I became aware of how powerful Centering Prayer was because it was a container for my consenting to not only God’s presence in my life, but also God’s action in my life.
– Carl J. Arico [1]
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Silent prayer is a special time. It is our time to sit with God. It is like when we sit quietly with a friend. No words need to be said.
Silent prayer is the time for us to get out of the way! We ever so gently “let go” and open to the great Presence. It can be helpful to have a special place to retreat to during silent prayer. I begin my day with silent prayer. I make my way to the basement. I sit on a couch. It is here that I start my day.
On a workday, in the early afternoon, I get up from my work desk and walk to my car. (It does not matter how busy I am.) I sit in the driver’s seat. I might crack a window or open the sunroof. I sit in silence with God.
If I am not able to take an afternoon sit, I make room for an evening sit. My evening sit is also in the basement. I will sit on the same couch as my morning sit.
I need both sits. The morning sit prepares me for the day. The afternoon or evening sit recharges me for the remainder of the day.
What happens while we sit? God acts deep, deep within us. We may not even know it. But it happens. God will do a great work within us. This work is unique and specially tailored just for you.
I leave my sit a new person! Silent prayer is not a sprint. It is a marathon. My job is to trust God each time I sit. Let God work!
I seem to recognize the fruits of God’s work during the non silent portions of the day. If I do not notice them, someone else might too.
I might be more calm and relaxed. I might have inner peace. I might find a solution to a problem I have struggled with. I might finish tasks that before I was not able to complete. I might reach out to a person who simply needs a listening ear. I might volunteer at the local soup kitchen. I might notice things I previously did not see.
I highly recommend that you take time to be silent each day. Sit with God. Open to the presence of God. God will act in you.
Go Further:
Centering Prayer is a silent prayer practice that can move you toward a profound relationship with the Spirit of God within. It is a way of praying that opens the door to the Divine Indwelling—the ground of our being. With Centering Prayer, Father Thomas Keating and his colleagues Gail Fitzpatrick-Hopler and Father Carl Arico present the first online course in this method for deepening your intimacy with God and ultimately consenting to the presence and action of the Divine in all aspects of your life.
Carl J. Arico, A Taste of Silence: Centering Prayer And The Contemplative Journey
Enjoy my review of A Taste of Silence by Carl J. Arico
Be Still and Listen: Experience the Presence of God in Your Life by Amos Smith (Kindle is currently $6.99.)
Thomas Keating, Open Mind, Open Heart 20th Anniversary Edition
Thomas Keating, Intimacy with God: An Introduction to Centering Prayer
Thomas Keating, Manifesting God
David Frenette, The Path of Centering Prayer: Deepening Your Experience of God
[1] Carl J. Arico, A Taste of Silence: Centering Prayer And The Contemplative Journey, (Lantern Books: 2015)
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One on One Coaching with Rich
Does this sound like you?
“I am bored with my life?”
“I am not doing the things that I want to do in all areas of my life:”
-career, personal, family, community.
I feel unfulfilled, like I am just going through the motions everyday.
I have dreams and goals, but I am afraid to show up and take action on them.
I don’t want years to pass and be disappointed when I look back on my life.
Integrating Centering Prayer practice with your everyday life addresses all of these thoughts.
Do you want to obtain the freedom to become your true self, the person I’m created to be?
How do I create a long lasting and sustainable centering prayer practice?
I am currently taking on clients for Centering Prayer One on One Coaching sessions.
I will work with you to setup a program designed to meet your specific needs.
Be Still and Listen by Amos Smith is now available at Contemplative Life Bookstore.
Welcome to Contemplative-Life.org. Our mission is to present the best of contemplative teachings. Through contemplative awareness, one becomes open and present to the mystery of God in the here and now—in the midst of daily life.
I recently added a new section to my Resource Page: Books on Sale that features great kindle books at low prices. It includes authors such as Nicholas Amato, Diana Butler Bass, J Brent Bill, Mark Buchanan, Daniel P Coleman, John Eldredge, Sharon Grussendorff, Christopher Heuertz, Thomas Keating, Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen and Brian Zahnd.
I am currently reading The Sacred Enneagram: Finding Your Unique Path to Spiritual Growth by Christopher Heuertz. Free with your Audible trial.
Try Audible and Get Two Free Audiobooks – This is a great way to listen to books with your cell phone while you drive, walk or relax at home. I frequently listen in my car during my commute to and from work. I’m a proud affiliate.
David Frenette’s book The Path of Centering Prayer reenergized the Centering Prayer tradition with its fresh insights and teachings. Centering Prayer Meditations: Effortless Contemplation to Deepen Your Experience of God is a wonderful companion audio program created to be equally rewarding as a stand-alone guide – gives listeners an immersive resource to learn contemplative prayer, step by step and in the moment. With clarity and compassionate presence, Frenette explains the essential principles of this contemplative practice for both new and seasoned practitioners.
Orthodox Crafts: Making the perfect Orthodox gift, or a personal aid in your spiritual struggle, our prayer bracelets are beautifully crafted to be kept for a lifetime. Strengthen your relationship with God by wearing these bracelets and praying at any time and place during the day. Enjoy my post, How I Use My Prayer Bracelet.
Are you in the Philadelphia PA area? Invite me to speak or teach Centering Prayer at your church or community gathering. Feel free to contact Rich to obtain more information.
The Power of the Jesus Prayer: Learn a method practiced by Christian mystics for centuries to consent to the action and presence of God within.
Christian Prayer Methods: Prayer is a core Christian practice, but for many, this means “saying prayers” or asking God for various favors. In this course, we will review a variety of methods of prayer that have been used for centuries in Christianity. Whether you’re a beginner who is just learning how to pray, or a more mature Christian who has been at it awhile, this course will offer specific guidance, encouragement and support for practicing several time-tested methods of prayer.
The Way of the Wisdom Jesus: Going Beyond the Mind to the Heart of His Teaching – If you put aside what you think you know about Jesus and approach the Gospels as though for the first time, something remarkable happens: Jesus emerges as a teacher of the transformation of consciousness. In this online course, Episcopal priest, teacher, and retreat and conference leader Cynthia Bourgeault serves as a masterful guide to Jesus’s vision and to the traditional contemplative practices you can use to experience the heart of his teaching for yourself. It is based upon her book, The Wisdom Jesus: Transforming Heart and Mind – a New Perspective on Christ and His Message .
Prepare to be immersed in the 1st Century A.D. context of the life, work, teachings, and actions of Jesus. Check out Simply Jesus by N. T. Wright. It is based on his book Simply Jesus. Enjoy an article I wrote about one of the lectures on the Beatitudes.
This course is a short course based on Prof. N.T. Wright’s latest book, Simply Good News. Tom Wright will guide you through the chapters of his book through videos that suggest what some of the main points are. You will instantly get into the heart of the idea of ‘good news’ as it was understood by the 1st Century writers of the New Testament. You will be brought into their world in order to make more sense of what ‘good news’ means in our world.
Centering Prayer is a silent prayer practice that can move you toward a profound relationship with the Spirit of God within. It is a way of praying that opens the door to the Divine Indwelling—the ground of our being. With Centering Prayer, Father Thomas Keating and his colleagues Gail Fitzpatrick-Hopler and Father Carl Arico present the first online course in this method for deepening your intimacy with God and ultimately consenting to the presence and action of the Divine in all aspects of your life.
Since the time of the Desert Fathers in the third century, Finley begins, Christian mystics have practiced meditation as a way of opening to the direct presence of God in daily life. Legendary seekers such as Saint John of the Cross, Saint Teresa of Avila, and Meister Eckhart explored how meditation can lead us beyond the closed horizon of the ego, to an interior and holy refuge that is always available to us. On Christian Meditation, James Finley offers a gentle introduction to this all-transforming way of life, and the ever-deepening realization of oneness with Christ it leads us to. (Based upon his book, Christian Meditation.)
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