Last Monday evening, seventy three Companions of Nazareth from around the world gathered on Zoom to be led into a time of Centering Prayer. According to Thomas Merton, ‘Centering Prayer is a practice that is centered entirely on the presence of God. Monastic prayer begins with a return to the heart, finding one’s deepest centre, awakening the profound depths of one’s being.’ Thomas Keating, an American Trappist Monk, was one of the developers of Centering Prayer under the umbrella of Contemplative Outreach. Last Monday we were introduced to the method as follows:
Method
- Choose a Sacred Word as the symbol of your intention to consent to God’s presence and action within. A word of one or two syllables: God, Jesus, Abba, Father, Mother, Mary, Amen, Love, Listen, Peace, Mercy, Grace, Silence, Stillness, Faith, Trust, Light.
- Sitting comfortably and with eyes closed, settle briefly and silently introduce the Sacred Word as the symbol of your intention to consent to God’s presence and action within.
- When you become aware you are engaged with thoughts return ever-so-gently to the Sacred Word.
- At the end of the prayer period remain in silence with eyes closed for a couple of minutes.
In February 2025 fifty Companions are visiting the Royal Foundation of St Katharine for our annual retreat. This time the focus will be on Christian meditation. Here the mantra or prayer word Maranatha is repeated throughout the period of contemplative prayer. Whereas in Centering Prayer, the sacred word is gently used to return to the centre whenever one notices they are focused on some thought or feeling. If you are interested in learning more about these different ways of praying, do get in touch: Catherine.Duce@smitf.org.
Revd Catherine Duce
