Fra. John of St. Bruno, OCD
The Formula of Jesus' Prayer and the Power of the Name
The classic formula of Jesus' prayer is: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me (a sinner),” although it is sometimes stated in a longer form: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on me a sinner.” The Russian pilgrim, however, mentions in his brief synthesis of the teachings of the fathers on prayer1 the advice that we occasionally change the words of the prayer, i.e., sometimes say the shorter and sometimes the longer version. This is perhaps to avoid a certain routine and thoughtlessness. However, at other times, when the prayer descends deeper, it seems advisable to get used to a specific formula and not to change it. It is also possible to switch to the plural: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us,” thus realizing more deeply the ecclesial dimension of the prayer. Thus, the formula of Jesus' prayer is not absolute; it can be adjusted to some extent to the needs of each individual. I find it important to choose a formula that can be pronounced in the rhythm of our breathing, as will be discussed in the section dedicated to the “physical method.”
Now let us look at the two parts that make up Jesus' prayer.
In the first part, emphasis is placed on the pronunciation of the name Jesus. According to the Bible, the name is one of God's attributes; it is the “place” of God's presence. Invoking Jesus' name universalizes the grace of the Lord's Incarnation, as it allows each individual to personally appropriate this grace, so that his heart may receive the Lord.2 Even in the Old Testament, this understanding of the name as a form of God's presence is contained. Therefore, only the high priest could pronounce God's name in the “most holy place” of the Jerusalem temple, and this only on the feast of Yom Kippur, only once a year. But the Incarnation made every person a high priest entrusted with the Name. The name Jesus – Yéshuach – means Savior. In the first part of the prayer, we therefore confess Jesus as our Lord and declare him to be our Savior and Redeemer – Christ.
It is worth noting here that the aforementioned perspective, while certainly biblically inspired, approaches the conception of those who attributed almost sacramental power to the pronunciation of the name. However, even in Russia itself, where this perspective was so widespread, there are those who emphasize that the power of prayer lies much more in the disposition of the heart of the one who prays. Such a view was held by Theophan the Recluse.
The second part of the Jesus prayer is actually the prayer of the tax collector from the Gospel (Luke 18:13). The person confesses his sin and the need for God's mercy and turns to his Savior, asking Him to forgive him. The early monks sought to strengthen in themselves the feeling of pénthos, a kind of constant awareness of their sinfulness, weakness, and proximity to falling, if the Lord were to withdraw His hand and not continually assist them powerfully. This attitude, however, does not at all mean the stance of a scrupulous person, who doubts God's forgiveness! On the contrary, the necessity of faith was emphasized that God forgives immediately – at the moment we sincerely turn to Him. Pénthos is thus a sort of “joyful repentance” of a person who humbly acknowledges his weakness and at the same time continually rejoices in God's forgiveness.
The Physical Method and Time Devoted to Prayer
Some of the hesychasts attempt to support their prayer using a psychophysical method. Fundamentally, it is certainly a good idea, as it acknowledges the participation of all components of a person in prayer. A classic work of this direction is a text attributed to Simeon the New Theologian, but likely originating from the pen of Nicetas of the Holy Mountain of Athos (14th century). It provides very precise instructions on breathing, breath retention, and other exercises, promising that whoever prays this way “will see himself in the brightness similar to that which the disciples of Jesus saw on Mount Tabor, and will receive the gift of discerning spirits… will see the spaces within the heart…, from that moment on invoking the name of Jesus will drive away every evil thought.” However, not all hesychasts accept these exercises. Theophan the Recluse, the translator of the Philokalia into Russian, shortens this text and adds a note: “Here St. Simeon mentions certain external acts that offend some and distance them from their practical exercise, while for others, the exercises themselves deform them…” “Observing your belly,”3 is labeled by Theophan as a “rough and foolish” exercise.
Despite all these reservations, it seems that certain physical exercises accompanying prayer have their significance, albeit only relative, especially in the initial phase, before prayer becomes more internal and therefore less dependent on external circumstances. Many of the Fathers and spiritual authors advise praying in rhythm with one’s breath. Inhalation: “Lord Jesus (Christ),” exhalation: “have mercy on me.” Or: “Lord” (inhalation) – “Jesus” (exhalation) – “have mercy” (inhalation) – “on me” (exhalation). The harmony between breathing and the words of the prayer helps over time to reach a point where the Jesus prayer becomes as natural as breathing. Theophan the Recluse would not oppose this either, as he writes: “It is important… to have your breath under a certain measure of control, so that we can adjust it to the rhythm of the words.”
Another physical aid is the choice of body position and environment during prayer. St. Basil says: “Behold, how the powers of the soul influence the body and how the emotions of the soul are dependent on the body.” This is also agreed upon by St. Ignatius of Loyola and other western saints.4 Ignatius does not know any ideal position that applies to all, but advises: “Begin to be on your knees, or prostrate on your face on the ground, or lying on your back with your face upwards, or sitting, or standing, always with the intention of seeking what I want. Meanwhile, care must be taken with two things: 1. if I find what I want while kneeling, I will not change my position; the same applies when I am prostrate, etc.; 2. at the point where I find what I want, I will calmly linger, without anxiously caring about proceeding to the next.”5
It seems important to me not to overestimate the significance of these methods and particularly to realize that prayer and progress in it are always ultimately a gift of God's grace. The Jesus prayer, therefore, is not merely an exercise similar to yoga, as it is sometimes misunderstood in the West.
But how much time should one devote to prayer? Theophan the Recluse advises a young girl, whom he spiritually guides through letters:6 “From the church, hurry directly to your room... and while there, pray devoutly to the Lord, that you may spend with spiritual benefit the time you are at home alone. Then you should rest a bit. However, do not allow your thoughts to wander even then, just say to yourself: Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! After you have rested, it is time to get to work: either to pray or to engage in manual labor. What, when, and how, you will determine for yourself. One cannot be solely concerned with the spiritual. It is necessary to have some simple manual work. And take it up only when the soul is tired and unable to read, contemplate, or pray to God. However, if spiritual matters are going well, there is no need to touch manual work. It is meant to fill the time that would otherwise be spent in emptiness, and that is always detrimental…”7
We must realize that the quoted text was intended for a free girl from the upper classes who had no responsibilities for a family or employment, so she could actually devote most of her time to prayer and everything associated with it. It seems clear that such conditions are met by very few people today, even among religious. However, Theophan's advice contains several valuable observations of general validity. First, we see that the Jesus prayer is incorporated into liturgical and sacramental life,8 and it is further recommended to read and “contemplate,” that is, perhaps meditate. We see that for the Jesus prayer, we do not need to abandon other forms of personal prayer that we are used to. On the contrary, they can suitably complement each other, and what matters most is what method of prayer suits us and how “advanced” we are in prayer and in spiritual life in general, so that we dedicate enough time to each form to lead us to quietude and life with God.
Another valuable observation is the emphasis on work, which we perform also as a form of active rest. This is related to Theophan's anthropology, which is trichotomous: according to it, a person is a unity of body, soul, and spirit.9 For a person to live in harmony with God, he must satisfy the needs of all these parts. Meanwhile, spiritual needs are the highest, and satisfying them teaches a person to satisfy the needs of the other parts in accordance with them. The extent to which we devote time to each of these parts' needs largely depends on our vocation and status (whether we are laity, priests, or living in a community). However, what is important is that while spiritual, mental, and physical needs are schematically separated, everything is interconnected in a single person. Ideally, each one supports the other. This means that if we truly choose our state and vocation in accordance with God's will, our work should also help us grow in prayer, and in turn, prayer makes our work, however ordinary, a pleasant offering to God. It is clear that this is a high ideal towards which we must strive and gradually grow.
Although we have shown that the whole – even the working – day can become prayer, spiritual tradition does recognize “privileged times for prayer.” These are primarily evening and morning. Thus, a certain monk advises a man living in the world that if he cannot pray all day, he should devote the last hour before going to bed to Jesus' prayer. Experience teaches us how different a person's sleep is when they fall asleep in stillness versus in distraction. It is not just that the former will surely rest better, but also that in the morning, he generally starts in stillness, or it is for him much easier to attain stillness even through a relatively short moment spent in prayer. Morning is therefore the second of the privileged times. Those who can, or rather, those who are given the opportunity to spend some time in stillness and prayer before the day's work begins, will gradually reveal how their workday transforms, how then work, however necessary it is to focus on it, begins to be infused with prayer even when we are not “praying” – in the sense in which we typically use this word. Prayer ceases to be just one of the duties of a “good Christian” and becomes truly a source of blessing for us and for those around us. It goes without saying that reaching this level of prayer requires not only the powerful help of the Holy Spirit but also effort and faithfulness to prayer.
Hesychastic Spirituality and Jesus' Prayer in the West
Western Christians have become acquainted with hesychastic spirituality especially due to the aforementioned Sincere Accounts of the Pilgrim, which was first published in 1881 in Kazan and began to be translated into world languages after World War I. Much earlier, however, spirituality at least somewhat related to hesychasm lived especially in monasteries. Gorazd Vopatrný in his book Hesychasm as Traditional Christian Spirituality,10 considers St. Benedict, St. Patrick, or even St. Ludmila as hesychasts.
However, it seems that the spirituality most similar to hesychasm is alive among the sons of St. Bruno, among the Carthusians. Already in the 12th century, the well-known Benedictine abbot William of Saint Thierry, in his “Golden Epistle,” describes the Carthusians as those “who in the darkness of the West and in the cold of Gaul carry the light of the East, the ancient zeal of the Egyptian monks – an example of life in solitude and a model of heavenly life.” Likewise, the texts of Carthusian monks, now available,11 literally radiate the experience of the life of inner silence and ascetic struggle of prayer leading to union with God. I would like to present here a part of an anonymous Carthusian text:
My thirst for silence is endless,
my desire for peace is endless.
How can I rid my life of haste?
How can I eradicate noise?
The God of love dwelt in my heart
and I was in the heart
of this God of love.
To death I wandered through the night,
peering into springs,
climbing to heights,
defying frost...
(...)
Outside is the world,
outside is noise and haste.
But the abode is not outside,
it is within.
It only depends on us,
whether we fill the house with silence.
Silence gives rest, calms, heals, delights.
Silence restores energies, protects life, aids thought.
Silence makes us better.
Only it gives unity to spirit and matter,
allows us to seek God more zealously within us,
to find Him faster and to possess Him fully.
As I have already mentioned, the Jesus prayer and the prayer of the heart represent an ancient part of the spirituality of Christian East. At the same time, it is gaining an increasing place in the prayer of Western Christians. It may perhaps be one of the paths that contributes to seeking common sources of theology and spiritual life of both divided churches, so that we can increasingly fully aim towards fulfilling the commands and wishes of the Lord and His apostles: “to pray without ceasing” (1 Thess 5:17) and “that they may be in perfect unity” (John 17:23).
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