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The Jesus Prayer
The early monastics known as the Desert Fathers and Mothers wrote a simple Scriptural prayer called the Jesus Prayer, which they taught pilgrims to pray 3,000 times a day. Advanced students could pray it as many as 12,000 times, which takes virtually all day. Seekers found it invaluable in their endeavor to pray without ceasing. The prayer is simply: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” For centuries, believers have used it as a mantra to call upon the powerful name of Jesus and beg him to anoint them with kindness. When used regularly, this prayer becomes as automatic and vital as breathing.

An easy way to begin is to sit comfortably and set a timer for somewhere between five and 20 minutes. Close your eyes and say the Jesus Prayer silently, connecting it with your breath. Continue to breathe the prayer in and out until the timer rings. As other thoughts surface, release them gently and return to the prayer. Another way to pray it is with a walking meditation. Say the prayer as you walk slowly, connecting the rhythm of your steps with your breath and the mantra. The more you use the Jesus Prayer, the more it prays itself within you.

For further reading:
The Jesus Prayer by Kallistos Ware

This Lent, I encourage you to try adding a spiritual practice so that you may feast upon God’s presence and become more awake to the grace which sustains us at every glorious moment of our lives.

Artist, author and pastor, Laura Gentry and her husband live in McGregor, Iowa. Their website is: www.thegentryjoint.com.

Check out the other suggested resources from the Rev. Laura Gentry on the Tip jar page.

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Faith Reflections by the Rev. Laura Gentry

What we are at birth is the gift from which we begin and from there unfurl our various identities. We live and breathe a message to the world through our every action. As a miraculous living Word of God, how do you bless the world by your existence?

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-19

Imagine what your life would be like if you could truly heed this advice of Paul’s to the Thessalonians. How delightful it would be to pray, give thanks, and rejoice day and night — to live in the Spirit’s arms no matter what your circumstance. The key to this kind of abundant living, I think, is to be grounded in prayer.

To pray without ceasing means to be consciously aware of God’s presence. It means we are constantly alert to the divine hand in all things. We can only cultivate this heightened consciousness through practice.

Spiritual disciplines, such as the Jesus Prayer, the labyrinth, and centering prayer give us a structure by which to center our awareness on the God of our salvation. They tune our ears to hear God’s voice over the babble of our busy lives. And indeed, this is cause for rejoicing.