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 Our true nature is stillness,
The Source from which we come. . . . . The deep listening of pure contemplation Is the path to stillness. All words disappear into It, And all creation awakens to the delight of Just Being. —Thomas Keating, “Stillness”
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 Father Thomas Keating died last night. He was 91, suffering from cancer. As we might say, “It was his time,” but nevertheless I am sad because his kind, animated, sparkling visage is no more. Through many audiovisual recordings of conversations, workshops and speeches Fr. Keating nourished my faith and deepened my spiritual practice. Yes, I will continue to watch on YouTube and be refreshed, but I will miss knowing that his earthly light is shining no more.
We mortals can’t imagine the bliss and peace that now surrounds Fr. Keating, but we have to believe it from our worldly vantage point. Christians embrace the message of hope, which Fr. Keating offered in tangible ways through Centering Prayer and his commitment in bringing the contemplative dimension of the Gospel to the public by co-founding Contemplative Outreach. He lives on through us whenever we pray and sparkle God’s love. Fr. Keating's death has not been announced on the Contemplative Outreach website yet. I received notice of it because I subscribe to its daily posts. Keep checking. www.contemplativeoutreach.org  Tonight I’m leading a session on Centering Prayer at my church. I’m no expert, but I show up daily to be in God’s presence, and that’s all that’s required. Show up and sit for twenty minutes with a clear mind. When a thought shows up, let it go, and return to be in God’s presence.
Fr. Thomas Keating, who in the 1980s articulated contemporary Christian meditation known as Centering Prayer, suggests we chose a sacred word or symbol (such as Om, love, peace) to return to when a thought comes into mind.. “The primary function of the sacred word is not to push thoughts away or to thin them out. It is rather to express our intention to love God, to be in God’s presence, and to submit to the Spirit’s action during the time of prayer.” I find a sacred word too distracting. Like many other meditation practices, I choose to return to my breath, which is always with me. My breath is in my body, whereas a word is in my mind where my thoughts are. And thoughts are the very thing I’m trying to let go of during this time. Sacred word, breath, choose the one that eases you back to faith and love toward God.  " ... People who are approaching ... spiritual evolution are having an impact on society, because the energy they are channeling is so sublime that it secretly influences social events or decisions anywhere in the world."
This morning, as I read this quote by Thomas Keating on www.contemplativeoutreach.com, it occurred to me that this is what I am striving for in choosing to stay away from reading and watching the news and refraining from talking about politics. I’m often not successful, but I’m getting better and better at returning to my purpose, which is to live prayerfully and positively. As God calls me to intercessory prayer, God calls me to step outside the hubbub of many areas of public life. I have to listen to what God wants me to do to help ‘Thy kingdom come’. I have no illusion that everyone ought to follow this path; it just my path. I believe, however, that spiritual energy can change the world.  “The dying process is a process created by God to release the forces of divine energy within the soul that have always been there.” Thomas Keating, a faithful Christian monk who has spent his 93 years discerning such things, offers this wisdom. My hospice experience opened me to the truth that God embraces the dying and takes them to Himself, and, that in some mysterious way they know God is with them.
As I sit in my sunny back yard, how easy it is to resonate with Keating’s profound understanding. Dietrich Bonhoeffer might warn me of ‘cheap grace’. And yet, when I turn on the news, I am confronted with the ‘costly grace’ experienced by those shot down or run down. My faith must remain bold and courageous, so I can continue to believe that God is with those who have been given only an instant to be embrace by God before the divine energies are released. In some mysterious way, perhaps because they are so horrendous, these atrocities affirm my faith.  "It must be emphasized over and over that daily life is the fundamental practice."
-- Thomas Keating, The Mystery of Christ This may be the most difficult of all spiritual practices. I can go to church for a defined period of time on Sunday; I can earmark prayer time each day; I can even gain a healthy habit of Bible reading; I can do good works. But to embrace my entire daily life as a spiritual practice is another kind of challenge. It is not a question of saying, ‘Sure, come along God,’ but of saying yes to God’s way and accepting God as a constant companion. I love the idea, the longing is there, and yet, there are times when I want to go my merry way without God, and other times when it is difficult to bring God along. But those are excuses. It’s not about being perfect and then making the commitment, but of making the commitment and then letting God bring me along.  I’ve started, once again, to meditate. I’ve written about this before—my desire, my commitment, and then I drop the subject because I’ve dropped the practice. So what makes me dare to go public again? What makes me committed with renewed desire? The simple answer is that my longing for God has deepen during this time in Florence. I have committed the time here to being with God, and one of the messages I’ve heard is that if I’m serious about living a life with God, I must get out of my head, I must stop thinking. Centering prayer is practice in doing just that!
This was reinforced last night while reading the latest on-line newsletter from Contemplative Outreach *, the site featuring Thomas Keating, the acknowledged leader of Centering Prayer. I found myself listening to a lecture by Keating on YouTube. In his charming, convincing manner, he was clear that centering prayer formed the foundation for a deep communion with God. By emptying ourselves of thought, we can hear God speaking to us. That’s the gist of what I heard. So here is my commitment. Two twenty minute periods of centering prayer a day. One in the morning, another in the afternoon. I dare not attempt it in the evening for fear I’d fall asleep. I began this morning at La Badia, where it is very quiet, and I’ll probably return there this afternoon. This obligation is easy to fulfill while I’m in Florence, but at home, well, it will be a challenge. I’ll keep you posted. * “Contemplative Outreach is a spiritual network of individuals and small faith communities committed to living the contemplative dimension of the Gospel. The common desire for Divine transformation, primarily expressed through a commitment to a daily Centering Prayer practice, unites our international, interdenominational community.” www.contemplativeoutreach.org |
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