Centering Prayer

Prayer as a Path to Deepen Your Relationship with God

Centering Prayer is a silent prayer practice that can move you toward 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.

A Prayer Practice Inspired by the Christian Mystics

Father Thomas Keating, answering a life calling, sought to renew a prayer practice that goes beyond asking for aid or offering praise—one that invites you to enter into a deeper relationship with God. Based on the wisdom sayings of Jesus and inspired by teachings from the classic 14th-century text The Cloud of Unknowing, Saint John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila, Thomas Merton, and others, Centering Prayer is a method of four guidelines that has sparked the modern renewal of contemplative Christianity. “Centering Prayer does not replace other types of prayer,” teaches Keating. “Rather, the practice gives a new depth of meaning to all forms of prayer.”

Training from a Respected Voice in the Revival of Contemplative Christianity

This eight-session intensive learning program is highlighted by four teaching sessions, recorded live with Father Thomas Keating and his colleagues from Contemplative Outreach, Gail Fitzpatrick-Hopler and Father Carl Arico. The course also includes private journaling, more than nine hours of downloadable audio and video instruction, plus a rich selection of written exercises and information that you can fill out on your computer or print at home.

Centering Prayer provides precise, direct training in contemplative practice—as well as a treasury of wisdom from Father Keating himself. His teachings, stories, and insights reveal the fruits of fully engaging in this path of complete consent to God’s presence and action within. Join him as you learn this simple yet transformative method for taking prayer to its deepest level—and inviting the grace of the Divine to live through you.

Centering Prayer Highlights

Session One: “Prayer as Relationship”

In the Christian contemplative tradition, the words “let us pray,” actually mean “let us open to a deeper relationship with God.” In this first session, you will explore how Centering Prayer is simultaneously a relationship with God and a discipline to continually foster that relationship. Father Keating offers his insights on “The Five Silences,” while Gail Fitzpatrick-Hopler and Father Carl Arico bring you their introductory instruction on starting your Centering Prayer practice. Includes the first three prayer cards, the introduction and first chapter of the written course material, and journal questions to reflect on the nature of your current relationship with God and how you wish it to grow.

Note: For this and any of the guided prayer sessions offered throughout this course, we suggest that you determine in advance where you’ll practice and that you have your cushion, bench, or chair ready before beginning. Allow yourself up to 45 minutes of uninterrupted time for each session.

This session includes an archive recording of Father Keating’s interactive talk and questions submitted by the course participants.

Session Two: “The Method of Centering Prayer”

The method of Centering Prayer is based on four simple guidelines. These guidelines are not rigid rules, but rather a way to nurture the deepening of your relationship with Christ. These principles are designed to help you prepare for, sit in, and come out of a Centering Prayer period.

Gail provides video instruction on the four guidelines, while Father Carl explores why “It All Begins with Saying ‘Yes.’” You will receive the next three prayer cards, the next chapter of written instruction, and journal questions for reflecting on your first Centering Prayer experience.

You will also have access to an archive recording of a live interactive talk by Father Carl and Gail, including questions submitted from course participants.

Session Three: “The Indwelling Spirit”

In the contemplative sense, prayer is not something you do, but is instead a relationship between you and the Indwelling Spirit, or the Divine Indwelling. To pray is to open to the realization that you are not separate from God.

In this session, Father Keating provides his insights on the Indwelling Spirit, and also guides you in a Centering Prayer session on audio. You will receive three more prayer cards, additional audio instruction, and journal questions for pondering the Indwelling Spirit within you.

Session Four: “Thoughts and Use of the Sacred Word”

Your sacred word serves as a symbol for your intention as you practice Centering Prayer. In this session, you will explore the dynamic between your sacred word and the thoughts that arise as you pray. As you develop a new understanding of this relationship, you will be able to let go of unnecessary struggle and take a friendlier attitude toward thoughts during your practice.

This session’s video downloads feature Gail discussing the use of the sacred word with “The Power of the Return,” and Father Carl’s reflections on “Finding Freedom” in prayer. You will also receive a guided audio prayer session with Father Keating, three prayer cards, the next chapter of written instruction, and journal questions for deepening your practice through the use of your sacred word.

The interactive talk with Father Carl and Gail, during which they took questions from course participants, is also included this week.

Session Five: “The Human Condition”

There is an undeniable angst at the core of the human condition—the experience of being separate from God. Father Keating says that the dissolution of this angst begins when we question, “Where am I in relation to God, to myself, and to others?”

Father Keating presents a probing lecture on the paradoxical challenges inherent in our human existence, and offers a guided audio Centering Prayer session. You will also receive your next three prayer cards and journal questions to explore where you have felt a sense separation from God.

Session Six: “The Future of Interspiritual Relationship”

We are at a unique moment in human history, when it is now possible to have open dialogue between advanced practitioners from spiritual traditions around the world. In our never-ending quest to expand our understanding of God, we benefit immensely from inviting honest discussion that encompasses science and religion, East and West, believers and non-believers alike.

The video download in this session features Father Keating’s reflections on a life of reaching out to bridge the gap between Christianity and other faiths—and the rich rewards these efforts have yielded. You will also receive three new prayer cards, a guided Centering Prayer session with Father Keating on audio, a music-inspired reading of Luke 15:20b, and journal questions.

In this session, Father Keating engages in a live interactive discussion with course participants, answering questions about moving forward in your practice for yourself and in community.

Session Seven: “Deepening Our Relationship with God”

True intimacy with God develops gradually. As your prayer practice matures, God’s companioning presence becomes a visceral part of your everyday life. There’s no place to go to find God because God is already within you. Each time you dissolve one of your interior obstacles, you awaken to this truth and a growing relationship with the Divine Indwelling.

In a downloadable video, Sounds True publisher Tami Simon presents a rare interview with Father Thomas Keating about his experiences on the contemplative path. Gail illuminates the “Fruits of Centering Prayer,” while Father Carl explores the meaning of “The Two-Armed Embrace.” You will also receive the next four prayer cards, multiple readings by Father Keating, written instruction for deepening your practice, and journal questions for reflecting on the growing role of Centering Prayer in your life.

Session Eight: “A Lifelong Journey”

With Centering Prayer, you are undertaking a process of stripping down all of the obstacles between you and God—a practice of total self-surrender. Now is the time to reiterate your commitment to a regular daily practice. Your fidelity to Centering Prayer will transform you, manifesting the Fruits of the Spirit that will permeate your daily life.

In this last session, the downloadable videos feature Father Carl discussing the meaning of self-surrender with “Consent Is the Only Response,” and Gail’s final thoughts about how the practice reveals “The Basic Core of Human Goodness.” You will receive the final three prayer cards, a guided Centering Prayer session with Father Keating, journal questions for reflecting on your next steps, and resources for continuing your journey on the contemplative path.