Has any diocese banned centering prayer?

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If you condemn centering prayer you would probably condemn the Eastern Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox and the early Christian ascetics like Dionysius the areopagite and the Egyptian monastics and etc. You would also probably condemn St. John of the Cross, the author of the Cloud of Unknowing, the Carthusians and etc.
 
I can’t say if it has, but in my unlearned opinion, yes they should ban it. With those who promote it this will provoke attack and with those who don’t know about it this will pass by unnoticed and with those who follow contemplative prayer they will say ’ Follow the Lord in prayer and no-one else’.

The Vatican has trodden carefully around this. And rightly so.

I will nail my colours to the flagpost and say nothing of centering prayer will ever be found in contemplative prayer and therein lies the difference and moreover no matter how much a soul dispose themselves to contemplation God will humble them yet still so they do not seek to pursue such a route and so begins true contemplation beginning with purgation. To this end desire serves a means but it provides no method because God does not look at method, but looks at the heart and its disposition. Now this soul may have a good disposition of heart and pursue a method, as God comes to that soul, but it is not because of the method but because of the souls disposition and the souls disposition is such because it embraced grace and not because it happened upon some method.

I will say centering prayer is a modern traversty that attempts to borrow from eastern methods and Christianise it. No such method is needed for the Christian, they need only sincerely and humbly approach Jesus and He will do the rest in prayer, if they are willing to have the courage to follow Him, because to follow Jesus in prayer is an arduous path and does not enter into self though the journey is internal, but rather enters into the ‘other’ which in turn reveals the true self and eventually God recreates the ‘self’ to such as point to achieve union with God.

Many will say that they have many a good result from centering prayer they will say they are happy and content and I will say that prayer is not meant for you to be content, but it is meant for you to feel at odds with the false self and will lead you away from that to the true self, Christ Jesus.

I so desire that centering prayer would be wiped from the face of the earth and I do not care what anyone has to say to me about my comments. There is a great difference between recognising the indwelling God and the methods of centering prayer. I am not against methods, the Liturgy of the Hours which I pray is a method of prayer, I also pray Lectio Divinia, this is also a method of prayer. What I am against is methods of prayer that have pagan and new era roots and also attempt to presume a closeness to God that cannot be presumed nor attempted purely by humanistic values. To enter into the centre of the soul is a Divine Action and not something man can achieve because this is where God dwells in man.

To think a man can learn a method and merely enter to the centre of the soul is ludicrous, they may reach the first mansion and all the good they do, but they do not reach the centre as St Teresa writes it is a long and ardous journey to the centre of the soul which isfull of pitfalls that centering prayer does not address, it may rarely happen quickly but more regularly it happens over a lfetime. If a soul may only enter to the first mansion they may be deceived thinking they are practising the depths of centrering prayer that they are reaching the heights of prayer and may not strive further. Further more centering prayer is immersed in error concentrating on bodily and mind reactions which is a serious error in prayer because the body nor the mind is no baromete of prayer. Read about prayer and the reader will understand this grave error.

I am so adverse to centering prayer that I could explode because it is a deception of contemplative prayer. I only pray souls would enter ino prayer naturally and let their souls be led by God and not follow after one new fad after another especially so in this age.

The Vatican has produced a document about centering prayer and it is not named as such but is recognisable by the language within the document. I can’t put my hand to it, but I know of its existance. Maybe someone can help locating it. I have read this very document on CA Forums before.

I pray there was an end to such things as centering prayer and swiftly may it come.

In my Living Prayer of life.
 
As much as I admire you blessedstar, I am very confused by this level of hatred in you for a very valid prayer method that is not at all what you describe.

I have been practicing centering prayer for several years and I can tell you that it has been one of the greatest aids to my spiritual life and my ability to place myself quietly in the presence of God. It is not about feeling good or feeling happy; it is about being quiet and open to the presence of God, and I have been led from there to contemplation and had God reveal Himself to me directly as a result on some occasions, as He deemed appropriate.

I know many very holy people who use centering prayer, and while I readily admit that there are many people promoting things as centering prayer that are not what I was taught through Fr. Keating, there is absolutely nothing that is counter to prayer or Church teaching in centering prayer.

Peace be with you,
 
blessedstar said:
I can’t say if it has, but in my unlearned opinion, yes they should ban it. With those who promote it this will provoke attack and with those who don’t know about it this will pass by unnoticed and with those who follow contemplative prayer they will say ’ Follow the Lord in prayer and no-one else’.

The Vatican has trodden carefully around this. And rightly so.

I will nail my colours to the flagpost and say nothing of centering prayer will ever be found in contemplative prayer and therein lies the difference and moreover no matter how much a soul dispose themselves to contemplation God will humble them yet still so they do not seek to pursue such a route and so begins true contemplation beginning with purgation. To this end desire serves a means but it provides no method because God does not look at method, but looks at the heart and its disposition. Now this soul may have a good disposition of heart and pursue a method, as God comes to that soul, but it is not because of the method but because of the souls disposition and the souls disposition is such because it embraced grace and not because it happened upon some method.

I will say centering prayer is a modern traversty that attempts to borrow from eastern methods and Christianise it. No such method is needed for the Christian, they need only sincerely and humbly approach Jesus and He will do the rest in prayer, if they are willing to have the courage to follow Him, because to follow Jesus in prayer is an arduous path and does not enter into self though the journey is internal, but rather enters into the ‘other’ which in turn reveals the true self and eventually God recreates the ‘self’ to such as point to achieve union with God.

Many will say that they have many a good result from centering prayer they will say they are happy and content and I will say that prayer is not meant for you to be content, but it is meant for you to feel at odds with the false self and will lead you away from that to the true self, Christ Jesus.

I so desire that centering prayer would be wiped from the face of the earth and I do not care what anyone has to say to me about my comments. There is a great difference between recognising the indwelling God and the methods of centering prayer. I am not against methods, the Liturgy of the Hours which I pray is a method of prayer, I also pray Lectio Divinia, this is also a method of prayer. What I am against is methods of prayer that have pagan and new era roots and also attempt to presume a closeness to God that cannot be presumed nor attempted purely by humanistic values. To enter into the centre of the soul is a Divine Action and not something man can achieve because this is where God dwells in man.

To think a man can learn a method and merely enter to the centre of the soul is ludicrous, they may reach the first mansion and all the good they do, but they do not reach the centre as St Teresa writes it is a long and ardous journey to the centre of the soul which isfull of pitfalls that centering prayer does not address, it may rarely happen quickly but more regularly it happens over a lfetime. If a soul may only enter to the first mansion they may be deceived thinking they are practising the depths of centrering prayer that they are reaching the heights of prayer and may not strive further. Further more centering prayer is immersed in error concentrating on bodily and mind reactions which is a serious error in prayer because the body nor the mind is no baromete of prayer. Read about prayer and the reader will understand this grave error.

I am so adverse to centering prayer that I could explode because it is a deception of contemplative prayer. I only pray souls would enter ino prayer naturally and let their souls be led by God and not follow after one new fad after another especially so in this age.

The Vatican has produced a document about centering prayer and it is not named as such but is recognisable by the language within the document. I can’t put my hand to it, but I know of its existance. Maybe someone can help locating it. I have read this very document on CA Forums before.

I pray there was an end to such things as centering prayer and swiftly may it come.

In my Living Prayer of life.
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Centering prayer is not anew thing in Christianity and it is certainly not pagan. Read Dionysius the areopagite’s writings(they date from the third to the fifth century). A large part of Christian spirituality is very much like centering prayer. Read The Cloud of Unknowing. It is a 14th century writing which was most likely written by a Cathusian monk in England. Read St. John of the Cross’s writtings. Read the Eastern Orthodox writings on prayer. And this stuff is all firmly based on a Christian view of the world.
 
The is an abundance of ignorance on just what Centering Prayer is, and the ignorance is based on articles written criticizing it, where the authors themselves are ignorant.

So let me educate those who are willing to learn.

The purpose of Centering Prayer is to place ourselves in the presence of God, and to allow him to bring us into contemplation.
Centering Prayer is not contemplation, it merely opens us up to it.

The first step in Centering Prayer is to find a quiet place.

Sit in a chair which is comfortable, but not one that is so comfortable that it would be more conducive for sleeping.
There is no posture necessary in CP, other than being comfortable and for most of us in the West, a good chair is all that is needed.

Next, take a minute to quiet down. This for most people can seem like an hour. We’re so busy in our daily lives with activities that just sitting and doing nothing, is difficult.

After a minute or so, close your eyes. Chose a sacred prayer word. A prayer word can be a phrase or a verse from Scripture. It should be short, but that is for you to decide. My sacred word is “Lord Jesus.” You can use, “Maranatha,” or “Blessed, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” whatever is meaningful for you.

Begin to repeat the sacred word and allow yourself to be drawn into the center of your being. Relax and to work anxiously at it. Just repeat the prayer word. As you are drawn to your center, place yourself in the Presence of God, who dwells within you. Rest in his presence and don’t concern yourself with anything else other than being in His presence. If you find that you have drifted of to thoughts outside of your intention to be with Christ, gently return to your sacred word.

Continue this until you feel the need to end. I just say the Lord’s Prayer, gently and with meaning.

Open your eyes and do whatever you want to do next.

For me, I’ll read from My Imitation of Christ.

Thats what centering prayer is. You do not go off into some unconscious state of euphoria or bliss. You never lose the awareness of where you are or what you are doing. Your focus is being in the presence of Jesus Christ, who dwells within you.

Anything other than what I have just explained, is not Centering Prayer. Its a distortion of Centering Prayer.

God Bless
Jim
 
Lectio Divina, although not Centering Prayer, has the elements of Centering Prayer.

In the Monastic Tradition, there were four phases of Lectio Divina.

First is the prayer to the Holy Spirit, for guidance.

Second is the reading of Sacred Scripture. But its not a reading for historical or theological content. Its not reading as prayer, but opening ourselves up to Gods word.

Third, when a verse or word in Scripture touches you, begin to repeat the verse or word. Let the word sink in and take hold of you as you reflect on it.

Fourth, then, as you repeat the verse or word, place yourself in the presence of God and allow yourself to rest in His presence.

Many who do Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina, will see the similarities and thats because Centering Prayer actually came from the concepts of Lectio Divina.

God Bless
Jim
 
So, Jim, centering prayer is basically a quieting of oneself and a placing of oneself in the presence of God?

From what I’ve read of St. Francis’ Introduction to the Devout Life , it seems that that is the appropriate first step in meditation. I’ve always been confused as to how exactly, ‘placing oneself in the presence of God’ works, and what exactly it means, but if CP is the first step to doing this, then it seems to jive with other prayer methods.

-Rob
 
RobNY
So, Jim, centering prayer is basically a quieting of oneself and a placing of oneself in the presence of God?
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Thats all its ever been. Everything else that comes out of it, is God’s doing, not the prayer method itself. The prayer merely opens us up to God by directing our will of intention, to God.

Jim
 
JimR-OCDS said:
RobNY

Thats all its ever been. Everything else that comes out of it, is God’s doing, not the prayer method itself. The prayer merely opens us up to God by directing our will of intention, to God.

Jim
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Then why do you need to use a method based on Buddhist and Hindu prayer technics? The method or technic is the controversy or even the use of a technic. Lectio Divina is bascally reflecting on a scripture, Centering Prayer though has the elements even down the time spent in prayer as found in Buddhist /Hindu traditional prayer, which is a forced practice based on the particpates ability to do A, B, C… It is a practice that attempts to get the participant into an experience not based on God’s Grace, but the result of the excercise practiced by the participate. It is presented as almost as a “secret knowledge” which we had to go to an ancient source to find (Buddhism/Hinddhism) which has to be taught to the participate, that is why there are “classes” on the technic by those that have “mastered” the techinc. This is Gnosticism at the least. So what comes out of it, is unclear as its true source.
St Teresa gave us directions that completative prayer is not for everyone, for it is a gift not something learned. Her works on the subject were not self-help how to books. Unlike the promoters and teachers of CP which are introducing Eastern Spirituality disguised as Christian prayer.

If you look at the description of CP in previos post # 44 and look at this decscript the only deffence is using a Christian word for the “mantra”? Otherwise darkness covered in Light.

**
Centering Prayer:
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This technique originated in St. Joseph’s Abbey, a Trappist monastery in Spencer, MA. According to Father John D. Dreher, it is neither Christian nor prayer. It is essentially a form of self-hypnosis which makes use of a “mantra,” a word repeated over and over, concentrating on one thing and introducing a hypnotic-like state. God is seen as a part of the universe who can be “experienced” at the centre of one’s being, and not as one who is transcendent, who is other than us, and is a loving Father. It takes these characteristics from Hinduism, through the medium of Transcendental Meditation (T.M.). The introductory ceremony to T.M. involves worship of a dead Hindu guru, and the mantras given those being initiated are, in fact, the names of Hindu gods**

2Cor 11:13 For such false apostles are deceitful workmen, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
2Cor 11:14 And no wonder: for Satan himself transformeth himself into an angel of light.
 
Bennie_P said:
Then why do you need to use a method based on Buddhist and Hindu prayer technics? The method or technic is the controversy or even the use of a technic. Lectio Divina is bascally reflecting on a scripture, Centering Prayer though has the elements even down the time spent in prayer as found in Buddhist /Hindu traditional prayer, which is a forced practice based on the particpates ability to do A, B, C… It is a practice that attempts to get the participant into an experience not based on God’s Grace, but the result of the excercise practiced by the participate. It is presented as almost as a “secret knowledge” which we had to go to an ancient source to find (Buddhism/Hinddhism) which has to be taught to the participate, that is why there are “classes” on the technic by those that have “mastered” the techinc. This is Gnosticism at the least. So what comes out of it, is unclear as its true source.
St Teresa gave us directions that completative prayer is not for everyone, for it is a gift not something learned. Her works on the subject were not self-help how to books. Unlike the promoters and teachers of CP which are introducing Eastern Spirituality disguised as Christian prayer.

If you look at the description of CP in previos post # 44 and look at this decscript the only deffence is using a Christian word for the “mantra”? Otherwise darkness covered in Light.

2Cor 11:13 For such false apostles are deceitful workmen, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
2Cor 11:14 And no wonder: for Satan himself transformeth himself into an angel of light.
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The Carthusian who wrote the Cloud of Unknowing reccomends focusing on one word - like ‘Jesus’ or ‘God’ or ‘kyrie eleison’ - when praying and putting all thoughts out of mind. Eastern Christian prayer says that you can experience Gods presence. Eastern Christian spirituality is based around an experiential relationship with God. Prayer is essentially being in the presence of God. The eastern Christians use the Jesus Prayer(Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.) and they repeat in over and over. The purpose is the aquisition of Gods Grace and consequently deification.
 
jimmy said:
The Carthusian who wrote the Cloud of Unknowing reccomends focusing on one word - like ‘Jesus’ or ‘God’ or ‘kyrie eleison’ - when praying and putting all thoughts out of mind. Eastern Christian prayer says that you can experience Gods presence. Eastern Christian spirituality is based around an experiential relationship with God. Prayer is essentially being in the presence of God. The eastern Christians use the Jesus Prayer(Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.) and they repeat in over and over. The purpose is the aquisition of Gods Grace and consequently deification.
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You are using each of those examples out of context presenting a false relationship.
The book often claimed as a precedent for centering prayer is The Cloud of Unknowing, by an unknown fourteenth-century English author. But the claim is in vain, for The Cloud of Unknowing clearly repudiates the emphasis given in centering prayer to techniques: “I am trying to make clear with words what experience teaches more convincingly, that techniques and methods are ultimately useless for awakening contemplative love.” The Cloud must be seen in its historic context. Though its emphasis is on the “negative way,” we must remember that it* presupposes* its reader is well grounded in the “positive way” to God by means of the word of God, creation, and sacramental means. When this prerequisite is met, a book like this can help prayer to go beyond creatures to the Uncreated God. But to see The Cloud as pointing us to technique (as centering prayer does) is profoundly to misread the text.

Some of those who promote centering prayer employ questionable practices. For example, I first experienced centering prayer during a retreat whose announced topic and method had nothing to do with it. Without explanation, the director conducted us into centering prayer. At first I followed the instructions, but, not liking the feel of it, I made the decision to ignore the instructions. The retreat master, even by secular standards, acted unethically in not giving us an understanding and choice in the matter.
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The Danger of Centering Prayer
A mother wrote to ask me for advice: “In the Catholic school in [name of town], Sister has been using this [centering prayer and use of the Jesus Prayer] in the religion classes. My ten-year-old daughter took to it right away. This was about two-and-a-half years ago. The things she shared with me that Jesus had told her didn’t appear to me to be imagination. They made her feel very close to Jesus. About six weeks ago, Kristy started having difficulty going to sleep. She didn’t want to stay in her own room and would lie there afraid to close her eyes, until I would let her go into her sister’s room and sleep with her. Finally she confided in me that she would see something scary if she closed her eyes. A few days ago, she confided that it laughed. Kristy had used the centering prayer on her own at bedtime for sometime before this fear started.”

What happened to Kristy? The laughter is very characteristic of evil spirits. It would have taken personal contact and prayerful discernment to know for sure. From the description, I would suspect an evil spirit is harassing her. I would doubt that it has any serious hold on her, unless there was immoral behavior or a special vulnerability in her psychological state. I suspect that her use of centering prayer opened her to evil spirits and such harassments.
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The use of Eastern religious technics are very dangerous. Another danger I see from many that adhere to CP seem to scoff at the idea of that evil spirits exist - claiming it to be superstition. Then are they scoffing at the idea there is such a being as Satan?
 
I’m through participating in this forum. The constant misinformation being posted by certain people about Centering Prayer, Thomas Merton, or Fr. Keating, is not conducive towards living a life of contemplative prayer.

I find nothing edifying in this discussion, and I’m tired of arguing and repeating the same things over and over again.

God Bless all who shared with open hearts and minds.

Jim
 
Bennie_P said:
You are using each of those examples out of context presenting a false relationship.

The Danger of Centering Prayer

The use of Eastern religious technics are very dangerous. Another danger I see from many that adhere to CP seem to scoff at the idea of that evil spirits exist - claiming it to be superstition. Then are they scoffing at the idea there is such a being as Satan?
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Do you know anything about eastern Christian spirituality? Eastern Christian spirituality is all negative theology. The positive way is only a guide and it should be superceded by the negative way. Positive theology, all dogma, is meant to show what our relationship with God is. Dogma is defined only in so far as it affects our relationship with God. For example the dogma of the two natures and one person of Christ shows the profound communion which we can recieve with God through Grace. But the negative way is the way of prayer whether you are a beginner or advanced in the spiritual life. You push out all thoughts. You say the prayer as if God is present and you are addressing Him, but you do not address Him as if He is standing in front of you. That would be considered self delusion since God is not limited by space.

All Christian prayer is very much influenced by Dionysius the areopagites writings. The negative way is the way described by Dionysius. It is the way described by early Christians. Eastern Christians do not deny the existence of evil spirits, in fact their acceptance of evil spirits existence is probably stronger than the modern western Christians.

If you have read anything about eastern Christian spirituality then you know about the hesichasts who use breathing techniques and put their heads down and focus their eyes on one point. These techniques are not to put you in some semiconscious or hipnotic state though. They are meant to help you concentrate and keep your mind from wandering. They view our salvation as being of the whole person, body and soul. Prayer incorporates the whole person consequently.

I realize what The Cloud of Unknowing teaches. It rejects any strange aspects like if you are put into a semiconscious state. But it has no problem with specific bodily positions. It has no problem with putting yourself in Gods presence as has been described of centering prayer.
 
Hate is a very strong word and its use might be carefully considered.

cin.org/users/james/files/meditation.htm

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=61531&highlight=centering+prayer

catholiceducation.org/articles/apologetics/ap0005.html

ourladyswarriors.org/dissent/centerprayer.htm

These links pertains to my previous post and expounds some of the reasons why I am not in favour of centering prayer and would greatly like to see it ceasation.

Centering prayer will not lead to contemplation. I am not prepared to open my mind to a practise that does not have its roots in Catholicism but is simply a very poor attempt to marry Eastern Mysticism and the One True Catholic faith stealing Catholic methods of Lectio Divinia and grafting them into occult methods of prayer. It doesn’t take a great mind to realise there are dangers here otherwise we would be free to merge other aspects of otehr faiths into our own faith and practise the prayers of other faiths randomly, but the Church does not encourage this.

Just because laity and Priests are practising this method of prayer does not mean it is acceptable. It justs means people will try anything. If I stick my head in the gas oven will you all do the same?🙂 No, of course not, so why do worse with your souls?
 
Ok, enough lurking.

I’ve never participated in Centering Prayer, but I am interested in the debate about it. So many of the arguments are familar - at least in style if not substance. Where have I heard these types of arguments before? From my anti-catholic, Protestant friends.

The arguments were simple:
  1. Raise the Straw Man (ie. “Catholics believe _________”)
  2. Show the error (ie. “But Scripture says ____________”)
  3. Destroy the Straw Man (ie. “So, Catholicism is wrong”)
Of course, the Protestant fails at the first point…So often, we realize, they THINK they know what the Church teaches. They are convinced of others motivations or ignorance. But, they are wrong. They’ve often been used the wrong sources, especially anti-catholic authors rather than talking directly to or reading devout, knowledgable Catholics and seeking to understand the Catholic’s rationale.

I see the same thing on this and similar threads. Shrill calls of “Centering Prayer is pagan/Buddhist/Hindu/New Age.” Yet clearly, folks are criticising something other than what Centering Prayer officially and openly advocates. It’s the ol’ Straw Man all over again.

Other pagan religions use candles, chants, incense, vestments, set prayers, holy days and many other things common to our Faith. Do we need to abandon our use of them because they are not Christian? Clearly not.
 
I guess I’ll go away with Jim. There is no point in further articulating what centering prayer is when so many are so bound to uninformed opinions of people with outside agendas, and to building straw men based on things that are NOT centering prayer.

To believe that one has the be all and end all knowledge that they can tell me, and thousands of others, that the very valid prayer we have experienced is not only not Catholic but dangerous borders on great arrogance unfortunately.

To imply that I am a liar in testifying that I have been led into contemplation, or that I am just misinformed and too stupid to know the difference, is about as much of this as I am going to endure.

May God bring some peace to your hearts. He has to mine.
 
I am free to believe as I do as you are free to believe as you do.

What makes you so sure you are right?

All Catholic sites on the internet including this one advise against using centering prayer and have given valid reason for doing so, is this site therefore arrogant and uninformed etc.

Like I said in my first post in this thread, my words would provoke attack from those who use and promote centering prayer, so I am not surprised to receive what I have received.

In the Living Prayer fo my life
 
I
am free to believe as I do as you are free to believe as you do.
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You have a right to believe what you believe, but your beliefs aren’t necessarily fact. When you state that they are, in a forum, such as this, they can and will be challenged.
All Catholic sites on the internet including this one advise against using centering prayer and have given valid reason for doing so, is this site therefore arrogant and uninformed etc.
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The Internet, including this site, is not the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church has not condemned Centering Prayer, as taught by Father Thomas Keating, nor has the Church advised against it.
The Church has advised against New Age practices and Eastern practices, which is an entirely different thing from Centering Prayer.
Like I said in my first post in this thread, my words would provoke attack from those who use and promote centering prayer, so I am not surprised to receive what I have received.
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Disagreements with your words are not attacks nor more than your disagreements with Centering Prayer are attacks against those of use who pray with this method.

God Bless
Jim
 
I am not attacking any individual. I have questioned a method of prayer and expressed that I would like to see it come to an end.

I believe this prayer method people practise and promote to be unacceptable. I am free to believe that and I am also free to say what I believe. If someone wishes to state what they believe that is all well and good. However it is in no way good to accuse nor is it good to judge a person and nor is it good to promote something by calling the rest of us who have no faith in this prayer method ignorant and arrogant. I don’t speak for myself here because folks can say what they like about me I don;t care what is thought of me, but I speak here for the other posters who have not supported this method of prayer and also for CAF which does not support this method of prayer.

I have searched the web wide and long and have not found a more Catholic site than CAF other than the Vatican’s own website and EWTN.

Do as you will and put your points across but you cannot persuade anyone to do as you do, that is purely your choice.

I can’t see a Catholic Answers Forum gving answers that are not Catholic, but there you go, each man will form his own opinion.

In the Living Prayer of my life
 
Blessedstar,

With all due respect, I see the sources/links you use as problematic, because they’re criticizing the wrong thing. It’s why I referred to it as the “Straw Man” problem.

It’s like someone spending time and effort campaigning that Paris is run down, bankrupt city devoid of culture. Parisians are quite upset at the characterization. The critics launch into lessons of history, and analysis to prove thier point, often with great effect. The offended Parisians scream that the critics just don’t get it. After all, the critics have been talking about Paris, France while the good folks of Paris, Texas suffered as a result.

The point is, the critics of CP are pointing out all of these faults that are not even part of CP. I keep asking myself, are the critics on these boards even reading about CP direct from the source? When I read then-Cardinal Ratzinger’s letter on Christian Meditation, I did not find anything at odds with CP…based on what CP and it’s practicioners say they believe. I do find it at odds with what critics of CP project CP as believing.

If a practicioners of CP here (or those behind CP) say that they are orthodox, catholic and freely and wholeheartedly accept what the Holy Catholic Church teaches and professes, will you not concede that perhaps there is a misunderstanding somewhere?

Or, will this be like me and my good ol’ fundamentalist friends? We just part ways, with one side saying, “We’re right, you’re wrong…I’ll pray for your soul”; and the other side saying, “Let me know when you are open to hearing what I’m actually saying.”
 
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