The Jesus Prayer has been with us since the earliest years of Christianity. With its many variations, from “Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner" to the single word “Jesus” it has been a fount of prayer and a way of being attentive to God for the monks, nuns, clergy and lay people of the Eastern Church for centuries. Today, the Jesus Prayer is practiced all over the world in every Christian tradition. Simple in form, but powerful in its potential to develop and transform the heart, it becomes a way of life for those who practice it. This short, simple guide is ideal for all who are new to this ancient spiritual practice and all who are learning to make it part of their daily practice of prayer.

"'To pronounce the name of Jesus in a holy way is an all-sufficient and surpassing aim for any human life ... We are to call to mind Jesus Christ as until the name of the Lord penetrates our heart, descends to its very depths ... The Name of Jesus, once it has become the center of our life, brings everything together." So writes the "Monk of the Eastern Church" in the course of the present work. To those who wonder how such claims can be advanced on behalf of the Jesus Prayer, and how it is that this particular way of praying continues to appeal so powerfully to contemporary Christians, Eastern and Western, Orthodox and non-Orthodox, this short book provides an answer. Starting with the veneration of the Holy Name in the Old and the New Testament, the author traces the gradual development of the Jesus Prayer first in Byzantium and then in the Slav lands. He concludes with practical suggestions for its use today, showing how it is a prayer not only of the past but equally for the twentieth century. Indeed, there are good reasons to believe that the "way of the name," as he calls it, is being followed by more Christians in our own day than ever before - a striking sign of hope in an age of anxiety. Simple yet profound, this book reveals to us the secret of the continuing attraction exercised by the Jesus Prayer. Since its first appearance some thirty-five years ago, it has become a minor "classic" of the spiritual life, and it still remains the best introduction to the subject"--

“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.” This very simple prayer was developed in the deserts of Egypt and Palestine during the early centuries of Christian faith, and has been practiced in the Eastern Orthodox Church ever since. It is a prayer inspired by St. Paul’s exhortation to “pray constantly” (1 Thessalonians 5:17), and its purpose is to tune one’s inner attention to the presence of the Lord. This series of “little books” is designed to enable you to grasp the meaning of one ancient method of Christian prayer in a relatively short amount of time. In Praying the Jesus Prayer, one of today’s most respected voices on Orthodoxy in America introduces you to: • The history and meaning of this popular but rarely understood method of talking to God • What it means to really pray with both heart and mind • How to get started incorporating the Jesus Prayer into your life.

Bishop Simon Barrington-Ward guides readers through the Jesus Prayer. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have mercy on me. Readers are invited to plumb the depths of this short prayer and to discover a hidden treasure passed down to us through the ancient traditions of Eastern Christianity. The author takes us on a travelogue through his experience of this simple, yet profound prayer.

"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me." This prayer has been on the lips of Christians since the time of the Desert Fathers. What is its history? How do we make it our own? This booklet traces the history of the Jesus Prayer and concludes with a brief discussion of how it can be appropriated by the individual believer today.