Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation

From the Center for Action and Contemplation

Summary: Week Forty-two

Thomas Keating: The Secret Embrace
Part One

October 18 - October 23, 2020

I believe Thomas Keating showed great courage in heeding the call of the Second Vatican Council, “opening the windows” of the monastery, and offering Centering Prayer to the world. (Sunday)

In this season of planetary upheaval, Thomas Keating’s courageous spiritual work has deep wisdom to offer us as we begin to wrap our collective hearts around what is required next. —Cynthia Bourgeault (Monday)

Silence is not absence, but presence. It is a “something,” not a nothing. It has substantiality, heft, force. You can lean into it, and it leans back. It meets you; it holds you up. —Cynthia Bourgeault (Tuesday)

God co-inheres and interpenetrates everything, the ocean-in-drop and drop-in-ocean, constantly exchanging in a dance of endless fecundity. —Cynthia Bourgeault (Wednesday)

For most of us—including for Thomas Keating—the sense of joyful, flowing oneness doesn’t just “happen.” It comes at the end of a painful season of stripping and purification that has classically been called “the dark night of the spirit.” —Cynthia Bourgeault (Thursday)

Even with great practice, most of us will only glimpse or abide in our True Self for moments at a time while we are alive, but mystics seem to finally and fully abide there, which I hope encourages us to keep going. (Friday)

Practice: Centering Prayer

Centering Prayer is simply sitting in silence, open to God's love and our love for God. Today, CAC Living School faculty member Cynthia Bourgeault provides a brief overview of the Centering Prayer practice.

• It is preferable to find a quiet place to sit comfortably where you will be undisturbed for the period of time you are setting aside for your centering prayer. That said, you can still proceed with your practice even if the environment and conditions are not ideal.
   
• There are a variety of meditation benches, cushions and sitting accessories widely available, but sitting upright in a standard chair is perfectly fine.
   
• The prescribed daily practice is a minimum of two 20-minute sits. If at all possible this amount is most recommended to start and maintain a dedicated practice. A timer or nearby clock is helpful to time the sitting period.
   
• An aid to help in returning to the essence of the practice is to select and use a sacred word or short phrase that can act as a placeholder or symbol for your intention.
   
• Aiming to stay relaxed but attentive, close your eyes, and start your practice period rooting in your basic intention of open availability to God.
   
• Each time you notice yourself becoming absorbed in a thought, and without making a problem of your distraction, gently release your attention from the thought and inwardly say your sacred word. Your sacred word is not constantly repeated like a mantra, but only used as much as required to bring yourself back into alignment with your original intention.
   
• In the context of this practice, a thought is defined as anything that brings your attention to a focal point. This could be an idea, vision, memory, emotion, or dwelling upon a physical sensation. If it captures your attention, it’s considered a thought, and by letting go you are renewing your intention and consent for “God’s presence and action within.”
   
• As you continue in the prayer period and thoughts inevitably arise, use your sacred word to gently and quickly clear your mental debris, and to return to open awareness and availability.
   
• When the allotted time is up, slowly open your eyes. Without rushing, take a few minutes to allow yourself to come back to your usual state of consciousness.
   
• If planning longer periods of sitting, many find a very slow meditative walk after each 20 minutes or so helps to keep the body more comfortable and alert.

Cynthia Bourgeault, The Method and Practice of Centering Prayer, The Wisdom Way of Knowing at https://wisdomwayofknowing.org/resource-directory/centering-prayer/

Image credit: “Outside in” (detail), James Turrell at House of Lights, Tohka-machi, Niigata, Japan.

For Further Study:

Cynthia Bourgeault, Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening, foreword by Thomas Keating (Cowley Publications: 2004).

Cynthia Bourgeault, The Heart of Centering Prayer: Nondual Christianity in Theory and Practice (Shambhala: 2016).

Cynthia Bourgeault, Thomas Keating’s The Secret Embrace (2020), online on-demand course. Full details available from Spirituality & Practice, https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/ecourses/course/view/10274/thomas-keatings-the-secret-embrace

Thomas Keating, Divine Therapy and Addiction: Centering Prayer and the Twelve Steps, with Tom S., interviewer (Lantern Publishing and Media: 2020, ©2009).

Thomas Keating, Open Mind, Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel, 20th anniversary ed. (Continuum: 2006).

Thomas Keating, The Secret Embrace, artist Charlotte M. Frieze (Temple Rock Company: 2018). A limited number of copies available at https://www.contemplativeoutreach.org/product/thomas-keating-the-secret-embrace/

Richard Rohr, What the Mystics Know: Seven Pathways to Your Deeper Self (The Crossroad Publishing Company: 2015).

Spirituality, Contemplation, and Transformation: Writings on Centering Prayer, Thomas Keating and others (Lantern Books: 2008).

News from the CAC

Go Deeper with Centering Prayer

Thomas Keating devoted his life to Centering Prayer, a receptive method of Christian silent prayer that prepares us to receive the gift of God’s presence within us, closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than consciousness itself. Create a discipline to go deeper with God with these resources from Contemplative Outreach.

Exploring the Universal Christ with the new Companion Guide for Individuals

Discover a path to becoming a more loving, engaged presence in the world. Use the offer code STUDY2020 to receive 50 percent off the companion guide for individuals when purchased with the book The Universal Christ.

Action & Contemplation

2020 Daily Meditations Theme

What does God ask of us? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God. —Micah 6:8

Franciscan Richard Rohr founded the Center for Action and Contemplation in 1987 because he saw a deep need for the integration of both action and contemplation. If we pray but don’t act justly, our faith won’t bear fruit. And without contemplation, activists burn out and even well-intended actions can cause more harm than good. In today’s religious, environmental, and political climate our compassionate engagement is urgent and vital.

Click here to learn about contemplative prayer and other forms of meditation. For frequently asked questions—such as what versions of the Bible Father Richard recommends or how to ensure you receive every meditation—please see our email FAQ. Visit cac.org to explore other ways to connect with the Center for Action and Contemplation.

Use the “Forward” button above to share this email. Explore Richard Rohr's Daily Meditations archive at cac.org. Visit CAC on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to connect with others and explore more ideas about contemplation.

Richard Rohr's Daily Meditations are made possible through the generosity of CAC's donors. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation.

If you would like to change how often you receive emails from CAC, click here. If you would like to change your email address, click here. Visit our Email Subscription FAQ page for more information. Submit an inquiry here for additional assistance.

Inspiration for this week's banner image: His silence is a kiss, / His presence an embrace. —Thomas Keating, “Loneliness in the Night.”