"Meditation is not so much a way to find God as a way of resting in Him whom we have already found." Thomas Merton
CHRISTIAN MEDITATION AND CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER
Thomas Merton was a Catholic monk who lived from 1915 to 1968. Having studied Eastern meditation techniques, he is credited with reviving an interest in Christian meditation and contemplative prayer. He wrote: "Some people may have a spontaneous gift for meditative prayer, but this is unusual. Most people have to learn how to meditate. And meditation is sometimes quite difficult. But if we bear with it and wait patiently for the time of grace, we may well discover that meditation is a joyful experience."
Speaking to fellow monks, Merton recommended silent contemplation, writing: "Contemplative prayer has to be always very simple, confined to the simplest of acts and using no words or thoughts. This prayer of the heart introduces us into deep interior silence so that we learn to experience its power. We seek the deepenst ground of our identity with God - a direct experiential grasp just like St. Augustine sought when he prayed, 'May I know you, may I know myself.'"
James Finley was a student of Merton's and is a contemporary teacher of Christian meditation. He gives detailed meditation instruction and also advises finding a contemplative community for support. He writes: "A single log in a fireplace does not burn as easily or as intensely as several logs burning together. And today, the same impetus toward contemplative community is expressing itself in a movement in which Christians are gathering in small groups to practice meditation and contemplative prayer together."
Finley also writes: "To practice meditation as an act of religious faith is to open ourselves to the endlessly reassuring realization that our very being IS the generosity of God. For God is creating us in the present moment, loving us into being, such that our very presence in the present moment is the manifested presence of God. We meditate that we might awaken to this unitive mystery in every moment of our lives." In his book, Christian Meditation, Finley offers instructions and guidance about developing a personal meditation practice. He writes: "As you settle into your own meditation practice, you will, with God's grace, settle into the method that is most natural and effective for you. In learning to grow into your own evolving meditation practice, you will continue to embody your own unforseeable journey into God."
Father Thomas Keating puts Christian meditation into spiritual and historical context in his book, Open Mind Open Heart. He writes: "The idea of laypeople pursuing the spiritual path is not something new. It just hasn't been popular in the past thousand years." But the rising popularity of Eastern religions, with their meditative traditions, has spurred interest in Christian meditation in recent years. He writes: "Contemplative prayer raises the question: Is there something we can do to prepare ourselves, instead of waiting for God to do everything? In my experience, there is. We can use Centering Prayer to calm the mind, and to cultivate interior silence." Keating provides very detailed instructions for Centering Prayer, including how to set up your own prayer group.
Books Available from Amazon
New Seeds of Contemplation, by Thomas Merton ($11) guides the reader through a very personal soul searching toward the goal of contemplative spirituality and enlightment. No book in modern times so defines the modern meditative tradition.
Contemplative Prayer, by Thomas Merton ($10) written for monks and other clerics, this book is more theory and history than a guide to meditation, and yet is has been a best-seller for decades.
Open Mind, Open Heart: The Contemplative Tradition of the Gospel, by Thomas Keating ($11), remains one of the best introductions to a specifically Christian form of meditation.
The Contemplative Heart, by James Finley ($11) Finley puts contemplative traditions, practices, and teaching into a modern perspective for those who with to develop a contemporary contemplative lifestyle.
Christian Meditation: Experiencing the Presence of God, by James Finley ($14), A former monk and student of Thomas Merton, Finley teaches readers to expand (or begin) their meditation practices in concert with their faith and guides them to discover that divine moments of awakened consciousness can lead to a deeper connection with Christ.
Links
World Community for Christian Meditation groups meet in homes, parishes, offices, hospitals, prisons and colleges. Find them at www.wccm.org.
Contemplative Outreach is a 'spiritual network of individuals and small communities' practicing Centering Prayer and other Christian contemplative disciplines. Their website has links to help you find a local chapter. www.centeringprayer.com
St. Benedict's Monastery in Snowmass, Colorado is the home of Father Thomas Keating. Their site has links and also information about their residential programs for lay people. www.snowmass.org.
