Jesus prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.

The Russian pilgrim prayed this thousands of times a day walking his way across the steppes. It descended from his mind and lips to his heart, until he sensed his very heartbeat praying it over and over (Reaching Out, 102).

I have spent this last week with the prayer. It is not enough yet. I realized that I don’t pay much attention to my body. I am not like the runners who run to feel their breath and hear their beating heart. The breath prayer calls us to the now – to be aware of the present moment, what is going on in the body and the heart.

The monk instructs the pilgrim in the words of Simeon the New Theologian. “Sit down alone and in silence. Lower your head, shut your eyes, breathe out gently imagining yourself looking into your own heart” (102). To me this is the key. This is what separates the prayer of the heart from vain repetition. As I prayed, I felt myself circling the abyss of my heart, looking into it, but only for a moment descend. That moment was powerful, and Christ was present with his mercy, but I need more practice for the prayer to descend.

Like the pilgrim, I need to descend with the mind into the heart, as I cross the vast steppes on sojourn, all the while praying, Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.