Russian Orthodox Chant- The Jesus Prayer

Jesus Prayer
A beautiful, calming, repetitive chant of the ancient Christian prayer: Lord Jesus Christ Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner,
in Russian.

The chanted Jesus Prayer starts with words that move us to meditation and ultimately contemplation of the One whom we desire.
The Jesus Prayer is essential to our spiritual growth because it proclaims our faith and humbles us by asking mercy for our sinfulness.

The Jesus Prayer helps us to be able to “stand in God’s presence.” This means that the Jesus Prayer helps us to focus our mind exclusively on God with “no other thought” occupying our mind but the thought of God. At this moment when our mind is totally concentrated on God, we discover a very personal and direct relationship with Him.

The Jesus Prayer's power comes from the use of our Lord's Name, Jesus Christ, Son of God. It is a confession of our faith.
The Jesus Prayer in its practice assumes you are a regular participant in the worship services of the Church, in her Sacraments and aware of your sinfulness. Humility is a prerequisite for all prayer, especially the Jesus Prayer.

The Jesus Prayer has two important purposes. The first is worship as with all prayer. The second is a discipline to help our soul gain control our overactive brains and create stillness so the Holy Spirit can work through us and help us live the virtues in union with God.

The Jesus Prayer involves three stages of progress in its practice. You begin praying the Jesus Prayer by repeating the words of the prayer out loud or at least moving the lips. This is called verbal prayer. After some time saying of the Jesus Prayer becomes silent or mental and is repeated only in the mind. This is mental prayer. Finally, the Jesus Prayer becomes a continuous prayer in the heart, the inner core of our being. We begin with vocal prayer and do not force the move to mental prayer. This will happen naturally when you are ready.

It is best to add the Jesus Prayer to your morning prayers as this is when the mind is the quietest. Begin by saying the Jesus Prayer verbally focusing on each word. Repeat the Jesus Prayer continually for 15 minutes at first and then expand to 30 minutes. You will experience the challenge of dealing with your thoughts, the tendency for you mind to wander. Attention when praying the Jesus Prayer is important. Be sincere in your prayer and repeat it with contrition.

Do not be fooled by its simplicity. The Jesus Prayer practice is a difficult task and like all ascetic practices it requires commitment of time, patience and perseverance. Remember the Jesus Prayer's aim is not to obtain a calmness or any kind of spiritual experience, but to become in communion with God and participate in His grace.

The Jesus Prayer will eventually be prayed throughout the day and you will find that your life changes.
The praying of the Jesus Prayer should not be confused with methods used in Eastern Yoga or meditation. In praying the Jesus Prayer as in all Orthodox Prayer, we are seeking a relationship with a personal God based on faith and love.

Read more about the Jesus Prayer: https://orthodoxprayer.org/Jesus%20Prayer.html

The focus of my channel is to create music videos for contemplation, meditation and relaxation. They are calming, good for helping us focus and, even a few of the longer ones, good for sleep. Times have always been challenging for people. My videos are meant to help slow our over-active minds and help calm our anxious hearts. There are so many positive physiological benefits to this.

Most importantly, because we are also spiritual beings, when we turn down the volume of the outside world, we can focus on who we are and what we are called to do. This renewed focus reminds us to keep our eyes on the bigger picture: that in this life, we are not alone; that we are made for great and good things, even if they are "small" ones; that despite all that we see, there is still something good in this word left fighting for.

Be Bold. Do Good.

CREDITS:
This video is my creative compilation of the following:
Audio: Russian Orthodox Chant: Молитва Иисусова/The Jesus Prayer By: Hellenic Patriot
No copyright or license
Visuals:
1) Atelier de Giotto The Crucifixion, circa 1330 Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Atelier_de_Giotto_La_Crucifixion.jpg

2) Lorenzo Monaco Crucifixion, circa 1380 Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lorenzo_monaco,_predella_con_banchetto_di_erode,_crocifiss._e_storie_di_s._jacopo,_1387-1388,_da_cappella_nobili_di_s._m._degli_angeli_a_firenze_3.JPG