Why Enter Silence

We enter silence not to pray but to have God pray in us. What does this mean? How does God pray in us?

We must die to self. We must die to who we think we are. We are not a father, mother, sister, brother, friend. We are not our occupation. We are not the daily tasks that we perform. We are not our accomplishments. We are not our need to do list.

We are not our opinions. We are not our agenda. We are not the positive or negative criticism we have of others. We are not the sense of self worth we feel when we get a raise, receive a bonus or receive lavish praise and compliments from others. We are not our feelings that may include anger, jealously, joy, pride, loneliness and depression.

We enter silence to self empty. We enter silence to rest in the arms of Infinite Love. We enter silence to trust this Infinite Love. When we self empty, we allow the Holy Spirit to fill us. We let the breath of God breathe within us. We let God pray within our deepest depths. God works at such a deep level that we are unaware it happens. I dare not define what it is that God prays in me. That is up to God and God alone. My job is to self empty so I can be filled with as much as God as I can.

Basil Pennington states, “We are asked to lose all, to be emptied out, in order to be filled with the very fullness of God.”[1] Basil also reminds us, “Lord, I believe that you are truly present in me, at the center of my being, bringing me forth in your love.”[1] This is what happens. When I enter silence and self empty, I open to God at the center of my being. I let God pray in me.  My outer acts express Infinite Love.

Go Further:

M. Basil Pennington, Centering Prayer: Renewing an Ancient Christian Prayer Form

M. Basil Pennington, Centered Living: The Way of Centering Prayer

Thomas Keating, Intimacy with God: An Introduction to Centering Prayer

Thomas Keating, Open Mind, Open Heart 20th Anniversary Edition

 

[1] M. Basil Pennington, Centering Prayer: Renewing an Ancient Christian Prayer Form, (Doubleday: 1980)

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