The Way of a Pilgrim

By Norris J. Chumley

A homeless wanderer, bearing nothing but a knapsack and Bible, sets off to follow St. Paul's advice to "pray without ceasing" in this classic of world spirituality. Written by an anonymous nineteenth-century Russian peasant, it traces his attempts to achieve a greater intimacy with God by chanting the Jesus Prayer ("Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me").
Generations of readers—including seekers of all faiths—began their spiritual lives by following the pilgrim's attempts to discipline his mind toward a constant awareness of God's presence as manifested through Christ's mercy. This exploration of the power of prayer offers people everywhere, in every situation, a starting place on a journey to peace, freedom, and salvation. This edition features a brand-new Foreword by Norris J. Chumley, Ph.D., an Emmy Award winning authority on religion and history.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ixia Press
• Release date: Feb 13, 2019
• ISBN: 9780486837819

Book preview

PILGRIM

PART ONE

BY THE GRACE OF GOD I am a Christian, by my deeds a great sinner, and by calling a homeless rover of the lowest status in life. My possessions comprise but some rusk in a knapsack on my back, and the Holy Bible on my bosom. That is all.

On the twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost, I went to church to hear Mass. The first Epistle of Saint Paul to the Thessalonians was read. In it we are exhorted, among other things, to pray incessantly, and these words engraved themselves upon my mind. I began to ponder whether it is possible to pray without ceasing, since every man must occupy himself with other things needed for his support. I found this text in my Bible and read with my own eyes what I had heard, namely that we must pray incessantly in all places, pray always in spirit, lifting up our hands in devotion. I pondered and pondered and did not know what to think of it.

What am I to do? I mused. Where will I be able to find someone who can explain it to me? I shall go to the churches known for their famous preachers; perhaps there I shall hear something that will enlighten me. And I went. I heard a great many very good sermons on prayer in general, how one ought to pray, what prayer is and what fruits it bears, but no one said how to succeed in it. There were sermons on spiritual prayer, on incessant prayer, but no one pointed out how it was to be accomplished.

Thus my attendance at the sermons failed to give me what I sought. Therefore, after having heard many of them, I gave them up without acquiring the desired knowledge of incessant prayer. I decided to look, with the help of God, for an experienced and learned man who would talk to me and explain the meaning of incessant prayer since the understanding of it seemed most important to me.

For a long time I went from one place to another, reading my Bible constantly, and inquiring everywhere whether there was not a spiritual teacher or a pious and experienced guide. Finally, I was informed that in a certain village there lived a gentleman who had, for many years, sought the salvation of his soul. He had a chapel in his house, never left the premises and spent his days praying and reading religious books. Upon hearing this I well-nigh ran to that particular village. I got there and went to the owner of the estate.

What is it that you want? he asked.

I was told that you are a pious and intelligent man, I said. For the love of God enlighten me in the meaning of the Apostle’s utterance ‘pray incessantly.’ Is it possible for anyone to pray without ceasing? I wish I could know, but I do not seem to understand it at all.

The gentleman remained silent for a while, looking at me fixedly. Finally he said: "Incessant inner prayer is a continuous longing of the human spirit for God. But in order to succeed in this sweet practice we must pray more and ask God to teach us incessant prayer. Pray more and with fervor. It is prayer itself that will teach you how it can be done without ceasing; however, it will require some

Reviews for The Way of a Pilgrim

[iubookgirl · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

While it has been some time since I read this, I remember it fondly. I am not a traditionally religious person, but this book struck a chord with me. Though I am in desperate need of weeding my collection, this is one that I cannot bring myself to part with.

[fredsmeegle · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An unnamed pilgrim travels around Russia and Siberia, seeking wisdom. He finds inner peace and strength through repeating the Jesus prayer, a uniquely Eastern Christian combination of prayer and mantra.Any receptive reader will appreciate this combination of well-told story and easy-to-understand guide to prayer and meditation.

[disneypope · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

WONDERFUL BOOK on the Jesus prayer. Written by an anonymous author who walk across Russia growing in the Spirit of prayer with a woolen chotki (orthodox rosary).

[oldhorse1955 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A must-read title for Orthodox catechumens and a classic of Russian Orthodox spirituality.

[maowangvater · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In an anonymous autobiographical account the benefits of continually praying, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me," are extolled by a nineteenth century Russian peasant.

[yeshta · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolute classic on the practice of the Jesus Prayer in a historical context. Well worth reading even if you never went on to practice the Jesus Prayer.

[davidpwithun_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have recommended this book to others more than any other book I have ever read. It is a MUST READ for anybody interested in prayer, spirituality, or just drawing closer to God.

[ctpress_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

By the grace of God I am a Christian man, by my actions a great sinner, and by calling a homeless wanderer of the humblest birth who roams from place to place. My worldly goods are a knapsack and some dried bread in it, and a Bible in my breast pocket. And that is all.So begins this russian pilgrim his tale of spiritual search. He walks from place to place seeking advice on mysticism and the prayer life. He acquires The Philokalia, a collection of writings by eastern orthodox church fathers, and in it he finds a lot of wisdom on prayer. But the charm of the book is his account of the people he meets who also tell their story. He finds shelter and friends but also some people who exploit him. He's always searching for a place where he can meditate in silence and solitude but the outer world seem always to interrupt and make demands of him. Some spiritual classics are too heavy on mysticism for my liking - but this was different because it was more a biography. A soul on a spiritual journey - but along the way a lot of wisdom is found.

[knowledge_arena · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of the most important prayers to engage in for the love of God is what is called the Jesus Prayer. In The Way of a Pilgrim we encounter what the prayer is and why it is important. An anonymous pilgrim describes his efforts to understand what St Paul advised us in his epistle to “pray ceaselessly”. This book describes the pilgrims wanderings and how his expereinces bring him to the wisdom of asking God simply and humbly for mercy. I could not put this book down once I started and it brought great joy to my heart.

[antiquary_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Like many other people, I was inspired to attempt the discipline of continuous prayer by reading this book.

[jeterat-844391 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely beautiful and worthwhile, for me, this was a paradigm shifting book. From the Eastern Orthodox tradition, this late 19th century text follows an anonymous holy fool in his wanderings around Russia (a second book, arguably by the same author, follows him on a journey to Jerusalem). In his time, he reflects on the importance of unceasing prayer, as recommended by St. Paul in the Bible. Using a combination of spiritual advice from his Director, or Starets, reading from the Philokalia, and meditation, he attains ever higher sanctification and helps others on their journey to unceasing prayer.

[kirtaniya-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Pilgrim in this book is a simple Russian man, who yearns to know how to love God "with all his body, mind and words". He leaves home and travels in search of people who may be able to teach him this. In particular I like the descriptions of his prayer life; chanting the Jesus prayer on beads, so many times a day. His experiences of this are very similar to mine as I chant the Hare Krishna mantra, also on beads. It helped me to understand how spiritual principles are universal, no matter what tradition we may belong to.