Savio Rodrigues SJ

Centering prayer is not a concentrative practice, nor an exercise of attention. It is an exercise of intention. It is cultivating of the will and of the faculty of choice. It is a disposition of ongoing self-surrender. The will is developing a habit of surrender to God’s presence and His action.

Ask the Holy Spirit to help you choose a sacred word as a symbol of your intention of being willing to accept God’s presence and action within you. You could choose words like Abba, Jesus, Lord, father, mother, etc.

Once you have chosen your word, do not change it during your prayer, for that will set your mind thinking again.

Some prefer to use an internal sacred image, instead of the word. This is also equally beneficial.

Make sure you sit comfortably and are relaxed. Centering prayer requires that you are relaxed, that you retreat into yourself and that you repeat your sacred word.

Gently close your eyes so as to let go of all that is going on around and within you.

Centering prayer gets its strength from the unconscious mind, which is achieved by a constant seemingly monotonous repetition of the word, which in fact is attacking the unconscious.

The prayer period should last about twenty minutes.

Very gently and delicately introduce the sacred word. There is no need to keep constantly repeating it. Just let it gently emerge, without trying to articulate it, or pronounce it. It should not be a conscious effort, but a flow.

Return to the sacred word gently, using the minimum effort, only when you become aware of thoughts. Thoughts are feelings, images, memories, reflections, commentaries, or even sensitive perceptions. These are normal in centering prayer.

Returning to the sacred word is the only real conscious activity we engage ourselves in during the period of centering prayer. As we begin to let go, this sacred word may become hazy or even disappear.

Gently use the sacred word, and slowly begin to let go focusing on the presence of God. You may be able to hold on to this for a couple of minutes. When some thoughts come in, gently let go of the thoughts by getting back to the sacred word.

Keating says thoughts are like boats sailing on a river. You should try to concentrate on the river. The boats will attract your attention. Notice them and let them go by. Do not venture to examine them and their cargo, doing this leads to distraction. Once you have discovered you are distracted or focused on the boat, go back to your sacred word to renew your intention to be in God’s presence.

As you keep focusing on the river, you move from the ordinary level of consciousness, (feelings, images, memories, etc.) which is the surface of the river, to getting deeper.

A little deeper we arrive at the spiritual level of consciousness, (prayer times, etc.) where the mind is less dominated by worldly matters and is focused on spiritual matters.

At the deepest level we discover the true self and the Divine presence abiding deep within us.

At the end of your prayer period, remain silent. Open your eyes gently after about three minutes. It is important to make a gentle transition to the real world of noise.

Don’t try to judge your prayer depending on the amount of times you got thoughts. Thoughts are a part and parcel of centering prayer. You need to notice these boats sailing by, but not get involved with them during your prayer. The success of your prayer is judged by your awareness in daily life, and not on what transpired during the prayer.

After you have prayed you may choose to look into some of the cargo these boats were carrying, which surfaced as you went deeper into the river. These may lead you deeper into your inner self, which is your centre, where your God dwells. Here letting go and healing may take place which will help you focus more on the river.

The Prayer Method on this page has been provided with permission from the book Pray: How? by Savio Rodrigues SJ