Christian meditation
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Christian meditation is a form of prayer in which a structured attempt is made to become aware of and reflect upon the revelations of God.[1] The word meditation comes from the Latin word meditārī, which has a range of meanings including to reflect on, to study, and to practice. Christian meditation is the process of deliberately focusing on specific thoughts (such as a Bible passage) and reflecting on their meaning in the context of the love of God.[2]
Christian meditation aims to heighten the personal relationship based on the love of God that marks Christian communion.[3][4] Both in Eastern and Western Christianity meditation is the middle level in a broad three-stage characterization of prayer: it involves more reflection than first level vocal prayer, but is more structured than the multiple layers of contemplative prayer.[5][6][7][8] Teachings in both the Eastern and Western Christian churches have emphasized the use of Christian meditation as an element in increasing one's knowledge of Christ.[9][10][11]
- ^ Christian Meditation for Beginners by Thomas Zanzig, Marilyn Kielbasa 2000, ISBN 0-88489-361-8 page 7
- ^ An Introduction to Christian Spirituality by F. Antonisamy, 2000 ISBN 81-7109-429-5 pages 76–77
- ^ Christian Meditation by Edmund P. Clowney, 1979 ISBN 1-57383-227-8 pages 12–13
- ^ The Encyclopedia of Christianity, Volume 3 by Erwin Fahlbusch, Geoffrey William Bromiley 2003 ISBN 90-04-12654-6 page 488
- ^ Simple Ways to Pray by Emilie Griffin 2005 ISBN 0-7425-5084-2 page 134
- ^ Christian Spirituality in the Catholic Tradition by Jordan Aumann 1985 Ignatius Press ISBN 0-89870-068-X page 180
- ^ Orthodox Prayer Life: The Interior Way by Mattá al-Miskīn 2003 ISBN 0-88141-250-3 St Vladimir Press, "Chapter 2: Degrees of Prayer" pages 39–42 [1]
- ^ The Art of Prayer: an Orthodox Anthology by Igumen Chariton 1997 ISBN 0-571-19165-7 pages 63–65
- ^ Teaching World Civilization with Joy and Enthusiasm by Benjamin Lee Wren 2004 ISBN 0-7618-2747-1 page 236
- ^ The Way of Perfection by Teresa of Avila 2007 ISBN 1-4209-2847-3 page 145
- ^ The Byzantine Empire by Robert Browning 1992 ISBN 0-8132-0754-1 page 238