June e-bulletin
If it is God’s will to create in an evolutionary manner, which is what science is now saying, then we are only halfway there. We are in the middle of nowhere. … [Beasts] follow their instincts, and they glorify God by doing so. We cannot do that anymore because following some of these instincts is choice, and we have been given freedom of choice by God. Do you think God does not expect us to make mistakes? Is it a good idea to call these mistakes ‘sins?’ Or might it better to say, ‘Sorry, you are a little unevolved.’ This is the human condition. God seems to have placed us in this transitional state, which, from the perspective of clarity and peaceful growth, is impossible. …
When you can do what is right freely, this is freedom. Nothing else is freedom. … And because we have free choice, we have the accountability for our free choices and their consequences.
Thomas Keating
God is All in All: The Evolution of the Contemplative Christian Spiritual Journey
Q: Our Centering Prayer group has been studying The Cloud of Unknowing translated by Carmen Acevedo Butcher. In chapter 14, pg 42, we are told to “Get to know yourself. Through it, you’ll experience God as [God] is.” Our group would be interested in some practical steps for getting to know ourselves as a step in the spiritual journey.
A: Read Mary Dwyer’s and Fr. Carl Arico’s response to this question.
you caan read the full e-bulletin at https://mailchi.mp/coutreach/2022-june-e-bulletin?e=9aa0837e74