“The women went away
quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed, and ran to announce
this to his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them on their way and
greeted them.”
‒
Mt. 28:8-9
All throughout the
Holy Week, I have been going around with a heavy heart full of
fear and anxiety over a problem that has affected the lives of my
loved ones. Having exhausted all hu-man means possible in trying to
solve it, I have come to the conclusion that only divine
intercession will find a solution for it. However, Easter came and
the Peace of Christ seemed elusive still. In today’s gospel, the
words “fearful yet overjoyed” at-tracted me and as I pon-dered on
its message, it seems the Lord is telling me that even with my
fears, I can still be joyous if I only “lift up my heart” and
focus on Jesus as the resur-rected Christ, and not stop at looking
at Jesus dead on the cross…Again the words of the Prophet Nehemiah
came to me…”Do not be saddened this day, for rejoicing in the Lord
must be your strength.”
Thank you Lord, for
teaching me that only in being joyful can I have peace in my
heart.
Interior silence is
one of the most strengthening and affirming of human experiences.
There is nothing more affirming, in fact, than the experience of
God’s presence. That revelation says as nothing else can, "You are
a good person. I created you and I love you." Divine love brings
us into being in the fullest sense of the word. It heals the
negative feelings we have about ourselves.
‒Fr. Thomas Keating
Open Mind, Open
Heart
A glimpse of Reality...
“We are well aware
that God works with those who love Him, those who have been called
in accordance with His purpose, and turns everything to their
good.”
‒
Rom. 8:28
Many times I find
myself joining my husband in one of his favorite pastimes:
watching “bakbakan” mo-vies and getting amused by the fact that no
matter how bad and dangerous the situation is for the hero, he
always survives against all odds. Sometimes the sus-pense gets too
much to bear, but somehow you know that in the end, the hero
always succeeds.
Last night, in my
prayer, it dawned on me…how nice it would be if I could translate
that confidence in dealing with my daily life situation. If I
could only learn to trust that my life is in God’s hands and no
matter what twists and turns my life’s journey takes, everything
will be all right in the end. For, being the child of a loving
Father, I am assured of his abiding presence in my life.
Therefore, I am not to worry or be daunted with anything that
comes into my life.
Thank you Lord, for
this precious insight. With your grace, I hope to be always aware
of your loving care for me.
The transmission of
divine life is designed to empower us to think, act, and feel as
God does, or at least as God would think, act, and feel if God
were a human being.
‒
Fr. Thomas Keating
The Kingdom of God
is Like...
The Story of
Contemplative Outreach Philippines
History of
Contemplative Outreach Philippines
Contemplative Outreach Philippines (COP) took root at the Parish of
Santuario de San Antonio in Forbes Park, Makati in 1985 as a ministry
that taught the method of Centering Prayer, and offered practices that
brought its fruit into daily life. However, it was only in 1990
that it became a chapter of Contemplative Outreach Ltd. (CO Ltd.) of New
York, an organization put up by Fr. Thomas Keating, O.C.S.O., solely to
teach Centering Prayer.
Many
workshops were given during the years that followed. At this
stage, Grace Padilla and Lita Salinas, prime movers of Centering Prayer
practice in the country, were invited to be part of the National Faculty
of CO Ltd. They were the first Asians to be given such an
assignment. It was both a function and a privilege. The
function was to teach Centering Prayer and the privilege was to be
invited to attend Faculty meetings once a year, Coordinators’
Conferences, Formation Programs and Retreats, all aimed at enriching the
ministry in all aspects. Since all these activities are both for
information and formation, the experiences derived from these were
unquantifiable. Both Grace and Lita benefited from these
tremendously. The programs, the inputs that these two learned were
brought home and applied to COP and an ongoing Formation Program was
devised for everyone who by this time had come together regularly as a
Support Group in this new found way of relating to God.
Another
factor contributing to the further spread of Centering Prayer practice
were the visits of Fr. Basil Pennington (first in 1987 and almost yearly
thereafter), Fr. Thomas Keating (in 1989, 1990 and many more times later
on), and Fr. William Meninger in 1998. These three Cistercian
monks were responsible for reintroducing the ancient practice of
contemplative prayer in a contemporary setting as Centering Prayer”.
Fr. Carl
Arico, Vice-President of CO Ltd., came in 1992, and Mrs. Bonnie Shimizu,
Chairperson, Resource Faculty Service Team, came in 2005 to give a
“Formation for Presenter Workshop” to a group of committed members.
Since then, hundreds of workshops, retreats and formation programs have
been given benefiting more than a few thousands, COP members and others,
including the clergy and religious communities, desiring to know more
about Centering Prayer and its application in daily life.
As an organization, COP is
served by a Servant Leader Team (SLT) made up of 10 members, 9 of whom
are elected by its voting members. The 10th member is
the mentor/spiritual adviser commissioned by Fr. Thomas Keating.
Together they make up the Circle of Service (COS) whose function is to
see to it that the vision of Contemplative Outreach (CO) is fostered,
and its mission of spreading the prayer and supporting the members in
their spiritual journey is facilitated.
The
COP Secretariat is located at St. John Bosco Parish, Makati, Philippines
at Rm. 211 in the Parish Building. For information about COP, the
Secretariat can be contacted thru the ff:
Office telephone number – (+632)
501-52-31
Email
address - cop.secretariat@gmail.com.ph
Pastoral Statement
An Endorsement
from the Archbishop of Manila
On
Feb. 16, 1997, his Eminence, Jaime Cardinal Sin, Archbishop of Manila,
issued a Pastoral Statement on Centering Prayer. Based on an
exhaustive study commissioned by the Cardinal himself, the Statement
clarified Centering Prayer’s true definition, purpose, and benefits, and
how spiritual guidance can help enhance the practice.
Cardinal Sin
concluded the assessment with the pronouncement that Centering Prayer
“merits the approval of the Catholic Christian faith community . . .
because it has brought renewal and deepening of Christian Prayer and
life among increasing numbers of individuals and communities, and has
brought back many seekers for God and for spiritual life back to the
Church.”
The Cardinal has
disseminated the Pastoral Statement on Centering Prayer to all parishes,
religious houses, and seminaries in the Archdiocese of Manila. He
personally released it to then COP Director, Lita Salinas (now COP
mentor/spiritual adviser), thus recognizing the Outreach as the official
organization authorized to teach Centering Prayer and its formation
programs through its bona fide commissioned presenters.
February 16, 1997
Spiritual Director
Rev. Fr.
Romeo J. Intengan, S.J.
Board of Advisers
Most Rev. Arch. Luis Antonio G. Tagle, D.D..•
Rev. Fr.
Ruben M. Tanseco, S.J.
The People
Behind COP
Circle of
Service
Terly Chikiamco
•
Tess Colayco • Pixie Cuisia • Meny de la Rosa • Dedette Gamboa
•
Anna Marie Llanos •
Grace Padilla
•
Doris See • Nancy Tambunting
• Billie Trinidad
Many
workshops were given during the years that followed. At this
stage, Grace Padilla and Lita Salinas, prime movers of Centering Prayer
practice in the country, were invited to be part of the National Faculty
of CO Ltd. They were the first Asians to be given such an
assignment. It was both a function and a privilege. The
function was to teach Centering Prayer and the privilege was to be
invited to attend Faculty meetings once a year, Coordinators’
Conferences, Formation Programs and Retreats, all aimed at enriching the
ministry in all aspects. Since all these activities are both for
information and formation, the experiences derived from these were
unquantifiable. Both Grace and Lita benefited from these
tremendously. The programs, the inputs that these two learned were
brought home and applied to COP and an ongoing Formation Program was
devised for everyone who by this time had come together regularly as a
Support Group in this new found way of relating to God.
On
Feb. 16, 1997, his Eminence, Jaime Cardinal Sin, Archbishop of Manila,
issued a Pastoral Statement on Centering Prayer. Based on an
exhaustive study commissioned by the Cardinal himself, the Statement
clarified Centering Prayer’s true definition, purpose, and benefits, and
how spiritual guidance can help enhance the practice.
