The Catalog of Good Deeds

The Reverend Sergius Nezhbort, who is a priest of our Convent and the head of our Icon Painting Studio, is our guest today. We are going to talk with him how he became an icon painter; how the studio grew and developed; where its current painters learned and where they teach now; how creativity and the canon in icon painting work together; and a whole lot more.

How did you become an icon painter?

It’s hard to say how I became an icon painter; I’m not sure I ever became one. First of all, I had a dream. It just happened that when I came to the Church, the Lord revealed himself to me through the icon. This event changed everything: I started going to church and got baptised. The icon became my window into the Kingdom of Heaven. I simply wanted to believe that there would be a day when I would paint icons. At that time, I went to an arts school and learned to paint. I entertained that dream for a long time but after a while I realised that it was not going to happen: I didn’t have anyone who could teach me to paint icons and any chance to acquire this skill. I had to forget about my dream for some time. Five years later, that dream came true. I got involved in painting icons. I’ve been doing my best to keep up with it since that time. However, I don’t dare call myself an icon painter.

Can you tell us about the history of the Icon Painting Studio?

It was in the spring of 1999 that Larissa Nezhbort, Nun Lyudmila Leiko, and I founded the Icon Painting Studio with the blessing of Father Andrew Lemeshonok. Each of us had his or her own route to the icon painting. It was an audacious move because, in spite of our motivation, we lacked icon painting skills and everything else, too. We started from scratch. Little by little, new people were joining, and the Studio began to grow. A lot has changed since then. We didn’t know even the most basic things, such as how to cover an icon with gold leaf or how to grind the paints. The surface of our first icons was like sandpaper because we didn’t grind the paints properly. Today everything has changed, of course. We didn’t have study guides and did not have the opportunity to look at good samples that we have now. We only had several books, albums from home bookshelves, and it wasn’t enough, to be honest. I took a look at our old photos not long ago, and I was somewhat ashamed. Perhaps, it was merely a stage in our development, and we had to go through that stage. Now we are on a different level. When new people join, eager to learn how to paint icons, they can get the answers to their questions, which we have tested on ourselves. They can learn how to draw a sketch, how to cover the surface with gold leaf, and how to use a sample. It will take our students only one month to start using the methods that we had to experiment with for years.

Who did you learn from?

Archpriest Igor Latushko gave us the first props. We all knew him and asked him about the substantial, the inner workings of an icon, rather than just professional advice. For example, he could clearly explain why this or that saint was portrayed in a certain way and what the meaning and symbolise of an icon of a certain feast was. It was necessary for us at that point because we were professional artists but not icon painters. For me personally, it was crucial to be helping Andrey Kozikov, a famous icon painter. As an apprentice in his studio, I saw the work of an icon painter from within and saw how hard it was. I couldn’t do a whole lot of things, but I could gesso icon boards, wash the floor or the palette… I was very happy to contribute to this process. Now, when I paint icons on my own, I realise that it would be much harder without that experience. These were the two people who really helped me in the beginning. We didn’t have specific teachers. Most likely, we learned from one another by reading books, exploring iconographic samples, and praying. We visited Archimandrite Zinon (Teodor) several times but I cannot claim that he was our teacher. He was always welcoming, which was important for us at that time. Well, you can learn a lot even if you simply look at his icons and see him working.

How do you paint an icon?

Figuratively speaking, an icon has the body, the soul, and the spirit, just like a human being. It is always difficult to speak about the spiritual aspect and it is much easier to speak about icon painting as a craft. An icon is painted in a traditional fashion. We resolved from the outset that we would paint icons using only traditional methods, as opposed to new technologies, modern paints and primers. We use the methods known since ancient times. We paint on a dried lime or pine board with the carved-out centre. The board is gessoed, i.e. coated with several layers of primer, which consists of chalk and glue, until it has a smooth and polished surface. Our paints are made of minerals and even semi-precious stones, e.g., lazurite, malachite, etc. We paint icons based on earlier samples. An icon painter looks at the sample and outlines the contours. The background or the halo are then covered with gold leaf, and the icon painter proceeds to paint the vestments and buildings, followed by hands and faces. Lastly, the icon is finished with linseed oil. These are the main stages but everyone follows them in a different way. As a rule, one’s soul and inner life inadvertently reverberates in his or her painting. An icon is some kind of a spiritual barometer that shows the inner state of the icon painter. If an artist expresses himself in his work and enjoys seeing his skill reflected in his picture, you will look at the icon like in a mirror and see your untruth. It exposes you and makes you really sad. The difficulty of an icon painter’s ministry is that, although you can clearly see that you’re unprepared, you’ve got to keep on painting. The Lord helps through the icon. When the person faces his own untruth, he is inclined to seek God in order to be transformed and live according to God’s truth.

How should we treat printed icons?

An icon is an icon regardless of how it is made: using paints or a printing press. If an icon is made according to the rules and consecrated, it is sacred. Printed icons may not always be to your personal liking but tastes differ, you know. Praise God that everyone can have an icon in his or her home today because if there were only painted icons, not everyone could afford them because they are quite expensive. On the other hand, there is a negative side to it because people in ancient times used to treat every image like a treasure, given that not everyone can paint an icon, and if something is hard to make, then it is perceived as more valuable. Nowadays, there are plenty of printed icons, thousands of copies, and people unfortunately tend to lose the feeling of awe that they used to have when they saw a painted icon.

What are the traditions that have influenced your painting style?

It’s hard to say. At first, we were inspired by Ancient Russian icons, such as the paintings of Andrei Rublev and Dionysius. Currently, there are plenty of resources for icon painters: books and papers on Byzantine icons and samples of 6th-century iconography are available and easily accessible. It is this diversity that shapes one’s iconographic style. That is why we don’t have any mainstream trend. Nevertheless, there are icon painters whose works set the standard, so to say, and other icon painters in our Studio try to follow it. We are grounded in contemporary iconography, too: for instance, the works by the icon painters of Holy Trinity St Sergius Lavra. We follow the general directions of contemporary iconographic art.

Please tell us a couple of words about creativity in icon painting.

It’s a philosophical conundrum. How do you define creativity and canon? Every person has his own definition. The Greek word “canon” literally means a straight stick, that is, it shows whether a line is straight or not. The canon is not a set of rules: it is the language of the Church. You can perceive the canon as a rigid scheme but you can also interpret unrestrained creativity as sickly. The Lord breathed creativity into every human being. People are made in the image of God the Creator. An icon is where God meets us humans. There is a human being and there is God; an icon painter witnesses this encounter and paints an icon. This is how a true icon appears, e.g., the Holy Trinity by Andrei Rublev. It is evident that the icon of Holy Trinity is not a human fantasy, it’s the highest level of creativity. It becomes part of the canon. The canon does not emerge out of abstract and far-fetched theorizing. It appears at the crossroads where God and human meet, and people who witness this encounter suddenly realise that this is something that they can and should imitate. That is how the canon is shaped. You cannot treat the canon as an unchangeable touchstone. Today, we have to paint icons of newly-canonised saints. There aren’t any icons of these holy men and women; but we have their photos, so we icon painters have to deal with them in a creative way. After all, the Church is alive, and life cannot be static.

Tell us about your students, please.

There are people who are willing to engage with the icon. Some leave and some stay, it’s like everywhere else in life. How does a tree grow? Some branches shoot out leaves, and some wither away. That’s what it’s like in our studio, too. There are people who attempt to serve God by painting icons, and we try to share our experiences. We don’t think that we can rightfully call ourselves ‘teachers’ and them, ‘students’. We simply try to share something that we have learned.

Is there any difference between an icon painter and an artist?

It depends on the artist and the icon painter. If you compare Pablo Picasso and Andrei Rublev, they are different, although each of them has certain characteristics that cannot be compared. Not every artist must be an icon painter because an icon painter is primarily a person who serves God. Icon painting is an obedience in the Church. There are various obediences in the Church: some people sing in the choir, some read the Gospel, and some wipe the floor. All obediences are important, and you can’t say that one is better and the other is worse. Every obedience is indispensable and necessary. As far as the comparison between an artist and an icon painter is concerned, an icon painter is necessary because people need new icons for new churches; whereas an artist is also necessary because people are looking for beauty, and it doesn’t always need to be limited to the church. I suppose, every artist feels God even in the outside world: in nature, in other people, and in relationships. So I believe that there is no conflict between an icon painter and an artist. They simply have different tasks. An icon painter’s task is more specific. Generally, I believe that everyone is an artist in a certain sense. You cannot isolate one from the other.

What are the icons that you paint most often?

The face of the Holy Saviour is the most frequently painted icon. It is the most important icon, and therefore, most people want to have it in their homes. Same with the icons of the Mother of God. Many people also want to have icons of their namesake saints painted.

Is icon painting a collaborative art?

Sure. Even if you look at it from the technical viewpoint: one person makes the wooden board, another person covers it with gesso, yet another person plates it with gold, and finally, yet another person paints the icon. Only if they work together and in unity can the icon see the light of day. Every icon painter must remember that everything he does is a reflection of the prayer of the whole Church. The more eagerly people seek for God, the easier it is for us to paint icons. If we turn to the history, the 15th century is the golden age of icon painting. It was the time of a spiritual revival but later, in the time of a spiritual crisis, it was more difficult for icon painters to work on the same level. Judging by the number of new icon painting studios established in the late 20th and the early 21st century, now is the time of a new spiritual revival.

Icon painters indicate the current state of humankind. It is important for people who come to church and look at the icons to understand that the icons were not created by a single individual. Icons are the result of many people’s prayer.

August 27, 2018

St. Elisabeth Convent

What is “Spiritual Life”?

Spiritual life is nothing other than “life in Christ.” In the words of a contemporary Orthodox lay theologian, spirituality consists of “the ways which … lead to sanctity, to sainthood.” A Spiritual life, then, is about salvation, and salvation is about understanding, growth and struggle, among other things. It is hard work, for no one is “born” a saint. By contrast, the average Orthodox layman today seems to think that he is leading an exceptional spiritual life merely because he attends church regularly, receives Holy Communion (sometimes without any proper preparation), and contributes to the support of the Church. This, however, only shows that he is a member of the Church, not that he is leading an active spiritual life.

“By definition, an Orthodox Christian is one who strives to be obedient to the Commandments and, at the same time, obediently tries to fulfill the requirements of an Orthodox way of life, as revealed by Scripture and Tradition. Thus, [regular] attendance at Divine services, frequent reception of the Mysteries, observance of the seasonal fasts, the giving of alms, etc. — all of these, and more, constitute the bare minimum expected of those who follow Jesus Christ. This … is, however, only the beginning for anyone who wishes to call himself Christian; these are the ‘first steps’ in spiritual life …. Yet … they represent the patient, hard work of actually beginning to ‘walk’ the narrow path to the Kingdom of Heaven.’

Active spiritual life, then, is much more than “minimalism.” It is, in fact, nothing less than a sincere attempt to fulfill the Lord’s command, Be ye perfect, even as your Father Who is in Heaven is perfect(Matt. 5:48), so that at death we might be presented to God, holy and unblamable and unreproachable in His sight (Col. 1:22). The Church, in all of her grace-filled manifestations (the Sacraments, the Divine services, and even parish life itself), is the proper school for spiritual life, for the Church possesses abundant wisdom and experience, and this is the primary purpose — to lead us to sainthood by showing us how to unite our will to God.

What is Spiritual Direction?

Since the essence of spiritual life consists “in healing our impaired will, uniting it with the will of God and sanctifying it by this union,” and since “in order to do the will of God it is necessary to know it,” spiritual direction is a careful process by which we first learn and then apply the principles of spiritual life, thus coming to know God’s will for us with assurance. Some very few saints and righteous ones, finding themselves in circumstances where healthy and genuine spiritual direction was not available, were able to do this for themselves through a very patient, prayerful, and life-long study of sacred texts. Such, for example, was the great Saint Paisius Velichkovsky, the eighteenth-century Russian monastic reformer and teacher. Most of us, however, must imitate the Ethiopian in the Book of Acts -How can I understand unless someone guides me?

Spiritual direction consists not only of learning ancient techniques of prayer, but it requires detailed instruction by the director, as well as guided reading and study and learning inner attention. But it also has an important dimension of asceticism — that is, certain kinds of bodily practices that, in Orthodox spirituality, go hand in hand with prayer and learning. Such practices may include learning how to live a quieter lifestyle, adopting (with the permission of one’s director) additional fasting and abstinence exercises, and more frequent attendance at Divine services — all of which are calculated to slightly challenge and tax the body and its natural energies, putting it under additional discipline and control.

In most cases, a spiritual director will take his spiritual child “from strength to strength,” beginning with the simplest and easiest “ABC’s” of spiritual striving. He will first inquire to know at what level the student is in his spiritual life — and it does not matter how basic or even primitive the student may be — and the director will also want to know in some detail about his state in life — married or single, with children or without, what kind of job, and what the student does for entertainment. Slowly but surely the director will introduce the student to certain hallowed principles and ideas. He will assign reading and will carefully discuss that reading with the student.

The director will expose his spiritual child to various methods of prayer which are time-honored in the Church (for spiritual life is in many ways as much a science as an art). He will also assign a Prayer Rule, very simple at first, and then gradually more complex, and he will carefully supervise the student’s progress in prayer. He will also act as confessor to his spiritual son or daughter, for in this great Mystery of Repentance the director is most able to act as a spiritual physician. In this context, a spiritual father strives particularly to show his spiritual children the way to repentance, which means “a change of mind that is accompanied by deep regret over one’s past life or over some particular act which one has committed,” so that “there is a profound change of orientation, a sudden shift of the center of gravity of one’s total being from the material to the spiritual, from the physical world to God, from concern for the body to concern for the soul.”

Not least, a spiritual father will be available as a sympathetic ear and a healthy and objective “sounding-board” when his spiritual sons and daughters are in need of this.

By Hieroschemamonk Ambrose (Young)

Excerpt from: http://www.pravmir.com/how-can-i-understand-unless-someone-guides-me-on-the-place-and-importance-of-spiritual-direction/

People who do not go to church have been perplexed by the veneration of the Most Holy Mother of God for centuries. Many of them accuse the Orthodox Christians of some kind of idolatry. Some denominations, such as Evangelicals, refuse to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary altogether. What does the Church have to answer to her opponents? Why does She call upon the Theotokos in prayer so often?

Here is how Saint Ignatius Bryanchaninov (1807–1867) who was one of the most famous theologians and saints of the 19th century, addressed many of these issues.

He even wrote a very detailed treatise on Church veneration of the Virgin Mary because Pope Pius IX had announced a new doctrine of Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God. Another reason for writing that treatise were the requests of his contemporaries to provide a definitive rebuttal of the Protestant and secular arguments against the said veneration.

Why Do Christians Venerate Theotokos So Much?

It is because Virgin Mary gave birth to God himself. She was the only person in the world in whom the Creator of the world dwelt. Other great righteous men and women received Divine inspiration thanks to the Holy Spirit, of course, but the Mother of God was the only person who received the Logos so that He could become incarnate.

Saint Ignatius Bryanchaninov writes, “This kind of receiving God is obviously the once-in-history, exceptional, unparalleled phenomenon, unreachable for holy men and for holy angels, and appropriate solely for the Mother of God. The God-man replaced Adam and became the originator of the tribe of the elect; likewise, the Mother of God replaced Eve and became their mother. The God-man is the King of Heaven, of all men and angels; likewise, the Mother of God is the Queen of Heaven, the Queen of all men and angels.”

Why Is Theotokos Honored More Than All Saints?

The high status of the Theotokos is due not only to the fact that She became the mother of the God-man but also to the fact that She was the only person who stayed in close contact with God for such a long time, as Saint Ignatius writes, “The Ever-Virgin is higher than all holy men both because She became the Mother of the God-man and thanks to the fact that She was the most persevering and the most attentive learner of the doctrine that the God-man preached. The first of this qualities was bolstered by the second one, and thus the status of the Mother of God became the most exalted one. This is what the Holy Gospel points out with regard to the Mother of God, ‘Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart’ (Luke 2:19).”

What Is The Greatest Contribution of the Theotokos?

The main contribution of the Blessed Virgin was that She made herself ready for carrying the Savior. It was her personal and voluntary act of self-sacrifice. Her chastity, profound love, complete self-denial, and absolute loyalty to God set her apart from all righteous men and women of the Old Testament.

Saint Ignatius writes: “What the greatest God’s servants aspired to accomplish, the Mother of God actually accomplished, thanks to the God-sent Divine grace. How did she carry it out? At first, her heart and womb were overcome with the Holy Spirit. Then her womb became the Temple of the Incarnate Lord: the spiritual joy pouring from the presence of the Lord engulfed her entirely, according to her own words. As a rule, holy joy engulfs those humans who had been lucky to feel the power of the Holy Spirit, so it is natural that the Theotokos was filled with the divine joy.

As soon as the God-man was born, She was the closest person to him. It was in her lap and in her arms that He spent his early childhood; He was inseparable with her not only during his adolescence but also in his youth and as an adult — up until the beginning of his public ministry, which lasted for three and a half years. There wasn’t anyone who heard the word of God for so long and so closely. There wasn’t anyone who followed the words and actions of the God-man with equally deep and permanent attention and preserved them so meticulously and lovingly."

Why is Virgin Mary Called Mother of God? How Can Anyone Give Birth to the Eternal God?

Jesus Christ born by Virgin Mary is fully God and fully human at the same time. According to the doctrine officially proclaimed at the 4th Ecumenical Council, his two natures — human and divine — are manifest in him unconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably.

Saint Ignatius writes: “The Virgin, having conceived and delivered God and man in the same person, became the Mother of God in the exact sense of this word because her offspring was God, while at the same time being a human being. St. John of Damascus exclaims, ‘Having given birth to God who was incarnated through her, how isn’t She the Mother of God?’ The Virgin who became the Mother of God naturally becomes the Lady, the Queen, and the Domina of all sentient beings, on earth and in heaven alike; but at the same time She continues to be a God’s creature and her Son’s and God’s handmaid. By giving birth to the Sacrifice for the sins of the whole humankind, She gave birth to the Sacrifice for her own sins as well, for She is part of the human race, too. Her Son is God, the Creator, the Lord, the Redeemer, and the Savior.”

Why Does The Orthodox Church Refuse to Believe in the Immaculate Conception of Virgin Mary?

Pope Pius IX of Rome issued an edict on December 8, 1854, which promulgated the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of Virgin Mary as an official teaching of the Roman Catholic Church. According to the doctrine, the Mother of God was born without the original sin, i.e., She was absolutely sin-free. The Orthodox Church rejects this doctrine and believes that it contradicts the soteriology (doctrine of salvation) shaped in the age of Ecumenical Councils. In fact, Theotokos herself professes Jesus Christ as her Savior in the Gospel according to Luke.

This is what Saint Ignatius writes: “The graceful Ever-Virgin claims that the God She brought into this world is her Savior. The Papists ascribe sinlessness to Her and by virtue of this claim demonstrate their disbelief in God’s omnipotence. On the contrary, the Orthodox Church praises God’s omnipotence and supreme power that made a female conceived and born in sin incomparably greater than the Cherubim and incomparably more glorious than the Seraphim who have never known sin and who remain steadfast in holiness. My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour (Luke 1:43), the Blessed Virgin said in response to Elisabeth when the latter, inspired by the Holy Spirit, spoke out in the loud voice that the Ever-Virgin was the Mother of God.”

Why Do Christians Address Theotokos As Mother?

During his Passion, the Lord declared Apostle John the Theologian, who was standing by his Cross, an adopted son of Jesus’s Mother, and therefore all members of the Church are also her children. We read in the Gospel, “When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home” (John 19:26-27).

“When the Lord had already redeemed the human race,” Saint Ignatius writes, “and was about to seal the act of redemption with his voluntary death on the Cross, there was the Mother of God together with his beloved disciple, Apostle John, standing nearby. The Lord suddenly speaks to the Theotokos who was taking part in his redemptive agony. He entitles her to certain rights concerning the humankind; the rights that She receives from the God-man having earned them for her attitude and relationship with the God-man. He declares her the mother of the beloved disciple, and through him—the Mother of the entire renewed human race, according to the opinion and exegesis of the Fathers.”

Why Does The Church Pray to the Theotokos So Often?

Christians believe that the Mother of God rose from the dead and that God took her into the Heavenly Kingdom after her death. She became our main intercessor and supplicant for the whole Church. It is for this reason that there have never been any kind of relics of the Theotokos in the Church anywhere, even though parts of her robe and belt are considered sacred.

Saint Ignatius writes: “The Mother of God rose from the dead on the third day after her blissful Dormition. She now dwells in the Heaven both spiritually and physically. Not only does She dwell in the Heaven but She even reigns in the Heaven. Being the Mother of the King of Heaven, She carries the title of the Queen of Heaven, the Queen of holy Angels and holy men. She received special powers and special courage to intercede for the human race before God. The Holy Church asks all greatest servants of God, all Angels and Archangels, to ‘pray to God for us’ but asks the Mother of God to ‘save us’.”

By Tikhon Sisoyev

Translated by The Catalog of Good Deeds

Source: https://foma.ru/pochemu-bogoroditsa-pochitaetsya-tserkovyu-vyishe-chem-vse-svyatyie.html

Blasphemy is a terrible sin! Every time people joke about sacred objects or actions, lack proper reverence for the saints and all that has to do with the Church, defame clergy or slander them, this is blasphemy. Beware of this great sin! You may tell me, “Vladyka, we are not blasphemers!” That is good! But there are many such among us that are close to blasphemy. Let’s take an example. We’re going to an Orthodox home and we see portraits of family and friends hanging on the walls, and they are clean, and everything is beautiful. But nearby, in the corner, there’s an icon hanging, blackened from dust, from which are hanging some old, faded, and wrinkled flowers. Is this pleasing to God?

There are priests who don’t keep up with the cleaning in the altar and on the altar table well enough—this awesome place where angels look with fear and love. I had one case: I was going around the diocese. I arrived to one city, and the dean told me that one batushka was slovenly and needed to be tightened up. I went to his church, and what did I see? On the altar table—a layer of dust, on the icons—flowers that hadn’t been changed in two years. “Where is your wonderworking icon?” I asked. “Here it is!” “I don’t see it!” I said. “It’s right here, Vladyka!” “No!” I said. “I don’t see the icons behind all the dust accumulating on them.” The priest asked forgiveness and promised to change and to report to me every week how he’s maintaining order in the church.

Here’s another picture. Pascha. You’ve made it through Matins and Liturgy and you’ve sat down to break the fast. You eat a piece of kulich, or cheese Pascha, greet one another with “Christ is Risen!” with a blessed egg, break it, and eat it. Everything is done well and piously. “And where to put the egg shells?” the maid asks. “In the trash, of course!” And this shell, which was only just sprinkled with Holy Water at church, over which “Christ is Risen!” was sung many times—you’re going to throw it into the trash? Is this respect for the sacred things and Church of God?! Remember well that everything relating to the Divine services and to the Church of God is sacred, through which the grace and love of God are poured out upon us, and to which you should therefore relate with great love and piety. I wanted to end with this, but I remembered one more story which I must tell you.

It was in the Monastery of St. Nil of Stolobensk on Lake Seliger. The relics of this saint are venerated there, now in a new reliquary, and the previous reliquary with an image of the saint on the cover stand in the church empty. One day a pious woman went to the monastery with her two small children to venerate the holy relics. While the woman was praying in church, her children were running around the garden, picking the ripe mountain ash berries which grew in abundance there. They entered the church, which was empty at that time, where the saint’s previous reliquary stood. They started their game: throwing berries at the image of the saint.

And suddenly, under a clear sky, everyone present in the monastery heard a terrible thunderclap that shook the whole building. The woman, not seeing her children around her, rushed to search for them, in view of such danger, and finally found them lying unconscious by the empty reliquary. The monks gathered there to bring the children back to their senses. When they finally regained consciousness, the mother asked them what happened to them? They openly told how they started playing a game of throwing berries at “grandfather,” and how they suddenly saw that “grandfather” raised himself up and wagged his finger, after which the lightning flashed, the thunder rang out, and after that they didn’t remember. You see how God chastises and admonishes even small, foolish children for disrespecting His saints. Admonish your children and caution them against this.

By the prayers of St. Gregory the Wonderworker, may the Lord send us and our children the gift of pious veneration of our icons and sacred objects. Amen.

By Hieroconfessor Nikolai (Mogilevsky),

Metropolitan of Alma-Ata and Kazakhstan

Translated by Jesse Dominick

Source: http://orthochristian.com/109335.html

Question: "When Jesus was asked how we are to pray, he gave the "Our Father" prayer, and said nothing about the "Jesus Prayer." Some Orthodox writers almost give the impression that a person will not be saved without the Jesus Prayer, but Christ never taught such a thing. Why would God require a mantra from people every conscious moment of their lives? Repetitive prayers (mantras) are a Hindu, Buddhist and Islamic thing. Does not the same practice imply a common source?"

Did Christ Teach it?

Are you sure Christ did not teach us to pray the Jesus Prayer? In the Gospels we have many examples of people calling upon Christ in ways that are similar to the Jesus Prayer:

"And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us" (Matthew 9:27).

"And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil" (Matthew 15:22).

"And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David" (Matthew 20:30).

"And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: and they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us" (Luke 17:12-13).

But in the parable of the Public and the Pharisee, the prayer that the publican says, for which he is commended, is "God be merciful to me a sinner" (Luke 18:13). And so unless one disputes that Christ is God, Christ did teach us to pray a prayer that is substantively similar to the Jesus Prayer.

The Name of the Lord

We are also taught in Scripture to call upon, praise, and trust in the name of the Lord:

"I will give praise unto the Lord according to His righteousness, and I will chant unto the name of the Lord Most High" (Psalm 7:18).

"Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we will call upon the name of the Lord our God" (Psalm 19:8).

"Blessed is the man, whose hope is in the name of the Lord Psalm" (Psalm 39:5).

"Praise the Lord, O ye servants, praise ye the name of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord from henceforth and for evermore. From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, the name of the Lord is to be praised" (Psalm 112:1-3).

"All the nations compassed me round about, and by the name of the Lord I warded them off. Surrounding me they compassed me, and by the name of the Lord I warded them off. They compassed me about like unto bees around a honeycomb, and they burst into flame like a fire among the thorns, and by the name of the Lord I warded them off" (Psalm 117:10-12).

"Praise ye the name of the Lord; O ye servants, praise the Lord" (Psalm 134:1).

"The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe" (Proverbs 18:10).

"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Roman 10:13).

"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Acts 2:21).

"And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him" (Colossians 3:17).

For more on the significance of the Jesus Prayer, and the name of Jesus, see:

The Power of the Name, by Metropolitan Kallistos (Ware), and On Practicing the Jesus Prayer, by St. Ignaty Brianchaninov.

So the content of the Jesus prayer is not only unobjectionable, but it is completely Biblical, in fact it is a summary of the Gospel.

Vain Repetitions?

But if the content of the Jesus Prayer is admitted to be Biblical, the next objection that is raised is usually in reference to Matthew 6:7, which says in the King James Version:

"But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking."

So does this apply to the Jesus Prayer? No. To begin with, while the King James is general a very good translation, in this case, the translation is a bit debatable. The word behind that translation "vain repetitions" is the Greek word "battologeō" (βαττολογέω), which more precisely means "to stutter" to "babble". Some examples of contemporary translations that reflect this are:

“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words" (ESV).

"And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words" (RSV).

"And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words" (NIV).

The Word Biblical Commentary has this to say about the meaning of this text:

"In view is the attempt to manipulate God through repetitive, perhaps even magical phrases, as the verb battalogein, "babble," and the noun polylogia, "much speaking, " suggest. Battalogein, an onomatopoetic word, is probably derived from the cognate noun meaning "stammerer" or "stutterer." The verb here, however, refers not to a speech impediment but to the repetition of meaningless syllables. Polylogia seems to have in mind vain repetition and lengthiness. They "think" (dokousin) they will be heard by means of these devices, but in this they are mistaken" (Donald A. Hagner, Word Biblical Commentary: Matthew 1-13, vol. 33a (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1993), 147).

And Blessed Theophylact says:

"But when ye pray, do not babble as the Gentiles do." "Babbling" means praying foolishly, as when someone asks for such worldly things as fame, wealth, or victory. "Babbling" is also inarticulate, childish speech. Therefore you, O reader, must not pray foolishly, For they think that they shall be heard for their many words. It is not necessary to make long prayers, but rather short and frequent prayers, uttering few words, but persevering in prayer" (The Explanation of the Holy Gospel According to Matthew. Fr. Christopher Stade, Trans. (House Springs, MO: Chrysostom Press, 1992), p. 57).

And so what Christ is speaking of are prayers that meaningless... perhaps treated like magical words, which because of their repetition are intended to make God respond in some desired way. But this is not true of the Jesus Prayer.

For one thing, the words are not meaningless -- they are filed with deep meaning. And the proper use of the Jesus Prayer requires that one pray it attentively, focusing on the meaning of the words. A prayer is only vain, if you don't mean it, or if you pay no attention to what you are saying, or have no understanding of what you are saying.

Is it a Mantra?

The purpose of a mantra is for the person saying it to empty his mind of all thoughts. The purpose of the Jesus Prayer is to fill our mind with the meaning of the words, and to raise up our thoughts to God.

St. Paul teaches us to "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

St. Augustine, in commenting on Psalm 37[38]:9, speaks about the meaning of unceasing prayer:

"And who observed and noticed the cause of his groaning? “All my desire is before Thee” (ver. 9). For it is not before men who cannot see the heart, but it is before Thee that all my desire is open! Let your desire be before Him; and “the Father, who seeth in secret, shall reward thee.” For it is thy heart’s desire that is thy prayer; and if thy desire continues uninterrupted, thy prayer continueth also. For not without a meaning did the Apostle say, “Pray without ceasing.” Are we to be “without ceasing” bending the knee, prostrating the body, or lifting up our hands, that he says, “Pray without ceasing”? Or if it is in this sense that we say that we “pray,” this, I believe, we cannot do “without ceasing.” There is another inward kind of prayer without ceasing, which is the desire of the heart" (St. Augustine, Commentary on the Psalms 37:14 (NPNF1 8:106-7).

This prayer of the heart is what the Jesus Prayer helps us to achieve. The words of the Jesus Prayer are not magical. There are various forms of the Jesus Prayer in use. But the words of the Jesus Prayer are Biblical, the practice is Biblical, and the purpose is also Biblical.

By Fr. Fr. John Whiteford

Source: http://fatherjohn.blogspot.com/2014/12/stump-priest-jesus-prayer-scripture.html

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