Christian Meditation Center

Welcome to the Christian Meditation Center in Neptune Beach. The all important aim in Christian Meditation is to allow God’s mysterious and silent presence within us to become more and more not only a reality, but the reality which gives meaning, shape and purpose to everything we do, to everything we are… John Main, OSB The Christian Meditation Center is dedicated to the teaching and practice of Christian meditation. The root tradition of the teaching is Christian, as taught by the Benedictine monk, John Main OSA, who opened the riches of the monastic tradition of prayer for Christians whose daily lives are transformed by the practice of contemplative prayer. The best way to learn meditation is to meditate with others. Meditation is practiced as common human wisdom and a path for the common good of humanity. Members of all faiths as well as seekers on the journey are welcomed to share in the silence and peace with those who meditate. We have been looking at some the essential aspects of meditation. All of them were based on the teaching of the early Church and the Desert fathers and Mothers, especially the teaching of Evagrius, the teacher of Cassian, and one of the most influential Desert Fathers. But what made the early Christians move into the desert in the 4th Century CE, at first around Alexandria and later in Palestine and Syria? It was the desire to lead an authentic Christian life based on the teaching of Jesus and therefore on deep contemplative prayer. But truly following Christ was also seen as following him into his death; ‘martyrdom’ was an important motive. ‘The Life of Pachomius’ describes the effect that the martyrs had on the faith of Christians and the life they wanted to lead: “Faith increased greatly in the churches in every land and monasteries and places for ascetics began to appear, for those who were the first monks had seen the endurance of the martyrs.