The Jesus Prayer

There is an ancient prayer with roots in the early church that simply says “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.” A longer variation is: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

I had read about the prayer many years ago. My first exposure was through The Way of a Pilgrim, written anonymously by a nineteenth century Russian. The book describes how one person incorporated the Jesus Prayer into every moment of his life, developing a practice of unceasing prayer, as Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18:

Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (Revised Standard Version) 

As a prayer rooted within and central to the Eastern branches of the Christian church, it is considered a building block to establishing a life of prayer. One early sixth century writer, John Climacus, recommends the use of the prayer in his Ladder of Divine Ascent. By the way, Climacus was a member of St. Catherine’s monastery in the Sinai desert that David and I visited in January.

It is only within the last few years have I actually tried to use the Jesus Prayer in my own life. I started during a time of deep despair and pain, when I needed something that would stop the churning of destructive thoughts and feelings. By focusing on the words, which carried my pain and my need for mercy, I could often let go of the self judgment and guilt. Inhaling on the first six words, and exhaling on the last words moved me from shallow anxious breathing to slower, deeper breaths. Over and over I would repeat the prayer, because if I stopped, the other negative thoughts would quickly return.

It did make a difference, and has became one of my spiritual practices. Later, I was able to call upon my practice, reciting the Jesus Prayer as I was lying in the Emergency Room waiting for hours until I was finally rolled into surgery to have my appendix removed.

You may want to try it out for yourself. Rather than wait for a time of crisis like I did, recite the prayer to yourself for just a few minutes at first. Certainly no more than five minutes. As that begins to become comfortable, you can lengthen the time, or look for periods when you can pray it while doing something else. It is like yoga or working out in the gym; the more you practice, the more limber and strong your prayer can become.

If you want to learn more, there is a newly released video, Mysteries of the Jesus Prayer: A Pilgrimage to the Heart of an Ancient Spirituality by Norris J. Chumley and John A. McGuckin that explores the places and people who formed and were formed by the Jesus Prayer. I have written a review of it on my other blog Know that I Am. 

Bruce Calvin