PRAYER
Virtually all theistic faiths practice two types of prayer, meditation and contemplation. The definitions in today’s society vary greatly, but here we use their original, etymological definitions.
MEDITATION
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From the Latin, meditatio, means to think. It focuses on thoughts including Adoration, Contrition, Thanksgiving, and Supplication (ACTS), either in the mind alone or also verbalized.
CONTEMPLATION
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From the Latin, contemplatus, means to gaze attentively, resting in God. It is silent without thoughts, thus opening ourselves to the gift of Divine union.
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Our focus is on Contemplative Prayer. All the Abrahamic faiths believe God is indwelling and practice this prayer form, referred to as: Kabbalah in Judaism, Mysticism in Christianity, and Sufism in Islam.
Centering Prayer
Centering Prayer is an interfaith method to help prepare our faculties to more easily receive the contemplative gift of Divine union. It is interfaith because in the silence there is no dogma.
The Four Steps of Centering Prayer
The following are the interfaith Centering Prayer guidelines we teach.
STEP 1
Choose a sacred word or image as the symbol of your intention to consent to God's presence and action within.
STEP 2
Sitting comfortably and with eyes closed, settle briefly and silently introduce the sacred word or image as your consent to God's presence and action within.
STEP 3
When engaged with thoughts, return ever-so-gently to the sacred word or image.
STEP 4
At the end of the prayer period, remain in silence with eyes closed for a couple of minutes.
Courtesy of Contemplative Outreach, Ltd.
Dr. Robert Hesse - Centering Prayer (35 min)
Fr. Walker - Centering Prayer Workshop (32 min)
Related Prayers
The following related prayer forms and aids can be incorporated to help lead into interfaith Centering Prayer.
