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May 2017

image courtesy of Ron Barnett

"Christ's passion, death and resurrection are being worked out in us through the events of daily life, that is, through what happens. His resurrection is at the bottom of whatever the pile of corruption may be, and in due time it will emerge. The cross and resurrection are two sides of the same reality. While we sometimes experience one more than the other, in the mature Christian they come together. It does not matter which is predominant, because the other is always present."

Thomas Keating
"The Parable of the Leaven"
St. Therese of Lisieux: A Transformation in Christ

Q: I feel led towards using what I would call sacred “feeling” when doing Centering Prayer. My feeling is love for God that I feel in my heart. It seems very natural to me to return to my love for God when I'm distracted and it seems to line up with the teaching in The Cloud of Unknowing. Can this be used as a method for Centering Prayer?
A: Read the response from Fr. Carl.

Please submit your questions about contemplative practices, the spiritual journey and the
contemplative life to Fr. Carl by emailing Pamela Begeman.

An archive of all Q&A's may be found here.

The latest edition of the CO NEWS
is now available online.

This issue features:

- the new Contemplative Outreach vision, principles and guidelines for service with commentaries, all by Fr. Thomas Keating;

- "Post-Traumatic Prayer," by The Reverend Dave Scheider;

- "Where The Spirit Speaks: Centering Prayer in Prisons and Jails," by Ray Leonardini, Prison Contemplative Fellowship.

An archive of all issues of the CO NEWS may be found here.

Please consider donating a small amount to support the creation
and production of this newsletter. Thank you.

View this new video segment,
"Into the Silence: The Value of Centering Prayer Retreats," featuring various practitioners witnessing to their retreat experiences (2:40 minutes).

Various kinds of Centering Prayer and contemplatively-themed retreats are hosted locally around the world. A list of retreats can be found on our online calendar, including Lectio Divina, Welcoming Prayer and special events.
The calendar is updated weekly.

You can also find events listed on these various
local Contemplative Outreach websites.

Another Easter ... by Marge Rafftery. " ... I sat alone through Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday services, and yes, even Easter Sunday mass as members of our large family attended services in their own churches in many locations locally and in other states. It went well; after all, this was the second Easter since John’s death, and I was doing quite well for the most part. ... " Read more.

Living Wisdom -- An Appreciation, by Jack Lloyd. "Contemplative Outreach of Chicago recently launched a new program known as Living Wisdom, to give interested members an opportunity to explore 'the wisdom tradition.' So far, the program has offered four all-day Saturday workshops, one per month, January through April 2017. After participating in the four workshops, I am starting to form an idea of what the wisdom tradition has to offer, and I have a strong interest in learning more. ..." Read more.

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An archive of previous articles may be found here.
Please send your contributions on contemplative life and practice
to Pamela Begeman.

The free Centering Prayer mobile app timer is available for iPhones, iPads (iOS 7+) and Android phones. Spanish-language versions are also available for both platforms.

The Centering Prayer mobile app supports one's daily prayer practice commitment. Beautiful, elegant and peaceful, the app includes an adjustable timer, as well as opening and closing prayer options that may be read before and after Centering Prayer. An assortment of sounds and backgrounds allow one to choose the type of environment for the prayer time. Brief instructions for learning Centering Prayer are also included.

You can find the app in the the iTunes App Store or the Google Play Store if you have an Android; search for Centering Prayer, select the one by Contemplative Outreach.

You can search our worldwide Community section of the website for local contacts and local websites. These people are also a source for event and prayer group information. Or you might check this list of local websites.

For more information on events, retreats, local Centering Prayer contacts, an online store and teachings from Contemplative Outreach, go to our website:

www.contemplativeoutreach.org