“Life in His Name” - How to Pray the Jesus Prayer
The Name of our Lord Jesus Christ was given by revelation: “You shall name Him ‘Jesus’” (Matthew 1:21; Luke 1:31), and “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among people by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
When, with faith and trust, we call upon the Name of Jesus, we enter His presence. Over time, we become “a temple of God” (I Corinthians 3:16), whose “sins have been forgiven through His name” (I John 2:12). And, because we’re confessing our need for Christ, who said “apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5), we’re beginning to embody the first beatitude — “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3).
This simple prayer — “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me” — succinctly joins Christ’s sinless divinity to our broken humanity, very gradually ordering our inner life. Its simplicity and ease of use — when part of a whole Christian lifestyle of prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and a pursuit of virtue, so that we do not attempt to enter the “bridal chamber” of the heart without a “wedding garment” (Matthew 22:12) — is how, over time and by the grace of God, we practice St Paul’s words to “pray without ceasing” (I Thessalonians 5:17).
How to Pray The Jesus Prayer
Like all prayer, the Jesus Prayer must be offered from a life of obedience and thankfulness, which attracts the Holy Spirit who then “intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Romans 8:26). Also, one should practice the Jesus Prayer with the guidance of a spiritual father.
Generally, there are two ways of offering the Jesus Prayer, each with its own benefit but serving different purposes: in "the inner room, the closet, having closed your door, praying to your Father in secret” (Matthew 6:6); and, in our outer life, while doing our various tasks (Luke 18:1).
The “Inner Room”
The first and primary way — the “inner way” — is the intentional practice of getting quiet, “closing the door” on all external distractions, and offering the Prayer naturally, without affect, while gently focusing on the words of the Prayer and rejecting all other incoming thoughts and imaginings. Reciting the Prayer aloud is permissible though not necessary; in fact, one may just silently mouth the first part — “Lord Jesus Christ” — on inhalation, then silently mouth the second part — “have mercy on me” — upon exhalation.
There’s no set formula; rather, we do “what works”.
This, when learning how to pray the Jesus Prayer, is best done in sessions of about ten minutes or so — manageable for active life but without “biting off more than we can chew” spiritually.
The purpose of a distraction-free setting is to learn how to just be in the presence of the Lord. We accept our reality, we accept whatever we’re feeling, and, with simplicity, offer the Prayer mindfully. Any thoughts or imaginings that come to mind — anything other than the Jesus Prayer — should be brushed aside as intrusive. Emergencies may arise that need our attention, of course, but otherwise we keep our attention in the “inner room” — always retuning the mind to the heart — and pray.
Thoughts and feelings during the Jesus Prayer will come and go. That, in fact, can be instructive in that they reveal to us what we’ve been preoccupied with lately and what has been filling our minds instead of the peace and stillness of the Holy Spirit. But, we let
these thoughts pass without attention or frustration and return to offering the Prayer from the heart, in a spirit of relaxed surrender. A prayer rope can be a helpful tool for keeping on track, offering one repetition as our fingers pass along each knot.
It’s permissible to have as many ten-minute sessions of “closeted” prayer in a day as one desires, but a good beginning is at least one each day, or each morning and evening. Don’t try to feel anything; don’t imagine anything. Pray simply and from the heart.
The “Outer Way”
The second way — the “outer way” — is simply to say the Jesus Prayer throughout the course of a day: driving the car, going the shopping, making a meal, mowing the lawn, waiting in line, doing household chores. But during this “uncloseted” offering of the Prayer, we don’t brush aside every thought: while driving, one must be alert; while shopping, one must be attentive; while cooking, one must be aware; while going about our various tasks, one must still “live in the world”. In these cases, offering the Jesus Prayer is a simple way to offer “all our life unto Christ our God” (The Divine Liturgy).
“And that believing, you may have life in His Name”.
— John 20:31
When, with faith and trust, we call upon the Name of Jesus, we enter His presence. Over time, we become “a temple of God” (I Corinthians 3:16), whose “sins have been forgiven through His name” (I John 2:12). And, because we’re confessing our need for Christ, who said “apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5), we’re beginning to embody the first beatitude — “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3).
This simple prayer — “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me” — succinctly joins Christ’s sinless divinity to our broken humanity, very gradually ordering our inner life. Its simplicity and ease of use — when part of a whole Christian lifestyle of prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and a pursuit of virtue, so that we do not attempt to enter the “bridal chamber” of the heart without a “wedding garment” (Matthew 22:12) — is how, over time and by the grace of God, we practice St Paul’s words to “pray without ceasing” (I Thessalonians 5:17).
How to Pray The Jesus Prayer
Like all prayer, the Jesus Prayer must be offered from a life of obedience and thankfulness, which attracts the Holy Spirit who then “intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Romans 8:26). Also, one should practice the Jesus Prayer with the guidance of a spiritual father.
Generally, there are two ways of offering the Jesus Prayer, each with its own benefit but serving different purposes: in "the inner room, the closet, having closed your door, praying to your Father in secret” (Matthew 6:6); and, in our outer life, while doing our various tasks (Luke 18:1).
The “Inner Room”
The first and primary way — the “inner way” — is the intentional practice of getting quiet, “closing the door” on all external distractions, and offering the Prayer naturally, without affect, while gently focusing on the words of the Prayer and rejecting all other incoming thoughts and imaginings. Reciting the Prayer aloud is permissible though not necessary; in fact, one may just silently mouth the first part — “Lord Jesus Christ” — on inhalation, then silently mouth the second part — “have mercy on me” — upon exhalation.
There’s no set formula; rather, we do “what works”.
This, when learning how to pray the Jesus Prayer, is best done in sessions of about ten minutes or so — manageable for active life but without “biting off more than we can chew” spiritually.
The purpose of a distraction-free setting is to learn how to just be in the presence of the Lord. We accept our reality, we accept whatever we’re feeling, and, with simplicity, offer the Prayer mindfully. Any thoughts or imaginings that come to mind — anything other than the Jesus Prayer — should be brushed aside as intrusive. Emergencies may arise that need our attention, of course, but otherwise we keep our attention in the “inner room” — always retuning the mind to the heart — and pray.
Thoughts and feelings during the Jesus Prayer will come and go. That, in fact, can be instructive in that they reveal to us what we’ve been preoccupied with lately and what has been filling our minds instead of the peace and stillness of the Holy Spirit. But, we let
these thoughts pass without attention or frustration and return to offering the Prayer from the heart, in a spirit of relaxed surrender. A prayer rope can be a helpful tool for keeping on track, offering one repetition as our fingers pass along each knot.
It’s permissible to have as many ten-minute sessions of “closeted” prayer in a day as one desires, but a good beginning is at least one each day, or each morning and evening. Don’t try to feel anything; don’t imagine anything. Pray simply and from the heart.
The “Outer Way”
The second way — the “outer way” — is simply to say the Jesus Prayer throughout the course of a day: driving the car, going the shopping, making a meal, mowing the lawn, waiting in line, doing household chores. But during this “uncloseted” offering of the Prayer, we don’t brush aside every thought: while driving, one must be alert; while shopping, one must be attentive; while cooking, one must be aware; while going about our various tasks, one must still “live in the world”. In these cases, offering the Jesus Prayer is a simple way to offer “all our life unto Christ our God” (The Divine Liturgy).
“And that believing, you may have life in His Name”.
— John 20:31