Christian Meditation: Returning to the Heart of Contemplation
The Need for Meditation in Christianity Today
In our postmodern world, dominated by technology, intellect, and materialism, the deeper spiritual essence of life is often obscured. There is an urgent need to shift our attention from an obsessive identification with the thinking mind to a more integrative approach that includes wisdom and the heart. A wise, heartfelt faith, grounded in both personal experience and traditional wisdom, is essential for a transformative spiritual life.
Despite its deep mystical roots, much of modern Christian worship has become focused on external achievements—church growth, moral codes, rituals, theological debates, and dogma—rather than nourishing the soul through direct experience of the Divine. While these practices serve an important function, they alone are insufficient. Christian meditation revives the inner path to God, providing a direct experience of divine presence beyond intellectual understanding.
Merely thinking and talking about the roots of Christianity is not enough. We have to put the teachings of Jesus, and the mystics of the church into practice. Here is a simple guide to a beginning meditation with the breath.
Meditation Technique
Sit or lie down in a comfortable position, with your spine straight.
Be attentive to your breath, the breath of life, the breath of God.
Listen to the breath coming in with the sound “HUM” and going out with the sound “SA.” HUM-SA means “I AM THAT” or “I AM.”
Let the breath be natural, do not control it; it may speed up or slow down.
The breath comes in and there is a space, the breath goes out and there is a space. Be aware of the space between the breath. Meditate there.
Rest in the still space between the breaths, that space where no thought exists, simply “be” in the stillness, in “I AM.”
Meditate twice a day, begin with 20 minutes and gradually expand to one hour. Meditate at the same times every day.
Find an experienced teacher to guide your meditation practice.
It is important to take note here that the “I” referred to in the mantra “I AM” is not the egotistical “I” which we usually identify with our personality self, but instead refers to the absolute SELF, the non-dualistic “I AM,” which is free of attachment to the ups and downs, happy and sad, the constant coming and going of dualistic thinking in which we are usually mired down.
The Meaning of "I AM THAT I AM"
The phrase "I AM THAT I AM" originates from Exodus 3:14, where God reveals His divine name to Moses:
"God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And He said, ‘Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.’"
This declaration signifies God's eternal, self-existent nature—beyond time, change, or limitation. It has profound spiritual significance, linking to Jesus' later statement in John 8:58:
"Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."
This statement affirms Jesus’ divine nature and oneness with God, emphasizing direct communion with the Divine as the essence of Christian meditation.
Jesus’ Own Practices of Prayer and Solitude
The foundation of Christian meditation can be traced to Jesus Himself, whose life was a model of deep prayer and retreat into solitude. The Gospels frequently describe Jesus withdrawing from the crowds to pray in silence, seeking communion with God:
Luke 5:16 – “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”
Mark 1:35 – “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”
Jesus' intimate prayer life was not merely a request-based communication with God but a profound mystical communion. His forty days of fasting and prayer in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11) symbolize the spiritual journey of detachment, purification, and divine union that later inspired the monastic tradition.
The Role of Silence in Christian Meditation
The scriptures emphasize silence as the gateway to divine knowledge:
Psalms 46:10 – “Be still and know that I am God.”
1 Kings 19:12 – The Lord was not in the wind, earthquake, or fire but in a “still small voice.”
John Cassian, a 4th-century monk who studied under the Desert Fathers, taught the importance of continuous interior prayer. He advocated the repetition of a sacred word (mantra) as a means of stilling the mind and resting in God’s presence. Combined with breath awareness and inner silence, this prayer cultivated a deep experience of divine presence.
Contemporary Christian Meditation
Today, various Christian meditation practices have emerged to renew this ancient wisdom:
Centering Prayer Popularized by Fr. Thomas Keating, Centering Prayer emphasizes silence and surrender, using a sacred word to return to inner stillness.
Thomas Keating was one of three principal developers of centering prayer, a contemporary method of contemplative prayer that emerged from St. Joseph's Abbey in 1975. William Meninger and Basil Pennington, were the method's other principal developers. When the concept was first proposed by Keating, Meninger started teaching a method based on the 14th-century spiritual classic The Cloud of Unknowing. Pennington gave the first retreat to a lay audience in Connecticut where the participants suggested the term "centering prayer". Since Thomas Merton had been known to use the term prior to this, it has been suggested the phrase may have originated from him.The Jesus Prayer, continuing the Hesychast tradition, remains a powerful tool for deep contemplation.
Christian Mindfulness integrates awareness with Christ-centered devotion.
These practices make meditation accessible to all, not just monastics, allowing modern Christians to cultivate inner stillness amidst daily life.
Conclusion: The Call to Direct Experience
Christian meditation is not about thinking about God but being with God. As Jesus taught:
Matthew 6:6 – “When you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father who is unseen.”
This “inner room” is the heart, where divine presence dwells. Through consistent meditation, we move beyond external religiosity into direct communion with Christ, the living presence of God within.
As we revive the contemplative heart of Christianity, we rediscover its transformative power—awakening love, wisdom, and peace in our lives.