Thoughts of centering prayer

FaithT said:

My mind is busy like that, too.

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I’ve described it to my husband saying that it’s never quiet in there. (in my head) There’s always something going on in my mind. When it’s not thoughts it’s songs.

FaithT said:

Virtually everything has roots in something else. Even Christmas trees.

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Whether that's accurate or not, there are things that the Church has explicitly co-opted and has acknowledged their pagan roots but then also how those things have been transformed for Christian use. Informed Christians are usually aware that Christmas trees were originally use for pagan celebrations of Saturnalia, but we understand now their purpose in the celebration of Advent and Christmas.

Something like centering prayer, perhaps because it's a bit newer to western civilization, doesn't have that same pedigree. The Church already has an abundance of prayer practices that are hers, built on the foundation of Christianity and reflecting the nature and purpose of prayer within the faith. There's really no need to co-opt another religions prayer practices and the Church hasn't formally done so - which would indicate that it's ironed the Buddhism out of centering prayer and made sure only Catholic concepts remain. Better to stick with practices that are known commodities in the Church, like the aforementioned Lectio Divina.

Gnarwhal said:

Whether that's accurate or not, there are things that the Church has explicitly co-opted and has acknowledged their pagan roots but then also how those things have been transformed for Christian use. Informed Christians are usually aware that Christmas trees were originally use for pagan celebrations of Saturnalia, but we understand now their purpose in the celebration of Advent and Christmas.

Something like centering prayer, perhaps because it's a bit newer to western civilization, doesn't have that same pedigree. The Church already has an abundance of prayer practices that are hers, built on the foundation of Christianity and reflecting the nature and purpose of prayer within the faith. There's really no need to co-opt another religions prayer practices and the Church hasn't formally done so - which would indicate that it's ironed the Buddhism out of centering prayer and made sure only Catholic concepts remain. Better to stick with practices that are known commodities in the Church, like the aforementioned Lectio Divina.

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Centering Prayer was originally called Quiet Prayer, or Prayer of Quiet. It is in the 1917 version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church;

The name was changed after Fr Keating and Fr Pennington gave a retreat to religious. The text of
"The Living Flame of Love" by St John of the Cross was used. In the text the word, "center," was often
used and the discussions around it at the retreat spoke of "centering prayer." As a result, the term, Quiet
Prayer, started to be called, "Centering Prayer."

St Teresa of Avila wrote of "interior prayer" often and as a Discalced Carmelite myself, it was obvious
to me that "centering prayer," and "interior prayer," were the same thing. The OCD spiritual assistant
to my OCDS croup, confirmed it when I asked him about "centering prayer."

"Into The Silent Land," by Fr Martin Laird is a good read on "contemplative prayer."

JimR-OCDS said:

Centering Prayer was originally called Quiet Prayer, or Prayer of Quiet. It is in the 1917 version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church;

CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Prayer of Quiet

A degree of contemplation in which the soul experiences an extraordinary peace and rest

www.newadvent.org

The name was changed after Fr Keating and Fr Pennington gave a retreat to religious. The text of
"The Living Flame of Love" by St John of the Cross was used. In the text the word, "center," was often
used and the discussions around it at the retreat spoke of "centering prayer." As a result, the term, Quiet
Prayer, started to be called, "Centering Prayer."

St Teresa of Avila wrote of "interior prayer" often and as a Discalced Carmelite myself, it was obvious
to me that "centering prayer," and "interior prayer," were the same thing. The OCD spiritual assistant
to my OCDS croup, confirmed it when I asked him about "centering prayer."

"Into The Silent Land," by Fr Martin Laird is a good read on "contemplative prayer."

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Since you're well armed with articles and the history of the practice, I assume you've read Fr John Dreher's 1997 article objecting to the practice called The Dangers of Centering Prayer? He goes into the background of the Trappist monastery where the practice originated, noting that they hosted speakers and retreat leaders from various eastern faiths quite often which seemed to have a strong influence the way it did over Thomas Merton.

I find I agree with Fr Dreher if for no other reason than to err on the side of caution.

Gnarwhal said:

Since you're well armed with articles and the history of the practice, I assume you've read Fr John Dreher's 1997 article objecting to the practice called The Dangers of Centering Prayer? He goes into the background of the Trappist monastery where the practice originated, noting that they hosted speakers and retreat leaders from various eastern faiths quite often which seemed to have a strong influence the way it did over Thomas Merton.

I find I agree with Fr Dreher if for no other reason than to err on the side of caution.

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Yes, I read Fr John Dreher's article back on CAF. It turned out to be borderline fraudulent and not at all
what Centering Prayer is.

For a time, Centering Prayer was banned at CAF, but after one of the administrators at CAF actually
went on a Centering Prayer retreat and he learned what it was all about, he wrote an article on
CAF and said that everything Fr John Dreher wrote was the opposite of what Centering Prayer
actually was. CAF ended up lifting the ban afterwards.

Fr John Dreher was only one hour away from St Joseph's Abbey where Fr Keating was abbot at one
time and when so-called Centering Prayer was made known. As Fr Keating wrote, it was actually called
"Quiet Prayer," and as I posted earlier, it was in the 1917 version of Catholic Encyclopedia.
Fr John Dreher never visited the abbey nor interviewed the monks there, but he wrote the article
as if he knew what he was talking about. Fr. Basil Pennington was there at that time and
he was another expert on Centering Prayer. Both Fr Keating and Fr Basil wrote books on Centering Prayer.
One of Fr Pennington's books is titled, "Finding Grace at the Center." I read it years ago.
Both Fr Keating and Fr Pennington are now with the Lord in Heaven.

I've been to the abbey several times for retreats and my wife and I went for vespers and Benediction
on Sundays. When I mentioned the article by Fr Dreher to the monks, they just rolled their eyes and
said it was wrong.

Fr Dreher is mistaken.

Gnarwhal said:

Since you're well armed with articles and the history of the practice, I assume you've read Fr John Dreher's 1997 article objecting to the practice called The Dangers of Centering Prayer? He goes into the background of the Trappist monastery where the practice originated, noting that they hosted speakers and retreat leaders from various eastern faiths quite often which seemed to have a strong influence the way it did over Thomas Merton.

I find I agree with Fr Dreher if for no other reason than to err on the side of caution.

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From the article:

"My hypothesis is that it is Satan’s strategy, in all these things, to strip away the physiological and psychological forces that, in our fallen state, are a fail safe protection for the human spirit. (This is a possible interpretation of Paul’s words in 2 Thessalonians 2:6–10 about the lawless one and the force that restrains him.) Thus, he can hope to capture the spirit of man worldwide and establish a kingdom of darkness."

The author's basic hypothesis is wrong. He assumes the our fallen physiological and psychological forces restrain Satan. How silly. Common sense and St John of the Cross, a doctor of the Church, tell us that rather than restraining Satan they are the materials through which he tempts and distorts us. That is why St John speaks of :

1. THE second positive evil that may come to the soul by means of the knowledge of the memory proceeds from the devil, who by this means obtains great influence over it. For he can continually bring it new forms, kinds of knowledge and reflections, by means whereof he can taint the soul with pride, avarice, wrath, envy, etc., and cause it unjust hatred, or vain love, and deceive it in many ways. And besides this, he is wont to leave impressions,496 and to implant them in the fancy, in such wise that those that are false appear true, and those that are true, false, And finally all the worst deceptions which are caused by the devil, and the evils that he brings to the soul, enter by way of knowledge and reflections of the memory, Thus if the memory enter into darkness with respect to them all, and be annihilated in its oblivion to them, it shuts the door altogether upon this evil which proceeds from the devil, and frees itself from all these things, which is a great blessing. For the devil has no power over the soul unless it be through the operations of its faculties, principally by means of knowledge, whereupon depend almost all the other operations of the other faculties. Wherefore, if the memory be annihilated with respect to them, the devil can do naught; for he finds no foothold, and without a foothold he is powerless.

2. I would that spiritual persons might clearly see how many kinds of harm are wrought by evil spirits in their souls by means of the memory, when they devote themselves frequently to making use of it, and how many kinds of sadness and affliction and vain and evil joys they have, both with respect to their thoughts about God, and also with respect to the things of the world; and how many impurities are left rooted in their spirits; and likewise how greatly they are distracted from the highest recollection, which consists in the fixing of the whole soul, according to its faculties, upon the one incomprehensible Good, and in withdrawing it from all things that can be apprehended, since these are not incomprehensible Good. This is a great good (although less good results from this emptiness than from the soul's fixing itself upon God), simply because it is the cause whereby the soul frees itself from any griefs and afflictions and sorrows, over and above the imperfections and sins from which it is freed.

Ascent of Mt Carmel
Book Three Chapter 4 p. 194-5

RileyG said:

I hear the same repetitive thought over and over and over and over in my head.

It never ends.

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As part of my OCD I used to continuously say the same thing over and over in my head.

RileyG said:

I hear the same repetitive thought over and over and over and over in my head.

It never ends.

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It takes patience and focus. Be glad you don't have tinnitus. That adds another distraction. But even then, with practice we can focus our attention where we want it to be focused.

FaithT said:

As part of my OCD I used to continuously say the same thing over and over in my head.

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It was one of my compulsions.

Akita Suggagaki said:

It takes patience and focus. Be glad you don't have tinnitus. That adds another distraction. But even then, with practice we can focus our attention where we want it to be focused.

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I’ve got tinnitus but it must be mild because it doesn’t interfere with anything. Most of the time I don’t even realize my ears are ringing. But now that I’m posting about it I’m aware of it.

FaithT said:

I’ve got tinnitus but it must be mild because it doesn’t interfere with anything. Most of the time I don’t even realize my ears are ringing. But now that I’m posting about it I’m aware of it.

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That is the strange thing about our attention. I can be sitting there in outer silence a nd it seems loud. And yet I can stil shift my attention away from it. That is part of what happens in the practice of Centering Prayer. We practice shifting our attention away from all our daily distractions and refocusing where we want it , on the Lord.

Akita Suggagaki said:

And finally all the worst deceptions which are caused by the devil, and the evils that he brings to the soul, enter by way of knowledge and reflections of the memory, Thus if the memory enter into darkness with respect to them all, and be annihilated in its oblivion to them, it shuts the door altogether upon this evil which proceeds from the devil, and frees itself from all these things, which is a great blessing. For the devil has no power over the soul unless it be through the operations of its faculties, principally by means of knowledge, whereupon depend almost all the other operations of the other faculties. Wherefore, if the memory be annihilated with respect to them, the devil can do naught; for he finds no foothold, and without a foothold he is powerless.

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It is also clear that the prayer and path St John talks about is very different from something like Zen.: The greater context of a personal loving God.