cassianus:

The action of this prayer is always hidden by the greatest mysteries. It does not consist merely in speaking the words, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner,” but reaches the heart and mysteriously settles there. Through this prayer we enter into relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. We become accustomed to Him, we merge with Him into one whole. This prayer fills the soul with calm and joy amidst the most difficult trials, in the midst of every oppression and human vanity.

Only those who have come to know it experientially can comprehend this wondrous action of the Jesus Prayer. Some man has never tried honey in his life and begins to ask, “What is it?” How do you explain it to him? You tell him, “It’s sweet, it’s made by bees, you get it from a hive, you slice the honeycomb into pieces….” But he still won’t understand what it is. Isn’t it simpler to say, “Do you want to know about honey? Well, try it!”… Has he tried it? Is it sweet? “It’s sweet.” “Now do you know what honey is?” “Now I know.” Was it necessary to come running for some kind of scientific explanation? No. The man tried it and understood it himself. That’s the way it is with the Jesus Prayer. Many, having come to know its sweetness and meaning, have left all, have given their whole life over to it, to come close to it, to merge with the sweetest Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Elder Barsanuphius of Optina

So beautifully simple and profound. The unbelieving man says “Show me God!” and we hear the words of Jesus echo through centuries of searching – “Come and see.”