The Jesus Prayer

Lawrence87

Lawrence87

Orthodox
Heritage
I thought it might be good to have a topic related to the Jesus Prayer. For those who don't know it, it is commonly said in the following way:

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

Although there are longer and shorter versions.

I have an interest in this prayer and would be happy to have a thread to share videos, quotes, articles and discuss the Jesus Prayer.
 
I have books and articles on this prayer, it's probably one of my favorite topics. Will share more soon.

Another favorite version of the Jesus prayer,

"Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on us sinners."

Instead of focusing on oneself, by referring to "us" we can keep the commandment to love one's neighbor. Monks say the plural version of the Jesus prayer is actually the advanced version.
 
Read_Lives_of_Saints said:
Do you think there is an issue in saying that someone else is a sinner since we're not supposed to do things like mention other people's sins when we confess?
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I have heard that we should drop "sinner" when we pluralize the prayer too. However, it is a complex subject and you can find conflicting teachings about specifics. Most likely because that kind of stuff is personal.

For example some people use this formula:

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, through the prayers of the Theotokos, have mercy on me, a sinner

I personally was told not to use this version, but that doesn't make it wrong. Its just that my spiritual Father discerned that it wasn't right for me. So someone's priest might say to keep "sinner" when they pluralize the prayer, others might say not to. Some might even advise against saying "us" over "me". All of these things are pretty nuanced and require guidance
 
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@Lawrence87 I hear you. I think that's all acceptable.

I use the shortest version, Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me. The meaning is almost the same as the longer versions, obviously the biggest difference being the word 'sinner'.

It might depend on the person, but if you understand the prayer and have been using it a while, there's no effective difference, because at that point you know you're a sinner and that's why you're praying this as often as possible. The connection is being made.

My unqualified lay opinion.
 
I was taught a slightly different version.

Lord Jesus Christ, son of the living God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
 
I learned the full version from my catechist, "O, Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me a sinner." He said it was okay to shorten it down to where I do it now.

Then later I read "The Way of a Pilgrim," which is a good book about this prayer, and not too long, and I think the main character also used the shortest version.

It gave a list of which parts of the "Philokalia" to read and in which order to learn more about the prayer. Haven't read that yet, but it's on the list.
 
Read_Lives_of_Saints said:
I learned the full version from my catechist, "O, Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me a sinner." He said it was okay to shorten it down to where I do it now.

Then later I read "The Way of a Pilgrim," which is a good book about this prayer, and not too long, and I think the main character also used the shortest version.

It gave a list of which parts of the "Philokalia" to read and in which order to learn more about the prayer. Haven't read that yet, but it's on the list.
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What do you mean by shortest version? The shortest version I know is "Lord, have mercy".
 
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