If
Catholic.com/This Rock warn against centering prayer, I would take that very seriously.
Let me show you some of the problems with this article that you linked,
THE DANGER OF CENTERING PRAYER
By JOHN D. DREHER
First he says,
Centering prayer originated in St. Joseph’s Abbey, a Trappist monastery in Spencer, Massachusetts. During the twenty years (1961–1981) when Keating was abbot, St. Joseph’s held dialogues with Buddhist and Hindu representatives, and a Zen master gave a week-long retreat to the monks. A former Trappist monk who had become a Transcendental Meditation teacher also gave a session to the monks.
First off, Fr Thomas Keating, Fr. Thomas Merton and others in monastic orders, were asked by the Vatican, to begin dialog with Eastern Religions. This had to do with the fact that many young Catholics were leaving the Church, in search of a deeper spiritual life, which they found in Eastern Religions. The Catholic Church already had what they were looking for, but she didn’t teach it outside of monastaries such as St. Joseph’s Abbey. Also, Mr. DREHER leads the reader to believe, that because of this dialog, Centering Prayer comes from the Eastern Religions.
Father Keating says:
It is important not to confuse Centering Prayer with certain Eastern techniques of meditation such as Transcendental Meditation. The use of the Sacred Word in Centering Prayer does not have the particular calming effects attributed to the TM mantra. Nor is the Sacred Word a vehicle to go to the spiritual level of one’s being as it is in TM. There is no cause-and-effect relationship between using the Sacred Word and arriving at some altered state of consciousness. The Sacred Word is merely a symbol of our will’s consent to God’s presence and action within us based on faith in the doctrine of the Divine indwelling.
.
Mr DREHER
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.
From Father Keating;
Theological Background
The source of Centering Prayer, as in all methods leading to Contemplative Prayer, is the indwelling Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The focus of Centering Prayer is the deepening of our relationship with the living Christ. It tends to build communities of faith and bond the members together in mutual friendship and love. “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
and
From Fr. Keating;
Centering Prayer is basically two things at the same time: the deepening of our personal relationship with Christ developed through reflection on scripture; and a method of freeing ourselves from attachments that prevent the development of this relationship and the unfolding of the theological virtues of faith, hope and love. It reduces the tendency to overactivity in prayer and to depending excessively on concepts in order to go to God. In short it reduces the obstacles in us, chiefly selfishness, so that we can be sensitive to the delicate inspirations of the Holy Spirit that lead to divine union.
Mr. Dreher:
Centering prayer is essentially a form of self-hypnosis. It makes use of a “mantra,” a word repeated over and over to focus the mind while striving by one’s will to go deep within oneself. The effects are a hypnotic-like state:
From Father Keating;
What Centering Prayer Is and Is Not
a. It is not a technique but a way of cultivating a relationship with God.
b. It is not a relaxation exercise but it may be refreshing.
c.** It is not a form of self-hypnosis but a way to quiet the mind while maintaining its alertness.** bold is my emphasis.
d. It is not a charismatic gift but a path of transformation.
e. It is not a para-psychological experience but an exercise of faith, hope and selfless love.
f. It is not limited to the “felt” presence of God but is rather a deepening of faith in God’s abiding presence.
g. It is not reflective or spontaneous prayer, but simply resting in God.
By these few points, of difference between Mr. DREHER’s and Fr Keating, is easy to see that Mr. Dreher is wrong.
Why didn’t Mr Dreher, interview Fr Keating before writing his article? Fr. Keating is available. Wouldn’t it be better reporting to go to the source of the subject you’re writing about?
Bottom line is, when it comes to Centering Prayer, go with Father Keating and ignore Mr. Dreher.
The source for Fr. Keatings writing on Centering Prayer;
centeringprayer.com/methodcp.htm
In Christ
Jim
