www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Prayer got my first chotki

now how do i pray it? well i know the obvious, it involves the Jesus prayer, but is that all? I have the 33 bead chotki. what is the proper instruction for praying the chotki? thanks

Funny you asked, because I just came back from Borders with a new book on praying the Jesus Prayer.

I'm by no means an expert on prayer, but here goes:

At the heart of the Jesus Prayer is hesychasm ("stillness before God"), a spiritual movement led by a 14th century Athonite monk, St. Gregory Palamas. He claimed that through hesychastic prayer, one could glimpse the divine Essence of God, and was opposed by some Church authorities for this controversial idea.

Since you're a beginner, start by finding a quiet place free of distractions. Free your mind of all images, and concentrate on the Name of Jesus. The most important thing is to pray it with humility.

At first, it will be a "prayer of the lips"... then, it may become a "prayer of the heart", and you might find yourself praying it continually, even as you're running errands, talking to others, etc.

I also advise you to get a good spiritual director who can help you-- it is a very powerful prayer, after all.

God bless,

Karen

Congratulations! Possibly the best place to start is a small book that had a large impact on my own life: The Way of Pilgrim. The book is a parable concerning the journey of a pilgrim as he seeks the answer to a question concerning the command to "pray without ceasing": how exactly does one achieve ceaseless prayer (aka the prayer of the mind in the heart)?

This book is a course in Jesus Prayer 101. The story itself is very readable and memorable. I first encountered it in High School, and it is the one text to which I turn on a regular basis on my own spiritual pilgrimage.

Happy trails, pilgrim!

Gordo

The prayer rope is an aid to praying. It is in that way like an Icon. As others have mentioned, the Jesus prayer is to be a prayer of the heart, so much so that it is prayed with every breath.

Dear Mateusz,

Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!

Here is a link for the Jesus Prayer [stanne-byzcath.org] .

Use it as an initial guide. Your heart will tell you when you are there.

In Christ,

Michael

thank you, i will be looking for those books, but back to instruction on the actual prayer, the only prayer is the jesus prayer in any variation, is this correct?

Mateusz,

Yes, it is customary to say the Jesus Prayer with these beads, whether 33, 50, 100, etc.

Some will also add other prayers to the large beads, cross, etc. but the ultimate focus is on:

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy, and all it's variations. In Frederica Mathewes-Greene's book, "Facing East", she explains concisely how to develop the Jesus Prayer as you breath in and out. Your goal is to pray unceasingly and subconciously (with your whole spirit, body, and mind).

Hope this helps a bit. Check out under books The Way of the Pilgrim. This is dedicated to the Jesus Prayer.

Michael

thanks for the info. i also read the decades of beads are seperated for prostrations...i like this concept very much

Mateusz,

In The Pilgrim Continues His Way which is the sequel to The Way of a Pilgrim and in my version the two are in one book. The learned Holy Monk of the Great Schema tells the group, including the Pilgrim, that we cannot control whether or not we progress in prayer and other things that good Christians strive for because that is God's job, we can only on our own power control how many times we say the prayer.

But, this is something a Spiritual Father should be advising you on. Don't take advice on prayer from the internet, even though none of us would intnetionally lead you astray. We are not wise in the way of prayer, please find a good Spiritual Father to guide you.

May God Richly Bless You,

Dr. Eric

I purchased "The Way if a Pilgrim" and "the pilgrim continues his way"

in the same book, translated by olga savin and forwarded by father thomas hopko

published by Shambhala Classics,

is this the book being refered? thanks

The biggest thing is just to pray it. Decide which way you are most comfortable with and pray it. After awhile the Holy Spirit takes over and the prayer prays itself when you are not consciously praying it.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, show our dear friend how to pray this awesome prayer you have drawn his soul too. Like a moth drawn to a flame, let his soul draw close to you as he speaks these words of love for you.

Yes, but mine is from a different publisher. I don't think that matters though. The forward in my book is by an Orthodox Monk who used to be Catholic.