The Jesus Prayer in Community- the Sacred Prayer Circle

Jesus Prayer in Community- the Sacred Prayer Circle

" Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them." (Matt 18:20)
"There is One Body and One Spirit…" ( Eph 4:4)
"There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Gal. 3:28)

When I go to church, usually I am sitting in a pew arranged in lines and rows. I understand there is a reason for this design for seating and worship, an economy of space and seating. Nevertheless the natural expression of our life of devotional love in the Body of Christ is a Circle. The natural shape of essential unity in the love of Christ is the sacred Circle. The Celtic Christians arranged their cross to represent our life of union in the Body of Christ, a cross in a circle. The vertical line of the cross is a symbol of our intimate interior life of communion with God in solitude. The horizontal axis of the cross is our life in communion with the Body of Christ in community, in prayer community and in all creation.

The Sacred Prayer Circle
My deepest experiences of community in the spirit have been in circles of prayer. And so I hold the sacred prayer circle as the ideal to seek for in spiritual community. Too often Christians feel disconnected, isolated in their life of prayer with others. In the sacred prayer circle trust and communion are what we seek and what we can come to experience. I have found this in silent retreats, in ongoing prayer communities of faith sharing, and in devotional and liturgical worship. In the very middle of the circle is placed an altar with the Christ candle in the center. Christ at the center of the sacred prayer circle expresses the source of authority, the source of healing, and the source of our union in him and in one another.

Prayer Circle- Sanctuary Space
Julian of Norwich describes our journey of soul healing in this life as that of "oneing" the soul to Christ. This "oneing" that is the nature of soul healing requires a profound sense of safety to our inner life in the prayer circle. Without this safety the prayer circle cannot be a place of refuge for its members. For this reason a clear sense of boundaries, respect, and reverence for one another is essential and must be clearly adhered to by the members of the prayer circle. We live in a culture that is alien to such values of Christian love and respect, so faithfulness to this discipline is utterly essential.

Growth in Love and Faith in the Prayer Circle
Shared leadership by the spiritual elders in the prayer circle is usually a good way to proceed. Establishing a covenant of disciplined prayer practice for the group, led by competent leaders is the best way to stay faithful to a pattern of growth in love and wisdom in the sacred prayer circle. Such a pattern should include a period of silent Prayer of the Heart or Jesus Prayer, and a period of praying with a short scriptural passage. This group prayer with a scriptural passage is also called lectio divina (divine reading). When properly facilitated by the leadership it can present a way for members to share reflections in Christ's love and leading, as well as current challenges or discernments in their journey. Such reverent sharing is best without cross talk or discussion. In addition a brief time of additional spiritual teaching in the form of a shared reading, or listening to an audio teaching can nurture and encourage each member in their daily practice of Prayer of the Heart and deeper growth in Christ.

The Eucharistic Circle of Prayer
The greatest community devotional prayer in the Christian tradition is the Eucharistic Prayer. The apostles who met Jesus on the road to Emmaus recognized his presence in the "breaking of the bread." The Eucharist is the meal of the Great Thanksgiving, of God's Self-giving to us and our self-gift to God through in the love of Christ. Divinity and humanity are reconciled and joined in that Stream of Divine Healing Mercy that we know as person in Jesus the Christ. In Judeo-Christian tradition the great feast of Thanksgiving is the representation of the end and culmination of all human life brought to the banquet table of the Divine Love sharing its very life and essence with humanity. In the sacred prayer circle this joining of human and divine in Christ can be liturgically and devotionally expressed as our community prayer.

Prayer Circle as Expression of the Stream of Mercy
As we mature and grow as friends of one another in Christ and share the very life of Christ, the "bread of Life," relationships of trust grow. And we find we are not alone. There are pilgrim friends and companions who walk with us, who help and encourage us when we stumble or are discouraged. We come to find in this circle of prayer that the One we seek is the One who walks with us. More than that, the prayer circle itself has become a vessel of his mercy and love, flowing through us and into each of our lives and relationships. In this way the Circle of Prayer becomes the truth expressed in these ancient Celtic Christian prayers from the Iona community.

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Circle me, Lord.
Keep peace within, keep harm without.
Circle me, Lord.
Keep love within, keep hate without.
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You are the peace of all things calm
You are the place to hide from harm
You are the light that shines in dark
You are the heart's eternal spark
You are the door that's open wide
You are the guest who waits inside
You are the stranger at the door
You are the calling of the poor
You are my Lord and with me from ill
You are the light, the truth, the way
You are my Savior this very day.
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I awake this morning in the presence
of the holy angels of God.
May heaven open wide before me.
Above me and around me.
That I may see the Christ of my love.
And His sunlit company
in all the things of earth this day.
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Deep peace of the running wave to you.
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the shining stars to you.
Deep peace of the Son of peace to you.