Video Channel - Centering Prayer and Fr. Thomas Keating
There has been a long history of Christian mystics that have closely followed what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount about how to pray. This passage is the most direct reference by Jesus to meditation that is recorded in the New Testament:
"When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you."
Matthew 6: 5-6 New American Bible
Centering Prayer as an 11th Step Practice
The following videos on Centering Prayer, a practice of Christian meditation, has been developed and is taught by Fr. Thomas Keating and Contemporary Outreach, a spiritual network of individuals and small faith communities, living the contemplative dimension of Christian life through the practice of Centering Prayer.
http://www.centeringprayer.com/
Centering Prayer is drawn from ancient prayer practices of the Christian contemplative heritage, notably the Fathers and Mothers of the Desert, Lectio Divina, (praying the scriptures), The Cloud of Unknowing, St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila.. It was distilled into a simple method of prayer in the 1970’s by three Trappist monks, Fr. William Meninger, Fr. Basil Pennington and Abbot Thomas Keating at the Trappist Abbey, St. Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts.
“Be still and know that I am God.”
- In our quest to improve our conscious contact with God through meditation, Bill W. wrote that there are “no boundaries either of width or height.”
- The method of Centering Prayer has received growing acceptance as a key stepping stone toward fulfillment of the spiritual requirements of step 11.
We hope that you enjoy these Centering Prayer Video talks with Fr. Keating!