Fr. Keating recommends studying the beatitudes. The beatitudes, especially poverty of spirit, seem to stand out in the heart of his writing. It seems to me I can take […]
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Centering Prayer & the Process of Transformation
I often think about these words from Jesus, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them. For the kingdom of heaven belongs to such […]
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Protestant Barriers to Contemplative Prayer
I am an ordained Protestant minister who has benefited greatly from contemplative prayer. I speak from experience with a way of being open to contemplative prayer called Centering Prayer. I […]
Cultivating a ‘Contemplative Life’
by Sue Fox McGovern The members of a Centering Prayer group in Park Ridge, Illinois, USA say they have never felt closer to one another. Perhaps it’s because some […]
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1968: St. Joseph’s Abbey, Conversations with Fr. Thomas and My Near Death Experience
by Richard M. Dell’Orfano, California, USA Excerpt from Book 1, Chapter 27: Regarding my arrival in 1968 at St Joseph’s Abbey, meeting Fr Thomas, and my near-death experience. Route 9 […]
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Praying with the Eyes of the Heart
Minnesota Contemplative Outreach sponsored an event called “Praying with the Eyes of the Heart.” We gathered at the Minneapolis Institute of Art and began with Centering Prayer and then […]
Centering Prayer and Depression
Some of us are blessed with good health, relative prosperity and long lives. But in even the most charmed life, there are times when things do not go as […]
Each Hour a Miracle
a reflection on the 2023 United in Prayer Day event by Sue Kenney, California, USA Each hour a miracle. A miracle of technology and of silent prayer. Together they create […]
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Our God Within
Toward Perfection
OUR GOD WITHIN TOWARD PERFECTION January, 2023 Message Ruby M. Shelton 01/27/23 In the book, “The Power of Now,” p. 01, Eckhart Tolle quotes Russell E. Dicarlo, […]
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Toward Perfection
Centering Prayer Mentoring in a Monastery
By Benedicte Vibe Christensen In June 2018 Pat Johnston, the interim administrator of Contemplative Outreach, asked me to mentor Brother Columba, a young monk (then 26) in a monastery in […]
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“Deliberately dismantle the emotional programming of the false self”
by Cherry Haisten member of Welcoming Prayer service team At the end of early editions of Open Mind, Open Heart appears a list Thomas Keating calls “Means of Extending the […]
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Contemplative Group Spiritual Direction via Zoom
by Carol Fryer Editor’s note: Many Centering Prayer group participants experience the organic nature of ongoing soul-friending, a deep witnessing of each other’s journeys during a time of sacred sharing and […]
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Contemplative Tattooing
Many years of meditation have given me the time to develop a relationship with the Divine in silence and solitude. This ever-deepening relationship has conditioned me to bring contemplative […]
Prayer of Diminishment
Each day, Oh Lord,May I offerless to You;Each day to be diminished,Until I am so decreasedby Your Hand and your loveso grown in meThat I become totalemptinessfor You to fillor […]
A Poem
The reptile’s top priorities are few Full tummy, sunny rock, and babies new Its consciousness is narrow as its tail Survival pure and simple will prevail Our human brain includes […]
My Journey with Centering Prayer
“Slow down, you move too fast.” These are lyrics that I grew up on. I really did not fully understand what they meant until about five years ago when I […]
The Cross of Uncle Raymond
by Tom Agness Rochester, New York, USA I have never liked crucifixes. For years, the emphasis on the bloody death of Jesus Christ, his anguished face, without the corresponding […]
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Lectio Divina and Imposed Sabbath Rest
When I was first asked to write about Lectio Divina in this time of crisis, many thoughts came to mind. Firstly, we are in the liturgical season of Easter […]
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A Movement of Grace: Contemplative Spiritual Companionship Program
“Welcome to this sacred circle, where each of us is invited to access the silent place within us where the Divine Presence awaits us.”[1] With these words, Fr. Thomas […]
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How Centering Prayer is Changing the World: A Love Letter from the Dominican Republic
We embrace the process of transformation in Christ, both in ourselves and in others, through the practice of Centering Prayer – Contemplative Outreach vision A brief history of […]
Digging A Well of Presence in the Parish
by Amber Sturgess Recent years have brought about major paradigm shifts in our institutions, including our churches. During the pandemic many of our parishes had to close to the public, […]
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Guiding a Centering Prayer Group in Jail
by Tom Cook I have been guiding a Centering Prayer (CP) class for the last year at DuPage County Correctional Facility in Wheaton, Illinois (USA). I have been amazed and […]
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Reflections on Service
All who serve seek to be attuned to the needs and concerns of the whole community, whether individuals, small prayer groups, or local chapters. – Contemplative Outreach Guideline […]
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The Prayer Phrase and Praying Without Ceasing
What longing there is in wanting to pray without ceasing! We stumble on that boulder-filled road forgetting, remembering, forgetting and remembering again. Contemplative tradition tells us that help can […]
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Using the Spiritual Journey Series for Ongoing Enrichment
Two different prayer groups – one on Zoom and one in-person, share their experience and approach to using the Spiritual Journey videos. Note that the entire series is freely […]
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