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.
As
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 2014
Archimandrite Arsenios Katerelos
Contents:
Forword
Prologue of the English edition
A FEW WORDS ABOUT FATHER ARSENIOS KATERELOS
1.INTRODUCTION
2.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 DECEASED
Pages: 174
Size: 20 x 13 cm.
