Newcomers are always welcome to share Meditation with the small group that meets each Wednesday, 7:00-8:00pm on the second floor of the Halloran Center. Ring the bell and walk in.
The focus of meditation for the Christian is Christ. This means that it is centered on the prayer of Christ continuously poured forth in the Holy Spirit in the depth of each human being. Deeper than all ideas of God is God himself. Deeper than imagination is the reality of God. So, in this way of pure prayer we leave all thoughts, words and images behind in order to set our minds on the Kingdom of God before all else. In this way we leave our egotistical self behind to die and rise to our true self in Christ.
"Meditation is the missing dimension of much Christian life today. It does not exclude other types of prayer and indeed deepens reverence for the sacraments and scripture" - Laurence Freeman OSB
"Be still and know that I am God"
Meditation is about coming to stillness of spirit and body. Despite all the distractions of the modern world, this silence is perfectly possible for people today. But to reach this stillness we have to devote time to the work of silence.
The way we do this is to recite a short phrase, or prayer-word, that today is commonly called mantra. The mantra is simply a faith-filled way of turning our attention beyond ourselves, a method of drawing us away from our own thoughts and concerns. The practice of meditation then develops harmony of body, mind and spirit.
This is the aim given us in Scripture: "Be still and know that I am God". In meditation we turn the searchlight of consciousness off ourselves. We are not thinking about or talking to God at all. We seek to do something immeasurably greater; we seek to be with God, to be in the mind of Christ. We go beyond thoughts, even holy thoughts. Meditation is concerned not with thinking but with being. The aim in our Christian prayer is to allow God's mysterious and silent presence that is already within us to become the reality which gives meaning, shape and purpose to everything we are and do. The first task of meditation, therefore is to bring our distracted mind to attention in stillness, silence and simplicity.
Practical and Simple
To meditate find a quiet place, and take a comfortable upright sitting position. Close your eyes gently. Sit relaxed but alert. Silently, interiorly, begin to repeat a single word, your mantra.
We recommend the mantra maranatha. Say it simply - ma-ra-na-tha - as four equally stressed syllables. You can say the word in rhythm with your breathing, fairly slow, fairly rhythmical.
Maranatha is an Aramaic word from the language Jesus spoke. It means "Come, Lord". It is probably the most ancient Christian prayer. Both St. Paul and St. John use it: to conclude 1: Corinthians and the Book of Revelation respectively.
Listen to the mantra as you say it, gently and continuously. You do not have to think or imagine anything, spiritual or otherwise. Meditation is not quiet reverie or passive stillness, but attentive wakefulness. When thoughts or images come at the time of meditation (they are distractions) return simply to saying your word. Don't try to dispel or repress distractions. Simply let them go by saying your mantra. Meditate each morning and evening for between twenty and thirty minutes.