Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
These words are the classical form of the Jesus Prayer, practised within the Orthodox tradition as a way of entering more deeply into the life of prayer. Repetition of the prayer is used as a means of focusing our inner life.
The Prayer is established in scripture in a number of ways. First, it is clearly rooted in the name of Jesus and its power (see eg Phil 2.9-10, John 14.13-14, Acts 3.6-7) and in Christ as fulfilment of the prophecies of the Old Testament. In fact, it calls on the whole Trinity, given St Paul’s assertion that “no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor 12.3), as well as acknowledging Jesus as Son of God. The words are an amalgam of a number of Gospel texts, such as the ten lepers calling out “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” (Luke 17.13); and the tax-collector in the Temple saying “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” (Luke 18.13). Then in its brevity it fulfils Jesus’ command when praying not to heap up empty phrases (Matt 6.7-8).
The Jesus Prayer is designed to be repeated over and over again. It takes only a minute to learn the words, and it can be used in different ways.
Its use in silent prayer requires the setting aside of time during the day. Orthodox teaching distinguishes three stages: the prayer of the lips, the prayer of the mind, and the prayer of the heart. We begin by repeating it out loud, a simple recitation to give it shape. As we continue in repetition the words become no longer exterior to us, but as natural to us as breathing; the Prayer becomes our own. As it develops into silent interior prayer, our mind becomes increasingly focused and free of distraction. At the third stage, prayer has become something that we are rather than what we do.
Another way of using it is to repeat it continually as far as possible throughout the day, as an unceasing reminder of God’s presence. Or as the Orthodox Bishop Theophan expressed it, to keep “the hands at work and the mind and heart with God.”
Alternatively, it is good to have it available at moments of need: before (mis)speaking, or in temptation, or when we don’t know what else to pray. I try to pause at noon and 6pm each day, and very often this is the prayer that rises by habit. I find it helpful as a concise way to express my faith and, in the light of that, its no-nonsense objective reality: like every other human being, I am a sinner. So there is no need to get hung up and self-accusatory. I simply need to recognise God, recognise myself, and ask for mercy.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
