Vatican on the New Age

[Augustine]

I also recommend to them that in addition to whatever else they do while in adoration, that part of their time they sit quietly and let God speak to them.

God tells us in Scriptures, “Be still and know that I am God”.

Indeed, this is the best form of contemplation. This last quote seems to be a very fruitful seed.

 

[Lief_Erikson]

What you said is very true. Thanksgiving always brings new blessings and the joy of the Lord.

Another thing I like to mention is to sit in front of the tabernacle and pray. When I sit closely to my Lord, the Presence is so strong that I usually feel reluctant to leave. Jesus is always physically in the tabernacle. When we sit with Him, we bring ourselves into His presence. It is just that immediate and concrete.

And I like to tell Him, “I love you so much,” blowing a kiss to Him. The intimacy is real.

I’ve got to start doing that. Probably I’ll start that this summer. The school quarter is coming to an end, so soon my time will open up. It’s true that I sense the Holy Spirit in a very unique way whenever I’m in my church building, especially around the altar and Eucharist.

By the way, where is the Sacred Host kept? Is it always kept at the altar, in the front of the church, or somewhere else? Or does it differ from church to church?

BroIgnatius:

I also recommend to them that in addition to whatever else they do while in adoration, that part of their time they sit quietly and let God speak to them.

God tells us in Scriptures, “Be still and know that I am God”.

Sometimes God can’t get a word in edgewise for all the talking we do in prayer.

I know; he actually told me that once in prayer . I was pacing around talking and talking to him, and I heard his words in my mind telling me that he wanted to talk to me, too.

It can be very hard to quiet down completely, and sometimes when I do, I don’t hear God. But that’s okay, as his communication must come on his timetable. It’s not something we can control, praise the Lord .

We need to be still at times and contemplate, not our inner self, but God who is our Lord and Creator.

Confession, the Eucharist, and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament are the three most important tools in deliverance and for all the Faithful to grow in intimacy with God.

Some of my most powerful experiences with God have been during Confession and the Eucharist. These are a wonderful discovery for me . Praise the Lord!

 

[Augustine]

I’ve got to start doing that… It’s true that I sense the Holy Spirit in a very unique way whenever I’m in my church building, especially around the altar and Eucharist.

That’s a good resolution to follow through.

By the way, where is the Sacred Host kept? Is it always kept at the altar, in the front of the church, or somewhere else? Or does it differ from church to church?

It depends on the church. The most appropriate place is at the altar, but some churches keep it in a side chapel. Others keep it very well hidden…

It can be very hard to quiet down completely, and sometimes when I do, I don’t hear God. But that’s okay, as his communication must come on his timetable. It’s not something we can control, praise the Lord .

Don’t worry, when He wants to talk to you it’ll be a voice above all others, even if you’re not recollected.

Some of my most powerful experiences with God have been during Confession and the Eucharist. These are a wonderful discovery for me . Praise the Lord!

And that’s really all to it. These are the most excellent ways and that closeness you experienced is the very same one that the Lord calls all the baptized in contemplation.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

But now to learn that what I was taught is tied to Eastern meditation . . . that is worrisome. I’m very glad to be alerted about this.
.

The problem for you is, it has nothing to do with Eastern Meditation. Fr. Pennington tells us where it came from, and how it is is different than Eastern meditation. Do yourself a favor and take the time to read it.

Centering Prayer - A Gift From the Desert
From Centering Prayer by Basil Pennington, pp.25-37

kyrie.com/cp/a_gift_from_the_desert.htm

I guess the message will eventually get through, if people stop reading the fabrications made on CP, and read from one of the three person’s who actually brought the method of Centering Prayer, to the laity.

God Bless
Jim

 

[BroIgnatius]

for the fifth time now, I have read all “three” of the people who have created this stuff, and so has Fr. Dreher.

We HAVE read this and Centering Prayer is exactly as described by Fr. Dreher.

Maybe if people read those who are not bias in favor of Centering Prayer they will see the truth.

Sheesh. A person who allegedly has so much experience in contemplation should be less obsessive and more humble at criticism (even if the criticism is wrong). Doesn’t speak well for the success of Centering Prayer.

 

[reen12]

As to the New Age…

Redolent of Eastern thought? Part of the New Age?

-balancing opposites…the ying/yang

-stressing that a given event is to be seen as “process”
-all that is, is in a constant “process” of change

These esoteric realms are, understandably, not the daily fare of most, in the West.

Yet I would point out that I have noted same in…TV cartoons.
How many, this past week, said: “Go with the flow.” ?
Congradulations! That thought summarizes Eastern thought, in many ways.

Hey! Chill out! Go with the flow. It’s all process, anyway.
“All that arises, exists - then passes away.” How long is a thought?

Life is a flow of phenomena… rising, existing, falling away.
Our ego latches onto given phenomena, because they are pleasing.

Want to rid yourself of suffering? Siddhārtha Gautama, a Prince of India, taught the way: [the ‘Buddha’]

-life is suffering
-suffering is created by attachments
-suffering can cease
-suffering ceases, by following the the Path

The eight point path of the Buddha [buddha = the ‘enlightened one’]

All experience is either: pleasant, unpleasant, neutral [no emotional valence.]
The ‘enlightened’ do not attach to the pleasant, and do not seek to avoid the unpleasant, for that would mean making distinctions.
Stay in the moment.



reen12

 

[reen12]

In keeping with the points made in my post, I shall not take
part in any discussion of Centering Prayer.
I ‘detach’ from any opinion I might hold, toward same…

Redolent of Eastern thought? Part of the New Age?

-balancing opposites…the yin/yang. http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a106/reen12/yinyang2-1.jpg
-stressing that a given event is to be seen as “process”
-all that is, is in a constant “process” of change

These esoteric realms are, understandably, not the daily fare of most, in the West.

Yet I would point out that I have noted same in…TV cartoons.
How many, this past week, said: “Go with the flow.” ?
Congradulations! That thought summarizes Eastern thought, in many ways.

Hey! Chill out! Go with the flow. It’s all process, anyway.
“All that arises, exists - then passes away.” How long is a thought?

Life is a flow of phenomena… rising, existing, falling away.
Our ego latches onto given phenomena, because they are pleasing.

Want to rid yourself of suffering? Siddhārtha Gautama, a Prince of India, taught the way: [the ‘Buddha’]

-life is suffering
-suffering is created by attachments
-suffering can cease
-suffering ceases, by following the the Path

The eight point path of the Buddha [buddha = the ‘enlightened one’]

All experience is either: pleasant, unpleasant, neutral [no emotional valence.]
The enlightened do not attach to the pleasant, and do not seek to avoid the unpleasant, for that would mean making distinctions.
Stay in the moment.



reen12

 

[reen12]

In keeping with the points made in my two posts, I will make
no observation on Centering Prayer.
I ‘detach’ from any opinion I might hold, toward same.

Redolent of Eastern thought? Part of the New Age?

-balancing opposites…the ying/yang.



-stressing that a given event is to be seen as “process”
-all that is, is in a constant “process” of change

These esoteric realms are, understandably, not the daily fare of most, in the West.

Yet I would point out that I have noted same in…TV cartoons.
How many, this past week, said: “Go with the flow.” ?
Congradulations! That thought summarizes Eastern thought, in many ways.

Hey! Chill out! Go with the flow. It’s all process, anyway.
“All that arises, exists - then passes away.” How long is a thought?

Life is a flow of phenomena… rising, existing, falling away.
Our ego latches onto given phenomena, because they are pleasing.
Want to rid yourself of suffering? Siddhārtha Gautama, a Prince of India,
taught the way: [the ‘Buddha’]

-life is suffering
-suffering is created by attachments
-suffering can cease
-suffering ceases, by following the the Path

The eight point path of the Buddha [buddha = the ‘enlightened one’]

All experience is either: pleasant, unpleasant, neutral [no emotional valence.]
The enlightened do not attach to the pleasant, and do not seek to avoid
the unpleasant, for that would mean making distinctions.
Stay in the moment.



reen12

 

[reen12]

As to attachment - in Eastern thought:

One of the prime attachments seems to be to opinions.

The true faith, the “correct” political party, and so on.
When the ego attaches to opinons, suffering often results -
when another does not accept our precious opinion, or POV.
Asserting this, defending that.

Eastern thought is not into ‘engaging in dialog’ -
via the Hegelian dialectic, so loved in the West.

Don’t agree with Buddhist thought? Wanna ‘debate?’
A courteous, deep bow, a wishing you well, and the follower
of Buddha continues his/her way, serenely.
Being attached - even to ‘doctrine’ - is not the Buddha’s path.

The Christian world speaks of ‘detachment,’ but this is
not the “detachment” spoken of, in the East.

All “attachments” are to be avoided. Including doctrines of all kinds -
confident assertions, defending this, rejecting that.
That is not at all the path of the Buddha.

For all the brilliant technologies of the West, much suffering exists.
Because we are attached to these technologies, and the toys and comforts brought by same.
Then we fear losing them.
Suffering, again.



reen12

 

[BroIgnatius]

Dear reen12:

Forgive me, but what has your posts to do with the subject of “Vatican on the New Age”. This thread is not about educating people on New Age ideas, but about the Vatican’s view of the New Age.

 

[Klara_Collins]

The OP opened this thread to discuss The Vatican on the New Age. While some may agree that Centering Prayer falls into the “New Age” category, the long winded discussions of it are derailing this thread.

Therefore, if others wish to instead discuss the pros/cons of Centering Prayer, then please begin a new thread.

Thank you.
Klara

 

[reen12]

quote: BroIgnatius

Forgive me, but what has your posts to do with the subject of “Vatican on the New Age”. This thread is not about educating people on New Age ideas, but about the Vatican’s view of the New Age.

quote: reen12

A courteous, deep bow, a wishing you well, and the follower

of Buddha continues his/her way, serenely.
Being attached - even to ‘doctrine’ - is not the Buddha’s path.

reen12

 

[JimR-OCDS]

BroIgnatius,
first off, lets be fair here.

You’re the one who made the attack against Centering Prayer in this thread. I never mentioned it until you attacked it.

In post #9 you posted

I am not on this BBS very often, but I have noticed a disturbing trend of people who are interested in the beautiful gift of contemplation flirting and uncritically accepting a lot of Eastern-Oriental (New Age) ideas. From the dangerous Centering Prayer to other careless contaminations of “new age” ideas some people seem to have a real problem with discernment.

When I see statements such as this, and linked articles such as Fr Dreher’s, constantly being presented, which contradicts the teachings of the people he’s points out, I feel in the spirit of presenting the truth, I must respond.

Fr Dreher’s article on Centering Prayer being connected to Eastern Religion, and others connecting it to New Age, is false, period. I have presented plenty of information which proves it.

Fr. Pennington’s book shows that it is not from Eastern Religion and being Fr. Pennington is one of the three priest who originally brought Centering Prayer to the laity. Wouldn’t he know more about it than Fr Dreher?

Again, I was not the one who brought up Centering Prayer in this thread, you did.

But, from here, I’ll observe the moderators request to take it to another thread, if need be.

Jim

 

[Augustine]

The problem for you is, it has nothing to do with Eastern Meditation. Fr. Pennington tells us where it came from, and how it is is different than Eastern meditation.

The actual problem is that CP is found nowhere in Christian literature. Its adherents like to relate CP’s origins to The cloud of the Unknowing, where it’s not and if anything is against anything similar to it.

CP has no root in the Christian spiritual teachers and is unlike anything they ever taught, if not contrary.

However, it doesn’t take more than a cursory comparison with Transcendental Meditation to find CP’s actual roots. Given the Fr. Keating was an admitted enthusiast and adherent of TM, it’s not surprising that he would end up with such a syncretic mixture as CP. And as any syncretism, it’s incompatible with Christianism.

It matters nothing what Fr. Keating and Fr. Pennington state where CP came from. The facts are unmistakable and tell a different story: the true one.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

Augustine

It matters nothing what Fr. Keating and Fr. Pennington state where CP came from. The facts are unmistakable and tell a different story: the true one.

I see.

Jim