It is the HEART THAT PRAYS. The heart is the dwelling place WHERE I AM, WHERE I LIVE, TO WHICH I WITHDRAW. The heart is our HIDDEN CENTER, beyond the grasp of our reason and of others; only the Spirit of God can fathom the human heart and know it fully. The heart is the PLACE OF DECISION, deeper than our psychic drives. It is the PLACE OF TRUTH, where we choose life or death. It is the place of encounter, because as image of God we live in relation; IT IS THE PLACE OF COVENANT.
Catechism of the Catholic Church # 2562-63
Praying regularly is one way to become a Christian of the new millennium. This fall Spirit explores some of the many ways Christians practice prayer.
Each week Spirit invites its readers to reflect on the gospel. Talking about what the gospel has to do with our lives is shared prayer. In this issue Spirit explores two other kinds of prayer—walking the labyrinth (on the cover) and centering prayer here.
Many athletes use their minds and breathing to focus before a game. They imagine an ideal run or swimming performance. Imagining in this way is like centering prayer. However, in centering prayer we focus our energies not on a game or competition but become present to the Mystery of God in which we live.
Centering prayer is a kind of contemplative prayer in which we set ourselves before the Mystery of God, closer to us than our own breathing.
Closeness to God in prayer grows much as closeness grows in friendship. With new friends we talk endlessly to learn all about them. With old friends we can just be together. Centering prayer is about being together with God, attentively hanging out.
The first step in centering prayer is choosing a sacred word that expresses our openness to God within us. The word could be Jesus’ name or the Greek word Maranatha (mar-ah-NAH-tha), which means “Come, Lord Jesus.” The word could be Father, Mother, Spirit, Peace, Shalom.
The second step is to sit comfortably, close one’s eyes, and breathe in and out. Breath is the gift of life God breathed into the first human. Begin to say silently the sacred word that consents to God’s presence within. The centering prayer continues in silence for 20 minutes or less at first. One can make the time longer as one gets more used to centering prayer.
When distracting thoughts come into the mind, one returns to breathing in and out, concentrating on the breath of one’s own life flowing in and out, and repeats the sacred word like a mantra. To conclude, one can pray the Our Father slowly and silently and open one’s eyes.
Rather than sit for 20 minutes, some people like to walk as a centering practice. The regular movement of walking or running works like breathing in and out to focus on being in God’s presence, which abounds and surrounds us in nature. This focus on walking and breathing gives way to a sense of being centered in God.
Contemplative prayer is the simple expression of the mystery of prayer. It is a gaze of faith fixed on Jesus, an attentiveness to the Word of God, a silent love. It achieves real union with the prayer of Christ to the extent that it makes us share in his mystery.
Catechism of the Catholic Church #2724, also 2709-2719
How to do a Centering Prayer
- FIND a quiet place.
- CHOOSE a sacred word that welcomes God’s presence in you.
- SIT on a chair or the floor, hands open and comfortable on your lap or knees.
- SET A CELLPHONE ALARM for 20 minutes.
- FOCUS on the sensation of breathing as you inhale and exhale.
- If any distracting thoughts appear, just BRING YOUR ATTENTION BACK to your breath.
- REPEAT your sacred word.