Q: I am fairly new to the practice of Centering Prayer. In my Catholic faith I participate weekly in the Adoration of our Lord through the Eucharist. I feel at […]
Just Be in the Silence
Q: I’ve been practicing Centering Prayer for about two years. It has helped me in more ways than I could ever express. My question has to do with what happens […]
Guiding New Practitioners
Q: While debriefing the 20-minute prayer practice as part of the Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop, two participants shared experiences about which I would like some advice. One mentioned going in […]
Living in a Religious Vacuum
Q: I have been raised as a Catholic and as a child participated in Eucharist and absorbed many cultural images of God and understandings of the faith. Later in my […]
Falling Asleep in Prayer
Q: I pray daily, at least once a day, using the Centering Prayer method. Sometimes I will fall asleep and then wake myself up abruptly from the dream state I […]
God as Divine Therapist
Q: Fr. Keating, in his book Intimacy with God and elsewhere, develops the idea – the image – of God as Divine Therapist. Yet Fr. Keating also argues that we must […]
Difficulty in Doing a Second Sit
Q: I have had numerous people tell me that they have no difficulty carving space for the first sit of the day, usually in the morning. But once the day […]
Concern About Welcoming Prayer and Passivity
Q: I understand the Welcoming Prayer is about acceptance. But what about change and action? If your boss treats you bad, your doctor ignores your health, if someone threatens your […]
Using a Vision in Centering Prayer Instead of a Sacred Word
Q: In the last couple of weeks I find that a certain vision of a person with her/his back to me and arms stretched out toward a representation of me […]
These Annoying Humans!
Q: What the heck is one supposed to do if one just doesn’t like people and humanity? Seemingly making some progress in my practice, desire closer relationship with God, but […]
The Difference Between Quietism & Centering Prayer
Q: How is Centering Prayer distinct from Quietism which was declared a heresy in the 18th Century? A: Webster defines quietism this way: “a system of religious mysticism teaching that […]
Multimedia in My Head
Q: When I tried to be open to God during Centering Prayer, I usually had a concordance of biblical accounts in multimedia or silent video format in my head, or […]
Monkey Mind on Extended Retreat
Q: I have been on many extended 8 – 10 retreats. On them I always have trouble going to sleep. The monkey mind is relentless! On my recent 10 day […]
Dogs and Self-Reflective Consciousness
Q: In Gail Fitzpatrick-Hoper’s delightful essay “Contemplative Lessons from My Dog” (Contemplative Outreach News, Dec. 2015), she describes how her dog exemplifies the surrendered life. As a life-long pet-owner, I […]
Discerning Decisions in Retirement
Q: I am 79 years old widow and am still working part time ‚Ķ I enjoy my work. However, I know that sometime soon (?) I need to plan my […]
An Inward Gesture Instead of Sacred Word
Q: In Centering Prayer, when you have noticed that you are engaged in a thought, rather than return gently to a sacred word, is it okay to instead, just simply […]
The Format of a Centering Prayer Support Group
Q: I attended a Centering Prayer group at my parish for about a month. I stopped going because, after the final oral prayer and reading, the leader’s wife asked for […]
Discerning the Journey
Q: I have practiced Centering Prayer for about three years. Because of some mental difficulties this is always a struggle for me, in some periods it‚Äôs almost impossible. Living in […]
Discerning the Dark Nights
Q: I have been a meditator and spiritual practitioner for 10 years. As of last year around February I went from having many ecstatic blissful experiences of God into a […]
Praying for those in Purgatory
Q: Given Fr. Keating‚Äôs views on Purgatory, that one continues to grow and become enlightened, how does a person with a Centering Prayer practice pray for her loved ones in […]
Centering Prayer, Boredom and Nothingness
Q: I attended a one-day Centering Prayer event for people who were experienced in Centering Prayer. We had three periods of prayer, with some teaching. At the end of the […]
Centering Prayer and Salivating
Q: A very annoying thing happens to me during many (about 75%) of my Centering Prayer times. I salivate excessively which is distracting to me. I cannot find a commonality […]
Centering Prayer and Mindfulness
Q: I practice Centering Prayer and recently a friend asked me to explain the difference between it and mindfulness meditation. I replied that the difference was in intent – Centering […]
Centering Prayer and Mental Illness
Q: I am hoping to get some direction for myself and a community I work with. I have schizo-affective mental illness, diagnosed when I was 28. I have had regular […]
The Blessed Sacrament as a Vestibule
Q: When I’m sitting in a small chapel doing my Centering and the Blessed Sacrament is exposed directly in front of me, must I close my eyes? Behind the Monstrance […]