Some Byzantine Franciscans practice a spiritual discipline called hesychasm.  The Greek work hesychia, silence, expresses the mental prayer technique used by hesychasts in conjunction with certain ascetical practices in the pursuit of theosis.  Hesychasts strive to perfect their use of the Jesus Prayer ("Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner") and attain success in the three levels of prayer: oral repetition, prayer without distraction (active, attentive, and perceptive forms), and prayer of the heart (spiritual form).  The penitential tone of this ancient prayer of the Church is entirely consistent with the Franciscan perception of conversion as a continuous process that requires constant penance.

In his Angelus Message for August 11, 1996, Pope John Paul II shared the following thoughts regarding the objective of hesychasm:

In the East, hesychasm means a method of prayer characterized by a deep tranquility of the spirit, which is engaged in constant contemplation of God by invoking the name of Jesus. There was no lack of tension with the Catholic viewpoint on certain aspects of this practice. However, we should acknowledge the good intentions which guided the defense of this spiritual method, that is, to emphasize the concrete possibility that man is given to unite himself with the Triune God in the intimacy of his heart, in that deep union of grace which Eastern theology likes to describe with the particularly powerful term of "theosis", "divinization".

Precisely in this regard Eastern spirituality has amassed a very rich experience which was vigorously presented in the famous collection of texts significantly entitled Philokalia (love of beauty") and gathered by Nicodemus the Hagiorite at the end of the 18th century. Down the centuries until our day, Eastern theological reflection has undergone interesting developments, not only in the classical areas of the Byzantine and Russian tradition, but also in the Orthodox communities scattered throughout the world. One need only recall, among the many studies worthy of mention, the Theology of Beauty elaborated by Pavel Nikolaievich Evdokimov, which is based on the Eastern art of the icon, and the study of the doctrine of "divinization" by the Orthodox scholar, Loth Borovine.

In his Angelus Message for November 3, 1996, Pope John Paul offered additional thoughts concerning the Jesus Prayer and its use:

But in addition to its liturgical expression, prayer in the East as in the West has many other expressions. Spiritual authors have a particular partiality for the prayer of the heart, which consists in knowing how to listen to the voice of the Spirit in profound and receptive silence.

The so-called Jesus prayer is held in particular esteem and is popular in the West through the Russian text known as "The Way of the Pilgrim". It is the invocation "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner". Repeated frequently, in these or similar words, this rich invocation becomes, as it were, the soul's very breath. Man is thus helped to feel the Saviour's presence in everything he encounters, and he experiences being loved by God despite his own weaknesses. Although recited interiorly, it also has a mysterious community radiance. This little prayer, the Fathers used to say, is a great treasure and unites all those praying before the  face of Christ.

In Byzantine Daily Worship (Imprimatur 1968 by the Most Reverend Joseph Raya, Archbishop of Aka, Haifa, Nazareth, and All Galilee), the following instruction is offered regarding the Jesus Prayer (pp. 933-934):

Christ, our Lord and God, spoke repeatedly of the need we have for remaining in vital contact with God through prayer.  His command was "Pray always."  The reason the Lord gave for this continuing prayer was "that you may not lose heart and become discouraged" (Luke 18:1).  We can always pray through the use of short prayers which spiral to the very heart of God and bring down upon us flashes of light and bursts of strength.  One of the very early Christian methods of prayer was the use of the Jesus prayer....This prayer should be repeated throughout the day until it becomes an unbroken, perpetual calling upon the divine name of Jesus, with the lips, the mind, and the heart....To help concentrate the mind on this prayer, the Fathers devised a kind of rosary made of one hundred beads or knots of wool in groups of twenty-five.  Each group is separated from the last by a larger bead or knot on which some invocation is said, for instance to the Blessed Mother of God: O Most Holy Mother of God, intercede for us! 

It is important for beginners to learn this discipline from a spiritual director to avoid falling prey to prelest (a term used by the Eastern Fathers to refer to delusions and errors that can befall inexperienced hesychasts in the course of their work).  The Rule of St. Pachomius and a modern version of the Grand Schema are provided here to acquaint you with a common form of hesychastic prayer and the rites of initiation associated with success in its use.

Follow the links on this page to learn more about the Rule of St. Pachomius and the Grand Schema.