The History and Practices of the Jesus Prayer

by Alphonse and Rachel Goettmann

Paperback (May 2008)

ISBN: 978-0-9745618-9-9

Price: $14.95 + S&H (USD)

The Jesus Prayer penetrates everything, freeing us from all the acculturations of the Gospel, re-creating the basis of unity for all Christians and offering them the only possible anchor for a true ecumenism. The Jesus Prayer heals the alienation and distress of humanity, placing its dependence on God alone, substituting the divine life for the little "self" and the interests it must defend. "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" (Gal 2:20). Here the incarnation continues and completes itself. This book has grown out of lived experience and not out of theory. The Jesus Prayer has been the foundation of our lives for over forty years. But we have not taken a solitary path. This work is the fruit of twenty years of sharing with hundreds of people through retreats and sessions at Bethanie, a "place of rebirth" which we founded on the foundation of the Prayer. A community has been established there which seeks the dynamism of the first communities witnessed to in the Acts of the Apostles who "lived in the Name of Jesus." The Jesus Prayer is a way of life, making us true ­disciples of Christ. It is a beacon for the people of God, leading them toward the promised land.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Alphonse and Rachel Goettmann are the directors of Béthanie, a Center for Spiritual Encounter, located in eastern France near the city of Metz. Father Goettmann is an Orthodox priest. They are the publishers of the quarterly journal Le Chemin and have co-authored a number of books, including The Spiritual Wisdom and Practices of Early Christianity, The Beyond Within: Initiation into Christian Meditation, Dialogue on the Path of Initiation: An Introduction to the Life and Thought of Karlfried Graf Dürckheim, The Destructive Passions: Diagnosis and Remedies and Joy: The Face of God within Us. The Goettmanns lead numerous retreats throughout the year at their center.