By Contemplative Outreach, Thomas Keating
In your Light,
I see only Light.
— Psalm 36
In the back of Open Mind, Open Heart, the seminal book by Father Thomas Keating (1923 – 1918) published in 1986, he lists 42 guidelines which he described as a “tentative effort to restate the Christian spiritual journey in contemporary terms [and] provide a conceptual background for the practice of Centering Prayer.” He also advised that they be read in the manner of Lectio Divina — in other words, not as information, but as prayer for revelation and inspiration from the Holy Spirit, and as a call to embodiment in daily life.
In the years since these were published, much evolved in the thinking and teaching of Thomas Keating and in the lived experience of the worldwide Centering Prayer community. The intention of this course is to ponder and pray these guidelines together from a contemporary perspective.
During this Lenten journey, you can expect:
- A short email every day from Ash Wednesday through Holy Saturday.
- Each email Monday through Saturday will include an image, Scripture passage, one or more of the 42 guidelines, a brief commentary, and a practice suggestion.
- Each Sunday email will offer a review of the past week and an image to contemplate.
- An invitation to participate in a live, one-hour Zoom-enabled Centering Prayer group to support your prayer practices through the Lenten season. The group meets at these times:
Monday 11 a.m. ET (10 a.m. CT, 9 a.m. MT, 8 a.m. PT)
Tuesday 8 a.m. ET (7 a.m. CT, 6 a.m. MT, 5 a.m. PT)
Wednesday-Friday 9 a.m. ET (8 a.m. CT, 7 a.m. MT, 6 a.m. PT)
- Community connection and support via the online Practice Circle forum, open 24/7 for this worldwide e-course community.
Partial scholarships are available from Contemplative Outreach by filling out this online form.