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Centered Prayer: A Pathway to the Presence of God by The Rev. Hartshorn Murphy (Editor's Note: The plaintive cry of Jesus' disciples: "Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples to pray" (Luke 11:2) is the cry of contemporary church members as well to their pastors. This Spring, St. A's will offer two opportunities to "learn to pray" using the spiritual disciplines of yoga and centering prayer - see elsewhere in this issue). "But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will repay you." (Matthew 6:6) Growing up in the 1950's Church, I learned that there were five kinds of prayer; the so-called "five fingers of prayer." They are: adoration or praise, thanksgiving, confession, intercession and petition. I was also taught that they must be done in that order. We always begin by praising God for who and what God is, we then thank God for all God's gifts to us, we confess our failings and shortcomings and then we pray for others. Once we've done this, I was taught that there'd be little energy to ask for anything for ourselves. In the 60's, I was aware of people who flirted with eastern religions. I was especially aware of the Beatles experimentation with TM (transcendental meditation) but was even more aware of the pharmaceutical shortcut promoted by Guru Timothy Leary who invited American youth committed to instant gratification to (with drugs): "turn on, tune in and drop out." Few remember that there was a spiritual exploration inherent in early drug use among youth, which spoke to a generation hungry for an experiential connection with the holy. But the Church was silent about these spiritual eruptions in the larger culture or else was condemning and rejecting. In the 70's, I was in seminary and there was not one class on prayer or spirituality. Prayer remained primarily a corporate expression of the Church gathered for worship and a private devotion of the five fingers/pillars of prayer. What "Church prayer" that was taught seemed to have been that prayer was a monologue directed to God. There was no real sense of listening for God to speak to us. This, of course, was not always the case. Gregory the Great in the 6th century described the Church's contemplative tradition as "resting in God." St Benedict suggested that we should contemplate scripture "as if through the ears of your heart." Throughout the centuries, gifted men and women have called us to a deeper mystical awareness of the presence of God: John Cassian, the anonymous author of the Cloud of Unknowing, Francis de Sales, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Therese of Lisieux and Thomas Merton to name but a few. Until recent memory, however, it seems that these voices were speaking almost exclusively to those in the "professed life" of the monastic communities. It suggested that in order to have a mystical encounter with the divine, the pre-requisite was that we withdraw from and renounce life and join a monastery or convent where professional Christians dwell, guarding secret pathways to holiness. And yet we live in a time in which there is a palpable hunger, bordering on a starvation, for God in our lives. Virtually everyone these days self-identifies themselves as being "very spiritual persons" who doesn't care for "organized religion." The re-discovery of our own deep well of spiritual practice as Christians is essential if we are to feed the hunger that surrounds us or if we ourselves wish to grow into the full, radiant beings we were created to be. Thomas Keating, monk and priest, has been credited with popularizing one of these ancient prayer traditions: centering prayer. In this issue of Ebb and Flow, there is a notice about a series of six centering prayer workshops being offered this Spring. Like any prayer discipline, it takes time and effort to learn it and own it. We are offering these workshops free of charge with a hope that God might raise up persons to lead a group here at St. Augustine's. Whether or not this happens, those interested in developing a life- long practice of the presence of God are encouraged to consider attending these six sessions to experience and learn what Fr. Keating has called: "The Prayer of Consent." A sign up for the workshop series is found on the patio on Sundays or you can register by email (carrie@saint-augustine.org) or by calling the church office (at 310-395-0977.) Space is limited but not unreasonably so. For more information on this form of prayer, visit: www.contemplativeoutreach.org. Copyright © 2008 St. Augustine by-the-Sea
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