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The Jesus Prayer and Its Application

The evangelical word of our Lord Jesus Christ which says “you must

always pray and not despair” (Luke 18:1) – in other words, the fact that

we must pray at all times and not give up and be discouraged – is the

lifelong experience of our Church’s Saints. Furthermore, Saint Gregory

the Theologian, who summarizes the value of prayer but also man’s stance

in his communication with God, would proclaim it dynamically, with one

phrase: “Remembrance of God is better than breathing”.

It was in

the spirit of this instruction by the Lord, as well as the stance and

guidance of the Fathers, that we organized a series of evening homilies

regarding prayer - the general theme being “The Jesus Prayer”. These

seven homilies took place in the year 1999 in the holy temple of the

Most Holy Lady in the town of Lamia during synaxes of the faithful; they

are self-inclusive and consecutive. They were delivered mostly to

laypeople, which is why we adjusted the topic appropriately, to suit the

spiritual capabilities of the audience. However, these homilies

pertain to the entire pleroma – that is, including the clergy and

monastics whose main opus is that of prayer. The chronologically last

homily which is presented herein as first in line and titled “Elder

Paisios and his teaching regarding prayer” took place during a solemn

Vespers service in the sacred Metropolitan Temple of the Sacred

Metropolis of Fthiotis in the year 2014; we have incorporated it herein,

because it is directly linked to our aforementioned topic.

our beloved readers will discern, we are embarking on a purely practical

level as regards the Jesus Prayer, by conveying experiences and

opinions mainly of contemporary, blessed Elders. Furthermore, apart

from the homilies, we have also included concise replies to the queries

of pious attendees. We would like to stress that, albeit a theoretical

topic, what is basically presented is the practical consideration of

this noble and absolutely necessary labour of prayer – that is,

especially of the Noetic Prayer of: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on

me, the sinner”, which is usually recited with the use of a sacred

prayer-rope. This “Prayer” – as the specific method of praying is

called – is, among other things, a weapon against our three merciless

enemies: the Devil, the world afar from God, and -first and foremost-

our own, evil self.

However this spiritual weapon is not for

exclusive use by monastics, who must dutifully attend to it and apply it

as a method and a way of life (as stressed by the Elder Ephraim of the

Katounakia region of the Holy Mountain, that “a monk without the mental

prayer is not a monk”), but is also at the disposal of all the faithful,

according to the teaching of our Church, which is summarized by the

herald of Grace, Saint Gregory Palamas. And it is all the more

applicable in our day and age – an age of fatigue, confusion from every

aspect, and most of all, of spiritual ignorance.

The Jesus Prayer

- both brief and extremely succinct- can be applied, not only “in every

place of his dominion” (Psalm 102:22), but also at any hour of the day

or night that the faithful himself desires. As for the results: they

are extremely beneficial, as each person who desires to savour that

“Christ is virtuous” (Psalm 33:9) will see for himself. As we all know,

the work of praying cannot be taught; it is revealed to us and is

recognized as being “from the Father of lights” wherever there is the

proper disposition for struggle, but moreso wherever there is humility,

the mother of prayer. However, being humans, it is the teaching and the

methodology of the Holy Fathers on the matter which comprise the

blessed path that allows the praying person to enter his room and there

converse “face to face” with Jesus Himself.

Of course we are not

reassured that we have exhausted the overall topic of prayer with these

homilies – especially on the noetic Prayer of the heart. On the

contrary, we believe that by means of these homilies and these

simplified texts we are giving every in-Christ brother who studies them

“as a thirsting doe” the opportunity to hasten even more to the

“springs of the waters” (Psalm 41/42:2), both for a theoretical

instruction through the study of Patristic writings on the topic, as

well as for the primarily practical application of the most holy and

important labour on earth; that is, the work of sacred prayer, and

especially of the noetic Prayer.

We are certain of this, not only

because the Prayer cultivates and opens horizons within the realm of

our mind, rendering our spiritual heart a temple of God, but also

because it provides us with the reason to become wiser, in accordance

with the quote “give a wise man a reason, and he will become wiser”

(Prov.9:9).

Progress, therefore, in wisdom and in communication with God is attained through the Prayer.

As for us here, it is understood that we invoke the wishes and the

prayers of all the readers, so that the Gospel words: “but whosoever

does and teaches….” (Matthew 5:19) may apply to our unworthy person

also. Amen.On the 6th of June 2014Archimandrite Arsenios KaterelosContents:Forword Prologue of the English edition A FEW WORDS ABOUT FATHER ARSENIOS KATERELOS1.INTRODUCTION2.THE ELDER PAISIOS AND HIS TEACHING REGARDING THE PRAYER 3.INTRODUCTORY HOMILY ON THE PRAYER 4.PREREQUISITES AND BENEFITS OF THE PRAYER 5.THE FIRST STAGE OF THE PRAYER 6.THE METHOD AND THE STAGES OF THE PRAYER 7.THE ADVANTAGES OF THE PRAYER 8.THE PRAYER FOR THE LIVING AND THE DECEASED 9.THE METHOD OF THE PRAYER WHEN ADDRESSED TO THE HOLY MOTHER, TO THE SAINTS, AND FOR THE DECEASEDPages: 174Size: 20 x 13 cm.

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