By Parishioner Kate Mason
There are many ways I connect to the Divine. As a writer, I delight in the poetry found in the Book of Common Prayer. As a singer, I treasure raising my voice with my choral friends during service. And yet, despite these things, or perhaps because of them – my cornerstone spiritual practice is silent Christian Contemplation.
Here’s how to try it (instructions from ContemplativeOutreach.org):
- Choose a sacred word as the symbol of your intention to consent to God’s presence and action within.
- Sitting comfortably and with eyes closed, settle briefly and silently introduce the sacred word as the symbol of your consent to God’s presence and action within.
- When engaged with your thoughts, return ever-so-gently to the sacred word. (Thoughts can mean actual thoughts, memories, feelings, bodily sensations — anything that distracts us from God in the present moment.)
- At the end of the prayer period, remain in silence with eyes closed for a couple of minutes.
Most of us work our way up to 20-minute sits. Sometimes the time vanishes in the blink of an eye. Sometimes, it takes an eternity. This, too, is part of the practice.
For me personally, this practice allows me to engage openly with my life — the good and the bad — and to open myself to the possibility of transformation. I’m slowly learning, on a deep deep level, that I create my own suffering when I try to take over the reins from God. I have a long way yet to go.
If you’re curious, talk to me. This path isn’t for everyone. There are many ways to embrace the Great Mystery who has created, redeemed, and sustains us. But perhaps, if you’ve read this far, it’s for you.