“I say frequent prayer because purity and perfection in prayer is not within our reach, as St. Paul the Apostle indicates. The Spirit comes to help us in our weakness when we do not know how to pray (Rom. 8:26). Consequently, our only contribution toward perfection in prayer, the mother of all spiritual good, is regularity and constancy.” –The Way of the Pilgrim
So often when we fall into sin, both intentional and unintentional, it is a result of no longer being aware of the presence of God. For this reason, the Jesus Prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner” is invoked. The Jesus prayer allows us to always have our mind on God. It is like a kick-start to the spiritual life. Notice how hard it is to say it while sinning. I even find that when I am not sure if I am sinning, if I say it, God will show me that I am sinning. The Jesus Prayer thus helps us to avoid intentional and unintentional sin.
-Fr. Nathan Symeon
Saturday, February 27 –
