The Jesus Prayer

In the Orthodox Christian spiritual classic The Way of a Pilgrim, a man wanders throughout the Russian countryside, alone and with nothing but his Holy Bible in his breast pocket and a backpack containing a crust of dried bread. He began his solitary journey in search of a spiritual father who could explain to him what St. Paul meant by urging that we "Pray without ceasing" (I. Thess. 5:17). His heart is filled with joy and thanks when a monk teaches him The Jesus Prayer, and he later acquires his own copy of the Philokalia to continue to learn about interior prayer. The origin of The Jesus Prayer is the humble prayer of the Publican, or tax collector, in the Holy Gospel: "God, be merciful to me a sinner" (Lk.: 18:13). Said in its entirety, the prayer consists of these words: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me, a sinner." It is sufficient and also acceptable to recite the prayer in its common, simplest form: "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me."

The most important text for complete instruction on how to pray with The Jesus Prayer is Writings from the Philokalia on Prayer of the Heart. Both it and The Way of a Pilgrim are available for order in our parish's source for Orthodox books and religious materials, The St. Nectarios Bookstore.

The following links provide a thorough explanation of The Jesus Prayer, and include a printable, PDF brochure to use as a reference:

Unceasing Prayer
The Jesus Prayer
On Practicing the Jesus Prayer
Jesus Prayer — Prayer of the Heart
The Jesus Prayer — A Printable Brochure
The Jesus Prayer in Different Langauges