Mercy prayer

Monday, June 9, 2008

Matthew 9:9-13

I've been saying Morning Prayer (Book of Common Prayer) since the beginning of Lent for my morning devotions.  I felt I needed the structure, especially as I returned from a silent retreat at a Catholic retreat center that first weekend in Lent.  I was helped and reminded there by entering into ancient forms of prayer and liturgy, and not left to my whims and feelings any given morning - which sometimes devolves into minimal Bible reading and prayer on the run.

Anyway, it's been good - though I have started to loosen up on strictly following the form. Morning Prayer begins with some opening sentences from Scripture, then immediately calls us to repentance and confession.  This has been good and important for me.  I have been trying to follow the Ignatian pattern of reflecting on the previous 24 hours with Jesus and confessing and repenting in the process.   

This morning as I began with repentance and confession I remembered the ancient "breath prayer:"

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God

have mercy on me, a sinner.

It's been a while since I've practiced it, but the reason it's sometimes referred to as a breath prayer is that it can be prayed continuously, in fact,  it is encouraged to be done that way in prayer - 

as one breaths in, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God," 

and breaths out, "have mercy on me, a sinner."  

Repeating it over and over in prayer, in a disciplined (and yes, focused) manner.  It can become a "habit."  A way of training oneself to be praying it all through the day.

It can be reduced, as one becomes more familiar with it, 

"Lord Jesus Christ," and 

"Have mercy on me."  

It can even simply become, 

"Jesus.  

Mercy."  

We sang during communion last night, "This is the air I breath..."  

Indeed, may it be so.

"I desire mercy, not sacrifice."

(Hosea 6:6;  Matthew 9:13)