The role of the "Jesus Prayer" in Eastern Catholic Rite

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I asked a few questions on the “Eastern Priesthood” thread about the Jesus Prayer, and decided that rather than hijack someone else’s thread on the priesthood, I’d start a new thread.

Celanus said that doing the Jesus Prayer with monastic breathing techniques could open one up to evil influences. How could one be open to evil when one was calling out the name of our Lord over and over?
 
Another question:

Would a strong devotion to this Prayer be a legitimate reason to change Rites?
 
RCconvert7 said:
Another question:

Would a strong devotion to this Prayer be a legitimate reason to change Rites?
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A Catholic has the right to his own form of spiritual life independent of the ritual Church of baptism. So a change of ritual Church would not make any difference with respect to practicing the Jesus Prayer.

CIC Canon 214 The Christian faithful have the right to worship God according to the prescriptions of their own rite approved by the legitimate pastors of the Church, and to follow their own form of spiritual life consonant with the teaching of the Church.
 
As with any prayer or meditation, one needs to maintain a proper balance in one’s entire spiritual life. Advanced monastics can and do use breathing techniques, but these are “inside baseball” and have nothing to do with us laity. One must also guard the imagination against images and other distractions.

The repetition of the Name of Jesus as in the Jesus Prayer is common to all Rites and in the West there is the Jesus Psalter, the Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus and the repetition of the Name of Jesus etc.

Practicing the Jesus Prayer, calmly and in a self-disciplined way with regular Confession and Communion etc., is something that any Christian can (and should!) do. Keep to your Particular Church and Rite!

Alex
 
RCconvert7 said:
I asked a few questions on the “Eastern Priesthood” thread about the Jesus Prayer, and decided that rather than hijack someone else’s thread on the priesthood, I’d start a new thread.

Celanus said that doing the Jesus Prayer with monastic breathing techniques could open one up to evil influences. How could one be open to evil when one was calling out the name of our Lord over and over?
Click to expand...
Doing the Jesus Prayer with the various breathing and other physical techniques can indeed lead to evil influences, thus it is normally required that one have an experienced spiritual father (i.e. director) to guide one through the use of these techniques. The evil influences are such things as pride and delusion, as well as some fairly nasty psychological effects. I’ve heard stories of people who either didn’t have a spiritual father, or did not practice the Jesus Prayer as ordered by the spiritual father (performing more prayers than prescribed) who literally went insane. This is because the spirituality of the Jesus Prayer, or more properly hesychasm, takes one through one’s entire life and reveals the truth about oneself. To paraphrase an overused quote, not all people can handle the truth. When one begins to see one’s sins and sinful way of life for what they really are, then we are often led to despair and driven insane by guilt and over-scrupulosity. Without the guide of an experience spiritual father how can we hope to avoid such pitfalls?

That being said, there is not universal agreement among the Eastern Fathers that the physical methods and breathing methods of hesychasm are useful. St Theophan the Recluse seems to have almost despised such methods, as did Ignatius Brianchaninov. For such as these the important thing is prayer “with the mind in the heart,” that is, focusing all of one’s attention and feeling, indeed one’s entire being, on the prayer and on the Person to whom the prayer is addressed. They also say that if one cannot find an experienced spiritual father, then one should study the Church Fathers attentively, especially the writings contained in the Philokalia.
 
RCconvert7 said:
Another question:

Would a strong devotion to this Prayer be a legitimate reason to change Rites?
Click to expand...
I would say that a strong devotion to the Jesus Prayer is not a legitimate reason to change sui iuris churches (there is no such thing as changing rites, and there are plenty of comments in plenty of threads that deal with that topic). As Alexander pointed out, there is just as strong of a devotion to the Holy Name in the Latin Church as there is in any of the Eastern Churches. I would think a legitimate reason would be a deep love for the liturgical life of whatever sui iuris church you plan on enrolling in, and a complete acceptance and embracing of that church’s authentic theological, spiritual, disciplinary, and patrimonial tradition. This is often more difficult than it seems. I have a friend who is currently going through such a transformation. He has often admitted to me how difficult it is for him to shed his “Roman” mindset in order to embrace the “Eastern/Byzantine” mindset (I specify Byzantine because there are many Eastern traditions). For me personally the transition was easy, it was like coming home.
 
Phillip_Rolfes said:
Doing the Jesus Prayer with the various breathing and other physical techniques can indeed lead to evil influences, thus it is normally required that one have an experienced spiritual father (i.e. director) to guide one through the use of these techniques. The evil influences are such things as pride and delusion, as well as some fairly nasty psychological effects. I’ve heard stories of people who either didn’t have a spiritual father, or did not practice the Jesus Prayer as ordered by the spiritual father (performing more prayers than prescribed) who literally went insane. This is because the spirituality of the Jesus Prayer, or more properly hesychasm, takes one through one’s entire life and reveals the truth about oneself. To paraphrase an overused quote, not all people can handle the truth. When one begins to see one’s sins and sinful way of life for what they really are, then we are often led to despair and driven insane by guilt and over-scrupulosity. Without the guide of an experience spiritual father how can we hope to avoid such pitfalls?

That being said, there is not universal agreement among the Eastern Fathers that the physical methods and breathing methods of hesychasm are useful. St Theophan the Recluse seems to have almost despised such methods, as did Ignatius Brianchaninov. For such as these the important thing is prayer “with the mind in the heart,” that is, focusing all of one’s attention and feeling, indeed one’s entire being, on the prayer and on the Person to whom the prayer is addressed. They also say that if one cannot find an experienced spiritual father, then one should study the Church Fathers attentively, especially the writings contained in the Philokalia.
Click to expand...
Thank you for this post! It is the most in-depth piece of advice I have received as yet on this topic. It feels as if you know what you are talking about.

I do love the Philokalia. Is hesychasm completely off-limits to laypeople? If a layman feels called to it, is this a false calling, akin to a married man in the Latin Rite wanting the priesthood, or is there way?

In regards to me being drawn toward the Eastern Church, I find that it is not the liturgy, but the theology that draws me. The descriptions of the Trinity in “His Life is Mine” are of particular beauty to me.

Having been praying the Jesus Prayer for some years, I feel drawn to hesychasm, it feels like a vocation to me. However, I am not a monk, but a “working stiff” with wife and children. I sincerely feel that lay people ARE called to contemplative lives, and that those lives are not incompatible with a life of family and activity.
 
RCconvert7 said:
Why?
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They induce an altered state of consciousness. Doing so without a spiritual father nearby to check on you and without a major amount of preparation is just not safe. It’s inviting the devil to “come and toy with one” if one is not suitably prepared.
 
RCconvert7 said:
Celanus said that doing the Jesus Prayer with monastic breathing techniques could open one up to evil influences. How could one be open to evil when one was calling out the name of our Lord over and over?
Click to expand...
Scripture says that only someone in the Holy Spirit can call Jesus “Lord.” Reciting the name of Jesus is not necessarily a ward against evil.

My memory is spotty, but I think in the ritual of exorcism, it is the full name “Jesus Christ” that is considered anathema to the devil. The “Christ” is the distinguishing and relevant element.

Blessings,
Marduk
 
Aramis said:
They induce an altered state of consciousness. Doing so without a spiritual father nearby to check on you and without a major amount of preparation is just not safe. It’s inviting the devil to “come and toy with one” if one is not suitably prepared.
Click to expand...
My question is, why can’t one meet these criteria without being a monk? I don’t disagree that an experienced spiritual guide is critical for this practice, but why do you think that such a thing is too “inside baseball” (I don’t really know what that means) for laypeople.
 
mardukm said:
Scripture says that only someone in the Holy Spirit can call Jesus “Lord.” Reciting the name of Jesus is not necessarily a ward against evil.

My memory is spotty, but I think in the ritual of exorcism, it is the full name “Jesus Christ” that is considered anathema to the devil. The “Christ” is the distinguishing and relevant element.
Click to expand...
The Prayer is “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner” or some variation. I’m not sure how much more “full” a name for Jesus one could use.

Also, what Jesus said was that not all who call him “Lord,Lord” will will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but only those who do the will of his Father. Also, the point of this passage, taken in context is about doing the Father’s will, and about being known by Jesus. An intimate prayer life and calling out for His mercy seems a good way to know Him, and if it is backed up by works of mercy on our fellow human beings, how could it not be the will of the Father.

Also pertinent here is Luke 9:49-50:
“Master,” said John, “we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.” “Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”
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RCconvert7 said:
The Prayer is “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner” or some variation. I’m not sure how much more “full” a name for Jesus one could use.
Click to expand...
Ummm. You asked, “How could one be open to evil when one was calling out the name of our Lord over and over?” 🤷
Also, what Jesus said was that not all who call him “Lord,Lord” will will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but only those who do the will of his Father. Also, the point of this passage, taken in context is about doing the Father’s will, and about being known by Jesus. An intimate prayer life and calling out for His mercy seems a good way to know Him, and if it is backed up by works of mercy on our fellow human beings, how could it not be the will of the Father.

Also pertinent here is Luke 9:49-50:
Click to expand...
We’re not talking about the same verses.

Blessings
 
RCconvert7 said:
Thank you for this post! It is the most in-depth piece of advice I have received as yet on this topic. It feels as if you know what you are talking about.

I do love the Philokalia. Is hesychasm completely off-limits to laypeople? If a layman feels called to it, is this a false calling, akin to a married man in the Latin Rite wanting the priesthood, or is there way?

In regards to me being drawn toward the Eastern Church, I find that it is not the liturgy, but the theology that draws me. The descriptions of the Trinity in “His Life is Mine” are of particular beauty to me.

Having been praying the Jesus Prayer for some years, I feel drawn to hesychasm, it feels like a vocation to me. However, I am not a monk, but a “working stiff” with wife and children. I sincerely feel that lay people ARE called to contemplative lives, and that those lives are not incompatible with a life of family and activity.
Click to expand...
Hesychasm, when understood as the physical techniques meant to aid prayer, is only off-limits to lay people who do not have an experience spiritual guide to maneuver them through the potentially spiritually and psychologically dangerous stages of the “altered state” referred to above. Sadly there are many who think of hesychasm in this purely physical sense.

However, hesychasm, when understood as a state of inner spiritual peace (i.e. contemplation) is the vocation of every Christian, not just monastics. It is important to realize, however, that this isn’t just about the Jesus Prayer. The Jesus Prayer is only a tool, an aid to hesychia (inner peace). Praying the Jesus Prayer must be accompanied by other ascetic disciplines (i.e. fasting and alms-giving being two of the most important disciplines which accompany prayer). These disciplines are normally assigned by a spiritual father. For example, your spiritual father, after discerning the best medicine for your soul, could tell you not to eat any food before noon, to only eat the most moderate amounts of food necessary to sustain life, and to continue this practice for a month (or until your next meeting with him). To undertake such fasting on one’s own can often lead to the sin of pride.

Many Fathers, including Theophan the Recluse, Ignatius Branchaninov, and Metropolitan Kallistos Ware, recommend extensive spiritual reading if one does not have a spiritual father. I would also add that if one does not have a spiritual father, the ascetic disciplines of the Church should suffice for one’s own ascetic discipline. These would including following the strict fast on Wednesdays and Fridays as well as all other days designated as “strict fast” days, and also following the other “non-strict” fasting periods; attending the Divine Liturgy/Mass and receiving Holy Communion regularly; frequent Confession; attendance at the Divine Office whenever possible (my parish has Saturday night Vespers and Sunday morning Orthros/Matins every week), etc.

I strongly recommend you read “The Art of Prayer” if you haven’t already. 👍 It’s probably the best compendium of Byzantine spirituality available today. Also anything by St. Theophan the Recluse is pure gold. His writings were directed primarily towards lay people, so they are very useful to those of us who are not within the monastic enclosure. St. Theophan is my personal favorite, and I hope one day to own/read more of his writings than what are contained in “The Art of Prayer”.
 
Alexander_Roman said:
As with any prayer or meditation, one needs to maintain a proper balance in one’s entire spiritual life. Advanced monastics can and do use breathing techniques, but these are “inside baseball” and have nothing to do with us laity. One must also guard the imagination against images and other distractions.

The repetition of the Name of Jesus as in the Jesus Prayer is common to all Rites and in the West there is the Jesus Psalter, the Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus and the repetition of the Name of Jesus etc.

Practicing the Jesus Prayer, calmly and in a self-disciplined way with regular Confession and Communion etc., is something that any Christian can (and should!) do. Keep to your Particular Church and Rite!

Alex
Click to expand...
Hello Alex-

I was curious if you could clarify your last sentence, “Keep to your Particular Church and Rite.” Are you just suggesting that the OP adapt the practice of the Jesus Prayer within his existing Rite, or are you saying that he should be discouraged from further investigation into other Rites? I would think if he is interested in one of the Eastern Churches, he would be encouraged to pursue educating himself in that area. This might lead to a fuller appreciation of his Catholic faith.

Thanks.
 
mardukm said:
Ummm. You asked, “How could one be open to evil when one was calling out the name of our Lord over and over?” 🤷

We’re not talking about the same verses.

Blessings
Click to expand...
What verses are you referencing?
 
RCconvert7 said:
What verses are you referencing?
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It’s a very popular verse in Catholic apologetics that, when used in conjuction with the verses you gave, is a powerful refutation of the Protestant OSAS heresy.

I Corinthians 12:3 - “No one can cay “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit.”

Blessings
 
Phillip_Rolfes said:
Hesychasm, when understood as the physical techniques meant to aid prayer, is only off-limits to lay people who do not have an experience spiritual guide to maneuver them through the potentially spiritually and psychologically dangerous stages of the “altered state” referred to above.
Click to expand...
So where does a very motivated lay person find such a guide?
 
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