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Bridging from Centering Prayer into Life

8/1/2013

 
By members of St. Olaf Catholic Church Centering Prayer Group

One Saturday the centering prayer group that meets at St. Olaf Catholic Church discussed a short section from The Path of Centering Prayer by David Frenette. The section we discussed is entitled "Grounding Centering Prayer Practice by Letting Intention and Consent Flow into Your Life," pages 17-22.

This section discusses Centering Prayer's Fourth Guideline: At the end of the prayer period, remain in silence with eyes closed for a couple of minutes. Frenette explains that pausing at the end of centering prayer helps us connect our centering prayer practice to the rest of our life. He offers five suggestions for how to practice the fourth guideline, advising the practitioner to choose one to use at the end of a prayer period. Pausing in this way creates a bridge over which we carry the benefits of deep silence into the whole of life.

We discussed Frenette's five suggestions giving examples from our own practice. Here are some of the comments people offered.

The first suggestion is "spend a few moments just resting in God." One person commented that this time was a very sweet way to end centering prayer, relaxing, letting go of intention and simply resting in God's love -- something like floating in a calm lake on a summer day.

Frenette's second suggestion is to pause after a twenty minute practice for two minutes and simply observe or touch your head, hand, arm or leg. Someone connected this suggestion to wisdom from his grandmother. He said, "Years ago my grandma used to say, 'You are whole, you are missing nothing, you have hands, a head, and legs.' Her intention was to remind me to be grateful and optimistic. Her idea seems similar to what David Frenette suggests in his second bridge. We can connect with our bodies and be grateful for what God has given us."

Several people commented on the third suggestion to "offer your completed centering prayer period for someone in need." One person pointed out that this is a way of expressing our solidarity and sympathy with others. He went on to explain that this prayer can also be for a person we do not like. While we may have difficulty interacting with this person in normal circumstances, following centering prayer we can pause to look at this person with different light.

Another person agreed that the end of centering prayer is a good opportunity to hold the needs of friends and relatives who are in her heart. She commented that doing this seems to carry her into a few deep moments with the Compassionate Christ and strengthens her trust in his healing power.

Frenette's fourth suggestion is "after letting go of your sacred word, visualize a scene from your coming day. Use your sacred word to bless the day." One person commented that she likes to bridge into the coming day by seeing in her inner mind's eye some of the people and circumstances of the day and asking for the blessing of awareness of God's presence in the experience. She added that she is also aware of the Buddhist practice of touching her third eye while asking for her thoughts to be loving, and then placing her hands in front of her mouth, asking that her words be kind, and finally, holding her hands in front of her heart, asking that her intentions be peaceful. Another person shared that he asks to be aware of the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and finds that doing so has changed his whole life.

The final suggestion is "say or listen to the Lord's prayer to integrate silence and words." Many people commented on this suggestion, sharing the way they end centering prayer by praying with words. One person shared that after Centering Prayer, she often says the prayer of St. Francis: Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace. This prayer puts her back into the world and renews her desire to follow Jesus' teachings. It helps her keep on going with her commitments to reach out to others -- especially the needy -- and to use her civic voice to work for justice.

The week following this discussion, people shared how helpful it had been. One person thanked the group for all the insights that were shared. During the week she had begun to incorporate different suggestions and commented that she had found it deeply meaningful to sit after Centering -- knowing she was deeply loved by God, connecting to people in her life, and ending with the Serenity Prayer. She said that during last week's discussion "the Trinitarian living flame described by St. John of the Cross burst into the midst of our group."

The St. Olaf Catholic Church Centering Prayer Group meets in Minneapolis every Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m.

Reflection on a 10-Day Intensive Retreat

3/31/2009

 
By Bob Delastrada

This past March I went on a 10 day intensive retreat with Father Thomas Keating and David Frenette at the Garrison Institute in New York. David has been with Father Thomas since the beginning of Contemplative Outreach, and co-founded the earliest retreat community where people could learn Centering Prayer. He was at the monastery here a few years ago, giving a 5-day retreat on the growth of contemplative attitudes in the Spiritual Journey. He is currently developing curriculum to assist long time practicioners to deepen and move beyond common obstacles in prayer, so that it moves more easily into contemplation. There was also an emphasis on methods that help integrate the fruits of Centering Prayer into everyday living. Our day started at 6:30 A.M. and often went until almost 9pm with prayer, teaching and guided meditation. Father Thomas came for the final weekend as did Gail Fitzpatrick-Hopler.

The Institute is located on the Hudson River about one hour north of New York City. The building and grounds are a monastery that had been vacated since Vatican II. The Institute's mission is to bring together the wisdom of various contemplative traditions, and apply the knowledge to pressing social issues. Father Thomas is one of the Institute's founding spiritual advisors. To be with him is always wonderful. He talked about unity and oneness as being the purpose of life. He said it's stupid and a mistake to believe that God doesn't love us! He spoke of the cross as witness to the infinite goodness of God who goes to any length to make us divine. There are layers of reality and to our own identity, and that Ultimate Reality is in fact God's own Self. As we move toward unity consciousness, our understanding is that God is the Ground of every experience and not separate from the content of our life. Our task is to be willing to become God, to receive the totality of the Divine nature through our consent. God's love has no limits and has the goal of making us equal to God. By identifying with the cross and moving through the process of transformation, the myth of the separate self is relinquished. The greatness of human-kind is revealed in the Paschal Mystery, as everyone is invited to the fullness of divine/human life.

David Frenette has a web-site called Incarnational Contemplation. He does contemplative spiritual direction and will be giving several retreats each year that focus on deepening our consent in Centering Prayer. Much of what he focused on involved images of receptivity. Even with many years of practice, we can get stuck in an effort of trying to make prayer happen rather than surrendering. Deepening receptivity means being still or "just to be," rather than forcing the issue. Prayer is like helping a flower grow by cultivating the best conditions for growth to happen. But the growing process itself is out of our hands and our consent is simply saying yes to an invitation that allows prayer to unfold. How must we act to acquire what is freely given and always present? David stressed renewal in the basics of the Centering Prayer method. The guidelines provide a solid foundation for when were struggling. His presentation was very helpful and I hope he can visit us. He has many good stories about the early days of Contemplative Outreach. At present he is only funded for several retreats a year, but my guess is that he will be very much in demand before long. I'd say we should be open to any possibility that might arise for his availability. We would all benefit through his extensive experience. Meanwhile, we can all visit his web-site and read his new book!

After this retreat, I'm left with a profound sense of gratitude for Centering Prayer and people like Sisters Virginia and Mary, as well others who started the ministry in Minnesota. Let's continue to consent to God's invitation and share in the work of transforming the world.

    Presence & Action Blog

    MN Contemplative Outreach publishes articles written by, and for, practitioners.  They are designed to deepen understanding of the Centering Prayer Practice and its power to change lives.

    To have an article considered for publication, click here.

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