Jesus Prayer Research Articles

Burnout in Christian Perspective

Mindfulness and Christian spirituality are useful tools in preventing and coping with burnout and compassion fatigue. Christian human services workers who engage in these practices are able to stave off burnout and actually be revitalized in their work because mindfulness and Christian spirituality are tied to managing loss of personal accomplishment, emotional exhaustion, and depersonalization. For Christians, a better way to conceptualize burnout and compassion fatigue is to consider them within the categories of calling, apathy, and indifference. In this way, preventing and coping with burnout becomes a project of spiritual revitalization—reconnecting with the empowering, living spirit of God. The practices of the Jesus Prayer, the daily examen, and the prayer of consideration are useful tools for accomplishing this.

Theological Concept of the Fourth Gospel in the Context of Jesus’ Glorification Prayer (Jn 17:1-5)

The analysis of Jn 17:1-5 in its textual, literary, exegetical and theological dimensions shows the importance of Jesus’ prayer to His Father. The prayer of glorification includes a deep theological perspective expressed by the connection between the Son and the Father, earth and Heaven, the believers and God. The glorification of the Father in the prayer of the Son obtains its dynamism in the glorification of the Son in the realization of the Hour. The concept of the Johannine Hour reveals its eschatological character which can be fulfilled in the Passion, Death and Resurrection of the Son. The prayer of Jesus opens the Heaven for every person who together with Him can fulfill the will of God. In the glorification of the Father by the Son (earthly glorification) and the Son by the Father (heavenly glorification) the believers obtain eternal life in the Heavenly Love of God.

Modlitwa Jezusa (J 17,1–26) odczytana w perspektywie antropologii kulturowej

The aim of the article is to interpret the prayer of Jesus in John 17 according to social-scientific criteria. After having shown the main currents in the historical critical exegesis of the passage, the author discusses John 17 as last will of a person who is about to die. It was broadly believed in the ancient Mediterranean culture(s) that such a person is very close to God/gods and thanks to it can foresee future events. Then John 17 is analyzed in the framework of seven types of prayer proposed by B.J. Malina. The author of the article argues that John 17 as a whole is a heuristic prayer which is composed mostly of instrumental and self-focused statements. On the basis of analysis of the occurrences of the morphemes do,xa and doxa,zw in the Fourth Gospel and especially in John 17 it is stated that Jesus refers in the prayer to the Mediterranean category of honor as the most important human value. This prompted the author to examine John 17 in the framework of the social structure “patron–client”. The author of the article argues that Jesus takes in John 17 the position of Broker – Mediator between the Father and his disciples. Moreover, in the light of his imminent return to the glory of the Father he confers the mission of being his agents (brokers) to those who have come to believe that he was the Messiah sent by the Father.

The Psychological Impact of the Jesus Prayer among Non-Conventional Catholics

This pilot study explored the psychological impact of a 2-month intervention with the Jesus Prayer among a sample taken from a community of middle-aged Catholics in Spain. The study collected quantitative data on psychological symptoms with the Revised Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90-R) and on personality traits with the Revised Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI-R) at three different times: baseline, post-intervention, and 5 months after the 2-month intervention. It also collected quantitative data on transient mood states with the Profile of Mood States (POMS) before and after a 25-min intervention with the Jesus Prayer, plus data on adherence 2 years after the inquiry. Statistical analysis found lower scores on Interpersonal Sensitivity (p = .009) and Phobic Anxiety (p = .03) psychological symptoms after the 2-month intervention. Analyses of data also found lower scores and strong effect sizes on Tension (p = .03, d = 1.029) and Fatigue (p = .001, d = 1.390) after a 25-min intervention. The 2-year follow up found that one third of the final sample had completely adhered to a daily practice of the Jesus Prayer. Overall results indicate that the Jesus Prayer may be a relevant practice among Catholics both for well-being and spiritual purposes.

La oración de Jesús en Getsemaní

The article deals with the prayer of Jesus in Gethsemane, as presented by St. Augustine in the Enarrationes in Psalmos and in the Sermones de sanctis. An exegetical introduction of the New Testament texts of the prayer of Jesus in Gethsemane is offered, as well as the pre-Augustinian patristic tradition, highlighting the various points that Augustine’s previous Fathers of the Church underlined in the Prayer of Jesus in Gethsemane. It later discusses Augustine’s Texts where He addresses this topic, highlighting particularly the ecclesiological interpretation of the Bishop of Hippo.

Sztuka modlitwy w doświadczeniu filokalistycznym Emiliana (Vafeidisa) Simonopetrity

The Elder Aimilianos defines prayer as charisma, heavenly joyful meeting and communion of God with a man. The art of prayer in the Philokalia experience of the elder is dependent of the state of our mind. It should be clean, deprived of any extraneous content in waiting for the coming of God. Real prayer rejects all sadness and pusillanimity. There are following frames, in which prayer can come into being: peace, silence, peace of mind, absolute calmness and being silent. In fact, prayer is not done by a man itself. It is only begun by a man, only wanted by a man. That is Holy Spirit, who fills it. Prayer is our everyday life obligation. One may say about a success during prayer, only when it becomes our place of refuge. In his teaching, the Elder distinguishes between internal and external factors, which have influence on prayer. First of them are: condition of our spirit and its relationship with God. In that case, prayer is a homily of the mind, breath of the spirit, bowing to God. The second factors are: knowledge about various ways of prayer, necessary to the mystical inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We are talking here about participation in Divine Liturgy, constant prayer, Jesus prayer, praying rule, consideration in concentration and silence. Prayer is not isolated itself, but is closely related to participation in services, thanksgiving, vigil, in order to overcome the bodily passions. At the same time, the elder warns, that prayer does not become a reason for isolation, because in that case, it will be lying and insincere. Prayer is not mental work, which is tiresome, but it is full of dynamism directed to God.

Using the collaborative inquiry method to explore the Jesus Prayer.

Using the collaborative inquiry method to explore the Jesus Prayer.

Ecumenical Hermeneutics through a Study of Missiological Typologies

Abstract This paper focuses on the hermeneutical recognition that happens during the cross-cultural transmission of the gospel. dynamics of mission are traced from hermeneutic through communication and the understanding of the Other, to action, and to the realisation of gospel in community. ********* Hermeneutics has not been a subject for missiology for a long time. This because missiology has come late to the field of theology and mainly concentrated on practical aspects that would motivate missionaries and suggest mission strategies and methods. In the 18th and 19th centuries of modern mission, the missiological topics were not diverse. Mission was taken for granted and its aim was to spread the gospel and convert unbelievers, in particular to plant churches. (1) Yet, as seen in the flow of world mission conferences, the conviction for mission and what the content of the gospel is has been shaken. Here where hermeneutics introduced as a topic of missiology. conventional relationship between the gospel and culture was static in that the text a constant, a hermeneutical subject that reveals the reality by illuminating the context while the context was a passive object of hermeneutics. However, the context also illuminates the text for fresh interpretations. Intercultural hermeneutics, in which the text and context illuminate each other, allows one to face the problem of truth and anthropology. Unlike the conventional stance that only the gospel has the hermeneutical right for culture, the hermeneutics of the gospel and culture happens two ways for intercultural hermeneutics. Since people can hear truth that valid for them only in their given cultural circumstances, intercultural understanding presupposes communal hearing. Where intercultural reading of scripture happens, there can be no complete domination or superiority and everyone reliant on one another. In this respect, ecumenical hermeneutics aims for unity through koinonia in diversity, and thus for mutual complement and learning through new understandings of the gospel interpreted in each culture. ecumenical movement has unity as its basic principle from the start. Unity rooted in God who the aim of unity. Increasing pressure and universal, functionalistic ideas have led people to misunderstand even the prayer of Jesus in functionalistic ways, (2) overestimating the effects of the systematic unity of the church. If church unity defined functionally and systematically, the original meaning of unity becomes lost. It was the mission movement that stimulated ecumenical considerations in diversity. Unity not defined systematically and functionally, but refers to the possibility of mutual acknowledgement and cohabitation When we see that world churches need to learn from one another and depend on finding the truth, the church can be a place of helping, learning, and celebrating community, and when this happens, unity will put on a new meaning. (3) Koinonia departs from conventional understanding of unity, presupposes diversity, and maintains diversity rather than overcoming it. As Choi has rightly pointed out, The task of cultural theology to reveal 'theonomy' in the culture of autonomy, identify the danger of theology of religions, which relativism (secularization) of autonomy, and the danger of ecclesiastical theology, which absolutism of theonomy, and aim for organic unity of theonomy and autonomy (Konvivenz). (4) For this task, we need to move beyond Niebuhr and Tillich and grasp the complexity of cultural communication, the identity struggle of human and Christian cultures, and various approaches of Christianity manifested in history. Cultural theology to take into account that no one can understand culture fully, that message itself indecisive, and that God's work in us a wonder. This paper will analyze the hermeneutical relationship between the gospel and culture in various missiological models and attempt a new approach of cultural theology. …

All Saints Worship: Possible or not in a Korean Protestant Context?

The veneration of the saints is related to the cult of the dead. It initially took the form of praise and imitation of the deceased holy one, and involved as well, gatherings of celebration and prayer at the place of burial. The cult of the saints began in the early church with the commemoration(memoria) of the victims of persecution. So the primitive Christians linked witness to the centrality of the cross in which human was able to partake the passion of Christ. Already at the death of the first martyr in the New Testament, Stephen, the martyr’s prayer for his persecutors echoes the prayer of Jesus on the cross for those who knew not what they were about. In the primitive believers had a strong conviction that saints could intercede with Christ for them. In the ancient world, in which Christianity began, tombs were places of contact between humans and the gods. The tomb represented a home for the dead, a place to be visited by survivors. Libations were poured out upon the tomb, and funerary feasts (refrigerium) were celebrated near it, especially on the birthday of the deceased. Among the Jews it was customary to give special honor to the tombs of the patriarchs; among the pagans, to the tombs of dead heroes. In like manner, the early Christians held the tomb to be the privileged place of the saint. And like the Greek hero, the saint was considered to be an intercessor who functioned as an intermediary between this world and the next. The Korean Protestant Churches, however, strongly resist to bring the cult of the saints in their sanctoral cycle. Why not? The cult of saints, on behalf of perspective of the Korean Protestant churches, seems to be involved with the issue of ancestor worship which causes significant conflicts between Korean Catholic Church and Protestant Church, and even among non-believers. The first thing the Korean pastors and scholars discussed was idolatry which for Christians has been the main obstacle to the practice of ancestor worship. In terms of the Judeo-Christian perspective and belief, ancestor worship or idol worship is contrary to the first and second commandments of God. Because the Korean Christians believe in monotheism, they cannot accept the idol worship. Ancestor worship is a part of cultural heritage that is a precious gift of God to the Korean people. However, as a Korean Protestant Christian, it is not easy to say that traditional way of observing ancestor worship can be an acceptable and applicable practice from a Korean Christian perspective. As an inculturated practice of veneration of the saint, the Korean Protestant Church employed its own way of observing veneration of the ancestors, named Chumo-Shik.

Christe Eleison! The Invocation of Christ in Eastern Monastic Psalmody c.350-450. By JAMES F. WELLINGTON.

T his book sets out to locate the evolution of the Jesus Prayer within the wider context of monastic liturgical life, particularly the recitation of the Psalms. The author approaches this task by examining the christological nature of the exegesis of the Psalms in Evagrios’ Scholia on the Psalms and other early monastic sources and commentaries. As a work of scholarship the aim of contextualizing the Jesus Prayer is only partly achieved. Most importantly, the author has not fully assimilated the content of Diadochos of Photike’s 100 Gnostic Chapters . It is in this fifth-century composition that we first find reference to the prayer ‘Lord Jesus’. Wellington is alive to the importance of Diadochos in the development of the Jesus Prayer, but there his interest ends. He seems unaware that the 100 Gnostic Chapters is also rich both in its Christology and in its references to and exegesis of the Psalms. Thus he only looks at those chapters of Diadochos that specifically mention the prayer ‘Lord Jesus’, leaving unexplored chapters that deal with the relationship between contemplative prayer and psalmody (e.g. 68 and 73). There is also no discussion of Diadochos’ many exegeses of individual verses of the Psalms. Almost all of these treat the Psalms as an allegorical account of contemplative prayer. Indeed in chapter 94 Diadochos relates the contemplative state directly to Ps. 4:7 (LXX): ‘The light of your face, O Lord, was printed on us.’

Yoga and the Jesus Prayer—A Comparison between aṣtānga yoga in the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali and the Psycho-Physical Method of Hesychasm

Yoga and the Jesus Prayer—A Comparison between aṣtānga yoga in the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali and the Psycho-Physical Method of Hesychasm

Jednota a poslání: podněty k reflexi o vztahu mezi ekumenismem a misijním působením církve

In the apostolic exhortation Evangelii gaudium, Pope Francis expressed his conviction concerning the profound link between the ecumenical efforts and the mission activity of the Church. This impulse, which remains fully in continuity with the magistery of the Catholic Church and with the initial incentives of the modern ecumenical movement as well, is deserving of special reflection. A missionary imperative brings us into the focus of all kinds of struggles to become closer to the disciples of Christ, which is the high priestly prayer of Jesus (cf. John 17:21). The article pays attention to the inner connection between the missionary and ecumenical dynamic, considering the concept of witness as the essence of the Christian missio. A witness open towards martyrdom is an effective manifestation of God's self-giving love for the world, which lies at the nature of the Church as a communion of love. The fundamental features and principles of the ecumenical effort as a whole arise from this source.

Coptic Christian Symbolism in Art as a Problem of Cultural Studies

In dialogue Coptic and Russian religious culture reveals value of the symbol letter Iota, the tenth letter of the Coptic alphabet, which begins the name of Jesus Christ. Symbols of letter writing is compared with pronouncing the name of Jesus and reading the prayer of Jesus

Comparison between ‘The Repetition of the Sacred Name of Amitabha’ and ‘Jesus Prayer’ - Focusing on the Concept of ‘Deautomatization’ and ‘ASC: Altered States of Consciousness’ -

Comparison between ‘The Repetition of the Sacred Name of Amitabha’ and ‘Jesus Prayer’ - Focusing on the Concept of ‘Deautomatization’ and ‘ASC: Altered States of Consciousness’ -

A Trinitarian Spirituality of Mission

The via contemplativa and the via activa have been seen as two parallel tracks in spirituality. The separation is inevitable without a rich Trinitarian anchor. Uniting the Western, substantive view of God and the Eastern, relational view offers the hope of an integrative spirituality: the coming together of Mary and Martha, the active and the contemplative life. The high-priestly prayer of Jesus in the garden offers a similar vision of integration: Intimacy and fruitfulness are possible through a mutual indwelling empowered by the Holy Spirit. We feed on the living bread so that the life of Christ is manifest in the world. At the table hostility becomes hospitality. Missional spirituality is founded on a single movement of Godself into the world: mission as the self-unfolding of contemplation.

Hezychia jako owoc modlitwy Jezusowej według pism wybranych ojców z XIII/XIV wieku z góry Athos

To sum up it is possible to recognize too isy chia behind one of basic fruits of the of Jesus prayer. Fathers from Mount Atos are emphasize for her biblical, Trinity and Orthodox roots. They also notice the significance of spreading for her on the Christian west. They claim (argue), that with being isychia there are a condition of the peace, quietening the body, the heart and the soul, an internal concentration and a silence. Isychia is also a condition of the unity of the body, mind and the soul, guaranteeing the praying monk internal silence and pace They claim, that with being isychia there are a condition of the peace, quietening the body, the heart and the ghost, an internal concentration and a silence. Isychia is also a condition of the unity of the body, the ghost and the soul, guaranteeing the praying monk internal silence and a piece. Therefore in the destination for her to get Fathers are emphasizing the need of practicing the of Jesus prayer with the faith. As helpful will recognize reading and considering (meditating) the Bible, with simultaneous ascetic effort; to lead the mind towards God, freeing oneself of obsessive thoughts and passion. This way of Jesus prayer will take the human to the internal calm, referrals thoughts to God and life transformations. Can be constitute the perfect answer to the search by Christian how to pray, which will escape from the multitude of matters and to find calm.

The New Evangelization and Bishop Lesslie Newbigin’s the Household of God

The Church of South India The Church of South India came into being through a union of Anglican and Reformation churches/communities in South India. Although controversial at its inception, especially for the Anglican Communion, today, it has a membership of over five million, and is India's second largest Christian church after the Catholic Church. It came into existence just one month after India achieved independence from Britain in 1947. The inspiration for the Church of South India was born from those words of our Blessed Lord in the Gospel of St. John 17:21: “That they all may be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you, that they also may be one in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” The Church of South India took as its motto those words of the prayer of Jesus, “That they all may be one.” The Church of South India was a milestone in the ecumenical world. This was the first time in history in which a union was effected between episcopal and non-episcopal churches. In this union four Christian traditions came together --Anglican (Episcopal), Congregational, Presbyterian, and Methodist. One of the most well-known and theologically articulate bishops of the Church of South India was Lesslie Newbigin.

The Prayer of Jesus on the Cross

The Passion Narratives in Synoptic Gospels present Jesus on the cross not only as a Messias patiens, but also as a Messias orans. This article constitutes an attempt to show a synoptic picture of the Crucified who prays. In the first part of the article we focus on the nonverbal dimension of Jesus’ prayer on the cross, e.g. on the posture of his body forced by the means of execution and on his laud, inarticulate cry of the agony. In the second part, the subject of the analysis becomes three of seven “last words of Jesus”, that assume the form of prayer: Luc 23,34a; Mt 27,46; Luc 23,46.

The Globalization of Hesychasm and the Jesus Prayer: Contesting Contemplation – By C. D. L. Johnson

The Globalization of Hesychasm and the Jesus Prayer: Contesting Contemplation – By C. D. L. Johnson

Getsemaní: revelación de humanidad

The story of the garden of Gethsemane highlights the drama of the cross and Jesus' attitude towards it. However, each of the Synoptic Evangelists describes it in its own way. There are obvious dependencies and notable differences. In the understanding of each Evangelist, Jesus is truly human, but the traits that characterize that humanity are different.In the present article we have recourse to the synoptic approach to highlight the particularity and originality of each Synoptic Evangelist in presenting the prayer of Jesus in the Garden of Olives, a true prologue to the narrative of the passion.