Description
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“One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” –Ephesians 4:6 (NAB)
Filmed at the 2012 Contemplative Outreach annual conference in Snowmass Colorado, which celebrated the spiritual bond between St. Benedict’s Monastery and Contemplative Outreach, these lively presentations showcase the fruits of silence and deep prayer in three human beings – two monks and a long-time Centering Prayer practitioner.
4 Videos:
Video 1:
Fr. Thomas Keating, The Evolution of the Contemplative Christian Spiritual Journey, 89 min.
In a light-hearted and inspired manner, Fr. Thomas Keating engages:
* the vastness of God as marvelous Infinite Mystery;
* the three stages of the transformational spiritual journey from the perspective of our humanness;
* hope and encouragement for those on the journey;
* science;
* inter-spiritual dialogue;
* the evolution of the cosmos, of human nature, and of Christian perspectives;
* the message and meaning of the cross;
* and more …
“Think of God in a very big way. And if you do, that’s too small! You can’t think of anything more wonderful than this God. And you can’t figure out anything about God without a special grace. … God is so marvelously good, there is no word for it. So gentle. So considerate. So kind, so tender – so everything marvelous. That is God. And whatever you say is far less than it is. As Paul says ‘It hasn’t crossed the imagination of any human being what God has prepared for those who love him.’”
“These are just the reflections of a very old man who has been on this journey for 75 or 78 years. Years are all the same now – short! I’m so grateful for old age, because I’m a slow learner. It’s taken me all this time just to learn how to learn. If in an education you could learn how to learn, it would be the greatest education offered in any university, at least that’s my experience. And I’ve just learned how to learn in the last couple of years!”
Video 2:
Abbot Joseph Boyle, Images that Accompany My Prayer, 65 min.
Fr. Joseph Boyle, the abbot of St. Benedict’s Monastery in Snowmass Colorado since 1985, shares a very warm and personal collection of images, stories and teachings that illume his prayer life and his ongoing awakening to the presence, action and reality of God. A moving presentation filled with much wisdom, humility, and profound simplicity.
Video 3:
David Frenette, The Path of Centering Prayer: Deepening Your Experience of God, 37 min.
David Frenette, senior student, friend and advisor of Thomas Keating, briefly explores various sections of his book of the same title, discussing how Centering Prayer deepens over time, including ways that the practice and our relationship with God changes, matures and manifests.
Video 4:
David Frenette with a Special Guest, The Gift of Humor, 10 min.
Enjoy this entertaining surprise, inspired by a comment made by Fr. Thomas Keating during his presentation.