Contemplative Outreach - Fort Worth Chapter |
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Quarterly Meeting |
| "Centering Prayer: What it is and what it isn't" will be the focus of
a talk and discussion by Fr. Robert Wilson, former chancellor of the Fort
Worth Diocese, on Sept. 16 at St. John the Apostle Catholic Church in North
Richland Hills.
"Centering Prayer has been the deepest experience of prayer for me in my 49 years of priesthood," Fr. Wilson said. "I began practicing in 1982 and have been using it as part of my daily prayer since that time." Centering Prayer is based on the wisdom saying of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, according to one of the movement's founders, Trappist Abbot Thomas Keating: "...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 6:6) It is drawn from ancient prayer practices of the Christian contemplative heritage, notably the Fathers and Mothers of the Desert, John Cassian, the anonymous author of "The Cloud of Unknowing," Francis de Sales, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Therese of Lisieux and Thomas Merton. "Although there may be some similarities between Centering Prayer and eastern mysticism, they do not have common roots," Fr. Wilson said. "The practice of Centering Prayer and contemplation is based totally on one's belief in God and His ever-abiding presence in the very depths of one's self. The prayer is based totally on the faith one has that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit dwell constantly within one's inner self." Further distinguishing the Christian prayer from its eastern counterparts is that its initial focus is on God, and not on the individual pratitioner, Keating has said. "It is at the same time a relationship with God and a discipline to foster that relationship." "It involves listening to God in the depths of our being," Fr. Wilson said, "removing external distractions as much as possible in order to spend time quietly with God." Fr. Wilson will describe the practice of Centering Prayer and lead a 20-minute session of silent prayer before his talk on Sept. 16, which is sponsored by Contemplative Outreach-Fort Worth, a branch of Contemplative Outreach Ltd., founded by Keating. There will also be a question-and-answer period and a second 20-minute Centering Prayer session after the talk. The free event will be from 9 a.m. to noon at the Family Life Center at St. John the Apostle, 7341 Glenview Drive. Refreshments will be provided. For more information, contact Kathleen Kelley at 817-281-6218, kkelley_2charter.net, or Tom Uhler at 817-874-2894, uhler@sbcglobal.net.
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