Contemplative Prayer
"Properly understood, contemplation shakes the universe, topples the powers of evil, builds a great society, and opens the doors that lead to eternal life". - Fr. William Johnston, S.J.
Are you curious about St. Theresa’s Contemplative Prayer community, what it is, who practices this prayer, and how it is different from liturgical prayers, rote prayers of childhood, petitionary and thanksgiving prayers on which we rely so frequently?
Come practice Contemplative Prayer on Tuesdays during Lent - beginning February 28th, 7 PM, in the church chapel.
Description
Contemplative Prayer is a meditative prayer practice that renews the ancient Christian contemplative tradition of Silent Prayer. This tradition is rooted in Jesus' teaching - recall the Scriptural reference: "when you pray, go into your secret room and close the door. And your Father, who sees in secret, will hear you." This ancient contemplative prayer was refined by early Church Fathers, and practiced widely by the early Mothers & Fathers of the Desert. It predates all schisms within Christianity and transcends doctrinal differences among Christian traditions.
Centering Prayer is a simple method to quiet our minds and bodies and bring us into the great Interior Silence, where our intent is to be fully present to God. This is a simple method, because there are no elaborate props, no credentials required, only a willingness and desire to sit down comfortably in a quiet environment, close our eyes and consent to the presence of God within.
And because we are human, and the human condition is one of nearly constant thoughts and emotions, we are instructed to employ a self-selected Sacred Word as part of the process to gently meet the rising thoughts, bodily sensations or sounds that inevitably pursue us - and by using that Sacred Word, we ever so gently let the thoughts go - once again returning to the Great Interior Silence. For some practitioners, this process of quieting thoughts by using a Sacred Word is difficult at first, but establishes itself as habitual when practiced.
Practice
While the method appears so simple in reading the explanations above, the biggest single indicator of successful adaptation to contemplative prayer is by practicing in a small faith community. Therefore, we encourage those of you who are interested to come to St. Theresa’s and experience contemplative prayer with us.
We will provide contextual information from spiritual men and women experienced in contemplative prayer in the Catholic and Christian traditions and help answer your questions in the first portion of each session.
Contemplative Prayer is ecumenically inclusive - of the 65 Contemplative Prayer groups in Western Washington, over half are held in Catholic Churches, and the rest spread among a half dozen other denominations. It is truly compatible with all lifestyles, all ages, all denominations. It does not diminish or limit regular spiritual practices and expression, but leads its practitioners to reclaim their Christian contemplative heritage.
Guidelines
- Choose a sacred word as the symbol of your intention to consent to God’s presence and action within.
- Sit comfortably with eyes closed and take a moment to settle before silently introducing the sacred word as the symbol of your consent to God’s presence and action within.
- When you become aware of thoughts, return ever-so-gently to the sacred word.
- At the end of the prayer period, remain in silence with eyes closed for a couple of minutes.
The Fruits of Contemplative Prayer
The fruits of Contemplative prayer are not often immediately apparent, and specific expectations for the prayer time are often a hindrance. The fruit of contemplative prayer follows us into our active lives after a period of faithfulness to prayer. Among these fruits:
- You learn to discern what really matters - and let go instantly of what doesn't
- You are less likely to judge other people
- You accept your own basic goodness
- You cultivate an open mind
- Contemplative prayer deepens all types of prayer alone and in groups
- You transform your motivations and purify your intentions
- You achieve inner freedom to serve truthfully in the outer world.
Contact Bob or Susan Toohey at 253-235-5871 or bobtoohey@comcast.net
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