Meditatio – Centering Prayer

Christian meditation is an ancient practice.  Centering Prayer is a method of silent prayer that prepares us to receive the gift of contemplative prayer, prayer in which we experience God’s presence within us, closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than consciousness itself. This method of prayer is both a relationship with God and a discipline to foster that relationship.

Centering Prayer is not meant to replace other kinds of prayer. Rather, it adds depth of meaning to all prayer and facilitates the movement from more active modes of prayer — verbal, mental or affective prayer — into a receptive prayer of resting in God. Centering Prayer emphasizes prayer as a personal relationship with God and as a movement beyond conversation with Christ to communion with Him.

The source of Centering Prayer, as in all methods leading to contemplative prayer, is the Indwelling Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The focus of Centering Prayer is the deepening of our relationship with the living Christ. The effects of Centering Prayer are ecclesial, as the prayer tends to build communities of faith and bond the members together in mutual friendship and love.

Fr. Thomas Keating is a founding member and the spiritual guide of Contemplative Outreach. There is a wonderful website at www.contemplativeoutreach.org that describes the simplicity of this meditation practice.  Also please listen below to two video guides below on the “The Method of Centering Prayer”  by Fr. Thomas Keating.

Use the arrow on the side of the window below to select Part 1 & Part 2 of the guides to “The Method of Centering Prayer”
click the  Play button to view video stream

 

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There is also an online e-course Centering Prayer as Practice and Process that teaches you how to meditate and helps you to establish it as a regular practice.