The silence and detachment from thoughts required for Centering Prayer are not to facilitate a lack of attention, but rather to allow us to redirect our attention. By not allowing our attention to be engaged in the normal flurry of passing thoughts, we are finally free to devote the kind of deep attention it takes to perceive the Presence of God everywhere, but most especially within us. Perception of the Spirit within does not normally come through the sensory modes with which we are most comfortable, for the senses alone can never show us the full reality of a thing – our Eucharistic faith makes this clear. Rather, the Spirit is typically recognized more subtly, through the soul.  Silence helps us to become more attuned to this soul-based perception.
However, while God is most often veiled from being directly known through the senses, the soul awareness of the presence of God cultivated in Centering Prayer and other contemplative practices regularly leads to tangible results.  People who have recognized the indwelling Presence of God become natural conduits of divine life, love, and compassion. They are unmistakable as the ones who cross even the deserts of life with a song on their lips!
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