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| A. Hanson 2012 |
I led an adult forum on centering prayer this past Sunday, so I decided to make this topic the next part of my series on prayer practices.
The Christian church has long had a contemplative
tradition. This has included the
monastic practice of Lectio Divina, and the writings of such mystics as Teresa
of Avila, John of the Cross, and Thomas Merton, among others. The method of Centering Prayer, which is what
we will be practicing today, has its roots in the Post Vatican II era, when
three Trappist monks, Fathers William Meninger, Basil Pennington, and Thomas
Keating, sought to develop a simple method of silent prayer for contemporary
people.[1]
Centering Prayer has its scriptural roots in the wisdom
sayings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, from Matthew 6:6, “But when you
pray, go to your inner room, close the door and pray to your father in
secret. And your father, who sees in
secret, will reward you.”
The theological grounding for centering prayer is in the
Pentecost: We affirm that the spirit of
God dwells within us and bears witness to the resurrection by empowering us to
experience and manifest the fruits of the Spirit and the Beatitudes. Centering
Prayer is a time of fostering a connection with the Living God, and a
discipline to foster that relationship.
How to engage Centering Prayer:
1.
We select a sacred word or phrase. This is the symbol of our intention to
consent to God’s presence and action within us.
a.
Some examples are: Lord, Jesus, Father, Love,
Peace, Stillness, Trust
b.
Some phrases that I use are: Come Holy Spirit/Veni
Sancti Spiritus, or my favorite, “Lord Jesus Christ…Have mercy on me”
c.
After choosing a word, do not change it for this
particular time of prayer. You can
change it the next time you choose to pray
d.
It is also possible to do centering prayer without
a sacred word, but in my opinion, it is better to have the word or phrase to
return to if your mind wanders than attempting to keep your mind empty.
2.
We sit comfortably
a.
Have your back straight and against the chair
b.
Keep your feet comfortably on the floor or
whatever position is most comfortable for you
c.
Rest your hands in your lap
d.
The key is to be comfortable enough that you are
not distracted by any sort of discomfort, but not so comfortable that you fall
asleep.
e.
If you do fall asleep, which does happen, just
begin praying your sacred word again.
3.
We pray
a.
Gently introduce the sacred word by coordinating
it with your breath. Perhaps you pray
the word on the inhale or the exhale.
b.
Thoughts are a normal part of centering
prayer. When they arise, simply thank
yourself for noticing, and let them float away. Return to your sacred word.
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