Christian Meditation: Experiencing the Presence of God

301 Pages·2004·2.56 MB·English

by  James Finley

CHRISTIAN
MEDITATION
Experiencing the
PRESENCE OF GOD
JAMES FINLEY
HarperSanFrancisco
A Division ofHarperCollinsPublishers
Biblical quotes are from the New American Standard Version and the
Jerusalem Bible.
CHRISTIAN MEDITATION: Experiencing the Presence of God. Copyright © 2004
by James Finley. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.
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FIRST EDITION
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Finley, James.
Christian meditation : experiencing the presence of God / James Finley. —
lsted.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 287).
ISBN 0-06-059192-7 (cloth)
1. Meditation —Christianity. I. Title.
BV4813.F56 2004
248.3'4-dc22 2004047253
04 05 06 07 08 RRD(H) 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For my daughters, Kelly and Amy

Contents
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS VII
FOREWORD XI
CHAPTER 1 Divine Destination 1
CHAPTER 2 Learning to Meditate 22
CHAPTER 3 Meditative Experience 42
CHAPTER 4 A Ladder to Heaven 72
CHAPTER 5 A Monastery Without Walls 101
CHAPTER 6 The Self-Transforming Journey 130
CHAPTER 7 Entering the Mind of Christ 175
CHAPTER 8 Present, Open, and Awake 203
CHAPTER 9 Sit Still 216
CHAPTER 11D : Sit Straight 229
CHAPTER 1 1: Slow, Deep, Natural Breathing 242
CHAPTER i: 2: Eyes Closed or Lowered
Toward the Ground 253
CHAPTER 1 3: Walking Meditation 266
CHAPTER 1<4 : Compassion 278
Notes 287

Acknowledgments
I
am grateful to the following people, who, in various ways and
to varying degrees helped me in the writing and publication
of this book: Maureen Fox, Gustave Reininger, Robert Weath
ers, Kathleen Deignan, Tami Simon, Matt Licata, Randy
Roark, Kim Witherspoon, Alexis Hurley, John Loudon, Frank
Cunningham, Msgr. Torgerson, Tom Stella, Keith Egan, Amy
Nichols, and the members of The Contemplative Way com
munity at Saint Monica Church in Santa Monica, California.
ix

Foreword
S
ince the time of the Desert Fathers in the third and fourth
centuries, Christians have practiced meditation as a way of
experiencing and responding to God's presence in their daily
lives. Legendary figures such as Meister Eckhart, Saint Teresa
of Avila, Saint John of the Cross, and numerous other mystics
have left a body of writings that contain trustworthy and
encouraging insights into how meditation can help us experi
ence the presence of God in our own lives. This book is intend
ed to serve as a hands-on user's manual for those interiorly
drawn to practice meditation in this rich mystical heritage of
Christian faith.
The first seven chapters of this book explore the fundamen
tals of the Christian tradition of meditation. The intention
underlying these chapters is not that of stepping back to provide
a historical or theological overview. The intention is rather that
of exploring, at close range, the Christian tradition's under
standing of meditation as a path granting experiential access to
God. The shorter chapters that conclude the book consist of a
xi