Centering Prayer: 15 in the Afternoon

Let's pause together to rest and breathe in the quiet with God for 15 minutes. Remember that this practice is for your whole self. As Thomas Keating wrote, "Contemplative prayer is not so much the absence of thoughts as detachment from them. It is the opening of mind, body and emotions—our whole being—to God, the Ultimate Mystery, beyond words, thoughts and emotions." 

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:01

Hi there, this is Whitney and you're listening to Exploring Peace Meditations. Today's invitation is 15 Minutes in the Quiet with God. This time of listening is designed to be a reset for your afternoon. If you're not quite ready for 15 minutes, just scroll back into previous episodes and find a meditation that suits your time needs. There are meditations as short as 5 minutes and as long as 20 to help you center and be with God as you begin to find a comfortable posture in which you can be awake and also still begin to notice your breath.

Beginning the Silent Meditation

Speaker 1 1:03

This quote from Thomas Keating captures for me why we enter into this time of listening, of pausing. He wrote this Contemplative prayer is not so much the absence of thoughts as detachment from them. It is the opening of mind, body and emotions, our whole being, to God, the ultimate mystery beyond words, thoughts and emotions. So today, as we sit, as we sit in this time of contemplative prayer, of silence, of simply being, let us be reminded that this time is for our whole being, our mind, our body, our emotions. And for me it's helpful to be in this type of practice with another. So thank you for practicing with me. Take a full breath in through your nose and a long breath out through your mouth. And a long breath out through your mouth, creator, god. Be with us in these moments of quiet when our minds wander, and they will help us remember to simply let go and to be with you instead. Maybe today we hold that word be as our sacred word. If there's another word that rises to the top, let that word be your anchor in these no-transcript no-transcript.

Speaker 2 13:41

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Community Connection Invitation

Speaker 1 18:34

And a long, extended breath out through your mouth. Holy God, thank you. Thank you for a chance to pause in the middle of the day. Holy God, thank you. Thank you for a chance to pause in the middle of the day, to open our minds, to release our thoughts, to stretch our bodies and our spirits, simply by being with you. May this pause, this sit, this being time, help us, help us continue through this day and whatever it may hold, for it is in being with you that we practice being with others. Be with us as we continue this day. In your holy name we pray Amen. Thank you for being here, for exploring the gift of God's peace with me. I'd love to connect with you beyond this time. You can be part of our community at exploringpeacecom slash community. You can find my books and reach out at whitneyrsimpsoncom. Until next time, may God's peace be with you. You.