Centering Prayer
“When you pray, go to your inner room, close the door…”
— Matthew 6:6
Centering Prayer is a practice that opens us to the gift of contemplative prayer. In contemplative prayer, we simply sit with God. We open our mind, heart, and body to God, who is beyond thoughts, words, and emotions.
Contemplative prayer is similar to sitting quietly with a close friend or a loved one. No words are necessary. The relationship itself is enough.
Centering Prayer does not replace other forms of prayer. Rather, it complements them. It is both a relationship with God and a discipline that deepens that relationship.
A Brief History
In 1974, Father William Meninger, a Trappist monk and retreat master at St. Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts, discovered a dusty little book in the abbey library titled The Cloud of Unknowing.
As he read it, he was delighted to discover that this anonymous 14th-century work presented contemplative prayer as a teachable spiritual practice—one that allowed ordinary people to enter into a direct experience of union with God.
Father Meninger began teaching this method of contemplative prayer at the Abbey Retreat House.
A year later, his workshop was taken up by Abbot Thomas Keating and Father Basil Pennington. Both had been searching for a teachable form of Christian contemplative meditation, especially as many young Christians were turning toward Eastern meditation practices.
About ten years later, Father Thomas Keating founded Contemplative Outreach, Ltd., an organization dedicated to sharing and supporting the practice of Centering Prayer around the world.
The Four Basic Guidelines of Centering Prayer
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Choose a sacred word as the symbol of your intention to consent to God’s presence and action within.
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Sit comfortably with your eyes closed. Settle briefly and silently introduce the sacred word as the symbol of your consent to God’s presence and action within.
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When you engage your thoughts, return ever so gently to the sacred word.
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At the end of the prayer period, remain in silence with your eyes closed for a couple of minutes.
Starting the Practice
For many people, extended silence can be difficult at first. Don’t become discouraged.
Start small. Take baby steps.
Perhaps begin with five minutes. Gradually increase your prayer time to fifteen or twenty minutes and eventually consider incorporating a second Centering Prayer period later in the day.
I also encourage you to find a local Centering Prayer group, which often meets weekly. Practicing with others can be a wonderful source of encouragement.
Speaking & Teaching
I teach Centering Prayer in churches and college/university settings and would be happy to visit your community.
If you have a Centering Prayer group or book study, I would be glad to join one of your meetings and share a short talk.
Please contact me here for more information.
Coaching
I am currently accepting a limited number of one-on-one coaching clients for those who want guidance in deepening their contemplative practice and spiritual journey.
Feel free to contact me if you would like to learn more.