Meditation

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mwmroe

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Hello,

I was wondering if any one could tell me how a Catholic should meditate. Which meditation have you found most helpful in your own life? Can you list as many forms of mediation that is acceptable to the Catholic faith? It seems like when I hear the word mediation so many people think of new age meditation. And, I also understand that centering prayer is not that good because it’s technique is similar to oriental religions.

Thanks so much.

God bless,
Mark
 
mwmroe said:
Hello,

I was wondering if any one could tell me how a Catholic should meditate. Which meditation have you found most helpful in your own life? Can you list as many forms of mediation that is acceptable to the Catholic faith? It seems like when I hear the word mediation so many people think of new age meditation. And, I also understand that centering prayer is not that good because it’s technique is similar to oriental religions.

Thanks so much.

God bless,
Mark
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Mark, one way that many Catholics have found helpful to meditation is Lectio divina, the practice of praying with the Scriptures. These links will lead you to further information on this wonderful practice.

osb.org/lectio/about.html

ocarm.org/lectio/lecteng.htm

What you say about people thinking of meditation as only a practice of oriental religions is true. But, as we know, Christian meditation that keeps its eyes on Our Incarnate Lord, has been the holy practice of Christians throughout the centuries. (The subject of “centering prayer” has been the subject of some rancorous discussions here and so has been banned as a topic.)

God bless you as you seek a deeper intimacy with Him. 🙂
 
I find meditation just by reading the scripture. This year I am devoting myself to the Clementine Vulgate alongside the Douay-Rheims. Also I find meditation from the Catechism of the Catholic Church and praying the rosary, praying the psalms and divine mercy chaplet as well as Eucharistic adoration
 
Ah yes. Father Bartunek’s book does two things 1) it provides a simple but powerful method to meditation on scripture, and 2) he provides meditations through all four gospels. Scripture, and the gospels in particular are the best source of meditation material though other sources can be very helpful depending upon our spritiual need at the time.
 
Have you used the John Paul II method? It is extremely helpful to me for the purposes of moving from simple vocal prayer into meditation.
 
One thing I forgot to mention is I pray and meditate from the Catholic book of prayers
 
mwmroe said:
I was wondering if any one could tell me how a Catholic should meditate. Which meditation have you found most helpful in your own life? Can you list as many forms of mediation that is acceptable to the Catholic faith?
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Two easy forms of meditation that should be acceptable are the Jesus Prayer and Mindfulness of Breathing.

The Jesus Prayer is from the Orthodox tradition, but I cannot see anything unacceptable to Catholics in it.

Mindfulness of Breathing involves breating and counting to ten. Again I do not see anything unacceptable there.

If you do try either of these then please be aware of Bishop Ware’s warning:“But those who have no personal contact with starets [a teacher] may still practice the Prayer without any fear, so long as they do so only for limited periods - initially, for no more than ten or fifteen minutes at a time - and so long as they make no attempt to interfere with the body’s natural rhythms.”

rossum
 
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