The Irish Catholic Hermit

1. O pen up the treasury door for us, Lord, at the prayers of our supplications; let our prayers serve as our ambassador, reconciling us with Your Divinity. Listen, all who are wise, pay attention, all who are learned, acquire understanding and knowledge, seeing that you are instructed and wise, I will relate before you the accomplishments of holy prayer. 2. P rayer divided the Red Sea, allowing the People to cross through its midst; by the same prayer the sea was reunited once more, swallowing up Pharoah, the rebellious and impious. Prayer brought down manna from heaven, prayer brought the quails from the sea, prayer struck the rock in the desert, causing water to gush forth for the thirsty. 3. B lessed is the person who has consented to become the close friend of faith and of prayer: he lives in singlemindedness and makes prayer and faith stop by with him. Prayer that rises up in someone’s heart serves to open up for us the door of heaven: that person stands in converse with the Div

  This  commentary  explains the theology and practice of the Jesus Prayer. Prayer, to the average person, is asking God for something. But the Jesus prayer is not this. It is an attempt to change the one who prays. This prayer is traditionally a monastic prayer. Its simplicity allows everyone to practice it. In this prayer, there is faith and hope in the goodness of Christ. It is the prayer from our whole being. It is a cry out of the deep heart and nepsis without ceasing. The unceasing repetition of the Jesus Prayer kept the mind on the thought of God and dispersed all irrelevant thoughts (logismoi). This is the prayer that requires watchfulness as a lantern requires a candle. Watchfulness, mature in Christ, the fruit of Spirit, and theosis will follow in the praying unceasingly: the Jesus Prayer. I. INTRODUCTION  We all know that prayer is the most important thing in spirituality especially in Christianity. Prayer is our true life, our highest task. Without prayer we are not genuine

All hail, O head of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, dreadful to all powers, crowned for us with thorns, and smitten with a reed.  All hail, O most beautiful face of our Saviour Jesus Christ, spit at and buffeted for us.  All hail, O most benign eyes of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, bedewed for us with tears.  All hail, O honey-flowing mouth, and throat most sweet of our Lord Jesus Christ, made for us to drink gall and vinegar.  All hail, O most noble ears of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, vexed with contumelies and upbraidings for us.  All hail, O most humble neck of Jesus Christ buffeted for us, and most holy back whipped for us.  All hail, O most venerable hands and arms of our Lord Jesus Christ, stretched upon the cross for us.  All hail, O most meek breast of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, much troubled for us at thy passion.  All hail, O most glorious side of our Lord Jesus Christ, pierced through with the spear of a soldier for us.  All hail, O sacred knees of mer

  Have mercy on us, O God father omnipotent! O God of hosts. O sublime God. O Lord of the world. O unspeakable God. O Creator of the elements. O invisible God. O incorporeal God. O unjudgeable God. O immeasurable God. O impatient God. O immaculate God. O immortal God. O immoveable God. O eternal God. O perfect God. O merciful God. O admirable God. O dread God. O golden good. O heavenly Father that art in Heavens, have mercy on us! Have mercy on us, O omnipotent God, O Jesus Christ, O son of living God! O son that was born twice. O only-begotten of God the Father. O first child of Mary the Virgin. O son of David. O son of Abraham. O beginning of all. O end of the world. O word of God. O jewel of the heavenly kingdom. O life of all. О eternal truth. О image, О likeness, О figure of God the Father. О hand of God. О arm of God. О strength of God. О right hand of God. О true wisdom. О true light that lighteth every darkness. О…light. О sun of truth. О morning star. О radiance of the Godhead

L ord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.   The Prayer Rule of the Jesus Prayer Rope. I n the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. G lory to thee, our God, glory to thee. O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, Who art everywhere present and fillest all things; Treasury of Blessings, and Giver of Life – come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One. H oly God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal: have mercy on us. (Thrice) G lory be to the Father  and to the Son,  and to the Holy Spirit.  As it was in the beginning, i s now,  and ever shall be,  world without end.   Amen. A ll-holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, cleanse us from our sins. Master, pardon our iniquities. Holy God, visit and heal our infirmities for thy Name's sake. L ord, have mercy. (Thrice) G lory be to the Father  and to the Son,  and to the Holy Spirit.  As it was in the beginning, i s now,  and ever shall be,  world w

  Saint Sophrony the Athon ite (+July 11, 1993) is one of the most beloved Orthodox Christian elders of our times. In this rare audio recording he recalls   a wonderful moment when he met a hermit on the seashore. In this meeting it was revealed to him the power of prayer for the whole world. Essex Monastery, December 28th, 1992 Audio source  English translation adapted after the Romanian version of Fr. Rafail Noica, Cuvantari Duhovnicesti I (27). Saint Sophrony: I remember a wonderful moment that is forever imprinted in my mind. It was at the very beginning of my monastic life, in 1925 or 1926. I was walking on the seashore, and there I saw an old man with a long prayer rope of 300 knots. I approached him with the fear of a beginner and I stood silently, watching him pray. And he was sitting on a large stone, moving from knot to knot [with his thumb]. In the end, I dared to ask him, “Father, pray for me!” I asked for it because when I left France in 1925, I was overwhelmed by the spir

St. Anthony visits St. Paul the Hermit The solitary life The purpose of solitary life is, if you will, contemplation. But not contemplation in the pagan sense, of an intellectual, esoteric enlightenment, achieved through an ascetic technique. The contemplation of the solitary Christian is to have our eyes wide open on the divine mercy that transforms and elevates its emptiness and converts it into the concreteness of a perfect love, of a perfect fullness. The call to perfect solitude is a call to suffering, darkness and annihilation. Yet, when a man is called there, he prefers it to any other earthly paradise. The hermit remains there to demonstrate, with his lack of practical usefulness and the apparent sterility of his vocation, that the monks themselves should have little or no importance in the world. His poverty is spiritual. He pervades his soul and body entirely, so that in the end all his heritage is insecurity. Experience the pain and spiritual and intellectual destitution of