The Jesus Prayer

The Jesus Prayer comes from the ancient Eastern Christian tradition and is closely associated with the Desert Fathers and the practice of watchful, interior prayer. It has no single known author. Its words unite faith in the divinity of Christ, confession of personal sin, and trust in the Lord’s mercy. The Catechism calls this invocation the simplest way of praying always and describes it as a prayer possible at all times because its only occupation is loving Jesus (CCC 2667-2668). Catholics pray it repeatedly to recollect the mind, guard the heart, and remain consciously in the presence of Christ.

When to pray it: Repeat it quietly with the breath, praying “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God” while inhaling and “have mercy on me, a sinner” while exhaling.