If ya' thought the last liturgy was something special, have you got a treat in store for you. This one's even better. That's because it's all about divine union and how to get there.
What? No one told you that's what centering prayer's all about? It is a little hard to believe, I know. That's because we haven't been talking like that in church for a long, long time. Early Christians did, though. That's what they were all about. Here, listen to Fr. Keating describe it...
Ya' don't have to spend your whole life in a monastery anymore. All ya' have to do is join a centering-prayer group. Heck, ya' don't even have ta do that. Just sit down and pray, for goodness sake. Of course, you'll need a sacred word, but you don't need a teacher for that. Anything'll do, even "love" or "peace." Mine is "Who"...as in "Who am I?"
"Like you don't know"...that's what you're thinking, itn'it? But the truth is most of us don't. In our heart of hearts, ya' see, we may be divine! That's the message of centering prayer anyway. As Fr. Keating says...
Kinda blows ya' away, don't it? I told ya' you were in for a treat. We're at one o' them turnin' points in history, if ya' ask me. That's why this here liturgy is so important.
It outlines the basic steps on the path to divine union...starting with "interior silence." As your sense of self recedes, you may eventually (without even knowing it at first) slip into "contemplative prayer." That's the real breakthrough, but unfortunately it's not the solution.
Most people let the first glimpse of their own divinity go to their heads. As a result, they lose touch with what little humility they may have had. Along with it, of course, goes every last trace of whatever little divinity they may have had. The resulting estrangement from God is called the "dark night of the soul."
Only with the slow and painful dawning of real humility can any further progress be made. That's the function of the Dark Night. If your lucky and ya' develop the humility of a Mother Teresa, for instance, ya' may reach the last stage–"divine union." That's the theory anyway. So here it is...in poetry–"The Liturgy of the Soul."
Front:
Back:
As ya' can see, the back's purty special too. In fact, it's my all-time favorite picture of Christ. Don't ya' just love the way He seems to be embracing the world? Even the logo on his back feels like the shield of a holy warrior of some sort. That shield's the mark of Contemplative Outreach–the Catholic organization that promotes centering prayer. Anyone can join, though. The content in the white block tells you how.
It's the beauty of the liturgy, however, that really takes your breath away. That's because ya' end up welcoming the butterfly of rebirth into your very heart. Ya' really have to do it to feel its power, but here's a little taste.
It all starts with a poem that gets the radiant, little thing up in the air in the first place. Then, with your eyes closed, you invite it to land in the palms of your outstretched hands. After it does, you draw it back down into your heart ever so softly. Whoa! Brings a wee tear to me eye just thinkin' about it...and I haven't even told you about the chanting!
Enough of me blabberin'. Order some of the blarney things and see for yourself. Better yet, order the sample pack and see all the options at once. That's the only way to know for sure.
All ya' have to do is write me—"The Leprechaun"—through Jim Whiteside at jimwhiteside@hotmail.com. He's the only one 'round here tall enough to reach them blame computers!
Prices
Recommendations: "Coated Paper" is all you need if you're gonna let people take 'em home, but if you plan on reusing 'em occasionally, you better get "Card Stock." For frequent use, there's nothing like the laminated version. Even the wee ones can't mess 'em up much. The real reason for buying the laminated versions, however, is the sheer beauty o' the things. For some reason, lamination makes 'em look almost 3-D.
If you're looking for something to put on the wall, this is the one for you as well. That's because of the view of Rio de Janeiro. It'll take your breath away. If you're cheap like me and use double-stick tape from the shippin' department, ya' can even turn it over occasionally for variety. Don't tell the boss, though, unless ya' wanna get me fired.
If ya' order now, I'll throw in some sacred readings to get ya' started. Those are read before and after centering prayer. They're supposed to change every time ya' do the liturgy. That way there's always something new and exciting going on.
In other words, you get to choose what to read wherever the liturgy says "sacred reading." These'll just get you started and give ya' an idea of how to match the readings to the litury. Besides, they're fun!
What? No one told you that's what centering prayer's all about? It is a little hard to believe, I know. That's because we haven't been talking like that in church for a long, long time. Early Christians did, though. That's what they were all about. Here, listen to Fr. Keating describe it...
To this day, the Eastern Orthodox Christians say, perfectly boldly, that our destiny is to become divinized or deified. Now that language was used by the Western fathers of the church also for a while, but then with the Western modesty or circumvention or whatever is characteristic of the Roman scene, consciousness, or culture, it got away from that language. Never denied it, but when mystics start saying it again, they're looked upon with astonishment and suspicion and some of them were burned at the stake for their trouble.
So they stopped opening their mouths, and as a result the Western world–Christianity–is really languishing from a spiritual desert that has gone on for centuries and that the whole contemplative tradition, very rich from earlier times and continuously added to in pockets of spirituality, has to be recovered, but it is going to take some time.
That's the long-winded way o' saying divine union has finally come out of the closet. It's now the slap-dab, in-your-face, sure-enough-for-real goal of Christianity...even for lay men and women! So they stopped opening their mouths, and as a result the Western world–Christianity–is really languishing from a spiritual desert that has gone on for centuries and that the whole contemplative tradition, very rich from earlier times and continuously added to in pockets of spirituality, has to be recovered, but it is going to take some time.
Fr. Thomas Keating
"Recovering the Awareness of Our Divine Destiny"
an excerpt from the Heartfulness (2009) series
on contemplativeoutreach.org (May 7, 2011)
"Recovering the Awareness of Our Divine Destiny"
an excerpt from the Heartfulness (2009) series
on contemplativeoutreach.org (May 7, 2011)
Ya' don't have to spend your whole life in a monastery anymore. All ya' have to do is join a centering-prayer group. Heck, ya' don't even have ta do that. Just sit down and pray, for goodness sake. Of course, you'll need a sacred word, but you don't need a teacher for that. Anything'll do, even "love" or "peace." Mine is "Who"...as in "Who am I?"
"Like you don't know"...that's what you're thinking, itn'it? But the truth is most of us don't. In our heart of hearts, ya' see, we may be divine! That's the message of centering prayer anyway. As Fr. Keating says...
What God has prepared for those who love him (1 Corinthians 2: 9)...is to become God, too.
Fr. Thomas Keating
"Transforming Our Will Into God's Will"
an excerpt from the Heartfulness (2009) series
on contemplativeoutreach.org (May 10, 2011)
"Transforming Our Will Into God's Will"
an excerpt from the Heartfulness (2009) series
on contemplativeoutreach.org (May 10, 2011)
Kinda blows ya' away, don't it? I told ya' you were in for a treat. We're at one o' them turnin' points in history, if ya' ask me. That's why this here liturgy is so important.
It outlines the basic steps on the path to divine union...starting with "interior silence." As your sense of self recedes, you may eventually (without even knowing it at first) slip into "contemplative prayer." That's the real breakthrough, but unfortunately it's not the solution.
Most people let the first glimpse of their own divinity go to their heads. As a result, they lose touch with what little humility they may have had. Along with it, of course, goes every last trace of whatever little divinity they may have had. The resulting estrangement from God is called the "dark night of the soul."
Only with the slow and painful dawning of real humility can any further progress be made. That's the function of the Dark Night. If your lucky and ya' develop the humility of a Mother Teresa, for instance, ya' may reach the last stage–"divine union." That's the theory anyway. So here it is...in poetry–"The Liturgy of the Soul."
Front:
"The Liturgy of the Soul" by Jim Whiteside © 2011
Back:
"Job's Redeemer" (the mark of contemplative prayer) by Jim Whiteside © 2011
As ya' can see, the back's purty special too. In fact, it's my all-time favorite picture of Christ. Don't ya' just love the way He seems to be embracing the world? Even the logo on his back feels like the shield of a holy warrior of some sort. That shield's the mark of Contemplative Outreach–the Catholic organization that promotes centering prayer. Anyone can join, though. The content in the white block tells you how.
It's the beauty of the liturgy, however, that really takes your breath away. That's because ya' end up welcoming the butterfly of rebirth into your very heart. Ya' really have to do it to feel its power, but here's a little taste.
It all starts with a poem that gets the radiant, little thing up in the air in the first place. Then, with your eyes closed, you invite it to land in the palms of your outstretched hands. After it does, you draw it back down into your heart ever so softly. Whoa! Brings a wee tear to me eye just thinkin' about it...and I haven't even told you about the chanting!
Enough of me blabberin'. Order some of the blarney things and see for yourself. Better yet, order the sample pack and see all the options at once. That's the only way to know for sure.
| The Liturgy Sample-Pack | $36 |
|---|
It includes...
- The Liturgy for Centering Prayer
- The laminated version
- With matching sacred-readings
- The Liturgy of the Soul
- On card stock
- With matching sacred-readings
- The Rainbow Liturgy
- On coated paper
- With matching sacred-readings
All ya' have to do is write me—"The Leprechaun"—through Jim Whiteside at jimwhiteside@hotmail.com. He's the only one 'round here tall enough to reach them blame computers!
Prices
| Number Ordered | Coated Paper (32 lb.) | Card Stock (80 lb.) | The Laminated Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | $27 | $40 | $60 |
| 10 | $40 | $60 | $90 |
| 25 | $66 | $100 | $150 |
| 50 | $110 | $170 | $250 |
| 100 | $200 | $300 | $450 |
| 250 | $440 | $660 | $1,000 |
| 500 | $800 | $1,200 | $1,800 |
| 1000 | $1,460 | $2,200 | $3,300 |
If you're looking for something to put on the wall, this is the one for you as well. That's because of the view of Rio de Janeiro. It'll take your breath away. If you're cheap like me and use double-stick tape from the shippin' department, ya' can even turn it over occasionally for variety. Don't tell the boss, though, unless ya' wanna get me fired.
If ya' order now, I'll throw in some sacred readings to get ya' started. Those are read before and after centering prayer. They're supposed to change every time ya' do the liturgy. That way there's always something new and exciting going on.
Sacred readings for "The Liturgy of the Soul"
In other words, you get to choose what to read wherever the liturgy says "sacred reading." These'll just get you started and give ya' an idea of how to match the readings to the litury. Besides, they're fun!
Enjoy,
the leprechaun
the leprechaun
P.S. To place an order, just click on me name above.
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