Professional paper

Jesus' Prayer of the Mind in the Heart and the Harmony of Ascetical-Hesychastic Spiritual Growth

Naum Ilievski ; Diocese of Strumica, Strumica, Macedonia

Abstract

At the Catholic Faculty of Theology in Zagreb, on 22 May 2006, Metropolitan Nahum of the Macedonian Orthodox Church, Strumica Diocese, delivered a lecture on the mind-and-heart in Jesus' prayer and on the harmony of the ascetical-hesychastic struggle. The lecture comprised of two parts: theoretical and practical.
The theoretical part explains the notion hesychasm. Broadly speaking, it is a theological movement that appeared on the Holy Mount of Athos in the 14th century, its teaching being exposed in the theological synthesis of eastern monastic spirituality by Saint Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica, and adopted and confirmed by the Eastern Church at its Councils in 1341 and 1351. However, according to Saint Gregory Palamas, the roots of hesychasm date back to the sojourn of the Most Holy Theotokos and Evervirgin Mary in the Temple of Solomon. Hesychasm is nevertheless, above all, a mode of spiritual life in the Eastern Church that is practiced in prayerful stillness and filled with the mind-and-heart prayer. The aim of this struggle is to realize a living, graceful and personal union with God. We may say that hesychasm in the Eastern Church is the fundamental spiritual-ascetical and philosophical-theological method of Christian vision, experience and knowledge of God, and by this, of man and of the world. Since man's entire spiritual life proceeds in great harmony, the teaching and exposition on the prayer need to be linked with the order and harmony that govern spiritual life. In this connection, the theoretical part of the lecture covers the division of spiritual growth into three stages: purification, illumination, and deification. It is characteristic for each of these three stages that it has its own mode of prayer, its mode of organized life, its temptations. Each stage has also its own relationship with the spiritual father, spiritual guidance; each stage corresponds to clerical ranks. His Eminence noted in his lecture that it is more important for man to learn this harmony. It helps us not to miss the way, not to fall into delusion; it helps us to come to know God, faith and the world through experience. This experience can be examined and handed over.
As regards the division between the Eastern and the Western Churches, Metropolitan Nahum mentioned that schisms most frequently occur due to vanity, high opinion of oneself, due to struggle for power. In this context, His Eminence considers it imperative everywhere to renew the spiritual life based on the ascetical-hesychastic tradition, which in its own time will bring forth its fruits: I think that the Eastern and the Western Churches can meet here first.
The practical part, answered questions posed by students present at the lecture. More is said here about the practice of Jesus' prayer, consisting of the words Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner, which can be practiced by monastics and laity alike, yet only under the watchful eye of the spiritual father.

Keywords

Jesus prayer; hesychasm; asceticism; monasticism; Orthodox spirituality

Hrčak ID:

23701

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/23701

Publication date:

4.4.2007.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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