The second practice in partnering with the Spirit is Centering Prayer—a prayer of consent to God's transforming work within us and a prayer opening us to the mystery of spiritual transformation.​

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Even as we acknowledge our own powerlessness, we still have agency in how we respond to God and our resulting actions. In Romans 12:1-2 Paul urges his fellow believers to offer—to consent or surrender—themselves to God. Furthermore, though we have all experienced God's transformation in some way, the process itself remains a mystery, happening in the deepest places of our being through divine presence and action. The word Paul uses for transformation in Greek is metamorphao, like the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly.

 

Speaking to this process, Ruth Hailey Barton writes, 

Whatever we think we might know about spiritual transformation, the decision to give ourselves to the experience of spiritual transformation brings us to the very edge of what we know and leaves us peering into the unknown… it is one thing to be able to tweak and control external behaviors; it is another thing to experience those internal seismic shifts that change the way I exist in this world. (Sacred Rhythms)

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Centering Prayer is a silent form of prayer that allows us to receive the gift of God's presence—to commune with God beyond communication. It is an act of surrender and consent to God's work within us, creating the conditions for the renewal and transformation of our minds. By letting go of thoughts, emotions, and sensations, we dedicate our full attention to God and simply dwell in His presence.​​

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A couple things to note about Centering Prayer:
 

• The guidelines are simple, yet the practice may be challenging or hard to value at first as the main fruits of the prayer are felt in daily life over time, not during the prayer.

• You are not trying to achieve freedom of thoughts, emotions, or sensation. You are invited to rest in God's presence, and release any thoughts, emotions, or sensations as they arise. Father Thomas Keating shared a story about a nun who worried over her rampant thoughts during her first prayer session. He reassured her saying, "How lovely, ten thousand opportunities to return to God." Your thoughts are opportunities, not obstacles.

• Traditionally, this prayer is practiced for 20 minutes, twice a day. In our communal experience, we spent five minutes in prayer together as an introduction to the practice.

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*To learn more about Centering Prayer, check out this resource from Contemplative Outreach.