This is the Jesus Prayer. It has been chanted by the faithful for over 1,500 years. 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     Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.

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The Jesus Prayer: Ancient practice for modern living
Editor: Kevin Axe     Date: 5/13/2002

Many of the ancient and modern mystics have spoken and written about the �Jesus Prayer,� citing it as one of the simplest but most powerful elements of their spirituality. It remains very popular among many people today as a meditative prayer practice.

The words of this ancient prayer are �Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.� Some people leave out the words �a sinner,� and others prefer to use the plural form of �us.� Many people repeat the sentence silently for 15-20 minutes each day at a specific time they set aside for contemplative prayer. Others simply pray it throughout the day as time permits, such as on their lunch break, during a commute, or while they exercise.

Bishop Diadochus, who lived in the 400s, was among the first spiritual writers who wrote about a repeated remembrance of Jesus� name, though the full prayer itself is first found in a sixth century book called The Life of Abba Philemon. Diadochus taught that repeated prayer leads to inner stillness, notes Albert Rossi, a clinical psychologist and director of the Doctor of Ministry program at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, Crestwood, N.Y.

�The Jesus Prayer is also called the Prayer of the Heart,� Rossi writes. �There is within us a space, a field of the heart, in which we find a Divine Reality, and from which we are called to live. The mind, then, is to descend into that inner sanctuary, by means of the Jesus Prayer or wordless contemplation, and to stay there throughout our active day, and evening. We descend with our mind into our heart, and we live there.�

The Most Rev. Frank Griswold, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church U.S.A., has a particular devotion to The Jesus Prayer, using a prayer rope much like a Holy Rosary. He described why he finds this practice helpful on his homepage:

I always carry in my pocket a Jesus Prayer rope, and if I'm walking around the city I usually finger it and simply say my prayers. And when I'm stuck on a bridge somewhere and about to get frantic, or particularly, I'll tell you, in airplanes, when you've left the gate and you are told with no explanation that it is going to be an hour and a half before the plane takes off, I reach for my Jesus Prayer rope.

Because my life is so hectic and busy, it's very easy to lose the center and become totally reactive and live in a state of constant agitation. And just the discipline of saying the Jesus Prayer quietly to myself and trying to bring my breathing into relationship with the words of the prayer, which is part of the discipline, often reminds me that I am not the answer, but Christ is the answer, and that all I have to do is be faithful and not get in the way.

Ironically, the ancient practice of praying the Jesus Prayer, like Centering Prayer, is sometimes likened to New Age or non-Christian spiritual practices. But looks are deceiving, Rossi said.

�Sitting, saying the Jesus Prayer, or in wordless contemplation, is not yoga,� he writes. �The difference is the Christian encounter with the living God, Jesus. The postures, techniques, and outer form may be similar, but the content is unique in Christian prayer. The content of Christian prayer is Jesus, and that is all the difference in the world.

�We don't say the Jesus Prayer, or enter wordless contemplation, to get some benefit,� Rossi continues. �We don't pray to reduce our stress, or strengthen our immune system, or lose weight, or add years to our life. On the contrary, we enter prayer to follow Christ, to become open to him. His way is the Way of the Cross.�