Practice of the Jesus Prayer by Saint Theophan the Recluse

Practice of the Jesus Prayer by Saint Theophan the Recluse

Anyone can use the Jesus prayer. It can be said at any time. To begin saying the prayer as part of our daily prayer rule we must follow the direction of Jesus. He says, "Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest awhile" (Mark 6:31); "Study to be quiet" (I Thess. 4: 11); then pray in secret—alone and in silence. Select a place where it will be quiet and you will not be disturbed. It is best if you can protect the senses from as much stimulation as possible. It is best to pray the Jesus Prayer early in the morning before sunrise when the mind is at rest and undistracted, the body is relaxed and there is little activity to disturb your concentration. Some may find the evening to work better.
Before you start think about who you are about to address. Make the sign of the cross and a few prostrations with the feeling of contrition and sorrow for your sinfulness. Select a comfortable position for prayer. Gently shut your eyes like the closing of tired eyes of a child falling to sleep. Set aside all your worldly cares telling yourself you will have plenty of time for them after you pray. Relax your body.
After you have quieted yourself begin by praising God with Glory to you.., Our Heavenly King Comforter…, the Trisagion prayer, 51st Psalm, and the Creed. Then you can begin to say the Jesus Prayer out loud, loud enough so the ears can hear it, slowly and concentrating on the meaning of the words. “The words of the prayer ought to be said without the least hurry, even lingering, so that the mind can lock itself into each word…” (Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov)
Slowly say,
Lord …. Jesus Christ …. Son of God …. Have Mercy …. on Me …. a Sinner. 
Try to keep your mind from escaping from its total concentration on the words. It will try just like a cornered or caged wild animal continually seeks to find a way out. The body is not accustomed to be under the control of the soul. When you reach the end of the prayer immediately begin to say it again. Make it like a continuous chain. The spacing of the words must fit your own make-up. Some will want to go very slow and others a little faster. The aim, with awe of God and contrition, is to concentrate your mind on the words and let them drop into your heart like drops of water slowly dripping from a leaky faucet.. Let the prayer resonate in your ears and in the area of your heart, savor each word with love, becoming totally absorbed in the words. You need to feel the words being absorbed within. Feel a contriteness in your heart because of your missing the make that God has set for you by creating you in His image. Feel the unconditional love of His unlimited mercy. If you go too fast you lose this feeling. If you go too slow you lose the content of the prayer. Say it slowly and deliberately. You do not want to rush as you are engaged in something important and potentially dangerous. You need to harness the wildness of your biological brain. Its like an automobile racing down the road at 80 miles per hour and is much more difficult to control than one cruising at twenty-five. Slow it down. Operate at the twenty-five miles per hour speed when you start - take it slow and deliberately finding the pace that bests suits you so the prayer can penetrate the inner depths of your heart in silence.
Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov says, “at first, the words should be pronounced with extreme unhurridness so that the mind may have time to enter the words as forms… One must train oneself to it as if one were reading syllables” (On the Prayer of Jesus, p 56). St. John of the Ladder counsels that the mind should be locked into the words of the prayer and should be forced back each time it departs from it (Step XXVIII, ch. 17). Do not be disturbed if the words do not drop smoothly and are interrupted by thoughts, images, and feelings in the beginning. It takes some effort to tame the mind that is controlled by the brain. Eventually, the words will drop effortlessly into your heart. You need to focus intently and concentrate on the prayer. Much effort is required in the beginning.
Keep Focused on the Words of the Prayer
Avoid any association with words of the prayer. Don’t try to visualize the human person of Jesus or any other image. Don’t try and take a diversionary path by letting your mind go into the life of Jesus or any theological questions. Don’t reflect on the details of your sinfulness or try to solve any of your problems. Simply hold in your heart, with total humility, the awe of God and a feeling of contriteness. Keeping focused on the words of the prayer is very important because the mind can very quickly diverge from them to mundane day-to-day activities and when this happens you have lost your focus on God. If this happens, you are back in your own sea of worldly cares and distracted from your prayer. You will most assuredly be distracted this way during prayer. Concentrate on God who lives in the depths of your heart as Saint Theophan says,

“The essential part is to dwell in God, and this walking before God means that you live with the conviction ever before your consciousness that God is in you, as He is in everything: you live in the firm assurance that He sees all that is within you, knowing you better than you know yourself. This awareness of the eye of God looking at your inner being must not be accompanied by any visual concept, but must be confined to a simple conviction or feeling.”(Art of Prayer, p 100)

Attention of the Mind Essential
You can expect to be bombarded with thoughts like a swarm of gnats. When your mind is distracted from the prayer by thoughts, and it will, be polite and gentle but firmly nudge your mind back to the concentration on the prayer and seeking God. When you recognize your mind is wandering do not let it continue on this path. Don’t accept even good thoughts. Let your soul take charge and move your focus back to the words of the prayer. It is important to recognize when you are being distracted by thoughts which may occur at the same time as you are saying the prayer. They climb on top of your words and ride piggyback on them. If you don’t intercede to bring your attention back to your prayer exclusively, you will not progress in your aim to come closer to God. When this happens your prayer is no longer sincere but only mechanical. Allow the Spirit working in your soul bring you back to the prayer and continue saying it with sincerity and feeling.
Saint John of the Ladder puts it this way,

Try to restore, or more exactly, to enclose your thought in the words of the prayer. If on account of its infancy, it wearies and wanders, lead it again. The mind is naturally unstable. But He Who orders all things can control it. If you acquire this practice and constantly retain it, He who sets the bounds of the sea of your mind will say to it during your prayer: Hitherto thou shalt come, and shalt go no further (Job 38:11). It is impossible to bind a spirit. But where the Creator of that spirit is present, there everything obeys Him. (Ladder 28:17)

When the devil sees us trying to pray, he works hard to distract us. He seeks out our weaknesses and generates all kinds of thoughts to distract us Quite often the thoughts that come to us during prayer are related to our weaknesses, the areas where our passions have great influence in our lives. Outside of prayer we can use this information to confront these weaknesses. Do let your mind begin to analyze this during your prayer.
more on controlling the mind...
The Heart 
Our attention must be concentrated on the heart and not on the brain. You should feel the action of the Jesus Prayer on your heart. You will feel a warmth. It is important to realize that we love God first with our hearts and then with our mind. Our present condition has this reversed. This is what we are trying to correct through our practice of the prayer. We aim to open our heart and feel the sting of our repentance. You may feel some soreness initially around the heart. Don’t mind this just keep your attention focused on the prayer. There are some people who have thought they have been afflicted with heart disease and go visit doctors who can find nothing wrong. It is a pain similar to those you have when exercising after a period of no exercise. It is the pain of grace you are feeling. (A Night in the Desert of the Holy Mountain, pp 84-86)
Patience
Remember, this is a process and you will go through stages. Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov reminds us that our simple attentive beginnings lead us to the temple of the heart.

It is one thing to pray with attention with the participation of the heart; it is another thing to descend with the mind into the temple of the heart and from there to offer mystical prayer filled with divine grace and power. The second is a result of the first. The attention of the mind during prayer draws the heart into sympathy. With the strengthening of the attention, sympathy of heart and mind is turned into union of heart and mind. Finally, when the attention makes the prayer its own, the mind descends into the heart for the most profound and sacred service of prayer.
All this is accomplished under the guidance of the grace of God. It is harmful to strive for the second before acquiring the first. (On the Prayer of Jesus, p 48)

How long to pray
Be sure to consult your spiritual Father on the amount of time you should devote to the Jesus prayer. As a general rule you should repeat it for a minimum of 15 minutes at any one prayer session. Any less will not help you develop the attention needed for prayer of the heart. You should then fairly quickly work up to a period of thirty minutes. You will need to measure your time to make sure you fulfill your desired time. One way is with a clock. Another way is to use a prayer rope. A prayer rope has 50 or 100 knots typically. Holding it between your thumb and index finger you can index one knot at a time each time you complete one complete recitation of the Jesus prayer.

Saint Theophan the Recluse : What the Angels and saints do in the heavens, we should learn to do on earth: get used to the angelic, unceasing standing before God in our hearts.

Saint Theophan the Recluse - Homily 3
Unceasing Prayer

I have explained to you briefly two aspects or two levels of prayer, namely: prayer which is read, when we pray to God with the prayers of others, and one's mental prayer, where we ascend mentally to God through contemplation of God, dedicating all to God, and often crying out to Him from our hearts.
But this is still not all. There is a third aspect or level of prayer...
1
The unceasing turning of the mind and heart to God, accompanied by interior warmth or burning of the spirit. This is the limit to which prayer should aspire, and the goal which every prayerful laborer should have in mind, so that he does not work uselessly in the work of prayer.
Scripture Teaches Us -
Remember how the Word of God talks about prayer:

"Be vigilant and pray," says the Lord (Matt 26:41).
"Be sober and bold," teaches the apostle Peter (1 Pet 5:8).
"Be patient in prayer, and be bold in it," the apostle Paul teaches(Col 4:2).
"Pray without ceasing," says Paul (1 Thess 5:17).
"Pray with all prayer and petition at all times in the spirit" (Eph 6:18), Paul commands, explaining in other places the reason to be this way.
"Because our life is hidden with Christ in God, and because the Spirit of God lives in us, in which we cry, 'Abba, Father'," explains Paul. (1 Cor 3:16)

From these instructions and commands it is impossible not to see that prayer is not something done once, and in an interrupted way, but is not something done once, and in an interrupted way, but is a state of the spirit, constant and unceasing, just like our breathing and heartbeat.
Some Examples
I will explain this to you by examples.

The sun is in the middle, and all of our planets go around it, all are drawn in toward it, and all turn some side of themselves towards it. What the sun is in the material world, God is in the spiritual world - the rational sun.
Bring your thoughts to heaven, and what will you see there? Angels, who, according to the word of the Lord, ever see the face of their heavenly Father. All bodiless spirits and all saints in heaven and turned towards God, all direct their mental eyes toward Him, and do not wish to turn away from Him, because of the ineffable blessedness which flows from this vision of the face of God. But what the Angels and saints do in the heavens, we should learn to do on earth: get used to the angelic, unceasing standing before God in our hearts.

Only he who reaches this state is a true man of prayer.
How can we attain this great good thing?
Labor at Prayer
I will answer this briefly as follows: One must labor in prayer without hesitation, zealously, hopefully, trying to obtain a burning spirit through sober attention to God, as if it were the promised land. Work in prayer, and praying about everything, pray even more about this limit of prayer - a burning spirit - and you will truly attain that which you seek.
We are assured of this by St. Makarios of Egypt, who labored and tasted the fruit of prayer.

"If you do not have prayer, work at prayer, and the Lord, seeing your labor, and seeing how you are patient in the labor and wholeheartedly desire this good thing, will grant you this prayer (Homily 19)".

The labor has this as its only end. When the fire is kindled, about which the Lord speaks:

"I have come to bring fire upon the earth, and what is it to Me if it were already kindled?" (Luke 12:49)

- then the work comes to an end. Prayer becomes easier and freer.
Do not think that we are talking about something very lofty which is an unattainable state for living people. No. It truly is a lofty state, but attainable by all. Does not everyone at some time feel warmth in their hearts in prayer, when the soul separates itself from all things and deeply enters into itself and prays hotly to God? This movement of the prayerful spirit, although it was once only temporary, must be made into a constant state, and it will reach the limits of prayer.
The means to this, as I have said, is the work of prayer. When one rubs two sticks together, they warm up and catch fire. Similarly, when the soul is rubbed in the work of prayer, it eventually leads to prayerful fire.
Two Types of Prayer Necessary
The work of prayer consists of a proper completion of the two types of prayer ...pious, attentive, and feeling completion of our usual prayers, and then
...training of the soul to frequently ascend to God through divine contemplation, turning of all things to the glory of God, and frequent crying to God from the heart.
We pray in the morning and the evening: there is a great distance between them. If we only turn to God at these times, then even if we pray whole-heartedly, during the day or night, everything will fall apart, and when it is time again to pray, the soul will feel cold and empty, as before. One can pray again whole-heartedly, but if you become cold and fall apart again, what use is it? This is just building and destroying, building and destroying; it is only labor.
If now we resolve not only to pray with attention and feeling in the morning and the evening, but also to spend every day in contemplation of God, doing all things to the glory of God, and frequently calling to God from our hearts with short words of prayer, then this long period between morning and evening prayers and from evening to morning prayers will be filled with frequent turnings to God and pure prayerful actions.
Although this prayer is not yet unceasing, it is still prayer repeated very frequently, and the more often it is repeated, the closer it comes to being constant. All of this work is towards this final and necessary goal.
Three Aspects of Our Prayer Work
For if we resolve to do this work every day, without fail, without hesitation, look, what will become of our souls?

The fear of God is born from divine contemplation. For the fear of God is in and of itself the attainment of pious thought and the perception of God's eternal perfection and action.
From turning all of our works to the glory of God, we obtain a constant remembrance of God, or in other words, walking before God. Walking before God consists of doing nothing without remembering that you are in the presence of God. 
From frequent calling out to God, or from frequent pious movements toward God in our hearts we will constantly call upon the name of God with warmth and love. When these three things: the fear of God, the remembrance of God, or walking before God, and this turning of the heart toward God with love (loving repetition of the sweet name of the Lord in the heart) then certainly the spiritual fire of which I spoke earlier will catch in the heart, and it will bring with it profound peace, constant sobriety, and living boldness. At that point, a man enters into that state where he needs no longer to desire anything greater or unnecessary on earth, and which is truly the beginning of the blessed state which awaits all in the future.

Here, in fact, that which the apostle said is fulfilled: "our life is hidden with Christ in God" (Col 3:3).
Add these three things to your prayerful work. They are at the same time the reward for labor and the key to the hidden temple of the Kingdom of Heaven. Having opened the doors, go inside, approach the foot of the throne of God and you will be vouchsafed a good word and an embrace from the heavenly Father, and from the depth of your being you will say: "O Lord, O Lord! Who is like Thee?" Pray about this in your work of prayer, and let each one cry out, "when will I come and appear before Thy face, O Lord? My face has sought Thee; I seek, O Lord, Thy face."
Perfection of the Three Aspects of Prayer.
I will briefly answer him who wants to know how these three things: fear of God, remembrance of God, and this loving, constant calling on the name of God, are perfected:

...begin to seek them, and the work itself will teach you how to find its perfection.
...cast aside everything that gets in the way of these things, and earnestly seek out that which aids them. The work itself will teach you how to tell which things are which.
...when you begin to be contained in your heart as you are contained in your body, surrounded by warmth on all sides, or when you begin to conduct yourself as you conduct yourself around some important person, that is, with fear and attention so that you would not offend him, regardless of your desire to walk and act freely, or if you see, that your soul is beginning to remain with the Lord as a wife with her beloved husband, then know, that the Visitor of our souls is near, at the doors, and He will enter in and feast with you within yourself.

And these few signs, I think, are enough for zealous seekers. All of this is said only with the goal that those of you who pray wholeheartedly would know the limit of prayer, and having worked only a little and obtained only a little you would not think that you have obtained everything. Do not weaken your labor because of this, and thus put a limit on your further progress in the steps of prayer. Just as markers are placed on the sides of large roads so that those passing by them would know how far they have gone and how far remains, so in the spiritual life there are certain signs which indicate the degree of perfection of a life, which are also there, so that those who are zealous for perfection do not stop halfway and deprive themselves of the fruits of their labor, because they know how far they have come and how far remains to go. The fruit may be only a few turns away.

I conclude my word with the serious prayer, that the Lord would give you reason in all things, that you may become a perfect man, in the measure of the age of the fullness of Christ. Amen.

Previous - Homily 2 - Mental Prayer      Next - Homily 4 - Life of Prayer

---

Download pdf file of this Homily

Translated from the Russian by Rev. Fr. Michael van Opstall – January 2007
Source: http://www.monachos.net/content/patristics/patristictexts/230-theophan-prayer3

THE JESUS PRAYER by Saint Theophan the Recluse

Prayer Main Page Jesus Prayer   In Lord's Name   Humility   Two Functions   Difficult Path   Three Stages   Method -   The Practice   Possible Problems   and Cautions   When To Pray   Not Eastern Yoga   or Meditaton   Not By Our Effort   Alone  Articles and Books  Join to Pray the   Jesus Prayer Around the Clock

http://fatherdavidbirdosb.blogspot.pt/2015/05/the-mysteries-of-jesus-prayer.html

SUS PRAYER Saying the Jesus Prayer. Listen and watch this video in a spirit of prayer and it will teach you a lot.

THE MYSTERIES OF THE JESUS PRAYER

Saying the Jesus Prayer
By Dr. Albert S Rossi, Director of Field Education and licensed clinical psychologist.
my source: St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary

"Prayer is Not Optional"

A layman at the St Vladimir's Seminary Summer Institute, wrote this sentence as the most important thing he learned all week.

Which Words

The classical form of the Jesus Prayer is,

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

The actual words of our short prayers can vary. We might say the classic version of the Jesus Prayer, or we might say, "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me." We may say, "Lord Jesus, have mercy." Or, we might say a Psalm verse, or a Bible quote, or some other prayer.

Monks of old said, "Lord, make haste to help me. Lord, make speed to save me," all day long.

The history of the Jesus Prayer goes back, as far as we know, to the early sixth century, with Diadochos, who taught that repetition of the prayer leads to inner stillness. Even earlier John Cassian recommended this type of prayer. In the fourth century Egypt, in Nitria, short "arrow" prayers were practiced.

Abba Macarius of Egypt said there is no need to waste time with words. It is enough to hold out your hands and say, "Lord, according to your desire and your wisdom, have mercy." If pressed in the struggle, say, "Lord, save me!" or say, "Lord." He knows what is best for us, and will have mercy upon us.

     

Pray Ceaselessly   We are all called to pray without ceasing, says St. Paul in 1 Thess 5:17. The real questions is, how. The Jesus Prayer provides one good way to pray constantly. In fact, the Jesus Prayer is the most widespread and most specifically Orthodox spiritual prayer, according to Metropolitan Corneanu. Our task is to draw nearer to God. St. Isaac of Syria says that it is impossible to draw near to God by any means other than increasing prayer.

The Power of the Name

  Biblically, knowing a person's name gave power over that person. Name was linked with being. In the Old Testament, God would not disclose His name. In the New Testament, Jesus explicitly gives us God's name, Father, and tells us to use the name in prayer. Jesus gives us access to the Godhead through the name. Jesus told His Apostles that they hadn't really used His Name in prayer enough. "Hitherto you have asked nothing in My Name; ask and you will receive, that your joy may be full" (Jn 16:23).

Hidden Martyrdom   Trying to pray repetitively is an inner asceticism. According to St Ignatius Brianchaninov, trying to pray without ceasing is a "hidden martyrdom." A casual, but profound, example of this came to a small group of high school students. They were visiting a home for unwed mothers. The woman who directs the home spoke to them for a half hour. Because the woman sensed that the students were wondering about her own faith commitment, she said, "Well, you have been here 30 minutes and I have prayed 15 times." She hadn't been out of their sight, nor out of their conversation. Yet, during the active interchange, this woman found the desire, attention, and time, to shoot 15 "arrow" prayers to God. That's keen vigilance. That's a hidden martyrdom, especially when attempted all day long. Prayer requires super-human courage, given the atmosphere of the world today. The whole ensemble of natural energies is in opposition. So says Sophrony. Lions may not eat us for the sake of the Gospel. Rather, our call to martyrdom takes the form of being attentive to the present moment, relying upon God's power always, and doing His will. Our call to martyrdom may not be any easier than death by violence.

Who can Say the Prayer

  Clearly, the Jesus Prayer is not only for monks. We are told that the prayer is for cab drivers, social workers, business persons, teachers, professional baseball players (not necessarily used to win a game), psychiatrists. We use the Jesus Prayer to do God's will, not our own bidding. Anyone, everyone can say the Jesus Prayer. There are no prerequisites for saying the Jesus Prayer.  We are all sinners and need to pray, always.  We try to keep the Commandments, be living members of His Body on earth, and try to find a guide. Bishop Kallistos Ware has sound advice for those who simply can't find a suitable guide. "But those who have no personal contact with starets may still practice the Prayer without any fear, so long as they do so only for limited periods - initially, for no more than ten or fifteen minutes at a time - and so long as they make no attempt to interfere with the body's natural rhythms."

When to Pray   The Jesus Prayer is recommended in the morning, following our prayer rule, for some period of time, perhaps 10 or 15 minutes. If that is impossible, then sometime before noon, or in the evening. This might be called "formal" use of the prayer. The second form of the Jesus Prayer is the "free" use of the prayer. This means at any and all other times of the day, or night. This is especially true for the semi-automatic tasks such as driving, doing dishes, walking, being unable to sleep, etc. The Jesus Prayer is notably useful in time of extreme concern or upset. When alone, we might find it helpful to pray the Jesus Prayer, out loud. This can help lower the distraction level.

Prayer of the Heart  

The Jesus Prayer is also called the Prayer of the Heart. In Orthodoxy, the mind and heart are to be used as one. St Theophan tells us to keep our "mind in the heart" at all times. Heart means the physical muscle pumping blood, and emotions/feelings, and the innermost core of the person, the spirit. Heart is associated with the physical organ, but not identical with it. Heart means our innermost chamber, our secret dwelling place where God lives. "The heart is but a small vessel; and yet dragons and lions are there, and there poisonous creatures and all the treasures of wickedness; rough, uneven paths are there, and gaping chasms. There likewise is God, there are the angels, the heavenly cities and the treasures of grace; all things are there." So says St. Macarius. Someone said the heart is a dimension of interior consciousness, awareness, where we come in touch with an inner space, a space of no dimensions. This consciousness is timeless, the place where tears reside and deep contact with the present moment abide, and from which restful movement comes. Acting out of our heart means to act lightly, with vigor and enthusiasm. When not in that inner awareness, we are restless, agitated and self-concerned. There is within us a space, a field of the heart, in which we find a Divine Reality, and from which we are called to live. The mind, then, is to descend into that inner sanctuary, by means of the Jesus Prayer or wordless contemplation, and to stay there throughout our active day, and evening. We descend with our mind into our heart, and we live there. The heart is Christ's palace. There, Christ the King comes to take His rest.

Silence

  Silence is a choice. We choose the things we want to do. These things, then, order and measure our lives. Someone said that Christians "order and measure" their lives from communion to communion. We might also say the Christians "order and measure" their lives from silence to silence. Silence, at its best, is God-awareness. We quiet down our outer and inner lives, and listen to God speak. Someone said that when God speaks, His words are like the sound of a flutter of a bird's wings. We need to be attentive if we are to hear anything. Outer silence is a choice. When my son, in his teen years, rode with me in the family car, we cut a deal. He had the car radio half the time, and I had the car radio half the time. He always chose his half at the beginning of the trip. Like most teens, he wanted his jollies up front. For my half of the ride, I sometimes chose silence, because I like silence. I really didn't do it to cause him pain. He, however, did sometimes have a restless and difficult time of it. Later he did tell me that he enjoyed our quiet evening rides together. Outer silence calms the senses. By contrast, sensory overload and excitement can be addictive. Inner silence can usually be achieved only by substituting one thought for another. Hence, the Jesus Prayer overrides our usual compulsive stream of consciousness about our own anxieties. Beginning with this form of prayer, then we might be led to deeper inner stillness, prayer without words. The caution here is that prayer without words is not heaviness, semi-sleep dullness. Rather, wordless prayer is alive, vigorous God-awareness. A seventeen year old said she learned recently that, "Silence is my friend." Abba Pastor tells us that any trial which comes to us can by conquered by silence.

Contemplation  

Contemplation has been described as clear awareness without words. Contemplation is a "seeing clearly." We lay aside thoughts, not to lead to a vacuum or drowsiness, but to inner plenitude. We deny to affirm. Wordless contemplation is not an absence, but a presence, a God-awareness. The aim is to bring us into a direct meeting with a personal God, on God's terms. Inner silence, inner stillness, called hesychia, is experienced by wordless sitting, imageless contemplation. When consciousness strays, a phrase like "Lord Jesus" can be used to bring the mind back, and then the person sits quietly in the presence of the Lord. The desire of wordless sitting awareness is to open oneself to God, to listen to God. Some teachers suggest that if we are able, we spend a half hour of wordless sitting, begun by asking God to teach us to pray, or a Bible quote. Usually this is best done in the morning, upon rising or before noon. If the person is able, a block of the some quiet time is also recommended for the evening. Hopefully, all this is worked out with the direction of a spiritual guide. Both the Jesus Prayer and contemplation make us single-centered, concentrating upon the here and now, focused, one-pointed. The point is God.

Changing the Universe 

Every prayer changes the entire universe. Our every prayer, each prayer, actually changes history, the way God created the world, and all else. God is outside time. God is not "waiting up there" for our prayer, and then He acts. All has already occurred in God.

Intercessory Prayer
 

St Therese, a Roman Catholic saint, had difficulty knowing that God heard her prayers for others. As a youth, she decided to put God "to the test" once and for all. Perhaps only a saint can "test" God. She prayed fervently for the salvation of a callused serial killer of women, Henri Pranzini. Pranzini was caught, found guilty and sentenced to the guillotine. During this time, Therese prayed that he be saved, and that she be given a sign that a conversion took place. Pranzini became more arrogant. Therese persisted. On the execution day, Pranzini walked up the steps, put his head onto the block, still jeering. Then, unexpectedly, he lifted up, grabbed the crucifix hanging from the side of the nearby priest, and Pranzini kissed the feet of Christ three times. Pranzini publicly repented. He then put his head back down onto the block, and the guillotine fell. Therese claimed that her prayers were answered. She claimed that her intercessory prayers saved a hardened criminal. Is this really the way intercessory prayer works? In a word, yes. How? The answer to that rests somewhere in God's mysterious ways. What we do know, for certain, is that every prayer for someone else is heard, and in God's goodness, answered, for the other person's good. Every single prayer for another helps that other person, and helps us. The lives of the saints are replete with examples. St Monica, mother of St Augustine, prayed day and night for her son when he was living a wild life. Augustine had, among other activities, fathered a child out of wedlock. Monica was told by her Bishop that "no child of so many tears (prayers) could be lost." Monica's prayers were instrumental in saving Augustine. We are each called to pray, ardently, for our children, family, priest, the Church, country, world. We have a noble and royal vocation, to pray and make an untold difference in the entire cosmos.

How Does It Work?   

Like swimming, we are to "jump in" and just begin. There is a world of difference between thinking, or talking, about quiet prayer, and actually praying. Like beginning swimmers , we only learn by getting wet. The Fathers tell us that, often, the first thing that happens is an experience of darkness and resistance. Then, when we persist, peace begins to replace the darkness. The temptations may become more severe, even temptations to stop the praying, but we sin less. The Fathers tell us that, as we continue to pray and live the commandments, go to Church and listen to our spiritual Father, we can expect to become freed from indecision, upset and hesitation. Our will becomes stronger. We can expect to be available to others in ways we otherwise would not have been, and we will become more effective and creative. Bishop Kallistos Ware says that by spending only a few moments invoking the Divine Name each day, we actually transform all the other remaining moments of the day. In the beginning, there may be no new insights and no pleasant feelings. Was it a waste of time? Not necessarily. By faith, the Christian believes that spending time wanting to pray, and actually praying, does touch a Merciful God. God hears. And, in turn, Divine Truth is known through direct experience, sometimes called intuition. Something is happening, and changing at a deeper level of consciousness, unnoticed. We can expect invisible, subtle snares, sent from Satan, precisely because we have upscaled our efforts, and are turning to God. In a sense, we rouse the enemy to action. St. John Chrysostom says that when we begin to pray we stir the snake (living within us) to action, and that prayer can lay the snake low. There is no ascetic effort more difficult, more painful, than the effort to draw close to God, Sophrony tells us. When we begin to pray, we expend desire and effort. The results are up to God. Real prayer is a gift from God, not the payment for our perspiration. Prayer works in the Unseen Warfare as a power/gift from Jesus, given as a function of our ability to receive it. We increase our ability to receive by asking for the increase, and God grants it as He sees fit, in His tender, all sweet and merciful manner.

Not Yoga   Sitting, saying the Jesus Prayer, or in wordless contemplation, is not Yoga or any far Eastern practice. The difference is the Christian encounter with the living God, Jesus. The postures, techniques and outer form may be similar, but the content is unique in Christian prayer. The content of Christian prayer is Jesus. Sometimes the difference is likened to a priceless painting. We might admire the exquisite frame of the painting, and rightly so. But the frame is not the masterpiece. The similarities of Eastern Yoga and Sufi practice in prayer are the frame, but Christ is the masterpiece, the insides, of the prayer of the Christian. And, that is all the difference in the world.

Techniques & Psychosomatic Issues

  The Orthodox understanding of the role of the body in prayer rests upon a sound anthropology. The body, soul and spirit act as a single unit, not divided or split up. Therefore, the body has a role in prayer. How we involve the body can be understood in three ways. Sometimes this is called psychotechniques. 1. Breathing, 2. Inner Exploration, and 3. Posture. Across the centuries, these issues have been explosive.

Breathing. Bishop Kallistos Ware says that if we pray the Jesus Prayer for short periods, ten or fifteen minutes at the beginning, then there is no problem matching the words of the prayer to our breath. We are to breath naturally, without playing with the rhythm of the breath. On the inhale, we can say, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God." On the exhale, we can say, "have mercy on me, a sinner." We are to breath and pray slowly and reverently and attentively.

Inner Exploration. Inner exploration usually means following our breath into the nostrils, down into the lungs, around the insides, and out. This is unquestioningly, forbidden. The dangers involved in all this cannot be exaggerated.

Posture. The usual position, as recommended by Bishop Kallistos Ware, is a comfortable sitting position in a chair. Sometimes standing is recommended. Usually the eyes are kept closed. Posture can take many forms, as long as the postures are reverent.

Modern serious and enlightened authors, such as Bishop Ware, St Igantius Brianchaninov and Sophrony all agree that "the fullness of the Jesus Prayer can by practiced without any physical methods at all." In summary, it can be said that physical methods are optional and not at all necessary. Physical techniques are more suitable for beginners, says St Gregory Palamas. Physical techniques are potentially dangerous, and not to be used without a guide. St Theophan suggests, "Make a habit of having the intellect stand in the heart, but not in a physical way."

Prayer Rope  

Orthodox prayer ropes are usually soft and made of wool. The purpose is to help us concentrate, not necessarily to count. In the famous book, The Way of the Pilgrim, the pilgrim said the prayer 2,000, then 6,000, then 12,000 times. Is 12,000 Jesus Prayers better than 2,000? Absolutely not. Quantity has nothing to do with love, and a living relationship with Jesus. The pilgrim did 12,000, no more and no less, as an act of obedience to his spiritual father, not because he was "making progress." He also prayed much because that was his "heart's desire." Every prayer is an act of love, made to the Author of Love, Who is waiting expectantly for our desire, and our acceptance of His Love.

The Jesus Prayer as Psychotherapy   As medicine, the Jesus Prayer is destructive of the passions and altering of conduct. Just as a doctor places a dressing on a patient's wound, and the dressing works without the patient's knowing how, calling on the Name of God "removes the passions" without our knowing how and why, according to Barsanupius and John. The Holy Name, when repeated quietly, penetrates the soul rather like a drop of oil, spreading out and impregnating a cloth. Our modern translation of "mercy" is limited and insufficient. "Mercy" comes from the Greek eleison. Eleison has the same root as elaion which means olive and olive oil. In the Middle East, olive oil provides physical healing for many sicknesses, particularly respiratory. "Have mercy" means to have "healing oil" on my soul. The Fathers tell us that praying the Sacred Name changes our personality, from overstrain to joy. "Hitherto you have asked nothing in my Name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full" (Jn 16:24). The Jesus Prayer functions as therapy, much like healing oil, transforming our personality from overstrain to joy, and by continuing to pray, these changes become permanent.

Results of Prayer   

We don't say the Jesus Prayer, or enter wordless contemplation, to get "some benefit." We don't pray to reduce our stress, or strengthen our immune system, or lose weight, or add years to our life. On the contrary, we enter prayer to follow Christ, to become open to Him. His way is the Way of the Cross.

Listen and watch this video in a spirit of prayer and it will teach you a lot.

Also, read "Be Still and Know:

God's presence in Silence"

by the same author; with its companion video of the same name.   The publicity says:

A 60-minute ethnographic field study of ancient and contemporary Christian monasticism and prayer.  This is the perfect film to use with the book, “Be Still and Know: God’s Presence in Silence” and the accompanying Study Guide from Fortress Press.  Never-before-seen locations, demonstrations and commentary from hermits, monks, nuns, bishops and archbishops.  Unprecedented access to St. Antony’s, St. Catherine’s, Vatopaidi (Mt. Athos), Rohia and Varatec (Romania/Transylvania) monasteries.  A step-by-step summary of the Holy Liturgy (St. Basil’s) filmed at St. Catherine’s Monastery at the foot of Mt. Sinai, Egypt.  The ideal companion to the Fortress book of the same title.  The free Study Guide is also available at Fortress.com and more information about the book and Study Guide on this site.

Early Christian spirituality is a topic of enduring fascination today among scholars and general readers alike. Stories of hermits living in the desert in their pursuit of God catch our fancy. What motivated them and drew them to silence on their path to God? In this gracious tour, Norris J. Chumley introduces us to Hesychasm, or silence, and to the lives of it

s early practitioners. The reader is introduced to St. Anthony, St. Pachomius, Evagrius, St. John Climacus, and many others. Then, as only a teacher and mentor can, he opens up the important possibilities the practice has for today.

http://fatherdavidbirdosb.blogspot.pt/2015/05/the-mysteries-of-jesus-prayer.html 

“God will save the World Through Beauty”

By Fr. Stephen Freeman

“God will save the World Through Beauty”

Read...

This saying, often attributed to Fyodor Dostoevsky, never occurs in precisely this form in his novels – though the idea is present in such a strong sense that the phrase is correctly attributed to him. It is a phrase that is easily misunderstood. For Dostoevsky, in good Orthodox fashion, beauty is far more than a matter of aesthetics – it is the very goodness of creation itself.

However (and this is the great writer’s genius), Dostoevsky sees beauty in strangely contradictory forms. The beauty that Dostoevsky sees as potientially salvific is itself a great mystery. In a very powerful paragraph in the Brothers Karamazov, the Brother, Dmitri, states the problem very clearly. Drawing on a line of poetry that says that God gave to the insects “sensual lust,” Dmitri begins by calling himself an insect and says that all the Karamazovs are insects.Read...

Dios ha puesto el don de la paz para el mundo en las manos maternales de María. Para alcanzar la paz hay que solicitarla al Corazón Inmaculado.

¡NUESTRA SEÑORA DE FÁTIMA NOS MUESTRA EL ÚNICO REMEDIO!

¡Despierta, Iglesia Santa De Dios!

¡Despierten, la Jerarquía y los fieles de la Santa Iglesia!

¡No se puede estar ni un segundo más sin atender al grito materno de María!

¡No se puede soportar más la desobediencia a los pedidos de María!

¡La suerte del mundo entero depende de la obediencia de la Iglesia a las peticiones maternales de la Madre de Dios!

¡La suerte de la humanidad ha sido puesta por Dios en las manos de la Iglesia Católica, en las manos del Papa y de la Jerarquía!

Si continúa la desobediencia a los pedidos de la Virgen, las manos de aquellos que son responsables se verán, por pecado de omisión, manchadas de sangre por toda la eternidad. No podrán escapar al juicio de Dios. Su suerte eterna estará objetivamente en peligro de condenación por resistir al Espíritu Santo que obra, actúa y habla al mundo por medio de su fidelísima Esposa, la Bienaventurada siempre Virgen María.

Al aceptar como dignas de crédito las apariciones de Nuestra Señora en Fátima, la Jerarquía de la Iglesia se ha comprometido ante Dios y ante el mundo a aceptar escrupulosamente los mensajes dados por la Madre de Dios a los pequeños videntes: los Beatos Francisco y Jacinta Marto, y a la Hermana Lucía.

Aceptar las Apariciones de Fátima sin prestar obediencia a las peticiones de la Blanca Señora es convertir Fátima en un circo abominable, en un "hazme reír", en un fraude para la fe de los fieles.

Se va a cumplir el centenario de las Apariciones, y cuánto más nos acercamos a dicha conmemoración, más actuales y apremiantes se revelan las enseñanzas impartidas y los remedios propuestos por la Santísima Virgen ante los gravísimos peligros que se ciernen sobre la Iglesia y sobre la humanidad entera.

¡Es hora de "exigir" respetuosamente obediencia a las peticiones de la Virgen a aquellos a quienes la Señora ha comprometido como Reina de los Cielos y de la tierra, porque la suerte de todos está en sus manos!

Ella quiere que Rusia sea consagrada explícitamente a su Corazón Inmaculado, sin excusas políticas ni pseudoreligiosas de ningún tipo.

Dios quiere establecer en el mundo la Devoción al Corazón Inmaculado de María.

Dios ha puesto el don de la paz para el mundo en las manos maternales de María. Para alcanzar la paz hay que solicitarla al Corazón Inmaculado.

El Santo Rosario y la Devoción al Inmaculado Corazón de María son los últimos remedios dados por Dios al mundo.

La Señora Celestial nos pide que recemos diariamente el Santo Rosario, nos apremia a hacer penitencia por nuestros pecados, a orar y sacrificarnos por la conversión de los pobres pecadores y a rezar por el Papa.

Fátima es el Plan Pastoral que el Cielo entrega a la Iglesia para que se cumpla, para que se ponga en práctica.

Fátima es el Plan Pastoral elaborado por el Cielo para aplastar la cabeza infernal de Satanás,para detener la condenación eterna de millones de almas, para proteger al mundo de su propia autoexterminación, para defender a la Iglesia militante de los más terribles asaltos del enemigo que jamás haya podido sufrir.

En Fátima, en los Mensajes de la Mujer vestida de Sol y en el testimonio de los tres videntes están todas las claves para poder interpretar todos los acontecimientos de la hora actual, tanto los referidos a la Iglesia Católica como los referidos al mundo entero.

¡Cien años, se van a cumplir de aquellos acontecimientos en los que en la Cova de Iría explosionó el orden sobrenatural!

¡Cien años de paciencia por parte de Dios y de la Madre Celestial!

¡Cien años de desobediencias, de incredulidad, de dureza de corazón!

¡Cien años de desastres, de horrores, de guerras y de tribulaciones!

¡Cien años de pavor para la Iglesia y para el mundo!

¡Cien años de innumerables almas perdidas en el infierno por no atender a las llamadas maternales de María!

¡Ya no se puede esperar más!

¡Ya los Católicos no deberíamos consentir más dilaciones!

Es verdad que las llamadas maternales de Fátima apelan a la responsabilidad personal e individual de cada católico. Pero es cierto también que hay llamadas al Cuerpo de la Iglesia, a su Jerarquía, a la comunidad de todos los creyentes.

Terrible responsabilidad la que el Cielo ha puesto en nuestras manos.

Por mucho que nos hagamos el sordo y nos tapemos los oídos, la voz de Dios y la voz de María nadie la podrá apagar: "¿Dónde está tu hermano?"...

Recordando las palabras del Venerable Pío XII: "La salvación de muchos depende de la oración de pocos".

Quizás nunca, la suerte eterna de tantos -la humanidad entera- dependió de la obediencia de unos pocos -los hijos de la Iglesia-.

¡Ave María Purísima!

Manuel María de Jesús, F.F.

Hijos míos, vivan mis mensajes, sean buenos, entréguense como hostia viva en sacrificio en el altar, beban con mi Hijo de la copa de Getsemaní para que vivan unidos a su Sagrado Corazón y se alimenten de su Divina voluntad.

Hijos míos,el Santo Rosario derrama muchas gracias para toda la humanidad.

Queridos hijos, vengo a repetir mi llamado de Garabandal, pero ahora para mi remanente fiel. Sean obedientes y dóciles al Espíritu Santo y sigan paso a paso mis consejos maternos para que el enemigo no los extravíe del Inmaculado Corazón.

  Hijos míos, sean buenos, sean santos, sean perfectos en el amor a Dios, en el amor al prójimo, en el amor a vuestra salvación. Hagan mucho sacrificio, oración y penitencia para que el Sagrado Corazón de mi Hijo sea consolado.

Hijos míos, el Santo Rosario derrama muchas gracias para toda la humanidad. Cuando ustedes oran  se ofrecen junto conmigo al pie de la Cruz, por eso la oración es de importancia para mi Remanente Fiel, porque orar es unirse a mi Hijo Jesús crucificado, es aceptarme como Madre al pie de la cruz, es convertirse en discípulos amados de nuestros Corazones Unidos.

Hijos míos, el mundo camina a la perdición a consecuencia de su ignorancia y rechazo a los llamados del Señor, pero vengo a llamar a los hijos de Israel, a los hijos de la Iglesia, porque no quiero que los seguidores de mi Hijo también se extravíen y se pierdan, sino que así como mi Hijo me confió la Iglesia primitiva, así también cuido ahora de la Iglesia peregrina.   

Hijos míos, vivan mis mensajes, sean buenos, entréguense como hostia viva en sacrificio en el altar, beban con mi Hijo de la copa de Getsemaní para que vivan unidos a su Sagrado Corazón y se alimenten de su Divina voluntad.

Hijos míos, como yo les amo prometí tres grandes acontecimientos pero se cumplirán en la hora de Dios, mi resto fiel sólo obedezcan y confíen en mi vuestra Madre, que todo lo que os anuncio y el Señor envía es para bien de vuestras almas, Yo les amo, gracias por ser obedientes a mis mensajes. En el nombre del Padre, y del Hijo y del Espíritu Santo. Amén.

Fátima, Garabandal, Medjugorje, no han sido obedecidos, por eso el Señor me permitió dar los últimos llamados de Amor y Conversión a la humanidad para rescatar muchas almas

    Queridos hijos, por intercesión del Espíritu Santo, a través de la poderosa intercesión del Arcángel San Miguel, San Gabriel y San Rafael, vengo nuevamente a repetir mi último llamado porque este pueblo es duro de corazón, soberbio de espíritu y no viven unidos a la Divina voluntad de mi Hijo.

Hijos míos, con vuestros santos rosarios destruid las barreras de satanás, orad mucho por las almas consagradas, especialmente por el Papa que sufre y que sufrirá mucho, también oren por Benedicto XVI que es mártir viviente de la Iglesia de mi Hijo. Oren por los obispos, oren por mis hijos predilectos los sacerdotes porque están ignorando a la Madre de Cristo Sacerdote, ignoran mis consejos maternos.

Con vuestro santo rosario en las manos, con la oración en el corazón y el Ave María en vuestros labios conquisten muchas almas para el Reino de Dios. Ayer les entregué una gracia especial a cada uno de ustedes, pero hoy pongo la armadura espiritual en cada uno de ustedes, una gracia intercedida por San Miguel Arcángel que él obtuvo con sus oraciones son depositadas sobre los santos rosarios que hoy traen a este lugar.

Hijos míos, oren, reparen y consuelen el Corazón de mi Hijo que está muy ofendido. El Reino de mi Amor Maternal se extenderá en muchos corazones, con la ayuda de mi Ejército de los últimos tiempos.

Fátima, Garabandal, Medjugorje, no han sido obedecidos, por eso el Señor me permitió dar los últimos llamados de Amor y Conversión a la humanidad para rescatar muchas almas, para reunir a mi remanente fiel y para consolar a mi Hijo que tiene su Cuerpo herido y que pronto también será fragmentado por la dureza de los corazones.

Hijos míos, yo les amo, les protejo y el Espíritu Santo con mi intercesión les dará luz para seguir el camino de la cruz, para seguir a mi Hijo, para vivir con nuestros dos Corazones en el Reino Glorioso. Gracias por unir sus pasos a nuestros Sagrados Corazones en el camino de la cruz.

desde mi Corazón Inmaculado brotan para ustedes ríos de agua viva del Espíritu Santo

Queridos hijos, los he traído para entregarles una bendición especial a cada uno de ustedes, desde mi Corazón Inmaculado brotan para ustedes ríos de agua viva del Espíritu Santo, porque les amo y el Espíritu Santo les ha escogido para que sean apóstoles de los últimos tiempos y conquisten el mundo para nuestros Sagrados Corazones Unidos, desde la cruz.

Hijos míos; hoy deposito una gracia especial en cada uno de sus corazones, una gracia para este fin de los tiempos. Invocad al Espíritu Santo, para que le preserve, la desarrolle, la aumente, cuenten con mi intercesión, en estos días le mostraré a cada uno de ustedes el gran misterio que encierra mi mensaje de Garabandal, les amo, les doy un beso en la frente a cada uno de ustedes, les cubro con mi manto materno, pueden ir en paz y que mi Hijo Cristo Sacerdote les dé su bendición.