I have been saying centering prayer daily for many years. Recently, I suspected that I could use a brief refresher course on the way centering prayer should be said, and I found what I was looking for in the wonderful book by James Martin, S.J.: “Learning to Pray: A Guide for Everyone,” Harper One, 2021, pp. 386, $27.99).
Father Martin breaks down centering prayer into three steps. The first step is to take a moment or two to calm down and place ourselves in faith and love in the presence of God, who is present at the center of our being. We should stop being preoccupied with what we were doing prior to placing ourselves in God’s presence, nor should we be preoccupied with what we will be doing after we finish the centering prayer. At the end of our centering prayer, we should take a few minutes to come out by mentally praying the Our Father.
The second step, after spending some time in the silent presence of God, is to choose a word that expresses our response to God’s presence and let the word repeat itself. It can be any word that helps us focus on God’s presence. As we become more aware of God’s presence we can become silent and just focus on God at the center of our being. Don’t focus so much on the meaning of the word, but rather allow the word to lead you into a stronger awareness of God’s presence at the center of your being.
The third step is if you become distracted, return to repeating the word. I think it is especially important that those trying to do centering prayer do not become discouraged if they find themselves distracted. Years ago I suggested to a close friend, a very devout Catholic and a daily communicant, that he try centering prayer. He did try it but only for a short time. He said to me, “It does not work for me.” I really don’t understand how centering prayer might not work. Perhaps in all prayer, distraction is inevitable at some time. I probably should have tried to explain to my friend that just trying to focus on God’s presence is a very important activity.
Father Martin wrote the following:
“Centering prayer is simple in theory. In practice, it can be difficult for beginners, especially if your life is packed with content. The notion that you could meet God without doing anything might seem bizarre. Centering is not about producing or doing or achieving. It’s about being. Or rather about being with. … To use the analogy of friendship, centering prayer is like a long, silent walk with a good friend. Although you’re not speaking to one another, there may be a deeper communication going on…” (p. 278-279).
Father Martin continues:
“What can happen in centering prayer? Almost anything — as in any prayer. But one common result is not, as with content-heavy prayer, the occurrences of images or insights — though we can be open to those things — as much as a feeling of closeness to God. This can be compared to what can happen in any close relationship.
“A relationship may involve a good deal of active communication — talking, discussing, listening, questioning, even arguing. … But at other times, you might find yourself in silence with the other person and experience a more passive way of communicating. … Centering prayer is like this: enjoying God’s presence silently” (p. 281).
For me, one of the most attractive, exciting, and beautiful Catholic doctrines is the belief that through sanctifying grace, we participate in God’s life, that through sanctifying grace, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit live in me. I was in my third year of college, my first year as a student in the major seminary, when I read the following sentence in a book called “Christ in His Mysteries” by Dom Columba Marmion: “As we know, our sanctification essentially consists in a participation in the Divine nature through sanctifying grace” (p. 257).
Reading those words was an amazing experience. Why had I never heard that we share God’s life? When I read the sentence from Marmion, I was awestruck. Now, more than 70 years after reading it, I am still awestruck. Belief in the doctrine of grace shapes almost every homily I give and every column or book I write.
Perhaps one of the reasons I have been drawn to the practice of centering prayer is the central role that the doctrine of sanctifying grace plays in my own efforts at living a Christian life. Focusing on God living in the center of my being has a tremendous appeal to me. For me, it touches on everything we as Christians believe about God and God’s love for all of us.
Father Lauder is a philosophy professor at St. John’s University, Jamaica. He presents two 15-minute talks from his lecture series on the Catholic Novel, 10:30 a.m. Monday through Friday on NET-TV.