Caught in the throes of emotional and spiritual turmoil as a result of 9/11, sexual scandals in the Catholic church, economic uncertainty, and the possibility of impending war, many Americans are “experiencing a crisis of faith” (Thompson, 2002). However, relatively few are turning to organized religion to meet their needs. “Where are people going to find God? Inside of their hearts, searching for a direct experience of knowing and feeling the presence of God” (Thompson).

In recent years many have turned to mysticism and contemplative spirituality found in both Eastern and Western traditions. For Christians, one of the oldest contemplative traditions is known as the Jesus prayer, dating back to the sixth century and earlier. Once the providence of Eastern Orthodox monks and spiritual masters, the Jesus prayer is finding its way into the spiritual lives of “Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Protestants, though to a lesser degree” (Ileana).

The revival of contemplative, mystical prayer and practice has been the focus of renewed interest in recent times, for several reasons. It is only relatively recently that the “teaching[s] of . . . masters of the [Western Christian] spiritual life have been rediscovered” (Keating, 1986, p. 26). At the same time Eastern spiritual methods have gained some prominence in our culture through yoga and other techniques. In his introduction to the Western spiritual classic, The Cloud of Unknowing, William Johnston’s (1973) perception is that “it is as though the West, long exposed to Zen and Yoga and the spiritual systems of the East, now searches for its own tradition and its own spiritual heritage” (p. 7). Many Americans have witnessed positive results with some Eastern practices but there are those who yearn for that kind of spiritual depth within their own lives as Christians.

Many have experienced dissatisfaction with the prayer methods they have been taught; many Christians do not find peace and joy within the “discipline of it, on prayer by rule and by rote, on prayer in terms of asking and getting” (Terwilliger, 1973, p. 98). There are those who feel there must be more. A number of Christians today desire a mystical, spiritual experience and they want to be able to find that within the techniques and context of their own Christian faith tradition (Ellwood, 1980, p. 121). Many are finding that they want to integrate their spiritual practice throughout the totality of their lives, and desire fuller Christian experiences. “Today many Christians are tired of living double lives, part time as Christ-centered humans and part time as this-world-centered citizens” (Goettmann, 1991, p. vi). As baby-boomers age, and are increasingly faced with their own mortality, many Americans are “looking for greater meaning in life,” according to Alvin Poussaint as quoted in a recent American Demographics article (Paul, 2002).

This spiritual hunger, this yearning for meaning, this desire within one’s heart, can find expression in Christian contemplative traditions, and especially in the form commonly known as heart prayer, or prayer of the heart. But first, what is contemplative prayer? Keating (1986) indicates that for Gregory the Great, at the end of the sixth century, “contemplation is the fruit of reflection on the word of God in scripture and at the same time a gift of God. It is a resting in God . . . [where] the mind and heart are not actively seeking Him but are beginning to experience, to taste, what they have been seeking” (p. 20). And heart prayer? It has been described as a mantra (Terwilliger, 1973, p. 100) and a continual remembering (Goettmann, 1991, p. 25). It is the process of repeating a word or phrase until it becomes as much a part of one’s life as one’s own breath, or even as one’s own heartbeat. In biblical meaning, “the heart was viewed as the center of a person, where one’s deepest desires and convictions abide. In later spiritual thought the heart center also came to be understood as the place where we are in most intimate contact with God’s presence . . . [and] where the deep, ongoing love affair between God and human beings actually takes place” (May, 1993, p. 158).

The Jesus prayer, a form of heart prayer, is a simple yet complete Christian theological statement. Its most common traditional form is “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” It is a Christian mantra and an expression of faith. The origination of the Jesus prayer was most likely a contraction of two biblical verses: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:47, NKJV), and “God, be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13, NKJV).

The first written evidence of this particular phrase comes from the sixth century in a book entitled The Life of Abba Philemon (Faithlinks, 2002). Much later, a Christian classic, The Way of a Pilgrim (trans. French, 1998), is one seeker’s thorough treatise on finding the Jesus prayer, and the impact it has on his life. In this book, the words of St. Paul, exhorting Christians to pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17, NKJV), capture the attention of an unnamed Russian peasant in the 1800’s. In his journey of trying to discern what exactly that means and how to apply it, he meets a spiritual guide who introduces him to the Jesus prayer and provides instruction as to how to practice it within the context of his life. More recently, the Jesus prayer was brought to Western awareness in J. D. Salinger’s novel, Franny and Zooey.

In the current state of religious life in America, many are put off by the Jesus prayer’s emphasis on sinfulness, and on mercy. However, the most accurate translation of sin is to “miss the mark,” as all Christians do. The term mercy embraces more than just judgement and forgiveness; it encompasses “kindness, graciousness, [and] lovingkindness” (May, 1993, p. 159). The Jesus prayer is therefore appropriate for anyone who would care to choose it as a method of contemplative heart prayer.

There are several approaches to incorporating the prayer of Jesus into one’s life. In the extreme, the peasant in The Way of a Pilgrim precisely counted the repetitions of this prayer, increasing up to 12,000 times per day! Others may choose to practice this prayer for specific time periods, once or twice a day. Still others choose to remember the prayer during “empty moments – travel, dinner, pauses in the day and other moments in which the intellect is free” (Goettmann, 1991, p. 42).

The benefits of incorporating the Jesus prayer into one’s life are manifold. The more obvious are to improve one’s conscious awareness of God, and to strive to pray unceasingly. The pilgrim ultimately describes his experiences, indicating, “I felt there was no happier person on earth than I, and I doubted there could be greater and fuller happiness in the Kingdom of heaven. The whole outside world also seemed to me full of charm and delight. Everything drew me to love and thank God” (French, 1998, p. 93). More recently, Princess Ileana of Romania offered these inspiring words about the Jesus prayer:

In fear and joy, in loneliness and companionship, it is ever with me. Not only in the silence of daily devotions, but at all times and in all places. It transforms, for me, frowns into smiles; it beautifies, as if a film had been washed off an old picture so that the colors appear clear and bright, like nature on a warm spring day after a shower. Even despair has been attenuated and repentance has achieved its purpose. (Ileana)

The Jesus prayer is an old idea that is new again. It is relevant to all Christians and can be an instrument of reaching out to God within Christian contemplative traditions. Steeped in historical applications, the prayer of Jesus can provide contemporary Christians with a way to find the God they seek, the risen Lord Jesus who dwells within each one. In the words of the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, U.S.A., the Most Reverend Frank T. Griswold, “The discipline of saying the Jesus prayer quietly to myself and trying to bring my breathing into relationship with the words of the prayer . . . often reminds me that I am not the answer, but Christ is the answer, and that all I have to do is be faithful and not get in the way. . . . I can . . . find my stability that way” (England & Griswold, 2002).

References

Ellwood, R. (1980). Mysticism and religion. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

England, D., & Griswold, F. (2002). Reflecting on the past year: Conversation with the presiding bishop. EpiscopalChurch.org. Retrieved November 20, 2002 from http://episcopalchurch.org/presiding-bishop/postings/article_80.asp

Faithlinks (2002). The Jesus prayer: Ancient practice for modern living. 5/13/2002. Retrieved November 20, 2002 from http://www.faithlinks.org/viewarticle.asp?id=334

French, R., Trans. (1998). The way of a pilgrim and the pilgrim continues his way. San Francisco: HarperCollins.

Goettmann, A., & Goettman, R. (1991). Prayer of Jesus, prayer of the heart. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press.

Ileana, Princess of Romania. Introduction to the Jesus prayer. Pub. with permission of Forward Movement. Retrieved November 20, 2002, from http://www.concentric.net/~Cosmas/jesus_prayer.htm

Johnston , W., (Ed.), (1973). The cloud of unknowing and the book of privy counseling. Garden City, NJ: Image div. Doubleday.

Keating, T. (1986). Open mind, open heart: The contemplative dimension of the gospel. Warwick , NY : Amity House.

May, G. (1993). The awakened heart: Opening yourself to the love you need. San Francisco: HarperCollins.

New King James Version. (1985). Holy bible. New York: Thomas Nelson.

Paul, P. (2002). True believers. American Demographics. September 1, 2002. Retrieved November 20, 2002 from http://www.inside.com/product.asp?pf_id= 245CA093-79A8-4170-9C3B-F3B671CC241E

Terwilliger, R. (1973). Christian believing. New York: Morehouse-Barlow.

Thompson, V. (2002). Finding spiritual faith since 9/11. The Edge. Retrieved November 20, 2002 from http://www.edgenews.com/issues/2002/09/thompson.html