Today we turn to a more individual form of prayer, centering. In general, centering is about finding peace in the midst of chaos and slowing things down to make ourselves more aware of the world around us. Through centering, we let go of our fears and worries and attempt to bring balance to our inner thoughts. The idea of centering has a home in many traditions and disciplines, from religion to martial arts to modern psychology.
In the church, we approach centering as a way to bring ourselves into the presence of God. It is a way of becoming more aware of God around us and letting go of anything that might get in the way of that awareness.
Though we often think of prayers as rising from us to God, like any good relationship, the communication should flow both ways. Prayer is not simply about us talking to God; it should also include times of listening to God. When we offer ourselves and our lives to God, when we share our hopes and our dreams, do we take time to listen for God’s response?
And so we seek to still our minds and make ourselves aware of God’s presence so that we may find comfort and listen for God speaking to us.
Meditation/Centering Prayer
The practice of centering prayer is a form of mediation. Meditation is known to reduce stress. It is a practice common to many religious traditions, including Christianity. While meditation in Eastern traditions such as Buddhism are perhaps more popularly known, meditation has been practiced in Christianity for centuries as well. And while there may be some similarities, there is one obvious difference.
In all forms of meditation, the intent is to still your mind and instill a sense of quiet and calm, both physically and mentally. But while the purpose of Zen meditation is to completely clear your mind of all thought, the purpose of Christian meditation is to fill the mind with nothing but God. All other thoughts are allowed to drift away so that nothing is left but an awareness of God’s presence.
At a time when stress and anxiety affects so many, creating time to meditate, to still the body and the mind, can be extremely healthy. As the mind settles, stress begins to melt away, our heart rate decreases, and we are eventually filled with reminders of God’s love for us.
There are many approaches to meditation that one might explore. There are guides to Christian meditation, there are apps and websites that lead participants through times of guided meditation or that simply provide a prompt and a timer for silent meditation, and there are books that allow us to learn from the experiences of others.
For those that might wish to practice Centering Prayer as a kind of meditation, Fr. M. Basil Pennington suggests four easy steps for practicing Centering Prayer:
- Sit comfortably with your eyes closed, relax, and quiet yourself. Be in love and faith to God.
- Choose a sacred word that best supports your sincere intention to be in the Lord's presence and open to His divine action within you. Your word is not a secret nor magical.
- Let that word be gently present as your symbol of your sincere intention to be in the Lord's presence and open to His divine action within you.
- Whenever you become aware of anything (thoughts, feelings, perceptions, images, associations, etc.), simply return to your sacred word, your anchor. Your word becomes your tool to bring your mind and focus back to God’s presence.
A few resources to help you learn more specifically about Christian meditation and centering prayer can be found here:
The World Community of Christian Meditation
The Heart of Centering Prayer by Cynthia Bourgeault (book)
Christian Meditation: Experiencing the Presence of God by James Finley (book)
Journaling
Another practice that persons can do as a form of both centering and prayer is to maintain a daily journal. While perhaps not explicitly prayer, it can be written as if it is an offering to God. In this way, it becomes part of our communication with God, a way to share all of our experiences of a day, and to write those as if we were speaking them to God.
The art of writing down our experiences of each day also helps us to be aware of what we are experiencing that we might be downplaying or glossing over. Perhaps we are not being honest with ourselves about the fear and anxiety we are feeling. As we write to God each day and reflect on our experiences, maybe it gives us insight into how we are actually being affected by all that is happening around us. In this way, we can better be aware of ourselves, and we can be more attuned to what God is saying to us in the midst of our suffering.
Because it can help us be aware of God’s presence with us everyday, journaling can be a form of centering. It gives focus to our thoughts, brings awareness of our surroundings, and gives us an outlet to let go of our fears and anxiety.
Another way to approach journaling is to think of it as writing a prayer or a letter directly to God. This can give you a way of focusing as you sit down with your journal beyond simply recounting the events of the day. If you were to write a letter each day to God, what would it look like? If you were to write your thoughts and prayers on paper rather than speaking them out loud or in the privacy of your own mind, how would you write it?
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For those that are open to it, there are other forms of centering that may be of help when times are chaotic. The discipline and focus needed to excel in martial arts can have a calming effect for some people. The practice of yoga as seen most often in the Western world gives many people an outlet for their stress and anxiety while also providing exercise and flexibility training. Even the ritualized chants and postures of Zen Buddhist meditation can provide a path to greater calm and awareness of God’s divine presence in our lives.
The generally solitary path of centering is not for everyone, but it can be a path to releasing stress and anxiety in uncertain times. It is a means of focusing on God’s presence, listening for God’s love and grace, and offering our whole selves to God.
Next time, we will look to another means of God’s communication with us, the Bible. Through the Bible, we can learn more about the history of God’s relationship with humanity, remember God’s grace in the midst of fear, and listen for how God continues to speak with us today.