Newsletters
In each newsletter you will find an article from Fr. Keating, a message from the President, other articles and information on retreats and local contacts.
Newsletters are in Adobe Acrobat format (pdf), click for the free reader.
Seekers of Ultimate Mystery Fr. Thomas Keating
Many paths lead to the Source. Some call this Source the
Absolute, the One God, the Holy Trinity, Brahman, Great Spirit,
Allah, Ultimate Reality or other names, depending upon the
cultural or religious frame of reference. For the purpose of this
discussion, I use the term “Ultimate Mystery” to designate the
meaning that these words are trying to signify. The kingdom of heaven truly is right here – a felt experience among contemplative brothers and sisters.
Grace Upon Grace Gail Fitzpatrick-Hopler
The contemplative life transcends country, culture, language and religious differences. . . There are no boundaries in God; this is a lived experience when I visit other countries. Here are highlights from a few of my 2009 trips.
Memories Around the World Fr. Carl Arico
You probably are not aware that Contemplative Outreach has its own St. Paul and St. Peter. Our St. Paul was Fr. Basil Pennington. Fr. Basil, Fr. Thomas Keating and Fr. William Menninger are the founding fathers of Centering Prayer.
Sarah's Advice by Fr. Thomas Keating
There were many events or situations along the way that have made a significant difference in my life. I’ll offer one special reminiscence. Some of you may have heard this before. The meaning of it comes in the last few lines, so be patient!
At the first Lama retreat in August, 1983, our meals were prepared in the community kitchen and carried over 500 yards down a path and served to us on the floor because the retreat space didn’t have any tables or chairs. Pat and her husband Bob Johnson were members of the Lama community. Pat cooked and served all the meals.
The Johnson’s had a daughter named Sarah who was completely disabled. She had fallen out of a baby backpack when she was 11 months old and severely injured her head. She required care 24 hours a day. She couldn’t do anything for herself – anything at all.
Unity in Contemplation by Fr. Thomas Keating
In describing the functioning of the Mystical Body of Christ, Saint Paul writes that everyone has a special role to play in that body: some are teachers, some preachers, some wonderworkers, some have the charismatic gifts (cf. 1Cor.12:4-31). To sum up our conference about Unity in Contemplation, let me paraphrase the description of the transformational process revealed by Father Bede Griffiths, OSB., the founder of Shantivanam Ashram, South India, to someone in a dream.
The Crescendo of Violence by Fr. Thomas Keating
The only fully adequate alternative to utmost violence is utmost charity: the practice of mutual love in personal relationships and among nations, even to the point of dying for the sake of the survival, enhancement, and transformation of the whole human family, past, present, and to come.
The Four You's by Fr. Thomas Keating
Let us tune into the level of our being that is more us than we normally perceive ourselves to be. A series of questions might focus on this ultimate identity.
Breathed by the Spirit by Fr. Thomas Keating
Jesus breathed on his disciples on the evening of his resurrection saying, "Receive the Holy Spirit". There is thus no doubt of Jesus’ intent and ardent desire to communicate the Holy Spirit to us.
The Vision of Contemplative Outreach by Fr. Thomas Keating
What is the primary focus of the unity of Contemplative Outreach as a network? I think it is to maintain the integrity of the method of Centering Prayer and its conceptual background.
Psychology and the Spiritual Journey by Fr. Thomas Keating
The field of psychology as an experiential science has to be taken into account by the world's religions and by those who are seeking personal transformation. To take an example from Roman Catholic theology, the consequences of original sin are believed to be three: illusion, concupiscence, and weakness of will.
Experiences of Interreligious Dialogue Fr. Thomas Keating interviewed by Netanel Miles-Yepez
Netanel Miles-Yepez: How did a good Roman Catholic and Cistercian monk like yourself come to be involved in interreligious dialogue? There can't have been much of this happening when you made your first ecumenical forays into that territory.
Homily for the Funeral of Dom Basil Pennington by Fr. Thomas Keating
This homily was delivered at the funeral of Fr. Basil Pennington on June 10, 2005.
Welcome to this celebration of the Resurrection and of Basil’s participation in It! Today we are immersed in a number of significant traditions that Basil initiated and that reflect his enormous capacity for creativity.
The Wedding Feast of Cana by Fr. Thomas Keating
Our salvation actually began at the wedding feast of Cana when the seed of faith was sown in the minds and hearts of the apostles through the changing of the water into wine. For they were to carry Jesus’ message of salvation to the ends of the earth.
Centering Prayer by Fr. Keating
Centering Prayer is a contemporary name for the practice that Jesus describes as "prayer in secret" in the Sermon on the Mount. When you pray, he teaches, "Enter your inner room, close the door, pray to your Father in secret and your Father who sees in secret will reward you" (Matthew 6:6).
What Can We Do? by Fr. Thomas Keating
The basic oneness of the human family, intuited by the mystics of all religions, is reinforced by the discoveries of particle physics, bio-physics, quantum mechanics, Big Bang, the chaos and string theories. Reality manifests the unity in diversity of the Ultimate Reality.
Peacemaking by Fr. Thomas Keating
Almost everybody wants peace, especially those who are fighting for what they think it is.
Towards Global Transformation: Reflections on John 1:1-14 by Fr. Thomas Keating
In the Johanine community out of which this gospel emerges, there evidently were very advanced contemplatives who were experiencing the glorified Christ in their midst.
Shattered Vision by Fr. Thomas Keating
Just as Abraham became the father of all who have faith by renouncing the possibility of an heir, so Joseph became the husband of Mary only after he had given up his plan to marry her. This loss and finding of Mary parallels the loss and finding of Jesus in the Temple.
The Theological Foundations of Contemplative Outreach Part II by Fr. Thomas Keating
The sharing of this prayer insofar as it is fruitful, transforming, and life changing for people in the best sense of the term, is God's gift. We are only the instruments of God and not ones who would ordinarily be chosen by anyone except God.
The Theological Foundations of Contemplative Outreach Part I A Commentary by Fr. Thomas Keating
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 Divine Indwelling by Fr. Thomas Keating
For most people, ordinary life is characterized by the sense that God is absent. Yet, a little metaphysics would alert us to the fact that if God were not present at every moment, we would not be here either.
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June 2010
June 2009 
