One of our Facilitator Team members, Chris Hagen, was unable to attend our July 17 enrichment program. As he has years of experience as a facilitator, I asked him if he had any wisdom he would like to share for this meeting. See his response below. -- Grace & Heart, Mary W.
"I do not have much in the way of wisdom but would like to support what all of our facilitators know and practice….
The primary purpose of a Centering Prayer group is the practice of Centering Prayer, and the secondary purpose is the ongoing use of formation material that supports the conceptual basis and practice of Centering Prayer. Accordingly, the emphasis is on taking the time prior to the period of prayer to allow the mind to settle down; we also should allow plenty of time to gently emerge from the period of prayer. A minimum of talking by the facilitator is paramount both before and immediately after the period of prayer, as talking will engage the mind and distract it from the silence needed to enter and leave the time of prayer.
As we know, the period of Centering Prayer is a time we set aside to "consent to the presence and action of God within.” As such, it is a sacred time, a Holy time, another time of communion with God. Com, in Latin, means "with." “Union” means to “join two or more things together,” to "grow together." With this in mind, the period of time before, during, and after Centering Prayer is carried out with the same reverence as any other form of worship.
Finally, there are several definitions of facilitator: "to make things run smoothly, to make things easier, and to help bring something about.” As facilitators we do all of these. The first two we do in a manner that creates the space for God to bring something about within us."
--Chris Hagen
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