The Method of Centering Prayer...

Centering Prayer is a method designed to facilitate the development of contemplative prayer by preparing our faculties to cooperate with this gift. It is an attempt to present the teaching of earlier time (e.g. The Cloud of Unknowing) in an updated form and to put a certain order and regularity into it. It is not meant to replace other kinds of prayer; it simply puts other kinds of prayer into a new and fuller perspective. During the time of prayer we consent to God's presence and action within. At other times our attention moves outward to discover God's presence everywhere.

The Guidelines

1. Choose a sacred word as the symbol of your intention to consent to God's presence and action within.

2. Sitting comfortably and with eyes closed, settle briefly and silently introduce the sacred word as the symbol of your consent to God's presence and action within.

3. When you become aware of thoughts, return ever so gently to the sacred word.

4. At the end of the prayer period, remain in silence with eyes closed for a couple of minutes.

Explanation of the Guidelines

"Choose a sacred word as the symbol of your intention

to consent to God's presence and action within."

The sacred word expresses our intention to be in God's presence and to yield to the divine action. The sacred word should be chosen during a brief period of prayer asking the Holy Spirit to inspire us with one that is especially suitable for us. (Examples: Lord, Jesus, Abba, Father, Mother Other possibilities: Love, Peace, Shalom) Having chosen a sacred word, we do not change it during the prayer period, for that would be to start thinking again. A simple inward gaze upon God may be more suitable for some persons than the sacred word. In this case, one consents to God's presence and action by turning inwardly toward God as if gazing upon him. The same guidelines apply to the sacred gaze as to the sacred word.

"Sitting comfortably and with eyes closed, settle briefly and silently introduce the sacred word as the symbol of your consent to God's presence and action within."

By "sitting comfortably" is meant relatively comfortably; not so comfortably that we encourage sleep, but sitting comfortably enough to avoid thinking about the discomfort of our bodies during this time of prayer. Whatever sitting position we choose, we keep the back straight. If we fall asleep, we continue the prayer for a few minutes upon awakening if we can spare the time. Praying in this way after a main meal encourages drowsiness. Better to wait an hour at least before Centering Prayer. Praying in this way just before retiring may disturb one's sleep pattern. We close our eyes to let go of what is going on around and within us. We introduce the sacred word inwardly and as gently as laying a feather on a piece of absorbent cotton.

"When you become aware of thoughts,

return ever-so-gently to the sacred word."

"Thoughts" is an umbrella term for every perception including sense perceptions, feelings, images, memories, reflections, and commentaries. Thoughts are a normal part of Centering Prayer. By "returning ever-so-gently to the sacred word", a minimum of effort is indicated. This is the only activity we initiate during the time of Centering Prayer. During the course of our prayer, the sacred word may become vague or even disappear.

"At the end of the prayer period,

remain in silence with eyes closed for a couple of minutes."

If this prayer is done in a group, the leader may slowly recite the Our Father during the additional 2 or 3 minutes, while the others listen. The additional 2 or 3 minutes give the psyche time to readjust to the external senses and enable us to bring the atmosphere of silence into daily life.

Some Practical Points
• The minimum time for this prayer is 20 minutes. Two periods are recommended each day, one first thing in the morning, and one in the afternoon or early evening.
• A timer can indicate the end of the prayer period, providing it does not have an audible tick or loud sound when it goes off.
• The principal effects of Centering Prayer are experienced in daily life, not in the period of Centering Prayer itself.
• Physical Symptoms
       o We may notice slight pains, itches, or twitches in various parts of the body or a generalized restlessness. These are usually due to the untying of emotional knots in the body.
       o We may also notice heaviness or lightness in the extremities. This is usually due to a deep level of spiritual attentiveness.
       o In either case, we pay no attention, or we allow the mind to rest briefly in the sensation, and then return to the sacred word.
• Lectio Divina provides the conceptual background for the development of Centering Prayer.
• A support group praying and sharing together oncee a week helps maintain one's commitment to the prayer.
Extending the Effects of Centering Prayer into Daily Life

       1. Practice 2 periods of Centering Prayer daily.
       2. Read Scriptures regularly and study Open Mind, Open Heart.

Points for Further Development:

During the prayer period various kinds of thoughts may be distinguished
       • Ordinary wanderings of the imagination or memory
       • Thoughts that give rise to attractions or aversions
       • Insights and psychological breakthroughs
       • Self-reflections such as, "How am I doing?" or, "This peace is just great!"
       • Thoughts that arise from the unloading of the unconscious

During this prayer, we avoid analyzing our experience, harboring expectations or aiming at some specific goal such as:
       • Repeating the sacred word continuously
       • Having no thoughts.
       • Making the mind a blank.
       • Feeling peaceful or consoled.
       • Achieving a spiritual experience.

What Centering Prayer is not:
       • It is not a technique.
       • It is not a relaxation exercise.
       • It is not a form of self-hypnosis.
       • It is not a charismatic gift.
       • It is not a para-psychological phenomenon.
       • It is not limited to the "felt" presence of God.
       • It is not discursive meditation or affective prayer.

Keep the Faith & Pray!

Each and everyone one of us are going through tough times right now,  but God is getting ready to bless you in a way that only He can.

Keep the faith.

This prayer is powerful, and Prayer is one of the best gifts we receive. There is no cost but a lot of rewards.

Let's continue to pray,

For one another.

The prayer:

Father,

I ask You to bless

my friends, relatives and those for whom I care deeply, who are reading this right now...

Show them a new revelation of

Your Love and Power.

God, I ask You to minister to them

At this very moment....

Where there is pain,

Give them Your peace & mercy.

Where there is self-doubt,

Release a renewed confidence

Through your grace.

Where there is need,

I ask you to fulfill their needs.

Bless their homes, families, finances,

Their goings and their comings.

In Jesus' Precious name. Amen.

If the Lord lays it upon your Heart to copy this & send it to someone, Please include my blog address.

Thank You & God Bless You!

Inner Detachment

If God is to enter into you, then human or animal nature must go out of you. Where this nature ends, God begins.

God does not desire more of you than that you should go out from yourself, insofar as you are burdened with your nature, and let God be God in you. The slightest image you have of yourself is as big as God; it holds you away from your whole God. To the extent that such an image enters you, God must yield, and to the extent that this image goes out, God enters in.

Self-love is the root and cause of all evil; it snatches away all that is good and all that is perfect. Therefore if the soul is to know God, it must also forget itself and lose itself. For as long as it sees itself, it will not see and perceive God. But when it loses itself for God's sake and leaves all things, then it finds itself again in God because God dawns for it - and only then does the soul perceive itself and all things, after having detached itself utterly from them, in God.

Anyone who lets go of things in their trivial, incidental being will possess them in their pure, eternal essence. Whoever has let go of them in their lower being, in which they are perishable, will receive them again in God, in whom they truly are.

See, your heart at times feels strangely aroused and averted from the world: this comes from the grace that lifts up the soul, for if the soul is to become godly, it must be raised up above itself.

It is an unmistakable sign of the light of grace when someone turns of his free will away from the transitory toward the highest good - God.
Such a soul should not seek outside, for in the school of the heart the Holy Spirit teaches the soul the things that pertain to its blessedness. The soul holds itself in readiness to receive the gift, which God usually bestows on his very dearest friends. This soul tries to do all its works as perfectly as possible in accordance with God's dearly beloved will and strives always to have a clear conscience; it does this by having a disdain for worldly doings and a love for suffering, so that grace may increase in it and the evil desire of the flesh may decrease.

And in order that the soul may be aware that it is a child of grace of the heavenly Father, it accepts with the same courage all things from God, whether good or bad.

Nothing makes a true man but the giving up of his will. The only perfect and true will comes from entering into God's will and being without self-will. For the whole perfection of man's will means being in harmony with the divine will by willing what God wills, and the way he wills it.

At the time when the angel appeared to our dear Mary, nothing that she had done would ever have made her the mother of God; but as soon as she gave up her will, at that same hour she became mother of the Eternal Word and conceived God in that hour.

Never has God given himself nor will he ever give himself to an alien will. Only where he finds his will does he impart himself and leave himself, with all that he is.

This is the true inner detachment: In it, the spirit stands immovable in the face of everything that befalls it, whether it is good or bad, honor or disgrace or calumny, just as a broad mountain stands immovable in the face of a little breeze.

The just hunger and thirst so very much for the will of God, and it pleases them so much, that they wish for nothing else and desire nothing different from what God decrees for them.

If God's will should please you in this way, you would feel just as if you were in heaven, regardless of what happens or does not happen to you. But those who desire something different from God's will get what they deserve: they are always in misery and trouble; people do them a great deal of violence and injury, and they suffer in every way.

We deafen God day and night with our words, "Lord, thy will be done." But then when God's will does happen, we are furious and don't like it a bit. When our will becomes God's will, that is certainly good; but how much better it would be if God's will were to become our will. But as it is now, when you are sick, of course you don't want to be well against God's will, but you wish that it were God's will for you to get well. And when things are going badly for you, you wish that it were God's will for you to get along easily! But when God's will becomes your will, then if you are ill - it will be in God's name! If your friend dies - it will be in God's name!

Anyone who by God's grace unites his will purely and completely with God's will has no need other than to say in his ardent longing: "Lord, show me what is thy dearest will and give me strength to do it!" And God will do this, as truly as he lives, and to such a one he will give in great abundance and all perfection.

There is nothing a man is able to offer God that is more pleasing to him than this kind of detachment. God cares less for our watching, fasting, or praying than for this detachment. God needs nothing more from us than a quiet heart.

Every creature must grow dark so that God, the Light, may grow bright. For "the Light shines in the darkness."

If you wish to find complete comfort and joy in God, then see to it that you are free of all creatures and all their consolations. Believe me, so long as they comfort you and please you, you will never find the true comfort. But when there is nothing that can comfort you other than God, then truly he will comfort you, and with him and in him everything that is sheer bliss.

For the soul on whom God has dawned, who perceives him to some extent, all creatures have become too small and altogether nothing.

I dare to say that such people are happy in these times; for everything that happens to them is what they want. They love God in everything, and because of that their joy is in everything and about everything, at all times in the same way.

This is man's perfection: to be detached from and stripped of everything created; to conduct oneself uniformly in everything and toward everything, to be neither broken by misfortune nor puffed up by good fortune; not to feel greater joy about this than about that - neither greater joy nor greater fear.

For the one who truly loves, everything apart from God, who is the true being, becomes a nothing - nothingness itself.

No one must imagine that it is impossible to attain this, for it is God who does it. Some may say they do not have it. To this I say that I am sorry. But if you do not desire it, I am still more sorry. If you cannot have it, then do have a longing for it! And if you cannot have the longing, then at least long to have the longing!

Because of this the prophet says, "I long, O Lord, to have a longing for thy righteousness."

That we may desire God in the sense that he may be born in us - may God help us to this!

Sin and Justification

God is "the end and the goal." This means that everything is good that relates to the goal or is in accord with the direction toward the goal.

Since the soul is of heaven - that is, of God, who is a heaven of the soul - and the body is of the earth, they are opposed to each other in every way. Truly the body is a prison of the soul.

We should not believe, however, that every evil inclination comes only from nature. It also comes from the evil of habitual sinning. We need not be overcome by our enemies, as people often suppose; for although they do set on fire the evil in us, they are not the cause of it. There is in man a hidden fire, and this the devil can certainly rake up and fan into flame - but we can resist him. God has given man a free will, which is not predetermined to go in one certain direction.

Inclination to sin is not sin; but the will to sin - that is sin. The inner pleasure in an evil thought - that is sin, and it generates death.

What is the essence of sin? Sin comes from turning away from blessedness and from what is morally good. The meaning of this turning away is that man turns away from the One -- that is, God -- into the "many", and in this way he himself is scattered and dissipated. "Their heart is divided; now they shall perish."

There are two sides to every sin. One is that it turns to goods that perish, such as are offered by world, flesh, and devil. And correspondingly, it turns away from the one unchangeable good. In this latter lies the core of sin and its formal definition.

Psychologically seen, every sin is sin because of the fact that it is pride and therefore transgresses God's command. Just as humility is the most genuine preparation for every grace, so arrogance is the direct opposite of grace and is therefore the root of all vice and, as it were, the shape it commonly takes.

Mortal sin, says Augustine, is a failure of nature, a dying of the soul, an unrest of the heart, a disease of the powers, a blinding of the intellect; mortal sin is misery for the emotions, death of all virtues, death of all good works, error of the spirit, fellowship with the devil, exclusion from Christianity, a hellish prison.

God created the soul, not so that it might be a part of his nature, but so that it might be a nature of godly nobility. If it were not of divine nobility, then for God to throw himself into a perishable creature would be much too base a thing.

That man alone is truly a noble man who is newly created, who is made from an unjust man into a just man in the Holy Spirit and reborn to God in real remorse.

There are three ways in which we should cleanse ourselves of sin: first, in our hearts, by remorse: "My beloved is to me a bundle of myrrh" - you must be sorry for all your sins; second, with our lips, through confession: "Confess your sins to one another, and you will be healed"; three, by our actions, in making amends: "Thou shalt travail in pain like a woman in childbirth."

I tell you that a man who is now a sinner can become a good man by nightfall. Man can come to new life even while he eats and drinks.

So strange as men's temperaments are, so strange are their ways of coming to God. God draws one man to himself through joy, another through pain and blows. Sometimes God works through the mediation of living beings, sometimes without them, sometimes through the word of a preacher - but he can also come into the heart without any mediator.

But no one can force the soul, nor does God himself wish to force a soul. God has given the soul the free disposal over itself, that is, he never wishes to do anything to it against its free will.

If God had to create a thousand heavens and earths, he would do this with his own strength and without help from any creature. But if he wishes to convert the sinner, he needs to have the sinner help him. He will not convert you without your cooperation.

Salvation is something no one can earn for himself. Grace in its purity does not come out of any previous merits of nature; not out of anything that nature is capable of; it is not based on works of righteousness, but rather - out of grace that is characteristic of God alone and matches his compassion.

A man should not be uneasy about whom God chooses or does not choose; he should regard all these things purely as a matter of God's honor and leave them to the divine almighty power, so that they are just as pleasing to him as they are to God. Then he can say, with Christ, "Father, thy will be done in all things, not my will!"

God's nature is like this: It does not seek anything outside of itself, but stays within itself. It is goodness when he imparts himself and shares himself with all living beings. It is the nature of goodness that it has to pour itself out, no matter where it is.

Thus our entire existence and life results from God imparting himself to us and giving himself completely to us.

And the benefit we have received calls for thanksgiving. What better thing can we have in our hearts, what better thing can we say, by mouth and deed and written word, than: Thanks be to God! "One cannot say anything shorter, hear anything more beneficial" (Augustine). Why? - Because thanksgiving is nothing other than a kind of blessing on the good, a joy in and about the good. And that is surely an extremely natural and wonderful thing, just like the blossom or fruit of a good action.

And yet we do not need to thank God for the fact that he loves us. For he must love; he cannot do other than love, whether he wants to or not; it is an essential part of his being, and therefore he gives his love, not as the result of having reflected about himself, but just the way the sun shines - that is the way he loves. But I must thank him for being so good that he cannot do otherwise than love; that he cannot let go of his goodness, and simply must love me; and I want to ask him to make me worthy to receive, and I want to praise him because his nature and essence is such that he must give.

There are four principal reasons why we should serve God. The first is the moral or ethical beauty of this service: "Beauty without stain is the work of his hands." The second is the gratification that is part of such service: "Bliss is in thy right hand." The third is usefulness: "Devoutness is useful in every way." Everything that is good is attributed to these three. Yet if service to God were not easy as well, it would be generally neglected; so the fourth thing for servants of God is that it is easy: "My yoke is easy and my burden is light."

"Good is learned by toil," says Seneca; "evil is learned even without a teacher." Nothing in fact is so sweet and easy as going to ruin - nothing so bitter as being ruined. And on the other hand, nothing causes so much pain as to become good - nothing causes so much happiness as to be good.

There are two reasons why men are right in fearing the Lord. First, because he is all-knowing, and so no guilt can be hidden from him, not only of transgression, but also of omission: "Everything lies bare and open to his eyes." Second, because he is the all-just, and so nothing goes unpunished by him: "Do not fear those who kill the body; rather fear him who is able to fling both body and soul into hell!" True fear, then, is the fear of losing God.

It is essential to have remorse for one's sins. There are two kinds of remorse. One is earthly or physical, the other divine and supernatural. Earthly repentance sinks down deeper and deeper into pain and puts the person in such misery that he is close to despair. The pain persists, and the remorse does not move forward and therefore remains fruitless. Divine remorse, however, is quite different. Just as soon as the person finds his sin displeasing, he immediately raises himself to God and begins eagerly turning away from all sin to a decisive will; he then forms a firm trust in God and gains great confidence. And from this comes an inner joy that uplifts the soul out of all pain and distress and strengthens it in God.

To have sinned is not a sin, provided we are sorry for it. Man should be unwilling to commit a sin for anything in time and eternity, neither a mortal sin nor a pardonable sin nor any sin whatsoever. But anyone who understands God's ways should always keep it in mind that God, the faithful, in his love took man out of a life of sin and brought him to a life in God, turning his enemy into a friend - and that means more than creating a new earth.

When a man really leaves his sins behind and turns away from them, then for God, the faithful, it is just as if the man had never fallen into sin, and he will not for a moment let him pay for all his sins.

And with that man God wishes to have all the close communion that he has ever had with creatures. If only he finds him ready now, he does not take into consideration what he was before.

Only go to Christ - he has fully atoned for all guilt! In him you may offer the worthy sacrifice to the heavenly Father for all your guilt.

Because of this, man with all his sins and crimes should place himself in the wounds of our Lord Jesus Christ and should consider himself unworthy and commend himself to the worthy Mother of our Lord and should offer himself up to the heavenly Father and his Son; the heavenly Father must love either both or neither.

The truly loving person loves God in everything and finds God in everything. He takes everything as willed by God, and God's will is sweet to the one who loves. His will is so very great; for he is in every single thing, in this as well as that, in the smallest as well as the biggest, in one as well as all, in bad as well as good, in adversity as well as pleasant things: "He has poured it out over all his works." True and perfect divine love can be tested by whether one has great hope and confidence in God. For there is no better measure by which to tell whether one has great love than that of great trust.

All those who have soared up to boundless trust in him - these he has not let go of again. He has done great things with them; of such people he knows well that this trust arises out of love.

The loving soul shall enjoy the freedom of casting all its heart's cares upon him. For it would be great mistrust on the part of a person who subjects himself to God if he were to be afraid of going to destruction, instead of trusting God, who is so overwhelmingly kind and generous that he is more ready to give than we are to receive.

God does not abandon his children, who even bear his image. Just as he does not forsake the flowers and other insensible creatures, which he nourishes with dew and clothes with color - even the fish in the sea and the animals in the woods and the birds in the air he does not forsake - so how could he leave his children, to whom he wants to give his everlasting joy, and even himself?

Faith

The place to which the soul with its faculties and senses is not able to penetrate - to that place faith carries it. If I am to be brought near to God, who is the central point of all being, equally distant and equally close to everything that is created, - if I am to be brought close to Him, then my natural understanding must be raised up above itself, by a light that is higher than it.

We believe those things that are unknown to our natural senses; of these things the good man has a certainty by virtue of his faith. The less you perceive and the more firmly you believe, the more your faith is worth and the more deserving it is of respect and praise. "By faith we live," and "Whoever wishes to approach must believe."

He who loves God denies himself and lets go of the whole world. It is therefore entirely fitting that man is presented with the mystery, incomprehensible as it is, so that he may thereby learn to deny himself and to believe God with his whole soul and to give himself completely to God and not to anything else. For it is love that "believes all."

The reason we do not find God is that we can't get past parables or comparisons; for we are seeking Him who has no comparisons.

Bondage and Freedom

Here is the perfect man: senses are thoroughly subjected to the spirit; fear is transformed into love, and all unrest in the soul is laid to rest. If he were at liberty to do evil, he would have no pleasure in it and would not be able to sin. This is why it is written: "Live always in my presence and be perfect."

So if you want to know whether what you do, either inwardly or outwardly, is from God or not, and whether it is God who does it in you, then take notice of whether God is the goal of your thinking; if so, then your actions are good.

--> IS GOD THE GOAL OF YOUR THINKING? <--

The soul does not rest until it destroys everything that is not God and finds divine freedom.

That person is free who clings to nothing and to whom, nothing clings. That soul is completely free, that has risen above everything that is not God, because this soul with its desire clings neither to created beings nor to itself.

In this life we can never be empty of every kind of fault. If a man were willing to accept this for God's sake - that is, to the extent that it is God's will that human nature has defects (this is true in particular as a consequence of the sin of the first man, but also even if that were not so) - and if he wished to submit to this for God's sake, then he would feel completely right about this in his mind, and he would surely be comforted in his distress.

Humility is man's way to God; compassion is God's way of going to meet humility.

It is true humility when a man is constantly aware of what he is by nature: a something created out of nothing, and he therefore does not ascribe or appropriate to himself whatever good God does in him, any more than he was able to when he did not yet exist. True humility therefore means subjecting oneself to God, and to him alone.

Now there are some people who say, "If I have God and God's love, I can do everything I want to." They do not understand the words rightly. As long as you demand something that is against God and against his command, then you do not have God's love. You may be deceiving the world; into thinking you have it. The man who lives in God's will and in God's light enjoys doing everything that is pleasing to God and not doing all the things that are against God.

Abhorrence of evil and separation from sin - this above all belongs to the spirit of sonship; and with that goes conquest of the passions, "to rule over them," in other words to subdue them or root them out.

Some good people speak as if what we must do is to become so perfect that no love of any kind can move us and that we cannot be touched by either good or bad! They are being unfair to themselves. I don't believe any saint is so great that he could not be moved. You think that because words can still move you to joy or sorrow, you are therefore imperfect? This is not so! Christ himself did not have that, this is shown by his lament: "My heart is ready to break with grief." Christ was so deeply hurt by words - and this even came from his innate nobility and from the holy union in him of divine and human nature - that if the pain of all creatures were to fall upon one creature, it would not be such a great pain as the pain Christ had.

For this reason I say: There never has been a saint - and this will remain true - who is not hurt by pain and comforted by joy.

Oh, these good people who want to go so far that the manifest presence of things simply ceases to exist for them! They won't manage it! I shall never come to a point where a hideous din is just as pleasant to my ears as sweet music of strings! One should, however, by all means attain to this: that an upright will that is formed by God should rid itself of all natural pleasure; and should wise caution detect an occasion when the will must be told to about-face, the will should say, "I will gladly do this."

The perfecting of virtue is not possible without a fight. It is easy to demonstrate and describe virtues; but truly to have them is very rare indeed.

Whether one has perfect virtue can be tested by whether one finds himself inclined toward the good above all else and whether he does the works of good without a special decision of the will and without holding up before himself a special purpose, a large moral goal. The habit of good comes about and is made to count through frequent repetition of individual deeds. Virtue thus comes into being more by itself and out of love for the good, without a why; and only in this way, not before, will one have perfect virtue.

Meantime one must grow and progress at all times, without ceasing - and one will never come to the end of that.

Never shall we be satisfied; with what we have attained, never must we stand still. In this life there is no standing still. Anyone who wants to overcome the devil and to do wonders without delusion must persevere in daily battle against every sin by which the devil might defeat us, and have patience in adversities.

Some people are not so much afflicted by weaknesses or failings, others more so. Through contact with the world of things, the outer man is stirred, possibly tempted to anger or to vanity or to sensuality, depending on the circumstances. This is very often a sheer weakness of nature; for instance, many a person is naturally disposed to be easily angered or to be arrogant, and so on, and yet he does not want to do the sin. Such a one then deserves much more praise and his reward is much greater and his virtue much nobler than in the other case.

Therefore let a man only direct his will to God in everything he does and have God alone before his eyes. Then he may go his way quietly and have no fears and no misgivings about whether he is on the right way or is doing anything wrong. If a person who wanted to walk a certain distance were to consider first how he should put his foot down, he would never arrive at the goal.

One should therefore simply follow the direction.

In this way one arrives there, and that is good.

From the booklet Meister Eckhart spricht (Munich, 1925).

This article and others may be found at www.bruderhof.com

Prayer for Inner Peace and Transformation...

Dear God, come with me into this day. Be with me where the dark things are. Take my hand through the valley of shadow; cast out fear and pride from my heart. Allow me to see that great hollow spot in me that has never been transformed into you. Take me to the “Lazarus gulf”; do not spare me from the terror of it. Only, please God, do not let go of me for I will fall into my fear and leave you.

Praise be to you, shining shield of love. Alleluia to you, great God of warmth whose strong hand in my own keeps taking me to places I’d rather not go. My trust is in you, divine companion. O maker of mine, O giver of my life, trudge with me down my path of death into the murky mud of my sin. Stay with me as I see how unlike you I am, and then, beautiful gift of goodness, turn my heart around to face you. Allow me to behold the radiance of your astounding, wonderful beauty. Then, my loving God, I will be home. --Amen

The Day I Made My First Promises!

Today, (3-19-06) is the day of our OCDS Retreat at San Pedro Center in Orlando, Florida. Father John Grennon (Florida's Provincial Delegate) was the Celebrant. He was awesome!

Here is our Community, As of 3-19-06

Back Row:

John Connor, OCDS - Librarian

Inge Whale, OCDS - Formation Director

Deacon Bill Whale - Spiritual Director

Dolores Smith, OCDS - Treasurer

Bob Ubbens, OCDS - Member

Front Row:

Christina Whale, OCDS - President

Mary Ann Fritz, OCDS - Member

Edith Bott, OCDS - Informarian

Patricia Chedid, OCDS - Member

God Bless You All...

John Connor, OCDS - Received

Inge Whale, OCDS - Professed

Dolores Smith, OCDS - Professed

Bob Ubbens, OCDS - Professed

Christina Whale, OCDS - Professed

Mary Ann Fritz, OCDS - Received

Edith Bott, OCDS - Received

Patricia Chedid, OCDS - Received

OCDS FORMATION INFORMATION

Officially can be found at: http://www.ocdswashprov.org/Formation/index.htm

Background of Formation Outline

At the beginning of his first term in office Fr. Phillip, in consultation with his OCDS Provincial Delegates, decided that the first priority was formation. To that end he decided that the first project of the OCDS Delegates would be to draw up, with the help of the members of the OCDS, a formation document which would provide the OCDS with guidance for their formation programs. What follows below is a more detailed account of how the Formation Outline was developed. It was approved by Fr. Phillip and his OCD Provincial Council on August 8, 2005 and published in the Clarion in the September-October 2005.

This Formation Outline is the result of a collaborative effort over the last three years throughout the Washington Province. Because of the size of the Province and the many OCDS communities within it, the Province was divided into four areas (New England, Mid-Atlantic, Mid-West and Florida) with an Advisory Council reporting to its Provincial Delegate.

Each Advisory Council wrote to all the OCDS communities within its boundary soliciting input for a Formation Outline. Communities sent their ideas and copies of what they were using to the Advisory Council. Each member of the council read all the material contributed and formed an Outline based on what was received. The members then met together in person to discuss the material and develop a single Formation Outline.

Each Advisory Council then sent its Outline to the other three Advisory Councils. The Advisory Councils then worked individually to produce a single Outline from the four submitted. At this point, there was very wide agreement among the four outlines. The final four Outlines were given to the Provincial Delegates who did some minor editing to get one uniform and consistent Outline to submit to the Provincial, Fr. Phillip Thomas.

Fr. Phillip and the OCD Provincial Council approved the Formation Outline August 8, 2005 and all OCDS communities were expected to begin implementing the guidelines at that time.

The OCDS Provincial Council will review and possibly amend the Formation Outline as they work on the Provincial Statutes, but until that time, all OCDS communities in the Washington Province are expected to continue implementing these guidelines. The Formation Program will be part of the Provincial Statues and will be sent to Rome for approval once they are completed.

Approved by Provincial Council

OCDS Formation Outline

I. Initial Inquiry

 Community should:

     1. Have a Vocation Brochure containing:

            a. Name of contact person
            b. Outline of Carmel Vocation
            c. Marian Character of the Order
            d. History of the Order
            e. Membership requirements
            f. Obligations of Members

                    i. Attendance at Community Meetings
                   ii. Half-Hour of Mental Prayer
                  iii. Divine Office
                  iv. Daily Mass (when possible)
                  v. Daily Devotion to Mary
                 vi. Participation in Apostolate of the Community

     2. Have a Personal Interview with the person

     3. Invite person to a restricted visit

II. Visitors (Guests)

     1. Required to attend several meetings (how many at discretion of Council)

     2. Review of requirements for membership (Already known from vocation brochure)

     3. Review of Obligation of an OCDS member (Already known from vocation brochure)

           a. Attendance at monthly meetings

           b. Half-hour of mental prayer

           c. Recitation of Divine Office

           d. Daily Mass when possible

           e. Daily Devotion to Mary

           f. Participation in Apostolate of the Community

III. Aspirancy

      (Preparing for reception of Scapular)

Goal: Preparing for reception of Scapular

Duration: A minimum of 12 months

     1. Requirements for entrance into Aspirancy:

            a. Letter of Intent (Why person feels called to Carmel)

            b. Proper OCDS form

            c. Current Baptismal certificate (within the last year)

    2. Course of Study

            a. History of the Order

            b. Overview of Carmelite Spirituality

            c. Nature of OCDS vocation

            d. Discussion of Discernment Process

            e. Rule of St. Albert

            f. Constitutions and Statutes

            g. Deepening of Teaching on:

                 i. Mental prayer

                 ii. Divine Office

                iii. Spiritual Reading (Scripture, Carmelite Authors, etc.)

            h. Ecclesial Dimension of the Teresian Carmel

IV. Temporary Promise

     (Preparation for Temporary Promise)

Goal: Deepening the life of prayer and preparation for making Temporary Promise

Duration: A minimum of 2 years. This period can be extend for one year (OCDS Stat #3a).

    1. Introduction to the Writings of St. Teresa

           a. Way of Perfection (Study Edition)

           b. Life

    2. Introduction to the Writings of St. John of the Cross

           a. Poetry

           b. Spiritual Canticle (St. 1-11)

    3. Prayer:

           a. Carmelite approach to prayer

           b. Methods of prayer:

                  i. Carmelite Method (Traditional Carmelite Method)

                  ii. Methods of other religious Orders, etc.

                iii.. Lectio Divina

    4. Additional study of:

          a. Rule of St. Albert

          b. Constitution and Statutes

    5. Theology of the Promise

          a. Evangelical Counsels

          b. Beatitudes

   6. Requirements to make Temporary Promise:

         a. Interview by Council

         b. Letter of Intent (Why the person wants to make Temporary Promise)

V. Final (Definitive) Promise

    (Preparation for Final (Definitive Promise))

Goal: Preparation for a life-time commitment to Carmel

Duration: A minimum of 3 years. This period can be extended for three years (Stat. #3b)

    1. Course of Studies:

           a. Works of St. Teresa:

                  i. Interior Castle

                 ii. Foundations

           b. Works of St. John of the Cross:

                 i. Spiritual Canticle

                ii. Living Flame

               iii. Ascent of Mt. Carmel

               iv. Dark Night

          c. Works of St. Therese:

                i. Story of a Soul

                ii. Last Conversations

          d. Other Carmelite Saints

    2. Prayer – Deeper study of prayer in the Works of Carmelite Saints

    3. Review of the Theology of the Promises
          a. Evangelical Counsels
          b. Beatitudes

4. Requirements to make Final (Definitive) Promise:

          a. Interview with Council
          b. Letter of Intent (Why the person wants to make Final (Definitive) Promise

VI. On-Going (Those who have made Final (Definitive) Promise/Vows)

Goal: To continue and deepen one’s Carmelite vocation

Duration: Throughout one’s life

 1. Course of Study (Carmelite spirituality in depth):

       a. Teaching of St. Teresa

       b. Teaching of St. John of the Cross
       c. Teaching of St. Therese
       d. Other Saints and Blessed of the Order
       e. History of the Order
       f. Christian Doctrine
       g. Scripture

Steps to Vocation

Step 1: Prayer

You ask. God responds. Then what do you say?

It sometimes happens that you pray and ask for an answer from God but seem to receive no response. This makes you wonder why: is it because it is too late to be asking the question? Is it because the path you already are on is the correct one? Is it a question of your motivation?

I don’t know the exact answer to this, but let me ask you and then do some imagining: what kind of an answer are you expecting to your prayers? How do you think the answer is going to come to you?

At times we expect our prayers to be answered in the form of some unmistakable visible sign (like someone who does a novena to discover his vocation, and tells God to send him someone to give him an answer. Then, as soon as he finishes it, a perfect stranger asks him if he is going to be a priest... ). It is not good to look for this type of sign, because by doing so we are setting out conditions for God to fulfill. That’s not the way it works.

God, of course can send us a sign like this if he wants. But we shouldn’t be counting on it, and much less stipulate it.

Other times we expect our prayers to be answered by an almost overwhelming interior illumination. We expect to be flooded with an absolute conviction in answer to our prayers, and no longer have any doubt whatsoever about the path to follow.

This is not good either. It is too subjective. It begs the question: couldn’t this be just my imagination, some sudden euphoria; how can I be sure it really is God’s answer?

So, how do we know what God is saying in answer to our prayers?

Remember what Jesus tells us, in essence: “your Father knows what you need even before you ask him for it. If he loves you, will he hold back anything that you need? You wouldn’t do that to someone you love, and he loves you much more.”

Jesus also tells us how to pray, “seek first the Kingdom of God, and then you will receive all else as well.”

The important thing in prayer is not so much to ask, but to change. Often when we pray to find our way in life we say, “Lord, tell me if it’s A or B.” Then we don’t seem to get a clear answer. Could be it really is C, or maybe even D. So to get our answer we have to change: not limit him to the choices we see, but to tell him we are willing to do anything he wants us to do. When we start praying we are usually looking for what is good for us (of course, for all the right motives, but we are still looking out for ourselves). The outcome of prayer is that we begin to look out for what is best for his Kingdom.

As you pray better, certain convictions will take root in your life. You will be more sensitive to the needs of the Church and to the unique gift God gave us by giving us life; you will grow in the sense of how little this life can compare to the next, and how short life really is. All of this will affect your attitude towards the way you are going to live yours, and the choices you make. You will see God’s hand and providence in your life more easily. You will have more of a ‘sense’ of what he wants you to do.

But it will never be absolutely clear. You will still need some prudent advice and direction from a spiritual director.

How to Get Started in Prayer

There are several good prayer books, but let me suggest this. Get a copy of a Daily Missal (for example, the ‘Vatican II Missal’ published by the Daughters of St Paul). Check the index to make sure it has a section called ‘A Treasury of Prayers’ or something similar, usually in the back. It will include prayers before and after Mass, morning and night prayers, popular devotions, prayers for special intentions, etc....

The reason for my suggestion is this: if you want to cultivate your prayer life, and especially if you think God might be calling you, you will want to go to Mass more frequently, and you will want to prepare and participate in the Mass more fully. The missal will help you do both.

On the days you cannot go to Mass you will be able to read the scripture readings from Mass on your own, and the missal I mentioned has short, helpful reflections for each day’s readings that I am sure you will find useful.

After you read through the Treasury of Prayers a few times you are going to have a few favorites that you like to pray every day. That is usually a good sign for your spiritual life.

Step 2: A Rule of Life

The ‘Rule of Life’ is a very practical way of getting your life organized according to your priorities. You could say that it is just a religious name for time management which also takes into account your spiritual growth, and I would not limit its usefulness only to vocational discernment - it is a great way to get a handle on your life.

The handiest way to do it is to take pen to paper. Take a notebook you will use just for this and stick a few tabs giving a dozen or so pages to a tab. Mark them: priorities, problems, goals, getting there.

Under "priorities," list what is really important to you (character traits, qualities to develop, things you are going to do everyday, the things you really want to do in each area of your life).

List also your problem areas. Your time wasters (Internet, phone, TV...), your weaknesses (such as inconstancy, impatience, vulnerable to peer-pressure, etc.), the things you are sorry you did yet keep on doing. This takes time, and it will help if you journal a little.

Once you have done the above you will need to state your goal. If you don’t have a purpose (it is amazing how many of us have only a vague goal in life) you need to think it over: What type of a person do you want to be? What do you want to get out of life?

Now you need to make a list of the concrete things you need to do in order to achieve these goals in your daily occupations. For example, if you want to overcome laziness you are going to have to go to bed and get up at regular times, you are going to have to make your bed each day... If you want to develop a prayer-life you have to set time apart each day for prayer and devotions. If you want to know your faith you will have to take certain classes, or read certain books... The great thing about writing it down is that it makes you be very clear and concrete.

Next you need to distribute your time, a daily routine, a weekly routine. Schedule in enough recreation.

I can only mention some general things here, but if you have someone who knows you that you trust that, talk these things over with him or her in order to make this more concrete.

In regards to your spiritual life look at the goals you have set for yourself (for example: steady life of grace, openness to what God wants, etc) and then the means (for example: more frequent confession, more personal discipline, more frequent Communion, etc.), and then see how you are going to fit each on in your day and week (when confession is available, time of day I can go to Mass, the prayer I need to do each day, etc.). Your friend can help you here to see you are not trying to do too much too soon, and that you are not doing too little too late, either.

Then look at your duties (studies, work, health, your obligations towards your parents, children, etc), your goals and needs and how you spread them out over your week.

Then look at what you want to do for others (teach catechism, coach younger kids, boy-scouts, altar-servers, minister to the sick, meals on wheels...).

As regards your vocation, I would recommend that you gather the information you need, set time aside for a retreat, plan on visiting the places you are interested in, take care of obstacles (work to clear up your debts, for example), look into the practical implications (when the entrance date is, the application process..). It is relatively simple to set deadlines on a calendar, and post it where you can see it.

It won’t work out perfect the first time, but as you try it you will get to know yourself better and will improve. Some people have more of a knack for organization than the rest of us. If you have a friend like that get his or her help.

One final, very practical point: once you make a rule of life don’t file it away. Stick it where you can check it at least once a day. I suggest somewhere not too visible because if it is always there you will end up not seeing it, it will no longer register even if it’s there in front of you. Try the back of the door of a closet. Set a time (usually good first thing in the morning) to check on what you have to do today, and then one (usually towards the night) to see how you did.

You can include that in a short daily examination of conscience.

Step 3: Get a Spiritual Director

How can you find a spiritual director? Usually it is a safe bet to look for a priest.

Usually you come across a good spiritual director by reference - either through the recommendation of someone you know, or you hear him preach, or you read something he wrote... and that moves you to ask him.

He has to be someone you already trust, and, in your case, who loves and understands people. Look for a priest whose preaching really reaches you (substance, but practical and helpful), or one who spends a lot of time hearing confessions, or a chaplain in a school who does a lot of spiritual work with the kids (preaching, teaching, retreats, confessions).

What you want is someone prudent and practical, balanced himself, and who has knowledge - although he doesn’t need to be a genius. It usually helps if he is energetic and generally tends to be optimistic, and not afraid of the truth.

At times we expect the spiritual director to do everything for us, do all the thinking and just tell us what we are to do. Normally he listens a lot more than he speaks to see what God is doing in your life, prodding you, making sure you are being honest, making you think and reflect, testing your conclusions. He will help you see the truth, but will not make your decisions for you.

Remember, the role of a spiritual director is not to tell you what to do ‘no questions’, but to help you discover what God is asking of you so that you can understand, accept and do it. You have to actively participate in the spiritual direction and contribute your ideas and reflections. He needs to know what you perceive in prayer, what your inclinations are, what you honestly believe God is asking of you and why. His role is to shed light on these things, test them to see if they are valid and if they have the signs of coming form God, and let you know why if they don’t. He is trying to help you understand and follow the ways of God.

Don’t forget as you do your search for a spiritual director that ‘your heavenly Father knows what you need even before you ask him.’ So pray with trust and confidence for the right person to help you.

Step 4: Sacrifice for Love

Asceticism is voluntary sacrifice. Anybody who is really in love does it - you love someone and you try to please him, you put that person first, it’s natural. At times you listen to that person’s type of music, and not your own; you put up with some of his weaknesses; you take care of him when he is in need... and all the time you know, and see, he does the same for you.

Your Christian, Catholic way of life and your vocation is a love story.

You try to show Christ you love him above all things, that you are grateful for all he has done for you, so you do things that someone who is not in love with Christ does not understand. You make time for him, you stick to your principles even though some of the other kids might laugh at you, you do good to others because he said whatever we do to others we do to him.

This is all quite clear. The problem arises when we understand by asceticism those huge, external penances that some of the great saints did (fasting, scourging, etc...). These penances are only of value when done out of love. We know that the Church is like a body, and the good that each one does benefits everyone else in the body. So these saints, and there are many today who still do the same, did these penances to make up for their own sins, and to help spiritually in the conversion of those who are still far from Christ.

With their penances they unite themselves to Christ on the Cross, and they intercede for sinners. We owe a lot of the graces we receive to those Catholics who pray and offer sacrifices for us.

Main Entry: as·cet·ic

Pronunciation: &-'se-tik, a-

Variant(s): also as·cet·i·cal /-ti-k&l/

Function: adjective

Etymology: Greek askEtikos, literally, laborious, from askEtEs one that exercises, hermit, from askein to work, exercise

Date: 1646

1 : practicing strict self-denial as a measure of personal and especially spiritual discipline

2 : austere in appearance, manner, or attitude

synonym see SEVERE

- ascetic noun

- as·cet·i·cal·ly /-ti-k(&-)lE/ adverb

- as·cet·i·cism /-'se-t&-"si-z&m/ noun

The first step in praying well is to realize to whom you are speaking – God who is your Father – and ask for what you need. In discernment, what you need is God’s light to discover his plans for your life. Ask him with the confidence a child has in his mother or father when he asks for something that is truly good for him. How many times did Our Lord tell the Apostles the basic step of asking in prayer for what they needed? Faith and asking in prayer for what we need are two threads woven throughout the Gospel.