- Finding a place
Jesus withdrew rhythmically away from the crowds and went to lonely places by himself to pray. Sometimes all night. He withdrew to the garden, or up a mountain, or deep into the wilderness to be with God. Prayer is what you do alone with God.
And so Jesus teaches:
‘When you pray go into your room and close the door, and pray to your father in secret and your heavenly father who sees in secret will reward you.’ (Matthew 6:6)
Many people have their own special place where they retreat to time and time again. A secret place, a prayer room, a favourite walk in nature, a favourite church. The important thing is that one finds a place to be alone.
- What do you do when you are alone?
One can do many things when alone, such as reading, reflecting, composing, verbal praying, wrestling with onself, daydreaming; however ‘meditation’ means something in particular. Meditation is a discipline of focused attention in order to bring about a transformation in one’s consciousness.
How to meditate according to the World Community of Christian Meditation
Become still and close your eyes lightly. Then interiorly, silently begin to recite a single word – a prayer word. We recommend the ancient Christian prayer-word “Maranatha“. Say it as four equal syllables. Breathe normally and give your full attention to the word as you say it, silently, gently, faithfully and – above all – simply.
Ma – ra – na – tha
The essence of meditation is simplicity. Stay with the same word during the whole meditation.
All forms of Christian meditation require ‘the self’ to step aside in order to open one’s heart to the love of God.
Putting the self aside may sound easy until one tries it. Then you will find many things get in the way of being open and receptive to God. A restless mind that moves about from here to there, feelings that demand attention, an ego that refuses to pay attention to anything that is not about itself. To be open, receptive and attentive to God is not easy for us because we like to be in control of our lives.
How we manage these distractions is the substance of learning to meditate. This is why it is good to find a teacher or a group to give a structure to your practice.
You may find it helpful to think of your meditation time like going to the gym but rather than training the body you are training the mind and heart to be more open. It is a discipline that has benefits beyond the time of practice.
There are many different traditions from both east and west that teach forms of Christian meditation. Here are some current communities of practice:
The World Community of Christian Meditation founded by John Main OSB and now led by Lawrence Freeman OSB.
Centering Prayer began by Thomas Keating OSB traces its lineage back to ‘The Cloud of Unknowing’ an anonymous spiritual classic from the 16th centurary. Rev Dr Cynthia Bourgeault is a leading teacher of this from of meditation in the contemporary world.
The Jesus Prayer an ancient way of praying is also called the Prayer of the Heart. It is greatly beloved in the orthodox tradition who are its custodians.
Quiet Communion 