- Day: Every Thursday
- Time: 7:30 pm
- Location: Sacred Heart Parish Centre
This ancient form of Christian prayer, rooted in the gospel and in the letters of St Paul, was taught by St John Cassian and the 4th century Desert Fathers, and is in the same tradition as the 14th century spiritual classic The Cloud of Unknowing. A Benedictine monk, Fr John Main OSB (1926-1982), has rediscovered this ancient prayer tradition for contemporary men and women. The World Community for Christian Meditation (WCCM) continues John Main’s vision of restoring the contemplative dimension to the common life of Christians and engaging in the common ground shared with the secular world and other religions. Meditation, also known as contemplative prayer, seeks God in the silence and stillness beyond word and thought. Today there are several thousand Christian Meditation groups around the world.
Our meetings last approximately 40-50 minutes and include a short recorded talk on meditation by John Main, Laurence Freeman, or another teacher in the World Community for Christian Meditation, 25 minutes of silent meditation, and sometimes a short discussion.
Newcomers are most welcome to join us. If you’d like to know more, please contact Peter Short, by email – petershort03@gmail.com – or on 07748911175. You can also visit the Community’s main website, www.wccm.org, or the website of the UK Community, www.christianmeditation.org.uk, for further information and resources.
How to meditate
Sit down. Sit still with your back straight. Close your eyes lightly. Then interiorly, silently begin to recite a single word – a prayer word or mantra. We recommend the ancient Christian prayer-word “Maranatha”. Say it as four equal syllables. Breathe normally and give your full attention to the word as you say it, silently, ge
ntly, faithfully and – above all – simply.
The essence of meditation is simplicity. Stay with the same word during the whole meditation and in each meditation day to day. Don’t visualise but listen to the word, as you say it. Let go of all thoughts (even good thoughts), images and other words. Don’t fight your distractions: let them go by saying your word faithfully, gently and attentively and returning to it as soon as you realise you have stopped saying or it or when your attention wanders.
Meditate twice a day, morning and evening, for between 20 and 30 minutes. It may take a time to develop this discipline and the support of a tradition and community is always helpful.
