Spirit Journal - December 2015 -

Preview

The December issue includes a Christmas message from Phil Jackson, information about a weekend retreat you may want to participate in this February, a first-hand description of what it’s like to spend a week at a Wisdom School, information about the Portiuncula Center for Prayer, and insights from Peter Matthiessen, St. Paul, the Dalai Lama, and St. John.

Please help us make Spirit Journal a more valuable and interesting forum in 2016. Use the e-mail address at the end to send your ideas, contributions and feedback.

Christmas, Centering Prayer, Change, and Continuity

Dear Centering Prayer Community –

At this most mystical time of year, may you enjoy the fruits of our prayer. May the quiet calm that Centering Prayer offers, and its focus on the ultimate reality, be your way to joy.

It’s been such a pleasure to see and talk with so many of you this year, and to see the transformation, both individually and in groups, that Centering Prayer provides through the efforts of the Holy Spirit.

Thank you for your presence, which has been such an inspiration and blessing to me and the other members of our Chicago Circle of Service. It’s not a cliché when I say how fulfilling it has been to serve as your coordinator these last five years. I’ve truly been inspired by the tangible presence of the Spirit in humanity, as felt through the Chicago Contemplative community.

As you may know, on March 5, we will be discerning new leadership for the Chicago Chapter of Contemplative Outreach, with the new coordinator to take over in the fall, a process of selection in which we hope you will participate. As Gail Fitzpatrick-Hopler says: “None of us have it all together, but together we have it all.”

So, rest in the remainder of Advent, keeping in mind all of its meaning through Epiphany. And most of all, keep on praying, it can be THE answer.

– Phil Jackson, Chicago Chapter Coordinator, Contemplative Outreach

Time to Register: 2016 Winter Weekend Retreat

Understanding and Navigating the Dark Night: February 5-7 at the Portiuncula Center

While we all have much to do during the holiday season, now is the best time to register for Contemplative Outreach of Chicago’s 2016 Winter Weekend Retreat! Lodging at “the Port” is limited, so please take a few moments to register today and assure your accommodations.

More information and registration.

This year’s retreat will explore St. John of the Cross’ concepts of the Dark Night of the Senses and the Dark Night of the Spirit — together these have come to be known as The Dark Night of the Soul. It is primarily a silent communal retreat, punctuated with several conferences, and offering time for optional sharing.

Conference sessions will be clear and simple presentations of St. John’s thinking, with handouts and reflection questions to ponder between sessions. It is not assumed that participants will know anything about St. John or have read anything by him before attending. It is hoped that the retreat will inspire you to go out and explore (or re-explore) his writings with a good foundation to do so.

The retreat will be led by the Rev. Dr. Shawn Kafader at the Portiuncula Center in St. Francis Woods, Frankfort, Illinois.

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A Week at the Wisdom School

by Al Krema

Last month, I was blessed to spend a week in an introductory Wisdom School led by Cynthia Bourgeault. Cynthia is a long-time collaborator with Thomas Keating and her book, “Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening,” is one of the cornerstones of the method of centering prayer. For years, Cynthia has been teaching Wisdom Schools as a means of deepening the awakening of the heart, which is at the core of the Contemplative Outreach mission.

So, what is a “Wisdom School”?

This method of teaching is based on awareness of the presence and action of the Holy Spirit throughout our daily life activities. It teaches us to bracket our day with centering prayer meditation, enveloping the activities of the day with inner awareness of the divine presence and action within us. Wisdom brings ways to enhance awareness of divine presence as we go along our daily path. One of the pillars of Wisdom School is to articulate a rhythm of daily living, taken from one of the oldest traditions in Christianity, the Benedictine rule for monastic life.

The Benedictine rule provides a template for a rhythm of daily life, which follows the ebb and flow of our activities, our prayer, and our relationships. This is symbolized by the cross, which divides our day into four quadrants: praying and working, alone and in community. The center of the cross symbolizes our personal center as well as the center of our day, which is the intersection of the divine and the human in everything we do. In all our activities, we are invited to awaken to the creative connection of infinite and finite, matter and spirit.

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The activities of the day are performed in a manner to elicit awareness and presence. The Wisdom School is not a silent retreat exclusively, but we follow the Great Silence from the final prayer of the evening into the next morning’s meditation and through breakfast. This reduces chatter and “comparing notes” from the day, which tend to allow the thinking mind to dominate. Throughout the rest of the day, we are led to be aware with our entire being as we learn, work, and relate to each other.

Each morning at the Wisdom School, there is a morning teaching after breakfast on a particular theme. The rhythm of life as described in Benedictine monasticism is a good example. The teaching is done in the wisdom tradition known as ‘Sobhet,’ which is spoken from the heart and listened to from the heart. There is some information transfer, but it is in the service of awakening the heart.

After the morning teaching, we are led to engage with work. Most will perform some task of manual labor like washing windows, weeding, raking, cleaning, etc. This type of task is well suited to the invitation we are given to become aware of our inner presence while we work. This is facilitated by an inner task, for example, to notice yourself as you work. Perhaps to notice your hands or feet, or your gesturing. The first thing students learn is that, when we engage in chatter with the one next to us, we swiftly lose awareness of our inner presence. This is one of the essential observations of the Wisdom School. The work time is punctuated with reminder stops to return to our inner task.

At midday, lunch is a good time to share observations of the morning activities, and there are several hours of time after lunch for solo work. We are invited to walk along the lake or stream, hike a forest path, or journal, practice lectio divina, etc. This individual work is also an invitation to awaken to the inner divine presence while in nature or in communion with prayer.

Later in the afternoon, communal work of various types is begun with centering prayer as the foundation of inner awareness. Perhaps there is another teaching or group gathering to allow shared awareness of how the wisdom work seems to be developing. We might have a session on chanting, or the Thomas gospel, or body awareness. Often this is more participatory, rather than a large group teaching led only by Cynthia.

In the evening, after dinner, there is another gathering to observe and frame our day. Many participants make observations about how they lost awareness during the day’s activities. Much as in the method of centering prayer, thoughts and distractions are inevitable and part of the human process, but we learn to return to our inner presence in various ways. The day ends with another session of centering prayer, and we go into the Great Silence. So, as you can see, the Wisdom School is not a silent retreat, but is a practice of praying always, centering our awareness, and learning to return to our center as we navigate the day’s work.

There is much more to describe than room will permit in a single article. We will look at some of the other aspects of Wisdom School in later newsletters, and attempt to invite you to engage in some of this practice, as well.

Regional Resource: The Port for Prayer

Once again in 2016, our Winter Weekend Retreat will take place at the lovely Portiuncula Center for Prayer in Frankfort, Illinois. Whether or not you plan to attend the retreat this February, you may be interested in knowing a bit about this important regional center of prayer and contemplation.

According to its mission statement: “The Portiuncula Center for Prayer, nestled in St. Francis Woods and rooted in the Franciscan tradition, is a sacred space of welcome for those seeking peace of mind, body, and spirit.” The center’s name, which means “little portion” is taken from a chapel St. Francis rebuilt near Assisi, Italy. The Port has been a retreat center for about 30 years, and is a ministry of the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart. Offerings include a range of retreat programs, spiritual direction, five hermitage dwellings available for individual retreats, and a holistic center providing several types of body work/massage therapy.

For more information, including photos of the serene natural setting and the facilities, visit the Portiuncula Center website.

Insights

In this very breath that we take now lies the secret that all great teachers try to tell us.

– Peter Matthiessen

God is not far from any of us, since it is in him that we live and move and have our very being.

– St. Paul

There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophies. My brain and my heart are my temples; my philosophy is kindness.

– The Dalai Lama

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

– St. John

Your Turn

Do you want to comment on or add to any of the items in this month’s newsletter? Are you aware of an upcoming event you think other contemplatives should know about? An inspirational quote you’d like to share? A book, website, podcast, or video to recommend? If so, please contribute by emailing the newsletter editor at news@centeringprayerchicago.org.