Centering Prayer is a contemplative practice in the Christian tradition, in which the pray-er rests in receptivity to the presence of God.
For those who may be new to this practice, or who might like a refresher, here is a short video by Thomas Keating:
Here is a longer introduction by Cynthia Borgeault:
If you’d like to read a short introduction/how to… click here. (The work of Thomas Keating and of Cynthia Borgeault has played a significant role in introducing and teaching Centering Prayer to the wider church.)
As this is a silent practice, usually with eyes closed, it’s super-important that everyone participating is able to rest fully into the practice and feel entirely safe. In order to protect the space from disturbance, the doors will be closed at about 5:35pm. If you arrive after 5:35pm, once the practice has already started, we’ll miss you, for sure! .. but I ask you try again the following week. (As a point of clarity, folks inside are free to leave at anytime!! : ))
About Centering Prayer at St. Benedict’s:
1. Centering Prayer is a silent contemplative practice.
2. We begin with an introduction to our time:
This contemplative practice isn’t about emptying the mind, or pushing thoughts or ideas away, instead it’s about practicing nonattachment to our thoughts, letting them pass right through without engaging with them; it’s a practice of being present to God without our thinking getting in the way.
Inevitably though, we will get snagged on a thought or two, so before we begin, choose a sacred word for this time of prayer, a short word that can bring you back to the practice, that will affirm your consent to God’s presence and action within. A word like peace, love, grace… have a think about that now so you don’t find yourself choosing a word once the practice has started.
3. For this practice, find a comfortable sitting position, and either close your eyes or keep a soft gaze on the ground ahead of you.
4. The practice will start and end with the sound of the bell.
5. Our time of silence and stillness will be 20 minutes.
6. At the end of the practice we’ll take a little bit of time to come back fully into the room.
7. After this time, the facilitator will offer a short reading, which you’ll also have as a handout. The time of contemplative practice continues with a second silence (10mins) to reflect on the reading.
8. About 15 minutes before the end of our time, the facilitator will open the space for any reflections anyone may wish to make from your own experience. There is no pressure to speak, keeping the silence is just fine…
We’ll end our time together at 6:30pm.