Catholic Meditation: A Spiritual Practice For Mindfulness

Catholic meditation is a form of prayer that brings you closer to God. It is not about emptying your mind, but rather engaging your thoughts, imagination, emotion and desire to know the Lord, understand His love, and move into a deep union with Him. It is a sustained form of prayer that fills the mind with thoughts of God and your relationship with Him. It demands concentration and intention, fostering divine inspiration and prayers that you can offer to your Heavenly Father.

Catholic meditation is a form of prayer

There are two forms of Catholic meditation: formal and informal. Formal meditation is the intentional and methodical act of bringing one's mind and heart to God. It is a sustained form of praying that involves silent elevation and application of the mind and heart to God. Informal meditation is the act of thinking about God randomly throughout the day.

The steps of Catholic meditation include preparation and opening in prayer, spiritual reading, reflection and internal conversation, making a resolution, and offering a petition to God. It is important to approach Catholic meditation slowly and with an open mind and heart.

Catholic meditation is different from traditional meditation, which can involve emptying the mind and moving away from God. Catholic meditation encourages engagement and concentration on God and His work in one's life. It is a way to grow as a believer and deepen one's relationship with God.

It fills the mind with thoughts of God

Catholic meditation is a form of prayer that fills the mind with thoughts of God and one's relationship with Him. It is not about emptying the mind but engaging it in prayer, seeking to know the Lord, understand His love, and move into deep union with Him.

Catholic meditation is different from traditional meditation or secular meditation, which often involves emptying the mind and looking inward. In contrast, Catholic meditative prayer encourages engagement and demands concentration and intention. It fills the mind with thoughts of Christ and His work in one's life, fostering divine inspiration and prayers offered to God.

The Bible supports this practice, as Psalm 1:2 says, "blessed is the person who meditates on the law of the Lord instead of walking in the counsel of the wicked." By meditating on God's word, Catholics shield themselves from evil thoughts and focus on God and what He wants to say to them.

To meditate as a Catholic, one can follow these steps:

• Prepare and Open in Prayer: Find a quiet place, get into a comfortable position, and begin by praying. Ask God to help you enter a state of deep, meditative prayer, and offer praise and requests for mercy.
• Read from the Bible: Read a short passage from the Bible, preferably from the Gospels, carefully and slowly. Let the words soak in.
• Meditate on the Passage: Reflect on the passage, think about its relevance to your life, and ask yourself how it impacts your relationship with God.
• Talk to God: Open an honest conversation with God, pouring out your thoughts on the passage and listening for His response. Stay focused and control your internal conversation.
• Make a Resolution: If God reveals a truth or inspires you to change, resolve to work on it and write it down.
• Offer a Petition to God: Pray for yourself, your loved ones, the Church, and any other intentions you have.

Through Catholic meditation, one can grow closer to God, understand His will, and experience His peace and love. It is a practice that nurtures the relationship between the individual and God, filling the mind with thoughts of Him.

It is not the same as non-Christian meditation

Catholic meditation is not the same as non-Christian meditation. While non-Christian meditation practices aim to empty the mind, Catholic meditation engages the mind in prayer. It is not about transcending the body or reaching a state of nothingness, but about focusing on the religious dimension of one's experience and listening for the whispers of the Holy Spirit.

Catholic meditation seeks to use the faculties of the mind to know the Lord, understand His love, and move into deep union with Him. It is a form of prayer that fills the mind with thoughts of God and one's relationship with Him. It demands concentration and intention, fostering divine inspiration and prayers that can be offered up to God.

The Bible mentions meditation several times, especially in the Psalms, emphasizing resting in God's presence. The practice also has a long history in the Christian tradition, dating back to the early Church and the Old Testament. For example, Moses at Mount Sinai, where God appeared in the burning bush, is considered a moment of silent, intentional prayer.

While secular meditation is rooted in mindfulness and finding inner quiet, Catholic meditation allows individuals to enter into silence with God, filling their hearts with His presence and learning to listen for His voice. Instead of emptying one's mind, Catholic meditation encourages engagement and a deeper understanding of God's love and truth.

It is about listening for the Holy Spirit

Catholic meditation is a form of prayer that fills the mind with thoughts of God and one's relationship with Him. It is a method of prayer that helps one set their eyes on God in silence and grow closer to Him with gratitude and love. It is about listening for the Holy Spirit and having an intimate conversation and relationship with God.

Meditation engages thought, imagination, emotion, and desire. It is not about emptying the mind but about focusing intensely on the religious dimension of our experience. It is about noticing and staying with the action of the Holy Spirit deep within. In Catholic Tradition, meditation is about listening for the whispers of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit leads one not to emptiness but to an intimate encounter with the Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that "Christian prayer tries above all to meditate on the mysteries of Christ, as in lectio divina or the rosary. This form of prayerful reflection is of great value, but Christian prayer should go further: to the knowledge of the love of the Lord Jesus, to union with him."

The first element of lectio divina is reading (lectio): one takes a short passage from the Bible, preferably a Gospel passage, and reads it carefully, perhaps three or more times. The second element is meditation (meditatio). By using one's imagination, one enters the Biblical scene to "see" the setting, the people, and the unfolding action. It is through this meditation that one encounters the text and discovers its meaning for their life.

The next element is prayer (oratio) or one's personal response to the text: asking for graces, offering praise or thanksgiving, seeking healing or forgiveness. In this prayerful engagement with the text, one opens themselves up to the possibility of contemplation. Contemplation (contemplatio) is a gaze turned toward Christ and the things of God. By God's action of grace, one may be raised above meditation to a state of seeing or experiencing the text as a mystery and reality. In contemplation, one comes into an experiential contact with the One beyond the text.

Meditation is an essential part of the Christian life. It is compatible with everyday life and will nurture even the smallest faith. It is easy to learn the basics of prayer, and one's good habits of daily Catholic prayer and the presence of God will help one make a strong start in Christian meditation.

It helps you grow closer to God

Catholic meditation is a method of prayer that helps one grow closer to God. It is a way to set one's eyes on God in silence and grow closer to Him with gratitude and love. It is a form of mental prayer, a silent elevation of one's mind and heart to God.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says:

> Christian prayer tries above all to meditate on the mysteries of Christ, as in lectio divina or the rosary. This form of prayerful reflection is of great value, but Christian prayer should go further: to the knowledge of the love of the Lord Jesus, to union with him.

The Psalms mention meditation close to 20 times and emphasize resting in God's presence. The Old Testament is rich with written meditations for Christians, but one can also meditate on the life of Christ in the New Testament.

Catholic meditation is different from traditional meditation. While traditional meditation causes the meditator to look inward and close themselves off from other forces, including God, Catholic meditation fills the mind with thoughts of God and one's relationship with Him. It encourages engagement, concentration, and intention. It fosters divine inspiration and prayers that one can offer to God.

Catholic meditation is a way to spend time with God, investing in one's relationship with Him. It is a way to grow as a believer. It is a way to release control to God and let Him take control. It is a way to better understand and love God through various ways of talking with Him.

• Prepare and Open in Prayer: Leave the worries of life behind and approach this sacred time between you and God with a quiet and comfortable space, deep breathing, and a calm mind and body.
• Read: Pick a passage from the Bible, preferably a Gospel passage, and read it slowly and thoughtfully until something strikes you.
• Meditate: Reflect on the part of the reading that stood out. Think about how it impacts your relationship with God and how it is relevant to your life.
• Pray: Open an honest conversation with God, pouring out your thoughts on the passage and asking Him to speak to you through it.
• Make a Resolution: Meditate on any revelations or truths that God revealed to you and resolve to work on them.
• Offer a Petition to God: Ask God to work in your life and pray for yourself, your vocation, your family, friends, priests, and the Church as a whole.

Frequently asked questions