Q: I would be grateful if you could clarify one of the attitudes in Session 1 of the e-course “Forgiveness- Growth in Love“. It reads: “If I forgive it […]
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The Practice of Forgiveness
Q: Forgiveness is one of the highest expressions of love and love without forgiveness is no love at all. Jesus’ emphasis on the absolute necessity to forgive repeatedly and […]
Centering Prayer and Startle Reflex
Q: I experience an exaggerated startle reflex during Centering Prayer. The physical jolt in response to any sound, including the concluding bell, is distracting and distressing. I realize that simply […]
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These Annoying Humans!
Q: What the heck is one supposed to do if one just doesn’t like people and humanity? Seemingly making some progress in my practice, desire closer relationship with God, […]
God as Divine Therapist
Q: Fr. Keating, in his book Intimacy with God and elsewhere, develops the idea – the image – of God as Divine Therapist. Yet Fr. Keating also argues that we […]
Walking the Contemplative Life
by Diane Ryan member of the Contemplative Outreach Ltd trustee team Breckenridge, Colorado, USA The Buddhist monks have completed their journey from Fort Worth, Texas to Washington, D.C. They […]
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How Does This Happen?
by Sue Kenney California, USA Impossible, you say. Unbelievable, you mutter. Nineteen men of various ages, from various places, speaking various languages. They walk. Simply walk. Step by step. […]
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Emotions during Centering Prayer
Q: Fr Keating teaches that during Centering Prayer sessions, one may experience emotions for which there is no explanation and the way to deal with them is to sink […]
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Reflections on the Beginnings of Centering Prayer
“In the silence we are guided by the spirit.” Thomas Keating As I sit and think about my life’s journey, I am keenly aware of God’s presence and action […]
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About Prison Outreach Service Team (COPOST)
image: Lawrence Hamilton, Rita Weick and Stephen Cardoza We would like to introduce ourselves. We are the Contemplative Outreach Prison Outreach Service Team, or COPOST. We were founded in 2022. […]
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How do we “seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God”?
Q: Theravada monks from Thailand are marching for peace from Texas to Washington DC. Where are our own spiritual and faith leaders during this [chaotic] time? Where are the members […]
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Praying in Tongues to Avoid Thoughts in Centering Prayer
Q: To avoid ‘thoughts’ during Centering Prayer, I find it helpful to pray in tongues, but I have never heard this mentioned in this connection. St. Paul says: ‘If […]
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Centering Prayer and the Noting Technique of Mindfulness
Q: I’m a Catholic and I am most interested in developing my relationship with God through contemplation. I have become acquainted with Centering Prayer but I am also practicing […]
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Extending Time in Centering Prayer
Q: Our group had a discussion about increasing one’s practice to two to three hours per day. What insight does Contemplative Outreach have in regards to this type of extended […]
Seeing with the Eye of the Heart: The Practice of Visio Divina
By Ingrid Forsberg St. Paul, Minnesota (reprinted with permission from Ingrid and Contemplative Outreach of Chicago) “Within my darkest times, you kindled an awakening in me” -Taizé Community In […]
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Is Centering Prayer Just for Christians?
Q: I thought Centering Prayer was just for Christians. When reviewing your website, it seems that Buddhist, Sufi and others can use it to get close to God. But isn’t […]
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Letters from Thomas Keating
Note: To improve the contents of the Thomas Keating archive at Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, the Contemplative Outreach global community has been encouraged to send in any personal […]
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Zen in a Christian Monastery – Fertile Ground, Open Mind
By Ron Barnett, Ph.D. Germantown, Maryland, USA What did Fr. Thomas Keating learn from Zen? My contemplative teacher, Fr. Thomas Keating (1923-2018), learned from many sources – Indigenous American […]
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Telephone Conversations between Thomas Keating and Isabel Castellanos, April 7, 2015 – October 31, 2018
The following is a collection of some of the notes I took after speaking with Father Thomas on the phone during the last three years of his life. They […]
Centering Prayer and Use of White Noise
Q: I have practiced Centering Prayer in the past to good effect, but then years ago I had heart surgery and got a mechanical aortic valve. Staying alive as […]
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Experiences of Divine Therapy in Centering Prayer
Q: I have been practicing Centering Prayer for almost a year now and have gradually moved to twice daily, twenty minutes each time. I have experienced interior disturbances sometimes […]
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A Word from the Contemplative Outreach Prison Outreach Service Team
We’d like to introduce ourselves to you, especially if you’ve never heard of us before. We are the Prison Outreach Service Team. Our goal is to bring Centering Prayer […]
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Suggested Guidelines for Intensive Retreat Videos
CO Retreats Team 2025 Suggested Guidelines for Intensive Retreat Videos by Leslee Terpay The Contemplative Outreach Retreats Service team is responsible for the guidelines that cover content for the […]
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How to Start a Centering Prayer Group
Q: I’d like to start a Centering Prayer group and would appreciate guidance on how to do this. A: Thank you so much for your interest in starting a […]
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An Experience of the Living Flame of Love Within
Q: This is pretty out of sorts for me, but something happened in the past few weeks, and I ended up googling a term that seemed to match the experience: […]
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