Got My Prayer Rope. Now What?

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TimothyH

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I know… pray. Leave it to a computer guy to make things complicated. :rolleyes:

Seriously, please forgive my ignorance and the fact that I asked a similar question a month or two ago. I’m asking this question as a Roman Catholic in all sincerity.

So now I have a beautiful black, 100 knot rope from Phillip Rolfes. And my basic question is on how to use it. Are there any protocols one should follow, pious customs, do’s and don’ts, or any other thing I should know? Acknowledging that all comes from God, I am also wondering if anyone could give advice on how to pray to get the greatest spiritual benefit? Please understand that I am coming from the point of view of a western Catholic and seeing the rope makes my mind go into “rosary mode” if you know what I mean.

I would appreciate anything, advice, links or any other source of information. I recall a spiritual book mentioned and the truth is that I’m probably not going to read a book on the subject any time soon, but other advice or information would be appreciated.

I do have a few specific questions:
  • How do you guys store and carry your rope? In your pocket? Do you have a little case like Roman Catholics do for the rosary?
  • Is it permissable or recommended that it be worn or is this a no-no?
  • Is the rope considered a sacramental in the same way sacramentals are known in the western church?
  • Regarding the question above, should I have it blessed?
Again, I am truly ignorant and am asking for guidance. Thanks for your time and I hope God blesses you all.

-Tim-
 
Find someone to instruct you on how to use it. I’m also in the process of finding someone (and I also got my awesome prayer rope from Phillip).

But you can start and just get into praying the Jesus prayer. I pray mine everywhere during my commute. On the bus, on the train, walk walking between transfers.
 
Hi Timothy

Being a convert to Roman Catholicism (previously protestant), and not knowing many Catholics, I did not know what a prayer rope is. I checked Wikipedia for “prayer rope” and “Jesus Prayer”, and got some basic objective information. They even answered some of your questions. You might take a look.

Thanks and God bless!
 
TimothyH said:
I know… pray. …
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What I do. Before an icon.
  • = sign of the cross
O God be merciful to me a sinner . + (three times)

Heavenly King, Comforter, spirit of truth, Who are everywhere present and fill all things, treasury of blessings, and give of life, come and dwell within us, cleanse us of all stain, and save our souls, O gracious One.

Holy God, + holy and mighty, holy and immortal have mercy on us. (three times)
Glory be to the Father, + and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever. Amen

Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse us of our sins; Master, forgive our transgressions; come to us, Holy One, and heal our infirmities for Your Name’s sake.
Lord have mercy. (three times) Glory be to the Father, + and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and forever. Amen.

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory. Father, + Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever, and forever. Amen.
  • Come, let us adore our King and God.
  • Come, let us adore Christ, our King and our God.
  • Come, let us adore and bow down to Christ our King and our God.
Say Psalm 50, Prayer of Repentance

**Psalm 50 **Prayer of Repentance
Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness.
In your compassion blot out my offense.
O wash me more and more from my guilt
and cleanse me from my sin.
My offenses truly I know them;
my sin is always before me.
Against you, you alone, have I sinned;
what is evil in your sight I have done.
That you may be justified when you give sentence
and be without reproach when you judge.
O see, in guilt I was born,
a sinner was I conceived.
Indeed you love truth in the heart;
then in the secret of my heart teach me wisdom.
O purify me, then I shall be clean;
O wash me, I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me hear rejoicing and gladness,
that the bones you have crushed may thrill.
From my sins turn away your face
and blot out all my guilt.
A pure heart create for me, O God,
put a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
nor deprive me of your holy spirit.
Give me again the joy of your help;
with a spirit of fervor sustain me,
that I may teach transgressors your ways
and sinners may return to you.
O rescue me, God, my helper,
and my tongue shall ring out your goodness.
O Lord, open my lips
and my mouth shall declare your praise.
For in sacrifice you take no delight,
burnt offering from me you would refuse,
My sacrifice, a contrite spirit.
A humbled, contrite heart you will not spurn.
In your goodness, show favor to Zion:
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Then you will be pleased with lawful sacrifice,
burnt offerings wholly consumed,
then you will be offered young bulls on your altar.

Say the Nicene Creed.

**Say the Jesus Prayer (chotki): **
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner. (100 times)

It is truly proper to glorify you, O Theotokos,
the Ever-blessed, Immaculate, and the Mother of our God.
More honorable than the Cherubim,
and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim,
who, a virgin, gave birth to God the Word,
you, truly the Mother of God, we magnify.

Glory be to the Father, + and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
now and ever and forever. Amen.

Lord, have mercy. (three times)

Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Amen.
 
Vico said:
What I do. Before an icon.
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Excellent! The Rule of St. Pachomius 👍

When I pray it I do it slightly differently. I also begin with “+Through the prayers of the holy fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ, our God, will have mercy on us and save us. Amen.” and I pray “Lord have mercy” twelve times after the Our Father.
 
Do I pick a rule or do I have a spiritual father assign me a rule?
 
apb92 said:
Excellent! The Rule of St. Pachomius 👍

When I pray it I do it slightly differently. I also begin with “+Through the prayers of the holy fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ, our God, will have mercy on us and save us. Amen.” and I pray “Lord have mercy” twelve times after the Our Father.
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I didn’t know that was the name.

TimothyH, there is also a lesson tone that can be adapted, if you don’t have a chant tone in mind. There are many different kinds of these, Syrian, Byzantine, Alexandrian.

patronagechurch.com/chant/Lesson%20Tone%20Pattern.htm
 
Vico gave the exact same rule revealed to St Pachomios of Egypt by an Angel.

It should be committed to memory and we might try praying it three times or more during the day. The Angel told Pachomios that he should pray this rule twelve times at the beginning of each hour during the day, and the same at night (but 300 prayers at 3:00 pm at the hour that our Lord died on the Cross).

The prayer rope can be worn wrapped around the left wrist. It is a sacramental and we can place it with our icons/icon shrine at home when we aren’t using it or for the night. It should be blessed by a priest and we should ask the priest to bless us to wear it around our wrist publicly.

Eastern monastics always wear it when going outside the monastery especially - for them to be seen without a prayer rope would be considered scandalous!

When praying with the prayer rope, we should use the left hand to finger the knots/beads and leave our right hand free to make the Sign of the Cross with the Jesus Prayer (“Lord” with our hand to our forehead, “Jesus Christ” with our hand to our stomach - signifying the Incarnation and Life of our Lord - then “Son of God” to the right shoulder to signify His resurrection and ascent to the Right Hand of God the Father and then, “have mercy on me a sinner” with the hand to the left shoulder. After we release our hand to our side, we should bow with our heads (a neck bow) iin honour of our Lord. We should pray before an icon or other image, as we like, and as Vico has indicated.

On the divider beads, we could say the prayer: “All Holy Mother of God, save me a sinner!” or else a “Hail Mary.”

At the end of each 100 Jesus Prayers, we should, if we can, say the traditional greater Doxology: Glory be the Father . . . then three times, making the Sign of the Cross as well, “Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Glory to You, O God!” Then three times, “Lord have mercy!” and then, once again, Glory be to the Father with the sign of the Cross.

We should say the prayer 700 times a day or seven prayer ropes. We can do more later, but we should use this as a good basic foundational rule recommended by the saints. We can say 100 prayers at seven different times of the day, like a daily office.

We should also try and say the prayer as we go about our daily business and use it to pray for others we meet throughout the day, on the bus, as we go for walks, in the shopping malls etc. When we call on the Name of the Lord Jesus down on someone we see, we do a great priestly work proper to our vocation as Christians. Intercessory prayer for others with the Name of the Lord Jesus is powerful indeed.

We could also form the habit of a basic prayer rule, recommended by St Seraphim, which is: 3 Our Father’s, 3 Hail Mary’s and 1 Creed morning, noon and night.

Reading a portion of the New Testament daily is highly recommended, especially the Testament of Christ which consists of Chapters 13-17 of the Gospel of John (considered the “heart” of the bible in the East). If we wish, we can divide those chapters, taken as one unit, into 22 verses and so we would say 22 verses of the Testamant of Christ in every day of the week and get through it in a week. St Seraphim of Sarov would read the entire New Testament each and every week (!)

St Seraphim would also pray 150 Hail Mary’s or the Rosary daily.

We should also read 21 psalms daily and so we would get through the Psalter each week and attend Mass/Divine Liturgy on Sundays (and every day, if we can) and receive Holy Communion. Confession monthly.

These practices are meant to nourish and support our life of prayer in the Name of the Lord Jesus.

Alex
 
The Rule of St. Pachomius is probably the best place to start in the absence of a spiritual father. Since it is an established rule one is less likely to be led into delusion and spiritual pride.

Oh, and Tim, since yours has a bead every 10 knots it is sometimes customary to pray:

“Most Holy Theotokos, save us!”

on the beads. Othewise I recommend just following the Rule of St. Pachomius and you should be good.

Also, if you can, get ahold of the book “The Art of Prayer: An Orthodox Anthology.” Again in the absence of a spiritual father this book is the next best thing. 👍

One final thought, don’t practice any of the “physical methods” such as rythmic breathing, various postures, etc. Also avoid the various “mental techniques.” These things have been found to be very dangerous, both spiritually and physically, in the absence of a spiritual father (or in disobedience to him). Simply pray with attention from the depths of your heart. This takes practices, but stick with it. 👍

ICXC + NIKA,
Your Beadsman
 
Phillip/Alexander - this is exactly what I need, basic practical advice.

Vico, thank you for the texts. I have put the texts into a Microsoft Word documentand Adobe PDF file which I will fold up and keep in a small velvet rosary bag along with the rope.

I want to ask if you guys have jobs or if you are all monks. 700 times daily? That’s just the foundation? Really? :eek: Just kidding. The saints didn’t get to be saints by not praying.

Alexander, sorry to see you go. We all feel it too. PAX.

-Tim-
 
Aramis said:
You should get your SF’s permission to follow one you are interested in, or if unable to pick, have him suggest/assign one.
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I’m still trying to find a spiritual father. Sometimes I want to ask the Bishop, but that may be asking too much.
 
Ask your pastor or Father Confessor to assign you an interim Spiritual Father.
 
TimothyH said:
Phillip/Alexander - this is exactly what I need, basic practical advice.

Vico, thank you for the texts. I have put the texts into a Microsoft Word documentand Adobe PDF file which I will fold up and keep in a small velvet rosary bag along with the rope.

I want to ask if you guys have jobs or if you are all monks. 700 times daily? That’s just the foundation? Really? :eek: Just kidding. The saints didn’t get to be saints by not praying.

Alexander, sorry to see you go. We all feel it too. PAX.

In the pentitential spirit of the Jesus Prayer, I ask for forgiveness for my immaturity.

Alex

-Tim-
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There are priests who would turn down an offer to become a spiritual director/father for whatever reason.

I was once asked by a newly ordained priest to be his “spiritual father.” I turned him down since I was in need of spiritual direction myself.

(Did I do wrong?)

Alex
 
In Orthodoxy (I’m sure it’s similar in ECism and by extension among the Latins), I have noticed that new converts tend to be looking for a spiritual father. More often than not, they are looking for a “guru” of sorts who will tell them what to do. That’s not the function of a spiritual father.

Back centuries ago, there were many God-illumined elders who were granted such gifts by the Lord for our spiritual benefit; however, we are now living at a time when very few of those exist. One of the last elders of Optina (I cannot recall his name at the moment, though I think it was St. Nektary) said that your struggles and tribulations will be your spiritual father. Pretty intense, but spot on.

I met a priest about a month ago at a conference who said he and a parishioner went to Mt. Athos and were somehow granted a chance to speak with an abbot (who had originally told them he was “out of town”, but saw their sincerity and persistence). They asked him this same question. He said to the priest: “You have a matushka? She’ll be your spiritual mother!” So Fr. Phillip, inspired by the advice given him by the abbot, goes back home and asks his wife to point out his biggest flaw. She says to him, “Oh that’s easy. You always have to be right.” He quickly shoots back, “No, I don’t!” 😃 It didn’t take long after the words came out of his mouth that he realized she was right. LOL.

Since most of us aren’t able to access a Spirit-bearing elder, what are we left with? Our parish priest is a good start, especially one who has lived the faith with dedication and humility. 🙂 In addition, our wives, husbands, close friends can point out our short-comings and failings that we can be oblivious to.

Just my experience. 🙂

In Christ,
Andrew
 
Harpazo said:
I met a priest about a month ago at a conference who said he and a parishioner went to Mt. Athos and were somehow granted a chance to speak with an abbot (who had originally told them he was “out of town”, but saw their sincerity and persistence). They asked him this same question. He said to the priest: “You have a matushka? She’ll be your spiritual mother!” So Fr. Phillip, inspired by the advice given him by the abbot, goes back home and asks his wife to point out his biggest flaw. She says to him, “Oh that’s easy. You always have to be right.” He quickly shoots back, “No, I don’t!” 😃 It didn’t take long after the words came out of his mouth that he realized she was right. LOL.
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LOL:rotfl:

It’s so funny, but the abbot’s wisdom is so spot-on!!! Who better to point out our strengths and weaknesses, and who better to show us how to grow in holiness than our spouses (for those of us who are married)? After all, in growing in love for our spouses and learning how best to express that love to them, or in learning to lay down our lives - our selfishness, self-will, will to dominate and control, etc. - for our spouses, are we not doing the same for Christ through them?
 
ConstantineTG said:
I’m still trying to find a spiritual father. Sometimes I want to ask the Bishop, but that may be asking too much.
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I think he gets to decide that. And he may recommend someone. (I’m rather a fan of going with recurring thoughts or impulses in matters spiritual.)
 
Phillip_Rolfes said:
LOL:rotfl:

It’s so funny, but the abbot’s wisdom is so spot-on!!! Who better to point out our strengths and weaknesses, and who better to show us how to grow in holiness than our spouses (for those of us who are married)? After all, in growing in love for our spouses and learning how best to express that love to them, or in learning to lay down our lives - our selfishness, self-will, will to dominate and control, etc. - for our spouses, are we not doing the same for Christ through them?
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Our Bishop of blessed memory, Kyr Vladika Isidore Borecky (whose ancestors Job and Nicholas were Orthodox bishops and have been canonized) once told a conference that he actually prefers married priests because he never had any problems with them since they . . .“have their own bishop and patriarch in the person of their wives at home to keep them in check . . .” 😉

Alex
 
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