The Jesus Prayer and Its Application

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