all that i am

“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner.” 

perfect rest

a whole little body at rest in the palm of my hand

little feet and knees tucked up into my chest

a little bottom held perfectly in my little hand

to hold a little one this way

balanced securely in the palm of my hand

its little head must be resting with its little ear pressed against my heart
cupped gently under my chin

is that how closely
securely
easily God holds us in the palm of His hand?

Rest: The Jesus Prayer

Let’s look closely at the familiar Eastern Orthodox prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner.” Within the context of this week’s study on Jesus, the Christ, these words can now hold rich meaning for you. Let’s look at the words.

Lord—While the word can connote dominion and hierarchical authority (the Greek, kurios, means “master”), remember the authority with which Jesus taught was an inner authority, born of his awareness that he was God’s own child. And we have inherited this power!

Jesus Christ—He is both human and divine, personal and infinite. “Jesus” was a common name (Joshua in Hebrew); “Christ” means anointed, chosen. We need both to ground us in the ordinary, suffering world and to draw us toward the “heaven” of union.

Sinner—Remember that “sin” is simply that which keeps us from knowing and living out of our True Self. We are forgetful of our inherent belovedness. Don’t think of sin as just individual “nastiness,” which is largely shame-based thinking and in itself does not get you to a good place. We settle for moralism when we do not get to mysticism.

Mercy—We need the “salvation” of Love to overcome our fear-based disconnection, to return us to wholeness. Abundant, never-withheld, restorative grace brings us back into intimacy with self, God, and others. Pope Francis says that mercy is the highest virtue in the hierarchy of Christian truths.

Using this prayer as a focal point, say the words repeatedly until the prayer moves from your head into your heart and you connect with the Presence already praying ceaselessly within.

“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner.”