Why I Love Mystical Theology

Meet Meister Eckhart

In 1998, a friend recommended I join a small group at church entitled "Centering Prayer". She said that it was perfect for me and I would love it. 

I’d never heard of centering prayer before. At first, it seemed very bizarre. Little did I know at the time how the experience would change my life.

The meetings followed the format in Thelma Hall's Too Deep for Words. We began with what is known as lectio divina and flowed into 20 minutes of silent, contemplative prayer.  (If you want to experience this, check out the “Meditative Prayers” tab on my Substack page.)

If you don't already know, contemplative prayer is sitting in silence with the intent to allow God to work within you, transforming you into who you were truly meant to be.

The easiest way to describe the experience is to say it is a lot like mindfulness meditation.

On the surface, it might seem like contemplative prayer is slapping a new name on Eastern meditation. However, this contemplative approach is actually part of a Christian mystical tradition that goes back at least to the Middle Ages.