In-Person Retreat: “Gifts of the Heart: An Invitation to the Contemplative Life”

I’m so honored to be leading the annual retreat for Minnesota Contemplative Outreach. Join us for the weekend at the beautiful Christ the King Retreat Center in Buffalo, Minnesota, or participate online. Either way, hope to see you there!

Gifts of the Heart:
Invitation to a Contemplative Life In Our Time

Ever since Thomas Keating’s classic book Open Mind, Open Heart was published in 1986, Centering Prayer has been understood as a heart-centered spiritual practice: indeed, Orthodox Christians have always described contemplative prayer as “the prayer of the heart.” As contemplatives, we are invited to appreciate the many gifts that the Spirit has placed in our hearts — and how those gifts can guide us to a richer and deeper spiritual life.

Drawing on wisdom from the Bible, the writings of the mystics, and inspiration from spiritual traditions the world over, we can see that the heart is more than just a symbol for emotion or a metaphor for love: it is the seat of our embodied intuition that truly puts the “center” in “centering prayer.” The New Testament promises us that the love of God is poured into our hearts through the Spirit (Romans 5:5); it is that love that meets us in the luminous silence that we discover between our thoughts and distractions. And yet, that is just one of the gifts that makes every heart the place where human and divine truly meet.

Contemplative author Carl McColman combines the insights of heart-centered wisdom with his own longstanding Centering Prayer practice to offer a joyful and light-hearted (pardon the  pun) guide to the gifts of the heart.

Talks:

1. Your Heart is a Silent Path to God
2. The Mind of God and the Gift of (New) Life
3. The Dance of Wisdom and Love
4. Eternal Heart, Divine Heart, Heart of Joy

Saturday evening activity: 

• Imaginative Prayer: Your Heart is Your Guide

Through conferences, group activities, and personal Lectio Divina, this retreat will address both mind and heart, intellect and spirit.

In addition to live online sessions led by Carl, our Fall Retreat will include time for personal reflection, group Centering Prayer, and small group sharing. Silence will be observed from Friday evening after dinner until Sunday lunch. We will be upheld in our journey by the restful quiet and beauty of Christ the King Retreat Center in Buffalo, MN.

Explore Mystical Spirituality with Carl McColman! Get access to guided meditations, mystical study guides, and monthly Zoom calls with Carl. Join Patreon Today