December 9, 2015
One of the ways I intend to pray through the Year of Mercy is with the “Jesus Prayer.” It has its roots in the scripture story of the publican and the Pharisee in Luke 18:10-14. The prayer goes, “Lord, Jesus Christ Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.”
Historically, it comes to us through the Eastern Orthodox Churches (i.e., Greek and Russian). The patriarchs of the east considered it one of the great prayers a Christian can pray. They taught that it is a way to do what St. Paul instructs, to pray always. The first mention we have of the Jesus prayer is the writings of St. John Chrysostom (d. 407). It is the subject of a great Russian spiritual book from the 19th century, The Way of a Pilgrim.
It is said over and over again. Some people use prayer beads, like a rosary, when they repeat this prayer. Others time it to their breath. Breathe in, “Lord, Jesus Christ, son God.”
Breathe out, “have mercy on me a sinner.”
You can even shorten it to just:
Inhale – “Jesus,”
Exhale – “Mercy.”
In this way, with each breath in, you call on the name of Jesus. With each exhale, you breathe mercy into the world.