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A glimpse of Reality...

“To those who love who are called in his name all things work out for good.”

‒ Rm. 8:28

My father was born in a Mormon family. However, he was never a practicing Mormon nor did he ever impose his belief on us his family. We all grew up as practicing Roman Catho-lics. I was very close to my father and although he was a good and upright man, my greatest concern was that he might die without being baptized in the Church. Time and again, I would bring up the subject but he always would brush me aside and gently tell me to just leave him be. So, I took recourse to prayer. There were two specific things I asked for regarding this: that he does not die without receiving the sacrament of Baptism and that when he did that I would be present to assist him. After I got married, I transferred to Manila where we raised our family. Still, I persevered in my prayers for his conversion. A week before he passed away my sister called me to come as they were afraid he wouldn’t last much longer. At the hospital, I continued praying unceasingly by his bedside or in the chapel in the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Then, one day from out of the blue, a priest came to visit. When my father sensed his presence, he suddenly said, I am ready and asked to be baptized. I was with him when it happened and was the one who made the Act of Faith for him as he did not know the prayer. After he was baptized, we knew that it won’t be long before he would breathe his last. And the priest administered the sacrament of Extreme Unction (as it was called before.) It was Lent, and he died on Holy Thursday. In spite of our great loss, we had much joy in our hearts for the miracle of conversion the Lord has given us. It took eighty-six years for him to come home to the Lord. It was like a grand celebration of the whole town when he was buried on Holy Saturday. When I think of all the time I spent in prayer for him, my heart swells in gratitude for the Lord’s generosity in granting the greatest desire of my heart.

Thank you Lord, for granting my father the grace of a happy death.

 

A glimpse of Reality...

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only son…”

‒ Jn. 3:16

For four years now since he was widowed, my father had resisted giving up his independence by insisting that he live in his own home with just his househelp, a couple and two of their children plus another maid, his yaya. At ninety-two, he is almost totally bedridden and yet he preferred to stay where he was rather than be with any of us, his children. It has always been a source of frustration to me whenever I visit to see him all alone in his room just lying there, listening to his radio, or watching the news on TV. He used to love reading very much but can not anymore due to his failing eyesight. So, when something happened that made him decide to come and spend “a few days” with me, I was very happy.
Today, as I read John and the verse above, God’s love for me became so real. When I see my father so happy and contented in his bed with more attention now than he ever had when he was in his house, my heart swells with gratitude for all the blessings in my life, especially for giving me the means to welcome and take good care of my father in my own home. And realizing that for the first time in my life, I have four generations living in my house, gives me such complete joy. I thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity to take care of my father in the twilight of his life, for a loving husband that has provided me with the means to do so, my children who are blessed with the presence of a grandfather and for the little angel, our apo, in our midst.

And as I ponder on this, the words of the psalm once more becomes alive in me. “How blessed are those who live in your house; they shall praise you continually.” (Ps. 84:4)

 

In becoming a member of the human family, Christ became every man and every woman. In joining the human family to himself, he has taken every member to himself. The whole cosmos has been transformed by the Word made flesh. The whole creation has become his body. He is the leaven that transforms everything into himself. The divine energy of the God-man is directed to one thing: to win your love. The light of all the galaxies point to one thing – his love for you! All the beauty, goodness, and truth in the world is designed to win your heart to himself. Everything that exists is for you!

The Kingdom of God belongs to those who have let go of their possessive attitude toward everything including God.
 

‒ Fr. Thomas Keating

Awakenings

 

A glimpse of Reality...

“Yahweh replied, ‘Are you right to be angry?'”

‒ Jonah 4:4

One late evening at Mass, we were subjected to a long-winded “fire and brimstone” sermon by the priest that for the first time in my Mass-going years, I had a strong urge to get up and leave right there. It had put me in such a foul mood, that I felt I would not be able to approach the Eucharist later on. Coincidentally enough, the subject of his rambling on was the sacrilegious receiving of Holy Communion when one was not in the state of grace. It felt like an hour (mercifully, I forgot to put on my watch) and when at last it was over, I could hardly pray because I was seething inside. But, I kept on through the motions as the Mass proceeded telling myself this is the last time I will ever hear a Mass said by this priest. Then, during the Consecration, maybe by force of habit, I started talking to Jesus and suddenly in my heart, I heard him ask me why I was so angry.

Wasn’t this supposed to be an evening of reparation? Aren’t you here to offer some sacrifice in reparation for the sins of the world? So what if you did not like the way he delivered his homily? Don’t you know that it was I who sent this priest here tonight precisely to shock those listening into realizing the gravity of a sacrilegious communion?
And as I continued listening to His admonition, I felt my anger dissipating and in its place, a feeling of gratitude enveloped me. Suddenly, I found myself thanking the Lord for this priest who I am sure now is also making a big sacrifice coming here to celebrate this Mass for us. And when communion time came, I was able to receive our Lord with a peaceful heart.

Thank you, Lord, for your kindness in making me see your goodness in others.

 

 

A glimpse of Reality...

“Those of us who practice Centering Prayer and other forms of contemplative prayer can trust that such forms of prayer will, little by little, dismantle our false self with its emotional programs for happiness. But it is the work of a lifetime."

I find it very consoling that God gives me all the time that I need to undergo this process of transformation …no less than a lifetime! He doesn’t rush me, nor does He get impatient when I slow down, take detours, or get lost in the journey. Truly, He is the Good Shepherd, watching over me, waiting for me to come home…Can I be as patient and compassionate towards people who I think are going astray? In other words, can I stop judging them, condemning them for not knowing any better? Can I love my family unconditionally when it’s so much more satisfying (!) to give them the cold shoulder for frustrating my plans? Can I step back, give way to others and love them even if it means “jeopardizing” my security and honor? Boy, am I glad to hear Father Keating say that “contemplative prayer is the world in which God can do anything.” Other-wise, I’d give up feeling defeated even before I started taking the first step in the journey.

 

The resurrection of Jesus is the first day of the New Creation. The events following the resurrection and the various appearances of Jesus to his disciples and friends are used in the liturgy to help us understand the significance of this central Mystery of our faith…

…The first resurrection scene is cast in a cosmic context. From the scriptural point of view, the garden in which the tomb of Jesus was situated reminds us of the garden of Eden. The two gardens are juxtaposed: in the first, the human family, in the persons of Adam and Eve, lost God’s intimacy and friendship; in the second, Mary Magdalene (out of whom Jesus had cast seven devils) appears as the first recipient of the good news that intimacy and union with God are once again available.

She came to the tomb in great distress. The huge stone, symbol of the heavy weight of sin and the downward pull of the lower levels of consciousness, had been rolled away…

…The “gardener” says with a certain irony, “Woman, whom are you looking for? Why are you weeping?” This question seems to have crystallized Mary’s immense grief, and she poured out her heart in a jumble of words: “Tell me where you have laid him, sir, and I will remove him.”
Jesus then spoke her name, “Mary!” Only he could say her name in that way. Instantly, with the whole of her being, she recognized him and in that moment knew that he had risen from the dead.

In the scripture, to be called by name has special significance. To call someone or something by name is to identity who or what it is. Adam, in paradise, named each beast and flower according to its essence. God often changed the names of prophets to fit their roles. By calling her by name, Jesus manifests his knowledge of everything in her life and his total acceptance of all that she is. This is the moment in which Mary realizes that Jesus loved her. This is the first step in her transformation.

In the Christian scheme of things, the movement from the human condition to divine transformation requires the mediation of a personal relationship with God. The personal love of Jesus facilitates the growth of this relationship. The experience of being loved by him draws the Christian; out of all selfishness into deeper levels of self-surrender. How could this movement occur without the conviction of being personally loved by him? The simple utterance of one word, “Mary!” brought to focus all her longings. Her response was to throw herself into the arms of Jesus as she cried out in her joy, “Master!”

The realization of being loved by God characterizes the first stage of contemplative prayer. It enables us to see God in all things. Mary’s acceptance of that grace leads to a further insight; she becomes aware that she loves Jesus in return. Accordingly, she throws herself into his arms and clings to him. We are not told how long this embrace lasted, but through that experience she was raised to the next level of contemplative prayer, which is the capacity to see all things in God.

In this conversation, Jesus is raising Mary step-by-step through the progressive stages of contemplative prayer to divine union. Finally, he says to her, “Stop clinging to me! I have not yet risen to my Father. But, go and tell my brothers that I ascend to my Father and to your Father.”
Those words are the manifesto of the New Creation! God is now not only the Father of Jesus Christ, not just the “Abba” whom Jesus has revealed out of his own personal experience of divine union. The Abba has now been given to us! The experience that Christ has of the Father is completely ours! Thus, the same relationship with the Father that Christ enjoys is rising up in Mary Magdalene — and in each of us as we assimilate the grace of Easter.

With these words of Jesus, Mary is sent to be the apostle of the apostles. What makes an apostle is divine love, nothing else. Since she now had within herself the experience of intimacy with the Father, bestowed upon her by Jesus, she is the one who proclaims to the apostles the message of Easter. “You, my brothers,” Jesus says through her, “have been initiated into the reign of God, into my experience of the Father as Abba, the God of infinite compassion.”

Jesus, in the plan of God, has opened the way to the highest states of consciousness. The pain and agony of self-consciousness, with its guilt-ridden sense of responsibility, has been replaced by the invitation to enter into the human potential for unlimited growth. The Garden of Eden is both a memory of what could be and a preview of what is to come. In the Garden of the Resurrection the full revelation of the Mystery of Christ is unveiled. And with that knowledge and experience, Mary reaches the third level of contemplative prayer, the abiding state of divine union, which is to see God giving himself in everything. This is the transformed consciousness of inner resurrection. And this is the Good News she was sent to announce to the apostles.

Adam and Eve were thrown out of the first garden as a result of the emergence of their self-consciousness apart from divine union. Mary was so rooted in the experience of divine union that the Garden of Paradise was inside her and she could never leave it. The Garden of Eden stands for a state of consciousness, not a geographical location. She is sent out of the garden, but with the abiding interior state the garden represents; the certitude of being loved by God, of loving him in return, and of God giving himself in every event and at every moment, both within or without. In this state, outside and inside are in harmony; they have become one. In the course of this conversation, the Ultimate Mystery becomes for Mary the Ultimate Presence, and the Ultimate Presence becomes the Ultimate Reality.

The outpouring of grace that we see in this first appearance of Jesus after his resurrection is God’s response to Christ’s sacrifice; it is his glorification in response to his utter humiliation. Like Mary Magdalene, Christ is also calling us by name as we celebrate the feast of his resurrection.


OPPORTUNITY TO STUDY WITH BR. DAVID

Cultivating the "divine virtues" — faith, hope, and love — allows us to live life to the fullest, even through difficult circumstances. Why? Because they connect us with the deepest reality of life, that spark of life within us.

On a cruise to Alaska in August 2011, Br. David Steindl-Rast gave a series of talks on this truth recognized in all religious and spiritual paths. Now you can hear excerpts from his talks about the first of those virtues — faith — during this one-month online retreat. These 5 - 10 minute clips will be posted in our online Practice Circle where you can watch them at your convenience.

Br. David approaches his subject from various angles. He discusses how faith works and when, the relevance of peak experiences, blessings, living forever, and much more. Emails delivered three times a week underscore key points in the talks and offer you things to reflect upon.

Then you can visit the Practice Circle (open 24/7) to share your thoughts and experiences and read the comments of others in our spiritual community. You are sure to benefit from the collective curiosity, insight, and wisdom. Leading the Practice Circle will be Patricia Campball Carlson and Margaret Wakeley, who work closely with Br. David at Gratefulness.org (Spirituality & Practice's sister site).

"Trusting in Life with Br. David Steindl-Rast" begins this Monday, April 16. To join us, click on the "Subscribe to E-Course" button at this page: SpiritualityandPractice.com/TrustinginLife

If you've never experienced Br. David's teaching (and even if you have), don't miss this opportunity! He is a dear one.

Salaam, Shalom, Shanti, Peace,

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Co-Directors, Spirituality & Practice

NEXT E-COURSES ‒ JUST THE FACTS

We have two opportunities to "study with the monks" coming up this month. Here are just the facts about these special programs. We hope you will join us.

WHAT: Trusting in Life with Br. David Steindl-Rast Subscribe here.
WHO: Led by Patricia Campbell Carlson and Margaret Wakeley of Gratefulness.org
WHEN: Monday, April 16, through Friday, May 11
COST: $49.95
FORMAT: Emails on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Video Clips, online Practice Circle.
TALKS: Film clips of talks given by Br. David, recorded during a cruise to Alaska in 2011, about the virtue of faith.
REFLECTION: Discussion questions and journaling prompts keyed to each talk, plus further explanation of such themes as how faith works, when it works, and for whom it works.
COMMUNITY: A worldwide community posting responses in the online Practice Circle (a forum open 24/7).
TO SIGN UP: Click on the "Subscribe to E-Course button" at the bottom of this page. You can also give the e-course as a gift.

WHAT: The Wisdom of the Desert Fathers and Mothers Subscribe here.
WHO: Led by Christine Valters Paintner, Abbess of AbbeyoftheArts.com
WHEN: Sunday, April 22, through Saturday, May 20
COST: $49.95
Format: Daily emails, online Practice Circle
Wisdom: Short selections from the writings of the desert monastics of fourth and fifth century Egypt, plus commentaries by Christine.
Practices: Reflection questions and simple practices to help you discover the meaning of desert wisdom for today.
Community: A spiritual community posting comments in online Practice Circle (a forum open 24/7).
TO SIGN UP: Click on the "Subscribe to E-Course" button at the bottom of this page. You can also give the e-course as a gift.

In Centering Prayer … little by little, we enter into prayer
without intentionality except to consent
… and consent becomes surrender
… and surrender becomes total receptivity
… and, as the process continues,
total receptivity becomes effortless, peaceful.
… It is free and has nothing to attain, to get, or desire
… So, no thinking, no reflection, no desire,
no words, no thing
… just receptivity and consent.

Thomas Keating, ‘Centering Prayer’ segment, Heartfulness: Transformation in Christ

Fr. William Meninger on Centering Prayer

Read this interview with Fr. William Meninger, one of the founders of the Centering Prayer method and movement. Here are some excerpts:

“The Cloud of Unknowing says in many different ways that God, whom the mind cannot grasp, the heart can embrace. Since God is infinite and we are finite you cannot put an infinite God into a finite mind. But our hearts are capable of loving the infinite God.”

“Centering prayer — or contemplative Christian prayer — is simply loving God and being loved by God, consciously. It is a work of supernatural charity which can only come from God.” Read more.Read more.

Courtesy of elpopophoto

Faith calls for the total surrender of our faculties and of all our being to the truth inside and outside ourselves. The Christian tradition calls this reality God. Christian faith is a leap into the unknown. Experience confirms the wisdom of every act of trust. The alteration of the darkness of faith leading to understanding, and understanding illuminating the darkness of faith is the normal way that leads to the growth of faith. Like everyone else, God wants to be accepted as he is - and he happens to be infinite, incomprehensible, and inexpressable.

Thomas Keating, The Heart of the World: An Introduction to Contemplative Christianity

EASTER READING

The Mystery of Christ: The Liturgy as Spiritual Experience, Thomas Keating. “… There is a prolonged period of preparation (Lent) for the principal feast which is Easter. The Sundays after Easter develop the significance and fruits of Christ’s resurrection, culminating in the crowning feast of the season which is the Ascension.” A full 53 pages of this book focus on Easter and the Ascension.$19.95 USD. Order here.

 

 

Journey to the Heart: Centering Prayer for Children, Frank X. Jelenek. Ideal for ages 3-10 years. The first guide to a contemplative prayer practice for children, Journey to the Heart both instructs and inspires. Many parents and teachers will learn from this colorful treasure of a book as well. An alternative Easter basket treat. $15.99 USD. Order here.

 

ON SALE

 

Year One – “Practice” series of The Contemplative Life Program, now $90 USD for seven booklets, was $140. Read more. E-version available for $70 USD.

Year Two – “Dispositions” series of The Contemplative Life Program, now $90 USD for seven booklets, was $140. Read more. E-version available for $70 USD.

 

Forty Days To a Closer Walk with God by J. David Muyskens

It's been said that centering prayer is like two friends sitting together in silence, just being in each other's presence, completely natural and comfortable. Yet, centering prayer is sometimes viewed as too mysterious, too escapist, too hard. At first, it even appeared that way to the author, but events in his life and his further studies about prayer redirected his views.

Through Muyskens' insightful guidance, you'll explore a simple, biblical practice of prayer that leads to a deep communion with God and encourages a way of life motivated by the divine, perhaps untapped, Presence at the center of your being. "Your life can be chaotic, scattered, unfocused, but in prayer you consent to a new orientation," writes Muyskens. "When I am centered, I open the eyes of my heart to perceive God's presence?. I let go of my efforts to reach God and simply rest in the love of the Trinity. I surrender myself to Christ."

A simple 20-minute per day practice of contemplative prayer over the course of 40 days can lead you to closer relationship with God. As you progress through the daily scripture and meditative readings in Forty Days to a Closer Walk with God, you'll find greater understanding and fresh awareness of Jesus' promise, "I am with you always."

To order, click here.

Transformation and Centering Prayer: New Paths in Science, Education and Spirituality CD set

CD 1

Science, Evolution and Divine Union by Fr. Thomas Keating

Evolution is the way that God seems to have chosen to create. It's a process where everything has its time and its place and where it takes a long time for the divine plan to be received and revealed in its fullness in the human family, through Christ.

Centering Prayer: A Healing Response to Everyday Stress by Jane Ferguson Flout

In these hectic times of information overload and fast pace, Centering Prayer can offer a way to rest in God. This presentation describes some health outcomes of Centering Prayer on everyday stress and on Christians' approach to communicating with God.

CD 2

Neuroscientific Approaches to Centering Prayer: What Can the Brain Teach Us About this Practice? by Cassandra Vieten, Ph.D, Michael L. Spezio, Ph.D

This presentation provides an overview of how neuroscientists and clinical psychologists approach the study of contemplative practices, including Centering Prayer.

CD 3

The Contemplative Dimension of Centering Prayer: Transforming Obstacles into Aides for Spiritual Growth by David Frennette, M.A.

The great Jesuit contemplative, Jean Pierre de Caussade, wrote, "God can turn every obstacle into an aide for spiritual growth." How can Centering Prayer lead you to experience every obstacle, everything as an aide, a blessing on the spiritual path?

Educating Minds and Hearts: Contemplation and the Next Generation by Vincent Pizzulo, Ph.D

This presentation addresses the role of evoking wonder, awe and mystery in awakening students to the contemplative dimension of life. The essence of 'contemplative education,' lies in one's ability to holistically address both mind and heart, body and spirit of one's students and instill a sense of the urgency of God's love for every person. Contemplative silence makes most sense to the new generation when it is understood as a counter-cultural response to the experience of 'disconnect' within contemporary society, and a radical adherence to the Gospel call to love and compassion.

To order, click here.

Paschal Mystery, A Journey into Redemption and Grace, CLP Praxis

This is a 109 page booklet based completely on the teachings and writings of Father Thomas Keating on the topic, it is intended to serve as a daily companion to move ever deeper in trust and intimacy with the living God in the midst of trials, purification, various forms of suffering or simply within the norms of everyday life. This 40-day mini-retreat is a journey from the limiting small self to the fullness of the human being who we were created to be. Scripture passages are complemented by beautiful images, Fr. Keating's writings and a mini-practice on which to focus for the day.

This booklet is also part of a package which contains a CD and DVD.

To order, click here.

Open Mind, Open Heart, Paperback

Soft Cover Edition A deep and thorough overview of the Christian contemplative tradition, a process of interior transformation, a conversation initiated by God and leading, if we consent, to divine union. Herein a restructuring of consciousness takes place which empowers one to perceive, relate and respond to everyday life with increasing sensitivity to the divine presence in, through, and beyond everything that happens. Fr. Thomas gives step-by-step guidance in the method of Centering Prayer, a movement of divine love designed to renew the Christian contemplative tradition.

This is the twentieth anniversary edition of Continuum's best-selling spiritual classic, which has sold well over half a million copies in the English language and has appeared in 10 foreign-language editions (Croatian, French, German, Hungarian, Indonesia, Italian, Korean, Spanish, Polish, and Portuguese). The new edition consists of a substantial new preface, an expanded glossary, some changes in terminology, and a reordering of several chapters. Open Mind, Open Heart is designed to initiate the readers into a deep, living relationship with God and provides step-by-step guidance in the method of centering prayer. Centering prayer, says Father Keating, offers those who practice it place to go to persevere in the spirit.

To order, click here.

The Daily Reader for Contemplative Living - (Paperback)

by Stephanie Iachetta

Excerpts from the works of Fr. Thomas Keating, Sacred Scripture, and other spiritual writings - creating the perfect basis for daily meditation.

From the forward by George W. Hunt, S.J.:

The book's structure is both simple and elegant. Each day's text begins with a line of prayer, a 'prayer sentence' that acts as both a theme and an invitation. Each closes with an appropriate, longer citation from Scripture that is a biblically based recapitulation of the theme. In between lies a brief reflection to inspire meditation, each an excerpt from the writings of the Cistercian monk, Father Thomas Keating . . .

To order, click here.

The Christian Contemplative Tradition

Though it has acquired other meanings and connotations in recent centuries, the word contemplation had a specific meaning for the first 16 centuries of the Christian era. St. Gregory the Great summed up this meaning at the end of the 6th century as the knowledge of God that is impregnated with love. For Gregory, contemplation was both the fruit of reflecting on the Word of God in scripture and a precious gift of God. He referred to contemplation as "resting in God." In this "resting," the mind and heart are not so much seeking God, as beginning to experience what they have been seeking. This state is not the suspension of all activity, but the reduction of many acts and reflections to a single act or thought in order to sustain one's consent to God's presence and action.

In this traditional understanding, contemplation, or contemplative prayer, is not something that can be achieved through will, but rather is God's gift. It is the opening of mind and heart - one's whole being - to God. Contemplative prayer is a process of interior transformation. It is a relationship initiated by God and leading, if one consents, to divine union.

Christian Contemplatives and Contemplative Practices Throughout History

Contemplative prayer is by no means a modern addition to Christianity. Contemplative Christian prayer has representatives in every age. A form of contemplative prayer was first practiced and taught by the Desert Fathers of Egypt, Palestine and Syria including Evagrius, St. Augustine and St. Gregory the Great in the West, and Pseudo-Dionysius and the Hesychasts in the East.

In the Middle Ages, St. Bernard of Clarivaux, William of St. Thierry and Guigo the Carthusian represent the Christian contemplative tradition, as well as the Rhineland mystics, including St. Hildegard, St. Mechtilde, Meister Eckhart, Ruysbroek and Tauler. Later, the author of The Imitation of Christ and the English mystics of the 14th century such as the author of The Cloud of Unknowing, Walter Hilton, Richard Rolle, and Julian of Norwich became part of the Christian contemplative heritage.

After the Reformation, the Carmelites of St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross and St. Therese of Lisieux; the French school of spiritual writers, including St. Francis de Sales, St. Jane de Chantal and Cardinal Berulle; the Jesuits, including fathers De Caussade, Lallemont and Surin; the Benedictines, like Dom Augustine Baker and Dom John Chapman, and modern Cistercians such as Dom Vital Lehodey and Thomas Merton, all cultivated practices in their lives that they believed led to the spiritual gift of contemplation.

Modern Contemplative Practices

In the 20th and 21st centuries, initiatives have been taken by various religious orders, notably by the Jesuits and Discalced Carmelites, to renew the contemplative orientation of their founders and to share their spirituality with laypeople. In addition, several monks, such as Fathers Thomas Keating and John Main, have pioneered efforts to answer the call of Vatican II to return to the Gospels and to biblical theology as the primary sources of Catholic spirituality. The product of these initiatives is a myriad of modern prayer practices based on historical contemplative teachings.

Prayer of Faith, Prayer of the Heart, Pure Prayer, Prayer of Simplicity, Prayer of Simple Regard, Active Recollection, Active Quiet, and Acquired Contemplation are all names of modern practices based on historical practices and meant to prepare their practitioners for contemplation. The practices around which Contemplative Outreach was built, Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina, are two such practices. Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina are closely derived from ancient contemplative Christian practices and are attempts to present these practices in updated formats that appeal to the lay community.

In many cases, modern Christian contemplative practices serve as a bridge in East/West dialogue as well as a way home for many Christians who have gone to the East in search of spiritual wisdom.

(From CO e-News Bulletin, June 2010)

Contemplative Outreach Circle of Service

Seated left to right: David Muyskens, Fr. Keating, Fr. Carl Arico, Mark Novak

Standing left to right: Ron Barnett, Susan Rush, Marie Howard, Gail Fitzpatrick Hopler, Susan Komis, Bonnie Shimizu, Mary Ann Best

VISION / MISSION


Fr. Thomas Keating

Fr. Thomas Keating

Fr. William Meninger

Fr. William Meninger

Fr. Basil Pennington

Fr. Basil Pennington

Vision Statement

Contemplative Outreach is a spiritual network of individuals and small faith communities committed to living the contemplative dimension of the Gospel in everyday life through the practice of Centering Prayer. The contemplative dimension of the Gospel manifests itself in an ever-deepening union with the living Christ and the practical caring for others that flows from that relationship.

The purpose of Contemplative Outreach is to support one another in the process of Divine transformation through the practice of Centering Prayer. We also encourage the practice of Lectio Divina, particularly its movement into Contemplative Prayer, which a regular and established practice of Centering Prayer facilitates.

In the Philippines, this mission is being carried out by Contemplative Outreach Philippines (COP).  In addition to conducting workshops, retreats and other programs on Centering Prayer, COP guides and facilitates support groups for persons in the practice.  Since its establishment in 1990, the Outreach has shared Centering Prayer with men and women, religious and lay alike.  It has also sponsored recollections and retreats conducted by the founders themselves- Fr. Thomas Keating, Fr. William Meninger and the late Fr. Basil Pennington - all Trappist monks.  Commissioned presenters also conduct retreats and workshops.

Mission Statement

The primary purpose of Contemplative Outreach Philippines is to teach the method of Centering Prayer and to offer practices that bring its fruits into daily life.  The Outreach also teaches Lectio Divina (Sacred Reading), particularly its movement into contemplative prayer as facilitated by a regular practice of Centering Prayer.  The ministry offers workshops, retreats, and formation programs designed to present the richness of the Christian contemplative heritage in an updated and accessible format.

Contemplative Outreach Philippines is authorized to use the formats of Fr. Thomas Keating, O.C.S.O., founder of Contemplative Outreach Ltd. In the United States and one of the three Trappist monks who developed Centering Prayer.  The Archdiocese of Manila recognizes the Outreach as the official organization authorized to teach Centering Prayer and its formation programs through its bona fide commissioned presenters.

Centering Prayer is a prayer of interior silence and alert receptivity to the Divine Indwelling, the center of one’s being.  Together with the daily practice of Lectio Divina, growth in Prayer awakens the spiritual level of one’s consciousness.  One’s will is cultivated to constantly and repeatedly consent to God’s presence and action as one becomes increasingly aware of them in day-to-day living.

History of Contemplative Outreach

Contemplative Outreach has its roots in the wish of three monks living at St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts in the early 1970s. Inspired by the decree of Vatican II, the monks wished to develop a method of Christian contemplative prayer that was appealing and accessible to laypeople. With no idea that their wish would eventually result in an international organization, Fathers Thomas Keating, William Meninger, and Basil Pennington embarked on an experiment. Today their experiment is called Contemplative Outreach.

As abbot of St. Joseph's Abbey, Fr. Keating attended a meeting in Rome in 1971. At the meeting, Pope Paul VI called on the members of the clergy to revive the contemplative dimension of the Gospel in the lives of both monastic and laypeople. Believing in the importance of this revival, Fr. Keating encouraged the monks at St. Joseph's to develop a method of Christian contemplative prayer with the same appeal and accessibility that Eastern meditation practices seemed to have for modern people. A monk at the abbey named William Meninger found the background for such a method in the anonymous fourteenth-century classic The Cloud of the Unknowing. Using this and other contemplative literature, Meninger developed a simple method of silent prayer he called The Prayer of the Cloud.

Meninger began to offer instruction on The Prayer of the Cloud to priests who came to the monastery for retreats. The prayer was well received and as word got out, more people wanted to learn the prayer, so Fr. Keating began to offer workshops to the lay community in Spencer. Another monk at the abbey, Basil Pennington, also began to teach The Prayer of the Cloud to priests and sisters at retreats away from St. Joseph's. At one retreat, someone suggested that the name of the prayer be changed to Centering Prayer, alluding to Thomas Merton's description of contemplative prayer as prayer that is "centered entirely on the presence of God...His will...His love...[and] Faith by which alone we can know the presence of God." From then on, the prayer was called Centering Prayer.

In 1983, Fr. Keating gave the first "intensive" Centering Prayer retreat at the Lama Foundation in San Cristobal, New Mexico. One of the participants of the retreat, Gustave Reininger, previously had met with Fr. Keating and a man named Edward Bednar to discuss starting a contemplative network. After their meeting, Bednar wrote a grant proposal, which he called Contemplative Outreach, and received funds to start parish-based programs in New York City that offered introductions to Centering Prayer. This marked the beginning of the Contemplative Outreach Centering Prayer Program and a milestone in Contemplative Outreach's birth as an organization.
Other participants of the retreat at the Lama Foundation also played a large part in the growth of Contemplative Outreach. In 1985, participants David Frenette and Mary Mrozowski, along with Bob Bartel, established a live-in community in the eastern United States called Chrysalis House. For 11 years, Chrysalis House provided a consistent place to hold Centering Prayer workshops and retreats. Many Centering Prayer practitioners and teachers who now carry on the work of Contemplative Outreach were trained and inspired at Chrysalis House.

In 1986, the three monks' experiment was incorporated as Contemplative Outreach, LTD., and the first official board of directors was named. Fr. Keating served as the first president, Fr. Carl Arico as vice president, Gustave Reininger as treasurer, and Mary Mrozowski and Gail Fitzpatrick-Hopler as directors. At first, the organization was run from Gail Fitzpatirick-Hopler's dining room table. After several necessary expansions, the network's international headquarters now offices in 2000 square feet of space in downtown Butler, New Jersey with the help of seven full-time employees, two part-time employees, five volunteers, and, of course, the continued support and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

  ̶  From Contemplative Outreach E-News, Oct. 2009

Centering Prayer leads to bonding with others and with the whole universe, and brings with it the call to participate in the redemptive adventure that God has initiated.

‒ Fr. Thomas Keating

FAQs on Centering Prayer

Four new FAQs on Centering Prayer have been posted to help discuss and answer various doubts or concerns about the prayer practice:

1. What is the overall aim or intention of Centering Prayer?
2. How is Centering Prayer different from meditation, especially Eastern meditation practices?
3. How is Centering Prayer rooted in the Christian tradition?
4. A response to then Cardinal Ratzinger’s 1989 “Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on Some Aspects of Christian Meditation.” This was written by Thomas Keating in response to questions about that letter and Centering Prayer.

See these questions and more in the FAQ section of the Contemplative Outreach website.

ABOUT THE PRAYER

The intent of Contemplative Outreach is to foster the process of transformation in Christ in one another through the practice of Centering Prayer.

 

A glimpse of Reality...

“In truth I tell you, today, you will be with me in paradise.”

‒ Lk 23:43

Jesus says the word today, not tomorrow, not yester-day, but today. What an extraordinary promise to a most unlikely person, a thief. Like the thief, I have lived in daily battle with my false self, concerned only with my own desires and looking for happiness only in the satisfaction of my temporal wants. And yet, after these wants are met, I find myself more empty and unsatisfied widening the rift between me and my God.

And just when it seems that the gap is too big to cross, the silent nudge of the Holy Spirit gently brings me to my senses and I fall on my knees and beg the Lord. “Remember me when you come into Your Kingdom.” And how many times are those words lovingly expressed back: “Today, you will be with Me in Paradise.”? A silent healing takes place, a revival occurs, and gentle hands reach out for me. All I have to do is to take hold of those hands and once again, I am safe. For this is the true happiness I am searching for, the Paradise on earth that my soul aches for and is capable of experiencing… to be in our Lord’s arms once again…to know I am with Him… And a miracle occurs again and again in my life as I fall and grab for those hands, fall again and grab for those hands.

Thank you Lord, for your infinite patience in dealing with me, for your generosity in loving me in spite of myself…

 

When we sit down in Centering Prayer, we are sitting on the cross with Christ. This means that the inner resurrection of our true self is assured.

‒ Fr. Thomas Keating

History of Centering Prayer

Centering Prayer was developed as a response to the Vatican II invitation to revive the contemplative teachings of early Christianity and present them in updated formats. In this way, the method of Centering Prayer is drawn from the ancient practices of the Christian contemplative heritage, notably the traditional monastic practice of Lectio Divina and the practices described in the anonymous fourteenth century classic The Cloud of Unknowing and in the writings of Christian mystics such as John Cassian, Francis de Sales, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Therese of Lisieux, and Thomas Merton. Most importantly, Centering Prayer is based on the wisdom saying of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount:

"...when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will repay you."

Matthew 6.6 (New American Bible)

In the 1970s, answering the call of Vatican II, three Trappist monks at St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts, Fathers William Meninger, Basil Pennington and Thomas Keating, looked to these ancient sources to develop a simple method of silent prayer for contemporary people. The prayer came to be known as Centering Prayer in reference to Thomas Merton's description of contemplative prayer as prayer that is "centered entirely on the presence of God." The monks offered Centering Prayer workshops and retreats to both clergy members and laypeople. Interest in the prayer spread, and shortly after the first intensive Centering Prayer retreat in 1983, the organization Contemplative Outreach was formed to support the growing network of Centering Prayer practitioners.

Today Centering Prayer is practiced by people all around the world, creating local and global networks of Christians in communion with Christ and each other and contributing to the renewal of the contemplative dimension of Christianity.

Taken from CO Website

A Meditation on Centering Prayer

We begin our prayer by disposing our body.  Let it be relaxed and calm, but inwardly alert.

The root of prayer is interior silence.  We may think of prayer as thoughts or feelings expressed in words.  But this is only one expression.  Deep prayer is the laying aside of thoughts.  It is the opening of mind and heart, body and feelings – our whole being – to God, the Ultimate Mystery, beyond words, thoughts and emotions.  We do not resist them or suppress them.  We accept them as they are and go beyond them, not by effort, but by letting them all go by.

We open our awareness to the Ultimate Mystery whom we know by faith is within us, closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than choosing – closer than consciousness itself.  The Ultimate Mystery is the ground in which our being is rooted, the Source from whom our life emerges at every moment.

We are totally present now, with the whole of our being, in complete openness, in deep prayer.  The past and future – time itself – are forgotten.

We are here in the presence of the Ultimate Mystery.  Like the air we breathe, this divine presence is all around us and within us, distinct from us, but never separate from us.  We may sense this Presence drawing us from within, as if touching our spirit and embracing it, or carrying us beyond ourselves into pure awareness.

We surrender to the attraction of interior silence, tranquillity, and peace.  We do not try to feel anything, reflect about anything.  Without effort, without trying, we sink into this Presence, letting everything else go by.  Let love alone speak the simple desire to be one with the Presence, to forget self, and to rest in the Ultimate Mystery.

This Presence is immense, yet so humble; awe-inspiring, yet so gentle; limitless, yet so intimate, tender and personal.  I know that I am known.  Everything in my life is transparent in this Presence.  It knows everything about me – all my weakness, brokenness, sinfulness – and still loves me infinitely.

This Presence is healing, strengthening, refreshing – just by its Presence.  It is nonjudgmental, self-giving, seeking no reward, boundless in compassion.  It is like coming home to a place I should never have left, to an awareness that was somehow always there, but which I did not recognize.

I cannot force this awareness, or bring it about.  A door opens within me, but from the other side.  I seem to have tasted before the mysterious sweetness of this enveloping, permeating Presence.  It is both emptiness and fullness at once.

We wait patiently; in silence, openness, and quiet attentiveness; motionless, within and without.  We surrender to the attraction to be still, to be loved, just to be.

Centering Prayer List

A Contemplative Living Community in the Christian Contemplative Tradition

CENTERINGPRAYER / A Contemplative Living Community in the Christian Contemplative Tradition, is an unmoderated ecumenical (Christian) mailing list grounded in the Christian contemplative heritage. The list members are committed to the renewal of the contemplative dimension of the gospel through the teaching and practice of Centering Prayer and LectioDivina as taught by Father Thomas Keating, OCSO and his worldwide organization called Contemplative Outreach, Ltd. It is dedicated to those who are BEGINNERS and would like a community to teach, encourage and support them in their practice.

The list was founded on March 7, 1994, in honor of Abbot Thomas Keating's birthday. Father Keating is our mentor, friend and inspiration.

We hope to be able to welcome you to our cyberspace community.

Currently we are presenting an introductory workshop on Centering Prayer.

Centering Prayer is patterned on the formula given by Jesus in Matthew 6:6

If you want to pray, enter your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

To subscribe to the CENTERINGPRAYER List please write to: Centeringprayer@listserve.com

CONTEMPLATIVE OUTREACH LOGO & MEANING

Contemplative Outreach Symbol

JOB’S REDEEMER – PATIENT WAITING

ALPHA AND OMEGA - Symbol of God-the beginning and the end.

THE CROSS - The symbol of our salvation.

  THE FLOWERS - Symbol of the abundance of life – the resurrection.

CIRCLE - Sign of ongoing process.

©2009 Website designed by Mon & Lynn Angeles
email us at cophil2009@yahoo.com

 

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