Jesus Prayer: text in Russian

Lord Jesus Christ, Son and Word of God, prayers for the sake of Your most pure Mother, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.
Lord have mercy.

Jesus Prayer in Church Slavonic:

Chosen Voivodo and Lord, hell to the winner,
for you have been delivered from eternal death, I will sing praises to You,
Thy creation and servant;
but, as if you have unspeakable mercy,
Free me from all troubles, calling:
Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me.

They write a lot about the Jesus Prayer in different ways, so it’s easy to get confused. Some offer miraculous words as a panacea, without which it is impossible to be saved. Others sternly warn - this is a stumbling block: you can break on it, and instead of benefiting, you can get harm. Is such prayer necessary? Should we be afraid of it or, on the contrary, should we urgently adopt it?

We are cut from the same cloth, but the taste is different

We are all built the same way, and at the same time we are very different: in intelligence, in the level of Christianization, understanding of Orthodox teaching, depth of faith, abilities, temperament, inherent passions, and finally, in the degree of determination to follow Christ. What is good for one is death for another. By practicing prayer, you will have an idea of its impact on:

events;
own transformation;
surrounding people;
changes in life.

You need to approach it thoughtfully. Listen to advice, but choose your path based on the experience of the saints. Follow their example, but don't copy. Adopt knowledge, but realize that their level of soul purification and ours are different as heaven from earth. We are cut from the same cloth, but we have individuality. You won’t know how it will manifest itself until you experience miracle prayers in your own skin.

The Mystery of the Jesus Prayer

Secret 1. True faith. The holy apostles said: We preach Christ crucified, that He is the Son of God and has risen. In essence, this is a summary of the Gospel. The Jesus Prayer has the same quality. It contains Orthodox teaching, separating existing heresy (lies). True Christians believe that Jesus is not only a man, He is:

The Lord, that is, God.
Christ is the Messiah to whom the prophets testified.
The Son of God, who always existed (before the creation of the universe).

Secret 2. Repentance. A petition for mercy has been added to the Names of the Lord. A person believes: He who promised salvation will fulfill His word. In the end, we admit that we are sinners - this is a manifestation of humility, without which prayer will not be effective. The main goal of labor is to acquire:

complete trust in God;
true repentance (the Holy Spirit reveals sins gradually);
the desire for humility, instead of pride and vanity;
Grace, cleansing from passions.

Note: To some extent, similar goals apply to almost all prayers. Why is Jesus considered the strongest? Next, let's look at the main reasons why she is so exalted.

Secret 3. Name. The secret lies in the Name of the Lord.
Returning from the sermon, the apostles told Christ in admiration: In Your Name even the demons obey us! In His Name they healed, put to death (those who hid the value of their property), and resurrected. The Lord Himself promised: everything that is asked in My Name will be given by the Heavenly Father. Secret 4. Continuity. Demons are cunning and deceitful creatures that hate humans.
Every second they wage war against us in order to destroy and plunge souls into hell. Their powers are superior to human ones, but not to God’s. There is a weapon against them - connection with the Lord through prayer. As soon as they “forgot” about God, they immediately became defenseless against evil spirits. So that the enemy does not have time to take possession of us and does not instill his dirty tricks, the Jesus Prayer is read continuously. It becomes a shield protecting from demonic attacks. Since they cannot bear the Name of Christ and run away, the person is cleansed and freed from sins. He subjugates the passions inherent in the soul, not allowing the “occupiers” to control their own hearts.

Note: The Jesus Prayer has many more secrets, but for beginners it is enough to know this minimum in order to understand the purpose of reading it. Why is it needed, and is a Christian ready for it?

A little bit of history

A Christian who considers himself a member of the Orthodox faith must know the text of the Jesus Prayer by heart. It exists in different variations, but its essence remains the same. An interesting fact: over the course of history, the mentioned prayer book has acquired a mystical aura, which does not always present it in a positive light. Where these mysterious superstitions come from regarding what the Jesus Prayer is and how it works is difficult to say. But studying the chronicles reveals interesting facts.

The history of the prayer text dates back to the 17th century. The Great Moscow Council took place once again, the purpose of which was the trial of Patriarch Nikon, who adopted reforms that led to the formation of the Old Believers in Rus'. Along the way, the participants of the Council adopted a charter on how to correctly pronounce the Jesus Prayer. From that moment on, it was forbidden to call Christ “Son of God” : the accepted version established the only norm - “Our God.” The established text of the Jesus Prayer was declared canonical, but today it is considered a variant of the publican's prayer. The difference is in the following line:

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“God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

What were the contradictions? The main disputes arose due to a separate part of the heretics who did not recognize Jesus as God. They called him exclusively “Son of God,” which the canons of the Orthodox Church do not approve of.

In the process of prayer, we communicate with Heaven, ask him for mercy or offer gratitude. The Jesus Prayer is a means of appealing to the mercy of the one who freed humanity from sins by taking them upon himself. But there is a belief that the pronunciation of prayer by the laity is not encouraged, since it is intended only for church ministers. Bishop Ignatius (1807 - 1867) refuted this point of view. He mentioned the words of the Apostle Paul, who taught that prayers are an appeal to both monastics and ordinary believers.

Religious leaders note some difficulties that accompany the moments when the Jesus Prayer is read: how to pray correctly so as not to fall into the sin of self-delusion? The Church affirms that when pronouncing holy words it is necessary to accept complete humility and show the highest possible meekness. But you cannot give up prayer completely, otherwise you will rob yourself of the chance to partake in the fundamentals of spiritual achievement.

How do demons affect a person?

To corrupt and enslave the will, unclean spirits introduce thoughts. Before committing any sin, a thought arises in a person. He accepts it and begins to think about it. Even realizing that this is a thing harmful to the soul, he tries to resist, but is defeated by devilish cunning. I savored the crime a little in my mind, and then took it and committed it:

I understand that overeating is harmful, but I can’t refuse;
I know: love of money is evil, but I want, I want, I want..., and like a wound-up mechanism, a person spends his life acquiring more and more new “toys” that flatter his own vanity, beyond all measure;
I know that drugs are death, but it’s impossible to resist;
I feel like I’m living wrong, I need to change - but what the hell, I’m too lazy to even think about my salvation, etc., etc.

This is how passions and sins penetrate a person’s heart, becoming his essence, completely subordinating his will to themselves. A soul enslaved by the devil is deprived of freedom, doing not what it wants, but what the demons dictate.

Climbing

The path of those who have known the sweetness of prayer is very long and difficult. God does not immediately bestow the highest reward; He cultivates the gifts gradually.

First, the person is given attention. His busy mind is no longer distracted while reading. At this stage, however, the heart is not yet involved. At first, it is better to say the words out loud - quietly, their sound will not allow you to be distracted often.
At the second stage, attention appears - thoughts rush to the same place as feelings. In most cases, passions previously prevailed, but now they submit to the will of man. However, he should be very careful, because at any moment the sins can return.
Spiritual prayer is given only to a few. Those who have been granted this gift can clearly see a different reality. This is also called serendipity. Such a person is already in heaven with his whole being.

The Lord brought us freedom

Many people don’t even know what real freedom is. And this is a most interesting (priceless) thing. After deliverance from slavery to sin (possible only with the help of Christ), this good is acquired. The Lord said: Believe in the Truth (the content of the Jesus Prayer), and It will make you free. What does it mean?

If you tell a mountain to be thrown into the sea, it will move from its foundations; if you want to cross the river as if it were dry land, go and do not be afraid. Need rain? Ask in the Name of the Lord, and heaven will obey you. Raise the dead, please! Would you say science fiction? No, my dears, this is the absolute truth. And there were such saints on earth.

Note: Yes, not everyone can do this. We have little faith, practically none, otherwise we would become saints. You must at least be aware of your weakness.

Who is Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ is the central person of the Christian faith. The Old Testament predicted the appearance of the Messiah, who would become an atoning sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. Information about the life and teachings of Jesus Christ is contained in the Books of the New Testament. The fact that Jesus Christ was a real person is also evidenced by the works of non-Christian authors.

According to Christian teaching, Jesus Christ is the consubstantial Son of God incarnate in human flesh. The doctrine states that Jesus Christ died to atone for the sins of men, after which he rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. In addition, there is a statement that the Messiah will definitely come again in order to administer judgment over the living and the dead.

Jesus Christ was born in an extraordinary way. An Angel descended to the Virgin Mary, who had vowed to remain virgin in the name of serving God, but was betrothed to Joseph, and said that she would soon give birth to a son who would be the Son of the Lord. And although Mary was surprised, she accepted God’s decree that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and she would conceive by the power of the Most High. Joseph wanted to let his pregnant wife go because he knew that he was not intimate with her. But an Angel, appearing to him in a dream, said that Mary would give birth to a son from the Holy Spirit. His name should be Jesus, he will come to earth to save people from their sins.

When Jesus was thirty years old, God the Father called Him to His ministry. From this time on, Jesus walked the earth for approximately three years. He preached the Kingdom of God and performed various miracles. He managed to heal terminally ill people and cast out demons. His earthly ministries were almost always accompanied by a variety of miracles. According to God's preached teaching, Jesus called people to repentance and said that all sins would be forgiven. He talked about eternal life and the mercy of God. He also spoke about the fact that everyone will have to face judgment and that a righteous life is the truth that grants salvation. Jesus taught how important it is to be sincere before God and that all people should live in peace.

Jesus gained many followers. Most sought to learn wisdom from him, as well as deeply accept and understand Divine Truths. Jesus told his followers that he would be killed, but then he would definitely be resurrected. This is what happened, although it was beyond the understanding of many.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God in the form of a man, voluntarily appeared on earth. He lived a sinless life, endured terrible suffering and suffered death on the Cross, paying for the sins of every person. After which, as a sign of justification and forgiveness of the human race, he was resurrected. This suggests that sincere faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior will allow us to receive forgiveness for known and unknown sins and eternal life.

The Jesus Prayer is an ancient recipe for salvation

In Psalm 136 there are the words: Blessed is he (who has fellowship with God) who will dash the heads of your (daughter of Babylon) babies on a stone. A person who does not know the interpretation may be confused by the text: what cruelty! In fact, it's simple. This is the recipe for salvation from the wiles of the devil:

Babies are the thoughts he puts into our minds.
The stone is Christ.

They don’t have conversations or arguments with thoughts, they don’t savor them, they don’t wait for them to grow and plunge into sin. Without allowing them to settle in their minds while they are babies, they must be beaten with the Jesus Prayer, in His Name. Since thoughts are constantly swarming in my head, I pray incessantly.

Jesus Prayer: how and when to read correctly + text in Russian

The Jesus Prayer helps every believer cope with difficulties. Orthodoxy has a significant number of different prayers, akathists and kontakions. They are used during religious services. One of them is considered the most revered: the Jesus Prayer: text in Russian. It is read during the beliefs of the initial stages. According to believers, such prayer has special power. It protects against negativity when read daily. The first priority is to ask Him for mercy through the Son of the Lord.

The person who turns to God in this prayer must lead a right life, since many people are very attached to the world and its pleasures. Sometimes this completely fills a person’s mind and heart, leaving no room for turning to God. It is necessary to wisely change your life, getting rid of the empty and unnecessary for the purpose of spiritual growth.

Jesus Prayer in Greek

In Greek, the prayer never coincided with the Old Church Slavonic version. This is hesychasm, in which Jesus Christ is addressed as the son of God and the word of the living God. The text of the Greek prayer itself is almost 2 times shorter than what the elders of the Optina Monastery pronounce.

Find a calm, quiet place and retire. If this is not possible, then simply step aside a little and tune in to prayer.
Focus on prayer and reading it. Disconnect for a while from worldly worries.
The text should not be learned automatically, but meaningfully. You need to understand the meaning of each word.
Subsequently, when faith penetrates deeply into consciousness and prevails over worldly affairs, you can pray without solitude, automatically performing your daily work.

Do the laity need prayer?

All the saints recommended reading the Jesus Prayer to the laity. People can at least partially try its effect on themselves. Another thing is whether it will work or not. It all depends on the person himself. There are several stages of mastering it that the prayer goes through:

Verbal - read aloud in solitude to hear yourself, train attention, and get rid of distraction.
Smart - if not alone, but there is an opportunity, pray silently (you can practice simultaneously with the first). Depending on the situation.
Active - you do everything the same, but increasing your attention, concentration, thoughtfulness in meaning, connecting a repentant and humble spirit, allocating more time to prayer. You have to learn this. Be patient until the skill comes.

You cannot skip steps. First, they master the first, second, third, consolidating and checking whether this is done correctly. At these stages there is nothing dangerous for a layman, but the subsequent stages are practiced only under the supervision of a mentor:

smart-hearted;
self-propelled and so on.

Note: Due to busyness, it will not be possible to read the prayer continuously. If you wish, you can find at least a little time to test your strength. Who knows, maybe you are a future saint, and everything will work out (with the help of the Lord, of course).

Orthodox Life

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There is an opinion that the Jesus Prayer - “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner” - can only be performed by monks, and this spiritual work is not useful for the laity. Is it so? Is it possible for lay people to pray the Jesus Prayer? And how to do this with the greatest spiritual benefit? What does the Jesus Prayer really mean to us?

The Jesus Prayer can and should always be with us

Archpriest Andrey Ovchinnikov:

– According to the thought of Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov), practicing the Jesus Prayer is a common Christian activity. “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17) - these words of the Apostle Paul are addressed to all Christians, no matter whether you are a monk or a layman. Saint Ignatius knew contemporaries of Christians from the laity who achieved significant success in doing the Jesus Prayer. The reason is obvious: in his time there was a vibrant spiritual life for many people and the opportunity to come into contact with a true practitioner of the Jesus Prayer, who could teach first correct and then unceasing prayer. It is clear that holy monasteries were spiritual prayer centers and schools. From them, the experience of prayer went out into the world, where it was absorbed and perfected by the best of Christians.

Our time has become different; it has introduced significant features and changes into the life of the Church. Chief among them is the destroyed tradition of spiritual life. We, modern Christians, for the most part are pioneers on the spiritual path. Many deeds, the main ones of which are living on the advice of a confessor, repenting of sins, bearing a cross, cutting off one’s will and, of course, prayer, are not easy for us, and mistakes here are inevitable. But, as they say, if you are afraid of wolves, do not go into the forest.

Let's try to give some advice on the topic of the Jesus Prayer, not so much from personal experience, which almost no one has, but from the spiritual advice of our glorious fathers and elders.

“There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Our faith in the great grace-filled power of the name of Jesus is based on these words. With this name, according to the word of St. John Climacus, we need to crush all the power of our enemies and adversaries. The feeling and reality of spiritual warfare, the need for Divine help in the matter of salvation should turn every Christian to the Jesus Prayer.
Exercise in the Jesus Prayer is a continuation of general prayer work. “First learn to pray correctly,” teaches St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov), “having learned correctly, pray constantly.” Without prayer there can be no spiritual life. Prayer is always work and forcing yourself. Prayer as a gift of God is given only to the one who prays. Over time, the state of boredom and dryness of heart will be replaced by spiritual vigor and desire for prayer. Grace-filled, attentive prayer will come only to those who humbly and patiently carry out their prayer rules, among which should be the Jesus Prayer.
It is useful to determine for yourself a short time for the Jesus Prayer or the number of prayers for which the rosary is used. We can recommend replacing the morning and evening rules with this prayer once a week - 15 minutes in the morning and evening.
The main thing in the Jesus Prayer is not quantity, but quality. Let us remember that the mind must be enclosed in the words of prayer, and the heart must constantly remain in repentance and lamentation for sins. Infatuation with external prayer feats and especially the pursuit of the number of prayers read can lead to a dangerous state close to delusion. The fathers call it opinion.
Some are afraid of the delights of practicing the Jesus Prayer. Charm is the lot of proud and self-willed people. “We are all delusional,” this is what a humble person thinks and turns to God with a repentant prayerful cry. It is impossible for the humble to fall and be deceived by evil spirits.
An akathist to the Sweetest Jesus serves as a wonderful help in the Jesus Prayer. Be sure to read it 2-3 times a week.
For the laity, the Jesus Prayer is still more an auxiliary, and not the main prayer activity. This prayer can and should always be with us. The value of this prayer is in its brevity; it can be done either orally, if conditions and surroundings allow, or mentally, by reading it within oneself. Lay people spend a lot of time in transport, on the road, in queues, on walks, and working around the house. You should not waste precious time in these activities, but it is better to do the necessary things and at the same time say the Jesus Prayer. The most important thing here is practice and diligence.
And, probably, the most important thing. This is the connection of the Jesus Prayer with our lives. As we live, so we pray, and as we pray, so we live. A practitioner of the Jesus Prayer requires a special life, a strict one in the correct sense. The main obstacles in prayer are absent-mindedness and the vanity of life. Someone who is attached to TV and the Internet, who constantly listens to music and does not get out of social networks, who loves cheerful companies and empty conversations cannot learn the Jesus Prayer. Here, for many, a stop is needed: the attachment to the world and its pleasures is too strong. All this fills the mind and heart and prevents a person from correctly and completely turning to God in prayer. Let us wisely change our lives, expelling from it everything empty and unnecessary for spiritual growth and fruitful prayer.

Through the Jesus Prayer we are with Christ everywhere

Priest Valery Dukhanin:

– The Jesus Prayer is given to everyone – both monks and laity. A Christian is one who is always with Christ, and this is what the Jesus Prayer serves. Through the Jesus Prayer, we are with Christ everywhere - in the subway, on snowy streets, in the store and at work, among friends and among enemies: the Jesus Prayer is a golden connection with the Savior. It saves us from despair, does not allow our thoughts to fall into the abyss of worldly emptiness, but, like the light of a lamp, it calls us to spiritual wakefulness and standing before the Lord.

Usually our mind is occupied with the most disordered thoughts, they jump, replace each other, and do not give us peace; in the heart there are the same chaotic feelings. If you do not occupy your mind and heart with prayer, then sinful thoughts and feelings will be born in them. The Jesus Prayer is a medicine for a soul sick with passions.

The Ancient Patericon gives such a comparison. When a cauldron is heated by fire, not a single fly with its bacteria will land on it. And when the boiler cools down, various insects run around it. So the soul, warmed by prayer to God, turns out to be inaccessible to the evil influence of demons. The soul is tempted when it cools down, when the flame of prayer goes out. And when he prays again, the temptations dissipate. Everyone can check this from their own experience: in a moment of sorrow, when problems are oppressive or the heart is torn from bad thoughts, you just need to start praying to the Lord, saying the Jesus Prayer - and the intensity of your thoughts will subside.

The Jesus Prayer is extremely necessary for the laity. It is life-saving in many everyday situations. If you feel like you are about to explode, lose your temper, if you want to say some bad word or have unclean wishes, stop and begin to slowly say the Jesus Prayer in your mind. Say it with attention, reverence, and repentance, and you will see how the intensity of passions goes away, everything inside calms down, and falls into place.

To put it bluntly, a passionate person is a person who does not pray. Without prayer you will never be with God. And if you are not with God, what will you have in your soul? The Jesus Prayer is the most accessible, simple in words, but deep in content prayer that you can have anywhere and at any time.

The Holy Fathers also called the Jesus Prayer the queen of virtues, because it attracts all other virtues. Patience and humility, abstinence and chastity, mercy and love - all this is connected with the Jesus Prayer. Because it introduces Christ, the one who prays adopts the image of Christ, receives virtues from the Lord.

There are, of course, a number of mistakes that happen to those who pray. Under no circumstances should you say the Jesus Prayer for the sake of some kind of spiritual delight or imagine something in your imagination. The Jesus Prayer should be without images, with attention to words, filled with reverence and a feeling of repentance. Such prayer disciplines the mind and cleanses the heart; the soul becomes lighter, because extraneous thoughts and chaotic feelings go away.

The Jesus Prayer is salvation for any Christian, no matter what situation he finds himself in.

The Jesus Prayer - steps of the ladder to the Kingdom of God

Priest Dimitry Shishkin:

– A lot has been said about the Jesus Prayer for the laity, both by the holy fathers and modern experienced confessors: it is necessary. But its whole “secret” is that there is no secret. And if we do not invent these “secrets” for ourselves, then a heartfelt and attentive appeal to the Lord in simplicity and contrition will undoubtedly contribute to our good progress on the path of Christian life. Here it is necessary to distinguish between “doing mental prayer” by a monk under the guidance of an experienced confessor (this is a separate topic that we will not touch upon now) and the repetition of prayer by a layman at any time and at any hour: out loud, if there is such an opportunity, or silently, if a person is in a public place. Simplicity and sincerity, awareness of one’s weakness and complete surrender of oneself into the hands of God are the main thing here, as in any prayer.

But here’s something else that seems to need to be said. Sometimes even this simple prayer is very difficult to pronounce, and St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov), for example, defines in this case a “small measure” of what is necessary, that is, attention to the spoken words and the feasible application of your heart to them, even with compulsion. The Lord sees our struggle and struggle and good will. It cannot be easy all the time - this applies both to life in general and to prayer. Sometimes you need to force yourself, to work hard, “making your way” to the Lord through your own fatness and despondency and turmoil. And this doing already falls entirely within the sphere of our good will, because no one can take away this desire for God from us, as long as it (even if it weakens in us from time to time) does not stop. And the Jesus Prayer in this case is those simplest “knots” on a rope ladder, along which we, although with difficulty, can and must gradually climb up into the Kingdom of God. But the Lord, who gave us this “ladder,” will not help, support, strengthen? Of course, he will support, and instruct, and strengthen, as long as we make our ascent with trust and simplicity, “without dreaming anything for ourselves,” but with diligence and constancy.

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Conditions for mastering the Jesus Prayer

During prayer, you cannot imagine anyone, draw images, even good impressions and thoughts must be left out of consciousness. Mental silence is necessary. At the first stage, there will always be something distracting, interfering, hindering, yawning, but you learn to keep the Spirit of repentance and humility within yourself, without scattering your mind for any reason. Not right away, but the skill will come. What is needed for this:

Understand the meaning of each word.
It is correct to determine the purpose for which you turn to the Lord.
The possibility of privacy, both physical (especially when you decide to devote a certain amount of time to prayer) and internal (pray even when there is noise around you).
Gradually strive for consistency.
Maintain moderation - get tired, leave, distract yourself with other things.

The words of prayer will become a lifesaver always and everywhere: in front of the boss’s office, exams, problems that have arisen, even if you are flying towards an oncoming car, two seconds before the collision you will have time to shout (out loud or in your mind): Lord, have mercy! This is also the Jesus Prayer, an abbreviated version.

Conclusion: The brevity and simplicity of the Jesus Prayer make it accessible to all people. Its power against passions and demons has been tested for centuries. First you learn it - then it itself will teach you, or rather the Holy Spirit abiding in you. An indicator that you are praying correctly is joy, growing love for your neighbors, for people, for God.

What does it help with?

There is an opinion that only monks can use it. It is a mistake to think so. Such prayer is considered a very good exercise for the soul. If you don't train her, she will soon feed only on her passions. Such reading brings quite a few positive qualities for the soul:

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after a certain time of practice of reading such a prayer, your heart will be able to become the abode of the Holy Spirit; helps to revitalize and strengthen the spirit; makes it possible to receive the grace of the Lord.

Also read: The meaning of the icon of St. George the Victorious and what they pray for