“St. Joseph the Hesychast and the Jesus Prayer” is the latest episode in our “Chronicles of the Desert” series. In this episode, we learn about the saint’s earliest days on Mount Athos and the numerous ascetics he met in his search to find a spiritual father who could teach him the Jesus Prayer and watchfulness, or inner wakefulness. St. Joseph not only discovered the prayer of the heart but eventually became a great teacher of noetic prayer. His wisdom and practical experience can be found in the collection of his letters, “Monastic Wisdom”, one of the sources for this video. In it, he also recommends the classic book, “The Way of a Pilgrim” as a good starting point for anyone wanting to learn about the Jesus Prayer. This is of course best practiced under the guidance of a spiritual father and within the sacramental life of the church. But for those who pray with humility and sincere repentance, will find themselves more open to the presence of God, as St. Joseph writes: “God continuously sees you. Why don’t you see Him? Entreat Him and endure your temptations, and your eyes will open to see Him, and then together with Job you will cry out, ‘I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear: but now my eye sees You. Wherefore I abhor myself, and reckon myself as dust and ashes.’”Source: https://www.trisagionfilms.com