Centering Prayer is a method designed to facilitate the development of contemplative prayer by preparing our faculties to receive this gift. It presents ancient Christian wisdom teachings in an updated form. Centering Prayer is not meant to replace other kinds of prayer; rather it casts a new light and depth of meaning on them. It is at the same time a relationship with God and a discipline to foster that relationship. This method of prayer is a movement beyond conversation with Christ to communion with him. The method formed as a direct result of the experiences reading the Cloud of Unknowing by the community at the
Trappist
The Trappists, officially known as the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (, abbreviated as OCSO) and originally named the Order of Reformed Cistercians of Our Lady of La Trappe, are a Religious order (Catholic), Catholic religious o ...
St. Joseph's Abbey in
Spencer, Massachusetts
Spencer is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,992 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census.
For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated pl ...
where three brothers in particular helped the method come into being; those brothers were: Fr.
William Meninger, Fr.
M. Basil Pennington and Abbot
Thomas Keating.
Name
The name was taken from
Thomas Merton
Thomas Merton (January 31, 1915December 10, 1968), religious name M. Louis, was an American Trappist monk, writer, theologian, Christian mysticism, mystic, poet, social activist and scholar of comparative religion. He was a monk in the Trapp ...
's description of
contemplative prayer
Christian mysticism is the tradition of mysticism, mystical practices and mystical theology within Christianity which "concerns the preparation f the personfor, the consciousness of, and the effect of ..a direct and transformative pr ...
, from which Centering Prayer draws, as prayer that is "centered entirely on the presence of God".
In his book ''Contemplative Prayer'', Merton writes "Monastic prayer begins not so much with 'considerations' as with a 'return to the heart,' finding one's deepest center, awakening the profound depths of our being in the presence of God".
Origins
The 20th-century Trappist monk and writer Thomas Merton renewed Christian interest in contemplative practices. In addition to traditional Trappist practices, late in his life he was influenced by
Buddhist meditation
Buddhist meditation is the practice of meditation in Buddhism. The closest words for meditation in the classical languages of Buddhism are ''bhavana, bhāvanā'' ("mental development") and ''Dhyāna in Buddhism, jhāna/dhyāna'' (a state of me ...
, particularly as found in
Zen
Zen (; from Chinese: ''Chán''; in Korean: ''Sŏn'', and Vietnamese: ''Thiền'') is a Mahayana Buddhist tradition that developed in China during the Tang dynasty by blending Indian Mahayana Buddhism, particularly Yogacara and Madhyamaka phil ...
. He became a friend of Buddhist
Thich Nhat Hanh Thích is a name that Vietnamese monks and nuns take as their Buddhist surname to show affinity with the Buddha.
Notable Vietnamese monks with the name include:
* Thích Huyền Quang (1919–2008), dissident and activist
* Thích Quảng Độ (1 ...
, praised
Chogyam Trungpa who founded
Shambhala Buddhism in the United States and was also an acquaintance of the current
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama (, ; ) is the head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The term is part of the full title "Holiness Knowing Everything Vajradhara Dalai Lama" (圣 识一切 瓦齐尔达喇 达赖 喇嘛) given by Altan Khan, the first Shu ...
. His theology attempted to unify the tenets of the
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
faith with other philosophical trends including
existentialism
Existentialism is a family of philosophical views and inquiry that explore the human individual's struggle to lead an authentic life despite the apparent absurdity or incomprehensibility of existence. In examining meaning, purpose, and valu ...
In this context, he was an advocate of the non-discursive style of contemplative prayer, which he saw as a direct confrontation of finite and irrational man with his ground of being.
Cistercian
The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...
monk
Thomas Keating, a founder of Centering Prayer, was abbot all through the 1960s and 1970s at St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts. This area is thick with religious retreat centres, including the well-known
Theravada
''Theravāda'' (; 'School of the Elders'; ) is Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school's adherents, termed ''Theravādins'' (anglicized from Pali ''theravādī''), have preserved their version of the Buddha's teaching or ''Dharma (Buddhi ...
Buddhist centre,
Insight Meditation Society. Keating tells of meeting many young people, some who stumbled on St. Joseph's by accident, many of them born Catholic, who had turned to Eastern practices for contemplative work. He found many of them had no knowledge of the contemplative traditions within Christianity and set out to present those practices in a more accessible way. The result was the practice now called Centering Prayer.
Seeds of what would become known as contemplation, for which the
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
term ''
theoria
Christian mysticism is the tradition of mysticism, mystical practices and mystical theology within Christianity which "concerns the preparation f the personfor, the consciousness of, and the effect of ..a direct and transformative pr ...
'' is also used, were sown early in the Christian era. The creators of the Centering Prayer movement trace their roots to the contemplative prayer of the
Desert Fathers
The Desert Fathers were early Christian hermits and ascetics, who lived primarily in the Wadi El Natrun, then known as ''Skete'', in Roman Egypt, beginning around the Christianity in the ante-Nicene period, third century. The ''Sayings of the Dese ...
of early
Christian monasticism
Christian monasticism is a religious way of life of Christians who live Asceticism#Christianity, ascetic and typically cloistered lives that are dedicated to Christian worship. It began to develop early in the history of the Christian Church, m ...
, to the ''
Lectio Divina
In Western Christianity, ''Lectio Divina'' (Latin for "Divine Reading") is a traditional monastic practice of scriptural reading, meditation and prayer intended to promote communion with God and to increase the knowledge of God's word. In the v ...
'' tradition of
Benedictine
The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...
monasticism
Monasticism (; ), also called monachism or monkhood, is a religion, religious way of life in which one renounces world (theology), worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual activities. Monastic life plays an important role in many Chr ...
, and to works like ''
The Cloud of Unknowing'' and the writings of
St. Teresa of Avila and
St. John of the Cross. The earliest Christian writings that clearly speak of contemplative prayer come from the 4th-century monk
St. John Cassian, who wrote of a practice he learned from the
Desert Fathers
The Desert Fathers were early Christian hermits and ascetics, who lived primarily in the Wadi El Natrun, then known as ''Skete'', in Roman Egypt, beginning around the Christianity in the ante-Nicene period, third century. The ''Sayings of the Dese ...
(). Cassian's writings remained influential until the medieval era when monastic practice shifted from a mystical orientation to
Scholasticism
Scholasticism was a medieval European philosophical movement or methodology that was the predominant education in Europe from about 1100 to 1700. It is known for employing logically precise analyses and reconciling classical philosophy and Ca ...
. During the 16th century, Carmelite saints
Teresa of Avila and
John of the Cross
St. John of the Cross (; ; né Juan de Yepes y Álvarez; 24 June 1542 – 14 December 1591) was a Spanish Roman Catholic priest, mystic, and Carmelite friar of ''Converso'' ancestry. He is a major figure of the Counter-Reformation in Spain, ...
wrote and taught about advanced
Christian prayer
Christian prayer is an important activity in Christianity, and there are several different forms used for this practice.
Christian prayers are diverse: they can be completely spontaneous, or read entirely from a text, such as from a breviary, wh ...
, which was given the name infused contemplation.
Practice
In Centering Prayer, the participant seeks the presence of God directly (aided by the
Jesus Prayer
The Jesus Prayer, also known as The Prayer, is a short formulaic prayer and is especially esteemed and advocated in Eastern Christianity and Catholicism. There are multiple versions of this prayer, however the most widely used version is as follo ...
, perhaps) and explicitly rejects discursive thoughts and imagined scenes. The participant's aim is to be present to the Lord, to "consent to God's presence and action during the time of prayer." Fr.
M. Basil Pennington describes four steps for practicing Centering Prayer:
# Sit comfortably with your eyes closed, relax, and quiet yourself. Be in love and faith to God.
# Choose a sacred word that best supports your sincere intention to be in the Lord's presence and open to His divine action within you.
# Let that word be gently present as your symbol of your sincere intention to be in the Lord's presence and open to His divine action within you.
# Whenever you become aware of anything (thoughts, feelings, perceptions, images, associations, etc.), simply return to your sacred word, your anchor.
In addition, Keating writes, "The method consists in letting go of every kind of thought during prayer, even the most devout thoughts". The "sacred word" can integrate with breathing in and out. Rather than being a tool to quiet the mind, it is a consent to the presence and action of God within and "just be" with God, helping people to be more present and open to God. Advocates of Centering Prayer also say it does not replace other prayer but encourages silence and deeper connection to God.
Centering Prayer advocates link the practice to traditional forms of Christian meditation, such as on the
Rosary
The Rosary (; , in the sense of "crown of roses" or "garland of roses"), formally known as the Psalter of Jesus and Mary (Latin: Psalterium Jesu et Mariae), also known as the Dominican Rosary (as distinct from other forms of rosary such as the ...
, or ''
Lectio Divina
In Western Christianity, ''Lectio Divina'' (Latin for "Divine Reading") is a traditional monastic practice of scriptural reading, meditation and prayer intended to promote communion with God and to increase the knowledge of God's word. In the v ...
'', and Keating has promoted both ''Lectio Divina'' and Centering Prayer.
Reception
Pope Francis
Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...
did not comment on Centering Prayer directly, but spoke very highly of
Thomas Merton
Thomas Merton (January 31, 1915December 10, 1968), religious name M. Louis, was an American Trappist monk, writer, theologian, Christian mysticism, mystic, poet, social activist and scholar of comparative religion. He was a monk in the Trapp ...
, who described contemplative prayer as prayer "centered entirely on the presence of God."
Pope Francis listed Merton as one of four great Americans in a speech before the U.S. Congress in September 2015 and encouraged sowing dialogue and peace in his contemplative style.
Criticism
In 1989, the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) is a department of the Roman Curia in charge of the religious discipline of the Catholic Church. The Dicastery is the oldest among the departments of the Roman Curia. Its seat is the Palace of t ...
, led by Cardinal
Joseph Ratzinger
Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as po ...
(later Pope Benedict XVI) issued ''Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on Some Aspects of Christian Meditation.''
The letter addresses problematic elements found in some modern prayer methods, many of which have been influenced by Eastern religions and the New Age movement. Keating notes that this letter does not apply to Centering Prayer, and states that "the gift of contemplative prayer can only be granted through the Holy Spirit."
Connie Rossini and Dan Burke, however, argue that there are similarities between the teaching of Keating and his colleagues and specific criticisms made by the CDF,
while Dan DeCelles considers Centering Prayer to fall afoul of the caution against similar prayer forms in this letter.
In 2003, the
Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the
Pontifical Council for Culture published ''Jesus Christ, the Bearer of the Water of Life: a Christian Reflection on the "New Age"''.
Susan Brinkmann writes that her concerns were addressed in this document.
Centering Prayer practitioners respond that ''Bearer of the Water of Life'' does not have doctrinal authority, and neither Vatican document mentions Centering Prayer, contemplative outreach, or Keating by name.
According to Rossini, Centering Prayer is contradicted by the teachings of
Teresa of Ávila
Teresa of Ávila (born Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda Dávila y Ahumada; 28March 15154or 15October 1582), also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, was a Carmelite nun and prominent Spanish mystic and religious reformer.
Active during the Counter-Re ...
.
She further states that Centering Prayer is in contradiction to ''
Lectio Divina
In Western Christianity, ''Lectio Divina'' (Latin for "Divine Reading") is a traditional monastic practice of scriptural reading, meditation and prayer intended to promote communion with God and to increase the knowledge of God's word. In the v ...
'',
arguing that traditional prayers such as the Holy Rosary and ''Lectio Divina'' engage the heart and mind with Sacred Scripture, while Centering Prayer is "devoid of content".
John D. Dreher argues that Centering Prayer is a distortion of the teachings of the
Desert Fathers
The Desert Fathers were early Christian hermits and ascetics, who lived primarily in the Wadi El Natrun, then known as ''Skete'', in Roman Egypt, beginning around the Christianity in the ante-Nicene period, third century. The ''Sayings of the Dese ...
and ''
The Cloud of Unknowing''.
Research
Research has been conducted on the Centering Prayer program, indicating that it may be helpful for women receiving chemotherapy,
and that it may help congregants experience a more collaborative relationship with God, as well as reduced stress.
Andrew B. Newberg explained one study that examined the brains of nuns who engaged in Centering Prayer, which is meant to create a feeling of oneness with God. The nuns' brain scans showed similarities to people who use drugs like
psilocybin
Psilocybin, also known as 4-phosphoryloxy-''N'',''N''-dimethyltryptamine (4-PO-DMT), is a natural product, naturally occurring tryptamine alkaloid and Investigational New Drug, investigational drug found in more than List of psilocybin mushroom ...
mushrooms, Newberg said, and both experiences "tend to result in very permanent changes in the way in which the brain works."
See also
*
Christian contemplation
Christian mysticism is the tradition of mysticism, mystical practices and mystical theology within Christianity which "concerns the preparation f the personfor, the consciousness of, and the effect of ..a direct and transformative pr ...
*
Hesychasm
Hesychasm () is a contemplative monastic tradition in the Eastern Christian traditions of the Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches in which stillness (''hēsychia'') is sought through uninterrupted Jesus prayer. While rooted in ...
*
Hesychia
References
Sources
;Printed sources
*
*
*
*
*
*
;Web-sources
Further reading
* ''Sadhana: A Way to God''. by
Anthony de Mello. 1978. .
*
* ''Contemplative Prayer''. by
Thomas Merton
Thomas Merton (January 31, 1915December 10, 1968), religious name M. Louis, was an American Trappist monk, writer, theologian, Christian mysticism, mystic, poet, social activist and scholar of comparative religion. He was a monk in the Trapp ...
. Image Books, 1996. .
*
Active Meditations for Contemplative Prayer', by
Thomas Keating. Continuum International Publishing Group, 1997. .
*
Foundations for Centering Prayer and the Christian contemplative life', by Thomas Keating. Continuum International Publishing Group, 2002. .
*
Open mind, open heart: the contemplative dimension of the Gospel', by Thomas Keating. Continuum International Publishing Group, 2002. .
*
*
* Chicoine, Glenn (2019), "A Defense of Centering Prayer," Cistercian Studies, 54(3), 319 - 340.
External links
Contemplative Outreach, network of people practicing Centering PrayerIs Centering Prayer Catholic? Finding intimacy with God through authentic contemplation.by ReadTheSpirit.com
Catholic Spiritual Direction.The Contemplative SocietyContemplative Prayer and The Cloud of UnknowingKyrie Centering Prayer IndexAbout Centering PrayerOnline Meditation Class
{{DEFAULTSORT:Centering Prayer
Catholic spirituality
Christian prayer