Centering Prayer in Daily Life and Ministry [Paperback]

Thomas, O.C.S.O. Keating (Author), Gustave Reininger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1997

This book, with its ecumenical group of contributors, celebrates Centering Prayer as a common ground for Christian unity. It marks the first time that people other than William Meninger, Basil Pennington, and Thomas Keating (the three Trappist monks who distilled Centering Prayer from the Christian contmeplative heritage) have written in depth on Centering Prayer, its benefits and effects in daily life and ministry. There are pieces by Thomas R. Ward, Jr., Gustave Reininger, Thomas Neenan, David Walton Miller, Paul Lawson, Sarah Butler, David Forbes Morgan, Sandra Casey-Martus, and Jim Clark.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book would be a good choice to introduce young Catholics or other Christians to the richness of the spiritual traditions in the Catholic journey."—Catholic Library World

About the Author

Father Thomas Keating is known throughout the world as an exponent, teacher, and writer on contemplative prayer. A Cistercian (Trappist) monk of St. Benedict's Monastery, Snowmass, Colorado, he is a founder of the Centering Prayer Movement and of Contemplative Outreach. He is the author of numerous books, particularly of the trilogy Open Mind, Open Heart; Invitation to Love; and The Mystery of Christ. Among his most recent books is The Daily Reader for Contemplative Living, compiled by S. Stephanie Iachetta. Gustave Reininger is a founder and for many years a trustee of Contemplative Outreach, an ecumenical network that teachers Centering Prayer in churches, schools, and places of work.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Continuum (May 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826410413
• ISBN-13: 978-0826410412
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #792,552 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

147 of 147 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A helpful, multi-faceted resource on Centering Prayer., July 7, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Centering Prayer in Daily Life and Ministry (Paperback)

Many of the articles in this text were published originally in the Christmas 1996 issue of the Sewanee Theological Review. If anyone asked me about Centering Prayer I always suggested they obtain a copy of this journal -- a popular issue which has long since sold out. I was very dismayed that these rich and helpful articles wouldn't be widely accessible for new practitioners of Centering Prayer. I was thrilled when I learned (from a visit to the Amazon.Com website) that these resources were now available in book form together with a few exceptional additions. This book is an ecumenical venture and is a wonderful starting place for a person who is interested in embarking on this form of prayer and spirituality. This book is simply a MUST for anyone who practices Centering Prayer or wants to learn more. The essays in this volume explore the different dimensions of Centering Prayer: historical, anecdotal, sacramental, practical (how to pray) and place this prayer form in the context of Community and Ministry. If you buy any book on Centering Prayer, this volume should be at the top of your list.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Helpful book on prayer, July 7, 2008

By 

Nathan W. Attwood (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Centering Prayer in Daily Life and Ministry (Paperback)

Centering Prayer in Daily Life and Ministry is a collection of short essays on aspects and practices related to Centering Prayer, a way of Christian praying and being developed by Trappist monks. Centering Prayer seeks to focus the "attention and intention" of the person praying, gradually training the pray-er to be fully present to God and fully aware of every motivation for actions. The practice itself is simple--engaging in a time of silence focused upon a word (e.g., Jesus, peace, Holy Spirit, holy, etc.) while gently directing straying thoughts back to the word and the awareness of God's presence. Centering Prayer is designed to be practiced for about 20 minutes twice a day. Other books were published long ago that focus on the fundamental practice of Centering Prayer.
This book offers reflections by a diverse group of practitioners of Centering Prayer on important subjects related to the practice. Centering Prayer was designed as a distillation of the ancient contemplative tradition, and one essay explores the ways in which Centering Prayer draws on the contemplatives. Lectio divina is a way of reading scripture in God's presence, slowly, listening to God's voice in the text. Walking the Labyrinth has become an important meditative prayer practice to many people in recent years. There are articles in the collection related to the connection of Centering Prayer to these and other practices.
Several articles also deal with the relation of Centering Prayer to ministerial practice. These include articles on Centering Prayer and Pastoral Care, Systems Theory, and Priestly Spiritual Formation.
As a newcomer to Centering Prayer, I had to read the brief description of Centering Prayer in the appendix first to have a good feel of what the authors were describing. The book is clearly a newer development in existing conversation with established vocabulary. It did not take much effort for a new comer to join the conversation and get up to speed, though. I do plan to read some of the older literature on Centering Prayer later and reread this book afterwards.
The book does a tremendous job of communicating the feel of the practice, and defines as much what Centering Prayer is not as it describes what it is. This is important, because this is a practice that makes disciples who are different in all of their being and doing. It is not a spiritualized meditative technique for stress relief. I suppose the best recommendation I can give for the book is that I intend to begin the practice immediately and see how it helps me grow as a disciple. The book let me feel that the practice is in exhaustible yet completely accessible.