Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me a sinner.
Dear all, in the previous session we understood that the Jesus Prayer is not only Christological but Trinitarian. Let us now delve deeper into understanding the Jesus Prayer.
St Nicholas Cabasilas in the 14th century said thus: "It is the sacraments that constitute our life in Christ." How then does the 'way of the Name' relate to the mysteries of Baptism and the Eucharist?
One of the great teachers described prayer as "Baptism made manifest". Developing the point with reference to the Jesus Prayer, he explained that in Baptism we receive the indwelling presence of Christ and the Holy Spirit. It is not possible to imagine any gift greater than this, nor can anything be added to it. Baptismal grace is complete and perfect. Initially, while receiving Baptism in infancy, we are unconscious of this indwelling presence. The whole purpose of the Christian life is to precisely experience actively this baptismal gift that has already been conferred upon us; to advance from grace that is present within us secretly and unconsciously, to grace at work within us " with full assurance and conscious awareness", as St Gregory put it. In our beginning is our end; we are to become what we are.
There are two chief ways, said St Gregory, in which this can be brought to pass: through "the fulfillment of the commandments", that is, through moral effort; and through " the methodical and unceasing invocation of the Lord Jesus". He added: "The first way is slower and the second shorter." St Gregory should not be interpreted as implying that there are two alternatives, for obviously everyone is required to "fulfill the commandments" and to observe moral rules. Equally, in calling the way of the Jesus Prayer "shorter", he does not mean that it is a soft option; for he has made it abundantly clear that it involves firm commitment and persistence.
His meaning is that outward moral effort, if unaccompanied by inner prayer, turns the Christian life into a heavy burden, into a matter of obligation and duty. Inner prayer 'shortens' the journey in the sense that it gives to our spiritual struggle both depth and meaning, both a sense of direction and a spirit of joy.
The purpose of the Jesus Prayer, is then to help us to discover directly and vividly how, by virtue of Baptism, we are Christ-bearers, sharing in His death and resurrection, and at the same time Spirit-bearers, aflame with the fire of Pentecost.
What St Gregory said about the Jesus Prayer as a revelation of baptismal grave, he applied also to the Eucharist. Through the Jesus Prayer we perform an 'inner liturgy', whereby "we offer up the Lamb of God upon the altar of our soul and partake of Him in communion". The Jesus Prayer 'internalises' the Eucharist. But this 'spiritual communion' cannot exist unless we are also partaking outwardly in the sacrament.
Following the teaching of St Gregory, St Kallistos and St Ignatios Xanthopoulos state that our aim in prayer and ascetic life is to return " to that perfect spiritual recreation and renewal of grace that was given to us freely from on high at the beginning in the sacred baptismal font". They continue on giving detailed instructions about the practice of the Jesus Prayer and they end by discussing the Holy Communion. This, they say, is to be "continual", and if possible daily. To received the sacrament daily is in fact highly unusual in the Orthodox Church. Thus, the Jesus Prayer is 'sandwiched' between the primary Christian mysteries of Baptism and Eucharist.
It is thus evident that the Jesus Prayer enriches the sacramental life but does not replace it. The invocation of the Name exists, not in isolation, but in ecclesial and mysterial context. It presupposes membership of the Church and participation in the Church's sacraments.
But, what are we to say to those 'spiritual seekers' in our day, who practice the Jesus Prayer without belonging to any church community? Perhaps they do not have any definitive faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour. Are we to forbid them to use the Prayer? Surely not; for the Jesus Prayer is not our private possession. But it has to be said that such persons are in an irregular situation. Let us hope that the Jesus Prayer, through the grace present within it, will draw them gradually into active church membership.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me a sinner.
Reference: The Jesus Prayer - Bishop Kallistos Ware
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