Centering Prayer
As I mentioned in an earlier post, our final speaker at the recent CAPS conference, Anne Grizzle, spent her time sharing her thoughts on the value of contmeplative prayer. One of the most common ways to enter into this practice is through what is called Centering Prayer. Anne spoke of the seemingly natural connection between the work of counselors and this type of prayer. Both require careful and active listening. She encouraged us that if we are to be true to our Christian call, we will never forget to listen first to God before turning our attention towards listening to others. Many times it is much easier to simply allow our prayer to become a time when we share with God our wish lists or time to let Him know our needs and even to let Him know how He might best accomplish what we ask of Him. True prayer seems to be the opposite in that it begins first by listening.
Centering Prayer can be approached in a number of ways. I will try to share today one way to make use of this method of praying. The most important thing Christians can do in approaching any prayer is to know first to whom we pray. Christians have consistently through the centuries addressed our prayer to God the Father. In the Catholic tradition we pray to the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit.
The first thing one does in Centering Prayer is to consciously place oneself in the presence of God. Another way to say this is that we intend to focus our hearts on God who is ever present. One can begin this process by finding a comfortable place to sit. It is usually best to sit up straight but to remain relaxed so as to neither be overly tense nor to fall asleep. Closing one’s eyes is a way of beginning to shut down the senses and to avoid distractions that come from outside the body. Begin to pay attention to your breathing, become aware of it and try to breathe slowly and deeply.
Choose a sacred word or short phrase that will help support your intention to be in the presence of God and to hear His voice. This could be as simple as “Jesus”, “Lord”, “Peace”, or another word that connects you to God. Many people choose to pray the Jesus Prayer which is simply repeating the phrase,
“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
One could also use as short verse of Scripture that has been memorized. The Rosary works well as it is basically the repetition of a prayer again and again in order to quiet the mind. Whatever you choose, let it flow gently through your body, mind and spirit so as to open your entire self to the Lord.
A very common occurence in practicing this type of prayer is distraction. It seems that as soon as one begins to shut out the normal external noise and images, other distractions appear from within. Things that we remember on our to do lists, feelings about relationships, past sins, images from our life or from movies, or any other multitude of things come flooding in to fill the silence. What has often worked for me in overcoming distractions is to go back to the word or phrase that I have been repeating. Another strategy is to simply acknowledge what comes into the mind and to let it flow back out in the same way it came in. The worst thing to do is to try to force the feeling or image away. In most cases, this only seems to embed the image or feeling all the more. Saying to myself, “I am not going to think about having to do my taxes.” is in fact thinking about having to do my taxes. Often it is interesting to see what feelings and thoughts present themselves when the normal noise of life is gone. Sometimes these images can give one insight into areas of life that need attention.
Practicing these steps can help one come to a deeper silence more quickly and allow for more time to simply listen for God’s voice. When we do this often, we come to the realization that we are never alone in this world. Even in solitude and silence, God is present with us.
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