the heartbeat of america...
Among several other wonderfully pleasant things today, I finished 'The Way of the Pilgrim'. 'Franny & Zooey', by J.D. Salinger is one of my great favorite books of all time. I love the Glass family, and have felt a strange sort of kinship toward them. Well, I also feel a sort of kinship for my friend Sara, one of the best givers-of-gifts that I have had the pleasure of knowing. Well, some time ago, Sara gave me 'The Way', which is the book Franny is reading in Salinger's novel.
I walked 'The Way of the Pilgrim' with a bit of a mixed heart. It was an enjoyable read, a fun path with some bright narrative elements. But the soul of the book is the call to practice the Jesus Prayer as a sort of spiritual discipline. Essentially the idea is that one can 'pray without ceasing' by reciting the prayer 'Lord, be merciful to me' over and over thousands of times a day. Eventually the prayer becomes automatic. And then, with certain practices, one can get the prayer to connect with one's heartbeat so that one actually prays the Jesus Prayer unceasingly in the very heartbeat.
My first response was a sort of hiccup that was more than a hiccup. The pilgrim who is narrating the book is actually looking for salvation through the prayer. And he presents it to several people along the way as a means of attaining salvation. I don't know much about Russian Orthodox doctrine, but I do know that no practice, no mantra, and even no prayer will save any of us. We are saved by faith in Jesus, the real person who died and raised himself from the dead. And we can express that faith in prayer, especially in asking him for mercy. But the repetition of a prayer as a sort of mantra is simply not in itself going to put us into right relationship with God.
At the same time, there is something beautiful in the prayer, I think. One of the key things that it is supposed to do is cause you to dwell on God constantly. And you can imagine that if you are addressing someone constantly, you are on some level recognizing that person's presence and entering into a kind of relationship with that person all of the time. I know there are huge gaps of time where I am consumed with everything but attention to God, much less conversation with him. It is sort of tempting to try this discipline, not as a means to salvation, nor as a sort of vain repetition, but simply as a constant personal reminder to live in relation to the Father, to remember him as he remembers me.
Also was reading in John today (Tim sparked me back onto the book recently). And hit the passage where Jesus is telling his disciples that the sheep know the shepherd's voice. The simplicity of this reality hit me hard. I have wrestled a bit lately and at different times with the desire to authentically know God, to experience him. At the same time I have had times lately where I am looking and asking... where in all that I run into in life is God? What in religion is just folk imagining and doing things, and what is really God meeting his people? What in the seemingly providential is God's letting me know that he loves me, and what might be coincidence? Is the voice in my guts the Spirit, the Enemy, or the chilis that Jeryl spiked the pasta sauce with? But the simple reality is that his sheep hear his voice and follow the Shepherd. Looking forward to dwelling in that simplicity.
I walked 'The Way of the Pilgrim' with a bit of a mixed heart. It was an enjoyable read, a fun path with some bright narrative elements. But the soul of the book is the call to practice the Jesus Prayer as a sort of spiritual discipline. Essentially the idea is that one can 'pray without ceasing' by reciting the prayer 'Lord, be merciful to me' over and over thousands of times a day. Eventually the prayer becomes automatic. And then, with certain practices, one can get the prayer to connect with one's heartbeat so that one actually prays the Jesus Prayer unceasingly in the very heartbeat.
My first response was a sort of hiccup that was more than a hiccup. The pilgrim who is narrating the book is actually looking for salvation through the prayer. And he presents it to several people along the way as a means of attaining salvation. I don't know much about Russian Orthodox doctrine, but I do know that no practice, no mantra, and even no prayer will save any of us. We are saved by faith in Jesus, the real person who died and raised himself from the dead. And we can express that faith in prayer, especially in asking him for mercy. But the repetition of a prayer as a sort of mantra is simply not in itself going to put us into right relationship with God.
At the same time, there is something beautiful in the prayer, I think. One of the key things that it is supposed to do is cause you to dwell on God constantly. And you can imagine that if you are addressing someone constantly, you are on some level recognizing that person's presence and entering into a kind of relationship with that person all of the time. I know there are huge gaps of time where I am consumed with everything but attention to God, much less conversation with him. It is sort of tempting to try this discipline, not as a means to salvation, nor as a sort of vain repetition, but simply as a constant personal reminder to live in relation to the Father, to remember him as he remembers me.
Also was reading in John today (Tim sparked me back onto the book recently). And hit the passage where Jesus is telling his disciples that the sheep know the shepherd's voice. The simplicity of this reality hit me hard. I have wrestled a bit lately and at different times with the desire to authentically know God, to experience him. At the same time I have had times lately where I am looking and asking... where in all that I run into in life is God? What in religion is just folk imagining and doing things, and what is really God meeting his people? What in the seemingly providential is God's letting me know that he loves me, and what might be coincidence? Is the voice in my guts the Spirit, the Enemy, or the chilis that Jeryl spiked the pasta sauce with? But the simple reality is that his sheep hear his voice and follow the Shepherd. Looking forward to dwelling in that simplicity.
posted by yonderincarp at 23:51
6 Comments:
Yeah, the whole 24/7 prayer a tough discipline to get started on. But think about it, what else did that pilgrim (and following monks) have to do with his time? Nothing but pray. They didn't have a job or families that required attention.
That being said, I have found the Jesus Prayer to be an easy way to 'reconnect' or refocus my attention back to God at different points throughout the day. There's just something about the prewritten, structured prayers that make doing this easier.
I found that this discipline affected my responses to those around me (mostly the kids). As I am constantly in communication with God and my mind is on Him, its easier to respond in a way that is honoring to Him. A great start to the day is to do yoga and start my Jesus Prayer for the day. Whoa, am I really a "Christian" if I do that? = )
You should read The Sacred Way by Tony Jones.
Ok, so where do you find the "Jesus prayers" at. You have my curosity intrigued. I am open to anything that will help me be a a better wife and mom. . . .
Tim - Yeah... that is one thing that the book brings out. The prayer makes him constantly desire solitude and simplicity to be able to devote himself to reciting it, studying the Philokalia, etc. At the same time, one of the things the book emphasizes is that it can be done while doing anything. You can recite the prayer while doing all of the normal things you do (except perhaps operating a band saw or shooting an apple off your son's head). Curious... how did you hear of it?
Heidi - Do you find that as you recite the prayer you are really conversing with God himself? Or is it more of a reminder for you? Curious. And if you are paid a visit by agents of the BBC Alumni Association wearing dark suits and glasses and driving an unmarked sedan, I would suggest NOT taking a drive with them.
Lady with a Wonderful Quiver-full - Perhaps Tim or Heidi could suggest a good source. Maybe the book Heidi mentioned. I heard about it through that old Russian Orthodox story 'Way of the Pilgrim'.
Cindy, the book we read has a chapter on the subject. it gives the history, practice etc. The version I use is "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, haver mercy on me, a sinner. The idea is to practice with your breathing... While breathing in:"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God"...While breathing out:"Have mercy on me, a sinner."
jesse, I'd say a little of both
This is a bit of a late hit... not sure anyone is going to go back and hit this conversation again. But it occurred to me today that the Jesus Prayer that the 'Way of the Pilgrim' and the Philokalia teach, 'Lord have mercy on me, a sinner' isn't necessarily something I can pray sincerely as a believer. The reality is that he has given all the mercy I need, paid for my sin. Still stoked on the discipline, just feel like I have to find a different prayer to bring to him.
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