24a. The Most Excellent Path, Part 1, with Thomas Keating

Fr. Thomas Keating describes the heart of the Christian Spiritual Journey as Divine Love and its determination to transfer to humans the maximum light, love and happiness that can be received. St. Paul names the charismatic gifts given to build up the Christian community, but these gifts do not address the human need for healing. Human beings are inwardly changed by Divine Love transferred to individuals and to the community through dependence on, sensitivity to and the manifestations of the Holy Spirit. Such action does not take place through teaching alone, but through the transmission of “the mind of Christ” which can be facilitated by Centering Prayer and the Eucharist.

This is one video in a series of 31 hour-long talks by Thomas Keating that make up his foundational video teachings, “The Spiritual Journey with Fr. Thomas Keating.” All of these talks are now available on YouTube, and are listed below with links. Fr. Thomas was an internationally renowned theologian, speaker and author of dozens of books including “Open Mind, Open Heart.”

Fr. Thomas co-founded Contemplative Outreach, which offers this series and supports Centering Prayer. Along with Fr. William Meninger and Fr. Basil Pennington, Fr. Thomas began the Centering Prayer movement in the 1970’s to renew the Christian tradition of contemplation. An overview of Contemplative Outreach is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Jhng2P51h4&t=2s.

Go to http://www.contemplativeoutreach.org for more information on Centering Prayer, including retreats and local chapters that offer support to practitioners at all levels in the U.S. and around the world. An online store offers books, streaming and downloadable videos and mp3 audios, DVDs, and CDs. An online course, “The Spiritual Journey – Formation in the Christian Contemplative Life,” draws upon the series of talks offered here and also includes newer teachings of Fr. Thomas, within a year-long curriculum.

“The Spiritual Journey with Fr. Thomas Keating” consists of a Prologue and five parts. Each part has up to six talks in it. Each talk has a separate video for the first half (a) and the second half (b).

Prologue
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBE6fmRmYU8hqFCiSUDjDJJHSdAwG7wG-
(A basic introduction to Centering Prayer)
• The Method of Centering Prayer (2 videos)
• The Psychological Experience of Centering Prayer (3 videos)

Part One: Developing Centering Prayer
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBE6fmRmYU8jBXwPJnp9fXnAP5PcQBqQ-
(Centering Prayer grows out of a prayerful relationship with God that ideally includes prayerful reading of Scripture - the practice of Lectio Divina)
0a & 0b. Introduction
1a & 1b. Prayer as Relating to God
2a & 2b. Four Levels of Scriptural Experience
3a & 3b. Toward Resting in God
4a & 4b. Centering Prayer as Method
5a & 5b. Progress in Centering Prayer

Part Two: Model of the Human Condition
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBE6fmRmYU8h4B4fj-HcrvUdDKAltIgUb
(The heart of the teaching on the practice of Centering Prayer)
6a & 6b. The Human Condition: The Evolutionary Model
7a & 7b. Formation of the Homemade Self: The Existential Model
8a & 8b. The Pre-Rational Energy Centers
9a & 9b. Frustrations Caused by the Emotional Programs
10a & 10b. Dismantling the Emotional Programs  
11a & 11b. The False Self in Action

Part Three: Paradigms of the Spiritual Journey
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBE6fmRmYU8iuYR5RbJ-KtqVjo2wXK8Qt
(Practical examples of Centering Prayer in daily life)
12a & 12b. The Four Consents
13a & 13b. The Human Condition: The Philosophical Model
14a & 14b. Anthony as a Paradigm of the Spiritual Journey
15a & 15b. Liberation from the False Self System
16a & 16b. Liberation from Cultural Conditioning
17a & 17b. Spirituality in Everyday Life

Part Four: Contemplation: The Divine Therapy
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBE6fmRmYU8iRCv8S7315V8qYrWUKv6us
(The Christian contemplative roots for Centering Prayer)
18a & 18b. Night of Sense: The Biblical Desert
19a & 19b. Night of Spirit: Toward Transformation
20a & 20b. The Beatitudes: Healing the Emotional Programs
21a & 21b. The Spiritual Senses
22a & 22b. What Contemplation is Not
23a & 23b. From Contemplation to Action

Part Five: Divine Love: The Heart of the Christian Spiritual Journey
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBE6fmRmYU8hVfpjxoMm5eMVC1Mm9gTml
(The fruits of the Centering Prayer practice)
24a & 24b. The Most Excellent Path
25a & 25b. The Divine Banquet an Dance
26a & 26b. Prayer in Secret: Matthew 6:6
27a & 27b. What is the Divine Therapy?
28a & 28b. Contemplative Outreach: A Response to the Divine Invitation