Contemplative Outreach News

Volume 11, Number 2 · Winter 1997

Contents

Centering Prayer and the Transformation of Divine Love
    feature article by Thomas Keating

Letter from the Executive Director

Question Corner... with Thomas Keating

Regional Updates

Poetry "Snowmass Retreat" by Barbara Wuest

Centering Prayer and the
Transformation of Divine Love

by Thomas Keating, O.C.S.O.

With regard to our psychological experience of Centering Prayer, we have to be careful not to project our own judgment on God. God responds to each of us where we are, and takes into account what we are capable of. Everyone of good will who offers prayer of any kind is certainly going to be heard. We do not have to wait until we have reached deep interior silence in order to pray. We must pray as we can and hope for the mercy of God. It is by doing Centering Prayer on a regular basis that God is moved to raise us to higher states of prayer. After all, the fundamental purpose of prayer, including the prayer of petition, is not to get something from God or to change God, but to change ourselves. When we have changed, God can give us everything we want, because our wills will be one with God, and we will want only what God wants.

The ultimate purpose of every kind of prayer is to give ourselves to God, and to make it possible for God to do what he always wanted to do in the first place, which is to give us the divine life. Deep prayer is the condition that God is waiting for in order to communicate his divine life and holiness to us. Such is the purpose of our creation in the first place.

There is an important connection between vocal prayer and the experience of interior silence. The Word of God emerges from the infinite silence of the Father, Who is the source of the divine life. That is the model for every Christian life. When our own words and actions (which are also words) emerge from regular periods of deep interior silence, we will begin to see spontaneously what is more important and what is less important in our daily occupations and duties. That will save us a lot of time in the long run.

In the liturgy, for instance, if the service itself began with a few moments of silence and ended with silence, or if the readings were preceded and followed by silent pauses, the experience of the sacred words emerging out of the silence would be much more powerful and effective. It would make the hymns of praise and the prayers of petition much more meaningful to the congregation. There is an essential relationship between silence and speech, because everything comes out of silence. When our life emerges from periods of silence, it is a more genuine life; and when we return to silence, our life receives its truest meaning. In the beginning, both cannot be done at the same time, but in time they will tend to merge. Then, interior silence does not have to be prolonged in order to produce its transforming effects in daily life.

One of the things that Centering Prayer, as it deepens, will affect is our intuition of the oneness of the human family, and indeed, the oneness of all creation. As one moves into one's own inmost being, one comes in contact with what is the inmost being of everyone else. Although each of us retains his or her own unique personhood, we are necessarily associated with the Divine-human person who has taken the whole human family to himself in such a way as to be the inmost reality of each individual member of it. And so, when one is praying in one's inmost being, in one's spirit, one is praying so to speak, in everyone else's spirit.

In the Eucharist, we are not only joined to Jesus Christ present with his whole being under the symbols of bread and wine, but we believe we are joined with all other Christians, with every member of the human race, and indeed with the whole of creation. Jesus Christ in his divinity is in the hearts of all men and women and in the heart of all creation, sustaining everything in being. This mystery of oneness enables us to emerge from the Eucharist with a refined inward eye, and invites us to perceive the mystery of Christ everywhere and in every thing. He who is hidden from our senses and intellect in his divine nature becomes more and more transparent to the eyes of faith - to the consciousness that is being transformed. Christ's Spirit in us perceives the same Spirit in others. The Eucharist is the celebration of life, the dance of the divine in human form. We are part of that dance. Each of us is a continuation of Christ's incarnation insofar as we are living Christ's life in our own lives - or rather, instead of our own lives. The Eucharist is the summary of all creation coming together in a single hymn of praise and thanksgiving. In the Eucharist all creation is transformed into the body of Christ, united with his divine Person, and thrust into the depths of the Father for ever and ever. Even material creation has become divine in him. "For the creation," says Paul, "waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons and daughters of God" (Rom. 8:19).

Centering prayer and interior silence deepen our appreciation of and receptivity to the Eucharist. The Eucharist also helps to develop and nourish Centering Prayer and interior silence. They are mutually reinforcing. Through deep prayer, one appreciates the meaning of the sacraments and increases their effectiveness.

It is not so much the length of time that one spends in prayer but the quality of it that is transforming and that nourishes and refreshes at the deepest level. The most effective prayer takes place when one is not even aware of praying - when one has merged and lost one's own identity in the mystery of Christ. This union is the ultimate goal of the Eucharist. Interior union with Christ comes by assimilating the Eucharistic food into our own body and spirit. The physical act of eating is the symbol of what is happening spiritually and points to the interpenetration that is taking place between Christ and us. This interpenetration is designed to further our evolution into vertical time and our assimilation of the eternal values that Christ has brought into the world through his incarnation and communicated to us in all its fullness by his passion, death, resurrection and ascension. The purpose of our historical lifetime is to provide us with space to complete this transformation of body, soul and spirit.

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Letter from the Executive Director

Dear Friends of Contemplative Outreach, Ltd.

Our new office space is proving to be a great benefit to us. We are able to have meetings here and each of us has our own space. The Mail Room is filled with books, tapes and resources that are ready to mail out. Thank you for your generous contributions which covered half of our $8,000 relocation expenses.

Our October Coordinator's Conference in Andover, MA, attended by 175 people from all over the world, was a great success. The Fall color display in New England was a treat for everyone most especially for the people from countries like the Philippines and Malaysia.

The Annual Contemplative Outreach United in Prayer Intensive Day of Prayer is planned for Saturday, March 21, 1998. We welcome your participation. See details above.

We are announcing three new books -

We are continuing our Spanish translation project. Open Mind, Open Heart, Invitation to Love, Kingdom of God is Like and Intimacy with God are completed. We are captioning the Spiritual Journey Video Tape Series and Set One from the Christian Contemplative Heritage Video Tape Series in Spanish as well.

KALEIDOSCOPE, the nation's only Health, Wellness, and Ability cable network, recently completed a project with Contemplative Outreach, Ltd. that will benefit people who are deaf or hard of hearing. KALEIDOSCOPE provided captioning for the 4 parts of the Spiritual Journey Video Series. Our special thanks to KALEIDOSCOPE who believes that "commitment to health and wholeness" walks hand in hand with Contemplative Outreach's ideals".

As we approach the Season of Light, we recall that God continues to dwell within and among us.

Let's celebrate the Mystery of Christ together.

With a grateful spirit,

Gail Fitzpatrick-Hopler
Executive Director

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Question Corner… with Thomas Keating

Q: What does Centering Prayer offer to a person who is seeking love, self esteem and dignity?

Thomas Keating: Nothing is more affirming than to feel oneself as loved by God. CP gives a person opportunity to get acquainted with God, not through concepts but through concepts but through union. And God turns out to be quite a nice person, a giver of peace, calm love, encouragement, and above all, incredible affirmation of one's value as a unique expression of God's image.

Q: What does CP offer to the professionals?

TK: The idea of prayer as relationship. We are being invited into a co-partnership in God's life and love. The busier we are, the more occupied we are with things that involve great concentration, the more we need to achieve health and balance through a period of solitude, or rest. Working people need structures in which they can find some refreshment, some changes of pace, some oasis.

Q: What does CP offer the more traditional and conservative Christian?

TK: The bridge that unites us all is scripture. CP as we present it is really a development of Lectio Divina, a four-fold ancient Christian prayer of relating to God's Word: Read, Reflect, Respond, Rest. The reading of scripture is not a one-dimensional experience, but a dynamic process that moves one's relationship to further dimensions of communing with God, resting in God on the journey.

Q: So, bringing back CP restores ancient Christian tradition?

TK: Yes, it is a way of recovering the whole tradition. Otherwise, traditional prayer becomes a kind of dead letter literalism. We don't disparage the literal sense, but it is only the beginning. God's Word is gradually interiorized from its external meaning to transform us that we may become the Word of God to express Gospel values in our lives in our time.

The above was excerpted from City Quest Parables, Spring 1997 issue.

Editor's Note: The Question Corner is new with this issue. We welcome your comments and suggestions for future issues.

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Regional Updates

BOYNTON BEACH, FL. Mary Anne Wagner

Several Centering Prayer Groups of the Palm Beach Diocese formed a coalition to present an extended program to provide material for all levels of Centering Prayer practitioners. We asked Frs. Basil Pennington and Carl Arico to present Workshops. In overview, we put together a program to introduce Centering Prayer (by Fr. Basil Pennington at the first Workshop), and then followed up with subsequent sessions to deepen the awareness of the process. In the 6 weeks between Fr. Basil and Fr. Carl, we conducted weekly meetings (24 in all plus 2 weekend workshops). Each venue met one evening each week - a program exclusive to each site was presented. People familiar with the process were Facilitators, responsible for fielding questions and leading group prayer. At one place, we used Fr. Keating's first six tapes, at a second, the next six, and at another, the final six tapes. At the fourth meeting, we showed tapes of Thomas Merton, Bede Griffith, the Cloud of Unknowing with Fr. Bill Meninger. Participants were free to attend any or all sessions, honoring their individual experience and need. The concluding workshop was presented by Fr. Carl based on the Human Condition and Lectio Divina. We were so pleased with the outcome that we are in the process of putting together a similar program for 1998. We will be happy to share what we have learned with any who might be interested. Call 561 642-1872.

CENTRAL FLORIDA Basha Perez

Contemplative Outreach Central Florida presented Contemplative Outreach Ltd. a check for $5,000 from the contemplative Pilgrimage to the Holy Land in May, 1997. An additional $1,000 is in reserve for the Sr. Claire Gregg Scholarship Fund. We encourage other areas to support the National Office with some type of fund-raising effort. It is a labor of love, and a small way of saying thank you for all that has been given to us through the efforts of Thomas Keating and his dedicated staff. WE ARE GOING AGAIN TO THE HOLY LAND in October, 1998. Fr. Bill Sheehan will be the Spiritual Director. If you are interested, contact Ilse Reissner, 407 767-8271.

DENVER Sr. Bernadette Teasdale

Scripture tells us that all things work together for good for those who love God. What better testimony to the working of the Spirit among us in Denver than the transformation of a former convent into our new Center for Contemplative Living. After sharing quarters for ten years, we grew to need our own home, and what a home it is - numerous meeting rooms and offices, a library, bookstore, and the crown jewel, the chapel dedicated to our Blessed Mother. The major renovation was completed over four months by an army of volunteers, and classes began last month. Fr. Thomas Keating celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving at the opening September 13, and he will return for a mini-retreat November 1. A full slate of classes on the Spiritual Journey, days of prayer, weekend Intensives, and special topic workshops are scheduled through the end of the year.

Scripture tells us that all things work together for good for those who love God. What better testimony to the working of the Spirit among us in Denver than the transformation of a former convent into our new Center for Contemplative Living. After sharing quarters for ten years, we grew to need our own home, and what a home it is - numerous meeting rooms and offices, a library, bookstore, and the crown jewel, the chapel dedicated to our Blessed Mother. The major renovation was completed over four months by an army of volunteers, and classes began last month. Fr. Thomas Keating celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving at the opening September 13, and he will return for a mini-retreat November 1. A full slate of classes on the Spiritual Journey, days of prayer, weekend Intensives, and special topic workshops are scheduled through the end of the year.

KENTUCKY Mark Dundon

Fr. Thomas Keating held the attention and the hearts of over 500 persons who attended his presentations in Kentucky on September 6. Ruth Dundon also arranged for Fr. Thomas to speak to the Facilitators on the Ministry of Contemplative Outreach service. An anointing and blessing service was held for the new co-coordinators for Kentucky, Jean Johnson and Bea Keller, SCN, as well as for Ruth as she moves from Kentucky. Her coworkers expressed sincere appreciation for Ruth's pioneering work. We were also privileged to have Sr. Mary Margaret Funk, OSB meet with the Facilitators. Meg led the group through Lectio Divina, Centering Prayer and gave a presentation on the life cycle of groups such as Centering Prayer Groups. Kentucky has been enriched by the presence of Fr. Thomas and Sr. Meg.

OHIO Kay Powers

The staff of Contemplative Outreach Ohio still miss the wise counsel of Bill Singelis. Thank you for your prayers and support. We know Bill and Sr. Joanne Mascha must be working overtime in guiding our efforts because this coming year we will offer both a 7 Day Intensive Retreat and a Formation for Contemplative Outreach Service Workshop. We are blessed in that Fr. Thomas Keating will be in Cleveland at the end of July, and will give a talk that is open to the public on August 2. We have an exciting year planned, and if you are interested in attending any of our programs, call 216-932-8911.

ST. PAUL, MN. Patricia Roberts

The Centering Prayer team at St. Paul's Monastery welcomed three new Centering Prayer teachers - Yvonne Link, Sr., Annette Esbolt, OSB and Bob DeLastrada. June 21 was the First Annual Centering Prayer Convention for the Midwest with Fr. Thomas as the keynote speaker. The date set for 1998 is June 6 and Fr. Thomas is again the keynote speaker. For information call 612 777-7251. Fr. Thomas has appointed Patricia Roberts as part-time Coordinator for Hispanic Ministries, working with Gail F. Hopler and a Hispanic Advisory Board. The first activity in Spanish will be the Formation for Contemplative Outreach Service, Feb. 15-22, 1998 at Manresa Retreat Center in Miami, Fl. We hope to identify Centering Prayer groups already established in the Hispanic Community who would like to network.

SAN GABRIEL VALLEY, CA The Rev. Jim Clark

The San Gabriel Valley Region of Contemplative Outreach has been in operation for several years, offering Introductory Workshops, Retreats and quiet days, Taize Workshop services and teaching in the contemplative dimension of the Gospel at the DePaul Center in Montebello; Mater Dolorosa in Sierra Madre; Pasadena Presbyterian Church, and the Church of Our Savior in San Gabriel. The Regional Coordinator, The Rev. Jim Clark, Associate Rector at Church of Our Savior, 535 W. Roses Road, San Gabriel, CA 91775, can be reached at 626 282-5147.

WASHINGTON, DC The Rev. Eugene Sutton

Contemplative Outreach of Metropolitan Washington (COMW) was formed in March 1997. In September, COMW held a Retreat Day led by Rev. Eugene Sutton and Fr. Bill Sheehan, Provincial of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Fr. Thomas is a featured speaker at the November Common Boundary Conference. At the same Conference, Fr. Sutton will lead an Episcopal Contemplative Eucharistic Service, and a Centering Prayer Workshop. On February 28, Fr. Keating is the keynote speaker at a Centering Prayer Retreat Day at the Washington National Cathedral. COMW will host Facilitator Training in late January, an Introductory Workshop and a 5 Day Intensive Retreat. Centering Prayer Groups meet in churches of various denominations throughout the metropolitan area. For information, call 202 237-9283.

WESTERN WYOMING The Rev. Sandra Casey-Martus

The Alta Retreat Center, located in the foot hills of the Grand Teton Mountain Range of Western Wyoming was founded in 1995 by The Right Rev. John Thornton, Bishop of Idaho. The solitude and natural beauty of Alta invites pilgrims to rest deeply and open themselves to God in prayer.

The Director, The Rev. Sandra Casey-Martus, an Episcopal priest is a member of the Contemplative Outreach Faculty. The Alta Retreat Center clearly supports and exemplifies Contemplative Outreach's commitment to the network's ecumenical vision. For schedules see the National Calendar of Events, or call 307 353-8100.

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Poetry

Snowmass Retreat

June 1997

I close my eyes when the morning's still dark.

I open them when the rays filter in shaping

triangles of sunlight on the soft green floor.

Others appear, sighing, yawning, stretching

their arms in the air, and doing so now,

here, as we follow the long way in.

Rising and walking in the silence, we pass

the window that causes the sun to make

these three-cornered forms on the rug.

But we go no further than the sun, return

instead to the Other inside who calls

and calls again, and will till we die, we know.

So we sit once more, together, with God.

We do and I, the distinctions make no sense

and all the sense in the world, at the same time.

Eyes opened differently now, we find

ourselves on the road, passing the lupine

so gloriously blue, yes passing them by.

When the meadowlark sings us to the chapel,

we listen and stroll, hear and move on.

None of it's ours and we're especially glad.

By the time we're at lauds we're buoyant

beyond words and shocked when we cry

in the middle of the monks' plain chant.

Before too long, we're standing with them,

waiting, a tiny piece of bread in our palms.

It's not clear whether we're taking it in

or being taken in, so we try to get used

to confusion, heads spinning, I don't know

where I am, for the moment, don't care.

For the moment expands when I leave it

to itself: God knows the moment's unleashed!

I am sad and I'm not; I am happy and I'm not.

This peace resembles nothing I've lived...

I can't hold on by myself; those who are not

near me are not, I'm lonely, yet I'm not.

Barbara Wuest   Milwaukee, WI

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