Clare McGivern shares how the experience of meditation, a prayer form used in monasteries for centuries, has been rediscovered as a practice for everyday life.

The practice of meditation has been in the Church as far back as the desert fathers and mothers. It was rediscovered by Benedictine John Main in the 1970s and involves sitting in silence twice daily for 20 to 30 minutes and quietly repeating the mantra Maranatha. The idea is that this act of contemplative practice calls us into the present moment to rest in God. It is described as a way of simplicity, stillness and silence.

Meditation is both solitary and communal. John Main was keen to share this gift with ordinary people, and the first centre for Christian Meditation was established in London in the 1970s. By the 1990s, after the establishment of the Worldwide Community for Christian Meditation (WCCM), this had evolved into a “monastery without walls”, with weekly groups meeting and supporting each other in more than 120 countries all around the world.

Getting Started

Like many who have tried to practise meditation, my experience has been one of stops and starts. I first began to meditate about 15 years ago, after attending a day run by the New Zealand Community for Christian Meditation.

The practice sounds simple, but 25 minutes of silence can bring an overwhelming awareness of how distracted our minds are. Thought of tasks undone, reruns of unresolved issues, an itch or feelings of physical discomfort all seem intent on calling us away from God and back to a sense of self-absorption. With gentleness we are asked to let these thoughts and feelings pass by and return to our sacred word. I experienced enough of the deep quiet I was aiming for to keep bringing me back, and for a number of years I met weekly with others in a nearby Presbyterian church to sit in silence and deepen my understanding of the meditation.

By then my circumstances changed and my commitment to the practice gradually slipped away. Over the ensuing years I returned to meditation several times and was once again reminded of how it offered an anchor, especially in challenging and difficult times.

I am surprised at the ease with which my young children happily sit with me for 20 minutes to meditate, and the stillness which they adopt. They love lighting the candle, reading the opening prayer and the sound of the meditation bell leading us into the silence. As the timer sounds at the end of the practice they smile contentedly up at me, blow out the candle and head back to their other activities.

Praying Together

John Main said that meditation builds community, so I again looked for a group to join that would fit in with my busy family schedule. At that stage none of those offered nearby worked for me until I discovered the treasure of online meditation.

Each day I join with other meditators from around the world to share morning and/or evening meditation. If time permits, I stay on for the sacred sharing which follows and this always provides a gem to carry me through the day. The group is facilitated by the UK-based WCCM Benedictine Oblates, and while the majority are based in the UK, meditators from America, Europe and Canada contribute, too. I am still astonished at the deep silence I experience and the sense of being part of something so much bigger than myself. The sight of a screen filled with the faces of like-minded people is so encouraging and a delight even when I’m a bit bleary eyed first thing in the morning. I find it is easier to meditate knowing that I am joining with others around the globe at the same time.

As God is beyond time it seems fitting that we cross the time zones to meet and there is a sense of the planet being wrapped in prayer as different groups gather for meditation. Our groups are greatly enriched by the presence of those from the Centering Prayer tradition who also share silence and their practice with us. The community has always had an ecumenical and inter-faith outreach and the genuine welcome which is extended to people of other faiths is very heartening to witness.

From a Child

My 9-year-old son is a regular participant in the online groups. “I have been meditating since I was about 6 or 7. At school we meditate together in the church each week but some of the kids find it difficult to sit still and not fidget. I like to meditate at home with Mum and sometimes my sister joins us, too. We sit together for 25 minutes and I like the peace and quiet — I say “Maranatha — Come Lord Jesus” silently in my head. About four or five times a week I join with the online WCCM meditation group and now I have friends from all around the world. When someone new joins us, I like to find out where they are from so I can look it up on my world map. My American friend Ken says that they are like my aunties and uncles and grandparents from across the pond. The time passes quickly and helps me to feel calm and peaceful. My dad and I are going to make a meditation stool these school holidays so I can sit more comfortably during the meditation.”

Learning to Meditate

The New Zealand Community for Christian Meditation offers regular community days, seminars and retreats throughout the country to share the practice. It supports schools that wish to introduce meditation to their children. As a teacher, I often witness the hunger that young people have for silence in a world dominated by devices, busyness and instant communication. The opportunity to sit in stillness with a class of teenagers is surprisingly refreshing.

Benedictine Laurence Freeman, who has been the director of WCCM since the death of John Main, will lead the National Silent Retreat in Hamilton in January next year. This retreat attracts meditators from throughout the country and from Australia. Fr Laurence will then lead a two-day seminar at Auckland City Hospital, “Meditatio — Contemplative Care”. Contemplative care is a dimension of healthcare practice that comes out of the great tradition of contemplative practice. It aims to enable the practitioner to develop better self-care, self-knowledge, inner reflection and intuition that informs their healthcare practice, and enlivens their personal presence with the patient. Seminar speakers from across the healthcare spectrum will dialogue with participants on the many ways Contemplative Care can be used to benefit both practitioner and patient alike.

With more silence in our lives I believe the world can be transformed into a place of healing and peace.

Tui Motu Magazine. Issue 232 November 2018: 20-21