Christian Meditation is not magic. If you are looking for the easy fix, you will not find it. However, whatever leads you to purity of heart and surrender to God will be major factors along the road. Christian Meditation, if practiced faithfully and with generosity, can contribute significantly to walking in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.
The most important thing to learn about meditation is to meditate. It is extraordinarily simple. That’s the problem. Very few, on first hearing about it, can believe that the simplicity can be so powerful.
This is how to meditate. Sit down. Sit still and upright. Close your eyes lightly. Sit relaxed but alert. Silently, interiorly, begin to say a single word, maranatha. Recite it as four syllables of equal length. Listen to it as you say it, gently but continuously. Do not think or imagine anything – spiritual or otherwise. If thoughts or images come, these are distractions at the time of meditation, so keep returning to simply saying the word. Meditate each morning and evening for between twenty and thirty minutes.
We have three simple goals to guide us in our twice daily meditation.
- We say the mantra for the complete time of the meditation. This is a skill and it will take time to create a steady habit.
- We say the mantra throughout the meditation without interruption. The task here is to continually return as soon as possible from the relentless distractions which are the ego’s hunger for control.
- In saying the mantra consistently, we let it draw us into the depths of our being beyond thought, imagination and all images. We rest in the presence of God dwelling in the depth of our heart. Merton calls this depth of the heart The Hidden Ground of Love.
The Gospel is not about self-analysis but self-transcendence. Meditation happens only when we shift attention away from ourselves.
When we start, we are concerned with progress, and how perfectly we are following the practices. But we learn that we have to let go of the attempt to measure progress. This is the challenge. It simply means to keep saying the mantra from the beginning to the end.
To learn to meditate we need to meditate every day, morning and evening. This should be between twenty and thirty minutes for each session. It is necessary while you are meditating to say the mantra from the beginning to the end.
Whatever thoughts come into your mind, whether they are good thoughts, religious thoughts, holy thoughts or bad thoughts, let them all go and return to say the mantra.
Here is a scenario that evolves from our faithful practice of daily Christian Meditation. Over a period of time, we grow in self-transcendence along with a deep sense of personal unity. We develop a solid sense of personal integrity. We experience a new openness and maturity in our personal relations. We steadily move away from self-centeredness towards inner unity and harmony. An expanded consciousness draws us into a deeper sense of the presence of God.
When I introduce this spiritual practice, I make the following points:
- It does not matter if you feel at peace even though this often is the case for beginners. How you feel is not the issue. The real issue is change in your heart that leads to a better life.
- Often, the mind seems as if you have a barrel of monkeys roaming around. You need to peacefully return to the mantra and continue repeating it slowly and steadily.
- It is important to reject all thoughts including good and inspiring ideas. There is another time for them but not during this sacred time seeking silence.
- Always remember, prayer is fundamentally an act of love for God. As Teresa said we need not think much but we need to love much.
- In the end, it comes down to discipline. One has to make time twice a day for twenty to thirty minutes. The practice can easily be put off and eventually will slip away.
