Each time I meditate I enter, for a time, a place of silence and stillness where I can be fully present. Meditation clears my vision and brings me back again to my true centre. The strains and stresses of the day dissolve and after meditation it is like beginning the day anew. It has become the essential heart from which all parts of my life flow.

I chose to seek full oblation because I want to continue to lead a life and be part of a community that follows the Rule of Benedict. This source of wisdom and spiritual framework is now, as it has always been, counter-cultural in its focus and emphasis. It asks me to listen, to be obedient, to be faithful to a way of life that “will bring you back to God”, which is where I want to be, in God with God in me.

We are delighted to share a generous gift from NZCCM community member, Jane Hole — a beautifully crafted resource for a one-day retreat at home. Even with a faithful daily meditation practice, the demands of life can take a toll. A one-day retreat creates space to slow down, re-centre, and return to what is essential.

I have an underlying serenity that my life is in God’s hands and that I am being supported and guided each day. A growth in patience and trust in the God who loves everyone.Without the NZCCM community I would not have learned about Christian Meditation. Sharing with others on the same path is inspiring and reassuring for me.

I would add to Vincent's invitation to come. Cost for national communities are less than for the standard retreat. Visitors are entranced by the beauty of the natural surroundings and the buildings. The place itself has a restorative value as well as the prayer life into which visitors are immersed.

I was pleased, yet humbled, to be commissioned and welcomed as National Coordinator at the January retreat. I am grateful that Linda is readily available to support me as I gradually move more fully into the role. I have also found that our sisters and brothers in the greater Oceania region are always to hand. This wrap around care is a picture of one of the most significant aspects of our meditation practice, the experience of community.

Star light,
Heavenly light,
Your light,
I AM, we are
Inside, the eternal sun
Always shining bright

Meditation has become a quiet anchor in my life—a way of consenting to God’s presence in the midst of the ordinary. The gift is often subtle but profound: a growing spaciousness within, a stillness that accompanies me through both joy and sorrow.

Membership of a weekly group keeps me anchored in my own meditation practice, and it encourages those I’ve helped to bring to meditation to stay connected with the practice.  The loyalty and commitment of my small group constantly re-inspire me.

Teilhard saw the whole world evolving in a sequence leading towards the second coming of Christ and he called this the Omega Point. He says that Christ was before all creation began and he is the end point of the evolving cosmos where we will no longer live our self-centred lives but will all be one in Christ with one purpose, which is the glory of God.

We say that meditation comes before action. Meditation has made me aware of gifts I didn’t know I had, and how to use those gifts for the benefit of others rather than for my own needs. The insight that “meditation shrinks the ego and allows the soul to grow into the space that’s left behind” is both true and liberating.

Meditation for me feels like coming home.  It's an opportunity for me to simply BE.  In this quiet time of ‘being’ I know at a deep level that God is meeting me there, in my heart.

The weekly meditation group is the heart and soul of WCCM. As a Christian meditation community we pride ourselves on the ecumenical nature of our community. It is the shared silence that is the binding force.