An Evening with Fr. Thomas Keating

The Centering Prayer community in the Tampa Bay area is most grateful for our recent visit with Fr. Thomas Keating! His presence was a real grace as he met with those who regularly attend Centering Prayer support groups, facilitators, and his main presentation Tuesday evening, September 25th at St. Paul's Church, St. Petersburg, with nearly 400 in this community.

Fr. Keating's words of wisdom especially touched the audience who were very interested in his explanation of Centering Prayer as the living out of Matthew 6:6 when Jesus asks us to enter the "inner room" when we pray. With this foundation as to the need for silence in our prayer lives, he then expounded on the current state of humankind since September 11th. His profound words about the World Trade Center twin towers being the arms of Christ during His crucifixion lifted up asking the Father for mercy and those who died being described as Martyrs for humanity will long be reflected upon.

It was a time of great gift to our area. As Fr. Keating was being driven to the airport to return to the Monastery in Snowmass, Colorado, there was a most brilliant full rainbow on one side of Tampa Bay, and a striking sunrise on the other . . . they seemed to sum up the blessed gift we had been given! We are most grateful to God and to Fr. Keating.