Basic Info on Jesus Prayer?

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TimothyH

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It has been a wonderful defense lately in times of tempation.

I would like more information about how it is commonly prayed beyond “Just say it.”

I’ve also read that it should not be prayed along with rythmic breathing. Can anyone comment?

-Tim-
 
Most of the Fathers say that the “physical methods” (i.e. breathing techniques, prostrations, postures, etc.) ought not to be used unless one has an experienced spiritual father to guide you and keep you from delusion. The main thing is to learn to pray “with your mind in your heart” as St. Theophan the Recluse said. The best resource currently available, in my opinion, is the book “The Art of Prayer.” This books is a compilation of the Fathers on prayer and the spiritual/interior life in general, with a special emphasis on the Jesus Prayer. Mostly made up of quotes from St. Theophan, it also contains quotes from some of the Greek Fathers, Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov, and St. Seraphim of Sarov, among others. I cannot recommend it highly enough. The quotes are also short, for the most part, so you can just pick up the book, open it up to whatever page, read a few lines, and have enough material to meditate on for the rest of the day. This is seriously one of my favorite books and, given no other option, it’s the one book I would keep for spiritual meditation and enrichment. 👍
 
The Philokalia is also considered the classic text on Eastern/Byzantine spirituality. It is truly amazing, but its scope is extremely broad, encompassing the entire spiritual life and not limited to the Jesus Prayer or Prayer of the Heart. It also has the disadvantage of being far removed from us in time and so one can often feel the chronological disconnect as one reads through the texts. It was also intended for monastics, so one is often hard-pressed to figure out how to put the teachings into practice in one’s daily life. I do not say this to try and deter you from reading it, it is well worth the read. But I do recommend reading “The Art of Prayer” and perhaps some of the writings of St. Theophan the Recluse before attempting to tackle the Philokalia. They will provide you with a roadmap and guide for discernment when you finally tackle the Philokalia.
 
I agree with you phillip however, if you look at the Way of a Pilgrim, the philokalia was the most precious possession of the pilgrim next to the scriptures. I think his story definately shows the philokalia’s worth and it’s importance in the lives of Christians. I do think you should work your way up to the philokalia as you pointed out, but the passion with which he speaks of it to others, even reminding the catholic polish couple, that the fathers of the Philokalia are not just from the Eastern tradition but are equally the treasury of the West.
 
Phillip_Rolfes said:
The Philokalia is also considered the classic text on Eastern/Byzantine spirituality.
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It’s also the spiritual equivalent of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and is intended for monastics, not laity. Not to say a layman can’t find something of use in it, but we’re not the audience. I’ve heard that when it talks about novices it means people who just started life as a hermit. 😃
 
MarcusAndreas said:
It’s also the spiritual equivalent of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and is intended for monastics, not laity. Not to say a layman can’t find something of use in it, but we’re not the audience. I’ve heard that when it talks about novices it means people who just started life as a hermit. 😃
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Much of the early Byzantine theology is written for monastics and hermits…
 
Dear Friends,

What I find helpful in practicing the Jesus Prayer is to use it as frequently as possible in all manner of spiritual contexts.

So we could say a certain number morning and night. Then if we pray the psalms, we could intersperse the Prayer at the end of the psalms and throughout the texts as a kind of refrain.

If we are working at something that doesn’t require that much mental attention, we could say the Prayer then as the monastics would do all day as they made baskets and worked at other handicrafts. My dad was a beekeeper and my brother and I would make new honey-frames all day - that was a good opportunity for something like the Jesus Prayer.

If we need some down time, we should be by ourselves and just “take in” the words of the Jesus Prayer, emptying our minds of all distractions and other nonsense, and just let the Presence of Jesus envelope us and relax us.

At first, there is solace in numbers, and it is good to work at saying as large an amount of Prayers as we can. I don’t know why this is.

We can also use it to fulfill the daily Office, or one or several Hours, if we wish. To fulfill the entire Daily Office, 3,000 Jesus Prayers are the minimum. Twice that number fulfills the entire Psalter. 300 Prayers fulfills one Kathisma of the Psalter and any one of the daily Hours, except for Matins/Orthros (two or three Kathismata).

It is also good to wear a Cross and focus on it (i.e. the middle of our chest or the heart to the left of the middle) as we say the Jesus Prayer. We can wear a prayer rope on our wrist as a reminder and also as a witness. Just wearing it can put us in a prayerful mood all day.

We can emphasize the word “Jesus” in the prayer and let the power of the Divine Name penetrate into our being. We shouldn’t be put off by the word “a sinner” since we are primarily emphasizing our fallen human nature as the result of Original Sin which we wish to transfigure in the Light of Christ by repeating His Name and so bringing down His healing Oil of Healing and Deification on our soul.

When we go anywhere, we can recite the Name of Jesus over people on buses and subways and everywhere. This is how Fr. Lev Gillet, the “monk of the Eastern Church” used the Jesus Prayer as he travelld to and from work in London. That is an important ministry that we can all undertake. Perhaps God will use us to invoke the Divine Name over someone who really needs it and so will help that person emerge from their sorrow and pain victorious.

We should also be vigilant to teach others about the Prayer of Jesus whenever we can.
As an example, a wonderful Evangelical Christian lady I used to work with was really into prayer. When we discussed the Jesus Prayer, she began saying it. Recently, she called to thank me for sharing it with her. I asked her what kind of difference it made to her prayer life and she replied by saying that she can now pray always and everywhere with the most important words that are central to the Gospel of Christ.

And don’t forget to connect with the Revered Master Beadsman, Philip Rolfes - his handiwork is magnificent (the best I’ve ever seen or had). His chotki make you want to hold them in your hand all day - he really has a special gift.

Alex
 
I think Alex offered a sound explanation and decent advice in his post above.

Though I am hardly an expert, there are a couple of things I would add, if I might.

Firstly, I have heard that if you are going to pray the Jesus Prayer as part of a prayer rule, e.g. as part of or in place of the Divine Office, it really is very useful to have a spiritual father or a spiritual director, if you can find one. Having said that, it’d be really useful to have one in any event.

Secondly, one Orthodox priest I know has written this to me: “The goal of the Jesus Prayer–or at least one goal–is to guard the heart against images and thoughts that will lead us astray…As for being told to say the Jesus Prayer with out ceasing, this is a gift from God rather than something that is done in obedience to one’s spiritual father. God grants to some the gift of constant prayer not the spiritual father.”

Hope this helps some :).

Blessings,
Jeff
 
I want you all to know that I have read every single word of your posts, slowy, twice. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate that you all took the time to reply and hope that my saying so does not stop replies from continuing.

One thing which I will note from my own experience, after having leared of the existece of the Jesus prayer from this forum, is that it is highly effective when “images and thoughts that will lead us astray” present themselves. I had, and still continue to, breifly picture myself kissing the feet of Christ crucified as per St. Francis DeSales. But I sense the power of this prayer to quell those anxieties and return me to a place of peace.

As an engineer, something so simple yet effective seems to me to be a gift.

-Tim-
 
This is also something I have been seeking. A friend of mine ended up converting to the Orthodox Church, but the Parish he joined seemed very “cultish” after I attended Diving Liturgy with him one Sunday, and so I turned down his offer to speak to his Priest about becoming a Spiritual Director. There is a Melkite Church in my city, would that be a place to start looking for a spiritual director? I’ve heard that some Orthodox Priests won’t even consider teaching The Jesus Prayer to a Catholic unless they convert.
 
RCconvert7 said:
This is also something I have been seeking. A friend of mine ended up converting to the Orthodox Church, but the Parish he joined seemed very “cultish” after I attended Diving Liturgy with him one Sunday, and so I turned down his offer to speak to his Priest about becoming a Spiritual Director. There is a Melkite Church in my city, would that be a place to start looking for a spiritual director? I’ve heard that some Orthodox Priests won’t even consider teaching The Jesus Prayer to a Catholic unless they convert.
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You can start with a priest, definitely. But not that not all priests may be a good spiritual director. But he can get you started. If you can speak with a monk, its better. But the reality is there may not be one near where you are.
 
RCconvert7 said:
This is also something I have been seeking. A friend of mine ended up converting to the Orthodox Church, but the Parish he joined seemed very “cultish” after I attended Diving Liturgy with him one Sunday, and so I turned down his offer to speak to his Priest about becoming a Spiritual Director. There is a Melkite Church in my city, would that be a place to start looking for a spiritual director? I’ve heard that some Orthodox Priests won’t even consider teaching The Jesus Prayer to a Catholic unless they convert.
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Priests can be a good place to start when one is seeking a spiritual father, but it must be noted that not all priests are qualified to be spiritual fathers simply because they are ordained. I have heard many sad stories about people turning to their pastors for spiritual direction, only to be led in harmful directions by their priest, who thought ordination automatically made him a qualified spiritual father. Monks can be the same way, and I’ve heard that they are often worse, ordering their directees not to receive Holy Communion for no real reason. It is important to remember that ordination and/or the monastic habit do not automatically make one a qualified spiritual father.

What you want to look for is a person, man or woman, ordained, monastic or lay, who is experienced in prayer and spiritual warfare. This person must be willing to take your spiritual journey with you and not set himself over you.

I would ask around the Melkite parish in your city. Perhaps the pastor could direct you, or at least point you towards one of the deacons or lay people who would make a suitable spiritual father or mother.

Send me a PM and let me know what city you live in. Perhaps there is a monastery or some such near you where you could go to the monks.

Finally, if you cannot find a spiritual father or mother, then read, read, read. I would start with “The Way of the Pilgrim” (although I do advise a little caution with that book), “The Art of Prayer: An Orthodox Anthology”, and/or “On the Prayer of Jesus”. All of these books are wonderful introductions to the practice of the Jesus Prayer. Probably the most complete of the three would be “The Art of Prayer”. It’s a handy little volume that can be picked up at any time and opened to any page and you are guaranteed a juicy morsel from the Fathers that will give you plenty to pray and meditate over for the rest of the day. It’s selected quotes from the Fathers on all aspects of the spiritual life with a particular focus on the Jesus Prayer. Most of the quotes are very short and can be easily read even when you are on a break at work. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

There is also a new film with accompanying book that I would recommend. I do not remember the title, but I believe it is something like “The Mysteries of the Jesus Prayer”. Perhaps one of our more knowledgeable forum members knows the title. If you could find this I think you’d be in good shape. 👍 My local Borders has the book, so perhaps yours does as well.
 
Phillip_Rolfes said:
The Philokalia is also considered the classic text on Eastern/Byzantine spirituality. It is truly amazing, but its scope is extremely broad, encompassing the entire spiritual life and not limited to the Jesus Prayer or Prayer of the Heart. It also has the disadvantage of being far removed from us in time and so one can often feel the chronological disconnect as one reads through the texts. It was also intended for monastics, so one is often hard-pressed to figure out how to put the teachings into practice in one’s daily life. I do not say this to try and deter you from reading it, it is well worth the read. But I do recommend reading “The Art of Prayer” and perhaps some of the writings of St. Theophan the Recluse before attempting to tackle the Philokalia. They will provide you with a roadmap and guide for discernment when you finally tackle the Philokalia.
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I am so happy I purchased the Art of Prayer. All I can say is wow!

Phillip, thanks so much for mentioning this book. I cannot believe the spiritual depth contained in those pages. The book is truly life changing.
 
TrueLight said:
I am so happy I purchased the Art of Prayer. All I can say is wow!

Phillip, thanks so much for mentioning this book. I cannot believe the spiritual depth contained in those pages. The book is truly life changing.
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Really that good, huh?

I will have to order it.

-Tim-
 
TimothyH said:
Really that good, huh?

I will have to order it.

-Tim-
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Yes, very,

It’s something you will read through slowly, while applying some of the advice, then go back and reread over and over. 👍

Is it you that carries the Imitation of Christ in your bag? If so, I’m afraid you’ll be carrying two books now.🙂
 
TimothyH said:
Really that good, huh?

I will have to order it.

-Tim-
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Yeah, as TrueLight said, it really is that good. For as great as the Philokalia is, carrying around a 4 (soon to be 5) volume set of books is just not convenient. The “Art of Prayer” takes the teachings of the Philokalia, condenses them down into one handy volume consisting primarily of short quotes, converts the language into a more “modern” parlance, and makes the teachings more applicable to the lay situation. I’ve read through it once, have referred back to it innumerable times, and am reading through the book again. If I could only choose one spiritual writing to carry with me, this would be the one.

ICXC + NIKA,
Phillip
 
I went to amazon and looked up the art of prayer. There is two listed. Who’s the author of the one recommended here. Is it evans hagins, or jones?
 
gmcbroom said:
I went to amazon and looked up the art of prayer. There is two listed. Who’s the author of the one recommended here. Is it evans hagins, or jones?
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Neither. The book we are speaking of was compiled by Igumen Chariton of Valamo and translated by E. Kadloubovsky and E.M. Palmer, with an introduction by Timothy (i.e. Metropolitan Kallistos) Ware. It was published by Faber and Faber and has a blue cover. The full title is “The Art of Prayer: An Orthodox Anthology.” The cheapest copy available on Amazon is priced at $7.68 if you’re willing to buy it used. Hope this helps.

ICXC + NIKA,
Phillip
 
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