Freedom, Suffering, and Divine Humility

Fr. Thomas Keating was a founding member and the spiritual guide of Contemplative Outreach, LTD. He served on Contemplative Outreach's Board of Trustees since the organization's beginning. Fr. Keating was one of the principal architects and teachers of the Christian contemplative prayer movement. Fr. Keating's interest in contemplative prayer began during his freshman year at Yale University in 1940 when he became aware of the Church's history and of the writings of Christian mystics. Prompted by these studies and time spent in prayer and meditation, he experienced a profound realization that, on a spiritual level, the Scriptures call people to a personal relationship with God. Fr. Keating took this call to heart. He transferred to Fordham University in New York and, while waiting to be drafted for service in World War II, he received a deferment to enter seminary. Shortly after graduating from an accelerated program at Fordham, Fr. Keating entered an austere monastic community of the Trappist Order in Valley Falls, Rhode Island in January of 1944, at the age of 20. He was ordained a priest in June of 1949. In March of 1950 the monastery in Valley Falls burned down and, as a result, the community moved to Spencer, Massachusetts. Shortly after the move, Fr. Keating became ill with a lung condition and was put into isolation in the city hospital of Worcester, Massachusetts for nine weeks. After returning to the monastery, he stayed in the infirmary for two years. Fr. Keating was sent to Snowmass, Colorado in April of 1958 to help start a new monastic community called St. Benedict's. He remained in Snowmass until 1961, when he was elected abbot of St. Joseph's in Spencer, prompting his move back to Massachusetts. He served as abbot of St. Joseph's for twenty years until he retired in 1981 and returned to Snowmass, where he resided until his death on October 25, 2018. During Fr. Keating's term as abbot at St. Joseph's and in response to the reforms of Vatican II, he invited teachers from the East to the monastery. As a result of this exposure to Eastern spiritual traditions, Fr. Keating and several of the monks at St. Joseph's were led to develop the modern form of Christian contemplative prayer called Centering Prayer. Fr. Keating was a central figure in the initiation of the Centering Prayer movement. He offered Centering Prayer workshops and retreats to clergy and laypeople and authored articles and books on the method and fruits of Centering Prayer. In 1983, he presented a two-week intensive Centering Prayer retreat at the Lama Foundation in San Cristabol, New Mexico, which proved to be a watershed event. Many of the people prominent in the Centering Prayer movement today attended this retreat. Contemplative Outreach was created in 1984 to support the growing spiritual network of Centering Prayer practitioners. Fr. Keating became the community's president in 1985, a position he held until 1999. Fr. Keating was an internationally renowned theologian and an accomplished author. He traveled the world to speak with laypeople and communities about contemplative Christian practices and the psychology of the spiritual journey, which is the subject of his Spiritual Journey video and DVD series. Since the reforms of Vatican II, Fr. Keating was a core participant in and supporter of interreligious dialogue. He helped found the Snowmass Interreligious Conference, which had its first meeting in the fall of 1983 and continues to meet each spring. Fr. Keating also was a president of the Temple of Understanding and of the Monastic Interreligious Dialogue. Perhaps the biggest testament to Fr. Keating's dedication to reviving Christian contemplative practices was his choice to live a busy, public life instead of the quiet, monastic life for which he entered the monastery. Fr. Keating's life was lived in the service of sharing with others the gifts God gave him. A transcript of this interview forms the first chapter of Fr. Keating's latest book: Reflections on the Unknowable Publications: Open Mind, Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel Manifesting God Intimacy with God: An Introduction to Centering Prayer Invitation to Love: The Way of Christian Contemplation The Human Condition: Contemplation and Transformation (Wit Lectures-Harvard Divinity School) The Mystery of Christ: The Liturgy as Spiritual Experience Awakenings Reawakenings The Kingdom of God Is Like . . . Crisis of Faith, Crisis of Love (Vol 1) Fruits and Gifts of the Spirit The Better Part: Stages of Contemplative Living St. Therese of Lisieux: A Transformation in Christ Transformation of Suffering (P) The Heart of the World: An Introduction to Contemplative Christianity And the Word Was Made Flesh Finding Grace at the Center Spirituality, Contemplation, and Transformation: Writings on Centering Prayer Daily Reader for Contemplative Living: Excerpts from the Works of Father Thomas Keating, O.C.S.O., Sacred Scripture, and Other Spiritual Writings Journey to the Center: A Lenten Passage Active Meditations for Contemplative Prayer Interview recorded 1/19/2013 Interview summary and transcript YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Defining God 00:04:23 - The Incredible Creativity of God in Science 00:08:03 - God's Manifestation in Humanity 00:11:46 - The Illusions of Control, Pleasure, and Security 00:15:20 - The Mystery of God's Interrelatedness with Humanity 00:19:15 - Loss of Wholeness and Manifestation 00:22:06 - God's Playful Attitude 00:25:29 - The Playful Side of God 00:28:58 - The Emergence of a New Level of Consciousness 00:33:00 - The Self Manifestation of God 00:37:30 - The Cosmic Database 00:40:35 - Discussing Basic Life Issues 00:44:22 - The False Self and Afflictive Emotions 00:47:35 - The Unity of the Human Family 00:51:41 - The Potential for Unity with God and a Top-Down Solution 00:55:07 - Becoming More Human through Centering Prayer 00:58:05 - The Sacred Word in Centering Prayer 01:00:25 - Letting Go of Thoughts 01:03:32 - The Importance of Meditation Practice 01:06:22 - Settling into a Deeply Restful State 01:09:38 - The Power of Prayer's Healing Effects 01:13:09 - The Process of Centering Prayer and Contemplation 01:16:29 - The Divine Games and Transformations 01:19:50 - The Roadmap of Spiritual Progress 01:23:28 - The Spiritual Journey and Union with God 01:27:51 - The Incarnation of God in All of Us 01:31:55 - Dimensions Beyond the Ego 01:35:18 - Discovering our Oneness with God 01:39:02 - The False Self and Hell 01:42:40 - The Role of Freedom and Gratitude 01:46:18 - God's Transformative Power