On Silence
"Interior silence is one of the most strengthening and affirming of human experiences. There is nothing more affirming in fact, than the experience of God's presence. That revelation says, as nothing else can, You are a good person, I created you and I love you".
Open Mind, Open Heart
~ Thomas Keating
"Our greatest need is to be silent before this great God, with the appetite and with the tongue, for the only language He hears is the silent language of love".
~ St. John of the Cross, 'Letter 8,' The Letters
"Contemplative prayer is not so much the absence of thoughts as detachment from them. It is the opening of the mind and heart, body and emotions — our whole being — to God, the Ultimate Mystery, beyond words, thoughts and emotions..."
Open Mind, Open Heart
~ Thomas Keating
“Faith is opening and surrendering to God. The spiritual journey does not require going anywhere because God is already with us and in us”.
Open Mind, Open Heart
~ Thomas Keating
“Any practice moving towards contemplation … bonds the people who are doing it with everybody else who is doing a similar practice, and indeed with everyone else in the human family … What is deepest in them, their oneness with the divine presence, resonates with what is deepest in us. Hence, their joys, their trials, and their openness to God are part of us.”
The Better Part, page 70
~ Thomas Keating
Welcome to Contemplative Outreach Ontario
Contemplative Outreach Ontario shares the Vision and Theological Principles of Contemplative Outreach Ltd. and is privileged to be guided by that organization's philosophy and underlying principles. We invite you to visit the designated page on the Navigation Bar to gain an understanding of what shapes the worldwide network of Contemplative Outreach, including Contemplative Outreach Ontario.
What is Centering Prayer?
When you want to pray,
go to your inner room, close the door,
and pray to your Father in secret
and your Father who sees in secret
will reward you.
~ Matthew 6.6.
Centering Prayer is a method of prayer that prepares us to receive the gift of God´s presence, traditionally called contemplative prayer. It consists of responding to the Spirit of Christ by consenting to God's presence and action within.
Centering Prayer facilitates the movement from more active modes of prayer into a receptive prayer of resting in God. It is at the same time a relationship with God and a discipline to foster that relationship.
Centering Prayer is drawn from ancient prayer practices of the Christian contemplative heritage, notably the Mothers and Fathers of the Desert tradition, Lectio Divina (praying the scriptures), The Cloud of Unknowing, and the writings of St. John of the Cross, St. Teresa of Avila and Thomas Merton, among many others.
Centering Prayer does not take the place of other prayer and devotions. Rather it may deepen the experience of other forms of worship by offering a way of quieting our faculties and preparing us to be more receptive to God´s presence.
What is Contemplative Outreach?
Silence, Solitude and Service
“Transforming the Heart of the World”
For over 25 years, Contemplative Outreach has been dedicated to transmitting the living tradition of the contemplative Christian heritage through the teachings of Fr. Thomas Keating and through programs and offerings that support the contemplative life for those in ordinary life. Its principal purpose is to share the method and conceptual background of Centering Prayer.
Contemplative Outreach seeks relationship with the Ultimate Reality through listening to God´s first language, seeking also to listen to the promptings of the Spirit and to respond accordingly.
Today, Contemplative Outreach annually:
* Serves over 40,000 people
* Supports over 120 active chapters in 39 countries
* Supports over 800 prayer groups with over 5,000 group members
* Teaches over 15,000 new people the practice of Centering Prayer and other contemplative practices through local hosted workshops
* Provides training and resource to local chapters and volunteers
* Communicates and archives the wisdom teachings of Fr. Thomas Keating through books, audio and visual media, the internet, teleconferences, articles and more.
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