My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
Orthodox Prayers for all Seasons and Occasions:
"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner."
The tradition of Holy Scripture and of Orthodox Christianity provide an extraordinary perspective from which to see not ony the nature and meaning of prayer, but also it concrete expressions in practice. The basic presupposition of any real and truly spiritual prayer is the belief in the existence of the Living God. The genuine believer not only believes that the infinite and invisible God exists, but that He also reveals Himself to people. It is through this revelation of God that it becomes possible for one to have a personal communion with Almighty God. When, therefore, the believer prays, he or she speaks directly to God and becomes aware of a communication with Him. Consequently, PRAYER PRESUPPOSES FAITH IN THE REALITY AND THE PRESENCE OF GOD, AND MEANS PRIMARILY THAT LIVING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HIM/HER AND GOD.
Saint John Chrysostom, who has taught us so many things about prayer and who has bequeathed to us so many solemn prayers, emphasizes that prayer is the most powerful thin gin the life of a person, and nothing can be compared with prayer. Prayer is the unique and priceless gift of the Creator to the human being, because it is through this most important Divine Gift of prayer that the creature is raised up to the Creator and the finite human person is empowered to speak with the Eternal God.
Prayer should not be seen as simply one of the virtues, or merely a duty we must fulfill as Orthodox Christians. Rather, we must see prayer as constituting the natural and perfect stance of the person as a creation of God. Saint Neilos writes, "everyone who does NOT wish to be united to God through prayer IS ACTUALLY SEPARATED FROM GOD." In the Holy Tradition of the Church, prayer is always seen as an act that is purely free and personal, and which, when practiced faithfully and reverently, always UNITES THE BELIEVER WITH HIS CREATOR.
The Jesus Prayer "LORD JESUS CHRIST, SON OF GOD, HAVE MERCY ON ME A SINNER" became the standard short prayer in the 4th century. It is used in works like The Ladder of Divine Ascent by Saint John Climacus and afterwards. The Jesus Prayer eventually became the de-facto standard for continuous prayer. It is important to note that the Jesus Prayer must be said always with profound faith and genuine humility. We must be believing and trusting God and willing to put our life in His Divine hands. It is understood that the key to life in wanting God’s help and mercy, However, n one can call Jesus Christ Lord without the Holy Spirit.
Our Lord, God and Savior reveals this solemn prayer when He spoke about the two men who "went p to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector" (Luke 18:9-14). He says, "And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to The heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God be merciful to me a sinner! I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for EVERYONE WHO EXALTS HIMSELF WILL BE HUMBLED, AND HE WHO HUMBLES HIMSELF WILL BE EXALTED" (vs. 13-14). The tax collectors posture and words express his deep humility and contrition, the opposite of the Pharisee’s attitude. By "justified" is meant forgiven and made right with God. Jesus clearly reverses the expected conclusion. In the eyes of God, it is the tax collector who is "justified" because of his genuine humility. The Pharisee is condemned because of his self-righteousness and self-exaltation. To say "sinner", means only God is without sin and to admit one’s own sinful condition before God.
Everyone, however, must be extremely careful for it can be dangerous to use if faith, agape and humility are absent and itis being used for ungodly reasons. Both the Divine Liturgy and the Jesus Prayer can be cause for condemnation, therefore all must be very careful. Saint Paul writing to the Thessalonians however urges the Christians of first century to "PRAY WITHOUT CEASING" [1 Thess. 5:17). And in his letter to Rome, the Holy Apostle instructs the Christian community there to "be constant in prayer" (Romans 12:12). In fact, whenever Saint Paul speaks of prayer in his letters, two Greek words are mentioned: PANTOTE (pantote),meaning always: and ADIALEPTOS (adialeptos, meaning without interruption or unceasingly. Prayer is then not merely a part of life which we can neglect but prayer is life itself. Prayer is as essential to our life as breathing.
The Jesus Prayer is rooted in the Name of the Lord. In the Holy Scripture, the power and glory of God are present in His Name. In the Old Testament to deliberately invoke God’s Name was to place oneself in His Presence. Jesus, whose name in Hebrew means God saves, is the Living Logos/Word addressed to the human race. Jesus is the final Name of God. Jesus is "the Name which is above all other names" and it is written that "all beings should bend the knee at the Name of Jesus" (Philippians 2:9-10). The Name of Jesus is unbridled spiritual powers for those who believe.
___________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 