In the Orthodox religion there is a huge number of prayers and Akathists, read in a variety of life situations. But the prayer of Jesus takes a special place among them. She is pronounced, wanting to enlist mercy from the Creator through his Son. Reading the Jesus prayer should be in accordance with the rules, which can not be neglected.
A bit of history
A Christian who regards himself as an Orthodox believer should know the text of the Jesus prayer by heart. It exists in different variations, but its essence remains unchanged. An interesting fact: throughout the history, the mentioned prayer book has acquired a mystical aura, which does not always put it in a positive light. Where are these mysterious superstitions about what is the prayer of jesus and how it works is hard to say. But the study of chronicles reveals curious facts.
The history of the prayer text dates back to the seventeenth century. Once again, the Great Moscow Council, the purpose of which was the trial of Patriarch Nikon, who adopted reforms that led to the formation of Old Believers in Russia. At the same time, the participants in the Council adopted a charter on how to correctly pronounce the prayer of Jesus. From that moment on, calling Christ "Son of God" was forbidden.: the accepted variant established the only norm - "Our God". The established text of the Jesus prayer was declared canonical, but today it is considered a variant of the tax collector’s prayer. The difference is in the following line:
"God, be merciful to me, a sinner."
What were the contradictions? The main controversy arose because of a separate part of heretics who did not recognize Jesus as God. They called him exclusively the "Son of God", which does not approve of the canons of the Orthodox Church.
In the process of praying, we communicate with Heaven, ask for mercy from him, or give thanks. The Jesus Prayer is a means to appeal to the grace of the one who freed mankind from sins.taking them over. But there is a belief that the pronunciation of prayer by the laity is not welcome, as it is intended only for church ministers. Bishop Ignatius (1807 - 1867) refuted this view. He mentioned the words of the Apostle Paul, who taught that prayers are an appeal to both monastics and simple believers.
Religious leaders point out some of the difficulties that accompany the moments when the Jesus prayer is read: how to pray in order not to fall into the sin of self-deception? The church claims that when uttering holy words you must take full humility and show meekness, the highest possible. But you can not abandon the prayer book completely, otherwise you will steal from yourself the chance to take communion with the basics of spiritual achievement.
Variations of the Jesus Prayer
It is believed that the Jesus prayer should be counted as Hesychasm - the ancient mystical flowbased on the tradition of ascetic practices. It was in this section that she was represented by the Optina Elder Varsonofy.
He singled out 4 levels in the structure of the Jesus prayer:
- Oral - assumed a complete concentration of a person on a prayer feat;
- Smart heart - the constant process of proofreading, without interruption;
- Creative - is not subject to the majority, since it involves the passage of a special spiritual path, which only a few are capable of;
- High prayer - this stage is achievable only by angels and reverend from among people.
According to Varsonofy, overcoming all the steps of Jesus' prayer implied the rejection of all earthly blessings and complete immersion into the heavenly spiritual life.
This religious text has several options. As already mentioned, this is due to the official verdict of the Greater Moscow Cathedral and subsequent changes over time. The main differences are observed in the question of how to pronounce the names of the Lord, the Mother of God and how to formulate a petition.
Variants of pronouncing the Lord's name:
- Lord Jesus Christ;
- Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God;
- Jesus Christ;
- Jesus Christ, the Son of God;
- Lord Jesus Christ, the Son and the Word of God;
- Jesus Christ, the Son and the Word of God;
- Jesus, the Son of God;
- Jesus, the Son and the Word of God.
Types of wording for the request:
- Have mercy on me;
- Save me;
- Have mercy on me a sinner;
- Have mercy on my sinner;
- Have mercy on us;
- Be many-gracious to me many-sinful;
- Deliver from such and such (to call passion) passion;
- Protect from the enemy visible and invisible;
- Protect me from demons;
- Save from the nets and wiles of demons;
- Help in this (specifically);
- Heal my soul, etc.
As may be mentioned the Virgin:
- Have mercy on the Virgin Mary;
- Prayer for the sake of the Virgin, have mercy on me;
- Virgin for the mercy of me.
It is not recommended to mention the word “forgive” often: the prayer book itself is forgiveness for the remission of sins. A short Jesus prayer is widespread among believers. The text in Russian consists of only two words: "Lord, have mercy." It is read in any situation in life, but it is not capable of replacing a full-fledged prayer.
How to pray the laity?
What should the Orthodox believer know about this prayer in the first place?
To begin with, you should take it with your heart and not perceive it as a kind of mystical secret or occult practice. If you want a prayer to be effective, read it when you are in dire need, but do not use it for magical purposes (for example, from removing the evil eye or spoilage). The Church negatively perceives such rituals, since the one who conducts them thus casts doubt on the power of God in the defense of all things.
The most important condition is to open the soul and read the prayer text with full awareness of each word.
It is short enough, so learn it by heart to pray at any time at a suitable opportunity. The reading of the prayer book suggests that a person knows about his purpose.
St. Theophanes (Recluse of Vyshensky) developed a set of rules for Jesus prayer.:
- The main strength lies not in the text, but in what spiritual spirit it is read, whether the believer is in proper religious trembling before the Lord;
- Turning to the Savior, remember that his image is inseparable from the Holy Trinity;
- To repeat words mechanically is to do wasted work. In the first place should be a thought;
- Do not mention the name of God in vain without need: frequent repetition dulls the fear of God, which is why a believer deprives himself of salvation;
- To read a prayer correctly is to do it as naturally as possible, connecting it with the breath.
Theophanes also said: "Start small: after each morning and evening prayer, if nothing prevents you, say:" Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me sinful (the prayer is fully given below without abbreviations). "
Jesus Prayer Text
In the life of each person, regardless of how strong his faith is, there comes a moment of despair. Someone sends this experience as a blessing, others see it as a sign for serious change. Whatever the reason, without help from above it is not easy to survive the moments of despair.
The Jesus Prayer, the text of which is given below, makes it possible to appeal for the condescension of mercy from the One who is really capable of this:
"Lord Jesus Christ, Son and Word of God, prayers for the Most Pure Your Mother, have mercy on me, a sinner. Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Lord, Jesus Christ, have mercy on me. Lord, have mercy."
To protect against negative influence, an extended version is read (it cannot be considered canonical):
"Son of God, Lord Jesus Christ! Protect me with holy angels, holy helpers, prayers of the Virgin, Mother of all, Life-giving Cross. Protect me with the power of St. Michael and the holy prophets, John the Divine, Cyprian, St. Nikon and Sergius. Deliver me, servant of God ( name) from evil slanders, from witchcraft and evil, Evil ridicule and sorcery, to cause evil no one could. With the light of Your radiance, O Lord, save me in the morning, in the evening and in the afternoon, By the power of grace turn away all bad from me, Remove the wickedness of the Devil . He who did evil to me, watched with envy, wished bad things, Let Tom come back, walk away from me famously. Amen! "
A baptized person can also say a prayer to Jesus asking for healing:
"O Lord, our Creator, I ask your help, grant full recovery to God's servant (name), wash the blood from her rays with your own rays. Only with Your help will healing come to her. By the power of miracle, touch her and bless all of her long-awaited salvation, healing , give her body health, her soul - blessed ease, her heart - your divine balm. The pain will disappear forever and your strength will return, your wounds will heal and your holy help will come. Your rays from blue Heaven will reach her, give her strong protection, bless n and for deliverance from her diseases, they will strengthen her faith. May my words hear my Lord. Glory to Thee. Amen. "
Talk to your confessor before reading the prayer. He will explain how to pronounce it correctly, so as not to fall into the beauty and commit a serious sin. Better ask for blessings: support is very important, since the prayer of Jesus is a great spiritual feat.
