Centering Prayer and the Healing of the Unconsious (review)

Murchadh Ó Madagáin’s study of centering prayer, Centering Prayer and the Healing of the Unconsious, attempts to address three different audiences. The first is made up of spiritually active Christians who seek to learn more about the theory and practice of the “centering prayer” method; the early chapters of the book are largely an exposition of Fr. Thomas Keating, O.C.S.O.’s writings. Ó Madagáin largely ignores the writings on centering prayer by John Main, O.S.B., Laurence Freeman, O.S.B., and Cynthia Bourgeault, on the grounds that Keating’s works are “the best-known” (xvii). Yet, this rationale aside, it is clear that he prefers Keating’s writings because he finds them better suited for addressing the other two audiences of his book.

The second audience is comprised of scholars and historians of Christian spirituality. Ó Madagáin’s aim is to present centering prayer as a contemporary retrieval and updating of “a centuries-old form of prayer” (xvii, 281). He focuses on drawing connections between Keating’s version of centering prayer and the teachings of Evagrius of Ponticus (85–93), John Cassian (93–99), John Climacus (99–103), The Cloud of Unknowing (105–113), Teresa of Avila (151–184), and John of the Cross (185–223). The third audience is that of hostile interpreters of “centering prayer,” who consider it a treacherously heretical amalgam of New Age thinking, Gnosticism, and various types of non-Christian Asian meditation, including but not limited to Zen Buddhism and Transcendental Meditation. In addition to offering explanations of how centering prayer is doctrinally consistent with the teachings of Vatican II on holiness and the teachings of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on meditation and prayer (123–149), Ó Madagáin intends the third audience to listen in on his presentation to his second audience—when he is directly addressing the concerns of the third audience he essentially repeats his central points about Keating’s grounding in the classical contemplative tradition.

Ó Madagáin’s effort to make his cases to his second and third audiences is the most theologically promising aspect of his book, but his success is limited. His argument to both groups rests on his contention that Keating’s writings on centering prayer ought to be read as simply a “translation” of the tradition into the contemporary idioms of psycho-analysis and psycho-therapy, as well as the discourse of generic “spirituality” (232). Ó Madagáin recognizes that the criteria for successful translation of the tradition must include more than just the ability to say something relevant to the present age, and he clearly admires authors who challenge the biases of the contemporary world with the wisdom of the saints from past ages. Moreover, although he considers Keating a generally successful translator of the Christian contemplative tradition, Ó Madagáin is not uncritical of his writings, particularly on his teachings on the evolution of consciousness and the meaning of original sin (282). Nevertheless, his standards for evaluating Keating’s teachings on centering prayer are not as rigorous or systematic as they could be, which is unfortunate given the high stakes Ó Madagáin himself recognizes involved in the criticisms put forward by hostile interpreters. If the core of the Christian contemplative tradition is really at stake in Keating’s translation project, then surely the evaluative standard ought to more rigorous? Yet too often Ó Madagáin settles for a low standard.

For example, Ó Madagáin introduces his section on Evagrius, Cassian, and Climacus with the strong assertion that centering prayer continues “the same ancient tradition” (85) of desert monasticism to which these three classical authors belong. And indeed, he succeeds in demonstrating that there are important similarities, particularly on Evagrius’s doctrine of “letting go” of thoughts (88), Cassian’s doctrine of meditation as a path to purity of heart (93–96), and Climacus’ doctrine of simplicity in prayer and the practice of hesychia (99–101). All that he shows is intriguing and...