How do you meditate?

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Hello everyone! I was just wondering, how exactly do you meditate? And on what do you meditate on?
 
Usually for me it is when I pray the Rosary. I meditate on the life of Christ.
 
Sometimes I picture the bleeding, thorn-crowned face of Jesus and ponder the infinite love with which he bore his sufferings. I need to focus on His Holy Face when it gets tough to be nice.
 
When I meditate, it is primarily on the blessed Trinity. I really like to try to wrap my mind around the notion that, while Christ spoke, the Holy Spirit and His Father both spoke in some manner, though it was only God the Son speaking. Contemplating the infinite, eternal motion between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit always brightens my day and sends me into tears the longer I think about it. If I remember to, I add in a “Glory be…” once in a while to remind myself I’m still in my room… 😃
 
You meditate on Jesus as the center of the meditation.

Usually about his life, death, or the person, Jesus, you contemplate how good he has been to you, how loving, and forgiving. You meditate on heaven, hell, last judgement, and purgatory,

Meditation is different than mental prayer.

Mental prayer is like the mysteries of the rosary.

Read the catechism on prayer from vatican.va
vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p4s1c3a1.htm

You can also do Jesus Prayer, which is a christian meditation. Basically you just say Jeeee…when you inhale, Suuuuuss… when you exhale. Sit for 20 minutes doing this. If you prefer the long version, Lord Jesus Christ… when you inhale… have mercy on me a sinner, when you exhale. You can do it while doing work that does not involve discursive thoughts such as sweeping, laundry, cooking (for women), for man, maybe carpentry:confused: I tend to pray the Jesus prayer any times I like, from the heart

It brings deep peace.

You can learn more about Jesus prayer, which is the best form of christian meditation
from the book, the way of the pilgrim You can read it on Google books.
 
GloriousOrder said:
When I meditate, it is primarily on the blessed Trinity. I really like to try to wrap my mind around the notion that, while Christ spoke, the Holy Spirit and His Father both spoke in some manner, though it was only God the Son speaking. Contemplating the infinite, eternal motion between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit always brightens my day and sends me into tears the longer I think about it. If I remember to, I add in a “Glory be…” once in a while to remind myself I’m still in my room… 😃
Click to expand...
do you meditate by images or by words? cheers:thumbsup:
 
supertubos said:
do you meditate by images or by words? cheers:thumbsup:
Click to expand...
It’s really hard to describe or explain. When I speak to the blessed Trinity, it is primarily with the image of a High Tribunal of Three Judges. Despite the imposing high chair of judgment, I sense pure majestic brightness and mercy exuded by all Three. Each face is masked with an abyss of light, an identical mask for each judge. Within the Three faces (dare I to look at them), the pools of pure light and radiant glory seem to extend infinitely beyond, going deep into reaches of unexplored galactic cores and black holes. Within each ocean of light that is a Person of the blessed Trinity, I see the events and life of our Lord Jesus Christ playing out slowly. It can evolve from there.

This is a fairly bland sort of court room with an extravagant high altar of a judge’s bench, and in white robes the Three Persons in One Substance sit. Though there are contours to the room, everything seems bathed in a crystalline, icy-cool white glory. I cannot even think of the Tribunal - now seated, now standing, now embracing, now one and the other, now separate - without cringing for how holy and perfect He is. In His reigning majesty, I see how ridiculous I am for thinking I can approach this Great White Throne of Light (as Bishop Sheen called it) without my head bowed and my face on the floor.

Our scene is rather frightening, but one of the judges reaches His essence out, like a ray of sunlight bursting through dark clouds, and pulls me up - not to the executioner’s chair, but to the high throne! Behind me, all the souls of the Earth, Hell, Purgatory, Heaven: Militant, Triumphant, Defeated, Suffering… reach out from the benches, cells, docks, and railings, and burst forth into the light of eternity, all souls soaring like a grand fleet: at different heights, at different speeds, but all with the same goal: that Heavenly Tribunal, that loving King of Kings. It makes me tremble…

Always try to imagine the most beautiful, languid, noble trumpet, or a violin filled with sweetness and pastoral beauty, echoing out across infinite meadows and forests. One single player operates the instrument from a high balcony overlooking sapphire waterfalls and emerald parks in the grand fortress, the New Jerusalem overlooking the plains of infinite joy. The Eternal King, the Divine Joy, incarnate and spiritual and perfect, lifts us up.

You must read a lot of poetry, literature, listen to truly good music… see the architecture of the human race. It all mirrors God, because in our creative way we are in His holy image! Look at this last line of a poem from Rückert:
Code: 
Sie sind uns nur voraus gegangen,
Und werden nicht nach Haus verlangen,
Wir holen sie ein auf jenen Höh'n
Im Sonnenschein, der Tag is schön.

They have just gone out ahead of us,
and will not be thinking of coming home.
We go to meet them on yonder heights
In the sunlight, The day is fine.
It’s about the denial of parents who lost their children to death… but I always saw, in it, the light of God. He has “gone out ahead of us” on the royal hunt with His saints and angels, and we only just got the telegram (we woke up late :)). They’re not too far ahead… Earth is linked intimately to Heaven.
 
mariafransisca2 said:
You meditate on Jesus as the center of the meditation.

Usually about his life, death, or the person, Jesus, you contemplate how good he has been to you, how loving, and forgiving. You meditate on heaven, hell, last judgement, and purgatory,

Meditation is different than mental prayer.

Mental prayer is like the mysteries of the rosary.

Read the catechism on prayer from vatican.va
vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p4s1c3a1.htm

You can also do Jesus Prayer, which is a christian meditation. Basically you just say Jeeee…when you inhale, Suuuuuss… when you exhale. Sit for 20 minutes doing this. If you prefer the long version, Lord Jesus Christ… when you inhale… have mercy on me a sinner, when you exhale. You can do it while doing work that does not involve discursive thoughts such as sweeping, laundry, cooking (for women), for man, maybe carpentry:confused: I tend to pray the Jesus prayer any times I like, from the heart

It brings deep peace.

You can learn more about Jesus prayer, which is the best form of christian meditation
from the book, the way of the pilgrim You can read it on Google books.
Click to expand...
that sounds like a old buddhist thing i used to do :eek:
 
I meditate on the mysteries of the rosary as I am walking and praying in the morning (except the last 3 days of much needed rain).

I try to spend 20-40 minutes in lectio devina, reading and meditation on the Mass readings of the day.

I change the icon in my room with the seasons and sometimes simply contemplate the image.
 
GloriousOrder said:
It’s really hard to describe or explain. When I speak to the blessed Trinity, it is primarily with the image of a High Tribunal of Three Judges. Despite the imposing high chair of judgment, I sense pure majestic brightness and mercy exuded by all Three. Each face is masked with an abyss of light, an identical mask for each judge. Within the Three faces (dare I to look at them), the pools of pure light and radiant glory seem to extend infinitely beyond, going deep into reaches of unexplored galactic cores and black holes. Within each ocean of light that is a Person of the blessed Trinity, I see the events and life of our Lord Jesus Christ playing out slowly. It can evolve from there.

This is a fairly bland sort of court room with an extravagant high altar of a judge’s bench, and in white robes the Three Persons in One Substance sit. Though there are contours to the room, everything seems bathed in a crystalline, icy-cool white glory. I cannot even think of the Tribunal - now seated, now standing, now embracing, now one and the other, now separate - without cringing for how holy and perfect He is. In His reigning majesty, I see how ridiculous I am for thinking I can approach this Great White Throne of Light (as Bishop Sheen called it) without my head bowed and my face on the floor.

Our scene is rather frightening, but one of the judges reaches His essence out, like a ray of sunlight bursting through dark clouds, and pulls me up - not to the executioner’s chair, but to the high throne! Behind me, all the souls of the Earth, Hell, Purgatory, Heaven: Militant, Triumphant, Defeated, Suffering… reach out from the benches, cells, docks, and railings, and burst forth into the light of eternity, all souls soaring like a grand fleet: at different heights, at different speeds, but all with the same goal: that Heavenly Tribunal, that loving King of Kings. It makes me tremble…

Always try to imagine the most beautiful, languid, noble trumpet, or a violin filled with sweetness and pastoral beauty, echoing out across infinite meadows and forests. One single player operates the instrument from a high balcony overlooking sapphire waterfalls and emerald parks in the grand fortress, the New Jerusalem overlooking the plains of infinite joy. The Eternal King, the Divine Joy, incarnate and spiritual and perfect, lifts us up.

You must read a lot of poetry, literature, listen to truly good music… see the architecture of the human race. It all mirrors God, because in our creative way we are in His holy image! Look at this last line of a poem from Rückert:
Code: 
Sie sind uns nur voraus gegangen,
Und werden nicht nach Haus verlangen,
Wir holen sie ein auf jenen Höh'n
Im Sonnenschein, der Tag is schön.

They have just gone out ahead of us,
and will not be thinking of coming home.
We go to meet them on yonder heights
In the sunlight, The day is fine.
It’s about the denial of parents who lost their children to death… but I always saw, in it, the light of God. He has “gone out ahead of us” on the royal hunt with His saints and angels, and we only just got the telegram (we woke up late :)). They’re not too far ahead… Earth is linked intimately to Heaven.
Click to expand...
GOD, THAT MUST BE AN EXPERIENCE AND SO…
I cannot do anything like that.
Well, I believe everything you said but puzzles me why the Father sent the Son to aush a terrible suffering and Jesus was saying: “If possible that this calix passa away…” And the Father did not grant Him what he asked. Funny that Jesus did not say: “I you can do it…” but “If possible…” as there was a circmstances neither of Them could escape from.👍
 
CountrySteve said:
that sounds like a old buddhist thing i used to do :eek:
Click to expand...
Jesus Prayer is 1000 years old and come from the East Orthodox monks.

CountrySteve I am a Yoga Instructor (christian Yoga and you find hunreds of styles that are common to the whole world, like the Mantra:thumbsup::
 
I meditate on the mysteries during the Rosary and I meditate after lectio divina with Scripture.
 
jcian12 said:
Hello everyone! I was just wondering, how exactly do you meditate? And on what do you meditate on?
Click to expand...
I meditate by reflecting on past memories. Some are very painful. It is almost a constant thing. Try to join them with the sorrowful mysterys.
 
jcian12 said:
Hello everyone! I was just wondering, how exactly do you meditate? And on what do you meditate on?
Click to expand...
Many different things. Parts of Christ’s life, Scripture, Church teachings, Heaven, Hell, etc.

Sometimes I just let my mind wander. Always on a spiritual topic, but I just kind of go from place to place.
 
CountrySteve said:
that sounds like a old buddhist thing i used to do :eek:
Click to expand...
No, it is centered on Jesus. Jesus’ name is powerful. We don’t use other names, if we do, it is transgressing the first commandment. It is called the Jesus Prayer. It is practiced by the fathers of the desert, sometimes using a chotki (like a rosary, to count)

Basically you just say, Jeeee… Suuuuss… Jeeee… Suuuusss… when you inhale and exhale. Try it, it brings such peace. Or you can say Lord Jesus Christ, when you inhale, Have Mercy on me a Sinner, when you exhale. You can do this while sitting down, spending a time for 20 minutes, staying in Jesus’ presence.

Or while doing other things, that doesn’t require much intellect. Like walking, sweeping, etc.

The Jesus prayer is a christian meditation.

May the merciful Jesus bless you
 
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