Jesus Prayer — Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God
The simplest and most ancient of Christian monastic prayers, attested in the Desert Fathers from the 4th c. (St Macarius of Egypt, St Ammonas) and developed in the hesychastic tradition of Mount Sinai, Syria, and Mount Athos. It is prayed in silence, with the rhythm of breathing, by continuously repeating the name of Jesus. The Catechism of the Catholic Church takes it up literally in no. 2667 as the most usual formulation of the invocation of the Holy Name, transmitted by the spiritual writers of the East. It was recommended by St John Paul II as an expression of theosis, the deep union by grace which Eastern theology celebrates.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,
have mercy on us sinners.
Traditional singular form of hesychasm:
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,
have mercy on me, a sinner.
The prayer is said continuously, in silence, with the breath. The Sinai Fathers teach to inhale while saying Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, and to exhale while completing have mercy on me, a sinner. A chotki (knotted prayer cord) may also be used to count repetitions.
In Latin
Greek (original):
Κύριε Ἰησοῦ Χριστέ, Υἱὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἁμαρτωλούς.
Kyrie Iēsou Christe, Hyie tou Theou, eleēson hēmas tous hamartōlous.
Singular form (hesychasm):
Κύριε Ἰησοῦ Χριστέ, Υἱὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐλέησόν με τὸν ἁμαρτωλόν.
Kyrie Iēsou Christe, Hyie tou Theou, eleēson me ton hamartōlon.