Home again

It is nice to be home again!

I am back in Corpus Christi after a four hour drive from Blanco, TX where the retreat was. We spent three hours a day in prayer and three hours a day in class, being taught from the book The Lessons: How to Understand Spiritual Principles, Spiritual Activities, and Rising Emotions by its authors Sandy Casey-Martus and Carla R. Mancari.


Learning about Christ Centered Prayer is renewing my faith in God and my commitment to sit twice daily in contemplation. For the past few years, I have sporadically tried to do Centering Prayer-- not much faithfulness there!

Of course, sitting in prayer for three hours a day this past week has affected me!

This is not a book to be read easily in one sitting; it is more like a workbook to study. It contains the years of communication between our future priest and her spiritual director about her spiritual learnings, questions, and realizations about contemplative prayer. I will be studying this for years to come--and putting what I can into practice.

Here is what they say about Christ Centered Prayer from their website:

"The silent Christ Centered Prayer practice is contained within the Contemplative Invitation Teaching. The teaching is a body of revealed writings that builds upon previous Christian contemplative tradition and biblical reference. The intent of this teaching is to offer a definitive, concise Christian understanding of spiritual principles. The Contemplative Invitation Teaching's unique contribution is in its clear, precise language and use of sacred scripture. Validation of the teaching is a direct result of the Christ Centered Prayer practice.

"Christ Centered Prayer is a simple inner prayer of awareness under the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus Christ. Christ Centered Prayer may directly facilitate entrance into the Spiritual Heart Center and the awareness of God, the still small voice, who is known by faith and dwells within you always. 'Be still, and know that I am God . . .'(Psalm 46: 10).

"The Christ Centered Prayer practice is for you, who have an interest in responding to God "without words" in solitude, simplicity, and silence. 'Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God' (Matthew 5: 8).

"You are not unlike the prodigal child returning home to your Father's house. Christ Centered Prayer may open your heart to God's healing presence and power. The implicit petition is, 'Create in me a clean heart, O God; renew right spirit within me' (Psalm 51: 10).

"Access to the Divine Indwelling is not only possible, but practical. It is to this Divine Indwelling awareness that the Christ Centered Prayer intends."

More will be written about this as I continue in prayer and have Sandy as my rector.