E-Course by Contemplative Outreach
Session 12: Companions in Grace
Session 13: The Lord Is Near to All Who Call
These sessions focus on The Spiritual Journey and Centering Prayer – the prayer of consent to be totally taken over by the divine goodness, to grow in humility, self knowledge and divine love. This consenting to God’s presence and action within is the essence of the Centering Prayer practice. We are encouraged to reflect on where we are with our daily spiritual practice.
“Sitting comfortably and with eyes closed, settle briefly and silently introduce the sacred word as the symbol of your consent to God’s presence and action within”
– Centering Prayer – Second Guideline
A Lenten Meditation
“I am totally present now,
with the whole of my being,
in complete openness, in deep prayer.
The past and future –time itself –are forgotten.
I am here in the presence of the Ultimate Mystery.
Like the air we breathe,
this divine Presence is all around us and within us,
distinct from us, but never separate from us.
I sense this Presence drawing me from within,
as touching my spirit and embracing it,
carrying me beyond myself into pure awareness.
I surrender to the attraction of interior silence,
tranquility ad peace.
I do not try to feel anything,
reflect about anything.
Without effort, without trying,
I sink into this Presence,
letting everything else go by.
Let love alone speak:
the simple desire to be one with the Presence,
to forget self,
and to rest in the Ultimate Mystery.”
– adapted from Thomas Keating, Open Mind, Open Heart
E-Course by Contemplative Outreach
Session 14: A Heart Illumined
As we move closer to Holy Week we reflect on the process of purification and illumination which according to Fr. Thomas is both an upward and downward movement of grace. This session includes a 14 minute video of Fr. Keating from the film Invitation from God entitled The Spiral Staircase and the Paschal Mystery.
“There are two spiral staircases you might say. One seems to go down in humiliation (purification) and one seems to rise in ever deepening levels of freedom, of affirmation, of transformation (illumination) and …they become one in some way…love and humility become the same thing…freedom into an inner resurrection.”
– Thomas Keating, Living the Paschal Mystery: Hope and Redemption
The beautiful Frederick Franck art reflection is Station XI Jesus is Nailed To The Cross. We continue our practice of seeing/drawing this image on our hearts. We are asked what does the image teach us about moving through the darkness, what does this image teach us about surrender?