The Practice of Christian Meditation | Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P.
Sep 8, 2023
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Fr. Gregory Pine, a Christian meditation practitioner, discusses the distinctiveness and methods of Christian meditation, including the importance of recalling God's presence, stages of meditation, and spiritual reading. He emphasizes the transformative power of Christian meditation and the importance of recollection in prayer, creating a sacred space. The podcast also introduces various Christian prayer resources, podcasts, upcoming events, and offers prayers for the listeners.
Christian meditation aims to cultivate intimacy with God and lead individuals to holiness through various methods and practices.
Recollection, consciously recalling oneself to God's presence, helps counter distractions and establish a sacred space for conversation with God.
Deep dives
The Tradition of Christian Meditation
Christian meditation has a distinctive tradition within the Catholic Church and Protestant ecclesial communions. This tradition draws from various sources, including the sacred scriptures, the monastic tradition that emerged in the third and fourth centuries, and spiritual authors from the Middle Ages to modern times. With different methods and practices, Christian meditation aims to cultivate an ongoing intimacy with God and lead individuals to holiness.
The Method of St. Francis de Sales
St. Francis de Sales offers a method of Christian meditation that starts by consciously recalling oneself to the presence of God. This act of recognizing God's constant presence is typically done before prayer and helps to orient one's understanding and practice. St. Francis also encourages the use of spiritual reading and reflecting as antecedent steps to meditation. When actually meditating, one may work discursively through different doctrinal points or contemplate various Christian mysteries, such as creation, the Trinity, or the sacraments. The goal is to allow God to rearrange one's interior life to align more closely with His own.
Recollection and the Practice of Christian Prayer
A recurring theme in Christian prayer is recollection, or consciously recalling oneself to the presence of God. This practice helps to counter the distractions and concerns of the world. Various traditions and authors, such as the monks who prayed continuously, Brother Lawrence, and the Hezekas movement, advocate for this constant awareness of God's presence. Setting aside specific times during the day for short visits to the chapel or moments of recollection can help to establish and maintain this sacred space within which one can converse with God and experience sanctification.