Recommended Reading
Open Mind, Open Heart by Thomas Keating
​A deep and thorough overview of the Christian contemplative tradition, a process of interior transformation, a conversation initiated by God and leading, if we consent, to divine union. Herein a restructuring of consciousness takes place which empowers one to perceive, relate and respond to everyday life with increasing sensitivity to the divine presence in, through, and beyond everything that happens. Fr. Thomas gives step-by-step guidance in the method of Centering Prayer, a movement of divine love designed to renew the Christian contemplative tradition.
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Intimacy with God by Thomas Keating
Transformation through Contemplation–a deeper understanding of the Spiritual Journey. An in-depth look at the origins, theology and method of Centering Prayer as prayer and method to divine transformation. Fr. Thomas puts forth his teaching on what might be the deepening experience of Centering Prayer and a contemplative vision for our times.
Invitation to Love by Thomas Keating
The practice of Centering Prayer, which Father Keating presented in Open Mind, Open Heart, is the beginning of a process of spiritual growth. This twentieth anniversary edition of Invitation to Love outlines and explains the actual stages of this process, providing a road map for the journey that begins when Centering Prayer is seriously undertaken. Pointing to some of the recognizable landmarks on this journey, Father Keating addresses common questions regarding contemplative practice:
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How will it affect my life?
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Where does it lead us spiritually?
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What obstacles will I encounter along the way?
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How does it work?
Invitation to Love illustrates how regular contemplative practice can initiate a healing process that might be called ‘the divine therapy’. This practical book shows how the gift of contemplation is en essential tool for confronting the heart of the Christian discipline and establishing the climate and necessary dispositions for a deepening relationship with God, leading, if we persevere, to divine union.
Contemplation And Community: a Gathering of Fresh Voices For a Living Tradition Jessica M. Smith and Stuart Higginbotham, Editors
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All around the world a resurgence of Christian contemplative living is creating a new framework for spirituality inside and outside of formal religion. Exploring a multitude of themes, this book introduces the new voices who reflect globally on the gifts, challenges, differences and commonalities of Christian contemplation today for communities and people of faith.
The Heart of a Calling: The Practice of Christian Mindfulness in Congregational Ministry
The challenges faced by the church today call us to be more aware of the real presence of God in our lives–and to risk trusting the Spirit who leads us into God’s dream. Stuart Higginbotham , contemplative and pastor, offers a lively account of the explorative journey he and his congregation dared to go on in search of a communal life more deeply rooted in prayer, meditation and life-giving fellowship.
In this classic text, Thomas Merton offers valuable guidance for prayer. He brings together a wealth of meditative and mystical influences–from John of the Cross to Eastern desert monasticism–to create a spiritual path for today. Most important, he shows how the peace contacted through meditation should not be sought in order to evade the problems of contemporary life, but can instead be directed back out into the world to affect positive change.
Contemplative Prayer is one of the most well-known works of spirituality of the last one hundred years, and it is a must-read for all seeking to live a life of purpose in today’s world.
In a moving and profound introduction, Thich Nhat Hanh offers his personal recollections of Merton and compares the contemplative traditions of East and West.
Brother Lawrence was a man of humble beginnings who discovered the greatest secret of living in the kingdom of God here on earth. It is the art of “practicing the presence of God in one single act that does not end.” He often stated that it is God who paints Himself in the depths of our souls. We must merely open our hearts to receive Him and His loving presence.
As a humble cook, Brother Lawrence learned an important lesson through each daily chore: The time he spent in communion with the Lord should be the same, whether he was bustling around in the kitchen—with several people asking questions at the same time—or on his knees in prayer. He learned to cultivate the deep presence of God so thoroughly in his own heart that he was able to joyfully exclaim, “I am doing now what I will do for all eternity. I am blessing God, praising Him, adoring Him, and loving Him with all my heart.”
This unparalleled classic has given both blessing and instruction to those who can be content with nothing less than knowing God in all His majesty and feeling His loving presence throughout each simple day.