“Be still, and you will know, not by the knowledge of the mind, but by the knowledge of the heart, who God is and who you are.”

Thomas Keating
Consenting to God as God Is

Q: Sometimes during Centering Prayer, an emotional pain comes up that causes me to cry from a deep level.  Is this Divine Therapy or is it the “emotionality” teachers tell us to avoid? 
A: Read Mary’s response.

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Q: I’m at times confusing Centering Prayer with mindfulness meditation. At times when I’m doing Centering Prayer, I find that I’m focusing on my breath and I know I’m not supposed to focus on anything. I’m wanting to build more of a relationship with God and feel God’s presence in my life, but also I’m wanting to reduce the anxiety in my life. So, do I do two different sits each day?
A. Read Mary’s response.

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Have questions? Submit your questions about your Centering Prayer practice or other contemplative practices, the spiritual journey and the contemplative life to any of our contributors by emailing pamela@coutreach.org.

You can read the complete e-Bulletin at     https://mailchi.mp/coutreach/2022-oct-e-bulletin?e=9aa0837e74

So, if you accept the view that [the self] is a dynamic experience, that the self can keep on growing, then it becomes a true self in the image and likeness of God, then there is the possibility that there is only one Self. There is only God. There is only one Self, or one consciousness in fact. And in the light of those scientific discoveries, if there is one consciousness, it is the infinite unlimited consciousness of God, which is shared with every creature according to its capacity. So, God is present in everyone, relating to them where they are, but nudging them to move beyond, especially the humans, to the unbelievable share in the divine beatitude. And what is that? It is ultimately sacrifice. That is maybe one way of looking at the universe.

Thomas Keating
“The Self and Evolving Consciousness,” 
That We May Be One: Christian Non-Duality

Q: My attempts at Centering Prayer have not been particularly good. Though I do believe that any attempts to connect with God are honoured and I know at times I have felt God’s presence and voice, but not often. It’s usually after the prayer time I feel closer & am aware of God doing things in my life.

A: Read Leslee’s response.

You can read the complete e-bulletin at   https://mailchi.mp/coutreach/2022-july-e-bulletin-1593732?e=9aa0837e74

There will be times when contemplatives feel they cannot pray anymore. All that is left to them is the desire to pray, sometimes buried under enormous difficulties in daily life along with interior purification. They need to be reminded again and again that the desire to pray is itself a prayer. St. John of the Cross wrote with great insight “Love consists not in feeling great things, but in having great detachment and in suffering for the Beloved.” The love of God is not a question of feeling but of choice … Thus someone who wants to pray is praying, and someone who feels no love is loving as long as he or she continues to remain available both in prayer and in daily life to the Divine Therapist.

Thomas Keating, Intimacy with God

“The way we would begin in prayer is that we belong to God …
all prayer starts and unfolds out of that knowing…”
 

Wise words from Thomas Merton to his novice monks. We would do well to listen for this inner certainty changes everything. But I can’t seem to hold on to this precious knowing. How do I swim in this golden river of love for longer than ten seconds, this fierce, ineffable, bottomless love of the Creator for creation?

image courtesy of elpopophoto
The truth is little by little. By myself, I can’t hold on to anything. But I am faithful to my Centering Prayer practice, as Jim Finley would say, “my daily rendezvous with God.”
 
Often, I find myself sighing deeply over my failings, sometimes laughing and other times tearful at my thoughts and actions. Thankfully, with less hateful judgment and criticism. I am living more and more of my life from a calm inner, compassionate awareness, and acceptance of my own preciousness in the face of my imperfections.
 
Perhaps I am swimming in the golden river of love and belonging more than I realize, especially when I look at myself with the eyes of God. This is good news.

Deborah Marqui
Healing Gardens, Illinois, USA

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The full archive of community articles may be found here.

The complete e-bulletin can be found at   https://mailchi.mp/coutreach/2022-may-e-bulletin?e=9aa0837e74

“Forgiveness is central to the Christian religion. It was Jesus’ chief concern on the night of his resurrection when he revealed himself to the apostles … breathed on them, and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them. Whose sins you retain are retained’ (John 20:22-23). …

“God is nothing but forgiveness. We too must practice forgiveness to be God’s children. There may be events and people in our conscious and unconscious memories that we have not forgiven. This leaves them in deep, even if repressed, psychological pain. It is in our power to heal them or to leave them in their pain. … In actual fact, not to forgive others is not to forgive ourselves. At the deepest level, we are everyone else. We can only enjoy the world of unconditional love with hearts that are completely open to everyone.”

Thomas Keating, Manifesting God

Q: How does God work in me in Centering Prayer? … 

A: Read the full question and Fr. Carl’s response here.

You can find the complete E-bulletin at     https://mailchi.mp/coutreach/2022-march-e-bulletin?e=9aa0837e74

Monday, August 29 – Friday, September 2, 2022

Catherine’s House: Mercy International Centre,   64A Baggot Street, Dublin 2

Fionnuala Quinn O.P.

Suzanne Ryder RSM

Maire Hearty RSM

A Silent Introductory Retreat to Centering Prayer

with Readings from Catherine McAuley

Retreatants will participate in the full Introduction to Centering Prayer, suitable for newcomers and those familiar with Centering Prayer. The retreat will also include Lectio Divina, a Contemplative Tour of Catherine’s House and viewing of A Rising Tide of Silence: A Reflective Portrait of Father Thomas Keating.

There will be optional opportunity for spiritual accompaniment

with the retreat presenters.

Please register directly with Mercy Centre

01 661 8061 or info@mercyinternational.ie