He is with me and in me.

The Jesus Prayer:

 “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God,

have mercy on me, a sinner.

I often meditate and, as was the ancient custom, use the Jesus Prayer as a mantra, inhaling on the first line and exhaling on the second. One of the nice things about praying this way is that the Jesus Prayer can be recited silently in the heart many times during the day, especially times when there aren’t any particular demands being put upon us. Use it when you are waiting in line, or whenever you remember it during your work day. I also like to use it after receiving communion, at the very moment when I have taken Christ into my body.

The more we say it as in meditation, for example, the more naturally the prayer forms in our minds or on our lips. Use it in the elevator or in the doctor’s office, use it when beginning an important piece of work, use it in moments of silence during Mass (if you are fortunate enough to worship where there is esteem for silence). Use it in the shower or in bed before you fall asleep. Use it when waiting for the Windows Updates to be installed (instead of growing impatient and annoyed). Use it anywhere and anytime you think of it.

When I say the prayer, especially during meditation, I used to think that Jesus was “up there” in the heavens while I’m down here on earth. I “looked up” to say “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God,” and then “looked down” to say “have mercy on me a sinner.” And I’ve been doing this for years.

Recently, however, I had a revelation. There is no need to look up and then down. Jesus Christ is with me and in me and his grace and mercy flows throughout my entire being—body, spirit and soul.

All is Jesus. So now when I say the prayer, I focus on my own heart and gut and remember that Jesus is alive and at work in me even during those times when I am not aware of it. And in this way, the Jesus Prayer becomes a full-body prayer, and I am led to contemplate the precious mystery which is given to us at all times as gift, as presence, as reality and as mystery. It no longer a question of him up there and me down here. Now it is an expression of divine union, every time I utter or think the words of the prayer.

Give it a try, will you?

God bless you.