Category:

Remembering The Jesus Prayer

12/13/2022

If you need encouragement to pray with ceasing The Jesus Prayer--Lord Jesus Christ have mercy upon me—here it is from Theophan the Recluse.

Remembrance of God is something that God Himself grafts upon the soul. But the soul must also force itself to persevere and to toil. Work, making every effort to attain the unceasing remembrance of God. And God, seeing how fervently you desire it, will give you this constant recollection of Himself.

Beyond joys and concerns

7/6/2019

I sit here in my lovely yard enjoying the flora and my family. I could write about that.
     Or…
   I sit here in my lovely yard worrying about the racism that has a grip on our president and so many in our country. I could write about that.
     But…
     Neither of those scenarios help me, a person who God keeps calling to another way of living that is beyond enjoying or worrying. At church we lift up joys and concerns because that is where we are settled in our lives. But then we are asked to soar above them, to let them go, to stop allowing them to take over. We are asked not to think them away but to pray them away.
     Again and again I return to Paul’s plea in 1 Thessalonians: pray without ceasing. When I pray the Jesus Prayer, Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me, my dependence on the joys and concerns of life lose their power and the peace of God that passes all understanding takes over. Of course I have to keep practicing this, but the results keep me at it.

With God in Florence

9/6/2018

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything more than a Daily Quote or Word & Image. It’s not that I haven’t been praying, but I couldn’t pull together anything I felt worthy of sharing. Maybe I should have told you that I was all over the place mentally and physically getting ready for this moment when I would be sitting in the garden of the art institute adjacent to the Boboli Gardens in Florence. Maybe I should have told you that I was too involved in the non-stop breaking news to ever imagine that I would be taking a two week vacation from it all.
     The leaves are turning and there is a soft breeze here in the park. How easy it is to feel God’s presence in God’s natural creation and in God’s people enjoying themselves! I say that I go to Florence to walk around with God, because that is truly what I want to do, although I often forget. When I do remember, however, God is clearly present whether I am walking the streets, visiting a church or museum, enjoy delicious food, or watching people (and their dogs) in the park.
    Traveling alone simplifies things; it’s just God and me, no one else. Traveling alone helps me practice what I’d like to have happen all the time—be aware of God. I’m reminded of St. Paul’s suggestion that we pray without ceasing, and the way of the pilgrim repeating the Jesus Prayer.
    I am very grateful that solitary travel works out so well for me, but it’s not the only way to travel or to be in solitude, nor the only way to be in God’s presence. When we follow Jesus, however, we see that a little solitude time with God is part of God’s plan. If Jesus traveled off by himself to be with God, why shouldn’t we?

Fruits of Centering Prayer~

1/5/2018

     We have lived in this old house for over a week with no running water downstairs. I’m talking about washing machine and kitchen sink, including frozen drains. Up and down the steep, back stairs we go to fetch water and do dishes. We could be complaining and feeling sorry for ourselves, after all, it’s a first world privilege to whine about such inconveniences. But we don’t.
     I attribute my attitude to the fruits of Centering Prayer and the Jesus Prayer. I just show up and ‘do’ them. For twenty minutes a day I sit in God’s presence, letting go of thoughts and feeling my breath. During the day, whenever I remember, I let go of thoughts and think, ‘Jesus Christ have mercy on me.’ The fruits appear; I am free of stress about a particular situation; I don’t have a judgment about something or someone; my mind is less cluttered; I return more often to praying without ceasing.
      These are miracles. Centering prayer opens up the space for God to do God’s work in my life. The Jesus Prayer keeps my heart open.

Pray without ceasing~

10/24/2017

      This Wednesday at “The Well” at church our topic will be ‘pray without ceasing,’ that short little phrase that Paul sneaks into his First Letter to the Thessalonians.What does it mean to pray without ceasing? How could you ever do that? Well, through the centuries holy people have grappled with the idea.
     The Jesus Prayer, Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me, a sinner which has been embraced for centuries by the Eastern Church, gives one answer. The Philoklia, a book of writings on prayer, offers numerous commentaries from hesychasts, individuals from the mystical tradition of prayer who practicedthe Jesus prayer. The 19th century book, “The Way of A Pilgrim,” follows the journey of a pilgrim in Russia searching to understanding what it means to pray without ceasing.
     I love this prayer. It starts with praise for God and ends with humility on the part of the human being. It is about humility; it is about mercy; it is about opening my heart.
     “The Prayer of the Heart is considered to be the Unceasing Prayer that the apostle Paul advocates in the New Testament.[1] St. Theophan the Recluse regarded the Jesus' Prayer stronger than all other prayers by virtue of the power of the Holy Name of Jesu. (Wikipedia)

Pray the Jesus Prayer with out ceasing. Here’s how it goes.
1. The oral prayer (the prayer of the lips) is a simple recitation, still external to the practitioner.
2. The focused prayer, when "the mind is focused upon the words" of the prayer, "speaking them as if they were our own."
3. The prayer of the heart itself, when the prayer is no longer something we do but who we are.

Walking around with God in Florence~

9/13/2017

I’m in Florence, walking around with God. That’s what I tell some folks, and they get it, at least my prayer friends do, and of course those of you reading this blog. Recently I’ve been using that phrase with friends outside my prayer circle, and they too seem to get it. It’s a heart comment, not a head one, although I also tell them that I walk, write, visit churches and museums, and eat..
You either get the idea of walking around with God or you don’t, and you only get in your own way. The detailsare difficult to put into words but here’s my try: I express praise for God’s creation and thanksgiving for all I am experiencing; I pray for people on my prayer list; I pay attention to the moment, trying not to live in the future; I say the Jesus Prayer; I breathe God’s love into my heart.
Of course I can walk around with God at home, but here in Florence it’s my only practice; gratitude overflows.

Returning to the Jesus Prayer~

10/26/2016

I’ve returned to my abbreviated version of Jesus Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me. For a while I tried substituting it with Maranatha, Come, Jesus, Come, but I realized the Jesus Prayer is ‘hard wired’ in me. Plus, it calls me to a deeper place with God, a place of humility. Although I’m sticking with, I realize that calling on Jesus to be present with me has an important place in my repertoire of mantras.

Maranatha

10/17/2016

I’ve been practicing the Jesus Prayer for at least eight years, so it’s become quite automatic. Throughout the day I notice myself saying/thinking: Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me a sinner. I hardly ever say the sinner part and yet, in spite of that, recently I have sensed that the prayer is feeding me negativity. Don’t get me wrong. I am a sinner and Ido need mercy, but that’s doesn’t define who I am or what God is calling me to be or do. What I need is Jesus in my life so I can shed his light as I pray for others and on me. That is what God is telling me.
Consequently, in the past few days, as I’ve shifted to Maranatha, Come, Jesus, Come, and this morning I have chosen not to listen to or read the news today. Immediately the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual light is brighter.

Pray and you will have success~

8/1/2016

     Theophan the Recluse (1815 - 1894), a Russian Orthodox priest and saint who wrote prolifically about the Jesus Prayer, is one of my favorite religious writers. I often start my day reading a short line or two of his in The Art of Prayer: An Orthodox Anthology, compiled by Igumen Chariton of Valamo, translated by E. Kadloubovsky and E.M. Palmer, and edited by Timothy Ware.
     The other morning this got me going quickly:
“If you are not successful in your prayer, do not expect success in anything. It is the root of all.”

     That is a mighty powerful comment, and needless to say, can be extremely frightening. “I can’t do that. I might as well give up and go off into the weeds.”
     On the other hand, it can be extremely comforting. “I can do that. I want my life to be successful. It can be successful. I can get to the root of this.”
     If you read even a little about prayer, you’ll become aware that there are many, many ways to pray. If you pray even a little, you are already aware of the many, many ways. If you don’t pray, you won’t be successful at it. Just do it, and God will lead you to success, God’s success. You’ll be amazed.

Remembering to pray without ceasing~

6/8/2016

“Remember, remember, remember,” I tell myself. ‘Pray the Jesus Prayer throughout the day, pray without ceasing.” Pray it not only as reminder that God is with me all the time but as a way to be present to the Holy Spirit. I pray it as I go about my daily activities; I pray it as a meditation. Sometimes I am conscious; sometimes it becomes a prayer of the heart.