Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.
I've taken some of its history from this website:
St. Vladamir's Orthodox Theological Seminary
It dates back to the 6th century.
Father gave many examples of the power of prayer, but for some of us prayer does not come easily. If that is true with you I suggest you try the Jesus prayer. In the classroom I used to ask the children where could they pray, and predictably they answered anywhere, not just in church. I've always been a car radio listener, but lately, prayer, particularly the rosary and now the Jesus prayer seems to be more what soothes my harried brain.
From St. Vladamir's: 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.
We are all called to pray without ceasing, says St. Paul in 1 Thess 5:17.
The Jesus Prayer provides one good way to pray constantly.
Once again I'm so grateful to be living my life in this moment, spending time with the people I love. Yesterday was another example of my blessings, praying with Pam and Rose and Mary, under the guidance of Fr. Timone, the most Christlike priest I know.
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