WCCM
The School of Meditation
WEEK 1 – WHAT IS CHRISTIAN MEDITATION?

Start with introductions – (ask each person to say their name and whether they
have meditated before).

Briefly share your own experience of coming to Christian Meditation (maximum
5 minutes).

If others from your group are there - invite them to briefly add something about
their own experience. (1 or 2 minutes each).

Explain how meditation is a universal practice; in the Christian tradition it is a
form of prayer. There are no difficult theories or techniques to master. Remind
them that meditation is the prayer of the heart so all thoughts, including holy
ones, are left aside. Tell them the themes to be covered each week.
The Talk
Either 
Play Track 1 How to Meditate – 14.20 mins.
Downloaded from the Website
(Taken from:
Jesus The Teacher Within, Laurence Freeman, OSB, CD 1 : Track 3)
Or –

Give the talk using the notes.

Prepare for meditation – (use notes Instructions : How to Meditate see page 6).

Say Fr John Main’s Prayer (see page 7).

Meditation – 20 – 25 minutes.

Reading
The mantra will lead you into greater silence. The silence leads you to
greater depth. In the depth you find not ideals or ideologies but God who
is love. The way is to accept to be more and more simple every day of our
lives. Meditation is the way to purity of heart, leaving behind all fear and
all limitation and entering simply into God’s presence. Fr John Main
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WCCM
The School of Meditation

Sharing and questions.

Tell about The World Community for Christian Meditation – handout brochures,
newsletter and other material.

Tell about the website, weekly readings and teachings.

Finish with the Community Prayer (see page 7).

Recommend Laurence Freeman’s book, Christian Meditation: Your Daily
Practice.

Suggested New Testament Reading: Matthew 6: 5-6.
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WCCM
The School of Meditation
Talk One: How to Meditate
How do we meditate?
We meditate by becoming still.
The first thing we do is sit still.
Meditation is not something we do in our heads. It involves the whole person - body,
mind and spirit.
So the way we sit is important.
It is important to sit still with a straight back.
We want to be alert and awake. Jesus said “stay awake and pray”.
Our physical posture is the first stage: we become as still as we can physically.
The real stillness is within.
The first thing we discover when we sit still is that our mind is racing, from one thought to
another: from one plan to another, one memory to another, one fantasy to another.
Because of this a lot of people are discouraged when they start. Don’t be discouraged, it
is why we need to meditate: to calm the mind, then bring the mind into the heart.
Meditation is learning to be in the present moment.
When we meditate we discover we are not in the present moment.
Our mind is either living in the past or in the future, or dwelling on some fantasy.
Only in the present moment can we find real peace, can we be at one with the God who
is.
Meditation is the work of coming out of the past, letting go of the future and coming into
the reality of the present moment; which we could also call the Kingdom of God where
we find the presence of God within us.
It is like driving in a fast stream of traffic. We need to move from the fast to the slow lane
– we need to slow down. Then need to we get off the highway altogether.
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WCCM
The School of Meditation
We can’t do this on our own. St Paul tells us the Holy Spirit prays within us, deeper than
words. When we meditate we allow our prayer to become one with the prayer of the
Holy Spirit.
When we meditate we are entering the tradition Fr John Main passed on to us which
was passed down from the early Christian monks.
They recommended a way of prayer of such simplicity, such childlikeness. It takes us to
the very heart or core of our being.
They said to take a single word, a prayer word or mantra: a sacred word.
During the time of meditation we repeat this single word faithfully from beginning to the
end of our time of meditation. We let go of every other thought .
When we become distracted we start saying the word again.
Distractions will come all the time. They are normal, we don’t fight them, we just don’t
pay attention to them.
How do we say the word: faithfully, with attention, with love.
When we pay attention to our word we take our attention off ourselves – we leave self
behind. Jesus tells us that to be a follower of his we must leave self behind.
When we say it faithfully we are letting go of our thoughts, our possessions.
When we say it with love – we are loving God.
What should happen in my meditation – nothing happens but it does gradually change
our lives as we find the fruits of the Spirit growing in us.
At times our meditation may release great peace and joy. This is not why we meditate.
We don’t meditate for what we will get out of it.
Jesus said in the Beatitudes – “happy are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of
Heaven”.
When we meditate we are becoming poor in spirit.
Choosing the word we use is important. It is important that we stay with the same word
throughout each meditation and each time we meditate. It enables the word to become
rooted in our heart.
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WCCM
The School of Meditation
We could use the word “Jesus”, or “Abba”. The word we recommend is Maranatha.
It is the oldest Christian prayer, it is in the language Jesus spoke, it means “come Lord”,
St Paul closes the first letter to the Corinthians with it. It is a very sacred Christian word.
We don’t say it for its meaning, we don’t think about the meaning. We just say it
faithfully, attentively, and lovingly. As we listen to the sound it calms the mind and leads
us from the mind into the heart.
We say it with 4 syllables – ma ra na tha.
You should meditate twice a day, in the morning and the evening for about 25 minutes.
Meditation is simplicity itself. The only difficult thing is that it is so simple. What makes it
possible for all of us is that it is so simple.
The problem is we are not simple, we have to face our complexities. Meditation itself will
simplify us if we allow it to patiently and gently do its work.
From:
Jesus The Teacher Within, Laurence Freeman, OSB, CD 1 : Track 3.
This talk can be downloaded from the website Talk 1.
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WCCM
The School of Meditation
Instructions : How to Meditate
Sit still and with your back straight, close your eyes lightly. Place you hands on your
knees or on your lap. Let go of all tension and movement in your body so that your body
is relaxed but also awake. Don’t force your breath, let it find its own regular rhythm.
Silently, interiorly begin to say your prayer word or mantra. The word we recommend is
a sacred Christian word, from the Aramaic language Jesus spoke : Maranatha.
Say the word clearly in your mind and heart and listen to the word as you say it in four
syllables : Ma ra na tha. Say it gently and continuously; silently repeating it from
beginning to end of the meditation.
When thoughts or images come, these are distractions just let them go. Keep returning
to the word. Even if you find you’ve given up, start saying the word again. Continue to
say the word with attention, with love, with faith.
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WCCM
The School of Meditation
Before meditation - Prayer of Fr John Main
"Heavenly Father, open our hearts to the silent presence of
the Spirit of your Son.
Lead us into that mysterious silence where your love is
revealed to all who call,
'Maranatha…Come, Lord Jesus'."
At the end of the session - Prayer of The World Community for
Christian Meditation
"May this group be a true spiritual home for the seeker, a
friend for the lonely, a guide for the confused.
May those who pray here be strengthened by the Holy
Spirit to serve all who come, and to receive them as
Christ Himself.
In the silence of this room may all the suffering, violence,
and confusion of the world encounter the Power that will
console, renew and uplift the human spirit.
May this silence be a power to open the hearts of men
and women to the vision of God, and so to each other, in
love and peace, justice and human dignity.
May the beauty of the divine life, fill this group and the
hearts of all who pray here, with joyful hope.
May all who come here weighed down by the problems
of humanity leave giving thanks for the wonder of human
life.
We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. AMEN."
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