| Revision as of 01:27, 7 November 2004 editJayjg (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Administrators134,922 editsm restorre previous version, remove POV preaching← Previous edit | Revision as of 17:14, 12 November 2004 edit undoPhiddipus (talk | contribs)1,330 edits A revision: the prayer is not about focus or concentration, but about humility - Also the Publicans prayer also focus on humility, St Peter's less so.Next edit → | ||
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| The '''Jesus Prayer''', also called the '' |
The '''Jesus Prayer''', also called the ''Prayer of the Heart'' by some Church Fathers, is a short, simple prayer that has been widely used, taught and discussed throughout the history of ]. The exact words of the prayer have varied, from a simple form such as ] to the more common extended form: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner." It is, for the Eastern Orthodox, one of the most profound and mystical prayers and is often repeated endlessly as part of ones personal ascetic practice. There have been a number of ] texts on the subject, but its usage has never achieved the same degree of devotion as in the East. A more elaborate version known to some ]s by the same name goes: "O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell, and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of Your mercy." | ||
| The prayer is most reflective of the lesson taught by the parable of the Publican and the Pharisee; in which the Pharisee demonstrates the improper way to pray by exclaiming, “Thank you Lord that I am not like the Publican”. While the Publican in humility prays correctly “Lord have mercy on my, the sinner” (Luke 18:10-14). And likewise in the ]s, Peter crying out as he sank into the sea, "Lord, save me." | |||
| The text of this prayer is based on various accounts in the ]s, such as Peter crying out as he sank into the sea, "Lord, save me." To the publican's cry in the Temple, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner". In succinct form, the prayer acknowledges Christ's lordship and confesses the sinfulness of the person praying. The full form is sometimes described as being implicitly ] as well: the Son is addressed explicitly; addressing him as Son acknowledges the Father; and according to Saint Paul's writings in the ], no one can call Christ "Lord" without the aid of the ]. | |||
| ⚫ | In the Orthodox tradition the prayer is said or prayed repeatedly, often with the aid of a ]. It may be accompanied by prostrations and the sign of the cross. As such, it is used as a means of finding contrition and as a means of bringing about humility in the individual hence the words “the sinner” as if no other sinner existed but the person praying. Monastics often have long sessions praying this prayer many hundreds of times each night as part of their discipline, and through the guidance of an elder, its practitioner’s ultimate goal is to "internalize" the prayer, so that one is praying unceasingly there-by accomplishing Saint Paul's exhortation to the Thessalonians to "pray without ceasing". The use of the Jesus Prayer in this way is the subject of the Russian classic ''The Way of a Pilgrim''. | ||
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| ''See also:'' ]; ] | ''See also:'' ]; ] | ||
Revision as of 17:14, 12 November 2004
The Jesus Prayer, also called the Prayer of the Heart by some Church Fathers, is a short, simple prayer that has been widely used, taught and discussed throughout the history of Eastern Christianity. The exact words of the prayer have varied, from a simple form such as "Lord, have mercy" to the more common extended form: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner." It is, for the Eastern Orthodox, one of the most profound and mystical prayers and is often repeated endlessly as part of ones personal ascetic practice. There have been a number of Roman Catholic texts on the subject, but its usage has never achieved the same degree of devotion as in the East. A more elaborate version known to some Roman Catholics by the same name goes: "O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell, and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of Your mercy."
The prayer is most reflective of the lesson taught by the parable of the Publican and the Pharisee; in which the Pharisee demonstrates the improper way to pray by exclaiming, “Thank you Lord that I am not like the Publican”. While the Publican in humility prays correctly “Lord have mercy on my, the sinner” (Luke 18:10-14). And likewise in the Gospels, Peter crying out as he sank into the sea, "Lord, save me."
In the Orthodox tradition the prayer is said or prayed repeatedly, often with the aid of a prayer rope. It may be accompanied by prostrations and the sign of the cross. As such, it is used as a means of finding contrition and as a means of bringing about humility in the individual hence the words “the sinner” as if no other sinner existed but the person praying. Monastics often have long sessions praying this prayer many hundreds of times each night as part of their discipline, and through the guidance of an elder, its practitioner’s ultimate goal is to "internalize" the prayer, so that one is praying unceasingly there-by accomplishing Saint Paul's exhortation to the Thessalonians to "pray without ceasing". The use of the Jesus Prayer in this way is the subject of the Russian classic The Way of a Pilgrim.