Meet the Author
Norris J. Chumley, Ph.D. is a bestselling author, an Emmy-Award-winning executive producer/director, and professor. He serves as Executive Producer and Director of Media for the Columbia University Institute for Religion, Culture and Public Life and as Chairman of the Board of Manhattan Neighborhood Network, the nation’s original and largest public access television system. Chumley has created and produced hundreds of commercials, made-for-television movies, documentaries and specials. Additionally, he has written three books: The Joy of Weight Loss: A Spiritual Guide to Fitness (2001) and Mysteries of the Jesus Prayer: Experiencing the Presence of God and a Pilgrimage to the Heart of an Ancient Spirituality (2011).
Book Basics
“For at least 1,700 years this seemingly simple prayer has been the cornerstone of the spiritual life of countless monks and nuns of the Eastern Church. Yet outside the walls of their monasteries and convents, very few Christians – even those within the Eastern tradition – have ever heard of this prayer or experienced its power to touch the soul and transform one’s life” (p.2).
Mysteries of the Jesus Prayer is a journey of exploration that explores the richness of this powerful twelve word prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. This book and the documentary (available as a DVD) bearing the same title are the result of a pilgrimage undertaken by the author and the renowned historian and Orthodox priest the Very Rev. Dr. John McGuckin. These two men engage in the most comprehensive quest of its kind ever undertaken as they document the people and practice of the Jesus Prayer, including securing interviews and taking pictures or shooting video of sites where such is typically prohibited, and providing historical background.
So What?
Along the way, many of the practitioners interviewed encourage Chumley and all in the West to know that the Jesus Prayer is a powerful practice open to all and a means by which to experience communion with God through unceasing prayer. Anyone can pray the prayer any time. For those who wonder how it can become a constant prayer, Chumley offers several examples, including:
- St. Gregory of Palamas’ (1296-1359) method “known as hesychasm, or the practice of stillness” in which one links the prayer to one’s breathing (p.80)
- Abbess Sister Irina Pantescu’s (interviewed by the author) method of walking the prayer in which she takes two steps for each of the four phrases within the prayer (p.117-118)
What has your experience been with the Jesus Prayer? If you have never prayer the prayer, how might including it in your spiritual practices be helpful?
Norris J. Chumley. Mysteries of the Jesus Prayer: Experiencing the Presence of God and a Pilgrimage to the Heart of an Ancient Spirituality (HarperOne: 2011). ISBN: 9780061874178.