Choosing the word is important, because we stay with the same word all the way through the meditation, and from day to day, so that the word sinks into the heart and awakens the continuous prayer of the Holy Spirit. So you could take the name ‘Jesus’ or the word ‘Abba’ for example. The word I would recommend is the word maranatha. Maranatha is one of the oldest Christian prayers and it’s in Aramaic, the language that Jesus spoke. St Paul ends the First Letter to the Corinthians with this prayer. It means ‘Come Lord.’ Come Lord Jesus. If you choose this word, which is an ideal word, say it gently without force: ma-ra-na-tha, ma-ra-na-tha. And as you say the word, listen to it; don’t visualise it but sound it. Say it in stillness, without moving your lips or your tongue, and try to say it quietly so that for the next few minutes in this church we will have complete silence. In that silence we will be led to realise the holiness that is in our hearts.
Christian Life in the Light of Christian Meditation 2: Holyness by Laurence Freeman OSB
