Chapter 34 - The Jesus Prayer

Chapter 34 employed 7 Bible passages to educate us about The Jesus Prayer, as follows:

Luke 18:35-43
Colossians 1:15-23
Ephesians 1:1-14
Philippians 2:1-11
Romans 6:1-23
2 Corinthians 5:17-21
Matthew 8:1-17

Invocation:

“Dear Lord Jesus, may my prayers this day be bounded by my deepest needs on one side and by your greatness on the other. And may their expression be in simple longings and words that would lift my soul into your presence. Amen.”

Hymn:

The hymn for Chapter 34 was “Dear Lord and Father of Mankind” by John G. Whittier. (If you are not familiar with the song, just Google the hymn name and you will get multiple sources to read and/or hear it, as well as its history.)

Benediction:

“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me. Amen.” (The Jesus Prayer)

Meditation Selections:

The meditation selections included excerpts from the writings of Igumen Chariton of Valamo, Anthony Bloom, Morton T. Kelsey, Ira Progoff, Tilden H. Edwards and C. S. Lewis. (Googling their names may give you some insight into their backgrounds and experiences, if that's of any interest to you.)Some of the interesting quotes from the meditations included:

· “Ten words in English…. Yet around those few words many Orthodox over the centuries have built their spiritual life, and through this one prayer they have entered into the deepest mysteries of Christian knowledge.”
· “…the Jesus Prayer brings together, in one short sentence, two essential ‘moments’ of Christian devotion: adoration and compunction. …It is a way of praying that anyone can adopt: …simply begin.”
· “We profess the Lordship of Christ, His sovereign right upon us, the fact that He is our Lord and our God, and this implies that all our life is within His will and that we commit ourselves to His will and to no other way.”
· “The beautiful thing about this particular type of meditation is that it can be practiced while we are typing a letter, cooking a meal, or driving the car.”
· “And just as this little word ‘fire’ stirs and pierces the ears of the hearers much more quickly, so does a little word of one syllable do the same when it is not only spoken or thought but secretly intended in the depth of the spirit. …It pierces the ears of the Almighty God more than does any psalter thoughtlessly mumbled in one’s teeth. This is the reason it is written that short prayer pierces heaven.”

What do any of these quotes (or any of the meditations in Chapter 34 not quoted) mean to you? Please post your responses to the blog site:
(http://lhcndeeperlifeclass.blogspot.com/).

Thanks for your participation.
John