What is Centering Prayer?
Centering prayer is a form of meditation used by Christians with emphasis on a period of silence. It was named by Thomas Merton in his book Contemplative Prayer, as a way of “finding one’s deepest center awakening the profound depths of our being in the presence of God”.
On Your Own
Here is a suggestion for practicing centering prayer on your own.
Pick a short scripture on your own or from a resource. You can find daily lectionary scriptures starting with a daily Psalm here.
Take 15-20 minutes of silent contemplative prayer. It is OK to choose a much shorter amount of time, especially if you are feeling intimidated by the process.
Say or write down how you felt God speaking to you and/or what you explicitly want to bring before God that day.
Join Our Centering Prayer Group
The St. Giles Centering Prayer group has met for many years in the Adult Center. However, meetings are currently held on Zoom every Wednesday morning from 7:00am to 8:20am.
The format of the meetings Include:
A short gathering time
A short reading inviting you to begin to center to “God’s presence and action within”
A period of 15-20 minutes of silent contemplative prayer time
A reading by an attendee of a prayer/poem/prose
Individual time for attendees to share individual prayer concerns/celebrations of family, church members, others
Concluding with the Lord’s Prayer.