Those who are particularly observant will have noticed a bit of jewelry that has showed up on their rector since he returned from vacation; I have been wearing a black bracelet on my left wrist. I’ve always been sensitive about wearing jewelry during liturgy. When I wore a watch, I would take it off for the Eucharist so that my watch was not distracting in any way as I served at the altar and distributed the host. At times I find myself distracted in worship by the jewelry other clergy wear. For that reason I am very aware of my new bracelet as I celebrate the Eucharist, always “feeling” how it peeks out from the sleeve of my alb. I just haven’t been sure if others have noticed it.

So what is this bracelet? It looks like the picture to the right: a simple, black circle of knots – 33 knots to be exact. This photo and my bracelet came from a craftsman on the craft website, Etsy. It is an Orthodox prayer bracelet, used primarily for counting ones prayers, specifically, recitations of the Jesus Prayer (more on that in a moment). I tried to find the simplest form of such a prayer bracelet I could, and this one fits the bill. As is the custom, I wear it on my left wrist, so that I can count the knots with my right hand. Orthodox prayer ropes predate the Catholic rosary, although some Catholics will reference the practice of prayer ropes that dates to around the fourth century. Others will tell you the rosary was a divine inspiration in the 13th century.

Rosaries and prayer ropes are different devotional tools. The history of the prayer rope is specifically tied to the Jesus Prayer, whereas rosaries can be used in different ways. Praying the Jesus Prayer with a prayer rope is designed to set us free from distracting thoughts, whereas in some uses of a rosary you are to be contemplating a specific biblical passage or event in the life of Christ. There is a wide variance of tradition and use, as it turns out, even among those who use Anglican rosaries. The Orthodox prayer rope tradition is one that is solely about providing a mechanism to contemplate God alone. Let me back up, though and explain what the Jesus Prayer is, if you’re not familiar with it.

The Jesus Prayer is an ancient prayer that dates to the Desert Fathers of the 5th century, monks who began living in the Egyptian desert in the 3rd century. The Desert Fathers were the first to practice what became known as monasticism later in the Church’s development. They had a great impact on Christianity in those early centuries, devoting their lives to ascetic living, prayer, study, serving the poor, fasting, and making unity and community an essential part of their lives. It is not known who first uttered the Jesus Prayer or who named it as such, but the prayer has remained an important part of the Orthodox tradition to this day. It has also begun to see increased use in the 20th century in Western Christianity.

What is the Jesus Prayer? It is this: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” That’s it. There are some slight variations of the prayer (some leave off “a sinner” at the end), but that’s the classic formulation. The idea is that one prays it many times each day, often repeating it many times in a row as a form of meditation. For instance a person might start their day by saying it 100 times. Many prayer ropes have 100 knots in order to help one know how many times they’ve said it. You aren’t really “counting” as you pray, but knowing that you’ve done a full rope indicates how many times you have done it. By fingering the knots as you pray it helps focus as well. The 33 knots on my bracelet are specifically that number because it is one-third of a standard prayer rope.

I have heard about the Jesus Prayer many times over the years, but I confess I hadn’t paid much attention to it. But since it kept showing up along my path I decided to learn more about it and its use. I know that our former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, is a Jesus Prayer practitioner, and has even written about his use of the Jesus Prayer. Archbishop Rowan often uses it as his early morning meditation, taking a squatting prayer posture while reciting the prayer for 20-30 minutes. That is one of the ways the Jesus Prayer is often used – the formal way; typically one prays the prayer as they breathe in and out. The other way the prayer is used is more freely, throughout the day, particularly in times of stress or distress. That’s the usage I’m finding most helpful. With the bracelet on my wrist I am reminded of its presence and find myself uttering the prayer throughout the day.

Some traditions focus on a penitential nature for the Jesus Prayer. Clearly it is putting one in mind about our sinful nature. Some traditions explain that ropes are often black because black is a penitential color. It is good for someone like me, who tends to have a relaxed attitude towards sin in favor of grace (like a good Anglican) to have this reminder. It’s also why some people leave off “a sinner” at the end. I have chosen, in my usage, to retain the sinner tag. I have also been pleased to find another helpful understanding of the prayer as well.

Dr. Albert Rossi is a psychologist and professor at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in New York. I found his explanation of the meaning inherent in the prayer to be very helpful: He reminds us that the Greek word for mercy, eleison, shares its root with the Greek word for oil. In the Middle East (where the Desert Fathers hail from) oils are used for medicinal purposes. Dr. Rossi suggests that one can think of the prayer, in asking for God to have mercy, like asking for healing oil on our soul. The nature of healing oil, which permeates and spreads over a cloth, is not unlike the way in which God permeates and spreads through our soul as one prays this prayer. As he suggests, “praying the Sacred Name [in this way] changes our personality, from overstrain to joy."ⁱ

I have found that including the Jesus Prayer in my day and as one of my spiritual practices has been beneficial to me. I am not secretive about my own continuing journey in my prayer life, a journey that sees my prayer life ebb and flow for all sorts of reasons. I am still a novice at the use of the Jesus Prayer, yet already I see its value and understand why it has endured for so many centuries. The prayer is not magical, as Archbishop Rowan has pointed out, and yet it works in and through us in unmistakable ways. I plan to keep wearing the bracelet and to keep praying this prayer, although I don’t know if I will ever be more than a novice prayer of the Jesus Prayer. You don’t need a prayer rope to pray it, if you’d like to try it. Just learn the prayer and use it however you would like. It’s one more tool in our spiritual toolbox, and maybe it’s one that will be beneficial to you too.

Tom+

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

ⁱ http://www.svots.edu/saying-jesus-prayer