The Jesus Prayer - Part 5

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

In the previous sessions, we understood the first three elements of the Jesus Prayer. We understood that the prayer is a cry for mercy, with a discipline of repetition of saying the Holy Name of Jesus in our quest for stillness. Let us now come to last strand of the Jesus Prayer-

THE VENERATION OF THE HOLY NAME

The last element is without doubt the most decisive and significant of the four strands. The theology of the Divine Name has distant roots. So strong was the awe inspired by God's name, that the four consonants comprising the name 'Yahweh', 'Lord' was usually not pronounced aloud in Judaism.

The Jewish exaltation of the Holy Name continued in the New Testament. In the prayer to God the Father that Jesus taught to His disciples, He included that clause "Hallowed be Thy name". At the Last Supper He went further, teaching them to pray not only in the name of the Father but likewise in His own name (Jn. 16:23-24). St Peter, in his confession of faith before the Sanhedrin immediately after Pentecost, spoke of the healing virtue possessed by " the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth", insisting that "there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:10, 12).

The literal meaning of the name 'Jesus' is precisely 'Saviour'. When we use the Jesus prayer, we are thus putting our trust in Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour. In the same spirit, St Paul regarded the name of Jesus as a focus of adoration: "At the name of Jesus every knee should bow" (Phil 2:10).

Heir to both the Old and New Testament, the early Church reaffirmed this devotion to the Divine Name. In the words of Hermas, a 2nd-century author, "The name of the Son of God is great and boundless, and it upholds the whole world." St. Nilus of Ancyra writes, "Sufficient for our defence against our enemies is the name of Jesus Christ the most high God." St John of Gaza said, "To rebuke the demons is possible only for the great ones who possess authority... But all that is possible for us who are weak is to take refuge in the name of Jesus". A similar love for the Holy Name was expressed in the medieval West. The Yorkshireman, Richard Rolle, hermit of Hampole exclaims: " Ah! Ah! That wonderful name! Ah! That delectable name! This is the name that is above all name... Verily the name of Jesus is in my mind a joyous song, and heavenly music in mine ear, and in my mouth a honeyed sweetness."

This belief in the intrensic sanctity and numinous force of the Holy Name of Jesus is fundamental to the spirituality of the Jesus Prayer. We shall not even begin to appreciate the meaning of the Jesus Prayer unless we recognise how the name of Jesus is felt to contain within itself grace and power. There is an integral connection between the name and the one who is named. Origen said, "A name brings before us the  character of what is named."

To call upon a person by name is to render that person dynamically present, and that is especially true when we call by name upon Jesus. The Holy Name is endowed with sacramental force. It is an effective sign, an outward and visible token of an inner and spiritual grace.

Dear all, with this we come to a finish of the four elements of the Jesus Prayer. From the next session, we will understand on how to practice the Jesus Prayer. I humbly request you to keep this sinful brother in your prayers. Your views and thoughts are welcome on your understanding of the four elements.

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

Reference: The Jesus Prayer, Bishop Kallistos Ware