Jacquie Reimer is a member of Contemplative Outreach Manitoba and a certified presenter of the centering prayer practice.

One day at Tai Chi class, our instructor opened the class with this question: Are you willing to change? We became very still as she looked at us with her kind eyes and small smile. It was an important question. We arrive at the class weekly to practice and to learn – an assumption that I make. I tend to worry more about getting to class on time and not about my intention for the class. Her question seemed to surprise us all with a reminder to return to our intention for the class. Are you willing to change? If the answer is, “no”, it may be a difficult class both for the student and the instructor. 

Change seems to be constant and reliable. Sometimes change is joyful and sometimes change is difficult. Recently, the physical landscape around me has changed with snow. How I leave the house has changed with more layers to put on and parts of my body that need covering with hats and mitts. (I have very fond memories of my dad seeing me off in the mornings when I walked to work and making sure I was dressed warmly enough – even up to a year ago! Makes me smile.) My walks to work have changed as I navigate the icy spots and sometimes just give up and walk on the streets sharing space with the cars like a crazy woman. Relationships change: my niece became engaged to a wonderful young man and they are planning a change in the commitment of their relationship. People change: some of my friends are facing illness and diseases we assumed we were immune to in our younger years.

Both joyful and difficult change seems to have the capacity to challenge our False Self system: the flow of energy we use to prop up our projects for security, esteem, power and control. So, we might well ask ourselves when we get to the chair for Centering Prayer, are we willing to change? And we might ask an additional question, are we willing to be changed? When we sit in silence and ever-so-gently offer our sacred symbol to the Compassionate Divine Presence, we are saying “yes” to the best of our ability in the moment. Our sacred symbol is our humble intent to be open to God’s Presence and ACTION within us. To my ears, this means openness to potential inner change. A change to the landscape of our soul touching every aspect of our life. A change in the way we listen: a change of heart, of mind, of attitude. The constant is change, as we faithfully allow ourselves to be immersed into the immense Love and Compassion that is God. And we rest knowing that how we are changed is not arbitrary but is our gradual and total transformation into the Heart of Love for the heart of the world. Divine union. May it be so.