2011 June

Consenting to the Divine Presence Fr. Thomas Keating
We began teaching Centering Prayer using the sacred word as the symbol of consent to God’s presence and action because most retreatants were used to hearing the word of God in scripture and in the liturgy. We thought they would find the use of a sacred word congenial to their cultural background and religious training. Later we continued to present the prayer in essentially the same way but referred to the other symbols of breath and glance as options that some might be more attracted to.

Seeing a New Reality for Contemplatives Gail Fitzpatrick-Hopler
The community of Contemplative Outreach has been growing and changing for 27 years. The interest in contemplation, silence and practice, little known and never discussed back then, has revived, attracting the interest of many.

Coming Home, Reflection on the Practice of Annual Retreats  Fr. Carl Arico
As soon as I entered the retreat house I felt like I was coming home. It is one of my favorite facilities for post-intensive retreats. The setting is what I call ‘Texas desert,’ a subtle atmosphere that encourages silence.

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