New Movements of the Spirit

Article by Margaret Benefiel (July 2017 eNews)

What is the Spirit doing now? This question frames the New Contemplative Exchange, a gathering of 19 young contemplative leaders with Thomas Keating, Tilden Edwards, Richard Rohr, and Laurence Freeman, occurring next month at St. Benedict’s Monastery in Snowmass, Colorado.

Fifty years ago, the Spirit stirred Keating, Edwards, Rohr, and Freeman to a rediscovery of contemplative prayer in the West. While Eastern forms of meditation had begun to come to the West, they discovered, each in their own way, that their own Christian tradition contained a contemplative core. They began to spread this message and to invite others to join them in contemplative practice. Their individual journeys led to the creation of Contemplative Outreach (Keating), the Shalem Institute (Edwards), the Center for Action and Contemplation (Rohr) and World Community for Christian Meditation (Freeman).

Now, these leaders feel, the time has come for them to support young contemplative leaders, who, like themselves 50 years ago, are experiencing fresh winds of the Spirit for our time.

I am honored to have been invited to facilitate this gathering, and am excited to see what God is up to. We will gather to notice and name the Spirit’s movement. We will celebrate what God has done in the renewal of contemplative prayer in the past 50 years. We will celebrate what God is doing now.

What new forms are emerging that invite people into contemplative practice in this time and place? What new life is springing forth? How do we nurture this new life? These are just a few of the questions we will ask.

Based on the premise that contemplative practice serves as the vital grounding of Christian life and service, the gathering will explore how prayer moves us to respond to the urgent social and spiritual needs of our time. We will ground our time together in prayer, seeking to explore our questions through a heart-centered approach, listening for God’s voice in the midst of our conversations. We will take time for silence as needed, seeking to go deeper in our listening. Above all, we want to hear and respond to God, willing to let go of our own agendas.

I hope you will join us in prayer as we listen. I hope you will help undergird our contemplative grounding. We know our gathering will only ultimately be worthwhile if we listen deeply. If we respond to the Spirit’s stirrings in our hearts rather than the machinations of our minds, the fruit that is borne will remain.