Silent Meditation is the inner prayer of the heart where we are simply being with God who is in us in the Holy Spirit whom Jesus has given us. The prayer of the heart is essentially the prayer of faith. In silence we humbly accept that God knows our needs, we trust in his love which created us, and persevere with the knowledge that his love will eventually complete us.
SILENT MEDITATION - The Prayer of the Heart
Friday mornings in St. Joseph's Chapel at the Spirituality Center (see the 2023 calendar here for schedule updates/changes)
- 11:00-11:10AM Optional: Time for questions/instruction, transition
- 11:10-11:15AM Opening Reflection
- 11:15-11:40AM Silent Meditation
- 11:40-11:45AM Closing Prayer
Download guides: How to Meditate | Meditating in the Christian Tradition
We meditate in a group in order to share the simple silence and stillness that connects us all to the common source of life, bringing the members - and those whose lives they are involved in - closer to the peace we need to flourish as human beings. We meet weekly to meditate together and support each other in our personal daily practice.
We are a Christian based group open to all denominations and welcome all who seek to deepen their relationship with the Lord our God.
"Meditation is a universal practice that leads beyond words, images and thoughts into that faith-filled and presence-filled emptiness, the poverty of spirit, that we call the silence of God. What is particularly Christian about it is the awareness that by faith it takes us directly into the prayer of Jesus himself. This means it leads us into a transformative discovery of his indwelling presence: ‘Christ in you.’ When we share in the human consciousness of Jesus, who is simultaneously open to each of us and to God, we begin to be more truly open to one another. We can create and experience the evolving union of persons that we call community. As the fruits of the Spirit appear – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, fidelity, gentleness, and self-control – so also does the grace of recognizing Jesus in our deeper selves and in one another." ~ Laurence Freeman OSB, A Pearl of Great Price
“Let the truth be in your hearts, as it will be if you practice meditation, and you will see clearly what love we are bound to have for our neighbors.”
- St. Teresa of Avila, The Way of Perfection
The World Community for Christian Meditation
BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD – Psalm 46:10
“The all important aim in Christian Meditation is to allow God’s mysterious and silent presence within us to become more and more not only a reality, but the reality which gives meaning, shape and purpose to everything we do, to everything we are….” -John Main, OSB
The World Community for Christian Meditation, which is inclusive of all denominations, shares a commitment to the discipline of meditation, inspired by the early Christian Desert Fathers and Mothers, and John Cassian in particular, which was taught and articulated by Fr. John Main, OSB (1926-1982). It transforms our lives in its twice daily practice and creates a community that constitutes a monastery without walls.
Our commitment is to share the teaching and practice of Christian meditation throughout the world, leading to an ever-deepening union with the living Christ present within us all. As we incorporate a daily practice of meditation into our lives, we are then turned outward into practical care for all members of the human family and experience from within an increasing respect for the interdependence of all creation. The worldwide activities and programs of WCCM, now led by Fr. John’s successor, Fr. Laurence Freeman, OSB can be viewed at www.wccm.org.
We believe that understanding the gift of meditation is truly gained in the experience and practice of meditation, more than in the reading or study about it, so we welcome you to visit a group near to you or find an introductory event to attend. Meditation creates community.