Centering Prayer: Experiencing the Mystery of God

Centering Prayer has been defined as “the total disarmament of the heart”. It is a prayer that lets go of all thoughts, words, and feelings and enables the person to be present to God with only an infinite desire to love and be loved unconditionally. Centering is a prayer that very intentionally relates the mystery of oneself to the mystery of God, bringing about spiritual, physical, emotional, and even cosmic benefits.

The rationale of Centering Prayer is found in the 14th century classic, The Cloud of Unknowing. The anonymous author writes of a “blind desire,” “a naked intent” to go to the infinite God without thought or feeling, to be present with pure faith to the God who is mystery, beyond complete understanding. This teaching is found also in the words of John Cassian, a 5th century monk.

In human relationships, if you were to say to someone “I love you,” you would be saying, “I love you as I know you.” To love someone as they are, however, you would paradoxically have to let go of everything you know about that person and make an act of faith that this person is more lovable than you will ever know. You would need to let go of what is known so that you can be present to the mystery of the other.

If that is true of a relationship between two human beings, how much more true will it be of my relationship with God? In Centering Prayer I make an intellectual decision not to use my intellect but to be present to the mystery of God solely by intentionally. My intentionality, my longing, my desiring, my thirsting, my love can be infinite because I continually let go of all finite experiences so that I can be present to the infinite mystery of God.

This prayer is an act of contemplative faith and love. Centering is based on my faith in this mystery of God – faith in myself as being capable of loving the mystery of God infinitely – and opening myself to God to be loved in all my own mystery of being in the image and likeness of God.

The act of faith at the beginning of centering is what radically transforms the recommended 20 minutes of letting go of all thoughts, words, images, and feelings into prayer. The act of faith can be as simply as: “I wish now to be present to the mystery of God’s love for me. I will let go and let God.”

The method of Centering Prayer can be summed up in these guidelines from Fr. Thomas Keating:

1. Choose a sacred word as a symbol of your intention to consent to God’s presence and action within.

2. Sitting comfortable and with eyes closed, settle briefly and silently introduce the sacred word as the symbol of your consent to God’s presence and action within.

3. When you become aware of thoughts, return ever-so-gently to the sacred word.

4. At the end of the prayer period, remain silent with eyes closed for a couple of minutes.

Centering Prayer: Experiencing the Mystery of God

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