Mother Natalia

It was meant as a reminder that from the time an oarsman steps into a racing shell until the moment that the boat crosses the finish line, he must keep his mind focused on what is happening inside the boat.

His whole world must shrink down to the small space within the gunwales.

he must maintain a singular focus on the rower just ahead of him and the voice of the coxswain calling out commands.

Nothing outside the boat, not the boat in the next lane over, not the cheering of a crowd of spectators, not last night's date can enter the successful oarsman's mind.

M-I-B.

Nothing, his whole world must shrink down to the small space within.

And I'm like, that's what the Jesus prayer is for us.

Like this is our, this is our chanting to bring our mind into this moment, into the person in front of me, into the space that I'm in.

It's a constant Acadia or Acedia, Acedia.

sloth is always a pulling out of the present in some way.

It's a pulling into the future, a pulling into the past.

It's a pulling out of now.

And the Jesus prayer is meant as Metropolitan Anthony Bloom said, it's meant to be a calling us into the presence of a standing in the presence of God and being where we are.

Oh, that's good.

Someone used to meet with our community to just help us with like,

I don't know, life skills, conflict resolution, stuff like that.

And she used to always ask us at the beginning of our meetings, are you where your feet are?

And I'm like, that's it.

That's the Jesus Prayer.

The Jesus Prayer brings us where our feet are.