Pope John XXIII.

Peace on Earth

One of the programmes I recently watched on the Television was on the late Pope John XXIII. The programme inspired me to write the following article.

On 11th April 1963 Pope John XXIII signed his last Encyclical before his death. It was entitled, “On Establishing Universal Peace in Truth, Justice, Charity and Liberty. In short “Peace on Earth” derived from the opening words of the Encyclical. The full sentence reads,

“Peace on earth, for which all men of every era have most eagerly yearned, cannot be firmly established unless the order which God laid down is dutifully observed”.

It was the first Encyclical that a Pope addressed to “all men of good will”, rather than only to Catholics. Some have interpreted this to mean he was insisting that the responsibility for setting conditions for peace does not belong to the great and powerful of the world – it belongs to each and every one of us.

In this Encyclical Pope John states that conflicts,

“should not be resolved by recourse to arms, but rather by negotiation”. The Encyclical also clearly says, “that everyman has the right to life, to body integrity and to the means which are suitable for the proper development of life”.

Pope Francis in 2019 on a visit to Bulgaria invoked the Encyclical as a “code of conduct” for peace between Catholic and other religions.

As this year of 2021 begins let us take up these thoughts and renew and deepen our practice of Centering Prayer towards establishing Peace on Earth.

If you have time it is worth reading this Encyclical from Pope John XXIII, though you need to remember the language maybe outdated the insightful person will recognise the sentiments which we still need in 2021. Pope John was expected to continue in the traditional way of Pope Pius XII. He surprised everyone by calling a Council for the first time in a hundred years for the Catholic Church to look at itself and renew itself. Vatican II. It may seem that something from the 1960’s will have nothing to say to us in 2021. It speaks clearly to the problems of today.

• The first section establishes the relationship between individuals and humankind, encompassing the issues of human rights and moral duties.
• The second section addresses the relationship between man and state, dwelling on the collective authority of the latter.
• The third section establishes the need for equality amongst nations and the need for the state to be subject to the rights and duties that the individual must abide by.
• The final section presents the need for greater relations between nations, thus resulting in collective states assisting other states. The encyclical ends with the urging of Catholics to assist non-Christians and non-Catholics in political and social aspects.

In Memory

Please remember in your prayers Peter Jacques from Essex who died on 4th December 2020.

Peter was a long-time member of Contemplative Outreach U.K. and he shall be missed. Many he rest in peace.

Also let us prayer for all those who have lost loved ones to the Coronavirus.

Why does Meditation not bring forth the fruits it should?

A recent research project carried out by a Dutch Professor says that instead of reducing self-enhancement meditation may have the paradoxical effect of boosting superiority feelings. In an article written on the research it states that “the self-enhancement motive is powerful and deeply engrained so that it can hijack methods intended to transcend the ego and, instead, adopt them for its own service.”

The above is for me a clear description of what Thomas Keating called the False-Self. He clearly tells us that the false self can easily adapt itself to any situation even the spiritual journey. We need to become fully aware of our False Self and work to dismantle it. This year, via Zoom, there will be Weekend Retreats on the Human Condition and the False Self to give us the insights and tools to help us.

If you are interested in these talks please e-mail infocouk@btinternet.comfor more information.

Consenting to God as God is.

A book to be read by anyone who is in contemplative service especially those who are in leadership within Contemplative Outreach.

“This book is addressed primary to people with some personal experience of the spiritual journey……. The material in the book is addressed to people who have been practicing Centering Prayer for several years, who are familiar with its immediate conceptual background.”

Thomas Keating.

Amazon Prime.

Starring: Father Thomas Keating and John Osbourne
Directed by: Elena Mannes and Peter C. Jones

This DVD was showed in March by Contemplative Outreach UK with kind permission from Peter C. Jones. It was shown as on the second anniversary of the death of Thomas Keating. The article below is by one of those who viewed it on that day.

“This is a beautifully conceived and crafted piece of filming making, and it is, it is even more a beautiful insight into the life, thinking and teaching of Thomas Keating. In just twenty-seven minutes the film makers present an inspiring and deeply moving expose of the call to the contemplative path and Father Thomas’ contribution to our understanding of it. Touching on everything from God as a ‘superb’ psychotherapist, to our deification and the contemplative potential that we all carry within us.

During the film we learn of Fr Thomas’ own journey into prayer and contemplation. He considers the human condition and the obstacles it presents, how the child in prayer becomes an adult and how God becomes ever more approachable through the transformative process of prayer; it is on this more mature level of relating that God becomes known directly as we die to our false self and learn to let go of the images of God we cling to. We are then invited to consider the process of dying itself as the ‘birth canal into eternal life’, a new and greater life. It is this new and greater life that we begin to taste through deep contemplative prayer, a pure and gratuitous gift of God, as we learn to live a life of constant dying and rising within the God in whom we live and move and have our being.

I cannot recommend this film enough! Do find the half hour needed to sit in the company of a spiritual master with an open mind and open heart; drink deeply from the wells of wisdom shared in this beautiful film, let go of the busyness and distractions that may prevent you from beholding its treasure!

I will finish by allowing Fr Thomas the last word as he invites us to learn the art of ‘letting go”, just being, being the manifestation of God in our particular uniqueness.’”

By David McCormick.

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