Q: To avoid ‘thoughts’ during Centering Prayer, I find it helpful to pray in tongues, but I have never heard this mentioned in this connection. St. Paul says: ‘If I use this gift in my prayers, my spirit may be praying but my mind is left barren’ (1.Cor.14:14) which is rather what one is aiming for in contemplative prayer. He goes to caution about the use of tongues in prayer groups etc. but these don’t apply to private prayer. He also says: ‘I thank God that I have a greater gift of tongues than any of you (14:18) so it seems he is in favour of this gift for private prayer. Do you have some useful advice on this subject: pro or con?
A: Thank you for reaching out to us about your Centering Prayer and prayer in tongues contemplative practices. You have your insights from St. Paul around praying in tongues as a personal prayer practice. Let’s reflect on what Fr. Thomas Keating says about the two practices in his book Open Mind, Open Heart in Chapter 10: What Centering Prayer is Not. If you haven’t already read this book, it is a good place to learn the ins and outs of the Centering Prayer.
Thomas refers to the charismatic renewal and the charismatic gifts including praying in tongues of which he says “The gift of tongues is the one charismatic gift that may be given primarily for one’s personal sanctification. It is a kind of introduction to contemplative prayer because, when praying in tongues, one doesn’t know what one is saying.” He spends more time on group prayer and goes on to say that the introduction of periods of silence into a charismatic prayer group meetings is a way to ground the shared prayer in the practice of interior silence and contemplation.
It would seem that the two contemplative prayer practices flow together but I don’t think Thomas would say to use the praying in tongues during your Centering Prayer time when you notice you are engaged with your thoughts. I extrapolate this out of his teaching that Lectio Divina and Centering Prayer are two different contemplative practices and we are to remember not to combine them as one form of contemplative prayer. This reminder is helpful as our rest during Lectio Divina is not our Centering Prayer time, it is our fourth moment of Lectio Divina. Thomas recommends when combining these two practices to pray Centering Prayer first to help us open to hear the word with all our hearts and minds in openness.
Thus, my personal advice to you would be for you to pray in tongues as a vestibule into the interior silence of your Centering Prayer time. One of the ways I teach combining two contemplative practices is to pray in the first method, then as I notice being drawn into silence, to verbalize a prayer to the Holy Spirit to signal to myself the changing of the method.
Let’s review guideline 3 “When engaged with your thoughts, return ever so gently to the sacred word.” In his teachings, Thomas’ emphasis is how to handle thoughts, which are going to happen since we are human. He recommends a short word, or a noticing of our breath or even an instantaneous inward glance when we notice we are engaged with our thoughts. It is when noticing that you are spending more time conversing with yourself rather than with God. This noticing happens in an instant. This return is a softer approach to our consent to God’s presence and action in our lives – it is a giving of ourselves in love rather than an avoidance of our thoughts.
Before your next Centering Prayer time, I invite you to begin by asking the Holy Spirit for a new “sacred word” or if your return will be a noticing of your breath or an inward glance. Then, begin with praying in tongues and when you are drawn into interior silence forego praying in tongues and pray your sacred word when you notice you are engaged with thoughts.
As you know, Centering Prayer is not only prayer but also a discipline and it may take time and discipline to combine your contemplative practices in this new way. Be gentle with yourself knowing God is with you.
Peace and Love,
Leslee Terpay
