We are kept from the experience of Spirit because our inner world is cluttered with past traumas . . . As we begin to clear away this clutter, the energy of divine light and love begins to flow through our being.
Thomas KeatingRead
One of the values of centering prayer is that you are not thinking about God during the time of centering prayer so you are giving God a chance to manifest. In centering prayer there are moments of peace that give the psyche a chance to realize that God may not be so bad after all. God has a chance to be himself for a change.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Centering prayer allows individuals to quiet their thoughts, creating space for a deeper connection with God.
In this quote, Thomas Keating emphasizes the importance of centering prayer as a practice that transcends active thinking about God. By entering a state of peaceful quietude, practitioners open themselves up to experiencing God's presence authentically, rather than through their mental constructs. This practice can lead to profound realizations about the nature of God and one's relationship with the divine.
Themes
Centering PrayerPeaceSpiritualityGodMeditation
In practice
Example use cases
During a spiritual retreat, I shared a reflection on centering prayer, using this quote to illustrate the power of silence in connecting with God.
More from Thomas Keating
All quotes →The acceptance of all that God has given us and the willingness to let it go - to give it back to him at a moment's notice - that's true human freedom.
Thomas KeatingRead
We rarely think of the air we breathe, yet it is in us and around us all the time. In similar fashion, the presence of God penetrates us, is all around us, is always embracing us.
Thomas KeatingRead
Only when we can accept God as he is can we give up the desire for spiritual experiences that we can feel.
Thomas KeatingRead
For human beings, the most daunting challenge is to become fully human. For to become fully human is to become fully divine.
Thomas KeatingRead
To become who we are as creatures made in the image and likeness of God, we have to be nothing and everything at once, since this is what God is. ... If we accept who we are, we are manifesting God and radiating Christ. The latter unfolding of the divine life within us does not need to go anywhere _x000D_ or do anything special.
Thomas KeatingRead
Similar quotes
I believe that the greatest form of prayer is praise to God.
Billy GrahamRead
The time you spend with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the best time you will spend on earth. Each moment that you spend with Jesus will deepen your union with Him and make your soul everlastingly more glorious and beautiful in Heaven, and will help bring about everlasting peace on earth
Mother TeresaRead
When you forget that you need Allah, He puts you in a situation that causes you to call upon him. And that's for your own good.
Omar SuleimanRead
Do not have as your motive the desire to be known as a praying man. Get an inner chamber in which to pray where no one knows you are praying, shut the door, and talk to God in secret.
Oswald ChambersRead
The Eucharist is essential for us: it is Christ who wishes to enter our lives and fill us with his grace.
Pope FrancisRead
There is no joy in the soul that has forgotten what God prizes.
Oswald ChambersRead