Jesus Prayer-Prayer of Intercession

Jesus Prayer- Prayer of Intercession

"Listen, listen, Listen in silence, listenening
to the One from whom all Mercy comes." (paraphrase from psalm 130)

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God,
Have mercy, Have Mercy, Upon us.

Kyrie Eleison (Lord have mercy.)
Christe Eleison (Christ have mercy.)
Kyrie Eleison(Lord have mercy)

Prayer of Intercession
The Jesus Prayer is a prayer of union with Christ as we offer our soul to abide in the Heart of Christ. The Jesus Prayer is also a prayer of intercession as we offer the soul of the world to the healing of Christ.

The Gospel of John tells us that Jesus is the Living Word in Whom all things came into being. In Eastern Christianity he is called the Pantokrator, the ruler and sovereign of the universe. Just as our soul is healed when it comes to rest in the bosom of Christ, so is the soul of humankind healed, indeed the whole universe as it comes to the embrace of its true Source and Ruler, the Christ Pantokrator. In our invocation to the name of Jesus in the Jesus prayer we also intercede for the world, offering all people, all creatures, all creation to the mercy and healing touch of the Risen Yeshua. In Him all Creation is reconciled and unified with its Creator. The wound of separateness is healed. This is the redemptive work and meaning of the cross of Christ, his life, death, and resurrection, and we are invited to participate in his redeeming Risen Life in our own life. He is the Stream of Mercy emanating from the Father.

Dying he destroyed our death,
rising he restores our life,
he will come again in Glory!
-St. Paul

The Redeeming Mercy of Christ- Alive in Us
The more our soul becomes accessible to union with Christ the greater our growing experience that we are in Christ, and He in us. This union is confirmed in the growth of a compassion, a loving tenderness, towards our brothers and sisters in all humanity and towards all of God's Creatures and Creation. This is the Mercy of Christ coming alive in us. We may experience this as a painfully exquisite warmth and sensitivity to the pain and need of the world, welling up from a deep source at the center of our being and extending outward. We may not entirely welcome this development, as we may feel exposed to the pain of the world in a way not previously felt. This is the double-edged sword that Jesus brings in healing our soul. We are quickened to the presence of His Life within us. We feel joyfully alive, and at the same time the Life of Christ that brings this aliveness also brings an awareness and empathy for the suffering in the world. We are participating and moving with the Stream of Mercy that is Jesus. Nothing is outside of it, nothing beyond His concern.Our Response
Sometimes in life the Mercy of Christ leads us to do a deed, or render a service, be present to another. We never know when that will happen. Sometimes the Mercy of Christ brings us to a calling we never anticipated. At other times, in other events in life, the painful circumstances with our loved ones, or on the other side of the world, call forth in us the response of intercession, of offering this pain and this dilemma to Greater Mercy that alone encompasses all things. This is the faith and the practice of intercession. Every day, many times a day I raise my hands in offering, offering the circle of loved ones and friends, offering the suffering of humankind, and the needs of all Creation to the healing touch of Jesus. I place them all on my home altar, in trust, and in the release of peace that I am not in control. I do not possess what is needed personally to bring healing, but Jesus, the Risen One, does. I do this not by necessarily listing or insisting my agenda for an outcome, but by gathering them together and invoking his name.

"Yeshua, my beloved, in your mercy, I offer all these who are your own."

The wounds of the world are placed in his hands:

Jesus/Yeshua in your mercy, we offer the wounds of our soul.
Jesus/Yeshua in your mercy, we offer the wounds of the world.
Jesus/Yeshua in your mercy, we offer the wound of human greed.
Jesus/Yeshua in your mercy, we offer the wound of lust for power.
Jesus/Yeshua in your mercy, we offer the wound of violence and war.
Jesus/Yeshua in your mercy, we offer the wound of poverty.
Jesus/Yeshua in your mercy, we offer the wound of abandonment.
Jesus/Yeshua in your mercy, we offer the wound of mental illness.
Jesus/Yeshua in your mercy, we offer the wound of child neglect and abuse.
Jesus/Yeshua in your mercy, we offer our human frailty and weakness.
Jesus/Yeshua in your mercy, we offer all our human failings and sins.
Jesus/Yeshua in your mercy, we offer the soul of the world.Serenity Prayer
We humans are filled with anxiety about the outcomes of life. We worry about the future. Jesus said, "Do not worry about this and that!" God knows our needs. As humans we need to focus our energies on what we can do in this moment and not worry about what we can't do. We are not in control of the world. What we can do, in this moment, is to love the best we can and to lift up our family, our loved ones, and the whole of humankind as offering to the limitless mercy of Yeshua. The Serenity Prayer of the Recovery movement speaks this simple surrender:

" God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference."

In this way the Jesus prayer is not only an intercessory prayer but also a prayer which leads me to the peace of surrender, surrender of myself, and of the suffering and needs of the world. The Jesus prayer is my form of the serenity prayer.

“ Be not afraid .. I am with you always….” (Matt. 28:10,20)