Q. I would like some information on “Centering Prayer”. Is it recognized by the Church?
A. What a great question!
People mean different things when they talk about centering prayer. Some people use the term centering prayer to describe an emptying of one’s thoughts until they fall into a sort of trance-like meditation. One needs to be careful not to confuse a state of trance with being with God.
If by centering prayer you mean, centering your thoughts on the life of Christ or a specific attribute of Christ, this is perfectly fine.
The Church does speak of Contemplative prayer in the Catholic Catechism:
“What is contemplative prayer? St. Teresa answers: ‘Contemplative prayer [oracion mental] in my opinion is nothing else than a close sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us.’ Contemplative prayer seeks him ‘whom my soul loves.’ It is Jesus, and in him, the Father. We seek him, because to desire him is always the beginning of love, and we seek him in that pure faith which causes us to be born of him and to live in him. In this inner prayer we can still meditate, but our attention is fixed on the Lord himself.” — CCC 2709
“Entering into contemplative prayer is like entering into the Eucharistic liturgy: we ‘gather up:’ the heart, recollect our whole being under the prompting of the Holy Spirit, abide in the dwelling place of the Lord which we are, awaken our faith in order to enter into the presence of him who awaits us. We let our masks fall and turn our hearts back to the Lord who loves us, so as to hand ourselves over to him as an offering to be purified and transformed.” — CCC 2711
“Contemplative prayer is the prayer of the child of God, of the forgiven sinner who agrees to welcome the love by which he is loved and who wants to respond to it by loving even more. But he knows that the love he is returning is poured out by the Spirit in his heart, for everything is grace from God. Contemplative prayer is the poor and humble surrender to the loving will of the Father in ever deeper union with his beloved Son.” — CCC 2712
“Contemplative prayer is the simplest expression of the mystery of prayer. It is a gift, a grace; it can be accepted only in humility and poverty. Contemplative prayer is a covenant relationship established by God within our hearts. Contemplative prayer is a communion in which the Holy Trinity conforms man, the image of God, “to his likeness.” — CCC 2713
“Contemplative prayer is hearing the Word of God. Far from being passive, such attentiveness is the obedience of faith, the unconditional acceptance of a servant, and the loving commitment of a child. It participates in the “Yes” of the Son become servant and the Fiat of God’s lowly handmaid.” — CCC 2716
“Contemplative prayer is silence, the ’symbol of the world to come’ or ’silent love.’ Words in this kind of prayer are not speeches; they are like kindling that feeds the fire of love. In this silence, unbearable to the ‘outer’ man, the Father speaks to us his incarnate Word, who suffered, died, and rose; in this silence the Spirit of adoption enables us to share in the prayer of Jesus.” — CCC 2717
So, what is the difference between Centering Prayer and Contemplative Prayer? I would describe Contemplative Prayer like this. Let’s say that you are with your loved one, sitting in front of the fireplace and just enjoying each others’ company. Not only are you feeling the warmth of the fire, but the warmth of knowing that this person loves you. No words are spoken, but there is this seance of feeling loved that is beyond words. I often feel this love of Christ during Adoration.
So, the main difference is that some strive for the emptiness feeling (a state of trance), rather than just basking in God’s love. One is based on simply a “feeling”, while the other speaks to the soul.
I hope this helps. If you need more information about some of the other New-Age practices that are sadly creeping into Catholic Churches and Christian homes, visit: www.NewAgeDeception.com. Sharon Lee Giganti has some free downloadable resources, including: 7 Reasons Why Centering Prayer Should NOT be in Your Parish, A Warning About: A Course in Miracles, Church Sanctioned Methods of Testing The Spirit, and Information on the Dangers of New Age Thinking and the New Thought Movement.
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