July e-bulletin from Contemplative Outreach

July 2014

Astronomy Picture of the Day

"Jesus taught that to be his disciple you need to deny "your inmost self." That is more crucial than the other things he invites us to separate ourselves from. Any identity at all, apart from God, is not it. So to have no identity or an identity that you don't know and are willing that it be anything that God wants it to be, this is what the transformative process is doing."

Thomas Keating, from his article in the June issue of The Contemplative Outreach News

In-Person and Online Retreats

Forgiveness: A Growth in Love
An online retreat with Contemplative Outreach and Spirituality & Practice
August 4 - 29, 2014
with Mary Dwyer and Lauri Raymond
Go here for more information and to register.
A four-week retreat on the Prayer of Forgiveness and its ongoing process in our lives.

The Gift of Life: Death & Dying, Life & Living Retreat
August 8-15, 2014
Wisdom House, Litchfield, CT
with Mary Anne Best & Gail Fitzpatrick-Hopler
Email for information and to register.

Find a Retreat: A full list of retreats can be found on our online calendar, including Lectio Divina, Welcoming Prayer and special events. The calendar is updated weekly. You can also find events listed on these various local Contemplative Outreach websites.

Enriching Community, Teachings and Centering Prayer

September 25-28, 2014
Deauville Resort Hotel
Miami Beach, Florida
All are invited.
Click here for more information and to register.
* Come for Centering Prayer in community with other open-hearts from around the world.
* Come hear presentations on "Living out of your Inner Room" from Fr. Bill Sheehan and Maru Ladrón de Guevara.
* Come meet and learn from other dedicated to the contemplative journey.
* Come to celebrate 30 Years of Grace & Gratitude.

The Contemplative Outreach News is now available

A special 30th anniversary issue of The Contemplative Outreach News is available online . This issue is full of powerful teachings and stories of transformation in Christ. Find it on the website> Resources>Newsletters, where you’ll also find a complete archive of past newsletters.

Support the newsletter by donating here.

Q&A with Fr. Carl Arico

Q: Is there a way to pray the rosary simultaneously with Centering Prayer?
A: Read Fr. Carl's response.

See the archive of previous Q&A’s. Please submit your questions about contemplative practices, the spiritual journey and the contemplative life to Fr. Carl by emailing Pamela Begeman.

New in the Store and Back in Stock

Centering Prayer: A Training Course for Deepening Relationship with God. An in-home course with workbook, DVDs and CDs to help you learn and establish a daily Centering Prayer practice. Available July 21st. $90.00 USD.

Reflections on the Unknowable. The first part of the book is a lengthy interview with Fr. Thomas in which he examines concepts of the divine available to individuals willing to open the door to God. The second section consists of 31 brief homilies with a wide range of diverse topics. $15 USD.

Thomas Keating: A Rising Tide of Silence DVD. Interweaving historical footage, biographical documentation, interviews with friends and colleagues, and extensive conversations with Father Keating himself, the film traces a fascinating personal and spiritual life. $25 USD.

New Spiritual Journey Digital Downloads (MP3s).
* The Spiritual Journey Series: Part III, Paradigms of the Spiritual Journey, MP3. $8 USD
* The Spiritual Journey Series: Part IV, Contemplation: The Divine Therapy, MP3. $8 USD.
* The Spiritual Journey Series: Part V, Divine Love: The Heart of the Christian Spiritual Journey, MP3. $8 USD.
* Parts I and II are also available in the store as MP3 downloads.

Articles Related to Centering Prayer

From America: The National Catholic Review, an article on a Jesuit high school, where Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina are taught and recommended for students as part of their formation. An excerpt: "Retreats and liturgies create spaces for encounter with God, but we should not assume these “mountaintop” experiences are sufficient to nurture a deep, transformative personal relationship with the divine. Rather, the regular, consistent practices of soul craft—centering prayer, solitude in nature, sacred silence and sacred conversation, lectio divina, meditation—can provide our students with the archetypes and avenues that lead to a mystical consciousness, in which we see and feel about the world as Jesus does." Read more.

Voices of the Community

A Heartfulness Practice, by Eben Carsey. "I suspect that whatever has occurred in my life in this regard has, to a significant extent, been a gift that I have received through my practice and involvement related to Contemplative Outreach; but I hasten to add that I cannot be sure since I am strongly aware of God's grace flowing toward me through many channels in my life. ... ” Read more.

A Centering Prayer, by George Schultz. ".O Holy Spirit please, please seal my soul into your service.... " Read more.
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Please email reflections about your spiritual journey, contemplative life, or daily practice to Pamela Begeman for consideration. See the archive of previous articles.

Find a Local Contact and/or Prayer Group

You can search our worldwide Community section of the website for local contacts and local websites. These people are also a source for event and prayer group information.

Try the new, free Centering Prayer mobile app for iPhones and iPads in the iTunes store. You can preview it here or find it/download it by searching 'Centering Prayer' in the iTunes store. The app is primarily a timer to support your daily Centering Prayer practice but also includes sound choices and opening and closing prayers.Please rate it/review it!

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For more information on events, retreats, local Centering Prayer contacts, an online store and teachings from Contemplative Outreach, go to our website.