Contemplation in the Spirit of Mary (Excerpt from my new book, Be Still and Listen)

Contemplation can be defined as progressively quieting the mind. Contemplatives can be counted on to listen because their minds aren’t full. Their minds aren’t preoccupied. They are not distracted by broken records that play in the background.

It’s hard to describe someone who’s at home with prayer. There’s a quality about such people, a quiet composure and dignity. Someone who’s at home in prayer knows three words: solidity, peace, and freedom. Prayer orders priorities. It connects us with the love of God so that we can reflect that love in a consistent and reliable way. To reflect that love does not require know-how. It requires letting go and getting out of the way so that Light can shine through.

Contemplatives are people like Mary, who prioritize their relationship with God, and who courageously back away from the relentless vacuum of deadening busyness. Mary put aside her “duties” and made Jesus the priority. Then Mary laid aside her thoughts and opened herself to Jesus’s presence and utterances (Luke 10:38-42).

 

Amazon is offering the kindle version of Be Still and Listen for $6.99.

Also by Amos Smith, Healing the Divide: Recovering Christianity’s Mystic Roots

Centering Prayer Course:  A Training Course for Opening to the Presence of God – Centering Prayer is a silent prayer practice that can move you toward a profound relationship with the Spirit of God within. It is a way of praying that opens the door to the Divine Indwelling—the ground of our being. With Centering Prayer, Father Thomas Keating and his colleagues Gail Fitzpatrick-Hopler and Father Carl Arico present the first online course in this method for deepening your intimacy with God and ultimately consenting to the presence and action of the Divine in all aspects of your life.

David Frenette’s book The Path of Centering Prayer re-energized the Centering Prayer tradition with its fresh insights and teachings. This companion audio program—created to be equally rewarding as a stand-alone guide—gives listeners an immersive resource to learn contemplative prayer, step by step and in the moment. With clarity and compassionate presence, Frenette explains the essential principles of this contemplative practice for both new and seasoned practitioners, and then guides us experientially through core prayers and meditations.

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