A day of centering prayer
May 22, 2005 | 12:00am
Your are Beloved" was the title of an article by Lucy T. Gomez in her Sunday column in the Philippine STAR, published on March 6. In it, she talked about a prayer that had "gotten under her skin," a spiritual experience that she found profoundly beautiful and life-changing.
In her characteristic heartwarming style, Lucy said: "When was the last time you asked God to embrace you? In case you forgot, God wants to hold you and spend time with you. When you choose to spend time with Him, there is no way that you will not develop an intimacy, a closeness. Take one step, just one little step, and He will take a great leap to be by your side. That is how much He loves you. That is how crazy He is about you. Start your love affair with God soon."
The prayer that had captured Lucy’s heart was "centering prayer" and the intimacy that she found so fulfilling and life-giving was one that developed from a deepening relationship with God, the ultimate source and ground of our being.
To share with the general public this beautiful prayer – which is also called the "prayer of quiet," "prayer of the heart" or "prayer of consent" – Fr. Thomas Keating, a Trappist monk based at St. Benedict’s Monastery in Snowmass, Colorado, will come to Manila on July 23 to give a day of recollection. The venue will be the auditorium of Every Nation Leadership Institute (ENLI) at the Bonifacio Global City near Market! Market! The recollection takes place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The seed of "centering prayer" was planted in the ‘70s, an offshoot of the spirit of renewal that pervaded the Second Vatican Council in the mid ‘60s. Realizing the urgency of reviving the contemplative tradition of the Church as an answer to the deep spiritual hunger and search for meaning among the Catholic laity, especially the youth, three Trappist monks worked in earnest to reintroduce the contemplative dimension of the gospel.
Fr. Basil Pennington. Fr. William Menninger and Fr. Thomas Keating began teaching contemplative prayer in a form that was more contemporary and "user-friendly" in terms of language and conceptual framework. They called the prayer "centering prayer."
All prayer is building a relationship with God. This is its essence, its very heart and soul without which prayer is mere words and a meaningless ritual. Christian contemplative prayer is the opening of mind and heart, our whole being to God who is within us. It is a prayer of interior silence, fostering a relationship with God so deep that our minds and hearts "rest in Him" beyond thoughts, words and feelings.
Centering prayer, with its disposition of silence, receptivity, consent and surrender to God’s presence and action in our life, prepares us for contemplating prayer, and if God so desires, for the gift of contemplation.
In his encyclical, "Novo Millennio Inuentee" (2000), Pope John Paul II quoted St. Peter as he urged the apostles who were with him in the boat, "Duc in altum" or "Put out into the deep" in order for them to catch more fish. In the context of our lives, it could also be taken to mean that Jesus is inviting us to have a relationship with Him at ever deepening levels of friendship and intimacy so that we can contemplate His face and reflect His goodness as we live our daily lives.
After four months of practicing centering prayer daily, my niece and goddaughter Lucy discovered to her delight that indeed centering prayer is her favorite path in her journey towards God. It is her "pearl of great price" leading her to a deeper relationship with the Lord. It is a gift that she has received and her heart is full to the brim with joy that is beyond telling.
Lucy writes, "Centering prayer is the best Christmas gift I gave myself last year…When you do it, you must hang out with God in a most quiet, intimate way. You reconnect with Him in solitude and simplicity. No thoughts, no words, no expectations, no feelings. You bring nothing with you. You strive to prove nothing… you do not even tell God what you want Him to do in your life. There is no need. Trust that He already knows. And as you sit quietly and consent to that time with Him, He will recharge you and begin to work His miracle in your life."
We are all invited to this experience of God in the depths of our hearts. All we have to do is consent, say yes, and we are on our way to a wonderful adventure of faith, grace and inner transformation.
In her characteristic heartwarming style, Lucy said: "When was the last time you asked God to embrace you? In case you forgot, God wants to hold you and spend time with you. When you choose to spend time with Him, there is no way that you will not develop an intimacy, a closeness. Take one step, just one little step, and He will take a great leap to be by your side. That is how much He loves you. That is how crazy He is about you. Start your love affair with God soon."
The prayer that had captured Lucy’s heart was "centering prayer" and the intimacy that she found so fulfilling and life-giving was one that developed from a deepening relationship with God, the ultimate source and ground of our being.
To share with the general public this beautiful prayer – which is also called the "prayer of quiet," "prayer of the heart" or "prayer of consent" – Fr. Thomas Keating, a Trappist monk based at St. Benedict’s Monastery in Snowmass, Colorado, will come to Manila on July 23 to give a day of recollection. The venue will be the auditorium of Every Nation Leadership Institute (ENLI) at the Bonifacio Global City near Market! Market! The recollection takes place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The seed of "centering prayer" was planted in the ‘70s, an offshoot of the spirit of renewal that pervaded the Second Vatican Council in the mid ‘60s. Realizing the urgency of reviving the contemplative tradition of the Church as an answer to the deep spiritual hunger and search for meaning among the Catholic laity, especially the youth, three Trappist monks worked in earnest to reintroduce the contemplative dimension of the gospel.
Fr. Basil Pennington. Fr. William Menninger and Fr. Thomas Keating began teaching contemplative prayer in a form that was more contemporary and "user-friendly" in terms of language and conceptual framework. They called the prayer "centering prayer."
All prayer is building a relationship with God. This is its essence, its very heart and soul without which prayer is mere words and a meaningless ritual. Christian contemplative prayer is the opening of mind and heart, our whole being to God who is within us. It is a prayer of interior silence, fostering a relationship with God so deep that our minds and hearts "rest in Him" beyond thoughts, words and feelings.
Centering prayer, with its disposition of silence, receptivity, consent and surrender to God’s presence and action in our life, prepares us for contemplating prayer, and if God so desires, for the gift of contemplation.
In his encyclical, "Novo Millennio Inuentee" (2000), Pope John Paul II quoted St. Peter as he urged the apostles who were with him in the boat, "Duc in altum" or "Put out into the deep" in order for them to catch more fish. In the context of our lives, it could also be taken to mean that Jesus is inviting us to have a relationship with Him at ever deepening levels of friendship and intimacy so that we can contemplate His face and reflect His goodness as we live our daily lives.
After four months of practicing centering prayer daily, my niece and goddaughter Lucy discovered to her delight that indeed centering prayer is her favorite path in her journey towards God. It is her "pearl of great price" leading her to a deeper relationship with the Lord. It is a gift that she has received and her heart is full to the brim with joy that is beyond telling.
Lucy writes, "Centering prayer is the best Christmas gift I gave myself last year…When you do it, you must hang out with God in a most quiet, intimate way. You reconnect with Him in solitude and simplicity. No thoughts, no words, no expectations, no feelings. You bring nothing with you. You strive to prove nothing… you do not even tell God what you want Him to do in your life. There is no need. Trust that He already knows. And as you sit quietly and consent to that time with Him, He will recharge you and begin to work His miracle in your life."
We are all invited to this experience of God in the depths of our hearts. All we have to do is consent, say yes, and we are on our way to a wonderful adventure of faith, grace and inner transformation.
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