Centering prayer is like coming home. It helps me remember who I am. In a world that has so many claims on us and that pressures us to be other than who we “truly” are, it is a reminder that we are a loved being, a child of God. We realize and remember that we are literally breathed by Another and connected to all others in a web of care. All of our strivings for security and safety, affection and esteem, power and control are meaningless outside of God’s love. It is the ultimate rest stop on our journey, where we bring “nothing” and receive everything.
Last weekend, Program Associate Claire Rusowicz and I welcomed 35 individuals who came to Mercy by the Sea to “rest in God.” The three-day silent retreat offered Centering Prayer sessions; a labyrinth walk; Saturday night gathering with chants, prayers and reflection; and much quiet time for walks on the beach and grounds, reading, gazing at the artwork that graces the main building; and private prayer.
Many of the participants asked for copies of various quotes, poems and prayers that were used throughout the retreat. Here is a sampling:
This week Mercy by the Sea is immersed in silence. The summer retreat season, which runs from the end of June through July and August, is now in full swing with a combination of directed retreats and two summer Sabbaths.
Years ago when I lived in New York City, I co-facilitated a Centering Prayer group at St. Bartholomew’s Church. Walking home one evening, my facilitation partner mentioned that each morning when she prayed, her cat joined her. Jealousy stabbed my heart. I had two cats and neither joined me for my morning prayer. What was wrong with me? Was she more spiritual than I was?
