What do you think?
Rate this book
Living the Jesus Prayer
The Jesus Prayer has been part of the expression of faith since the earliest years of Christianity. With its many variations, from "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner", to only one word, "Jesus", it has been a font of prayer for the monks, nuns, and lay people of the Eastern Church for centuries. Today, the Jesus Prayer is practiced by men and women, lay and religious, all over the world, from every Christian tradition. Simple in form, but powerful in its potential to develop and transform the heart, it becomes a way of life for those who practice it. It is the perfect prayer for the modern pilgrim.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
6 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 29, 2024
There is a point in one's life where one no longer identifies with any religion including Christianity in its present-day form of being divided into some 40,000 different and competing denominations and sects. The cacophony and confusion in these spaces can become a barrier to knowing Jesus Christ who, because He is risen from the dead, is not rolling over in His grave at what His so-called followers have done to His Name by means of the religion.
But the good news is that if one has met Jesus Christ, then the journey becomes one of entering into deeper communion with Him, his followers, and a wounded humanity wandering around as sheep without a shepherd in spite of technological prowess and progress.
Irma Zaleski's little book particularly helps me to stay in touch with the Master through thick and thin especially as it succinctly points me towards the practice of the Jesus Prayer - "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." Other versions of the prayer may be "Lord Jesus, have mercy on me", "Lord Jesus, have mercy" or even just continually praying the name "Jesus".
Born in Poland, the author emigrated to Canada in 1952 and is an acclaimed writer and translator. She encountered the Eastern Orthodox tradition that gives her books their unique perspective and I discovered her by accident. Over time, I have come to deeply admire the way in which she is able to take the mystical things of Jesus Christ and simplify them for those who want to plumb His depths.
The copy of the book I have, published by Canterbury Press, Norwich, is just 64 pages. It is dynamite. There are 24 chapters, each one within two pages or just a paragraph more. Each chapter focuses on a singular simple aspect of the practice of carrying the Jesus Prayer in the heart. But the chapters come together to make the heart, spirit and person whole in Jesus Christ.
Zaleski does not use the Jesus Prayer as a magical mantra. There's a certain humility and simplicity in which this practice must begin and continue. She has a chapter on 'The Way of the Pilgrim', the book written in Russian and then translated into English, sent the knowledge of the Jesus Prayer into the West.
The point of the Jesus Prayer is enunciated at the end of the first chapter itself: "As we continue praying the Jesus Prayer and it establishes itself in us, we begin to realise more and more in WHOM we are being attentive." That is, it is the 'prayer of the heart' which helps us enter a real personal relationship with Jesus. The practitioner enters into God's love for us and our love in turn for Him.
I will not explain all the riches that are in this book. One of the problems with Irma Zaleski's books - accessibility. They're not easily available (at least in India) and many of them are extremely expensive on Amazon. But I have two of her books - 'Living the Jesus Prayer' and 'Whom Am I?'
This book is a good entry point not only into Irma Zaleski's work but into the deeper work of 'theosis', the process of coming into union with God through His Son, Jesus Christ, or divinisation. Isn't that the greatest goal set before any human being?
Towards this end, Zaleski tells us about the distractions that may crop up if one decides on this practice, the discipline needed to persevere, the desire to always be in the presence of God, the possibility of unceasing prayer, maintaining awareness and attention of God, the need for continual repentance and humility to receive endless forgiveness, grace to overcome evil, knowing God's love and practicing love, allowing Christ to judge us leading us to self-denial and death of self, and being filled with joy.
All this comes as a package when one begins the journey of praying the Jesus Prayer and making it a constant, consistent part of one's being. Rest assured, all of it is the result of God's grace and the goodness of Jesus Christ the Messiah. Buy the book, read it, practice the Jesus Prayer and see what comes of it!
But the good news is that if one has met Jesus Christ, then the journey becomes one of entering into deeper communion with Him, his followers, and a wounded humanity wandering around as sheep without a shepherd in spite of technological prowess and progress.
Irma Zaleski's little book particularly helps me to stay in touch with the Master through thick and thin especially as it succinctly points me towards the practice of the Jesus Prayer - "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." Other versions of the prayer may be "Lord Jesus, have mercy on me", "Lord Jesus, have mercy" or even just continually praying the name "Jesus".
Born in Poland, the author emigrated to Canada in 1952 and is an acclaimed writer and translator. She encountered the Eastern Orthodox tradition that gives her books their unique perspective and I discovered her by accident. Over time, I have come to deeply admire the way in which she is able to take the mystical things of Jesus Christ and simplify them for those who want to plumb His depths.
The copy of the book I have, published by Canterbury Press, Norwich, is just 64 pages. It is dynamite. There are 24 chapters, each one within two pages or just a paragraph more. Each chapter focuses on a singular simple aspect of the practice of carrying the Jesus Prayer in the heart. But the chapters come together to make the heart, spirit and person whole in Jesus Christ.
Zaleski does not use the Jesus Prayer as a magical mantra. There's a certain humility and simplicity in which this practice must begin and continue. She has a chapter on 'The Way of the Pilgrim', the book written in Russian and then translated into English, sent the knowledge of the Jesus Prayer into the West.
The point of the Jesus Prayer is enunciated at the end of the first chapter itself: "As we continue praying the Jesus Prayer and it establishes itself in us, we begin to realise more and more in WHOM we are being attentive." That is, it is the 'prayer of the heart' which helps us enter a real personal relationship with Jesus. The practitioner enters into God's love for us and our love in turn for Him.
I will not explain all the riches that are in this book. One of the problems with Irma Zaleski's books - accessibility. They're not easily available (at least in India) and many of them are extremely expensive on Amazon. But I have two of her books - 'Living the Jesus Prayer' and 'Whom Am I?'
This book is a good entry point not only into Irma Zaleski's work but into the deeper work of 'theosis', the process of coming into union with God through His Son, Jesus Christ, or divinisation. Isn't that the greatest goal set before any human being?
Towards this end, Zaleski tells us about the distractions that may crop up if one decides on this practice, the discipline needed to persevere, the desire to always be in the presence of God, the possibility of unceasing prayer, maintaining awareness and attention of God, the need for continual repentance and humility to receive endless forgiveness, grace to overcome evil, knowing God's love and practicing love, allowing Christ to judge us leading us to self-denial and death of self, and being filled with joy.
All this comes as a package when one begins the journey of praying the Jesus Prayer and making it a constant, consistent part of one's being. Rest assured, all of it is the result of God's grace and the goodness of Jesus Christ the Messiah. Buy the book, read it, practice the Jesus Prayer and see what comes of it!
January 5, 2023
‘Lord Jesus Christ have mercy upon me a sinner’ is a very old prayer. It has been used in both the east and the west as a way to practice unceasing prayer. Zaleski helps up to approach this in a realistic and hopeful way. There is not the expectation that tomorrow you will be able to pray continuously without fail, but this book will help us to grow in the desire to pray and practice this form of worship.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews