 Photo by Carol Quest Gathered by Christine Eaton, attempting to capture the collective movement of the Spirit
From the introduction circle on Friday evening: Gratitude, peace, yes, wow Welcome, blessings, compassion, joy Oneness, kindness, stillness, spirit Quiet, still, nature, seek silence Open, listening, community, presence Hope, grace, love, overflowing Thank you, all is well, abundance Multiplication, and Beloved From Pamela's opening talk: Spaciousness, freedom, chosen, known, goodness And from the closing conversation: Delight, courage, heart, strengthening Faith, faithfulness, wisdom Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay. We should like to skip the intermediate stages. We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new. And yet it is the law of all progress that it is made by passing through some stages of instability-- and that it may take a very long time. And so I think it is with you; your ideas mature gradually—let them grow, let them shape themselves, without undue haste. Don’t try to force them on, as though you could be today what time (that is to say, grace and circumstances acting on your own good will) will make of you tomorrow. Only God could say what this new spirit gradually forming within you will be. Give Our Lord the benefit of believing that his hand is leading you, and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete. From Pamela Begeman's presentation at the 2019 MN Contemplative Outreach Fall Retreat
(From Pamela Begeman's presentation at the 2019 MN Contemplative Outreach Fall Retreat)
Guidelines for Christian Life, Growth and Transformation
From Pamela Begeman's presentation at the 2019 MN Contemplative Outreach Fall Retreat
The fundamental practice for healing the wounds of the false-self system is to fulfill the duties of our job in life. This includes helping people who are counting on us. If prayer gets in the way, there is some misunderstanding. Some devout persons think that if their activities at home or their job get in the way of praying, there is something wrong with their activities. On the contrary, there is something wrong with their prayer. ~ Thomas Keating, The Mystery of Christ From Pamela Begeman's presentation at the 2019 MN Contemplative Outreach Fall Retreat
"Perhaps it is easy enough to understand that God can be grasped in and through every life. But, can God be found in and through every death, every diminishment? This is what disconcerts us, and yet, this is what we must learn to recognize. […] The forces of diminishment are possibilities. Their number is vast. Their forms infinitely varied. Their influence constant. There is a time of growth, and a time of diminishment in the lives of each one of us. All of these attitudes spring from the same inner orientation of the mind. From a single law, which combines the two-fold movement of the natural personalization of a man, a woman, and their supernatural, depersonalization in Christ." ~ Teilhard de Chardin From Pamela Begeman's presentation at the 2019 MN Contemplative Outreach Fall Retreat
"Since [Centering Prayer] is not only pleasant, but also purifying, do not be surprised by the ups and downs of our subjective experience and just accept what happens. This is when you truly consent in practice. You are giving away any control whatsoever over the results of what you are doing. It is allowing that consent to be purified by the Spirit, who will send into your life inwardly and outwardly the people, teaching, or trials that you need. The bottom line … is to place all our trust in God and in [God's] determination to bring this about because of [God's] immense, gratuitous love for us." ~ Thomas Keating, God is Love: The Heart of All Creation |
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MN Contemplative Outreach publishes articles written by, and for, practitioners. They are designed to deepen understanding of the Centering Prayer Practice and its power to change lives. Categories
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