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In order to enter more deeply into the life of prayer and to come to grips with St. Paul's challenge to pray unceasingly, the Orthodox Tradition offers The Jesus Prayer, which is sometimes called the prayer of the heart.
The Jesus Prayer is offered as a means of concentration, as a focal point for our inner life. Though there are both longer and shorter versions, the most frequently used form of The Jesus Prayer is: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." The Jesus Prayer is a "breath prayer" and the most famous one! I have found using a chotki, which is an orthodox set of 100 beads on a string or knots on a rope helps me to concentrate. This is a prayer that will transform you from the inside out and will pray you as much as you pray it. If you'd like to breathe the original long version of the Jesus Prayer, I would do it in a 2-fold manner: Breathing in ... Lord Jesus Christ Breathing out ... Son of God Breathing in ... have mercy on me, Breathing out ... a sinner. If you'd like a simpler version to breathe, try this: Breathing in ... Lord Jesus Christ Breathing out ... have mercy OR use the words that have the most meaning to you ... Sometimes, I pray "Lord have mercy, Christ, have mercy." If you have Anglican Prayer Beads or a Rosary, there will be some extra beads. You can simply pray around them as you breath but if you want to pray with a little variety, here is a suggestion that is not to complicated with which to pray with Anglican Prayer Beads: On the Cross or the Symbol: Come Lord Jesus (On the way in) Invitatory Bead: Hear my Prayer On each Cruciform Bead: Pause for a deep cleansing breath On Small Beads: Breathe your Jesus Prayer Pray around as many times as seems right for you (On the way out) Invitatory Bead: Hear my Prayer On the Cross or the Symbol: Pray the The Lord's Prayer This breath prayer, in its simplicity and clarity, is rooted in the Scriptures and the new life granted by the Holy Spirit. It is first and foremost a prayer of the Spirit because of the fact that the prayer addresses Jesus as Lord, Christ and Son of God; and as St. Paul tells us, "no one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except by the Holy Spirit" (1 Cor. 12:3) Information from the Greek Orthodox Diocese of America LINK |
