Meditation is A Necessity
Written by Fr. George Paulus, CSE
(translated from the Indonesian version)
Meditation groups are raging in many big cities, such as Jakarta or San Francisco or New York. People are flocking to find inner and physical refreshment through yoga practices, transcendental meditation, crystal healing, aromatherapy, and others. Achievement of alpha waves (waves at low frequencies) of the brain is an addiction. Stress is reduced, the mind becomes clearer, even the body feels fresh and there is an increased in productivity.
Such phenomenon, as those found in Jakarta, has actually become a global culture. A Vatican document titled "Jesus Christ, the Living Water - Christian Reflection on the 'New Age'", enunciates the fundamental shift in perspective on the lives of man in this era:
1. From a mechanistic Newtonian physics to quantum physics;
2. From the exultation of modernity ratio to acknowledgement of feelings, emotions, and experiences (often displayed as a shift from 'left brain' - rational thinking – to 'right brain' - intuitive thinking);
3. From the dominance of masculinity and patriarchy to a celebration of feminism in individuals or in societies.
It should be recognized that new age practices can indeed bring freshness both physically and spiritually, as well as improvements in moral life. However, the offered Aquarian practices are not enough. At a certain level, their spirituality should be reviewed critically. Behind the new age movements are synchronizing esoteric elements (interest in mysterious and occult concepts) and secularism. This leads to excessive praises to exult the human person and his capacity. At this stage, men are believed to be able to acquire divine power through their own efforts. Every man has the potential to become ‘gods’ when they unite the consciousness (or equalize their vibration) with the vibration of the universe.
The new age concept of humanity implicitly expresses their attitude about God. According to this concept, God is "the principle of non-personal life", "soul or spirit that pervades the universe". God is not personal, but an accumulation of consciousness that permeates everything. Meditation and all inner exercises are directed toward the consolidation and harmonization with that universal consciousness.
Be Cautious in Choosing Meditation Methods
When I say "meditation is a necessity", it is clear what I mean is not a new age-style meditation. Catholic meditations are altogether a different kind. The sitting and focusing methods can be similar. However, the spirituality and the purpose are entirely different. The new age meditation style claims not only bringing freshness of body and soul, but directing people to enlightenment, making them equivalent to the principal humans who have ever lived. Jesus of Nazareth is recognized only as one of the human beings. In other words, new age insists that every man can be the other 'Messiah', 'Buddha', or 'Avatar'. On the other hand, Catholic meditation leads to the union with God through the way of self-surrender and humility of heart. Thus, Catholic meditation is a prayer.
Catholic meditation leads on to the awareness that it is God who firstly loved mankind. He longs to find men more than men long to find Him. The inner centralization and meditation is directed towards the preparation of a deeper prayer, which is contemplation. God longs to find people and communicates with him. At the deepest stage of prayer, a man indeed meets and is united in Him, so that there is no further conversation needed. God’s mind becomes my mind and God's will be my will. That is divine contemplation. That's the treasure and the precious value of the hidden pearl.
The extraordinary value of this divine meditation and contemplation can be seen from the fruits:
1. With these exercises, if done earnestly, one learns to master his body, mood, and thoughts. Thus, his ability to concentrate and to pay attention is magnified.
2. Mastery of the mind and its fantasies will improve memory, stimulate intellectual activity, and further strengthen the will.
3. The greatest benefits, however, are found in the spiritual realm:
Catholic Meditation Methods
The new age meditation style stems from excessive appreciation in the human capacity and results in the human idolatry. I cannot find more suitable words to describe this trend than the word "arrogant". The light that they offer only leads to blindness, just like bright lights can be damaging to our human eyes. This kind of bravado and cockiness is close to that of Lucifer’s, the fallen angel of light.
Catholic meditation is derived from the consciousness of human weakness and the openness to the grace of Christ’s redemption. The purpose of this meditation is a union with God. Not to be God, but so that God can work freely through His children. If the root of new age meditation is pride, Catholic meditation is based on humility.
There are several methods that have stood the test of Catholic meditation. Among other things: Jesus Prayer (by repeating the name of Jesus) or Lectio Divina (by meditating the Scripture). Below I will give some guidance for both forms of meditation.
I. A Practical Guide to do Jesus Prayer
Take a good sitting posture, whether cross-legged or with a footstool or a chair. The important thing is your back should be upright. If sitting crossed-legged, try to keep both your knees close on the floor. Supported pillow can be used here for your posture. Your eyes can be closed or opened. If you open your eyes direct them to about one meter (2 feet) in front of the floor.
Be aware of your senses. Start from the hearing. Listen to the farthest sound to the closest one, from the loudest to the faintest. Then imagine the sound flowing like a river. Similarly the feeling that are touching your skin, whether it is itch, cold, heat, friction with clothing. Feel also the heart beat and your pulse. Be aware of your feelings and let them pass. Do not give them attention anymore. Do the same for the olfactory and finally your thoughts. Leave them all to flow like a river.
In meditation, it is far more difficult to resist any distraction than just simply letting each disturbance to pass on like a river. We can make a comparison such as this, while we are concentrating and having conversation with others in the market, we realize there are people all around us passing by. However, those who pass by and talk will not affect your conversation. So does communication with God. Let the others go by, do not look and pay attention to them.
Take a deep breath and exhale slowly. Do it as slowly and gently as possible, but do not force it. Just breathe naturally and relax. Then, start calling out the name of Jesus with faith and love. You can do it in rhythm, synchronizing it with the rhythm of your breath. While breathing in you say: Jeee…, breathe out: …susss. Or you may also say: Lord --- Jesussss. Or you may also say: Lord Jesus Christ ----Son of the living God --- --- have mercy on me -----a sinner---. Or: Lord Jesus Christ --- have mercy on me.
Some notes:
1. Some people ask how long should we do the Prayer of Jesus? For beginners, a quarter-hour to twenty minutes would be enough. Ideally, let yourself be silent for half an hour. Slowly add the time up to one hour of prayer. The most important thing is consistency.
2. Gradually increase your prayer time, but be consistent. Many people who start buoyantly, but eventually stopped praying altogether. It should be noted, usually at the beginning, those who practice this prayer will be given much consolation. However, precisely at the higher level, often the consolations are not there anymore. What is important at this moment is our faithfulness. The comparison is with Jesus on the cross who remained faithful despite the fact that He did not feel the presence of His Father anymore.
3. At certain moments, God can draw the soul into deeper silence, until one cannot even say the name of Jesus, but not because of sleepiness or distraction. The soul is experiencing the presence of God that permeates throughout its existence. If you are experiencing it, do not be afraid; keep staying in silence with no word until the moment you are out of it, then return back calling Jesus’ Name.
4. Do not despair if you digress often. This prayer is a kind of exercise. We may not be able to be proficient in just one or two days.
5. If you distracted, as I said above, do not fight it. The more you fight it, the stronger it is. Imagine that every digression is flowing like a river in front of you. Do not pay them attention.
6. Generally, if you are familiar with this prayer, you will find yourself automatically calling the name of Jesus anytime, anywhere. Like when you driving, walking, waiting, mopping, cleaning or doing works that do not demand a lot of concentration.
II. A Practical Guide for Doing Lectio Divina Take a text from the Scripture that you are familiar with and have previously prepared. You can choose the readings from the liturgical calendar. Do the Lectio Divina in 4 steps:
1. First: Lectio or reading. Read slowly with full attention. Ask: What does the text’s mean within its context and culture of that time?
2. Second: Meditatio or digestion. Digest and permeate the texts or phrases, especially ones that touch your heart. You may ask: What is the Lord saying to me personally through this text? What is my personal response? Then you can repeat the text or sentence that touches your heart, repeat it until your heart is content.
3. Third: Oratio or prayer. Based on the text, talk to God heart to heart and express the deepest desire of your heart to Him. Remember, the most important prayer is not to think a lot about God, but to love a lot. That is the message of Saint Teresa of Avila.
4. Fourth: Contemplatio or contemplation. After talking for a while, learn to listen to God, while looking to Him with your faith present in you. When all your attention is not focused on the presence of God anymore, then return to the first step and begin with the next text or next verse. Repeat this process as above until the specified prayer time has finished.
Closing
Many people claim of having a hard time to concentrate in meditation. That's a sensible hurdle as meditation is an exercise. Once again I emphasize that no one can instantly prolong their time of meditation. The more one is trained in meditation, the more readily he enters into exterior and inner and spiritual silence. Therefore, don’t give up if it is still difficult to enter the silence. The most important thing is your efforts in giving more time to God.
(translated from the Indonesian version)
Meditation groups are raging in many big cities, such as Jakarta or San Francisco or New York. People are flocking to find inner and physical refreshment through yoga practices, transcendental meditation, crystal healing, aromatherapy, and others. Achievement of alpha waves (waves at low frequencies) of the brain is an addiction. Stress is reduced, the mind becomes clearer, even the body feels fresh and there is an increased in productivity.
Such phenomenon, as those found in Jakarta, has actually become a global culture. A Vatican document titled "Jesus Christ, the Living Water - Christian Reflection on the 'New Age'", enunciates the fundamental shift in perspective on the lives of man in this era:
1. From a mechanistic Newtonian physics to quantum physics;
2. From the exultation of modernity ratio to acknowledgement of feelings, emotions, and experiences (often displayed as a shift from 'left brain' - rational thinking – to 'right brain' - intuitive thinking);
3. From the dominance of masculinity and patriarchy to a celebration of feminism in individuals or in societies.
It should be recognized that new age practices can indeed bring freshness both physically and spiritually, as well as improvements in moral life. However, the offered Aquarian practices are not enough. At a certain level, their spirituality should be reviewed critically. Behind the new age movements are synchronizing esoteric elements (interest in mysterious and occult concepts) and secularism. This leads to excessive praises to exult the human person and his capacity. At this stage, men are believed to be able to acquire divine power through their own efforts. Every man has the potential to become ‘gods’ when they unite the consciousness (or equalize their vibration) with the vibration of the universe.
The new age concept of humanity implicitly expresses their attitude about God. According to this concept, God is "the principle of non-personal life", "soul or spirit that pervades the universe". God is not personal, but an accumulation of consciousness that permeates everything. Meditation and all inner exercises are directed toward the consolidation and harmonization with that universal consciousness.
Be Cautious in Choosing Meditation Methods
When I say "meditation is a necessity", it is clear what I mean is not a new age-style meditation. Catholic meditations are altogether a different kind. The sitting and focusing methods can be similar. However, the spirituality and the purpose are entirely different. The new age meditation style claims not only bringing freshness of body and soul, but directing people to enlightenment, making them equivalent to the principal humans who have ever lived. Jesus of Nazareth is recognized only as one of the human beings. In other words, new age insists that every man can be the other 'Messiah', 'Buddha', or 'Avatar'. On the other hand, Catholic meditation leads to the union with God through the way of self-surrender and humility of heart. Thus, Catholic meditation is a prayer.
Catholic meditation leads on to the awareness that it is God who firstly loved mankind. He longs to find men more than men long to find Him. The inner centralization and meditation is directed towards the preparation of a deeper prayer, which is contemplation. God longs to find people and communicates with him. At the deepest stage of prayer, a man indeed meets and is united in Him, so that there is no further conversation needed. God’s mind becomes my mind and God's will be my will. That is divine contemplation. That's the treasure and the precious value of the hidden pearl.
The extraordinary value of this divine meditation and contemplation can be seen from the fruits:
1. With these exercises, if done earnestly, one learns to master his body, mood, and thoughts. Thus, his ability to concentrate and to pay attention is magnified.
2. Mastery of the mind and its fantasies will improve memory, stimulate intellectual activity, and further strengthen the will.
3. The greatest benefits, however, are found in the spiritual realm:
- One’s life becomes divine. Everything he does becomes even more valuable in the eyes of God and will be a great blessing for the entire Church, maybe even for the entire humanity.
- He himself will also be filled with profound happiness. He will be freed from all forms of worries and anxieties, and is more resistant to bear the burdens and the cross of life.
- His mind will also benefit from the greater divine light. He is better able to explore the mystery of God, both contained in the Bible and in the reality of God’s works.
- Love and happiness will flow out to the people around him.
Catholic Meditation Methods
The new age meditation style stems from excessive appreciation in the human capacity and results in the human idolatry. I cannot find more suitable words to describe this trend than the word "arrogant". The light that they offer only leads to blindness, just like bright lights can be damaging to our human eyes. This kind of bravado and cockiness is close to that of Lucifer’s, the fallen angel of light.
Catholic meditation is derived from the consciousness of human weakness and the openness to the grace of Christ’s redemption. The purpose of this meditation is a union with God. Not to be God, but so that God can work freely through His children. If the root of new age meditation is pride, Catholic meditation is based on humility.
There are several methods that have stood the test of Catholic meditation. Among other things: Jesus Prayer (by repeating the name of Jesus) or Lectio Divina (by meditating the Scripture). Below I will give some guidance for both forms of meditation.
I. A Practical Guide to do Jesus Prayer
Take a good sitting posture, whether cross-legged or with a footstool or a chair. The important thing is your back should be upright. If sitting crossed-legged, try to keep both your knees close on the floor. Supported pillow can be used here for your posture. Your eyes can be closed or opened. If you open your eyes direct them to about one meter (2 feet) in front of the floor.
Be aware of your senses. Start from the hearing. Listen to the farthest sound to the closest one, from the loudest to the faintest. Then imagine the sound flowing like a river. Similarly the feeling that are touching your skin, whether it is itch, cold, heat, friction with clothing. Feel also the heart beat and your pulse. Be aware of your feelings and let them pass. Do not give them attention anymore. Do the same for the olfactory and finally your thoughts. Leave them all to flow like a river.
In meditation, it is far more difficult to resist any distraction than just simply letting each disturbance to pass on like a river. We can make a comparison such as this, while we are concentrating and having conversation with others in the market, we realize there are people all around us passing by. However, those who pass by and talk will not affect your conversation. So does communication with God. Let the others go by, do not look and pay attention to them.
Take a deep breath and exhale slowly. Do it as slowly and gently as possible, but do not force it. Just breathe naturally and relax. Then, start calling out the name of Jesus with faith and love. You can do it in rhythm, synchronizing it with the rhythm of your breath. While breathing in you say: Jeee…, breathe out: …susss. Or you may also say: Lord --- Jesussss. Or you may also say: Lord Jesus Christ ----Son of the living God --- --- have mercy on me -----a sinner---. Or: Lord Jesus Christ --- have mercy on me.
Some notes:
1. Some people ask how long should we do the Prayer of Jesus? For beginners, a quarter-hour to twenty minutes would be enough. Ideally, let yourself be silent for half an hour. Slowly add the time up to one hour of prayer. The most important thing is consistency.
2. Gradually increase your prayer time, but be consistent. Many people who start buoyantly, but eventually stopped praying altogether. It should be noted, usually at the beginning, those who practice this prayer will be given much consolation. However, precisely at the higher level, often the consolations are not there anymore. What is important at this moment is our faithfulness. The comparison is with Jesus on the cross who remained faithful despite the fact that He did not feel the presence of His Father anymore.
3. At certain moments, God can draw the soul into deeper silence, until one cannot even say the name of Jesus, but not because of sleepiness or distraction. The soul is experiencing the presence of God that permeates throughout its existence. If you are experiencing it, do not be afraid; keep staying in silence with no word until the moment you are out of it, then return back calling Jesus’ Name.
4. Do not despair if you digress often. This prayer is a kind of exercise. We may not be able to be proficient in just one or two days.
5. If you distracted, as I said above, do not fight it. The more you fight it, the stronger it is. Imagine that every digression is flowing like a river in front of you. Do not pay them attention.
6. Generally, if you are familiar with this prayer, you will find yourself automatically calling the name of Jesus anytime, anywhere. Like when you driving, walking, waiting, mopping, cleaning or doing works that do not demand a lot of concentration.
II. A Practical Guide for Doing Lectio Divina Take a text from the Scripture that you are familiar with and have previously prepared. You can choose the readings from the liturgical calendar. Do the Lectio Divina in 4 steps:
1. First: Lectio or reading. Read slowly with full attention. Ask: What does the text’s mean within its context and culture of that time?
2. Second: Meditatio or digestion. Digest and permeate the texts or phrases, especially ones that touch your heart. You may ask: What is the Lord saying to me personally through this text? What is my personal response? Then you can repeat the text or sentence that touches your heart, repeat it until your heart is content.
3. Third: Oratio or prayer. Based on the text, talk to God heart to heart and express the deepest desire of your heart to Him. Remember, the most important prayer is not to think a lot about God, but to love a lot. That is the message of Saint Teresa of Avila.
4. Fourth: Contemplatio or contemplation. After talking for a while, learn to listen to God, while looking to Him with your faith present in you. When all your attention is not focused on the presence of God anymore, then return to the first step and begin with the next text or next verse. Repeat this process as above until the specified prayer time has finished.
Closing
Many people claim of having a hard time to concentrate in meditation. That's a sensible hurdle as meditation is an exercise. Once again I emphasize that no one can instantly prolong their time of meditation. The more one is trained in meditation, the more readily he enters into exterior and inner and spiritual silence. Therefore, don’t give up if it is still difficult to enter the silence. The most important thing is your efforts in giving more time to God.
Practicing Jesus Prayer by sitting on a chair.
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Practicing Jesus Prayer by sitting in a lotus (crossed legged) position,
using a support pillow.
|
A nun is practicing Jesus Prayer by sitting on a footstool.