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Centering Prayer: Seeking God Within

You Are Invited to Seek Intimacy with God at The Church of the Redeemer

                        “But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and
                         pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees
                         in secret will   reward you.”
                                                          Matthew 6:6

You are invited to join in the journey toward intimacy with God / Ultimate Reality.  At The Church of the Redeemer we enjoy two classes that follow this pathway through the practice of Centering Prayer.  This practice can be summarized in five steps:
           

1. Silence of the exterior world.  We go into a place of silence (“go into your room and shut the door”), where the external demands of the world do not call to us, or at least do not call so loudly.
2. Silence of the interior world.  We state internally our intention to be present to God / Ultimate Reality (“pray to your Father who is in secret”).  We claim only an intention, for our busy minds do and will wander.
3. Surrender to God / Ultimate Reality.  We practice the giving of ourselves entirely to God—not that we succeed!  But we offer ourselves for God’s action within, for the purification of our motives and behavior.
4. Service to others.  Our sitting in quiet silence acquaints us with ourselves in such a way that compassion for ourselves and others grows to overflowing.  This motivates us to work for justice and peace in the world.
5. Union with God / Ultimate Reality.  St. Paul describes this aspect of the journey in these words:  “. . . it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me . . . .”  (Galatians 2:20).  We are so totally one with Christ / God that our actions flow from this source.  Our “reward” is joy, peace, compassion—a flowering and opening of ourselves into the world at large.

The Church of the Redeemer offers two ongoing Centering Prayer / meditation classes.  The Wednesday evening class meets from 6 to 7 pm in the Chapel.  The emphasis in this class is on the sitting practice of Centering Prayer.  We sit silently for two 20-minute sessions, separated by a 5-minute period of walking meditation.  The hour concludes with a short reading.

The Saturday morning class meets from 10 to 11:30 am in the Cloister Room.  We sit for a single 25-minute period of Centering Prayer.  We also receive instruction by means of a short DVD or reading.  This class is more relaxed due to the additional half hour devoted to it.

There is no charge.  You are invited to attend, even if you cannot come regularly.  Beginners are welcome; we offer additional assistance if desired.  These two different classes meet on either Wednesday or Saturday.  We will, however, take a break during the holiday season, so the final classes of the fall session will end on the week before Thanksgiving.  Please contact Sherrill Pantle for additional information or confirmation of meetings:  sdpantle@comcast.net or 410-377-0381.