ARTICLE – The Jesus Prayer: A Method To Pray At All Times

Did you know that there exists a method for praying at all times? It is called the Jesus Prayer and involves invoking the Name of Jesus as frequently as possible with the following formula, “Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” This formula is based on the professions of faith of the apostle Peter (Mt 16:15), Martha (Jn 11:27) and the prayer of the publican (Lk 18:13).

This way of praying is very common in the Orthodox Churches and has been for hundreds of years. The Jesus Prayer is also called the Prayer of the heart because it leads to a progressive purification of the mind and allows one to constantly fix one’s attention on the Lord. Practicing it uninterruptedly is a way of following the exhortation of Saint Paul: pray without ceasing (1 Thess 5:17).

The book called The Way Of The Pilgrim offers valuable advice for those who want to start: “Sit in silence and solitude, bow your head, close your eyes; breathe more gently, look with your imagination into your heart, gather your intelligence, from your head into your heart. Say on the breath: ‘Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me’, in a low voice or simply in spirit…”

Pierre-Alain Giffard

References

https://www.lavie.fr/christianisme/eglise/quest-ce-que-la-priere-de-jesus-nbsp-5120.php
https://www.cursillos.ca/priere/apprendre-a-prier/p21-priere-de-Jesus.htm


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