Be the Bee #49 | Why You Need a Prayer Rope
Вставка
- Опубліковано 26 вер 2024
- What a prayer rope is, and how it can help us.
Best viewed in HD 1080p.
Connect with us at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese's Department of Youth & Young Adult Ministries!
youth.goarch.org
Music:
"Cloud Patterns," by Silent Partner, UA-cam Digital Library
"Magic Marker," by Silent Partner, UA-cam Digital Library
End Theme:
"Noahs Stark," by krackatoa
freemusicarchiv...
Links:
Prayer Rope
en.wikipedia.o...
Jesus Prayer
en.wikipedia.o...
Saying the Jesus Prayer
www.svots.edu/c...
Prayer Book (online text)
www.goarch.org/...
Daily Prayers for Orthodox Christians
www.amazon.com/...
Photo credits:
Prayer Rope (cover)
en.wikipedia.o...
Egyptian Pyramids
commons.wikime...
Pile of Rocks
commons.wikime...
St. Pachomius
commons.wikime...
Publican and Pharisee
commons.wikime...
Wool
commons.wikime...
Sheep
commons.wikime...
Christ, the Good Shepherd
commons.wikime...
Mourning Family
commons.wikime...
St. Anthony the Great
commons.wikime...
Knot
commons.wikime...
Theotokos
en.wikipedia.o...
Christ
secure.flickr....
Vitruvian Man
commons.wikime...
Orthodox Cross
commons.wikime...
Thanks for watching! God bless you!
Lord Jesus Christ Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.
Cristina Vezeteu amen.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.
Amen
I did not know it was made from sheep wool to remember that Jesus was the good shepherd.
And the Lamb of God
I love seeing references to my Coptic Church here! I can't wait till our churches are finally united, and till the silly misunderstandings are out of the way. May God bring this unity soon!
LoL, you must be catholic for sure
Yes. I hope the coptics change their ways and come back to the true church.
It's going to happen, we need to pray for it, all Orthodox Christians whether Eastern or Oriental are brothers and sisters in Christ.
I completely agree! Thoughts & Prayers 🙏🌺☦️🌺🙏
There not misunderstandings they are outside of the church that Jesus built and are under the pope. If you disagree even with one word like the Roman Catholics what they did to the Creed Then we have a Broken Trinity.
I was given a prayer rope, by my sponsor, at my Chrismation. I use it many times, every day.
Wonderful to hear! God bless you and strengthen your prayer!
Good stuff, good bless you both
I am a Coptic orthodox Christian and I love your videos because it is true as we are thought in church
barsoom adel so am I!
I'm a Catholic but I bought one, looking forward to praying with it
Eastern Catholics use prayer ropes like the Orthodox do. It’s just not common in the Latin rite
Im a Catholic and bought one too. God Bless.
Domine Jesu Christe, miserere mei
Vishvesh Tadsare Domine Jesu Christ Filii Dei, miserere mei peccatorem.
Explained so well.Thank you .God bless you.Greetings from Greece.
Thank you!
By prayer, man`s intellect and heart receives priceless, heavenly,
and divine sweetness and grace, and he is able to participate in
communion with God.
I'm Catholic I do the rosary and also do the Jesus prayer count 33 beads on my rosary
Thank you so much... I now know there's more about the prayer rope than I thought I understood.
Glad you like it!
Great video! Κύριε Ιησού Χριστό, Υιός του Θεού, ελέησον σε μένα έναν αμαρτωλό!
O Christ our God, You are worshiped at all times and in all places and are glorified both in heaven and on earth. You are patient, generous in mercy, rich in compassion, loving to the just and merciful to the sinner. You call all of us to repentance through the promise of blessings to come.
O Lord, receive our supplications at this very hour. Direct our lives in the way of Your commandments. Sanctify our souls, purify our bodies, set our minds aright, cleanse our thoughts, deliver us from all affliction, wrath, danger and need. Surround us with Your holy angels, so that, guided and guarded by their ranks, we may reach unity of the faith and the knowledge of Your unutterable glory. You are blessed unto ages of ages.
Amen
I ordered mine from a monastery, and they are in the process of making it. I can’t wait til it gets here!
Wonderful!
Great video! Although I wear my prayer rope every day there was so much I didn't know but now do.
I am a Lutheran and I bought one :)
This was eye opening
The music is too loud!
I use mine at work all shift
That's excellent!
Steve, you really make orthodoxy very meaningful and appealing in all your videos as I'm truly grateful; I'm very curious I need to know how does one get a spiritual father? Is the priest of the church that l go to considered my spiritual father or is he different from him.
Glory to God!
A spiritual father is whatever priest you start going to for advice and confession. He can be your parish priest, or from a different community. It's whomever you're comfortable with.
I'm really glad to hear you're looking for one!
Every Religious people have One with their own Design 👉📿📿📿
Amen☦️❤️✝️
I head a story that a munk counted his prayers with rocks but the devil shaderded them then God sent an angle to teach him a prayer rope
Great video! I live in Spain. Do you know of any Greek shops that sell these online?
Very good video...but maybe try taking out the music... or maybe put a chant instead
It facilitates the experience for newbies who may not be familiar with the Orthodox Church, especially in the west if you know what I mean
Love the video thank you music is way too loud and distracting
When will it be Fr. Steve? 🙏🌺☦️🌺🙏
I wanna get one badly
I hope you're able to get one!
@@stevenchristoforou1667 well I ended up getting a Rosary instead but I can use it as a prayer rope
Hey Steve! I know I'm (several years) late to the discussion, but I was curious what your thoughts are on Orthodox Christians praying the rosary. I have been praying the rosary in lieu of a prayer rope and believe that it is a good way to venerate Mary, but is it an unorthodox practice?
Thanks for the question!
It seems that the goals of the two kinds of prayer are different. A rosary tends to be used in devotion, repeating long prayers to help draw our attention to specific moments in the history of salvation. It's very contemplative and imaginative, and I think the goal is to help build an appreciation for Christ and His saving work, or for the Mother of God.
A prayer rope has a different goal. By first clearing the mind and calming the heart, and then repeating a short prayer, the goal is to move away from images and imaginings and open oneself to the presence of God. It's similar to Elijah's interaction with the Lord in 1 Kings: God speaks to us with a still, small voice so we need to cultivate both inner and outer quiet to hear Him.
I wouldn't say praying the rosary is an "unorthodox practice." I'd simply suggest the goals are different. And, based on the ascetic experience of the Church, Orthodox spiritual fathers would tend to dissuade a person from prayer that involves the cultivation of mental images because of the risk of falling into errors or delusions.
Those are general thoughts, however. You're better served speaking to a father confessor/spiritual father about how to approach your own prayer rule.
God bless you!
It shouldn't be. It was a private revelation to St. Dominic to fight the Albigenian heresy. The Marian Psalter was a part of the Apostolic Church. Fr. Seraphim also has a version of the orthodox rosary that mediates on 15 events of the life of the Theotokos and with the same system as the Roman Catholic rosary
@@cayanaraycaudhuri Fascinating! Do you have any links or references so we can learn more of this? Thanks
I am looking to get my first prayer rope, I would like it to be a longer one though, to recite the Jesus Prayer, I read the Way of the Pilgrim, and it really inspired me, how the Pilgrim progressed in his recitation of the Jesus Prayer.
Wonderful!
Have you been in touch with a priest to help guide you? He can also help you find a prayer rope.
Steven Christoforou Thank-you for your response, I will ask a priest this Sunday.
I read it too! ❤️
I can buy one when the church open
So the theotokos show him how to tie the knots . She was instrumental in rosary and preyer rope then
Brojaniceee
I have a brown prayer rope tho but it's made of wool
They come in a variety of colors!
Is it absolutely compulsory and necessary?
What do you think about lestovka?
I'm a Catholic but I'm gonna make a chokey by myself. Could you please let me know , how many beads involved in a prayer rope ?
Im a Protestan teenager and live with my parents. Im doing my life by learning, and doing the Orthodoxy teaching (but im sure that its not enough cause of lack of source). I think i want to be an Orthodox Christian, but, if i baptized by Orthodox church, the Protestan church will kick out my parents from the church, and my parents seems like "really into" Protestanism and have a small chance to being converted to the Orthodoxy. What should i do brothers,fathers,sisters? Could i do Orthodox Church way of life but im still in the Protestan community?
Thanks for writing.
I'm sorry you're in such a tough spot. Lord have mercy!
Don't be troubled. Pray for your parents, and be honest about what's on your heart. Together, as a family, you can figure out where (and when) God is leading you.
God bless you!
Is it okay for my prayer rope to not be black?
Great video, I say the Jesus Prayer everyday, although I don't use the beads as I already carry a rosary. Unrelated question what does Be the Bee mean?
May you continue to say the prayer, and may it take root in your heart!
This video explains what "be the bee" means:
ua-cam.com/video/KvHrnSKPOQo/v-deo.html
Can I get one of this even though I'm Catholic Latin Rite?
You need to. You need to get an Orthodox prayer book too. And go to an Orthodox Christian church. And become a full blown Orthodox Christian. It is necessary if you want to grow more in your Christian life.
very informative thank you!! i have a question tho if anyone can answer.. im not orthodox yet but am trying to discern conversion with the Holy Spirit as my guide, so i have two questions actually! 1 would it be ok for me to have a prayer rope even though i am not baptized and 2 could i wear it on my wrist? im forgetful, lose items often, and dont typically have pockets on my clothes.. in addition i dont go out very often and my family wouldnt know what it is so i wouldnt be wearing it to "show off" or anything of that sort, wearing it around my wrist would be solely for remembering to pray
Great questions!
1. You don't need to be in the Church to own a prayer rope. However, it's also best not to use a prayer rope on your own.
Part of a prayer rule is obedience: sticking to it even when we don't "feel like it." And it helps when someone (like a spiritual father) gives us a prayer rule to follow, rather than us making up something for ourselves on our own. So just keep that in mind.
2. Personally, I like to keep two prayer ropes on me: one on my wrist as a reminder, and one in my pocket for actually praying.
(I find that, the more I put a prayer rope on my wrist and take it off and put it back on, the more it stretches out. So I just keep it on my wrist, and have a special one in my pocket for actually using.)
In other words, the choice about where to keep your prayer rope is practical. If you don't have pockets, your wrist may be the best place.
But it should be more than a reminder: it's a tool we actually use in prayer, not simply a notification to pray. Does that make sense?
@@stevenchristoforou1667 yep! thank you so much!!
But why would you count your prayers??? 🤔
That's a great question!
It's part of the disciple of having a daily prayer rule. At it's most basic, it could be something as simple as saying the Lord's Prayer once every morning when you wake up, and once before bed.
One of the most important parts of this disciple is sticking to it, even when you don't feel like it (maybe *especially* when you don't feel like it). So you count your prayers to make sure that you're following through with the time and attention you're giving to God, not cutting corners and doing less (or only what you feel like).
We sometimes can see prayer as a way to get God to give us what we want. But in a more meaningful way, prayer is about the change in our hearts, not the change in God. We become more prayerful, more attentive to God, the more we turn towards Him.
Does that make sense?
Its more about keeping us focused, on each knot the mind is reminded to come back to God's Holy Name when it wonders into the thought stream.
Where can I buy a prayer rope?
Do syriac orthodox also use prayer ropes?
I believe so. Why do you ask?
can i use the prayer rope while doing other things? for example, saying the jesus prayer while doing homework or work?
Great question! I'd suggest you talk to your priest about specifics.
Generally, especially if you're a beginner, you'll see people trying to pray while they're doing work that doesn't involve too much attention (chopping wood, washing dishes, etc). It's hard to maintain your focus on prayer while also thinking about homework or other mental work.
God bless you!
📿🙏🏻🔥☦️...the power of ONE... awesome my friend🐝🐝🐝
I have watched a video stating that praying the Jesus prayer without statement by a spiritual father could put you in both spiritual and physical harm, is this true for most of orthodoxy?
It depends on what you mean. Some people approach the Jesus prayer with certain breathing techniques, posture, etc. That can certainly be dangerous without proper guidance.
In a deeper sense, even prayer rules can be unhealthy without guidance. We may try to do too much too fast, and fall into despair. Or we can do too little, and fall into pride. Just like it's good to have a doctor to check in on our physical health, it's good to have a spiritual father to help cultivate our spiritual health.
Does that make sense?
@@piquant7103 I'm not sure what you're trying to say here. Are you trying to say that demons aren't real?
btw what is the difference Prayer Rope from Rosary?
In terms of the object themselves, the differences aren't that significant.
Prayer ropes are usually made of strands of wool, tied into knots. Rosaries are more often beads of some kind.
Prayer ropes are usually used to pray the Jesus Prayer, like we covered in the video: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me the sinner." Praying the rosary involves a different set of prayers.
An even more important difference is that Orthodox Christians advise clearing the mind from imaginings during prayer, so as to avoid distraction or being led astray. Catholic advice includes meditations which an Orthodox would generally counsel again.
(This is all a very quick summary.)
@@stevenchristoforou1667 thanks brother in Christ. I am from Indonesia.
@@fransjudeasamosir it's great to hear from you!
I live in Mexico and can't find any here.an I am not crafty.dies anyone know if they are available here?
You can find prayer ropes online. For example:
store.ancientfaith.com/shoppe-icon-bracelets-prayer-ropes/
@@stevenchristoforou1667 thank you so much
WHere did you get the cross on the shelf from??
Not sure! We've had that in the office for years, since before I got here.
Doesn’t the Bible say the we shouldn’t use vain repetition so isn’t a prayer bad or something?
Good question!
To focus it a bit, the real question is: what's a "vain" repetition?
Look at the verse in question:
"When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words." (Matthew 6:7)
The point is that we aren't saved based on the amount of prayers we offer. However, the time we invest in a practice *does* change us.
We pray a lot so we can become the sort of people who delight in prayer.
For more, check out these two episodes:
Be the Bee #125 | You Are What You Eat
ua-cam.com/video/hI7IuBRjxGk/v-deo.html
Be the Bee #126 | You Are What You Love
ua-cam.com/video/eXp7hOQtu6c/v-deo.html
Thank you for this message of reminder! It's timeless and has the utmost meaning for EVERYONE. :)
I have three prayer ropes, one with 100 knots to represent Virgin Mary, one with 33 knots to represent the age which Jesus died at and the one with 10 knots aka prayer ring which does not repesent anything
Whatever it represents, I'm sure it's useful!
God bless you!
@@stevenchristoforou1667 yeah, it is useful, you can pray on prayer ring when it is on your finer! isn't that cool?
@@iwillturntoaskeleton yeah, the smaller prayer ropes are really great for that. You can have it hidden in your hand and pray anywhere.
@@stevenchristoforou1667 I agree. small prayer ropes are good when you are walking or when you are in public. I like to pray on 100 one when I'm alone, locked in my room...
Hi I just wanted to ask a question please answer
Why does the orthodox bible have more books then the Protestants?
And should the Apocrypha books be considered scripture??
I to am an Orthodox and I'd really like to know. Thanks
Great video btw
Great question! You're right, Protests reject some books that the Church has long accepted. We continue to use the Septuagint, the collection of books which were accepted as Scripture and then translated into Greek in the centuries before Christ's birth.
The question is: why did Protestants remove some books from the Bible?
Marina
Jesus quoted the Old Testament, but never quoted the Apocrypha. The Apostles quoted the Old Testament, but never quoted the Apocrypha. The scrolls of the Old Testament were kept in the temple, but I am told that the Apocrypha was not. You draw your own conclusion.
That's a pretty narrow argument, though. Did Jesus need to quote a book of the Scripture for it to be canonical?
As for which books were kept in the Temple, do you have a source for that? Because the books in the Septuagint were books that were actually accepted as canon.
Steven
You ask "Did Jesus need to quote a book of the Scripture for it to be canonical?" There is no criteria for what makes scripture scripture. There are man-made rules of thumb that are widely agreed upon, but no separate tablet from Sinai that says "This is how you recognize scripture." So no, that's a long way of saying no, that is not one of the criteria. Only the other hand, if Jesus quoted something as scripture, that's enough for me to recognize it as scripture. And Jesus quoted the OT a lot. But he never quotes the Apocrypha. He quotes the OT a lot, but he never quotes the Apocrypha. And neither did the apostles (who also quoted the OT a lot). So for me that is one strike against the Apocrypha -- against accepting it as scripture. (Note that it's not in the Jewish canon of the Tanakh either -- another strike.)
Noone NEEDS a prayer rope. Please dont misinform the public
Did you watch the video?
What about Lestovka and the Old Belivers
What about them? I don't understand the question.
@@stevenchristoforou1667 what's your opinions on Lestovka(Saint Seraphim of Sarov used one) and the old believers.
@@nickmoser7785 I'm not familiar with the Lestovka. It seems like a different way to count prayers, which seems fine.
I don't quite understand the Old Believers, to be honest. It was a schism created, not by theological differences (as far as I know), but by some changes to bring Orthodox Christians into greater liturgical harmony.
@@stevenchristoforou1667 oh okay. I don't think the old believers has spread to Greece. I think they're mostly in Russia was some in Serbia, South America, and Alaska. B also thank you for your answer
Isn't it called a Chotki?
Chotki in Slavic languages, komboskini in Greek and prayer rope in English.
what does the bee symbolise for christians?
Great question! Here's how we use the bee image:
Be the Bee #47 | Free as a Bee
ua-cam.com/video/KvHrnSKPOQo/v-deo.html
@@stevenchristoforou1667 thank u so much! God bless
i just realized you have BIG eyes
Is bishop of Rome is first among the equals ?
Not at the moment, because he doesn't confess the Orthodox Faith.
But if he were to return to the Church then, according to the existing canons, yes.
Steven Christoforou that’s why I think it’s contradict the faith of Eastern Orthodox ...he is the first among equals and by no means others can leave him
Eastern churches supposed to follow him if you have doubts
He don’t need to follow you or controlled by you but it’s opposite it won’t contradict the primacy of bishop of Rome
Either way Eastern Orthodox can be wrong
I think there is an authority in bishop of Rome
That’s why they faced every problems in history and made history
Even the raise of communism its pope who stand firm and become the beginning of its end
Schools 🏫 hospitals 🏥 and global evangelism and catholic communities in every nations
It’s because
Orthodox still live in the same situation because they lost the edge to breakthrough which is bishop of Rome
@@sherin5201 "First among equals" is simply a statement about the way the bishops relate to each other.
What you're suggesting is that he's the first without equals, that the Bishop of Rome holds a unique place no one else can hold.
As for the good points you make, I don't think it's simply because of the Pope. Orthodox countries spent centuries under persecution and occupation (as many still do). There are historical realities that affect why Orthodox have less schools, hospitals, etc.
Steven Christoforou Peter was different than others
Steven Christoforou Protestants and orthodox both lost the edge that’s why they fail to face issues that’s was coming on the way...
Orthodox stuck 😟 scared
Protestants shattered to pieces
Catholic made stunning decisions
Schools hospitals missions
Facing Islam and communism and heresies
Do you have rosary 📿?
No, we use prayer ropes (like you see in the video) rather than rosaries.
Steven Christoforou hi there! Can Catholics use prayer ropes though, and does it matter where you get it (or does it have to be given by a spiritual father) ?
@@mujerdivina1590 I guess a Catholic could use a prayer rope, but both the practice and understanding of prayer is different.
Prayer ropes are available for purchase in many places (churches, online, etc).
i dont understand, is Jesus christ the son of God or is he God?!?!?
Maybe this can help:
Be the Bee #65 | Who is Jesus Christ?
ua-cam.com/video/tLdMmX_Jo_o/v-deo.html
God bless you!
He is God the son.
I can't comment...
You just did?
That’s from pagans, rosary 📿, Buddhist, even Islam
First, this isn't a rosary.
Second, what is pagan about a tool to help you pray consistently?
Third, while I'm not sure about this practice in Buddhism, you do realize that Christianity predates Islam, right? And that Muslims borrowed much from Christian (including architecture, music, and even prayer tools like this.
correction from "a sinner" to " the sinner"
George Kousiry I think it doesn't necessarily matter too much, so long as the spirit of the prayer is there. Some versions omit the "Son of God" part but are still just as valid, for example.
It can be either, it doesn't matter at all. Try not to get caught up in legalities, you'll lose sight of what's important, the Lord our God.
Of course, either wording is fine. God hears our prayer and understands.
The only difference is that to say one is "the sinner" is to focus only on ones own sins, which is a bit harder to do.
It's better for us all to talk to a spiritual father than argue here about how we should pray. :-)
While I understand your point, as we should believe we are the worst sinner of all. Most say a sinner and there is nothing wrong with this as we do not ignore that our fellow Christians and in fact all people are lost hopeless sinners.
matthew 6:7-8 do not pray repetitious prayers like the idolaters do
Good question, and something we need to clear up.
Prayer isn't about saying more words for the sake of more words. It's not about speaking magic words, or somehow bothering God until He changes His mind.
Prayer, in short, is not simply about God. It's about our relationship with God. In our daily lives, we know that practice makes perfect. We know that we will get better at certain skills, and develop good habits, if we work at them. We know that relationships take work, that we need to spend time on our marriages and with our friends and children.
Our relationship with God is not different. We need to work to soften our hearts, and open our hearts to God's love. Praying every morning, for instance, is not a vain repetition. It's about cultivating the sort of heart that seeks after God.
Saying the Lord's Prayer a few times is not a vain repetition. It's about beginning to actually relate to God as Our Father, changing the direction of our lives and pointing to Him.
Saying the Jesus Prayer several times is not a vain repetition. It is about turning our hearts to the Lord in repentance, learning to rely on Him and His mercy first and foremost.
Remember that St Paul advises us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). This doesn't simply happen overnight.
but why the newprotestans and charismatics all the time repet haleluja and amen?
It is no more "vain repetition" than breathing is.
in orthodox bible that is more like 'do not say a lot' not 'do not pray repotitious'
He’s cute
cplunajr745 chill😂
if you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior the Holy Spirit dwells inside of you and you do not need a rope. you have the power of Almighty God Spirit in you. They have all kinds of different prayers for what you might be going threw in the book of Psalms in the King James Bible.
Sure, but it's not quite as simple as accepting Jesus and then being done with it.
The heart is a complicated, and we can slip into sin easily if we're not careful. That's why things like fasting and prayer (as Jesus Himself tells His disciples when they fail to cast out a demon, Matthew 17:21) are so important.
Prayer ropes help us to concentrate and be steadfast in prayer, especially short prayers like the Jesus Prayer (Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner).
Also, I'm curious why you specifically mention the King James Bible?
Steven Christoforou I said the King James Bible not the new version because these new age Bibles are water down gospel twisted words missing Scriptures. Hebrews 10:6 says without fail it's impossible to please God so are we putting our faith in God or a rope. Romans 3:23 says For we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. 1john1:7-10 says God knows that were going to mess up sometime that's why he said to repent. Jesus won the victory on the cross us all we have to do us believe that do you have faith in the finish work of Jesus.
Keep in mind that the KJV, while beautiful, has some issues with the text and translation.
It also is missing several books from the Old Testament canon.
A pray rope isn't about denying Jesus's victory on the cross. It's about the hard work of prayer, of striving to grow in holiness and love for the Lord.
As St Paul tells us, we need to learn to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17). That doesn't simply happen overnight. Nor does it happen purely based on our own strength.
The path to holiness is a mystery. It's the intersection of God working through us, and us learning to better open ourselves to God's work.
Jesus never said to use a prayer rope! In fact it is not even written in scripture! Jesus never said to count prayers.
Some Guy I'm listening. But if Orthodoxy has anything to do with freemasonry or the Catholic church...I'm out.
That's a complicated question, since there are all kinds of different Protestant traditions. This book, blog, and podcast can help.
store.ancientfaith.com/orthodoxy-and-heterodoxy-finding-the-way-to-christ-in-a-complicated-religious-landscape-2017-edition/
www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/orthodoxyheterodoxy
blogs.ancientfaith.com/orthodoxyandheterodoxy/
Could you help me understand where your fear of freemasonry and the Catholic Church come from?
The Church doesn't have anything to do with freemasonry. As for Catholics, we have official dialogues to discuss disagreements in faith, but that's about the only real connection on an official Church level.
Thanks for the helpful clarification.
And welcome! I'd love to hear your story if you're willing to share. I love hearing about how God is active in people's lives, and how He brings them to His Church.
(Forgive me if I'm intruding. Feel free not to respond if the question was out of line.)
God bless you!
@Deedee Neri Seems like an odd choice of things to keep you from a beautiful religion. Not that those things have anything to do with Orthodoxy.
So you have (Buddhist (A false religion)) prayer beads, (Hindu (A false religion)) prayer beads, (Islamic (A false religion, straight out of Hell)) prayer beads, (R.Catholic (An apostate Church)) prayer beads, and so on, and so forth. And now you have prayer beads also Steve. Personally I think all of this is all pagan.
But this is what the Holy Bible says about such things.
Matthew 6:7
7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.
I go to JESUS alone. A song ~ He Paid A Debt
(CHORUS)
He paid a debt he did not owe. I owed a
debt I could not pay. I needed someone to
wash my sins away. And now I'm singing
a brand new song from that happy day.
Yes my Jesus paid a debt for me I could not pay.
With respect, a superficial similarity doesn't mean much. Pointing out that Buddhists and Catholics both have prayer beads is akin to pointing out that they both wear shoes: the underlying theology is incredibly different.
As for the Orthodox Church, the point of prayer beads/ropes isn't "vain repetitions." It's part of the ascetic practice of the Church, and St Paul's counsel to "pray always." The prayer rope is a physical tool to help focus the mind and heart on constant prayer. It's part of a process that begins with the cultivation of silence (clearing the mind of thoughts and fantasies) and then filling that undistracted silence with prayer. Though certain times can be dedicated to this prayer every day, the goal is for the embers of prayer to be lit and fanned throughout the day, to begin approaching the goal of constant prayer.
Unfortunately, this is a huge issue with a version of Christianity that turns only to the words of Scripture and not the lived experience of the actual Christian community (i.e. the Church). It misses how Christians have actually been living from the beginning, and the tools we've developed to keep the mind and heart focused on the Lord.
And, as I think I've pointed out before, the very Scripture itself was written and compiled by the Church. Divorcing it from the Church dooms one to misunderstand it.
Steven Christoforou Say Steven, you seem to be a very nice guy, and a very charismatic fellow. And so I invite you to come on the B.T.W.N. show. which is on every Sunday, You would be a breath of fresh air from all of the atheists, agnostics and skeptics that come on. So please think about this, My name is Larry, and I've been on the B.T.W.N. about 5 times in the past myself. Thanks for your informative comment. And take care.
UA-cam Channel:
The Bible thumping wingnut Network
Thanks for the invitation! Unfortunately my schedule's pretty packed, but I appreciate the kind words and consideration.
God bless you!
Steven Christoforou Please consider, at some point in time, to come on the show. I'm sure there would be lot's of us, who would like to hear your Soteriology view.
Take care Steven.
the english protestant was founded by King Henry VIII...the Orthodox/Roman Catholic Churches by the Apostles. Pick one.
I hate my sins.
But is it wrong that I get super excited when I pray the Jesus prayer?
I love it.
It's wonderful that you are moved when you pray.
But a day may come when you find it difficult. The key will be to continue even when the emotions (temporarily) dry up.
We talked about that in an episode of "Pop Culture Coffee Hour" where we discussed a documentary about a monastery:
ua-cam.com/video/WGS87n3vMG4/v-deo.html
Lord have mercy on us
Amen!
Very interesting. Hope to find a prayer rope at our church bazaar this weekend!
+Katerina Love If you can't, there are a lot of places you can shop online. Let us know if you need any help!
🤫🤫🤫📿📿📿😌😌😌