The LINK: 9/24
Members and friends of Congo-Pres,
Happy September!
I hope that this summer you were able to find time to rest, as Fall becomes whatever it becomes for you or your family. With the return to school, or travelling for the season, or work and other commitments picking back up, or maybe it’s the continued adjustment to this season of your church there can be a problem that pops up in our spiritual lives, and our communal spiritual life together. That problem can be distraction, overwhelm, or just getting caught up in the flow of the new and the novel, and that can take us from regularly communing with God.
There’s this Russian book from the 19th century called “The Way of a Pilgrim”. The short of it is that this Pilgrim (think “spiritual seeker”) wants to understand what it means (like Paul
commends in 1 Thessalonians) to “pray without ceasing”. The story follows the Pilgrim around to
encounter various spiritual mentors, and he eventually learns about this practiced called “the Jesus Prayer”. I know, it sounds wildly unspecific. But the Jesus Prayer is just this: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner”. That’s it. You pray the prayer, and then you pray it again, and again, and so on. It can be meditative, it can be centering, it can be done again and again, to focus in prayer. In the book, The Pilgrim learns to so internalize this prayer to the point that he’s praying it at literally every moment, even when doing other things.
I want to offer this as a starting point for prayer throughout your day. Sometimes when we pray we might get distracted, and need focus, or we might be looking for inner peace. Maybe we’re looking to be in the presence of God, or work on humility. This short prayer offers a
confession of who God is, an implicit confession of our own failings, a request for help, and a prayer of praise, all in 12 words!
Or as the unknown author describes it: “The ceaseless Jesus Prayer is a continuous,
uninterrupted call on the holy name of Jesus Christ with the lips, mind, and heart; and in the awareness of His abiding presence it is a plea for His blessing in all undertakings, in all places, at all times, even in sleep.”
As the season changes from Summer into not-Summer, maybe this can be a way to
gently enter a rhythm of prayer. Take a moment to pray this prayer. You can breath in one line, and exhale after next (such as: [Inhale] Lord Jesus Christ, [exhale] Son of God [inhale] have mercy on me [exhale] a sinner). You can pray this when you have a quiet moment, or when you’re waiting at the doctor’s office. If it is, may it be helpful as you commune with the living God.
Grace and Peace,