Oneness and the Heart of the World

In this talk, Father Keating discusses the dynamic nature of God and the paradox implicit in experiencing divine oneness. With humor and wisdom, he explores the practice of contemplative prayer, and how we might begin to approach God through being present to our senses.

Father Thomas Keating
Father Thomas Keating is one of the foremost teachers of contemplative prayer in the Christian tradition. He was born in New York in 1923 and converted to Catholicism while a student at Yale University in the 1940s. He entered a cloistered Roman Catholic monastery of the Cistercian order. Keating is the former abbot of St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts, and has resided at St. Benedict's Monastery in Snowmass, Colorado. He directs retreats in the practice of Centering Prayer, a cornerstone of contemporary Christian contemplative practice throughout the world. He is the author of many books, including Open Mind, Open Heart; The Mystery of Christ; Invitation to Love; and Intimacy with God. He also frequently participates in dialogues with contemplatives of other religions. Full bio and links »
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AlanZulch's picture
1 year 32 weeks ago
Alan Zulch

What a magnificent spirit.

harmonious1's picture
1 year 9 weeks ago
keni lynch

hi,

that was magnificent...about God.. but what about the devil? should we accept the devil too? to embrace him too if God embraces all...

and also 'deprivation' vs 'depravation'...are some people and events in history beyond redemption? like the Holocaust.. we like to think we can make a difference by prayer, contemplation of the divine in everything as Father Keating suggests, but how do we make sense of depravation? of original sin, and the existence of evil...or are these to be re-interpreted as figments in the minds of humans, illusions merely as the Buddhists and Hindus believe?

jsut wondering...

sabrosa's picture
1 year 6 weeks ago
sand ospi

Harmonious 1 that ONENESS means there is nothng higher, larger, more potent than God and the oneness which is unescapable- we have never been shown it or taught it as we have been exposed to the human atrocities such as the Holocaust.

What is fed to our minds and spirits is in great disadvantage to understand, feel and experience that perfect enveloping oneness, love- we are constantly listening and being exposed to the negative, playing the other record, the bad news rather than the good news

sabrosa