Q: Is step two of Welcoming Prayer — the opportunity to consent to the Divine Indwelling — the same thing as ‘casting your cares’ upon the Lord?
A: Thanks for your question. The second movement of Welcoming Prayer as I understand it, is different from ‘casting your cares upon the Lord.’
Casting implies first, that I am doing the effort; and second, that there is another space I am casting towards. The Welcoming Prayer’s second movement is opening to the deeper awareness that I can never have an experience apart from the Divine Presence, or, in Thomas Keating’s words, “I’d be a grease spot.” So even though my psychological experience in the moment may have no felt sense of the Divine’s sustaining presence, by “Welcoming” I am claiming God is here, and all is well.
Hope this helps. Feel free to reach back out if you have further questions.
In Peace,
Mary Dwyer
