The Jesus Prayer. Considering it, but Afraid to Try

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Hello everyone.
So, here is the situation I’m facing. I was doing some reading on the Jesus Prayer and feel really drawn to the idea of constant prayer and always invoking not only the help of Our Lord but also His Mercy (He knows I need it). I want nothing more than to serve God, and I feel that constant prayer or at least always keeping God on my mind will help me do this. As I read more into the theology behind the Jesus Prayer, I saw that if I pray like this I run the risk of opening myself up to demonic possession as well as insanity. I wouldn’t be saying the Jesus Prayer constantly, just in the morning or afternoon for a little while (about ten to fifteen minutes at the very maximum). But what really has me confused is how invoking the Name of Jesus can possibly be dangerous. I am a freshman in college and have been spending roughly half an hour or so in silent prayer sometimes in the afternoon and my spiritual director had been working with me on meditation. The reason I mention this is because I want to know if this idea of praying the Jesus Prayer is something I should take to my spiritual director or if I should just drop it. I’m not doing this out of immature and childish curiosity, either. I’ve read a bit about the theology behind this form of prayer and I find it extremely beautiful and profound. I brought this to all of you is because I’m not sure how to approach my spiritual director with this. He’s a Capuchin so I’m sure how much he knows about the spirituality of the Eastern Churches. Any advice that you may be able to offer is deeply appreciated as well as any books that you may be able to recommend.

Thank you all and God bless,
SanctusDeus

EDIT: I’m not going to do the breathing techniques and I will be extremely careful so as to not let the words of the prayer become some kind of mantra.
 
SanctusDeus said:
Hello everyone.
So, here is the situation I’m facing. I was doing some reading on the Jesus Prayer and feel really drawn to the idea of constant prayer and always invoking not only the help of Our Lord but also His Mercy (He knows I need it). I want nothing more than to serve God, and I feel that constant prayer or at least always keeping God on my mind will help me do this. As I read more into the theology behind the Jesus Prayer, I saw that if I pray like this I run the risk of opening myself up to demonic possession as well as insanity. I wouldn’t be saying the Jesus Prayer constantly, just in the morning or afternoon for a little while (about ten to fifteen minutes at the very maximum). But what really has me confused is how invoking the Name of Jesus can possibly be dangerous. I am a freshman in college and have been spending roughly half an hour or so in silent prayer sometimes in the afternoon and my spiritual director had been working with me on meditation. The reason I mention this is because I want to know if this idea of praying the Jesus Prayer is something I should take to my spiritual director or if I should just drop it. I’m not doing this out of immature and childish curiosity, either. I’ve read a bit about the theology behind this form of prayer and I find it extremely beautiful and profound. I brought this to all of you is because I’m not sure how to approach my spiritual director with this. He’s a Capuchin so I’m sure how much he knows about the spirituality of the Eastern Churches. Any advice that you may be able to offer is deeply appreciated as well as any books that you may be able to recommend.

Thank you all and God bless,
SanctusDeus
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You won’t go insane or become possessed by praying the Jesus Prayer. The reason why spiritual guidance is suggested is that one should not consider himself more holy or beyond reproach because of these practices. Neither should one become scrupulous and think he is not praying enough if he doesn’t spend 24hrs/day with it. You aren’t a monastic, so any prayer is allowable, with the right mind and intent.
 
As you already have a spiritual director (which is awesome! 👍) and as this pertains to your spiritual life, it would be very much appropriate for you to talk with him about this.

I’ve seen different “Jesus prayers” and I know many versions are at least implicitly Protestant in theology (with notions of “once saved, always saved”). But I’ve never heard of praying that prayer as opening a person up to the demonic! I would be very skeptical of such a claim.

That said, for my money, praying the prayer that Jesus taught (i.e. the Our Father) or reading and reflecting on the Word of God (i.e. the Bible) are two practices I think would be better than using the Jesus Prayer. But that is really for you to work out with your spiritual director. That’s what he is there for!

God bless!
 
SyroMalankara said:
You won’t go insane or become possessed by praying the Jesus Prayer. The reason why spiritual guidance is suggested is that one should not consider himself more holy or beyond reproach because of these practices. Neither should one become scrupulous and think he is not praying enough if he doesn’t spend 24hrs/day with it. You aren’t a monastic, so any prayer is allowable, with the right mind and intent.
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Exactly.
Consider that the devil doesn’t want you praying…all Christians make him angry and jealous.
put him our of your mind, and praise God as you will. As the above poster said, don’t become scrupulous or superstitious about it though.
Prayer should bring you peace, not anxiety.
God bless.
 
Have you got any links to any websites that say about it leaving people open to insanity and possession?..i cant see how praying Jesus name could do that :confused:
SanctusDeus said:
Hello everyone.
So, here is the situation I’m facing. I was doing some reading on the Jesus Prayer and feel really drawn to the idea of constant prayer and always invoking not only the help of Our Lord but also His Mercy (He knows I need it). I want nothing more than to serve God, and I feel that constant prayer or at least always keeping God on my mind will help me do this. As I read more into the theology behind the Jesus Prayer, I saw that if I pray like this I run the risk of opening myself up to demonic possession as well as insanity. I wouldn’t be saying the Jesus Prayer constantly, just in the morning or afternoon for a little while (about ten to fifteen minutes at the very maximum). But what really has me confused is how invoking the Name of Jesus can possibly be dangerous. I am a freshman in college and have been spending roughly half an hour or so in silent prayer sometimes in the afternoon and my spiritual director had been working with me on meditation. The reason I mention this is because I want to know if this idea of praying the Jesus Prayer is something I should take to my spiritual director or if I should just drop it. I’m not doing this out of immature and childish curiosity, either. I’ve read a bit about the theology behind this form of prayer and I find it extremely beautiful and profound. I brought this to all of you is because I’m not sure how to approach my spiritual director with this. He’s a Capuchin so I’m sure how much he knows about the spirituality of the Eastern Churches. Any advice that you may be able to offer is deeply appreciated as well as any books that you may be able to recommend.

Thank you all and God bless,
SanctusDeus

EDIT: I’m not going to do the breathing techniques and I will be extremely careful so as to not let the words of the prayer become some kind of mantra.
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And if the idea of a “mantra” disturbs you, know that praying a repeated word or short phrase, such as the Jesus Prayer, is also known as monologistic prayer, and it has a time-honored place in both the eastern and western Church. See the Catechism, number 2667-2668:

2668: “The invocation of the holy name of Jesus is the simplest way of praying always. When the holy name is repeated often by a humble and attentive heart, the prayer is not lost by heaping up empty phrases, but holds fast to the word and ‘brings forth fruit with patience’.”

God bless your good intention and effort.
 
Thank you so much to all who replied. As far as being opened up to the demonic goes, I’ve taken a second look at my sources and it looks like they’re talking about the breathing exercises that some people use with the prayer more than the prayer itself while others warned about its use by centering prayer groups and how that’s dangerous. So it looks like I’m good as long as it don’t do anything that would involve centering prayer or anything of the sort.
 
Can someone please give a brief explanation on this prayer?

Thanks
 
I would encourage to use the Jesus prayer and not to avoid it because of the supposed dangers listed above. It is true there are warnings in some of the spiritual writings of the fathers, but these are generally with regard to the use of somatic techniques such as coordinating breathing with the words of the prayer.

It is my understanding that the pitfalls have to do with the fact that the various breathing techniques can bring about altered states of consciousness, feelings of warmth, etc… And the unguided beginner may be deluded into thinking he is making great progress when these are really just physical phenomena, and not the result of grace.

Also, I think if you try to do the breathing exercises, you end up paying far too much attention to your breath and getting it just right, instead of paying attention to God.

If you haven’t already, look into the writings of St. Ignatius Brianchaninov collected in the little book “On the Prayer of Jesus”.

Brianchaninov:
The essence of the matter consists in the union of the mind with the heart during prayer, and this is achieved by the grace of God in its own time, determined by God. The above mechanism [breathing techniques] is fully replaced by the unhurried enunciation of the prayer, by a short rest or pause after each prayer, by gentle and unhurried breathing, and by the enclosure of the mind in the words of the prayer
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and
The essential, indispensable property of prayer is attention. Without attention there is no prayer. True grace-given attention comes from the mortification of our heart to the world. Aids always remain merely aids.
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GSoleiman said:
Can someone please give a brief explanation on this prayer?

Thanks
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The Jesus prayer itself (it has several different variations) is:

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

It is a practice that goes back (at least) to the Desert Fathers of the 5th century. The prayer is repeated (perhaps hundreds of times), with love and humility, calling on the name of the Lord. A knotted prayer rope is often used to count the prayers.
 
Symeon said:
The Jesus prayer itself (it has several different variations) is:

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

It is a practice that goes back (at least) to the Desert Fathers of the 5th century. The prayer is repeated (perhaps hundreds of times), with love and humility, calling on the name of the Lord. A knotted prayer rope is often used to count the prayers.
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Thanks a lot…

I think it’s a very good and powerful prayer and also keeps one occupied from doing something that is not as useful to one’s spirit.

God Bless!
 
The Way of a Pilgrim and The Pilgrim Continues His Way Paperback – June 17, 1985

by Helen Bacovcin (Translator), Walter J. Ciszek S.J. (Foreword)

The Jesus prayer has helped many, it has helped me, it may help you.

Peace
 
CCC

435 The name of Jesus is at the heart of Christian prayer. All liturgical prayers conclude with the words “through our Lord Jesus Christ”. The Hail Mary reaches its high point in the words “blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.” The Eastern prayer of the heart, the Jesus Prayer, says: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Many Christians, such as St. Joan of Arc, have died with the one word “Jesus” on their lips.

Peace
 
The ceaseless Jesus prayer is a continuous, uninterrupted call on the holy name of Jesus Christ with the lips, mind, and heart; and in the awareness of His abiding presence it is a plea for His blessing in all undertakings, in all places, at all times, even in sleep. The words of the prayer are: ‘Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me!’”

The Way of a Pilgrim

Peace
 
Symeon said:
The Jesus prayer itself (it has several different variations) is:

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

It is a practice that goes back (at least) to the Desert Fathers of the 5th century. The prayer is repeated (perhaps hundreds of times), with love and humility, calling on the name of the Lord. A knotted prayer rope is often used to count the prayers.
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:eek: I retract my earlier post! I was getting the Jesus Prayer confused with the Sinner’s Prayer. Mea culpa!

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the Jesus Prayer. I say it myself many times a day. There is no way it could possibly open you up to the demonic or insanity. You are asking Jesus for mercy. Whoever told you that it could do such a thing does not have a firm grasp of spirituality or the faith.
 
Hi DeusSanctus,

Others have responded very well to this, but I figured I’d add my own two cents as well. The primary dangers towards “delusion” that come along with the Jesus Prayer aren’t associated with the prayer so much as with the physical techniques and exercises that many claim are part-and-parcel with the prayer. As Sts. Theophan the Recluse and Ignatius Brianchaninov point out, these physical techniques are not indispensable, and one can practice the Jesus Prayer without them.

A spiritual guide is recommended typically if one plans on using the physical techniques in a somewhat more concentrated way. However, one can still use these methods even without a spiritual guide. As St. Isaac (the Syrian) of Nineveh tells us, we should approach the spiritual life as though we are always a beginner. This helps stave off the temptation towards delusion. Should one choose to use the physical methods, one needs to be careful of confusing the natural effects of the methods as being something spiritual.

In the absence of a spiritual director who is experienced in the spirituality of Hesychasm, one can turn to books, conversations with spiritual people, and other resources to keep one on track. Also, regular confession and participation in the liturgical life of the Church are highly recommended to build a wall of protection from the attacks of the evil one.

As someone mentioned above, the devil doesn’t want us to pray constantly. He’s either going to throw everything in his power at us to keep us from doing so, or he’s going to tempt us as we strive towards that goal. We simply need to be alert and ask for the aid of our brothers and sisters in Christ as we pursue constant prayer.
 
There truly are dangers in praying the Jesus Prayer or any other prayer, liturgical or not. Chiefly among the dangers, the temptation of routine or of mechanical recitation, forgetting, as St. Teresa of Avila warned about, Who one is talking to. As temptations go, they can have inner or outer origins, oneself or the enemy of human nature, yet always only on actor: oneself. This is why spiritual direction is important whenever one is called - for the initiative to pray always His first - to pray regularly, since one is seldom the best judge or guide of one’s actions, especially in one’s prayer life.

Pax Christi
 
Augustine said:
There truly are dangers in praying the Jesus Prayer or any other prayer, liturgical or not. Chiefly among the dangers, the temptation of routine or of mechanical recitation, forgetting, as St. Teresa of Avila warned about, Who one is talking to. As temptations go, they can have inner or outer origins, oneself or the enemy of human nature, yet always only on actor: oneself. This is why spiritual direction is important whenever one is called - for the initiative to pray always His first - to pray regularly, since one is seldom the best judge or guide of one’s actions, especially in one’s prayer life.

Pax Christi
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Most of the dangers spoken of long ago by the saints and holy elders were offered to their fellow monastics and those entirely dedicated to religious life, whose intensity of literally hours spent at prayer might become problematic. I tend to agree with others that the greater danger these days is that someone might not pray at all, or be scared off by warnings that do not necessarily apply to most of us living ordinary lives in the world.

CCC #2667: "This simple invocation of faith developed in the tradition of prayer under many forms in the East and West. The most usual formulation, transmitted by the spiritual writers of the Sinai, Syria, and Mount Athos, is the invocation, ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us sinners.’ It combines the Christological hymn of Philippians 2:6-11 with the cry of the publican and the blind man begging for light. By it, the heart is opened to human wretchedness and the Savior’s mercy."

I trust the Catechism and the goodness of God, and I have found the Jesus Prayer to be a great blessing in my life for many years, even without the benefit of a regular spiritual director (besides the kind of guidance from books that Philip mentioned above).
 
Augustine said:
There truly are dangers in praying the Jesus Prayer or any other prayer, liturgical or not. Chiefly among the dangers, the temptation of routine or of mechanical recitation, forgetting, as St. Teresa of Avila warned about, Who one is talking to. As temptations go, they can have inner or outer origins, oneself or the enemy of human nature, yet always only on actor: oneself. This is why spiritual direction is important whenever one is called - for the initiative to pray always His first - to pray regularly, since one is seldom the best judge or guide of one’s actions, especially in one’s prayer life.

Pax Christi
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"We begin to pray, believing it is our own initiative that compels us to do so. Instead, we learn that it is always God’s initiative within us, just as Saint Paul has written."
Pope Saint John Paul II, from Crossing the Threshold of Hope.

Since the initiative to pray indeed always comes from God, why hesitate with discouraging thoughts of danger when the idea of praying the Jesus Prayer presents itself? As others have said, it seems to me the greater danger these days is that one might not pray at all, especially if they are warded off by ominous warnings that make prayer seem like a complicated feat fraught with peril, that must be done correctly if it is to have merit.

The Catechism endorses the Jesus Prayer, and that has long been recommendation enough for me. Even without a regular spiritual director, I do not let the fear of somehow improperly scaling the heights of perfection keep me from making my simple attempt. Even the mechanical recitation of a prayer is better than no prayer at all, or frittering our time away with daydreams and such, right?
 
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