Centering Prayer is a prayer in silence based upon two Scriptures:
But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Mathew 6:6, New Revised Standard Version, NRSV)
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. (Romans 8:26, New Revised Standard Version, NRSV)
These scriptures invite us to go into the inner depths of our soul, while acknowledging that we do not know how to pray as we ought. We are, therefore, invited into silence before God while the Holy Spirit intercedes and prays for us in a deep manner that is beyond words. To pray in silence in this manner is an act of faith that the Spirit is praying what needs to be prayed.
Centering Prayer is not intended to replace other kinds of prayer taught to us by scripture such as praise, thanksgiving, confession, petitionary prayer (prayer for our own needs), or intercessory prayer (prayer for the needs of others). Centering prayer is to pray with no other agenda than communion with God. It enhances and nurtures all other kinds of prayer and our relationship with God as a whole.
When we attempt to pray in silence, we immediately run into two kinds of distractions, outer and inner. Outer distractions are what are going on outside of us. When trying to be in silence, all of a sudden we become aware of noises we usually ignore and tune out–the refrigerator comes on and off or the dog barking down the street, etc. It is best to choose as quiet a place as possible to pray.
By far the more difficult is to deal with inner distractions. These are particularly challenging during times of stress, or when we are emotionally preoccupied with upsetting circumstances. Otherwise, our mind may be jumping to the day’s todo list or some other stream of consciousness, often referred to as “monkey mind.”
A suggested method to work with these distractions is to prayerfully choose a sacred word that is meaningful to you. It may be be a word such as peace, love, hope, or even the name of Jesus. This word is not to be meditated upon or used repeatedly like a mantra. It is simply to be gently used when we realize that we are distracted. We say it a few times until we are able to return to our purpose of being in communion with God. It is important not to fight against the distraction, which becomes a distraction in itself, or to feel like we have failed at silent prayer. By God’s grace, we cannot fail at this kind of prayer. God is honored and pleased with our intention to be in prayer rather than our performance of prayer. It is recommended to practice Center Prayer in two twenty-minute periods a day. Not being accustomed to this kind of prayer, I had to work up to twenty minutes five minutes at a time.
To pray in this manner, choose a time and place where you will not be interrupted, and in silence center your attention on the Presence of God. Silent prayer for this purpose means that we do not even try to formulate a mental prayer. We simply sit before God in the silence of our heart, trusting the Spirit is praying on our behalf.
If you would like to download a brochure on Centering Prayer, one is available from Contemplative Outreach by clicking here. Contemplative Outreach also has an app for your phone, which chimes at the end of twenty minutes and gives other assistance for Centering Prayer.