The Essence of the Jesus Prayer

“Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy upon me.”

As Orthodox Christians, when something tests our faith or our preconceived notion of what that faith might be, it is imperative that we look to the Holy Fathers for guidance and understanding.  Their supreme knowledge of scripture and their holy lives demonstrate to us the facts regarding Orthodoxy.

Unfortunately, living in a land that is not predominantly Orthodox we are often times confronted with beliefs that seem, at least initially, to be reasonable and correct.  When, however, these beliefs are tested by Orthodox doctrine and theology they then may appear foreign to the faith.  When this scenario develops and if we are not grounded in the teachings of the Holy Fathers, confusion may arise.  Ridding ourselves of this confusion (which comes from the devil) must also come by prayerfully looking to God and from those whom God Himself has sanctified – the saints.  Any revelation that claims to be from God must always be verified through the teachings of the Church.  This is most appropriate, for the two can never be in conflict with one another. Orthodoxy most assuredly proclaims God as the source of both the Church and revelation.[1]

The saints of the Holy Orthodox Church are those who are completely grounded in Orthodoxy.  Being so well versed in their faith, these Holy individuals had no reason to understand every heresy that attempted to sneak its way into the faith, for they knew the Truth.  They experienced God within their lives and came to know The Spirit of Truth – The Holy Spirit.  Interesting enough, the attempt, therefore, to understand a heresy was in some way an attempt to comprehend the devil.  An effort such as this, the saints knew, is never spiritually fruitful and can only cause damage to the soul; for the eternal ploy of the devil is to remove our minds from being centered on God.

Being centered on God, then, is the most important aspect surrounding the Jesus Prayer.

The Jesus Prayer may seem to some as a new phenomenon and hence many may not be familiar with it.  Whether a recent convert to Orthodoxy or Orthodox from birth this prayer may be regarded as something “new.” But as one begins to explore the essential meaning of the Jesus Prayer, not only will they see that its history has long been established in Orthodoxy, one will also understand that many of the great mysteries of the Holy Orthodox Church are contained within it.  This prayer is neither new to Christian Spirituality nor has it ever been suspended from use in the Church.  On the contrary, it has embodied the spirit of Orthodoxy to its fullest.  This simple prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy upon me”[2] expresses the desire for God to become the center of one’s life.

Orthodox tradition teaches that the continued invocation of the Holy Name slowly permeates the entire being.  This is put into practice by repeating the first part of the Jesus Prayer:  “Lord, Jesus Christ.”  When the Name of the Holy One is confined within our being, all other distractions are removed.  Cares of the world, inner strife, stress disappear.  We are brought to an inner silence and a concord of being.  This has a way of returning us to the fundamental state of humility before God.  With this, we then become aware of the awesome peace and majesty with which God is surrounded.  Thus the Jesus Prayer teaches the awesomeness of the Holy One and how the holiness of God becomes bearable for man.[3]

The second part of the Jesus Prayer is derived from the “Lord, have mercy” found in the New Testament.  The prayer in Greek is five short but powerful words. (Kuvrie Ihsou` Cristev, Elevhson me - Kyrie, Isou Christe, Eleison me)  Orthodox Tradition teaches that it is precisely this prayer to which 1 Corinthians 14:19 refers.[4]  Notice the privilege and honor St. Paul ascribes to this prayer.

In addition to this, we see in Scripture the words, “Lord, have mercy” being uttered by those who are sick and who are turning to the One who can heal them.[5] As we see from Holy Scripture, another pertinent aspect of the Jesus Prayer is healing.

Healing is required for our soul and body because sin has disparaged the human integrity.  Complete healing can only come from the One who is without sin.  When our life is centered on Christ, healing from sin is inevitable.  In order to be healed, we must approach Christ who is the Physician of our souls and bodies.  This we term repentance.  The Jesus Prayer in essence is the cry of the Publican, “God, be merciful to me a sinner” (Lk. 18:13) and of the Prodigal “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you” (Lk. 15:16) and of the penitent thief who hung on the cross next to Christ “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom” (Lk. 23:42).  It is the prayer of all those wounded and stricken by grief turning to Christ for healing.  It is a prayer for us.  

The Jesus Prayer encompasses the entirety of Scripture by calling upon Christ’s Holy Name to cleanse us and heal us from our sin.

Before we continue, it is important to introduce the intrinsic difference between Eastern and Western concepts of prayer.  In the Eastern Orthodox Tradition, the center of human consciousness and of divine presence in man is seen as occurring not in the “mind” but in the “heart.”  So in essence, the fullness of prayer is realized in the heart and not merely with the mind.  St. Theophan insists: “You must descend from your head into your heart.”  Because it is precisely this essence that the Jesus Prayer teaches it is also commonly known as the “Prayer of the Heart.”

St. John Climacus tells us that the mind’s effort for prayer is not as fruitful as the heart’s effort.  “Let there be no studied elegance in the words of your prayer, do not launch out into long discourses that fitter away your mind in efforts for eloquence…many words in prayer often fill the mind with images and distract it, while often one single word draws it into recollection.”  It is the words of the Publican (God, be merciful to me, a sinner) that St. John says touches God’s mercy.

Prayer, in the Eastern concept, utilizes various outward “gestures” or “techniques” to demonstrate the belief that prayer incorporates the entire being. Anyone entering into an Orthodox Church vividly comprehends this reality.  The Orthodox use many gestures, from the making the sign of the cross to prostrations, metanias, bowing, blowing (during baptisms), to show that prayer is centered on the whole being and not merely contained within the mind.  It would be quite Orthodox to say that the entire body participates in prayer.

Since the entire body enters into prayer, it is quite natural for certain “techniques” to also be employed while saying the Jesus Prayer.  Breathing is one technique that is used.  As the monks taught, when one inhales a breath, one should also breathe in the Divine Name, “Lord, Jesus Christ.”  St. John Climacus says, “May the name of Jesus be united with your breath.”  The Philokalia teaches, “Unite your breath with the invocation of Jesus and you shall see how good the quietness is.”

Upon exhaling, we are to breathe out that which is evil, “Have mercy upon me (a sinner.)”  In the Church, breathing upon something has always been seen as a type of renunciation or exorcism.  Nowhere is this more vivid than during the baptismal service.  The priest, during the service of the Making of a Catechumen, will blow three times upon the candidate signifying the expulsion of the devil and the candidate’s readiness to accept Christ.  The reading of the three prayers of exorcism follows this action.  Lastly, we witness the Godparent blowing and spitting upon the ground, further illustrating our rejection and disgust for the devil.

Another technique employed by the monks in connection to the Jesus Prayer was looking constantly at the heart as a type of vigil.  This is a vivid illustration of keeping guard over what may enter into the heart.  Even to this day Orthodox monastics may be seen following the instructions given to them by St. Nikephoros the Hesychast.  They go day and night in constant vigil; head bowed looking upon their heart.  For those of us not aware of constant vigil or of this monastic practice, these gestures should speak to us concerning true humility and prayer.  Only those with contempt criticize the actions of monastics insulting them by demanding them to raise their head or calling them, as Barlaam did in the 14^th Century, as “people whose soul is in their navel” (omphalo-psychoi). It comes as no surprise that Barlaam was ultimately rebuked at a regional Council held in Constantinople in 1341 A.D.

Monks, following the Traditions of the Church, were/are still very aware of the central role of the body in prayer and how it aides in the process of prayer.

For some, these “techniques” utilized together with the Jesus Prayer are misunderstood.  Today, some would label these techniques as “yoga” or “transcendental.”  However, this is furthest from the truth.  As mentioned before, Barlaam who was a Calabrian philosopher and heretic rejected altogether the use of these very techniques and attacked violently the monks who used them. The concern over these techniques was one of the major reasons why St. Gregory Palamas wrote his book, Triads.  His book was aimed at defining the role of the human body in prayer and consequently it demonstrated a Christocentric conception of human life in its wholeness.  This debate was laid to rest in Orthodoxy at the above mentioned Council held in Constantinople in 1341 A.D. and also by endorsement of the monks living on Mt. Athos that same year by what is call the “Tomos Agioreitikos.”

Other great saints of the Church, even before St. Gregory Palamas, namely St. John of Climacus and St. Diadochos of Photice, taught the “Prayer of the Heart, the Jesus Prayer.”  They taught the importance of keeping the “mind” in the “heart” and of placing the Name of Jesus in our “heart,” so that He may reside there.

“The spirituality centered on the Jesus Prayer, which originated in the eremitic monasticism became a constant practice not only in cenobitic monasteries but also among the laity.  Its simplicity and directness pointed at the essential content of the Christian faith and led to that personal experience of God without which – according to St. Symeon the New Theologian (949-1022) – there was no true Christianity.” – Fr. John Meyendorff.

St. Symeon the New Theologian was quite familiar with the Jesus Prayer or the Prayer of the Heart.  He was a monk and lived some 350 years after St. John Climacus.  He strongly emphasized the possibility and the necessity of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the heart of man.  He prayed unceasingly for one gift: that the Holy Spirit may come upon him and enlighten him.

At the very center of the Jesus Prayer lies the actual experience of the body as the temple of the Holy Spirit, in other words, the Spirit truly dwelling in our body. “Do you not know that you are the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own.” (1Cor. 6:19).  The Jesus Prayer has its beginnings in the mind, as with the sojourner in The Way of the Pilgrim; but eventually with persistence it transcends the prayer of the mind and descends into the heart.  Thus, when the Jesus Prayer is prayed from the heart it allows the mind to empty itself of all thoughts, images, fantasies and commotion.  It then becomes still.  The mind is freed from distractions and the heart is focused on prayer.  From this we begin to allow the Holy Spirit to transfigure us into that same image of God.  We mirror the image of God within us.[6]  All the saints of the Church have experienced this change called Theosis.  Thus the glorious saying of St. Athanasios is realized: “God became man, so that we can become god.”

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, the Jesus Prayer has been a source of communion with God since the beginnings of Christianity.  Many stories have been told and have been associated with this prayer. It is referred to by Holy Scripture. We can read a defense of it by St. Gregory Palamas. It is still practiced by monastics and the laity in association with the monastic prayer-rope or komboskini. And above all, contemporary Orthodoxy continues the practice of Holy Tradition.  All this leads us to its ultimate goal, the encountering of God.  This prayer is a proven and tested defense against the devil.  Hold on to this Tradition as one of the many living Traditions contained within the Holy Orthodox Church.  As mentioned in the beginning and hopefully covered here, the Holy Fathers of the Church encourage us by giving us clear direction and by being supported by Scripture to repeat the Jesus Prayer.  Hold this prayer close and dear to you; come to know Orthodoxy in its fullest.  So by knowing Orthodoxy – the True Faith – it may bring us to know God.

With love in Christ,

Rev. Fr. Peter Delvizis, Economos - St. George Greek Orthodox Church - Media, Pennsylvania