Download pdf file in a new window - Contemplative Outreach

Thomas Merton went to the
East at the time of his death. It
was a call to be contemplative
in an action-oriented world and
to infuse one’s life with action
based on contemplation.
In the closing conference,
the abbot suggested spiritual
exercises that might support us
into becoming truly contemplative
in our varying ministries.
First, two 20 minute sessions
of Centering Prayer each day;
second, 15-30 minutes of
Lectio Divina, the listening of
Scripture; third, the development
of the breath prayer that might
help us truly be followers of the
Lord who prayed constantly;
fourth, an in-depth reflection
on our emotional responses
throughout the day to help us
identify those negative forces
within us that stop us from truly
being Christ-filled. Those forces
were listed by the abbot as an
exaggerated need for power and
control; an inordinate desire for
affection and approval; and the
desire for security. He made it
quite clear to us in the homily
at mass each day that the true
message of the beatitudes set in
the Sermon on the Mount was
the letting go of these energies.
Perhaps this might explain why
it is so difficult to truly understand
what the beatitudes are
saying - they are our Lord’s
deepest mystical teaching.
Now, in 2009, as I ponder
what has happened over these
last 25 years, a shower of
thoughts and images burst forth:
After all this time, Contemplative
Outreach still recommends the
last exercises that Fr. Thomas
shared in 1983.
I feel I am just beginning to
glimpse the depth of the Christian
Contemplative Tradition.
I see the fruits of the transforming
process in my own life;
I feel an inner freedom and
detachment from all the nonessentials;
I have a greater
appreciation of the power of the
Divine Presence; and I embrace
my sinfulness and shortcomings,
which I see as a call to be imperfect
so as to be full of love.
I feel so much lighter! How
enjoyable it is to let God be fully in
charge, in the greater awareness of
the miracle of God’s grace and the
power of prayer.
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CONTEMPLATIVE OUTREACH NEWS
DECEMBER 2009