Centering Prayer
From the Desk of Father David
Dear Friends in Christ,
In today’s Gospel, Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a Landowner. Many people might feel the landowner is unfair because he paid those who worked one hour the same as those who worked all day under the blazing sun. I believe the point of the story is how generous God is and His desire to get everyone home to heaven. Remembering how Jesus promised the Good Thief on the cross that he will be with Him in paradise, shows us that it is never too late to turn back to God. Father Richard Sturtz preached that we are the ones hired at the last hour. I definitely believe he is right because it was the early Church that had the hard work of laying the foundation for the faith amidst persecutions. As we examine the centuries, we see many great men and women in difficult situations strengthening the Church and carrying the flame of faith into the darkness to help others believe. If you compare your life to any of the saints, you will easily see their work was a lot harder than yours. Even so you are promised heaven and eternal peace just like the saints. Jesus’ great dream is for everyone to make it home safely to heaven and He asks us to assist Him. Let us be so grateful that God is so generous.
Last Monday I presided at a healing service. During the service I did a brief explanation of Centering prayer. Here are the steps taken from the book An Invitation to Centering Prayer by M. Basil Pennington, OSCO page 65-66.
1. Sit upright in a comfortable chair. Close your eyes.
2. Be in faith and love to God. Many people begin with a simple opening prayer. For example: Lord we thank you for your wonderful relationship with us. For these few minutes we want to be wholly with you in love…in Christ.
3. Choose a single word and let it be gently present, supporting your surrender to God in faith-filled love.
4. Whenever you become aware of any sound, emotion, or thought, simple return to the Lord through the gentle repetition of your prayer word.
5. After your prayer time has concluded, slowly, quietly say the Lord’s Prayer. Let it bring a peaceful close to your time with God.
Some suggestions to try: 5-20 minutes twice a day, praying this way for 30 days and pick a quiet place and a time that you will have the least number of distractions.
There is a centering prayer app for those who like to use their phone or iPad. If you would like to see the healing service we did on the feast of the Exultation of the cross, go to YouTube, then type in Fourteen Holy Helpers Catholic Church in the search box and it will take you to our YouTube channel. Then choose Healing Service on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross 9/14/2020 Fourteen Holy Helpers .
May Almighty God give you peace and hold you close to His heart.
Peace and healing,
Fr. David
