In October of 2016, I attended a retreat led by the late Father William Meninger.
I filled my notebook with notes and one-liners.
I especially enjoyed his wit and humor.
He was funny, sharp, present, and full of life.
I also took a picture that he permitted me to take.
Recently, I looked back through my notes and wanted to share four lines that stood out to me.
Father Meninger was one of the three Trappist monks who helped develop Centering Prayer as it is commonly taught today, along with Thomas Keating and Basil Pennington. Though all three have since passed, the gift of their work continues to help people discover a simple way to sit quietly with God.
They drew from the ancient Christian contemplative tradition, especially The Cloud of Unknowing, and wanted to offer a simple method of silent prayer for modern people.
Here are four lines I heard Father Meninger speak that still stay with me.
“We fall and we start over again.”
I love that.
That is really what life is about.
We fall.
We begin again.
Centering prayer has taught me to keep returning.
Not perfectly.
Not once and for all.
But again and again.
When I sit quietly with God, I learn that I do not need to stay stuck.
I can return.
I can begin again.
“If you are loving God, you have to love all who God loves.”
That is a powerful reminder.
We cannot say we love God and then refuse to love the person who is different from us.
We are called to love others.
Even the ones who are difficult.
Even the ones who see things differently.
Even the ones we might rather avoid.
Love of God opens us to love of others.
“Distractions are blessings. They cause you to cling to God in love.”
He said this about centering prayer.
I have thought about it often.
When distractions come during prayer, we do not need to fight them.
We do not need to be upset by them.
We simply notice them, let them go, and return to God with our sacred word.
So yes, distractions can become blessings.
They remind us to return.
They invite us to cling to God in love.
At the end of his talk, Father Meninger said:
“God is going to love you and that is it.”
That one stands on its own.
God is going to love you.
And that is it.
I hope these simple lines encourage you today.
Go a Little Deeper
If you would like to explore Father William Meninger’s teaching further, you may enjoy The Loving Search for God: Contemplative Prayer and The Cloud of Unknowing.
The book offers a practical way to explore the contemplative tradition that helped inspire the modern practice of Centering Prayer.
Learn more about the book here.
New to Centering Prayer?
I created a free guide to help you begin simply and without pressure.
You will learn how to sit quietly, work with distracting thoughts, and gently return to God.
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