Contemplative Prayer
| “Longing for God is the most important factor of this prayer, because only on the basis of this inner urge to surrender to God is there hope for progress on this path.” |
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“I pray we could come to this darkness so far above light! If only we lacked sight and knowledge so as to see, so as to know…that which lies beyond all vision and knowledge. For this would be really to see and to know: to praise the Transcendent One in a transcending way…” |
| ~ Sr. Ludwigis Fabian, O.S.B. | ~ Pseudo-Dionysius |
Contemplative prayer is prayer without words. One removes conscious thought from the mind and simply exists in the presence of the Holy Spirit who lives in all baptized persons. By stilling the ego, the Holy Spirit prays within us. We ask God for nothing but His presence.
You are invited to join our Contemplative Prayer Group. We meet on Monday evenings at 7:30 pm. The suggested offering is $3.00 per evening.
| Format for each evening: |
| 7:30 | | Contemplative walking |
| 7:35 | Contemplative sitting |
| 8:10 | Refreshments |
| 8:15 | Videotape |
For additional information, please contact (520) 325-6401 or email the .
Download the Contemplative Prayer Group Newsletter as a PDF document (requires Adobe Reader Version 6 or greater).
Contemplative Prayer Schedule - Fall 2008
The Practice of Contemplative Prayer using videotapes by Fr. Richard Rohr and James Findley.
Download the Fall 2008 Flyer as a PDF document (requires Adobe Reader Version 6 or greater).
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| Introduction to Centering Prayer Mini Workshop |
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Sep 8 |
| Introduction to Centering Prayer Mini Workshop |
Fr. Richard Rohr & James Finley
Jesus and Buddha: Paths to Awakening |
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Sep 15 | | Practicing Awareness - Rohr |
| Sep 22 | Spiritual Awakening - Rohr |
| Sep 29 | Buddhism 101 : Part I - Finley |
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| Oct 6 | Buddhism 101 : Part II - Finley |
| Oct 13 | Jesus and Buddha & the Yahweh Prayer - Rohr |
| Oct 20 | A Deep Look at the First Two Noble Truths : Part I - Finley |
| Oct 27 | A Deep Look at the First Two Noble Truths : Part II - Finley |
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| Nov 3 | Dr. David Bishop, Philosophy & Religious Studies - Pima College |
| Nov 10 | The Ten Cords of Bondage : Part I - Rohr |
| Nov 17 | The Ten Cords of Bondage : Part II - Rohr |
| Nov 24 | The Eight Fold Path : Part I - Finley |
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| Dec 1 | The Eight Fold Path : Part II - Finley |
| Dec 8 | The Mind of Christ - Rohr |
| Dec 15 | Centering Prayer Intensive |
Christmas Break
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“Jesus and Buddha” - In January 2008 James Finley and Fr. Richard Rohr gave a conference in Albuquerque on “Jesus and Buddha: Paths to Awakening.” The Four Noble Truths are the distilled essence of Buddhist teaching. In these talks, each is introduced and explored, with emphasis given to the presence of these truths at the heart of Jesus’ call to awaken to God’s presence in every detail of our lives.
EXAMPLES
Jesus:
Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. From anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again.
Buddha:
Hatreds do not ever cease in this world by hating, but by love; this is an eternal truth… Overcome anger by love, overcome evil by good. Overcome the miser by giving, overcome the liar by truth.
CENTERING PRAYER INTENSIVE
We will have one Centering Prayer Intensive this fall. On this evening, we will have 2 periods of sitting and no video. Participants may do both sits or only one.
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Contemplatio (a computer program)
Contemplatio is a simple timer for PC computers running the Windows Operating System.
For users who do not own a PC, Contemplatio is now available as a web application at ‘http://tenthousandhours.homebrustudios.net/’
Contemplatio is intended to enable the user to time their contemplation / meditation sessions. It features the sound of a volume controllable chime bowl to denote the beginning and the end of the contemplation / meditation session. The list of features also includes: an adjustable 'pre-start' delay to allow the user enough time to start up the program then move to a comfortable contemplation seat without rushing, an 'inter-chime' delay (i.e. the time interval between successive chimes), adjustable meditation time from 2 to 100 minutes and a chime audition feature to allow the user to set their volume control to a comfortable level.
A help file is included to guide the user in the program's operation.
To install the program:
- Download the Contemplatio.zip file (539Kb).
- Extract the contents of the file to the directory of your choice.
- Navigate to the location where you extracted the contents of the Contemplatio.zip file.
- Run the program by clicking or double-clicking, as required, on the Contemplatio.exe file.
For help with the program, open the Contemplatio Help.chm file. If you need help beyond what is in the Help file, contact information for the programmer has been included within the Help file.
Windows XP includes a mechanism to open and extract from 'zipped' files. If you are using an earlier version of a Windows Operating System (e.g. Windows 98, Windows 2000, etc.), you will need to install WinZip, 7-Zip or some other .zip compatible decompression program. Both WinZip and 7-Zip can be found on the internet (7-zip is free).
As a minor bonus, a JPEG file containing the artwork for a CD Jewel Case has been included (reduce the artwork to an appropriate size first!)
Screenshot of Contemplatio
The Contemplatio program is not to be sold or distributed for profit. It may, however, be freely distributed without recompense.
