In my journey to be become more mindful I realized that I would need to learn to become less busy to be able to reflect and be in the moment. I needed to be able to be still and quiet realizing this is just as important as accomplishing tasks and goals. I had become a human doing rather than a human being. Even during my prayer time I felt I had to talk, read, write, and come away with meaningful insights. In order to be in relationship one needs to listen.
This is especially true during prayer which is being in relationship with God. I was longing for a way to grow in my prayer life and to be more mindful of the time I spent in prayer. And when one truly searches the Spirit will answer. The answer came when I attended an Ignatian prayer meeting. I had an affinity for Ignatian spirituality. It is cerebral, analytical and solution focused. A case in point are St.Ignatius’s Rules for Discernment.
At these prayer meetings we engage in discursive meditation which St Ignatius championed. A scripture passage is read and you enter into the scene using your imagination and meditate on it. You are open and receptive to the prompting of the Spirit. After the meditation one can journal, or share their experience and insights. This day we chose the Wedding Feast at Cana, one of my favorites.
During our sharing Greg, a member of the group, talked about centering prayer and how it had helped his prayer life allowing him to be more contemplative and receptive. I was intrigued. I had heard about centering prayer and had even seen a flyer about centering prayer at a retreat house but I never really knew what it was. I soon learned that Centering Prayer is a method of prayer in which we consent to rest in God’s presence. It is a prayer that moves us beyond conversation with Christ to commune with Him.
It prepares one to receive the gift of contemplation. Contemplation is being in and with God and leads to transformation. It is pure gift. I soon found that the process is simple but not so easy to do. Like most spiritual practices as well as the spiritual life it takes persistence, desire and Grace.
This is the method:
1) One chooses a sacred word as the symbol of your intention to consent to God’s presence and action within us.
2) sitting comfortably and with eyes closed, settle briefly and silently introduce the sacred word as the symbol of your consent to God’s presence and action within.
3) When engaged with your thoughts return ever-so gently to the sacred word
4) At the end of the prayer period remain in silence with eyes closed for a couple of minutes
The recommended time is between twenty to thirty minutes twice daily. This was a very daunting prospect for me but I was willing to try and was sure this would compliment my meditative prayer and help me in the journey toward peace, healing, and wholeness.
It has been over two months since I began centering prayer. I still have times when I become distracted and begin to plan what I am going to do tomorrow or later in the day.
However, I remain, say the scared word, and return. I find when the time is up I do not want to leave. It is like being shown a glimmer of light and having to return to the darkness. However, I return more peaceful, more mindful, more intentional, and with light to share and that has made all the difference.
