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CENTERING PRAYER

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CENTERING PRAYER

 

Be still, and know that I am God. [Psalm 46:10]

 

 “The wonderful beauty of prayer [meditation] is that the opening of our heart is as natural as the opening of a flower. To let a flower open and bloom it is only necessary to let it be. So if we simply are - if we become and remain still and silent - our heart cannot but be open, the Spirit cannot but pour through our whole being. It is for this that we have been created.” – Father John Main, founder of the World Community for Christian Meditation.

 

Meditation is what early Christians called “pure prayer”. In the way of pure prayer we leave all thoughts, words and images behind. We go beyond thoughts, even holy thoughts. God is deeper than all ideas of God.

 

Meditation is about coming to stillness of body, mind and spirit. To reach this stillness we have to devote time to the work of silence. We have to learn and practice how to bring our distracted and restless minds to a place of stillness, silence and simplicity.

 

In meditation we turn the spotlight of consciousness off ourselves. We let go of our own thoughts and concerns and turn our focus towards the Kingdom of God. We do not think about or talk to God. We seek to be one with God.

 

In Christianity, contemplation refers to a silent mind directed towards the awareness of God as a living reality. Contemplation comes from the Latin word “con-templus”, meaning: be with the Temple of God that you are. Contemplation is a state of mystical experience of God. 

 

I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. [John 14:20]

 

Prayer in the form of meditation is a pilgrimage to the centre of your own being, to the Kingdom of Heaven within. Meditation leads to deeper and deeper realms of silence. It is in this silence that we enter the mystery of God. The invitation of Christian prayer is to die to your egotistical self and to rise in your true self – the Christ consciousness – and be united with God.

 

Meditation is a gift of such depth that we must learn it gradually. At first we cannot understand its full meaning. But each time we meditate we enter into it more deeply. The aim is to allow God’s mysterious and silent presence that is already within us to become the reality which gives meaning, shape and purpose to everything we are and do.

 

Because of the profound effect meditation has on one’s life, it is even more than a method of prayer – it is a way of life, a way of living from the deep centre of one’s being. Through meditation we attain harmony of body, mind and spirit.

 

Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you. [Matthew 6:33]

 

Meditation is the missing dimension of much Christian life. There is an urgent need to recover the contemplative dimension of life that reveals the peace already present at the core of our being. Meditation leads us to this peace and love at the centre of our being. The daily practice of meditation is not just for ourselves – by making us more peaceful and loving, meditation benefits the whole human family.