Agape for friends, family, and strangers

The 4th step of agape prayer needed to be combined with the 3rd step during the 3rd week of the group meditation at church. This squeezing of steps had to be done in order to cover 5 weeks in the middle of Lent. I had asked each participant to choose a friend and a family member for the evening’s focus. Then they were to think of a mere acquaintance for whom there was no emotional connection.

Even though the 2 steps would focus on the spiritual power of agape going beyond ourselves, we started the meditation by focusing on ourselves, because it's deep within ourselves that we find, and slowly become aware of agape. That’s why each step of the agape meditation process begins by going within. You need to sense agape flowing within yourself so you can imagine projecting your awareness of agape flowing beyond yourself to others (radiating out to others).

We prepared by disengaging from all of the distractions and concerns of the past week. As always this was done by focusing on our breath. First we released the tensions of the day by taking a deep breath and sighing it away, then slowly focusing on our natural rhythm of breathing. Then we let our attention follow the flowing of air down deep into our lungs.

As we let our awareness move deeper and deeper into our heart-center we focused on a special presence. We relaxed completely into a profound realization of agape spreading from deep within our heart-center, permeating our being, bringing to each person a sense of what it is to fulfill our well-being and have a deep sense of joy.

And so we took a few minutes to experience agape as a spiritual gift, opening us up spiritually and eventually awakening us to divine Presence.

Then we began thinking of a friend. We thought that person’s name 3 times, then formed an image of that person. We prayed about what it means, in specific, personal detail, for agape to work in that person’s life, to open her or his heart-sense to greater experience of happiness. While we held that friend in prayer, we imagined agape flowing in that life in such a way that a sense of well-being came to that person. As we did this, we began to realize that we were teaching ourselves about agape.

Finally we wished that friend well and moved on to holding a family member in agape prayer. We went thru the same meditation as with the friend. Then we moved on to holding an acquaintance in prayer. Finally we wished that person well, and came back to our
normal state of wakefulness.

We followed up the meditation by again discussing how this was a process that has already been going on, so we just need to develop a way to sense it.