Centering Prayer

[FelixBlue]

I’m wondering what you all think about Centering Prayer (as written about by Fr. Keating and others). I’ve read several books and am still somewhat ambiguous.

Any (informed) thoughts?

Also, does anyone know of some solid spiritual directors in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area?

Thanks

 

[asquared]

Centering prayer has been introduced on several retreats I have attended over the last few years, it seems to have become fashionable. So I read what I could find by Basil Pennington and others. As a prayer method I suppose it’s fine if it works for you.

My objection is the the articles and talks that introduced the method, because the authors seem to ignore the Church’s long tradition of spirituality, meditative and contemplative prayer, with the advice and cautions of the spiritual teachers who are its masters. Two speakers particularly used it in a setting when they directly attacked the pope, cardinal Ratzinger and Church authority in general. One even said he doubts Ratzinger knows any prayer other than the rosary. Such ignorance about a man who has written so wisely and beautifully about prayer and spirituality.

Any spiritual practice a Catholic adopts should be ecclesial. Even our private prayer is done as part of the communion of saints. None of us is navel-gazing. Some of what is written about Centering Prayer gives a new-age spin on the discipline of self-knowledge and looking within.

 

[LaVada]

Here follows an entry from a local parish. “the format is as follows: We remove shoes upon entering the prayer space. We will do a contemplative walk for a few minutes, find a chair and be seated. After the reading of the Gospel for the day, we sit in silent prayer for 25 minutes. There will be a brief break followed by a 30 minute taped presentation. Those who wish, may stay for discussion. Feel free to bring a meditation cushion.”
One can draw one’s own conclusions.
I do not see the need for this when we have our Lord, Jesus, Himself Present, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in our Churches in the Tabernacle, well at least in some Churches still. Is this supposed to be a ‘replacement’ for Adoration which is quickly becoming extinct?
Mother of the Eucharist, pray for us.
Peace on Earth to men of good will.
LaVada

 

[Pani_Rose]

The only prayer to focus on is the Jesus Prayer. Anything can be taken to an extreme, and unfortunately a lot of new age has entered the Centering Prayer movement.

If one will use the Jesus Prayer, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner, one will find peace and happiness.
You can find many good examples on the web, most is Orthodox but good teachings none the less. Here is one such teaching, and I would highly reccomned the book she names…
concentric.net/~Cosmas/jesus_prayer.htm

Pani Rose

 

[Micki]

For many years I practiced centering prayer. I read many books, went on weekend centering prayer retreats and traveled miles to hear Thomas Keating speak. After all of this I came to the conculsion that this is more self-hypnosis than prayer. I also consider centering prayer to be transendential meditation with a Christian veneer. A recent Catholic Answers show interviewed a women who was very much into the New Age movement. She attributes centering prayer as the first step in that direction. She discusses this in detail so if you get a change listen to the show.

I no longer “empty” my mind when I pray. I converse with God. If He wishes to grant me contemplative prayer then so be it. When I was centering I was told that I was doing contemplative prayer. Now I now that I CAN"T do that!! It is up to God.

Unfortunately, there is much of this in and around our parishes and spirituality centers. It all seems so wonderful and harmless. Thank God He led me from that. Towards the end of my experiences with centering prayer, I was led to say the Divine Mercy Chaplet or the Rosary as others in the group were centering. This gave me the grace to leave!!

Micki

 

[rfk]

I’ve read other threads on the dangers of Centering prayer. You asked for informed opinions, so rather than simply spout of my personally unformed opinion, I’ll point you to some sources:

Read The Danger of Centering Prayer. A quote:

Many people assume centering prayer is compatible with Catholic tradition, but in fact the techniques of centering prayer are neither Christian nor prayer. They are at the level of human faculties and as such are an operation of man, not of God. The deception and dangers can be grave.

Centering prayer differs from Christian prayer in that the intent of the technique is to bring the practitioner to the center of his own being. There he is, supposedly, to experience the presence of the God who indwells him. Christian prayer, on the contrary, centers upon God in a relational way, as someone apart from oneself. The Christian knows a God who is personal, yet who, as Creator, infinitely transcends his creature. God is wholly other than man.

Or read JUNG REPLACES JESUS IN CATHOLIC SPIRITUALITY from the EWTN library.
Or The New Age Mystic: Different Path, Same God?

It is important to further distinguish between occult meditation, which is the foundation of all New Age beliefs, and Christian meditation which is basic to true spiritual growth. First, what New Agers call meditation is nothing like Christian meditation. Meditative (or discursive) prayer, for the Christian, consists of a rational examination of God’s truths, commands, mysteries or events from Holy Scripture. Notice how the psalmist uses meditation:

I will meditate on your precepts, and consider your ways. Make me understand the ways of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous deeds. I have more understanding than all my teachers when your decrees are my meditation. (Psalm 119:15,27,99)

How I love your law, O LORD! It is my meditation all the day.** (Psalm 119:97)

Happy the man who . . . delights in the law of the LORD and meditates on his law day and night. (Psalm 1:1,2)

Beyond meditative prayer, there is the genuine mystical experience of contemplation. Contemplation is the absorption of the soul into a partial vision of God. While various Catholic traditions employ differing practices to prepare for contemplation, the Divine vision is a gift God gives as He wills. Neither human reason nor the mindless techniques of bearded gurus have power to produce visions of God. Yet here, at the level of such a towering gift, Satan best earns his title, the "ape of God." The practice of contemplation is dangerous because, as a gift independent of reason, the impact is upon the senses and the emotions–fertile ground for counterfeiting by the devil. The Catholic tradition is one of great caution and the need for proper spiritual direction and the discernment of a good director. Otherwise, we are easily fooled by the fraudulent offerings of spiritual quacks in their imitation of contemplation.
I am also reminded that Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me.” (John 14:6)

 

[jennstall]

I’m signed up to take a Centering Retreat workshop at a Catholic retreat center run by nuns. I was all excited about it, but I have to say I’m now reconsidering. Grrrgh. I already paid a deposit.

 

[redkim]

The way I was taught Centering prayer is that we are at rest in God’s rest. I see it as a good way or preliminary step to actual prayer and reading of scripture. I can become more focused on my prayer and what scripture is saying. Now, I don’t center much, but when I do, it seems to work. I sometimes try it before Mass.

 

[YinYangMom]

I first heard mention of centering prayer from a neighboring parish…since it was described to me as a form of meditation it caught my attention because I’ve been leery of the ‘new age’ concept of connecting to your inner god, yada yada.

I went to the Vatican website and did a search on New Age and sure enough there is a paper one of the councils produced. Printed it out and read it. It was rather informative. I suggest you check it out:

vatican.mondosearch.com/cgi-bin/MsmFind.exe?query=new+age&CFGNAME=MssFindEN.cfg&en=x&x=6&y=11

 

[Annunciata]

RFK,
This is so right! especially this quote from your post emphasis on “Satan best earns his title, the ‘ape of God’.”

Or The New Age Mystic: Different Path, Same God?
Quote:
It is important to further distinguish between occult meditation, which is the foundation of all New Age beliefs, and Christian meditation which is basic to true spiritual growth. First, what New Agers call meditation is nothing like Christian meditation. Meditative (or discursive) prayer, for the Christian, consists of a rational examination of God’s truths, commands, mysteries or events from Holy Scripture. Notice how the psalmist uses meditation:

I will meditate on your precepts, and consider your ways. Make me understand the ways of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous deeds. I have more understanding than all my teachers when your decrees are my meditation. (Psalm 119:15,27,99)

How I love your law, O LORD! It is my meditation all the day.** (Psalm 119:97)

Happy the man who . . . delights in the law of the LORD and meditates on his law day and night. (Psalm 1:1,2)

Beyond meditative prayer, there is the genuine mystical experience of contemplation. Contemplation is the absorption of the soul into a partial vision of God. While various Catholic traditions employ differing practices to prepare for contemplation, the Divine vision is a gift God gives as He wills. Neither human reason nor the mindless techniques of bearded gurus have power to produce visions of God. Yet here, at the level of such a towering gift, Satan best earns his title, the "ape of God." The practice of contemplation is dangerous because, as a gift independent of reason, the impact is upon the senses and the emotions–fertile ground for counterfeiting by the devil. The Catholic tradition is one of great caution and the need for proper spiritual direction and the discernment of a good director. Otherwise, we are easily fooled by the fraudulent offerings of spiritual quacks in their imitation of contemplation I have had experience in cetering prayer in Yoga and thank God I could never really get into it… Annunciata

 

[AlanFromWichita]

FelixBlue:

I’m wondering what you all think about Centering Prayer (as written about by Fr. Keating and others). I’ve read several books and am still somewhat ambiguous.

Any (informed) thoughts?

Also, does anyone know of some solid spiritual directors in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area?

Thanks

Dear FelixBlue,

You wanted informed thoughts. Here you go.

The idea that centering prayer is dangerous, non-Catholic or “new age” is baloney. It is an attempt at renewing the apophatic tradition of the Church, and has roots in St. John of the Cross (a doctor of the Church), Dionysius, and many others. It is not meditation; it is one step deeper than meditation. It involves achieving silence of the mind, inviting contemplation which is a gift from God. Jesus was speaking figuratively when He said, “when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret;” (Matt 6:6) In those days their houses had one room. Centering prayer is obedient to that command.

The language of God is silence. English, Latin and the others are human languages. As long as our minds are busy with wordly thoughts and ideas we are not receptive to contemplation.

Monks are very familiar with the apophatic tradition, and contemplation, although they usually achieve contemplation through the practice of Lectio Divina, which has several steps leading to contemplation. Centering prayer was designed by Cistercian monks to bring contemplation to lay people and clergy who have busy lives and can’t spend all day praying.

Three years ago I started with a fantastic spiritual director who was also a confessor to most priests in our diocese. He was a very old Redemptorist priest and was well-educated in matters of faith and in psychology. He explained the various kinds of prayer, and invited me to a weekly meeting for centering prayer that he ran. Between my spiritual direction, centering prayer, and the videotapes of Father Keating, my life was changed for the better. Traditional Catholics have hardly even heard of the “spiritual journey” such as taught by St. John of the Cross, even though they may be scholars in Catholicism. Why? I don’t know, but Keating has a series of tapes that go into it in detail.

Centering prayer may not be for everyone, but the spiritual journey is something we all could stand to learn more about. I have much more to say about this, but mainly I wanted to get something started here. An excellent book written in about the 14th century is “The Cloud of the Unknowing” upon which the method of centering prayer is closely based. I recommend the one edited by William Johnston. You can read an excerpt of it at
amazon.com/gp/reader/0385030975/ref=sib_dp_pt/002-0901643-1718463#reader-page

For more information on centering prayer, go straight to the source: contemplativeoutreach.org/

There are three contacts listed there for Dallas and Fort Worth, on contemplativeoutreach.org/contacts/southwest.htm#Texas

As I’ve gathered from some of your other posts, I trust you won’t believe the naysayers until you’ve checked it out yourself.

Alan

 

[jeffreedy789]

hey felix. good question. i’d like to say that i’ve had a great deal of good experience from centering prayer, and with zen meditation, too.

both of these, in essence, teach us to calm our minds, to put away distractions, and to allow the voice of God to speak to us in a way that we can discern. in order to hear a ‘still, small voice’ you have to be still, and quiet, both inside and out. these methods teach you ways in which to do that.

now, what several of our very well-meaning brothers and sisters have pointed out should be taken into consideration - this method is used by some people with strange motivations, and even by the enemy, to lead people away from the Truth, away from our Savior.

but, along with almost any device, whether it be a mantra, a computer, or an empty room, it can be used for good or for evil. i’ve used centering prayers while walking through the “Labyrinth” maze on a carpet at a taize service in san francisco, and had a fantastic time with our Lord.

those taize services were instrumental in my becoming catholic. you might find it interesting to know that the Jesuits practice centering prayer, and zen meditation, as part of their spirituality.

as far as d/fw goes, you might try finding a spiritual director through the Jesuit High School in dallas. there are some great Jesuit teachers there who would most probably be more than happy to provide spiritual direction for you.

 

[Annunciata]

jeffreedy789:

both of these, in essence, teach us to calm our minds, to put away distractions, and to allow the voice of God to speak to us in a way that we can discern. in order to hear a ‘still, small voice’ you have to be still, and quiet, both inside and out. these methods teach you ways in which to do that.

now, what several of our very well-meaning brothers and sisters have pointed out should be taken into consideration - this method is used by some people with strange motivations, and even by the enemy, to lead people away from the Truth, away from our Savior.

but, along with almost any device, whether it be a mantra, a computer, or an empty room, it can be used for good or for evil. i’ve used centering prayers while walking through the “Labyrinth” maze on a carpet at a taize service in san francisco, and had a fantastic time with our Lord.

those taize services were instrumental in my becoming catholic. you might find it interesting to know that the Jesuits practice centering prayer, and zen meditation, as part of their spirituality.

as far as d/fw goes, you might try finding a spiritual director through the Jesuit High School in dallas. there are some great Jesuit teachers there who would most probably be more than happy to provide spiritual direction for you.

Jeff,
You are fortunate that you were led to the Catholic Church…I suspect because you probably had a good Spiritual Director…but I still feel that this has to be approached with great caution. I know of some who had to be “delivered” after using cetering prayer in Yoga. In Christ, Annunciata

 

[Teresa9]

I am wondering why we have renamed and re-introduced somethign in a new package? Centering prayer? I think what we mean is contemplation here and reflection…as long as this is done with Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit and God our Father as the ONLY core of it, then this is done with the right intention. I personally contemplate Our Lord’s suffering, His glory, this is done in the rosary. Our Lord Himself tells us to go into our rooms privately to pray, this is so our thoughts are focused on Him and no-one can over hear you or make fun. Solitude with the Lord is a must, prayer is not seperate from life, life itself is a beautiful prayer and we can do all things with an holy attitude. Sounds to me like a new name for an age old practice that religious and lay people have done throughout the centuries.

 

[jeffreedy789]

i didn’t have a human spiritual director, but the Greatest Spiritual Director of all did a pretty good job on me.

yes, the practice is similar, if not the same, as what has gone on all along. but the emphasis on ‘centering down’, i think, helps to focus the prayer. it’s nothing new, certainly (and thankfully). but it is put in a ‘new light’ so to speak, and so hopefully will draw others into the arms of our Savior who are curious as to what it is.

 

[AlanFromWichita]

Teresa9:

I am wondering why we have renamed and re-introduced somethign in a new package? Centering prayer? I think what we mean is contemplation here and reflection…as long as this is done with Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit and God our Father as the ONLY core of it, then this is done with the right intention. I personally contemplate Our Lord’s suffering, His glory, this is done in the rosary. Our Lord Himself tells us to go into our rooms privately to pray, this is so our thoughts are focused on Him and no-one can over hear you or make fun. Solitude with the Lord is a must, prayer is not seperate from life, life itself is a beautiful prayer and we can do all things with an holy attitude. Sounds to me like a new name for an age old practice that religious and lay people have done throughout the centuries.

Dear Teresa9,

Contemplation has been with the church all along, but this cradle Catholic never heard of it until my spiritual director told me about it three years ago, at the age of 42. Why is it that this most intimate encounter with God is not something that is regularly talked about on the front lines? The monks seek it in their spiritual journey; for a while I was tempted to view the spirituality practiced in cloisters as the “light” and the mainstream diocesan activities as the “bushel” that keeps it covered. Perhaps that’s a little strong, but I personally would like to hear more (anything) about the spiritual journey and less about rules like whether its more proper to bow or make the sign of the cross before Communion.

Anyway “Centering Prayer” is not a synonym for “contemplation,” “reflection,” or “meditation.” One uses the method of CP in the hopes of reaching contemplation, which itself is a gift from God. CP is a method to achieving contemplation currently being promoted by Contemplative Outreach. (What’s the diff between Jesuit and Cistercian monks, btw? I’ve heard Keating, the CO founder, referred to as both.) Centering prayer is packaged to help bring some of the benefits of the monastic forms of prayer to people with active lives. As I understand it, it is being brought out to us partly in response to the Vatican II declaration that holiness is for everyone, not just the religious.

Centering prayer is totally passive, and attempts to clear the mind of any thoughts at all. That’s the trick – trying to think about nothing at all, on purpose. Reflection is a totally different thing, because it involves thoughts. What you are doing with the rosary would fall into the category of meditation.

Your prayer life may be just fine, but if you want to look into maybe going further, ask your spiritual director about CP or other methods leading to contemplation, or if you don’t have one you can contact the Contemplative Outreach coordinator and events in your area, listed at: contemplativeoutreach.org/contacts/index.htm

Alan

 

[jeffreedy789]

i believe whatever you read that referred to thomas keating as a jesuit was in error. he is a trappist monk, and a cistercian. it talks a good deal about his background at thecentering.org/therapy.html

God bless.

 

[AlanFromWichita]

jeffreedy789:

i believe whatever you read that referred to thomas keating as a jesuit was in error. he is a trappist monk, and a cistercian. it talks a good deal about his background at thecentering.org/therapy.html

God bless.

Dear jeffreedy789,

Thank you for the information. I’d much rather be corrected than be wrong. I knew he was with an order that was considered very conservative, but as you might guess I know little of the various orders.

I like that article you referenced. It does a great job of explaining centering prayer. I hope this thread makes a lot of people curious about centering prayer, and look into how it could enrich their prayer lives.

Alan

 

[jeffreedy789]

groovy.

 

[Teresa9]

Dear Alan

God Bless you and thank you for responding to my posting. I am in the UK. When I have prayed Alan and in certain times, I have just been ‘inclined’ (if that makes sense) to rest my spirit, to be peaceful and empty my busy life, heart and mind and rest it in the Lord. This has led to contemplation of the sacred mysteries and contemplation of the Lord and God our Father and the Holy Spirit. I have not spoken to anyone about my contemplative prayer nor my reflective prayer, or any of my prayers for that matter. All I do know is that when I have done this that not only my prayingg improves, my spirit feels closer to God, but my life and those I pray for improves. I have as a result been drawn to pray before the Blessed Sacrament and feel in all certainity that the Blessed Sacrament should be prayed before more and there should be more Exposition and Adoration of the Eucharist, after all it IS our Lord and King Christ Jesus.

You are very right we are all called to holiness and furthermore we are in a lay priesthood, being catholic and holy is not something just reserved for sunday worship and feast days!! Neither is being holy a secret from ANYONE who seeks it, neither is it a game of one-upmanship between brothers and sisters. I think follow our hearts in the Lord and go with His will, find out all we can about our faith and adhere to authority that is our beloved Pope John Paul II. To me faith is a journey and where we arrive at certain things at certain times is God’s will, His hand afterall is in everything! Peace to you all xxxx