10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Luke 18:10-14
In today’s Gospel reading, we see the prayer of the publican, which attracted God’s mercy. This prayer consisted of just a few words: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner” (Luke 18:13). It is noteworthy that such a brief prayer was heard by God and that it was offered in the temple during public worship, amid the reading and singing of psalms and other prayers. The Gospel approves of this prayer and sets it as an example of prayer; thus, it is our sacred duty to contemplate it with devotion.
Why did the publican not choose some grand and moving psalm to pour out his heart before God? Why did he turn instead to such a short prayer, repeating it throughout the service? We find the answer in the teachings of the Holy Fathers. When true repentance takes root in the soul—when humility and a contrite spirit arise as the soul becomes aware of its own sinfulness—then verbosity becomes unnatural and even impossible. The soul, concentrating within itself, fully aware of its wretched state, begins to cry out to God with the shortest and simplest of prayers.
When God reveals to a person the depth of their own sinfulness, the vision is overwhelming, beyond description with eloquence or lengthy words. A sigh, a groan of the soul, expressed in the briefest and simplest words, conveys this reality more accurately. Anyone who desires to cultivate a deep sense of repentance should use short prayers, spoken with the utmost attention and reverence. Abandoning many words, even holy ones, helps the mind free itself from distractions and focus entirely on self-examination.
St. John Climacus said:
“Do not indulge in verbosity in your prayer, lest your mind be led astray by searching for words. A single word of the publican appeased God, and a single sincere phrase saved the thief on the cross. Excessive words in prayer often lead to distraction and daydreaming, whereas brevity gathers the mind in concentration.”
Because of the immense spiritual benefit of short, attentive, and concentrated prayer, the Holy Church instructs its children to develop the habit of using brief prayers. One who has learned such prayer carries a ready invocation of God wherever they go—whether traveling, sitting at a meal, working with their hands, or among people. If it is impossible to pray aloud, one can pray inwardly. The advantage of short prayer is obvious: in daily life, long prayers can be easily disrupted, but a short prayer remains intact. Even if interrupted, one can return to it effortlessly.
Even during divine services, it is beneficial to repeat short prayers silently within the soul. This does not interfere with attending to the readings and hymns of the Church; rather, it enhances attentiveness, preventing the mind from wandering. If the mind is not held in self-examination by a short prayer filled with repentance, it easily drifts into distractions, idle thoughts, and fantasies—just as it happened with the Pharisee mentioned in today’s Gospel. Though physically present at the service, his mind was consumed with sinful thoughts. His prayer lacked merit and even became a source of condemnation for himself. Because his heart was dead to repentance and filled with self-satisfaction and self-deception, his prayer was rejected by God. He left the temple bearing the mark of divine wrath, unaware of his spiritual ruin.
When short prayer becomes habitual through frequent and constant use, it becomes as natural as breathing. Just as we unconsciously make exclamations when something strongly captures our attention, so too, when we acquire the habit of short prayer, it becomes an expression of our inner state during worship.
Throughout Great Lent, the Church frequently repeats aloud the prayer: “God, cleanse me, a sinner!” Why such repetition? To teach us to repeat it often ourselves. Likewise, the prayer “Lord, have mercy” is repeated many times.
The Savior of the world, who approved of the publican’s prayer, later granted us the privilege of praying with His most holy name. The prayer invoking the name of Jesus—established by Christ Himself—is called the Jesus Prayer. Under the Old Testament, people called upon a God whom they did not yet fully know. But under the New Testament, we have been given the fullness of divine revelation and can address the God-Man, Christ, our Mediator, in whom divinity and humanity are united. Thus, the New Testament prayer “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner” corresponds to the Old Testament “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” The former was used by Old Testament believers; the latter is now more commonly used by Christians because Christ has infused His human name with divine power.
A shorter form of the Jesus Prayer is “Lord, have mercy.” This serves as a condensed invocation, particularly useful in moments of fear, sudden joy, severe illness, or spiritual visions. In the latter case, “Lord, have mercy” becomes the soul’s response to divine revelations that surpass human comprehension and cannot be expressed in words.
What does the phrase “have mercy on me” signify in these prayers? It is the acknowledgment of one’s own spiritual ruin, the recognition of the need for God’s mercy—the very compassion that Christ commanded us to have for ourselves, though few truly possess it. It is the renunciation of self-righteousness and the plea for divine grace, without which there is no hope of salvation. The mercy of God is nothing other than the grace of the Holy Spirit, which sinners must continuously and earnestly seek.
“Lord, have mercy on me in my wretched condition, into which I have fallen by losing Your grace. Restore Your grace in me! Strengthen me with the Spirit of Your power so that I may resist the temptations of the devil and the sinful inclinations of my fallen nature. Send me the Spirit of purity, so that I may rise from my state of delusion and walk rightly. Grant me the Spirit of holy fear, that I may reverently keep Your commandments. Instill in my heart love for You, so that I may not stray from You again or be drawn to vile sin. Give me Your peace, so that my soul may remain unshaken and my thoughts may not wander aimlessly, leading to my harm. Let my mind be gathered in self-examination and lifted to Your throne. Bestow upon me the Spirit of meekness, that I may restrain my anger and always be filled with kindness toward my brethren. Grant me the Spirit of humility, that I may not seek human praise or vanity but remember that I am dust and ashes, a fallen creature destined for death and judgment.”
“God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”
“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me!”
“Lord, have mercy!”
Many people recite these prayers hastily, focusing only on completing a set number of repetitions. Such hurried prayer prevents the words from penetrating the heart and producing true contrition. The Holy Fathers rightly observe that those who pray in this manner are praying into the air, not to God.
Why do we often feel bored in church? Because we have not experienced the power of prayer. Why do we eagerly rush to a plentiful meal but hesitate to come to church, arriving late and missing much of the service? Because we know the value of physical food but have not experienced the nourishment of prayer, which strengthens the soul. We do not value prayer because we pray carelessly, superficially, and without attention.
Hasty, inattentive prayer is like a heavy downpour falling on a metal roof—no matter how much rain falls, none of it is absorbed. But attentive prayer is like a gentle rain soaking a field, nourishing the crops and bringing forth a rich harvest. The Holy Fathers, aware of this danger, insisted that prayer be recited slowly, with deep attention to each word.
Let us give our prayer two essential qualities: attention and repentance. With these, like two wings, let it rise to heaven, stand before God’s presence, and obtain mercy for us. Such was the prayer of the blessed publican.
Humbled by the awareness of his sinfulness, he took the lowest place in the temple, lowered his eyes to the ground, struck his heart in repentance, and from the depths of his soul cried:
“God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”
His prayer was so effective that he left the temple justified. Christ Himself declared it, fulfilling the prophecy:
“The Lord shall build up Zion and appear in His glory. He shall regard the prayer of the humble and not despise their supplication” (Psalm 101:17–19).
St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov)
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