October 23, 2022
30th Sunday Ordinary Time C
We often pray without realizing the words of our prayers are from the Bible. The first part of the “Hail Mary†is from the Gospel according to St. Luke. The “Our Father†is from the Gospel according to St. Matthew. “O my God†is an expression found in the Psalms. What has become known as the Jesus Prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner,†is very close to the prayer of the tax collector in the parable of Jesus in our Gospel today according to St. Luke. One may say “I don’t know how to pray†but these verses from Sacred Scripture are a ready source of prayer that can be remembered and recited by us.
The words on our lips are important but the disposition of our hearts is paramount. The author of our first reading, Book of Sirach, reminds us “the prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds.†This is the point Jesus is making “to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else.†In his parable, Jesus contrasts the prayer of the Pharisee with the prayer of the tax collector. The Pharisee seems to be posing for prayer, a public display, as he reminds God how good he is practicing his Jewish faith. The despised tax collector, who collects tax levies for the Roman Emperor with a hefty commission for himself, stands apart, head bowed, striking his chest. He prays, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.†It is the tax collector who leaves the temple area in right relationship with God.
The prayer of the tax collector has become the Jesus Prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.†It goes back to the 5th Century Monastic Fathers and Desert Mothers in Egypt and is associated with the Orthodox Catholic Church. The 19th Century “Way of the Pilgrim,†a Russian spiritual classic, describes the manner of praying the Jesus Prayer. As you draw your breath in, say or imagine yourself saying, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God.†As you release your breath, “have mercy on me a sinner.†The person praying the Jesus Prayer may hold a cord with knots on like our rosary.
Deb Keenan, our Pastoral Associate for Ministry, has shown a segment on 60 Minutes about the Monks on Mt. Athos, Greece who have been praying the Jesus Prayer for a thousand years. The prayer helps the monks stand in God’s presence and to focus their minds exclusively on God with no other thought occupying their mind but the thought of God. There is only one goal – being close to God. They are conscious of the unseen warfare with Satan and the dark side. They embrace death, the ticket to eternal life. Bones and skulls of dead monks are kept in an ossuary. Overall, the monks have excellent heath with rare heart attacks and few cases of cancer and Alzheimer. They pray morning and night like breathing.
This past week on NPR there was a segment on increasing anxiety in American society. At the very end, when asked, is there anything we can do to lessen the stress, the researcher stated simply, there is evidence that deep breathing lowers stress! Like the monks on Mt. Athos, the purpose of prayer is raising consciousness of God. The breathing that accompanies the Jesus Prayer may indeed reduce stress but that is a secondary benefit. Our goal is union with God. Together, we pray and breathe, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.â€
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28th Sunday Ordinary C
