“Be still, and you will know, not by the knowledge of the mind, but by the knowledge of the heart, who God is and who you are.” Thomas Keating Consenting to God as God Is Q: Sometimes during Centering Prayer, an emotional pain comes up that causes me to cry from a deep level. Is […]
Giacomo Balla, Spirit-form transformation, 1918 New wine is a marvelous image of the Holy Spirit. As we move to the intuitive level of consciousness through contemplative prayer, the energy of the Spirit cannot be contained in old structures. They are not flexible enough. They may have to be left aside or adapted. The new […]
So, if you accept the view that [the self] is a dynamic experience, that the self can keep on growing, then it becomes a true self in the image and likeness of God, then there is the possibility that there is only one Self. There is only God. There is only one Self, or one […]
If it is God’s will to create in an evolutionary manner, which is what science is now saying, then we are only halfway there. We are in the middle of nowhere. … [Beasts] follow their instincts, and they glorify God by doing so. We cannot do that anymore because following some of these instincts is […]
There will be times when contemplatives feel they cannot pray anymore. All that is left to them is the desire to pray, sometimes buried under enormous difficulties in daily life along with interior purification. They need to be reminded again and again that the desire to pray is itself a prayer. St. John of the […]
The practice of meditation is indeed an authentic experience of dying to self … it is like a “mini-death,” at least from the perspective of the ego … We let go of our self-talk, our interior dialogue, our fears, wants, needs, preferences, daydreams, and fantasies. These all become just “thoughts,” and we learn to let […]
“Forgiveness is central to the Christian religion. It was Jesus’ chief concern on the night of his resurrection when he revealed himself to the apostles … breathed on them, and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them. Whose sins you retain are retained’ (John 20:22-23). … “God is nothing but […]
There is something very simple about God. Simple like a child’s laughter that breaks forth, spontaneously, without guile. Simple like when you act, immediately and directly, to help someone who falls in front of you. … God is simple like the way every moment of time, in its ordinariness, holds the gift of your life […]
Monday, August 29 – Friday, September 2, 2022 Catherine’s House: Mercy International Centre, 64A Baggot Street, Dublin 2 Fionnuala Quinn O.P. Suzanne Ryder RSM Maire Hearty RSM A Silent Introductory Retreat to Centering Prayer with Readings from Catherine McAuley Retreatants will participate in the full Introduction to Centering Prayer, suitable for newcomers and […]
Sunday July 10 – 15, 2022 ENNISMORE RETREAT CENTRE, Montenotte, Cork Fionnuala Quinn O.P. Lesley O’Connor Listen to the Spirit Speaking to your Heart This contemplative retreat welcomes those who are drawn to silence and yearn to learn more about the ancient Christian practices of Monastic Lectio Divina and Centering Prayer. The retreat will be […]