Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.
The Jesus Prayer is a simple, repetitive prayer that has been used as a meditative practice as early as the 4th century. It most likely originated with the Desert Fathers and Mothers, but has over time been most associated with the Eastern Orthodox tradition of prayer. It can be recited with the use of a prayer rope or prayer beads, used as a breathing exercise, or repeated inwardly while doing simple tasks like walking, washing dishes, or tidying. The prayer more recently came into Western spiritual traditions through the work The Way of the Pilgrim, the story of a spiritual seeker who wanders Russia, Ukraine, and Siberia in search of a way to pray without ceasing.
