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Question:
The Jesus Prayer is a
constant prayer of mine, but I have never used Prayer Ropes or
Prayer Beads (chotki). I have just purchased a Russian Amber one
with 33 beads (with a Cross and long tassel, plus 11+ 11+11
small beads, plus 3 larger spacer beads. I would like to begin
using it, but I don't know how.
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Answer:
Dr. Alexander Roman
alex@unicorne.org
The Chotki you have, with 33 beads, is a
variation of the longer 100-bead prayer rope that was designed for use by
St Basil the Great.
In Ukraine and Russia, the thirty-three beads were popular as they could
fit in one's pocket or around one's wrist. They represent, of course, the
thirty-three years of the life of our Lord on earth.
To begin praying the Jesus Prayer, one need only cross oneself and begin
saying: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.
On the three dividers, one may say: Most Holy Mother of God, save me a
sinner.
Another tradition has these prayers on the dividers:
On the first one: Remember me, O Lord, when You come into Your Kingdom!
On the second one: Remember me, O Master, when You come into Your Kingdom!
On the third one: Remember me, O Holy One, when You come into Your
Kingdom!
One may also pray the above prayer to the Mother of God on the beads, or
the Hail Mary or Our Father as well.
I find it helpful to pray the 33 Jesus Prayers at the start of each hour
of the day - after a while when one gets used to this, one will be
habitually looking for one's beads at the turn of every hour!
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