Q: Father Thomas teaches with authority that God has forgiven our sins. But he also sometimes seems to say that we are stuck with “the consequences of our sins.” How […]
The Soul and the True Self
Q: I am currently wrestling with various concepts and definitions and how they fit together. When it comes to the false self and the true self I find the glossary at […]
Teaching Centering Prayer in Seminaries
Q: Father Arico, our Centering Prayer group is reading your book A Taste of Silence. After the introduction where you share your experience of Centering Prayer, our discussion led us […]
Receptivity
Q: I am a commissioned presenter of the Centering Prayer introductory workshop and when I am elaborating on the notion of being receptive I describe the proper disposition as one […]
Motivations and Service
Q: In the past year I’ve have fully realized the Martha in me and my false-self motivations that permeated years of ministry. By God’s grace the Illuminative way is proceeding […]
Unsure of the Outcomes of Prayer
Q: I always try contemplative prayer, and it seems to be working. How can one be sure that the outcome (even though negative at times) is working for the right? […]
Mercy Will Prevail
Q: I am a lay contemplative catholic who would greatly appreciate your insight on the following matter. I see a world of one creator who has created both hell and […]
Centering Prayer and Profanity
Q: I tried Centering Prayer for some time but reached a point where during my prayer time I was constantly assailed by profane words, words I assiduously avoid in my […]
Opening Prayer?
Q: Hi! I’m looking for the opening prayer you use in Contemplative Outreach Ltd. The one I’m used to, but cannot find a reference to anywhere, being so long ago, […]
Centering Prayer and Heartbeat
Q: Rather than using a sacred word – or as well as using one – recently I have been listening to my heart beat and find this helpful. Does this […]
The Two-Armed Embrace of God
Q: I daily say the Rosary and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. However there are times that I cannot complete these prayers and I wonder [uneasily], is this how God […]
Sharing about the Prayer
Q: I have joined a Centering Prayer group in which the leader asks people to share their prayer experience with the person next to them. This does not seem to […]
Intention and Centering Prayer
Q: I have tried to practice Centering Prayer for a while. I have been wondering if my intent of receiving the inner peace and silence from practicing is a “legitimate” […]
The Mind and Centering Prayer
Q: I know that the mind should be quiet, relaxed and empty during centering prayer, but I unsure of what our state of mind should be like. Should the mind […]
An Awakening Mystic
Q: My major spiritual awakening happened in August 2012, I’ve seen many signs and messages from the Holy Spirit. The Spirit moved me to become Catholic that year too and […]
Sounds and Centering Prayer
Q: Sometimes as I am entering into Centering Prayer and settling into stillness, I hear an external sound–such as the purring of my cat or birdsong through an open window–and […]
Chanting and Centering Prayer
Q: Is it a good idea to listen to soft Gregorian Chant while engaged in Centering Prayer? A: Let me share with you what many practitioners of Centering Prayer do: […]
Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina
Q: Hello from Malaysia! Our group has been practising twenty minutes of Centering Prayer followed by Lectio Divina ( with the 4 movements – Read, Reflect, Response and Rest) for […]
Praying the Rosary and Centering Prayer
Q: Is there a way to pray the rosary simultaneously with Centering Prayer? A: I am not aware of how you would pray the rosary simultaneously with centering prayer. However […]
Centering Prayer and Young Children
Q: I am based in the U.K. and about to launch Centering Prayer into the local junior school (children aged 4-11). The school head and deputy head are very keen […]
On Use of the Sacred Word
Q: I have found that saying my sacred word continuously throughout Centering Prayer works better for me than only when thoughts come in. Is this all right also, or what […]
Crises and the Prayer of Jabez
Q: My question is regarding grief. Actually I suppose it is regarding prayer in any form of strain or fear, but grief especially. If God is, as we believe, a […]
Centering Prayer and Biofeedback
Q: What do you think about doing Centering Prayer while wearing a biofeedback device such as an emWave? I have been doing this for about 2 years now and it […]
The Sacred Word
Q: I know my sacred word is not a mantra. It is for me to use to express my intention of attending during my prayer time and I am to […]
Intention, Mindfulness, and Centering Prayer
Q: Our Centering Prayer group got into a discussion about ‘mindfulness,’ which I understand to have to do with attentive presence, awareness, being in the present, etc. The question arose, […]