The prayer of Mount
Athos , who does not recognize it? It is comprised of one small
phrase, of measured words.
"Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on
me, a sinner."
With the loud cry "Lord", we
glorify God, His glorious majesty, the King of Israel, the Creator of visible
and invisible creation, Whom Seraphim and Cherubim tremble before.
With the sweet invocation and summons
"Jesus", we witness that Christ is present, our Savior, and we
gratefully thank Him, because He has prepared for us life eternal.
With the third word "Christ",
we theologically confess that Christ is the Son of God and God. No man saved
us, nor angel, but Jesus Christ, the true God.
There follows the intimate petition
"have mercy", and we venerate and entreat that God would be
propitious, fulfilling our salvation's demands, the desires and needs of our
hearts.
That "on me", what range it
has! It is not only myself, it is everyone admitted to citizenship in the state
of Christ, in the holy Church; it is all those who are members of the body of
the Bridegroom.
And finally, so that our prayer be full
of life, we close with the word "a sinner", confessing - since we are
all sinners - as all the Saints confess and became through this sound sons of
light and of the day.
Through this we understand, that this
prayer involves:
Glorification
Thanksgiving
Theology
Supplication
and Confession.
