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Peering Through the Slatted Fence: Gospels as Pointers to the Indwelling Christ Conference Three (Saturday afternoon, October 16, 2021) Cracking the Geode: Scripture in the Hands of a Contemplative Fr. Vincent Pizzuto From the Minnesota Contemplative Outreach 2021 Fall Retreat
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The term “Unloading of the Unconscious” refers to the process of inner healing and transformation that can take place as we practice Centering Prayer. In this video recorded on August 5th 2020, Mark Rodel and Jody Reis Johnson explore this oft-neglected topic with insight and sensitivity. Brian Mogren, the Director of St. Jane House in North Minneapolis, writes: I saw how MNCO was promoting the Healing Our City Virtual Prayer Tent and my heart leaped! Thank you for being partners with us in sharing about this powerful daily prayer opportunity. One of our St. Jane House prayer group members, Marcella Jones, came to us through last summer’s physical prayer tent. She has since immersed herself in Father Keating's writing and has now started a new centering prayer group whose membership is primarily black women. She is passionate about sharing contemplative prayer with more people of color. I would love for you to get to know one another better and see how MNCO could be supportive of her efforts. The following video is a lesson Marcella created for the women in her group. I share it with her blessing. You can see that she is a wonderful and very gifted teacher. The following quotes are from Thomas Keating's book, Open Mind, Open Heart, and were used in the Introduction to Centering Prayer class held on November 20, 2020
Contemplative prayer is the world in which God can do anything. Our private, self-made worlds come to an end; a new world appears within and around us. The more one lets go, the stronger the presence of the Spirit becomes. The Ultimate Mystery becomes the Ultimate Presence. The purpose of centering prayer is not to experience peace, but to clear the unconscious obstacles to the permanent abiding state of union with God. Centering prayer is not so much an exercise of attention as intention. Our intention is to be present to God’s presence and actions in our lives. Centering prayer is not a way of turning on the presence of God. Rather, it is a way of saying “Here I am.” Contemplative prayer is not so much the absence of thoughts as detachment from them. It is the opening of mind, body and emotions – our whole being – to God, the Ultimate Mystery, beyond words, thoughts and emotions. The chief thing that separates us from God is the thought that we are separated from God. If we get rid of that thought, our troubles will be greatly reduced. Prayer is not designed to change God but to change us. The faster we let that happen, the better our prayer is going to be. But once we have gotten interested in God and have begun to seek Him, the best thing to do is to be silent in prayer and to let Him complete the process. Isn’t that the great significance of Mary? She could not possibly forget God. She was in prayer in her very being and in every one of her actions. She brought the Word of God into the world, or rather let Him come into the world through her. It is not so much what we do but what we are that allows Christ to live in the world. It may be hard to convince yourself of the value of interior silence. But if you are going to practice centering prayer, the only way to do it is to ignore every thought. Let it be a time of interior silence and nothing else. If God wants to speak to you in successive words, let God do so during the other twenty-three hours of the day. God will be more pleased that you preferred to listen to His silence.  Fr. John Clay (1926-2020) was pastor of St Stanislaus Church in St Paul since 1975.
Questions to ponder for the Formative Stage of Faith
1. Who were the people that helped form you in your faith? 2. What were the places that helped form you in your faith? 3. What were the events that helped form you in your faith? In your silence let these faces, places and events surface. Then choose one or two to write about. Tell of ONE spiritual scene with a grateful heart. You may begin your sharing by saying, “I am grateful to God for/that...” Questions to Ponder for the Transformative Stage of Faith 1. What thresholds have you been invited to cross on your contemplative spiritual journey? 2. Who were the people, places and events surrounding these invitations? 3. What did you discover when you entered this new spiritual place? 4. What struggles (inner and external) did you face as you deepened your contemplative spiritual journey? 5. How did these experiences lead you to a deeper experience of God, self, others and creation? Questions to Ponder about the Dark Night of the Soul 1. As you have traveled your contemplative spiritual journey, how has God invited you to “let go” or “loosen your hold” on some of the people, places, and events of your Formative Stage of Faith? 2. How has this “letting go” or “loosening” deepened your contemplative experience of faith? 3. Who have your spiritual companions been in your dark night experiences? 4. What has been your challenge in walking through the Dark Night? 5. What gift has the Dark Night offered you? Questions to Ponder about the Unitive Stage of Faith 1. When has God offered you a glimpse of complete union with God? 2. How do you feel God pulling you toward recovery (as Merton puts it) of your original union with God? 3. What do you feel you need to “give up” - “loosen your grip on” - “let go of” to move toward complete union with God? 4. Do you believe complete union with God is possible? If so, how do your personal spiritual experiences (as Thomas Keating puts it) give you confidence to believe it? 5. What is your heart’s deepest spiritual desire? The term “Unloading of the Unconscious” refers to the process of inner healing and transformation that can take place as we practice Centering Prayer. In this video recorded at the August 5th Zoom Workshop, Mark Rodel and Jody Reis Johnson explore this oft-neglected topic with insight and sensitivity.  by Jody Reis Johnson
Each year, at the beginning of Advent, I pray for eyes to see the Holy Child wherever He may appear. I believe my first sighting came early this year, the first weekend of the season, at our Advent Centering Prayer Retreat. A middle-aged couple introduced themselves to the group on the first evening by telling us that they had moved here from another part of the country seeking better services for an elderly and disabled parent. |
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