Ruminations of an Irascible Hermit.: Arrow prayers

Thursday, June 10, 2021

Arrow prayers

Wonderful recommendation by Pope Francis on the Jesus Prayer.

This is a prayer that is very common among our Eastern Catholic & Orthodox brethren. During the day to constantly be repeating with your breath “Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner”.

Often this prayer is said on a knotted prayer rope known as a Komboskini (Greek), Chotki/Lestovka (Russian) or Brojanica (Serbian, Macedonian, Bulgarian).

The Jesus prayer goes all the way back to the Desert Fathers and earlier monastic authors. Often they would keep a particular short sentence or quote from the Bible that they memorised to say throughout the day when tempted or struggling, this is known as an “Arrow prayer” - evoking the image of shooting arrows up to heaven during the day.

I have mentioned before that often I like to repeat throughout the day “Jesus I love you” or “Come Holy Spirit, come by the means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary your well beloved spouse”.

Do any of you have particular short prayers you like to repeat throughout the day?

Other common Catholic prayers in this same tradition that are also known as “Ejaculatory prayers” can also be :

* Sacred Heart of Jesus, have Mercy on us

* Jesus, I trust in you

* Jesus, Mary & Joseph - save souls

* Come Holy Spirit

* God come to my aid

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Disclaimer

Please note. I am a Catholic layman, not a qualified theologian or philosopher. What I say and write here are my own personal thoughts and ideas, although I always try to conform my writings to the Magisterium of the Church.

I- with firm faith believe and profess everything that is contained in the symbol of faith: namely,

I believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen. I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven: By the power of the Holy Spirit, he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered, died and was buried. On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. I believe in the one holy catholic and apostolic church. I acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

With firm faith I believe as well everything contained in God's word, written or handed down in tradition and proposed by the church--whether in solemn judgment or in the ordinary and universal Magisterium--as divinely revealed and called for faith.

I also firmly accept and hold each and every thing that is proposed by that same church definitively with regard to teaching concerning faith or morals.

What is more, I adhere with religious submission of will and intellect to the teachings which either the Roman pontiff or the college of bishops enunciate when they exercise the authentic Magisterium even if they proclaim those teachings in an act that is not definitive.