Q: When I tried to be open to God during Centering Prayer, I usually had a concordance of biblical accounts in multimedia or silent video format in my head, or […]
Monkey Mind on Extended Retreat
Q: I have been on many extended 8 – 10 retreats. On them I always have trouble going to sleep. The monkey mind is relentless! On my recent 10 day […]
Dogs and Self-Reflective Consciousness
Q: In Gail Fitzpatrick-Hoper’s delightful essay “Contemplative Lessons from My Dog” (Contemplative Outreach News, Dec. 2015), she describes how her dog exemplifies the surrendered life. As a life-long pet-owner, I […]
Discerning Decisions in Retirement
Q: I am 79 years old widow and am still working part time ‚Ķ I enjoy my work. However, I know that sometime soon (?) I need to plan my […]
An Inward Gesture Instead of Sacred Word
Q: In Centering Prayer, when you have noticed that you are engaged in a thought, rather than return gently to a sacred word, is it okay to instead, just simply […]
The Format of a Centering Prayer Support Group
Q: I attended a Centering Prayer group at my parish for about a month. I stopped going because, after the final oral prayer and reading, the leader’s wife asked for […]
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Discerning the Journey
Q: I have practiced Centering Prayer for about three years. Because of some mental difficulties this is always a struggle for me, in some periods it‚Äôs almost impossible. Living in […]
Discerning the Dark Nights
Q: I have been a meditator and spiritual practitioner for 10 years. As of last year around February I went from having many ecstatic blissful experiences of God into a […]
Praying for those in Purgatory
Q: Given Fr. Keating‚Äôs views on Purgatory, that one continues to grow and become enlightened, how does a person with a Centering Prayer practice pray for her loved ones in […]
Centering Prayer, Boredom and Nothingness
Q: I attended a one-day Centering Prayer event for people who were experienced in Centering Prayer. We had three periods of prayer, with some teaching. At the end of the […]
Centering Prayer and Salivating
Q: A very annoying thing happens to me during many (about 75%) of my Centering Prayer times. I salivate excessively which is distracting to me. I cannot find a commonality […]
Centering Prayer and Mindfulness
Q: I practice Centering Prayer and recently a friend asked me to explain the difference between it and mindfulness meditation. I replied that the difference was in intent – Centering […]
Centering Prayer and Mental Illness
Q: I am hoping to get some direction for myself and a community I work with. I have schizo-affective mental illness, diagnosed when I was 28. I have had regular […]
The Blessed Sacrament as a Vestibule
Q: When I’m sitting in a small chapel doing my Centering and the Blessed Sacrament is exposed directly in front of me, must I close my eyes? Behind the Monstrance […]
Practicing Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina
Q: I have just started practicing Centering Prayer. I‚Äôm Portuguese, live in Lisbon, and I‚Äôm almost 70! It looks like Centering Prayer came to me (I didn‚Äôt look for it) […]
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Having a Vital Relationship with Christ
Q: I have been practicing Centering Prayer for ten years. The grace of really knowing that I am loved by God has been given to me. I am certain that […]
Including People of Different Faiths in Centering Prayer Groups
Q: What is your position on bringing in people of many different faiths to our Centering Prayer groups? When there is an interest in learning Centering Prayer, are we to […]
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Centering Prayer and Runners
Q: A friend is a marathon runner. He says he prays as he runs and he comes to a place of peace where miles seem to go by and he […]
Centering Prayer and Existential Angst
Q: In part my question relates to receptivity and trusting the process of Centering Prayer. I have participated in Centering Prayer for the past three years or so. I‚Äôm 35 […]
Centering Prayer and Grief
Q: I would like to share with you something I experienced during my sit. I have been practiced Centering Prayer for 15 years, but the last year I have had […]
Centering Prayer and Panic Attacks
Q: I have been centering for about seven years. Lately, when I try, I feel like I’m having a panic attack. Can you give me some insight? A: Our faithful […]
Contemplative & Vocal Prayers
Q: Is it possible to experience contemplative prayer and vocal prayer simultaneously? A: All prayer is a gift from the Holy Spirit. As a faith-filled person responds to the deepening […]
Centering Prayer and the Nights
Q: A few months ago, I seem to have woken up during Centering Prayer in terror over not being able to find God. I had been sensing that this night […]
Centering Prayer & Contemplation
Q: It is my understanding that God loves us at the level of our being which is the closest most intimate level at which love can take place. It is […]
Amount of time for Centering Prayer
Q: I have been practicing Centering Prayer for about a year now. I wanted to increase my time to 40 minutes because I was used to sitting for a half […]
