Why Centering Prayer?

Because Centering Prayer helps me go beyond the chatter of the mind. I do not have to be theologically sophisticated to practice it, because the focus is on consenting to God's action within the depth of my soul - my inner being, where God dwells. I do not even have to know what/who I mean by "God," just trust that God knows Who God is. So, I sit in outer quiet, and very occasionally, in an inner quiet. More often than not, my mind goes on and on about this and that, while I watch/listen to the babble, mentally say the "sacred word," and continue to sit until the timer tells me 25 minutes have passed.

Centering Prayer is actually an ancient form of prayer stemming from the practices of the Desert Mothers and Fathers. According to Cynthia Bourgeault in Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening, in the 4th century John Cassian described the use of a sacred word as a reminder of God's present action in the heart of the one praying. By the Middle Ages, the monastics had developed the formal practice of lectio divina, the fourth 'phase' of which was "resting in God" or contemplatio.  In our own time, a small group of Trappist monks recovered and taught Centering Prayer, reclaiming the tradition of what some have called Christian meditation. Father Thomas Keating is one of the most well-known of these monks. He is a co-founder of Contemplative Outreach, a spiritual network of individuals and small groups that supports those who practice Centering Prayer through workshops, retreats, educational materials and local groups.  Fr. Basil Pennington was another leading advocate and writer on centering prayer until his death in 2005. He was noted for his studies with the monks of Mount Athos and his knowledge of Orthodox mysticism.  Fr. William Meninger was the person who first developed the predecessor to Centering Prayer that he called "contemplative meditation" from his study of The Cloud of Unknowing, a 14th century book about contemplation and union with God.