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dreamprayact

~ Reflections of a preacher, poet, and contemplative activist

dreamprayact

Category Archives: Centering Prayer

In the Stillness Find Grace

10 Friday Oct 2014

Posted by mark lloyd richardson in Centering Prayer, Reflections

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Centering Prayer, contemplative prayer, grace, healing, peace, Public prayer, Reign of God, silence, spirit

Meditation Chapel at La Casa de Maria in Santa Barbara, California

Meditation Chapel at La Casa de Maria in Santa Barbara, California

Be silent.
Be still.
Let your God look upon you.
That is all.

Our hour of centering prayer in the small Meditation Chapel tucked among the oak trees was nearing an end recently when our facilitator, Jeanette, said words to this effect.

I am always grateful to be able to sit prayerfully in silence with others. It is a community of prayer that lends support and peace to my life. Centering prayer is a contemplative form of giving your intention to God, and allowing your body, mind, and spirit to simply be in the presence of the Holy. It’s not about forming words or thoughts, like so much of the prayer I am asked to do in my work as a minister. Even though I am conscious of trying to let go of the need to say the right words or the best words when I pray in public, there is usually a sense that someone (not least of all myself) is measuring those words for an adequate expression of faith.

In centering prayer I let go of any need to satisfy others and simply sit in the stillness that is able to fill the cathedral of my inner being. Even when thoughts arise and distract me from my prayerful intention, I do not worry that my prayer is inadequate. I am aware of the Spirit welcoming me again and again into life and joy.

Jesus said, “The Reign of God has come near.”

For me, one of the most powerful settings for God to release the healing balm of grace is in a contemplative community praying alongside one another.

Words (c) 2014 Mark Lloyd Richardson

Resting in God

10 Thursday Oct 2013

Posted by mark lloyd richardson in Centering Prayer, Prayers, Reflections

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Centering Prayer, contemplative prayer, Divine presence, gratitude, Plumeria, prayer, sacred mystery, spirit, spirituality, the Holy, Thomas Keating, Trinity

Photo credit: Debbie Gara

Photo credit: Debbie Gara

While living in Hawaii, the scent of Plumeria flowers permeated our yard and infused the air with a kind of lingering sweetness that stirred up within me a sense of gratitude for the gift of life. It also serves as a metaphor to me for the permeating presence of the Divine (or the Sacred or Holy) in all human experience.

My spirituality is rooted in the practice of contemplative prayer, and specifically a prayer method known as Centering Prayer, because this is the spiritual practice that I have found to be most nourishing to my soul. Like other people of faith, I naturally also say many other quick prayers throughout each day – prayers of intercession for the needs of people with whom I have some relationship, as well as prayers for the common good of society and our world. Yet I return again and again to the simple practice of “resting in God” that is the essence of Centering Prayer. I think I am drawn to this form of prayer communication because it is the most reassuring and restorative for me. It is less about my own process of thinking or feeling, and more about simply trusting in the sweetness of this life that is imbued with holiness and beauty because it is born within God!

Recently I was touched by something Father Thomas Keating wrote about the theological basis for Centering Prayer in his book Intimacy with God:

“Where does Centering Prayer come from? Its source is the Trinity dwelling within us. It is rooted in God’s life within us. I don’t think that we reflect about this truth nearly enough. With baptism comes the entire uncreated presence of the most holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We participate as human beings in God’s life just by being alive, but much more through grace…. This stream of divine love that is constantly renewed in the life of the Trinity is infused into us through grace. We know this by our desire for God. That desire, however it may be battered by the forces of daily life, manifests itself in the effort that we make to develop a life of prayer and a life of action that is penetrated by prayer.” ~ Thomas Keating

It is important to say that Centering Prayer is not meant to replace other forms of prayer. Rather it casts them in a new light and reminds us of the need to listen for the movement of the Spirit within us and around us. It recasts our actions into prayerful actions.

Here is a simple outline for a period (20 to 40 minutes) of Centering Prayer:

  1. Choose a sacred word as the symbol of your intention to consent to God’s presence and action within.
  2. Sitting comfortably and with eyes closed, settle briefly and silently introduce the sacred word.
  3. When engaged with thoughts, gently return to the sacred word.
  4. At the end of the prayer period, remain in silence with eyes closed for a couple of minutes.

May God bless you as you seek to be present to the Sacred amidst the ordinary!

Words (c) 2013 Mark Lloyd Richardson

Photo credit: Debbie Gara

Photo credit: Debbie Gara

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