Folks, "centering prayer" whose advocates assert is "a method of silent prayer that prepares us to receive the gift of contemplative prayer, prayer in which we experience God's presence within us, closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than consciousness itself. This method of prayer is both a relationship with God and a discipline to foster that relationship" but whose detractors counter is "a form of self-hypnosis," is often a subject of conversation among Christians seeking to deepen their prayer life.
I consider myself a "sympathetic skeptic" when it comes to "centering prayer." Sympathetic because I've read some primary sources on it, and by that I mean the books by Fathers Pennington and Keating. Their books are Christian books and their gentle protestations that they serve Christian truth must be taken at face value. Therefore, I empathize and sympathize with its proponents.
Where I part company - and anyone feel free to correct me, please - is that "centering prayer" is a kind of technology in which "knowledge, method, or process" seem to have moved to the forefront where infused grace used to be. "Centering prayer" seems to rest more on the initiative of man than of God.
Beyond this I can't really explain it. We fall again on what can be termed the "phenomenology" of deep prayer (calm down, breath easier, pray the "Jesus Prayer" or other ejaculatory prayers, so forth) which I don't deny the advocates of "centering prayer" point to as a common departure point to "their way."
Yet, intuitively, once I shed prejudice, I perceive in "centering prayer" something "askew" and disconnected from traditional Catholic contemplative practice, perhaps because God's initiative is submerged in method, in "teknós." The "peace" that centering prayer produces seems to be at the level of the mind, the psyche, and this is confused with "spiritual peace," with the Peace of Christ. Catholic prayer is a dialogue, not a silence, or at least not a "focusing" as it is in Buddhism, which "centering prayer" seems to mimic.
I can't really put my finger on it. Perhaps I'm being unfair, may be you all can correct me or help me complete my thoughts.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
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4 comments:
Hello Teofilo,
I thought you might find this of interest. So ... here it is.
The Carmelite Tradition and Centering Prayer
By Ernest Larkin, O.Carm.
Centering Prayer/Christian Meditation has both its proponents and detractors. Father Ernest Larkin, O.Carm., one of the most noted mystical theologians in the Carmelite Family in the late 20th century, wrote this article to show how the tradition of Centering Prayer/Christian Meditation has its roots in the ancient spiritualities of our Catholic Tradition.
http://carmelitanacollection.com/larking.php
PS I love your blog!
Pax,
John
In 1989 Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger offered a letter to Bishops on the subject of Christian Meditation and had some things to say about centering prayer:
http://www.ratzinger.it/documenti/orationisforma_engl.htm
I appreciate your insightful critique. Prayer is inherently a practice of relationship. The idea of "centering" is not a bad thing, but this particular practice is not itself prayer; it may, however, be beneficially preparatory for prayer.
Trying to rely on technique to take one into the presence of God is foolish - "works" vs. "faith" comes to mind. Faithfulness must take priority. Perhaps this is why Christians are called to pray "in the name of Jesus." Through His perfect relationship with God we have been graciously given access so that we may go to God as well.
So, what I am saying is that "centering" must be Christo-centric in order to lead us into the presence of God.
Theo,
You rolled this out in a very honest way. It is something I have thought about a bit... not to any great depth, but just thinking about how it is or is not proper.
In the end, personal prayer is just that... personal. There are ways we can each clear our minds of the distractions that day to day life gives us. I tend to think that if I could just find solitude for an extended period of time, the wheels of my mind could slow down and quiet up... that would be a wonderful way to center down.
I think about the Lord and his ventures out to the wilderness away from the hustle bustle to pray. Putting methods as a necessity doesn't sit right with me.
-g-
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