Centering prayer is a method of silent prayer that prepares us to receive the gift of contemplative prayer, prayer in which we experience the presence of God within us and we rest in His presence. Centering Prayer is not meant to replace active forms of prayer such as vocal prayer, such as the rosary; or meditative prayer like lectio divina wherein one prays with the Scripture and places oneself in the scene or focuses on a word or phrase that touches them. Centering prayer emphasizes prayer as a personal relationship with God and as a movement beyond conversation with Christ to communion and encounter with Christ.
One rests in God and in the silence and privacy you experience the intimacy of relationship. It is a prayer of surrender and receptivity. This spiritual practice allows one to calm down interior. In his article St Teresa of Avila and Centering Prayer, Carmelite Ernest E. Larkin states, “The prayer is contemplative in thrust but active in method, inasmuch as it is within human possibility and choice and recommends itself to mature Christians who have thought and prayed ABOUT God enough and now are looking for “more,” that is, a deeper, more personal contact with God. This explains the attraction and call to this form of prayer.
It is practiced by finding a quiet space to sit comfortably for twenty minutes to thirty minutes. One chooses a Sacred word or phrase to repeat if one notices their thoughts are distracting them and turning them away from God’s presence. One can also use one’s breath; breathing in and out. The breath or sacred word serves as a gentle reminder to us we are consenting to God’s presence and movements within. It is as if we whisper, “God here I am.” The sacred word does not have meaning in itself as in vocal prayer but a reminder of consent and love. The sacred word can be the name of God such as “Abba,” “Christ, “ Lord,” or words that connote the experience of God such as Love, Joy, Peace, or Mercy. It is something one will be comfortable with and allow the transition to the contemplative state.
It is best to choose a word and use the same word each time to create the space and experience to enter into the center. This was not an easy transition for me. I am very active and cerebral in my approach to pray. I also have great difficulty remaining in the present. My thoughts seem to veer toward the future and I have developed such a habit of planning and always thinking about what is next. I also worry about making the most of my “precious” time. My mantra has been, “What am I accomplishing? What have I done with the day? My ability to multi-task became a badge of honor.
Until I began to realize I was always moving and that if God was speaking to me I would not hear Him because I was never in one place long enough. Centering prayer is a spiritual discipline that has helped me listen and slow down. I am now better able to listen to others. I notice I remain calm when before I would became anxious and angry; often blowing up and lashing out. I still lose my temper, however, it is not as frequent and I realize when I do. This is a discipline and practice and as the old saying goes, “Practice makes perfect.” There are times I am very distracted; other times I feel consoled and peaceful. I realize that this is a relationship and like any relationship it is ever changing and growing. I also know relationships takes commitment and I am committed. I feel it has allowed me to make progress in the spiritual journey. I like many in our society wish to live more mindfully, which is defined as being in and fully in the present moment. To be aware and attentive to what is going on around you as well as within you.
Centering prayer has helped me not only in my spiritual journey to God but it has enabled me to live mindfully. I have been practicing centering prayer for over a year now. To be aware of God’s presence and to remain in the present is no easy task. We often spend our time in either reliving the past by recalling past hurts and memories or we are caught up in the future with planning and worrying of what may be. In reality all we have is the present moment and we often fitter it away. All God gives us is the present. He breathed life into us and we continue to breathe with His very breath One breath at a time.
I recently attended a Centering Prayer Retreat. Father Bill Sheeran led the conference. He is now in his late seventies. He has been an advocate and proponent of Centering Prayer for years and has been involved in revitalizing the movement with Father Thomas Keating. He spoke of how it took him so long to realize that he was not living in the moment. He spoke of being dominated by his ego and his constant chatter that kept him immobilized and distracted. There is no true lasting joy or peace in such an existence. There is an old Zen saying if we are not in the present we are in a constant ping pong game of sorry/worry sorry/worry. I truly understand this now. Father Sheeran told us that Father Keating describes our ego as a bridge that covers over the present moment. At one end is the past and one end is the future. The center is the present moment. To combat his tendency to not remain in the present Father Sheeran has developed a practice of paying attention to his breath. Whenever he catches Himself leaving the present moment he breathes in through the nose and says, “acceptance” and breathes out through the nose and says “surrender.” It keeps him grounded and aware.
So if one thinks about remaining silent with God for 20 minutes twice daily you may ask what will happen? I say find out! Breathe in and breath out choose your sacred word and enter into communion with God. Discover who you truly are.
