Kinnaman- Phenomenology of Prayer Ch. 4

James R. Mensch writes of prayer as kenosis. Kenosis is defined as self-emptying and relates strongly to the decentering of one’s self.  One must pray with a decentered self and involve kenosis in the action of sacred communication. The use of kenotic prayer allows for detachment from one’s self in order to see and use all things in and for God. Merold Westphal gave a description of kenotic prayer saying, “one must abandon the project of being the center in terms of which meaning, and truth, and goodness are defined”. Kenotic prayer is experiencing a profound decentering in which the self loses its preoccupation with itself and focuses on God instead. 

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