allows them to experience days that are more fulfilling in their lives, days that are more fulfilling in their families and generally a life more fulfilling for the whole world around them.  This approach to saying the Jesus Prayer is necessary and indispensible in order to realize the final purpose of praying in this way.  The final purpose of the Jesus Prayer is the sanctification of Orthodox Christians. It is the total surrender of one’s heart to the all-powerful name of Jesus Christ. 

            The Christian who says the Jesus Prayer is spiritually enriched.  It is enriched by the gifts of the Trinitarian God.  But this cannot happen without great effort, without encountering temptations and without tough spiritual struggles. These struggles are necessary in order to banish the multitude of passions that lurk within the hearts of all Christians and especially the passion of arrogance.  There are many examples in the world that show us how powerful the Jesus Prayer is.  These examples are many and are happening amongst the Christians who live and struggle honorably in the name of Jesus Christ.  The blessed Father Haralampos, a member of the brotherhood of the Elder Joseph, the Hermit, of the Monastery of Saint Dionysius on Mount Athos tells us such an experience: 

            “I hear the confessions of a couple from Thessaloniki, Greece.  They possess such a vibrant Christian way of life that it amazes me. It is truly about establishing “the Church of the home.”  They are the parents of three children.  As soon as the children are off to school in the morning and the husband is off to work, the mother sits for two or three hours and says the Jesus Prayer.  She then gets up and does her house work and as she works she continues saying the Jesus Prayer.  She says it repeatedly like a machine, at times saying it verbally and at times repeating it in her mind.  As soon as the husband returns from work, he changes his clothes then proceeds to pray and study.   This routine is imitated by their children.  The mother recently wrote me: “My children have learned to say the Jesus Prayer while in school.  I have finished with my house work and after preparing the food I sit again to pray.  My children ask me with curiosity: “What are you doing there mother?”  “I am praying to Christ so that He will protect us.”  “Mother, can we also pray with you?” “Certainly children, Jesus loves you and He wants to talk with you.” 

            This is what we normally do on a daily basis and in the late afternoon we all pray together for fifteen or twenty minutes before we eat.  At night when their father comes home, we all sit together.  Sometimes we read books together about the Church and at other times we tell stories.  Sometimes our daily prayer routine is interrupted by visitors.  Most of our visitors have learned about our routine and they remain to hear a beneficial story and at other times they go to visit other friends who of the same spiritual mindset.  Sometimes we plan and have small family vigils.  On Sundays the whole family goes to Church and receives Holy Communion.  Through the Grace of the Lord, our children have become accustomed to our ways and they follow our example without hesitation.  In spite of the fact that their friends at school do not fast our children are not adversely influenced by this.”

            In finishing her letter, this delightful mother says: “It is according to this routine that our life flows along.  Even though we have many temptations directed at us by the evil one, we feel that Christ reigns in our home and we are joyful and content.”  The blessed Elder Haralampos ends his story by saying:  “Here, my child, is an example from the real world so that you can understand that God does not show partiality to people.  He gives His Grace to all people.” 

Father Stephen Anagnostopoulos

Translated from the Greek by:

+Fr. Constantine (Charles) J. Simones, Waterford, CT, USA, January 14, 2014, cjsimones300@gmail.com,