Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
ORTHODOX 5TH CENTURY AD
The Jesus Prayer
Also known as Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God ยท Prayer of the Heart
Other forms
Short form
Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.
Very short form
Lord, have mercy.
About this prayer
The Jesus Prayer is the central prayer of the Eastern Orthodox contemplative tradition. Its text combines the cry of the blind man in Luke 18:38 ('Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me') with the penitential phrase of the tax collector in Luke 18:13 ('God, be merciful to me, a sinner'). The full form as used today appears in the writings of the Desert Fathers and mothers from the 5th century AD onward. The prayer is associated above all with the tradition of hesychasm, the practice of stillness and interior prayer developed in Eastern monasticism, particularly at Mount Athos in Greece. The method of praying the Jesus Prayer, sometimes synchronized with breathing, is described in the Philokalia, an anthology of Orthodox spiritual writings compiled in the 18th century AD. The prayer's use spread significantly in Western Christianity following the publication of the Russian spiritual classic The Way of a Pilgrim in the 19th century AD.
When it's said
The Jesus Prayer is said continuously in hesychast practice, sometimes for thousands of repetitions per day, using a prayer rope (chotki or komboskini) to count. In parish practice it is said during services, particularly during the Liturgy of the Faithful. Many Orthodox Christians say it as their primary form of personal prayer throughout the day. It is also used by many Catholics, particularly after the Second Vatican Council encouraged appreciation of Eastern Christian spirituality.
Notes on the text
The prayer exists in several forms of varying length. The full form given here is the most theologically complete, naming Christ as Lord, as Son of God, and asking mercy from the position of a sinner. Shorter forms omit one or more elements. The tradition holds that the power of the prayer lies in the Name of Jesus, based on Acts 4:12 ('there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved') and Philippians 2:10 ('at the name of Jesus every knee should bow').
Common questions
What is the Jesus Prayer?
The Jesus Prayer is the short prayer 'Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner,' repeated many times by Orthodox Christians as a meditative spiritual discipline. It is the central prayer of hesychasm, the contemplative tradition of the Eastern Orthodox Church, and is considered one of the most powerful forms of personal prayer in Orthodox spirituality. It is typically prayed with a prayer rope (chotki) and integrated with breathing.
Where does the Jesus Prayer come from?
The earliest forms of the prayer go back to the desert monasticism of 4th- and 5th-century Egypt, where monks repeated short prayers from scripture as a way of keeping continual prayer. The specific form 'Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner' developed in the Sinai monastic tradition between the 6th and 8th centuries AD. It was systematized as a spiritual discipline by Greek monks on Mount Athos in the 14th century AD.
How is the Jesus Prayer prayed?
It can be prayed many ways: silently in the heart throughout the day, vocally during set times of prayer, or in long contemplative sessions during which it may be repeated hundreds of times. Many Orthodox Christians use a prayer rope of knotted wool with 33, 50, or 100 knots to count repetitions. In the hesychast tradition, the prayer is synchronized with breathing: the first half on the inhale, the second half on the exhale. The practice is best learned from a spiritual father or experienced Orthodox Christian.
Is the Jesus Prayer only for Orthodox Christians?
It originated in the Eastern Orthodox tradition and is most fully developed there, but the practice has spread to Catholics, Anglicans, and ecumenically-minded Protestants in the 20th and 21st centuries, especially after the publication in English of the Russian classic 'The Way of a Pilgrim' in 1930 and the writings of Bishop Kallistos Ware. Many Western Christians have adopted some form of the prayer as part of their personal devotion.
Source
Ancient Eastern Christian tradition, attested from the 5th century AD. English text from the Orthodox Church in America Prayer Book, 1979. Public domain.
Last reviewed: May 2026 against primary source.