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Revision as of 17:30, 29 August 2005 by Astronautics~enwiki (talk | contribs) (typo)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)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." Sometimes it includes an invocation to the Mother of God: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, through the prayers of your Most Pure Mother, have mercy on me, a sinner." It is, for the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern-Rite Catholics, one of the most profound and mystical prayers and is often repeated endlessly as part of a 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 Eastern Church.
The practice of repeating the prayer endlessly dates back to at least the fifth century. One of its earliest mentions is in the writings of Saint Diadochos of Photiki (400-486). Though it has survived through the centuries as a part of the Eastern tradition, in the twentieth century it began to be used in some Western churches, including some Roman Catholic and Episcopal churches. When it is repeated over and over again, the Jesus prayer becomes a form of meditation, the prayer functioning as a kind of mantra. Diadochos, taught that repetition of the prayer created inner peace.
The prayer's origin is most likely an exention 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 me, the sinner” (Luke 18:10-14).
In the Eastern tradition the prayer is said or prayed repeatedly, often with the aid of a chotki (or prayer rope) (Gr. Komboskini), somewhat resembling a rosary. 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, itself made a major subject of J.D. Salinger's novel, Franny and Zooey.