Centering Prayer is a method to prepare us to receive the gift of silence and to facilitate our entrance into the silence. Dozens of times the Psalmist references waiting upon God in silence. On some occasions the word wait is repeated … “wait, wait upon ….” Perhaps the best-known reference is Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God.” This phrase shows up in the collect for Quiet Confidence on page 832 in our Episcopal Book of Common Prayer: “By the might of thy Spirit lift us, we pray thee, to thy presence, where we may be still and know that thou art God.”
In the Hebrew language, this “knowing God” in the silence is not about information or knowledge; it is about encountering God, experiencing God’s presence, entering into relationship with God. In this silence, that can become stillness, we become open to intimacy with God.
Centering Prayer is a method to facilitate our entrance into this intimacy. In coming weeks, we’ll describe how this relates to Christian mediation and contemplative prayer.
For more information, contact our parish office at (928) 474-3834 or by email at admin@stpaulspayson.org
Contemplative Outreach Ltd has a host of resources on their web site. One resource addresses the method of centering prayer.
There is also a flier called “The Method Of Centering Prayer”, by Thomas Keating, which you can download here. or by clicking below
To find centering prayer groups, retreats, and contemplative life resources in the Valley, click here: http://www.contemplativeoutreach-phoenix.org/