The Power of the Name: The Jesus Prayer in Orthodox Spirituality
The name Metropolitan Kallistos Ware may be unfamiliar to many Orthodox Christians, but in the world of Orthodox scholarship, theology and publishing he is a towering figure widely known and respected for his erudition as a hierarch, theologian, and scholar. Born into an Anglican family in England, Timothy Ware was attracted to Orthodoxy in 1958 at the age of 24 and spent six months in a Russian monastery in Canada before he converted. Ten years later he became a monk on Mount Athos and received the monastic name Kallistos. For 35 years he taught Eastern Orthodoxy at Oxford University, was consecrated Bishop of Diokleia in 1982, was elevated to Metropolitan in 2007, and reposed in the Lord in 2022 at the age of 87. While at Oxford he also served as parish priest to the local Greek Orthodox community.
Over the decades Metropolitan Kallistos has been a prolific writer having authored or edited many books, articles, essays, lectures and sermons on Orthodoxy, its liturgy and history. Among his best-known titles are two: The Orthodox Church, a history of the Church from earliest times and its views on many topics ranging from the Holy Sacraments and icons to the relation between Orthodox Churches; and The Orthodox Way, an account of the doctrine, worship and life of the Orthodox Church and its beliefs as the true Way.
In his little book The Power of the Name: The Jesus Prayer in Orthodox Spirituality, Metropolitan Kallistos introduces the simplest and most powerful prayer in Orthodox tradition and teaches us that the practice of praying does not have to be complicated or formal. In essence, this book is a primer on Orthodoxy’s brief “Jesus Prayer” thought to have originated in the 6th century and used widely over the centuries by Orthodox believers.
As Orthodox Christians we attend Church, we venerate icons, we cross ourselves repeatedly and listen to the formal prayers of the Holy Liturgy. But what do we do when the Sunday or Vesper services have concluded? Are we contemplating the message of the Holy Liturgy? Is our appointment with God only once a week? Do we only turn to Him when we are faced with times of tribulation and illness? That may be the case for some, but the good Metropolitan says it doesn’t have to be that way.
Indeed, prayer is a lifelong, solitary spiritual journey and we are called upon to spend time with our Creator humbling ourselves in His Presence as our highest priority, our greatest trust and joy. Monks and ascetics in our Orthodox monasteries on Mount Athos and around the world spend years learning to be in full communion with the Lord. However, for the average believer, learning to pray is a challenging task. And yet in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, St. Paul teaches us: “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” In other words, we need to supplement the liturgical prayers with our personal prayers to be in communion with our Creator in good times and in bad. But how do we do that? The only way to draw nearer to God is by increasing our prayer time with Him. Our Saviour Jesus Christ taught us to pray “The Lord’s Prayer.” We can also memorize short prayers, Psalm verses, or Bible quotes. Another important devotional is “The Jesus Prayer,” also known as “The Prayer of the Heart.”
The Prayer of the Heart
What is “The Jesus Prayer” and why is it so important in Orthodoxy? Metropolitan Kallistos guides us in its use in a straightforward way. “The Jesus Prayer” is a very simple and ancient prayer which has only 12 powerful words – “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner” – and yet it encompasses the fullness of our Christian faith. How? It calls on the Lord of the Universe, the Master of all; it invokes the mighty name of Jesus Christ which gives us access to the Godhead; it acknowledges Christ’s relationship to God the Father; it confirms Christ’s place in the hierarchy of the Holy Trinity; it recognizes His merciful love and judgement; it acknowledges that we, His children, are all sinners; and it denotes that the believer who is reciting the prayer is kneeling in humility before the Almighty asking for His forgiveness and tender mercy. Twelve powerful words!
Metropolitan Kallistos says anyone can say “The Jesus Prayer” repeatedly, throughout the day, in any circumstances, which brings us closer to an awareness of God’s Presence. For example, you can say it quietly to yourself in a noisy room, in the middle of a traffic jam, in an elevator, at home or work; you can repeat it anywhere. You can even say the prayer using the knots on the prayer rope on your wrist. The Metropolitan writes that by spending just a few minutes each day saying “The Jesus Prayer” we can change the course of our day for the better. God is waiting for our prayers. He hears them all. Whenever we pray, we make a connection with Him.
Psalm 62:8 in the Old Testament says: “Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.” As believers in Him, we are engraved in the palms of His hands out of His eternal love for us and for our eternal salvation. Our constant prayer expresses explicit gratitude for our life and salvation, for the gifts of His all-embracing Love. It is our duty to commit ourselves to praise Him through prayer in quietness, trust, and obedience. Let “The Jesus Prayer,” “The Prayer of the Heart,” open our hearts to our Lord and Saviour and help bring us closer to Him. May it comfort us with solace and stillness in our busy and tense world. May it teach us to look upward with hope and trust in the Lord.
Using a Prayer Rope - Κομποσκοίνι (Komposkini)
Having a prayer rope is a reminder of our obligation to persevere in prayer (Colossians 4:2) and to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Achieving this goal becomes possible only through the practice of stillness, disciplining our minds from wandering and becoming distracted. With the guidance of our spiritual father, we typically recite the Jesus Prayer a specific number of times. As we sit, stand, kneel, walk, or lie down – when we have free time, secretly, without being seen by anyone – we hold the prayer rope with our left hand between the thumb and the index finger, and move from knot to knot with our thumb. In this way, we free up our right hand to cross ourselves, as needed. For each knot, we whisper and meditate upon the Jesus Prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner,” or any other short prayer (e.g., “O Most Holy Theotokos, save us”). We pray in the way that our spiritual father tells us to follow. We continue following the same procedure for as many times as our spiritual father advises us.
Regarding posture, it is good to stand, with head bowed, in a humble position during prayer. Others find it more helpful to sit or kneel, with head bowed, in order to concentrate. The important thing is to be able to keep still and concentrate on the words of the prayer as we repeat it. In this way, the grace, mercy, and peace of God will be with us in truth and love.
With our prayer rope, we can also ask God to help our family, our friends, our enemies, the clergy, and others in need: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, [help, enlighten, bless, have mercy on] NAME.” It is important to NEVER say the phrase “a sinner” when praying for others. In this way we refrain from judging others; always praying for their healing and salvation in Christ!
Benefits of Reciting the Jesus Prayer
A 1998 study by George Stavros, Ph. D. “The Impact of Contemplative Prayer on Psychological, Relational, and Spiritual Well-Being: A Study of the Jesus Prayer,” found that practicing the Jesus Prayer for 10 minutes daily for 30 days, sitting quietly, increases the perception of one’s closeness to God, and decreases levels of hostility, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, and anxiety.
St. Barsanuphius the Great (6th century) states: “Unceasing calling upon the name of God cures one not only of passions but also of actions; and as a medicine affects a sick man without his comprehension; similarly, the invocation of the name of God destroys passions in a manner beyond our comprehension."