‘The Gifts of Meditation ’ with Raymond Eberhard
A conversation with Raymond Eberhard
Raymond Eberhard lives in Katikati and is the NZCCM Regional Coordinator for Waikato, Bay of Plenty and the Corommandel. You can email him at celebrantraymond@gmail.com
What have been the gifts of having a personal meditation practice?
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.
In times of challenge, or uncertainty, it offers a place of rest and silent strength. Over time, it’s opened a deeper attentiveness to life, to the sacred woven into the everyday—even, as I’ve often said, through the kitchen window.
How has this practice borne fruit in your life?
The fruits are not always dramatic, but they are enduring. There’s a greater sense of compassion—for myself and for others. A softened heart, a steadier rhythm, and a readiness to listen—these are the quiet changes that have emerged.
Meditation has also deepened my faith not just as belief, but as relationship—something lived and experienced.
It has shaped how I respond to the world, gently drawing me toward simplicity, patience, and presence.
How important has community been in supporting your meditation practice?
Community has been essential. Meditating together each week creates a rhythm beyond my own efforts—something larger, a shared silence that sustains. There’s a quiet solidarity in knowing others are walking the same path, even if we say little.
The group holds me in love. It reminds me that the journey inward is never solitary, and that even in silence, we are profoundly connected. The teachings, the shared reflections, and simply being present with others who long for God—these are great gifts.
What do you notice about the deepening journey over years of meditating?
As the years go on, I find that meditation is less about technique and more about trust—trusting the silence, trusting God’s presence, even when I feel nothing.
I’m learning that it’s not about achieving a certain state, but about remaining faithful to the path. And perhaps more and more, I’m realising that what matters isn’t so much what happens during the meditation, but how it shapes my way of being afterward. The glimpse deepens, and with grace, becomes a way of life.
