Nino's News

My brother reminded me this morning of the power of unceasing prayers. A breath prayer that he shared with me (which I had heard of and others may have as well) is commonly called the Jesus Prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner." Richard Foster tells of an anonymous russian peasant from the 19th century who tells the moving story of his search to pray without ceasing in The Way of a Pilgrim. "Once he learned the Jesus Prayer, he prayed it continuously until the prayer moved from his mind into his heart and finally throughout his whole body--becoming so internalized that it was present with him at all times, whether he was awake or asleep."

Foster suggests that whether we use this prayer or make up our own to begin praying it as often as possible. "Allow God to plant it dee into the depths of your spirit...Commenting on breat prayers, Theophane the Recluse notes, 'Thoughts continue to jostle in your head like mosquitoes. To stop this jostling you must bind the mind with one thought, or the thought of One only. An aid to this is a short prayer, which helps the mind to become simple and unified."

(Richard Foster, Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home.)

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner."