The Jesus Prayer

The Jesus Prayer is a single sentence repeated slowly and often: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” It joins the blind man’s cry (“Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me,” Luke 18:38) and the tax collector’s (“O God, be merciful to me a sinner,” Luke 18:13).

It grew among the Desert Fathers, monks of 4th–5th century Egypt and Palestine, and was taught by writers such as Diadochos of Photiki (5th century). It is especially loved in the Eastern Churches, both Orthodox and Eastern Catholic, where it is linked with hesychasm (from Greek hesychia, stillness). The Philokalia, an 18th-century collection of monastic writings, and the anonymous 19th-century Russian Way of a Pilgrim made it known worldwide.

1. Sit quietly and still your body.
2. Pray slowly: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Many say the first half breathing in and the second breathing out.
3. Repeat it gently for a few minutes. When your mind wanders, return to the words without fuss.
4. A prayer rope (in Greek komboskini, in Russian chotki) of knotted wool can help you count.

The Catechism describes the invocation of the holy name of Jesus as “the simplest way of praying always” and quotes this prayer by name (CCC 2666–2668).